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Chapter Text

It's cold tonight.

Kay whimpers, clutching her blanket tighter around her, her bunny held tightly to her chest.

Mama and papa haven't been home in two weeks now. She'd drawn the lines to prove it on the colouring paper, just like her papa had taught her to do when counting in groups.

|||| |||| ||||

Papa had told her to find an adult at the office to speak to, if he or mama never came home after two weeks, they'd keep her safe and warm and fed.

She doesn't want to leave their trailer, though. Their home.

She's eight, she's a big girl now. But she's scared.

Thunder booms, and she clutches her bunny tighter with a shriek, squeezing her eyes shut tight.

She misses her mama. Misses her soothing humming, her hand stroking her hair, her fingers clutching her necklace as she prayed during bad days.

Kay sniffles, moving from her bed to her parents room. Small, confined, like the rest of their trailer.

Her mother's necklace sits proudly on the bed. Kay promptly yoinks it and shoves it in the pocket of her overalls. Her mama had never taken it off, had worn it constantly. Perhaps it was bad luck that she hadn't worn it that day, perhaps that was why her mama hadn't come home?

Kay sniffles, wiping her nose as she exits the bedroom. She needs to go to the office, talk to one of the people her papa had told her about.

Their food rations were up, she couldn't collect more without a parent to approve the credit use. 

There was nothing else she could do in her home except starve. And she was already on day two without food.

Kay clings to her bunny tighter, the light weight of her mother's necklace in her pocket still felt heavy. Heavy with a knowledge that she couldn't quite grasp at the age of eight.

She takes one last look at her home before she slams open the door of her trailer.

Bjorn had been having a fine day.

He'd found a stall selling old computer games, had promptly stuffed a handful into his pocket before the guy manning the stall could see. He'd even convinced one of the old drunkards that usually set up camp in the alleyways to give him a sip of beer.

Gross, by the way. Why on earth did grownups like it so much?

Bunch of weirdos.

He idly swings the bag with his and his mother's rations in them, whistling a jaunty tune to himself. Well, trying to, anyway. He'd lost one of his baby teeth last night, one right at the front of his teeth.

Whistling was hard when you didn't have that tooth, turns out.

Bjorn turns and enters the trailer park, cracking his neck absentmindedly as he takes his usual shortcut right through the-

A door slams open in his face before he can get any further in thinking. He's sent sprawling into the dirt, clutching his face with a groan as he rolls this way and that.

Great. Mum's gonna think he got into another fight. Might sick Tyler on him to "keep an eye" on his rowdy cousin.

"You- you fuckin' knobhead! Wank featured little FUCK-" he shrieks, the words clumsy, as though the eight year old had only just learned how to swear.

He had, last week. Yelera from a few years above him had said some choice words to her boyfriend, and they'd been rattling around Bjorn's head ever since.

"I'm sorry-" comes the wail of a girl, as she collapses onto her knees beside him in the dirt. "I didn't- I didn't mean to- I just- it's so scary-"

"I'll fuckin' show you scary-" his hiss gets cut off when he looks at her.

Her doey eyes stare right back at him, all wide and glassy and full of tears about to roll down her round cheeks. Her greasy hair lays in two limp plaits, as if she hasn't taken them out in weeks. Parents probably couldn't pay for the water supply, it was common round here.

She's clutching tight onto an old, worn bunny, her hands trembling.

"...y'alright?" he asks instead, begrudgingly. His mother would kick his arse if he hit a girl, even if she hit first. Technically. With a door.

"I need to... to get to the offices." she sniffles, wiping her eyes. "Mama and papa said that's where to go if they don't come home."

"...right." he drawls, sitting up and grabbing his bag. "Well, best of luck then. Don't hit anyone else in the face, might not be as nice as me and they might hit you back."

She hiccups a soft sob at the idea.

Bjorn shrugs and stands, wipes off his bloody upper lip and starts to walk away.

His tummy feels funny.

He can hear his mother chiding him in her head with every step he takes away from the mouse of the girl still in the dirt...

With a heavy groan, he spins on his heel and marches back over to her, yoinking her into a standing position. "Right. Let's go, then. C'mon, let's go." he starts tugging her in the direction of town, and she follows willingly, staring at him wide eyed.

"But- the door-" she manages to get out through her tears.

God he hated it when people cried. Made him think of his dad's funeral, his aunt's. Made him think of death and-

Her doey eyes just made it worse.

"Yeah, I'll get you back for that later. Right now we're gonna getcha to the offices and stuff, and then I'm gonna go home and listen to my mum whine about me fightin', even though I was attacked by a door-"

"I didn't MEAN to!" she huffs, looking close to stomping her foot.

"Can't feel my fuckin' face."

"That's a bad word."

"I know." his chest puffs out with pride at the wide eyed look on her face. 

It's kind of nice, having someone be impressed by you. Especially in this dump of a town, where there isn't a whole lot to be impressed by.

The girl slips her hand into his, clinging tight to his fingers as he leads the way.

If his cheeks are pink, she says nothing about it.

Chapter Text

They walk in companionable silence.

Bjorn isn't the best at making conversation with kids he doesn't know (girls specifically, what do they even do other than play with dollies all day?), and the girl seems lost in thought, her frightened eyes darting around every face, every shadow.

He sighs. 

"What's your name, anyway?" he asks, frowning at her.

She's still holding his hand, grip surprisingly tight.

First time a girl's ever held his hand. He doesn't know what to feel; girls are gross, but also he's pretty sure the rest of the kids his age have never held a girl's hand before. And he does love to beat them to things. Ha.

"Kaylee," she whispers, peering up at him. "Mama and papa call me Kay, most people do. I don't get why-"

"Alright, didn't ask you that many questions, now did I?" he sniffs indignantly, kicking a pebble.

Kay huffs through her nose, clutching her raggedy bunny even tighter.

Silence again.

He's curiously watching some of the drunkards play a game by their fire when she pipes up again.

"What's yours?"

"My what?" he asks, deliberately, just to annoy her. 

The girl, Kay, shoots him a look. "Your name, dummy."

"Oi," he scowls, narrowing his eyes. "I could stop helping you to the offices, y'know? Leave you right here outside the bar."

She scowls right back at him and doesn't answer, not beyond gripping onto his fingers even tighter.

What was she? Some kid with super strength? Jesus.

Bjorn leads her through the crowds, frowning at some rowdy drunk men who say words to Kay that he doesn't quite understand. He knows they're not good, though, can tell by the looks on their faces. He tugs her closer, his own grip tightening on her fingers as he pulls her through the crowds.

There is one undeniable fact about Bjorn, one that will follow him until his adult life; his bark is far worse than his bite.

As he and Kay clung onto each others hands, glued to each others sides for fear of separation, one other fact became clear to the young boy.

He wouldn't leave her there.

Kay, with her large terrified eyes, her twin braids that tapered off into curly ends, her hands clutching her bunny, his hand.

Bjorn kicks an empty bottle, cheering as it skitters along the dirt and through moving pairs of legs of passersby.

Kay giggles, and he can only beam at her. Her terrified eyes twinkle with mirth, and his stomach does a weird little twist not all that dissimilar to whenever his uncle takes he and his cousin to scope out shipwrecks and abandoned stations, when they get there and find that the gravity is firmly switched to off and they have to float on through the empty hallways.

Ugh. Weird.

He reaches out and swats at Kay's braid. "Bjorn."

"...I'm sorry?" she blinks, tilting her head, a confused little smile on her face.

"S'my name. Bjorn." he grunts, face red.

Kay blinks again, before beaming once more. "Bjorn. Bjorn! I like it, it's fun to say-"

"S'just a name," he whines, pouting as his face flames. "You're being so weird!"

"Am not!" she pouts back, and he narrows his eyes.

"Are so!"

"Am not!"

"Are so!"

The argument, admittedly, continues for quite some time.

True to his word, Bjorn drops her off at the offices her papa had told her to go to.

"Bit depressin', innit?" he hums, fingers still entwined with hers, as he considers the building, the miserable faces within.

Kay exhales, shrugging at him. "Papa told me this is the best place for..." she trails off, furrowing her brow. She doesn't want to admit it, doesn't want to consider what could have possibly become of her beloved mama and papa.

Bjorn glances at her through his heavy fringe, and he hums. "I didn't wanna believe it either, when my dad..." he frowns, sighing heavily. "Lung disease, from the mines, that's what did him in. About two cycles ago now."

Her stomach twists, and she frowns, giving his hand a squeeze. "...M'sorry. That's horrible."

Bjorn shrugs at her. "S'alright. I don't remember him much, if I'm honest. Just been me and mum for a bit. I'm just saying, y'know, with your parents, I mean-"

"I know." she murmurs, before untangling her hand from his. She finds she already regrets it, misses having another person to remind her that she's here, that this isn't a horrible dream.

It's a horrible reality.

She'd rather realise that then wish she would wake up in her parents bed, would wake up to her mother's laugh and her father's smile.

"Thanks," she says, giving him another smile. "For helping. You're nice."

"Ew," Bjorn scrunches up his nose, a hint of a smile lingering on his lips. "That's just a mean thing to say."

Kay giggles, shaking her head. Silly boy.

Silly boy who made her smile for the first time in two weeks.

"But it's nothin', not really." Bjorn shrugs, glancing to the building. "Mum'd kick my arse if I left ya alone. So, really, this was entirely for me."

"Right." Kay says, dubiously. "You're welcome, then."

"Cheers."

The pair look at each other a moment, before bursting into a little fit of giggles.

It's Kay who takes the first step towards the building, which prompts Bjorn to back up a few steps away.

The pair look at each other for a second or two, before Bjorn raises his hand in a casual wave, and Kay returns it.

"Thank you." she says again, and he shrugs.

"Wasn't a bother, really. Hope you..." he glances around the building. "Hope things go alright, Kay."

She nods, and with that, he turns on his heel, making his way through the crowd to return home.

Kay lingers a moment, before turning and pressing the button to open the door. With a hiss, it slides open, and briefly, she looks over her shoulder, a passing glance, just to see if he was gone yet.

Blue eyes lock with brown, Bjorn is craning his head this way and that, and she can't help but smile.

He flushes red again, on being caught. She giggles.

Just as he begins to smile, he's swallowed up by the crowd.

"Hey, kid! Don't leave the damn door open like that," the man behind the counter grunts. "You in or out?" 

She only hesitates another second before heading inside, the door hissing shut behind her.

Chapter Text

Tyler, despite being only two years older than his cousin, was infinitely wiser than most would expect of a boy his age.

What a good student, his teachers would praise. What a sweet boy, their neighbours would smile. What a tosspot, Bjorn would scoff as Tyler beat him at another computer game.

You'll make a perfect soldier, Weyland-Yutani soldiers and officers would say whenever he was by his father's side during meetings or inspections.

It sent a chill up his spine, even at that young of an age.

His father's hand would tighten on his shoulder, his smile would grow sharp and forced in a way that made Tyler feel sick, for it looked wrong on his usually smiling father's face.

He's not sure what being a soldier for Weyland-Yutani would mean, but he's not sure he likes the idea.

An even less exciting prospect is working the mines like his father, like his mother had. But it was expected, and besides, what other jobs were there? What other life lay ahead of him?

But still, late at night, when he's supposed to be fast asleep in his bunk, he'll stare at the metal ceiling of his and his father's trailer. Will pretend he can see the night sky above him, will pretend that the pollution is non-existent and that he can see the twinkling stars in the inky black darkness, and he'll think surely, surely there must be more to life than this?

He knows his future belongs in those stars.

He knew it from the second his father took him on his first scavenger run when he was seven, The second he felt the twist of gravity in his gut, felt the crush for the first time. He knew it from the way that flying out of their colony's atmosphere had stolen his breath away, just as the sight of the stars had rendered his heart to a near stop.

He's never felt anything like it, and doubts he'll feel anything even come close to it again.

But being confronted with reality... he watches the doors for his father, waits to see the soot covered man, waits for his pearly white grin and for him to walk home with him with his ever hilarious tales of his colleagues stupid activities.

His father exits, his face like thunder, and he's not alone.

A tiny girl is clinging onto his hand, her other clutching a necklace around her neck. Her eyes are impossibly wide as she stares up at his father. Her cheeks are sooty, and one of her eyes purple and just a smidge swollen.

"...dad?" Tyler questions, warily, eyes darting between the pair. 

"We're going now, Tyler, straight home, no stopping tonight." his father says, gruffly, hand Tyler his lunchbox, and taking his son's free hand in his.

Tyler sputters, because he's ten, he's too old for hand holding, he's not a baby-

But he feels how clammy his father's hand is, sees how tightly wound he looks, almost as if he's holding himself back.

"Okay." he says softly instead, letting his father hold onto his hand impossibly tight.

The walk home is silent.

Tyler has far too many questions building up inside, each one relating to the little girl with a sloppy braid in her hair, who keeps her eyes glued to his father as if he's a Saint.

Funnily enough, Tyler thinks his cousin Bjorn looks a lot like his father does, now.

Tyler takes mostly after his mother, save for a few errant features that were undoubtedly that of his dad's.

Bjorn's father and his had been brothers, had looked oh so similar. He doesn't remember his uncle much, if he's honest, but he'd looked like his dad and had been the funniest man he'd possibly ever know.

So the tenseness to Tyler's father's jaw, the steel in his blue eyes, the furrow of his thick brows... it reminds Tyler a lot of the look he sees on his young cousin's face most days, now.

He's grown up alongside Bjorn, knows his cousin in and out. And he knows better than to poke that bear when he's angry.

He takes the same approach and remains silent with his father. Has he ever scowled before? Or looked so angry?

Tyler's mother's death perhaps came the closest. But even then, that hadn't been anger, no. It had been sheer devastation, his father had clutched her face with one hand, his forehead pressed to hers and his free hand clutching the fabric around her stomach, and oh, Tyler remembers there being so much blood.

She wasn't supposed to be working the mines whilst pregnant, and yet... 

A sibling, he was supposed to have a sibling. But his mother had begun coughing more and more and oh god how she'd screamed when her labour pains had begun. He remembers the trail of blood from the bathroom to the bedroom, as his mother wailed and wailed and then there was silence.

His sister had been a stillborn, and his mother had followed her into death not even five minutes later.

It had been quick, too quick, and they hadn't even had the time to grab medical assitance.

His aunt, Bjorn's mother, had helped look after him for a while after that, as his father tried to put himself back together for his son's sake.

His eyes slide from his father to instead peer around him and look at the girl again.

She meets his eyes, looking much like a startled animal.

She too is silent.

He can't hear the conversation his dad is having with his aunt, not from where he and the girl had been dumped outside to play.

He idly plays on his gaming tablet, glancing at her now and then.

She's staring into the distance, her tiny brow pinched in thought. 

He sets aside his tablet, and offers her a friendly smile. "I'm Tyler!" he introduces, nudging her lightly. "Don't know if my dad told you much before he took you here, or if he even mentioned me."

The girl looks at him, still fiddling with her necklace. "...he did." she murmurs, nodding lightly. "Kay."

"Huh?"

"My name," she says, lips turning up just a little at the corners. "My name is Kay."

"Ah, right, cool, gotcha." He nods a few times, thinking of questions once more. He knows better than to ask about her parents, has already made his assumptions there. So instead...

"What were you doing in the mines anyway?" he asks, frowning a little at her. "We're not allowed to play down there."

Kay shrinks in on herself, exhaling softly and shrugging. "Ran outta space at the orphanage," she mutters, twirling a lock of her curly hair between her fingers. "Put me to work instead."

"No!" Tyler gapes, horrified. He'd heard of it happening, kids being sent to do odd jobs if there wasn't space for them anywhere. But her? She was so... tiny. 

She can't help but giggle at his tone. "Uh huh! They made me take the little birdy down!"

"The bird, what do you mean the-" he falls silent, the horror and realisation of what she'd said sinking in.

Kay seems oblivious to it, which is a miracle, because now he's finally starting to understand his father's fury.

There's cheerful whistling, or an attempt at it, coming from around the corner, and with it...

"What's your dad got his knickers in such a twist for?" Bjorn asks, hands shoved in his pockets and unruly hair in his eyes. "What's-"

He stops in his tracks, looking shocked by something. Never has his cousin been so quiet. It's incredibly unnerving. 

The girl, Kay, perks up at his side, her eyes shining like the very stars above them. "Bjorn!"

"Kay?" he blinks, before a bewildered smile comes to his face. "The fuck are you-?"

"Bad word," she chides, but the shine to her eyes hasn't dimmed in the slightest. "Tyler's dad was very nice and took me here."

Bjorn slopes on over, leaning against the railing of the stairs to their trailer. His eyes are studying Kay with a seriousness that looks severely out of place on his cousin's face. "Must've been bad if you're all the way out here, then."

Kay opens her mouth to speak, only for Tyler to chime in. "She was carryin' the bird down into the mines, weren'tcha?"

"Fuckin' what?" Bjorn barks out, and Kay scowls at the pair of them. "Kids aren't s'posed to go into the mines! That's... that's just-"

"It got me fed." Kay retorts, snappily. "And a bed. And... oh." she frowns, now lost in thought again.

"What?" Tyler asks, brow pinching with concern. He spies Bjorn straightening up in his peripheral. 

"My bunny's still in my room." Kay frowns deeper, and Tyler blinks at her, as Bjorn groans. 

"That old thing? Seriously? What is it with girls and their bloody dolls?"

"Okay, I'm sorry, but what? How do you two know each other?" Tyler asks, looking between them.

"She broke my nose."

"Did not!" Kay squawks, pouting.

"Did so! It bled, didn't it?"

"That doesn't mean it got broken, dummy!"

Bjorn squints, touching his nose. "...oh."

Tyler stares off into the distance, sighing, his question only leading to more questions that will likely be unanswered for some time.

"...you want me to go get it?" he hears his cousin ask, almost sheepishly. Tyler's eyes snap to Bjorn, who's a touch pink in the face, but beyond his normal scowl, not much else seems out of place.

Kay perks up, however, beaming at Bjorn as if he'd just offered her a ten course meal. 

"Don't answer," Bjorn sighs, belabouredly, as if he hadn't volunteered to the task. "Right, you sit there, then. Reckon unc's gonna be pissed if you disappear. C'mon, Tyler."

"I'm sorry, but what am I s'posed to do?" Tyler asks, brow furrowed in confusion.

"You're ten." Bjorn says, as if that explains everything.

"Oh. Right!" Tyler blinks, shooting to his feet. Kay blinks up at the boys, frowning a little.

"How are you guys gonna know where to go?"

Bjorn waves a hand. "We're good at navigation, right, cuz?"

Tyler can only roll his eyes, before looking at Kay. He gives her a friendly smile again, hoping it's even just a little comforting. He reaches out, giving her shoulder a squeeze the same way his father has done to his own shoulder for his entire life. "We'll be back soon, alright? Just sit tight, dad should be out soon to talk to you, I think. If you get scared just head inside!"

Kay nods, and he gives her a final smile before retreating with his cousin. Tyler keeps his eyes ahead of them, scanning the crowds with a furrowed brow.

If it allows Bjorn to sneak a glance or two back then... well, who else has to know but he and Kay?

"D'ya reckon they'll still have it?" Tyler asks, hands in his pockets as they wait for their knock to get answered.

"Dunno." Bjorn shrugs, squinting around the place. "Girls, honestly."

Tyler shoots him a look. "You're the one that offered-"

"So?"

"She never even-"

The door hisses open, and a stout man greets them, he sneers at the sight of the two children.

"The fuck do you two want?"

Tyler straightens up, putting on his most innocent and "I'm not a nuisance" expression that he is physically capable of.

Bjorn makes no such adjustments to his scowl.

"Hi, sir," Tyler starts, and Bjorn wisely keeps his mouth shut. Tyler is the more diplomatic of the pair for a reason, after all. "We're just here to collect-"

"Don't give handouts to people, I'm afraid." The man interrupts, scoffing at them.

"Oh, no! It's not like that-"

"God, you sewer rats are all the same-"

"Would you LET him talk?" Bjorn huffs, crossing his arms.

The man narrows his eyes, and moves to slam the door. Bjorn scoffs and promptly barrels past him.

"OI!"

And with that, he runs, ducking through corridors and doors and various bunks. Bjorn is great at hiding, always has been. His skinnier frame comes in handy when it comes into squeezing himself into tight spots and remaining unnoticed.

Tyler hates playing hide and seek with him for a reason, after all.

The bunks are crammed full of bodies of various ages. Some even share bunks, he's noticing. It doesn't smell great, either, but hey, what else is new about this planet?

He pushes his fringe out of his eyes, and starts his hunt for that damned bunny.

Tyler was right, not that Bjorn would ever admit it in his lifetime, but it was his own fault. Kay had only pouted about her missing bunny, Bjorn had been the one offering to grab it.

Speaking of...

It's a cramped bunk, half the size of everyone else's. The bunny sits tucked in amongst Kay's blankets. 

Yoink.

He shoves it into his coat, zipping it up and sniffing as he looks around the tiny space.

Beyond the standard issue pillow and blanket, there was nothing else of value.

His chest felt a little tight, at that.

"THERE YOU ARE YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

With a grimace, he bolts.

Kay twists anxiously on one of her curls, peering back at the trailer.

The voices have calmed down considerably, now nothing more than a quiet murmur. Bjorn's mother had poked her head out a little while ago, just to check in on her, before returning inside to talk to her brother in law.

She could only imagine what was being said. She was another mouth to feed, more work than just Tyler.

Kay's stomach twisted with anxiety, with what could possibly happen to her.

She'd prayed for some sort of salvation, and had gotten it with Mr Harrison. But if she was a burden then...

She didn't want to go back to the mines, for all her bravado earlier. They were dark, the air was thick and she had to wear a stupid face covering because she couldn't breathe right down there.

Mr Harrison had been furious at the sight of her.

Not at her, but for her.

Her leg bounces as her eyes scan faces, as she waits for Bjorn and Tyler to return. The warden was a grump, and she could only hope-

"We return VICTORIOUS!" Bjorn cheers as he rounds the corner, holding the bunny aloft.

"Could you be any louder?" Tyler huffs, but there's a grin on his face too, even as his hands land on his hips. "That Warden was-"

"A right twat." Bjorn interrupts, and Kay stands, padding her way over to them.

"Yeah, he can be..." she trails off into a little gasp at the bruise on one of his eyes. "Oh! No, Bjorn! Are you okay-"

"Thought he was dead hard," Bjorn sniffs indignantly. "Throws a good punch- sure you know that, though-" he side eyes her own swollen eye. "-but I kicked him in the bollocks and he crumbled like a bloody sand dune. Pathetic. I'm eight."

"I'm so sorry-"

"Not your fault, you never hit me, now did you?" Bjorn smirks just a little at that, before holding out the bunny. "Here. So you don't wet the bed at night like a baby."

Kay takes the bunny from him, studying it reverently, before looking at him with a beaming smile.

She's throwing herself at him and Tyler, winding her arms around their necks in a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Oi! Whatcha thanking him for?" Bjorn scowls. "He did fuck all!"

"You swear too much," Tyler rolls his eyes, before smiling sweetly at Kay. "I'm glad you've got it back. Might make staying here a bit easier for you."

"...you think your dad will let me?" Kay asks, voice oh so incredibly small. Tyler tightens his arm around her.

"Course he will. Knew it the second he came out of work with you."

Kay smiles, something shining in her eyes that Tyler can't quite place, and she merely hugs them both tighter, the bunny squished between the trio.

Chapter Text

Bjorn hates school. 

It's not that he is stupid, of course. Sure, sometimes things go right on over his head, but truth be told he doesn't see the point in it.

He'd likely end up with whatever job the Company deemed fit for him.

He knows, even at 10, that he's not well suited to one of their desk jobs, or their medical professions, would make a damn terrible soldier no matter how fun it used to be to play pretend with Tyler.

It's likely he's going straight to the mines. To 10 to 16 hour shifts with one short break, to being covered in soot and dirt, to being exhausted all the damn time just like his mother and uncle.

School doesn't matter, when he knows he's not going to advance to some groundbreaking career.

He looks up from his assigned reading, idly leaning back in his chair as his eyes dance over his classmates.

Lena is sneaking notes to Evan, they'd been going out two weeks now. Clearly, she was proposing some schoolyard wedding fun, judging by the pout on his face.

Dina is fast asleep at her desk, blonde hair splayed all over the metal. He used to think her hair was what sunshine must be like, before he'd seen it for the first time thanks to his uncle.

His eyes drift over to Kay, as they tend to most days; two seats up and diagonally left of him. She's studiously reading through the material, mouthing the words to herself as she does.

His lips quirk up a little at the corners. What a nerd she is, Tyler's sister.

It feels weird, calling Kay his cousin. She was family now, yes, but the idea made his stomach squirm uncomfortably, for reasons he couldn't yet name.

Tyler's sister, yes. His uncle's daughter, yes. His cousin, ugh...

It isn't as though he dislikes Kay. Far from it, actually. Bjorn spends most of his days actively trying to get a laugh out of her, or a smile. He finds her cheery and optimistic nature quite refreshing, rather than grating like he sometimes finds Tyler's.

It's something he tries not to think too much about, tries to shovel beneath the surface.

It's easy to, at this age. But little does Bjorn know just how much it's going to plague his thoughts as he grows older.

Kay tilts her head slightly, frowning at him through the thick curtain of her curly hair. 

"What?" she mouths, and he shrugs at her with a smirk, still leaning back in his chair. "Cut it out!" She mouths, complete with a little motion of her hand. His smirk only deepens, his chair teetering.

Kay huffs, rolling her eyes at him and returning her eyes to her tablet, going back to her reading.

She has a little flush on her cheeks, a furrow to her brow. She's annoyed at him.

His lips only curl up further, all four of his chairlegs returning to the ground before the teacher can notice him slacking.

Boys were super annoying, if you asked Kay.

Tyler was usually lovely, most days, but like every brother before him, he was prone to bugging the hell out of her. Be it making fun of her for her petite size (excuse you, Tyler, not everyone has hit a growth spurt yet), or being a stereotypical protective brother (he had caught Milo kissing her cheek a few weeks ago and had near thumped the boy for it, only to be beaten to the punch by an incensed Bjorn. Quite literally).

Ugh. Bjorn.

She loves him, of course she does! He is one of her best friends, after all, and Tyler's cousin! But he is such a boy, sometimes.

Probably why he and Tyler get along so well; birds of a feather, boys with no thoughts in their dumb skulls...

Kay huffs slightly to herself, arms crossed as she watches Bjorn pick yet another fight. Sometimes, it's best not to intervene. Tends to puff up Bjorn's ego and make him think he has something to prove.

Which is dumb as hell, if you ask Kay. But no one does. See; boys are stupid.

Bjorn will pick a fight, get a couple of bruises, she'll check him over and berate him for being a moron, and he'll just grin at her in that cocky, confident way that way just so Bjorn.

Her eyes drift around the recess hall, moving away from Bjorn and landing on...

Ah, her.

Kay tilts her head curiously as she watches the girl. Marie, she thinks her name is?

The girl has a synthetic. Not with her right now, but he always picks her up and drops her off, always carries her meagre lunchbox and makes sure she remembers to take it. His smile is always friendly, and he always waves at Kay whenever she catches his eyes.

Kay squares her shoulders, raises her chin high, and marches over to the lonely girl. 

"You got any cornbread?" Kay asks, setting down her lunchbox. Marie blinks at the younger girl.

"Uh... no, not this time."

"Damn." Kay pouts, cracking open her lunchbox and digging into her rations. "I've been wanting it for weeks, honestly. Tyler keeps getting first dibs because he's the oldest, which is super lame of him, if you ask me. Not that he does, of course. Boys are nuts. I'm Kay, by the way! You're Marie, right?"

"Rain," the girl corrects after a moment, stunned by the sheer verbal assault she'd just gotten. "Only my mom calls me Marie, I like Rain better."

"Gotcha." Kay nods, idly looking over at Bjorn as she hears him shout, watching her brother yank him off of a dark haired girl.

"You're Tyler's sister, right?" Rain asks, almost shyly.

Kay can only grin. "Uh huh! He's great, most of the time. Cornbread stealing not counting, duh."

Rain hums, watching the boys for a moment. "What's your cousin's name again?"

"Tyler's cousin," Kay automatically corrects, as she always does. It's instinctive, at this point. She doesn't know why she always feels the need to correct people on it but... the habit persists. "Bjorn. He's also included in the boys are nuts thing. Seriously, they all are."

Rain laughs softly, shaking her head a little. "I dunno, my brother's okay."

"The synthetic, right?"

Rain's shoulders tense a little. "He prefers the term artificial person."

"Oh, sorry," Kay blinks, before humming. "What's his name anyway? I see him pick you up and drop you off every day so..."

"Andy." Rain says, shoulders relaxing and a fond smile on her face. "It's in his programming, kinda. Along with way too many jokes. It's getting out of hand."

"Sounds like a brother to me." Kay scoffs, jumping as Bjorn is not so delicately tossed beside her on the bench.

"D'ya fuckin' mind?" he barks at Tyler, who scowls down at him, face like thunder. Rain's face flushes.

"I do, actually. Since I have to sort your messes!" Tyler snaps, hands on his hips. The dark haired girl Bjorn had been fighting earlier slips into the space beside Rain, her arms crossed and expression disinterested.

"Hi!" Kay elects to greet, cheerfully. "I'm Kay-"

"Didn't ask." The girl retorts, and Bjorn twitches by Kay's side, his fists clenching and unclenching.

"Bjorn." Tyler warns, in a tone not unlike his father's. 

Bjorn grumbles something, crossing his arms and scowling at the table. Kay idly looks over his face. Not the worst he's ever come away from a fight, but he's already got a nasty bruise forming on his eye.

Tyler exhales, seeming to realise Kay wasn't alone. His cheeks pinken, and he clears his throat. "Um- hi. Sorry I- I'm Tyler-"

"I know." Rain says, softly, sheepishly. Tyler's cheeks darken further. "I'm Rain."

"Kind of name is that?" Bjorn snorts, and the other girl gives him a flat look.

"Obviously one that's a nickname, moron," she retorts, shaking her head. "And you say that like Bjorn isn't a stupid name."

"Oh, like Navarro is any bloody better!"

And with that, the pair disolve into bickering, with Tyler mediating (attempting to, anyway, his patience is already running incredibly thin with them). 

Kay looks to Rain apologetically, offering her some of her nuts as recompense. Rain doesn't notice, though, her eyes glued to Tyler's face as he tries to patiently listen to Bjorn and Navarro bicker.

Kay's lips curl up a little, and she pops a nut in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

How interesting this day has turned out indeed.