A Beautiful Mess｜ONGOING

13. Dick-shaped Pancakes

"Hey, stop it! I'm not explaining this to Theo by myself. He might actually kill me," Rey shakily whispered to the other two as he fought off their arms pushing him forward.

"Out of the three of us, you're more convincing and you never get into trouble with him, he'll let you off with a warning. Unlike us two, he'll probably kick us out into the backyard and make us sleep in the dog house," Elias fearfully whispered back.

Rey crossed his arms in disagreement as he shook his head stubbornly.

"Please Rey. I'll take your chores for the whole week," Jules convinced as the three of them spoke under their breath like I wasn't even here.

"I can hear you three fools, you know."

"And I don't care who speaks. Either way, you all disturbed my fucking sleep — you're all sleeping in Loki's dog house while he gets to sleep in your bed," I continued as I massaged my already forming headache.

"I didn't burn the eggs-"

"It was Elias's fault-"

"We have a valid reason," Rey's voice cut through their overlapping responses as Julian slowly dropped his accusing finger and Elias lowered his hands.

I rose my eyebrow wearily as my patience wore thin. "Please continue. Explain to me what you three were doing in the kitchen cooking when I know that the two of you aren't allowed to even touch the fucking stove."

"Well you see, when you put it that way..."

Rey elbowed Julian harshly in the stomach. "Let me speak, you idiot."

"We were trying to make you breakfast," Rey spoke simply without hesitating.

My eyes widened in pure shock as my jaw went slack, while I cleared my throat trying to make sure I heard that right.

"You guys? I-you made me breakfast?" I repeated.

Julian nodded with an elated expression, so different from the rage that donned his face in our last argument. "Yep! Well-we at least we tried to."

"We wanted to make you breakfast before you woke up, like the way we used to do it for Ma," Elias added cheerfully.

"-And we thought you deserved breakfast in bed since we know you've had a stressful week and for having the patience for putting up with us," Rey concluded.

For a second, all I could do was blink with a dumbfounded expression written on my face because of this heartfelt moment that wounded tightly around my heart and embraced me with a tender warmth that I hadn't felt since I was a kid.

"I-you guys didn't have to," I softly spoke as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes in an attempt to disguise the fatigue weighing down on them.

Was it that obvious I was stressed? Quinn was right — my shit appearance probably gave that away.

"Of course we did big bro. Why else do you have four siblings if not to gift you with our compassionate gestures."

"We definitely don't make your life a living hell," Julian sarcastically muttered under his breath.

"Anyways, breakfast is served," Elias announced as he unwrapped plates of food on the counter alongside the table that was set with utensils and cups.

For once on a Monday morning, I wasn't the one waking up with sleep still heavy on my mind and scrambling to make breakfast before everyone woke up. I didn't have to worry about making their lunches or signing permission slips.

And as I sat down gratefully, I reminded myself that all this stress was worth it — because, at the end of the day, I still had my family by my side.