A/N - 😛😛
There's a quote in this chapter that Zane says about Cairo that has me screaming and sobbing someone guess what it is🫡
TW - some upsetting scenes this chapter
~~~
"Cairo!", I'd been both anticipating and dreading this moment for over a week now for two reasons: I was letting Cairo back into my brothers' lives with the hope that he'd be here to stay, and I was deciding to see where whatever we had went- whether it put him at risk or not.
"Now this is the welcome party I was expecting", he grinned as he was forced into a group hug by the others, "you've all gotten taller".
"Chase hasn't", Xavier frowned and Chase rolled his eyes, slapping him on the head, "ow".
"Are you staying for food?", Alexander asked hopefully, face more lit up than I'd seen it in a while.
"You'll have to ask your brother", he gave a one sided shrug as he took off his shoes, placing them side by side near the door.
"Please Zane!", the twins begged, Xavier literally dropping to his knees and clinging onto my ankle.
"Yeah, come on Zane", Caleb chimed in while Chase nodded eagerly, Prescott just watched the situation with an amused expression.
"I don't see why not", I replied and they cheered, "I uh, I need to speak to Cairo upstairs for a bit...can you guys stay down here till we come back?".
"Uh huh", Chase and Caleb strolled off, shortly followed by Alexander.
"Can I show you my new trophy after?", Xavier asked Cairo, bouncing on his heels.
"Sure thing", he chuckled, "we won't be long, yeah?". He nodded and ran off after the others, leaving just Prescott behind; he just watched us for a moment before heading towards the kitchen with a smirk- little shit. Whatever he thought he knew, he was wrong - Cairo and I were just friends.
Kinda.
~
It'd been just over a week since I'd met up with him after his shift, and due to our unexpectedly busy weeks, we hadn't been able to have our trauma-filled conversation until now, December 3rd. To be honest, I was glad we were doing this today, I just wanted to get it over with and prepare for Prescott's 15th birthday, which was on Thursday.
I led Cairo upstairs and to my room, letting him step in first and glancing around as if I hadn't practically deep-cleaned it in here yesterday for his arrival.
"Nice room", he grinned, doing a full 360, "very...you". I lowered myself onto my bed and shuffled back until I was against the headboard, watching him take in the space for a minute.
"What does that mean?", I dared to ask, my room was boring as shit- its only purpose was for me to sleep in it, and I could barely do that.
"It's sophisticated, simple", he shrugged before snorting, "I know you're anything but simple, Trouble".
"Took the words right out of my mouth", I muttered, patting the bed, "I uh, I didn't sleep last night thinking about this".
"Hey, this isn't meant to be an interview or some shit", he climbed onto the bed so he was beside me, hand resting on my thigh, "anything you're comfortable with, and I'll do the same". I nodded, placing my hand on top of his and intertwining our fingers, needing some kind of physical support for the shit I was about to relay to him.
"Our father's a dangerous person", seemed like a fitting way to start, "he's the cause of every bad thing in my life".
"I know the feeling", he winced, giving my hand a squeeze, "take your time".
"He's abusive, angry, not a good person", I reeled off, "he got arrested on my 18th birthday". I was keeping my sentences short and sweet, not trusting myself to not break down if I started rambling.
"When was that?", he cocked his head and I smirked, we didn't even know simple shit like that.
"August 10th", I replied and his head snapped towards me, "what?".
"You met me on the 11th", he recalled, "one day after?".
"Yeah", I confirmed, a little shocked that he remembered the day we met, although I did too, "I've been looking after them since".
"And your Mum?", he asked apprehensively, I tensed at the thought of her, of my sister, and placed a hand on my chest- not now.
"She uh, she walked out", I pressed down, trying to contain the rapidly increasing thrum of my heart, "with my sister".
"You guys have a sister?", I could hear the smile in his voice as I closed my eyes, inhaling slowly, "hey, easy- why don't you tell me about her? You smiled the second you brought her up". I didn't even realise.
"Her name's Isabella", even the thought of her made my anxiety spike, I didn't know where she was, if she was okay- fucking alive, I didn't know anything about the girl who had spent the first three years of her life attached to me like glue.
"Zane? Look at me", Cairo shifted positions so he was sitting sideways facing me, placing one hand on top of mine on my chest, and the other squeezed my unoccupied one as I pried my eyes open, "right here, I got you".
"I'm sorry", I whispered, he shook his head and held my hand tighter.
"Nothin' to apologise for", he promised, leaning forwards and kissing my forehead, "this okay?".
"Yeah", I confirmed, tipping my head back and groaning, "can't even carry a fucking conversation without-".
"None of that", he tutted me and I shut up, "the shit you're telling me is unimaginable Zane, I'd be more worried if you were telling me this with a straight face".
"Can you...tell me something about you?", I asked, hoping it would take my mind off of- well, my mind. He nodded, shifting on the bed slightly and squeezing my hand tighter; I had a feeling whatever he said wasn't gonna be pretty.
"I had a sister", he barely whispered and I think I stopped breathing, "she uh, didn't make it to see her first birthday". Fuck. What did you even say to someone who had just told you that?
"Cairo-,", I felt as if I was in no position to complain about missing Isabella, I'd had 3 years with her and he'd not even had 1.
"It's okay", he shook his head, "she had a lot of medical complications from birth, passed away in her sleep a few weeks before her first birthday". He didn't even blink as he relayed the story to me, I sat up straight and held a hand behind his neck, pressing our foreheads together.
"I'm so sorry", I whispered and he gave a weak smile, "what was her name?". His smile widened, seeming more genuine this time; apparently we both had the tendency to smile at the thought of our sisters.
"Zahra", he told me and I smiled, "it's shit, y'know? How someone who means so fucking much can just be taken from you in the middle of the night". Well didn't that hit close to home?
"I know the feeling. Kinda", I told him, closing my eyes when he buried his fingers in my hair- we were playing with fire on the off chance one of my brothers could walk in.
"Your sister?", he asked and I nodded, "what happened?".
"Our parents thought she'd be safe if she didn't grow up here", I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, "our mother took her in the middle of the night a week after her 3rd birthday, haven't seen either of them in 5 years".
"That's fucked up Zane", he winced, "but uh, what do you mean by that? She wasn't safe here?". None of us were, yet apparently she was the only one they gave a damn about; we were children left to fend for ourselves and endure years of Santiago's shit for nothing.
"Our father, he's uh, not a good person", I started and he hummed.
"You said that", he nodded and I winced, my mind was such a mess I didn't even know what I'd told him already, "all good, take your time".
"He's...known by a lot of people, feared by them", he nodded against my forehead and I gulped, "he's killed people, and wanted us to follow in his footsteps".
"Zane-,", he whispered but I cut him off with the shake of my head.
"I didn't wanna tell you this, I know you're probably about to get up and leave and never turn back again but like you said- I owed you an explanation", I closed my eyes, not daring to look into his, "he's fucked up, I'm fucked up- and that's why I've been pushing you away. He knows people, Cairo, people who will do shit for him for a certain amount of money, and they watch me twenty-four-seven. I don't know if I'm safe, if you're safe, if they are safe- and it's killing me more and more with every breath I take. So if you wanna leave, save yourself from all this fucked-up shit, I don't blame you; and I can't-,".
He cut me off by bringing his lips to mine delicately, the soft touch rendering me both speechless and breathless as I kissed him back harder, pushing him back so he hit the mattress and I was on top of him. I kissed his lips, his cheeks, his neck while he did the same, desperate to feel anything other than the crippling anxiety that was consuming me gradually, threatening to push me over the edge.
"I'm staying", he whispered in between kisses, the pair of us nothing but a panting, sweaty mess, "I'm not going anywhere Trouble".
And that? That was all I wanted to hear, as selfish as it was.
"I love you", the words slipped out before I could even blink, but no fucking way was I taking them back, "you don't have to say it back, or say anything, but you need to know that- and I know we're not even dating..I don't know what we are really but-,".
"I love you too", he chuckled, propping himself up on one elbow and wrapping the other around my neck, "we don't need to rush anything, you know that, you have a shit ton on your plate Zane".
"And I'm sure you do too", I stared into his eyes, the adrenaline coursing through my veins making it hard to focus.
"It's cool", he shrugged and I levelled him with a look, "another time yeah?". I nodded, knowing all too well how it felt to need a bit of time before opening up to someone.
"So...are we a thing?", my eyes flickered between his eyes and his lips repeatedly, until he chuckled and pulled me down onto him, our lips connecting yet again.
Nobody had made me feel like Cairo did before; the safety, the consideration, the patience- he made me feel seen in a world that was doing everything in its power to kick me down over and over again.
"We're whatever you want us to be", he breathed against me, pushing my hair out of my face carefully, "to us, we can be us, to your brothers we can be friends, if that's what you want". Was that what I wanted? Part of me wanted to hold back on telling my brothers, there was always that voice in my head telling me things would go wrong, and getting them too attached would only backfire in the long run.
"I like that", I told him and he hummed, "I just wanna be sure, really sure before we tell them anything".
"I got it", he smiled, "I got your back, whatever you decide, yeah?".
~~
6 years ago
"Please Mama, pleaseee?", the six of us had been at this for an hour, begging Mama to say yes and let us sleep downstairs for the night; I'd say Izzy was joining in on the persuasion too, but she was in Prescott's arms looking around like she had somewhere better to be.
"Yeah, Dad's not here- we can do it tonight!", Caleb grabbed Mama's arm and tugged on it lightly, "and you can make the cinna-thingy cookies".
"Cinnamon hijo", Mama chuckled, running a hand through his hair before looking at the huddle of us all, "oh go on then".
"Yay!", we all cheered, the twins and Izzy looking a little bit confused.
"Zane, can we help you make the beds?", Caleb asked as I took our sister from Prescott, balancing her on one hip.
"Go and bring down your pillows and blankets, take the twins with you", the four of them hurried out of the room and I glanced at Prescott.
"I'm gonna help Mama with the cookies", he announced and I nodded, carrying Izzy with me out of the room.
"Zay? I want cookies", she told me and I smiled, moving her onto the other hip as we headed upstairs.
"Later Izzy", I replied, "we have to set up camp first".
~
"Chase, there aren't monsters in the sleeping bags, you're being stupid", I gave Izzy another piece of cookie and looked over at Caleb who was frowning at our five year old brother.
"Am not!", he exclaimed, sitting on his makeshift bed on the sofa with a huff.
"You are", Caleb lay back down in his sleeping bag next to the sofa, "just sleep next to me".
"Nuh uh", he shook his head, pulling off his glasses and putting them beside his pillow.
"Fine", Caleb crossed his arms, turning onto his side away from him, "Zane, can you tell us a story?".
"Yeah, a scary one!", Prescott teased and I rolled my eyes, chuckling when Izzy wiped her hands on the twins' sleeping bag and lay down, her head on the pillow in between Alexander and I.
"No scary", Xavier shook his head from beside his twin, eyes wide in panic, "Zay?".
"Not a scary one", I glared at Prescott and he rolled his eyes, "I've got a story".
"Yay", Chase grinned from the sofa and I cleared my throat, looking at them all lying on the floor, torches next to each of us and most of the lights off.
"Once upon a time there were six princes and a princess, and they lived in a castle with a good witch and a bad wizard-,", I made eye contact with Prescott and he narrowed his eyes a little, apparently he knew what I was talking about.
"There's no such thing as good witches", Caleb sat up, watching me with a frown.
"Yeah there are", Prescott told him, glancing towards the closed door, "keep listening".
"The good witch looked after them, made them their favourite foods, and wanted them to grow up to be happy", I continued, running a hand through Isabella's hair as her bright blue eyes drifted shut, "the bad wizard wanted them to be bad like him, and he didn't want them to be happy".
"I don't like the wizard", Chase shook his head, Caleb nodding in agreement, "he's mean". They didn't know the half of it.
"Yeah, yeah he is", Prescott said, eyes still on me.
"The oldest prince, he didn't want his brothers and sisters to be bad like their Da- I mean, the wizard", I winced, "so he made a plan".
"A dragon!", Xavier exclaimed and I snorted.
"No, no dragon", I chuckled, "he made a plan to escape with all of the princes and the princess, as soon as he was old enough".
"Escape to where?", Caleb asked, propped up on his elbows and listening carefully.
"Anywhere the bad wizard couldn't find them", I replied and he smiled, "where the princes and princess were happy".
"Would the good witch come with us- I mean them?", Prescott asked and I looked at him, giving a small nod.
"She would, as long as the wizard stayed behind", I told him and he nodded back.
"And do they live happily ever after Zane?", Caleb asked and I smiled- I hoped so.
"They do", I promised, "they lived happily ever after".
~~
"I'm gonna throw up at all this colour", Alexander scrunched up his face at the wall of colour samples, then down at the cans of paint lined up across the back wall of the store, "please don't pick something stupid like yellow".
"I like yellow", Xavier defended himself, looking around at the paints, "what about rainbow?".
"Oh god", Alexander pinched the bridge of his nose, "you realise you have to look at those walls for years?".
"So?", he frowned, "what do you think Zane?".
"I think we should hold back on the rainbow", I advised, "what about blue? It is your favourite colour". He tapped his chin, looking at all of the shades above his head before humming.
"That one. The light one", he pointed, standing on his tiptoes, "it reminds me of the ice".
"Isn't ice white?", Alexander grumbled, arms folded across his chest.
"So?", his twin frowned again, "it's not your room Xan, it's mine". Alexander's cheeks flushed a little and he nodded, taking a step back and dropping his arms; I zoned in on his fists and watched him for a second, not knowing whether things were about to kick off in here or not.
"Hey", I caught his attention and reached into my pocket, "you wanna sit in the car for a minute?". Xavier turned around, taking in his twin's appearance and frowning slightly.
"Why does he need to sit in the car?", I ignored him, nodding once when Alexander snatched the car keys from my hold and headed off in the opposite direction, I trusted him to go and cool down and come back when he was ready, if he was ready, "did I do something wrong?".
"No", I told him, "he just needs a minute".
"He keeps doing that", he commented, smiling when I picked up three large cans of the paint and put them in our cart, "walking away randomly". I cocked my head and he held onto the side of the cart as I pushed, leading us in the direction of the shelves.
"His therapist thinks it's a good way to stop him from fighting you guys, and people at school", I informed him and he hummed, "walking away and calming down is better than fighting right?".
"Yeah", he agreed, "is she nice? Xan doesn't talk about therapy". I knew that all too well, he'd be all for opening up in a session but as soon as we left, he closed off again.
"Wren's great, I promise", I smiled at him, "so great that he speaks to her more than me apparently".
"You sound jealous", he stated and I chuckled slightly.
"Not jealous, just wish he'd let me into that head of his", I shrugged, "I bet you do too".
"Yeah", he nodded, something catching his eye and making him gasp, "that shelf would be perfect for my trophies!". And there went that conversation.
~
The twins and I got back home about an hour later, I ended up getting them a fucking build-a-bear each; that alone made a dent in my wallet.
"Why aren't you helping? It's your room", Caleb frowned, pausing his painting of the wall and looking at Xavier who was folding some of his clothes on the floor.
"The paint feels gross, it went on my hands", he shrugged, not looking up, "so I'm sorting my clothes while Zane makes the shelf".
"But you're keeping your wardrobe, you don't need to fold them again", he replied and I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah I do, there are jeans in there", he shivered, "I'm getting rid of them all".
"But jeans are cool", Chase frowned, writing his name on one of the walls with the blue paint before painting over it.
"No, they feel like needles", he shook his head, "where's Xan?".
"Helping Prescott find a drill", I replied, knowing I'd sent them looking at least twenty minutes ago, "or so I thought".
"You have so many trophies man", Caleb commented, putting his brush on the tarp and examining the box full of them.
"Because I'm amazing", Xavier grinned proudly.
"I'm not good at something like that", he muttered, eyes still on the box.
"What about your painting?", Chase asked him, "you're good at that".
"Oh yeah", he said sheepishly, "but what about-,". He was interrupted by the loud whirring that filled the room, Alexander storming in with a power drill in hand Prescott close behind. Xavier cupped his hands over his ears and I gave the pair of them a look that said 'really?'; Alexander turned it off and practically threw it into Prescott's arms to make sure his twin was okay.
"Our bad", Prescott said apologetically, "you okay Xav?". He nodded after a few seconds, continuing to fold his clothes while Alexander helped him.
"When's Cairo coming over again?", Caleb spoke up, back to painting. It had only been three days since he'd come over and we'd become...half-official, yet I couldn't bring myself to tell them the full truth right now.
"Soon, we've got Prescott's birthday to focus on first", I replied, checking all the shelf parts I'd laid out on the floor, "two days time and you still haven't told me what you wanna do".
"I did tell you", he frowned, "I wanna stay here, with you guys".
"What about your friends?", Chase asked, not looking over at us.
"What friends?", he snorted, giving me a smile that didn't quite meet the eyes, "I don't have any of those". The room fell silent and I winced, feeling nothing but pity for my brother.
"We'll have a chilled day here", I broke the silence and he looked at me gratefully, "just the six of us".
"Seven", he corrected me and I frowned, "I want to invite Cairo too". I smiled, glancing down and nodding to myself; he'd been the one who had taken the longest to warm up to Cairo, so this was big for him.
"I'll let him know", I promised and he nodded, "your birthday will be great yeah? I promise".
~~~
A/N - that flashback just 🥹🥹🥹
Anyone wanna predict why Cairo isn't in any other books??😍