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I love you so much that I hate you (Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Right now, it's so hard to blame you (Oh)

~~~

Sydney yawned as she stood in front of her kettle, rubbing her eyes as she waited for the water to boil so that she could make her coffee. Sydney had been horrified to discover that most Americans don't own electric kettles (and even more horrified to find out that many microwave their tea or coffee when making it), and had decided that it would be one thing that she would not be embracing in America after moving there.

The shuffling of feet on the floor behind her caught her attention and she turned around to greet whoever was entering the small kitchen. She smiled at Daniel, who halfheartedly waved at her her before standing beside the girl.

"Coffee?" Sydney asked.

"Please." Daniel replied.

Sydney nodded, reaching up to pull down a coffee mug from the kitchen cupboard and place it down on the counter.

Currently, the Irwin family were staying in Sydney's guest room (aside from Ashton, who was still sleeping in Sydney's room). Anne and David were sleeping in the guest room's double bed, while Harry was sleeping on the folding single bed that Sydney had hidden away in a cupboard for emergencies. Harry wasn't thrilled at the idea of sharing a room with his parents, but he was willing to do it if it meant that they would be there for Ashton. Harry knew that if he complained Ashton would feel guilty, so he kept his mouth shut; it wasn't a big deal anyway.

"How's Ashton coping with everything?" Daniel spoke quietly. "His mum's worried about him."

"I don't know." Sydney sighed, pouring the boiling water into the two mugs. "He sleeps with me every night; he hates being alone; he can't even say her name; he could barely go back to his place to get some more stuff and when we did she was there so he won't go back again."

"Why was she there?" Daniel asked, picking up his mug and taking a sip from it, muttering a thank you as he did so.

"She's living there."

"What?" Daniel questioned, baffled by the idea of the woman still living in his son's home. "It's not her house."

"I know, but Ashton won't speak to the woman — he's terrified of her. Luke told her to fuck off but she's still there; her car's out the front whenever I go past. I just wish that she would leave. She's hurt him enough."

"He doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve any of this." Daniel sighed, his eyes trained on kitchen counter in front of him as the pair leant back against the opposing kitchen counter (the room was small, conjoining with the living room with only a thin wall between them and even that had an empty window built into it so that one could see through).

"No," Sydney breathed out, "he doesn't."

~~~

Just over an hour later, the rest of the Irwin family had trooped into the living room, yawning as they walked slowly into the room, grumbling about how they had been woken up. Or, at least, that's what Harry did. Ashton's positive attitude towards the morning was not a personality trait he shared with his siblings.

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