Bonded

Chapter Six

Harry took his time in the shower, intentionally waiting long enough so that everyone would be sleeping by the time he returned. He really would have rather slept in his own bed but he learned long ago that, that kind of blatant, depressive behaviour was only met with chilling, emotional, isolation. So he curled up along the edge of the bed, careful to not touch anyone and willed himself into a fitful, restless sleep.

He woke up very, very early in the morning, feeling like garbage. He was the first one awake, beating even the sun, but he didn't wait around for the others to get up. He rolled out of bed and scampered off to his room. He got dressed for the day but didn't leave after. It was morning and no one else was up, it would be perfect if he started breakfast but he wouldn't unless explicitly asked. He felt petty for silently refusing to help cook again. As much as he wanted to blame his treatment in the household the truth was, he just hated cooking.

With a sigh he flopped down onto his bed and grabbed one of his pillows, hugging it too his chest. He loves having multiple pillows because snuggling them made him feel safe and not alone. He also didn't have to explain having a silly stuffed toy on his bed, as tons of pillows just look normal. Plus pillows were bigger and actually felt like hugging and snuggling a super soft person.

With a pillow pressed to his chest and one along his back Harry ended up passing out, in his clothes. He would not have believed he had fallen back asleep if it wasn't for Issac lightly shaking him awake.

"Hey buddy, what are you in here sleeping for? Have you slept in here, fully dressed, all night?" Issac asked, while playing with Harry's hair.

"No, I slept in our bed last night." Harry answered. He sat up while rubbing the last of the sleep from his eyes. "I woke up early and came in here to get dressed. I must have still been tired, I don't even remember falling asleep."

"Okay, well everyone else is up and ready to eat, if you want to join us. There's a fresh pot of coffee too, if you'd like." Isaac informed him with a quiet chuckle. He ruffled Harry's hair before getting up to leave.

Harry watched as he walked out, sighing before getting up himself. He went into the main bathroom to wash his face before going into the kitchen and making himself a cup of coffee, which he carried to his spot at the table.

"Nice for you to join us," Daniel said with a slight frown in his direction. "Hopefully it's not cold now."

"Sorry," Harry replied quietly. "I didn't realize you were waiting for me to start."

"We usually eat together, so why wouldn't we wait for you." Daniel said with a pointed look.

Harry swallowed down his rebuttal. They start eating without each other all the time. They usually give about five minutes after saying the food is ready and any linger-ers join in shortly after. But he didn't feel like he'd get very far pointing that out and this wasn't his hill to die on.

He went to serve himself some breakfast and his eyes widened like sauce pans. This wasn't a breakfast, it was a feast. There was pancakes and waffles, sausage and bacon, hash browns and eggs. There was even fancy yogurt and fresh fruit. His big for eyes moved up to Daniel, only to see the man gently gazing back.

"Ollie and Isaac made all this for you in celebration of your promotion. Isaac set an alarm and got up early in order to have all this ready in time."

Harry turned to look at Issac, who gently smiled at him. He was shocked that he didn't notice right away and really glad he decided against arguing with Daniel earlier. "Thank-you .... thank-you Isaac," he whispered. He wasn't please to be forced into a higher position but seeing prove of Isaac's care and concern for him felt nice. "You too Ollie," he added, turning to Ollie who was looking at him with a huge smile, "thank-you."