A/N - kinda longer chapter to make up for the YEARS I made you all wait😩
Reading the previous chapter may be beneficial I know I had to LMAO❤️
~~~
"Scott's old! Scott's old! Scott's old!", it was eight in the fucking morning and this was what I was listening to- fucking hell.
"We get it", said brother rolled his eyes, sticking his fork into his pancake stack, "pancakes on a Thursday? Must be a special day".
"And no school? I wish our birthdays were every day", Caleb grinned, licking the syrup from his fork.
"Then we'd be ancient", Chase frowned, "you'd look all wrinkly".
"Ew", Xavier scrunched up his face, "do you feel older Scotty?".
"Nope", he shook his head, "I feel the same as I did yesterday".
"I can't wait till I'm 15", Caleb muttered, "I'll be doing whatever I want".
"Yeah right", I laughed, throwing a strawberry at him, "you'll always be 12 in my eyes".
"No thanks", he said in disgust, "when can we give you our presents Scott?". My now 15 year old brother made eye contact with me and smiled, knowing he was happy made me happy too; even if he just wanted a chilled day inside today.
"Whenever you want", he told them, resulting in the four of them rushing out of the room and upstairs, "you took them shopping for my presents right?". And what a trip that had been.
"I don't know what they bought", I surrendered, "just gave them money and let them run wild". While being in their eye line, of course. I couldn't risk something happening to them, and although the mall was a public place where there were a lot of people- it was a public place where there were a lot of people.
Anyone could be watching.
"Do you think she's thinking about me today?", she. It didn't take a genius to figure out who he was talking about. I took a few steps towards him and placed my hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look up at me.
"I do", I nodded once, my jaw clenching, "and I hope the guilt that she hasn't been here to watch you grow into the young man you are today is eating her alive".
"It wasn't entirely her fault though", he raked a hand through his blonde hair, "she had to do it for Izzy".
"And she could've taken us with her, no?", he had nothing to say to that, "there's always a choice Prescott, remember that. But I-,".
"We're ready!", our four younger brothers came charging into the room, poorly wrapped presents in hand; I removed my hands from Prescott's shoulders and gave him a look that said 'later', he nodded and plastered a smile on his face for our brothers' sake.
He and I were more alike than we cared to admit.
~
"We couldn't really wrap it properly", we'd all gathered around in the living room and were watching Prescott open his presents, as always the twins had insisted on going first, "you can kinda see what it is".
"I don't care about the wrapping", he smiled, ripping it off and lifting the thick book up in front of him, his smile widening.
"It's a cookbook just for cakes", Alexander explained, "because you make cakes a lot".
"Very fitting", he chuckled, "thank you, both of you".
"Can we make one later?", Xavier pleaded, all eyes landing on me.
"I don't see why not", I shrugged, watching as another present was launched at our brother, "easy".
"Sorry", Xavier apologised, "I'm just excited". It was better than him being upset, that's for sure.
"I know", I smiled, gesturing to the present, "is this from the two of you too?".
"Uh huh", the twins nodded simultaneously.
"It goes with the book", Alexander said as Prescott ripped the silver wrapping paper off, I would've laughed at the mess of the wrapping but didn't wanna hurt their feelings.
The smile on Prescott's face only grew wider when he pulled out a large white chef's hat- no doubt he'd wear that every time he was in the kitchen from now on.
"I love it", he grinned at the pair of them, "come here". He stood, pulling both of them into a hug, pressing a kiss into their hair; Alexander grimaced and stepped back, wiping it away, while Xavier just smiled.
"Mine next!", Caleb launched himself off of the sofa and placed a present, square and kinda flat, into Prescott's lap, "this took me ages". I knew it was gonna be a painting, he'd been gifting them to us for every birthday and Christmas for as long as I could remember, I just didn't expect the painting to be that good.
"Woah", Chase leaned forwards and gasped, "you painted that?".
"Uh huh", he nodded proudly, seemingly satisfied with his work, "I know your keyboard doesn't have a stand anymore, but I painted it anyway". It didn't have a stand because our father had kicked the shit out of it in one of his fits of rage, at least he'd broken that beyond repair instead of my brother I suppose.
"It's fucking amazing Cub", I narrowed my eyes at him and he met mine, "what? I'm fifteen now, and you can't tell me this isn't freakishly good". The painting of Prescott sitting at his keyboard, facing a large window with his back to us so we could only see his blonde hair, was outstanding- another reason why I was unsure as to why Caleb didn't want to take art seriously.
"It's extraordinary Caleb", I told him, watching his cheeks go slightly pink, "I don't know why-,".
"It's just a hobby Zane", he cut me off, knowing what I was gonna say, "I do it for fun".
"And you do it well", I complimented him, dropping the subject, "Chase?".
He stood, handing Prescott three wrapped presents, one significantly larger than the others.
"You can pick the name", Chase said as our brother revealed a light brown build-a-bear dressed in a chef's costume and smiled, "I hope you like it".
"I love it Chase", he promised, "I'll think of a name". He continued to open the next present and chuckled when a small packet of guitar picks came out; these guys paid more attention than I thought.
"Can you eat those?", Xavier asked and I pinched the bridge of my nose, I spoke to soon.
"They're for his guitar, idiot", Caleb rolled his eyes while Alexander slapped his twin on the head. Prescott thanked Chase, squeezing his shoulder before opening the last gift, an eye mask falling out and making my lips lift into a smirk.
"I thought it might help you fall asleep", he blushed, "I know you can't sometimes".
"Like that'll work", Alexander muttered, nudging Xavier who giggled.
"Shut the fuck up", Caleb snapped, defending Chase.
"Bad word!", Xavier gasped and I rolled my eyes.
"Shut up, both of you", Prescott told the twins, "I love it Chase, thank you". The pair of them hugged and Chase stuck his tongue out at the twins behind Prescott's back- these kids were gonna be the death of me soon.
~
"I've never seen so much popcorn in my life!", due to repetitive request from Prescott, he wanted to do something completely minimal for his birthday, and had sprung on me this morning that he wanted to spend the day in the movie room. Upon hearing that I'd raced to the store and bought enough candy and popcorn to send my brothers into a sugar-induced coma, as well as picked up Cairo along the way.
Our arrival home may have been a little delayed due to a make-out session in my backseat.
"And there's more where that came from", Cairo came through the front door, a gift bag in one hand and a bag from the store in the other, "what's up Xav?".
"You're back!", he exclaimed, hugging Cairo and nearly knocking him off of his feet, "are you excited for movie day?".
"Course I am", he chuckled, "where's the birthday boy?".
"In the kitchen, come on!", he latched onto Cairo's wrist and pulled him along; I didn't miss the grin he gave me as the pair of them brushed past me in the doorway and into the kitchen.
"Hey Cairo", Caleb high-fived him, eyes narrowing on the gift bag in his hand, "is that for Scott?". Said brother came over, smiling at Cairo and thanking him when he handed him the bag.
"Obviously it's for me", he scowled at Caleb, opening it up, "woah". He pulled out a brown hoodie and grinned, placing it on the counter delicately and retrieving a smaller black box.
"Zane, you haven't given Scott his present!", Xavier gasped and I waved him off.
"I'll give him mine later", I told him, focusing back on Cairo's present when Prescott's smile grew wider.
"I love it", he grinned, turning the contents of the box to show us; a thin chain with two charms clasped to it- a silver guitar and some silver piano keys, "thanks Cairo".
"Anytime", he chuckled, ruffling my brother's hair before turning to me, "so what's the lineup for movies?".
"I wanna watch Halloween", Prescott spoke up and I grimaced, here we go.
"Hell yeah", Caleb agreed, hyping up the horror film as if Child's Play hadn't given him nightmares a few years ago, "oh wait - the twins are babies".
"Are not!", Xavier frowned, "tell him Xan". Said twin had only just strolled into the room in a black hoodie and jeans, he gave Cairo a high five before scrunching his face up at Xavier.
"Tell who what?", he asked, picking up the box containing Prescott's new chain and humming, "cool".
"Tell Caleb we're not babies and we can watch the Halloween film", he jabbed a finger in the 13 year old's direction, he only grinned and stuffed some popcorn into his mouth. They were eating the shit and we hadn't even started yet.
"We're 9, we're not scared", Alexander defended the pair of them, "and we're not babies".
"So why does Xav still wet the bed?", as always, Caleb took it a step too far.
"Hey Xav? You wanna show me your room? I hear you've been decorating", Cairo held onto Xavier's shoulder and squeezed it slightly, I held a hand on Alexander's chest when he went to charge at Caleb and watched his twin leave the room with Cairo with a hurt expression on his face.
"Breathe", I focused my attention on Alexander who was shooting daggers at our brother behind us, a frown etched into his face, "look at me".
He kept staring at Caleb for a moment, until his shoulders dropped slightly and his eyes reluctantly met mine.
"He doesn't get to say things like that Zane", he gritted out, "that's not Xav's fault".
"Of course it's not", Prescott squeezed his shoulder before glancing at Caleb, "Caleb's just a mouthy piece of shit". I huffed, apparently not even a birthday stopped the conflict in this house.
"It was meant to be a joke", he said quietly from behind, "I didn't mean to upset him".
"Well you did", Alexander scowled, "I'm going upstairs". He was getting better and better at walking away, I had to give him that.
"Let's try and keep the peace? For my sake?", Prescott turned to Caleb and he nodded solemnly.
"And you'll apologise to Xavier", I ordered, he nodded at that too, "okay, I believe we have some movies to watch?".
~
Three movies (including Halloween) later and we'd ordered some pizzas, as per Prescott's request. The tensions between our brothers had simmered down luckily, but eighteen years of living under this roof had taught me that it was only a matter of time before something went wrong.
I'd left the others with Cairo in the kitchen eating, and brought Prescott upstairs with me to finally give him his present; as much as I knew the others would want to see, this was something I wanted to give solely to him, he could show them if he wished later.
"I thought you hadn't got me anything for a sec", he chuckled, dropping onto my bed with a sigh, "I ate too much pizza".
"And it wasn't because of your embarrassing choice of toppings?", I raised an eyebrow, facing him now that I'd retrieved the small box from my dresser.
"What's wrong with sweetcorn?", he asked and I glared at him.
"It's not pepperoni", I replied, sitting beside him on the bed, "I wanted to give this to you because I know it'll hold the most value to you". He frowned a little, taking the worn down box from my hands and inspecting it for a moment, proceeding to lift the lid apprehensively. His breath hitched the second he glanced inside, his head snapped towards me and he tackled me into a hug in an instant.
"Her necklace", he whispered, "but how did you- she never took it off". He pulled apart and took the thin gold necklace out- no charm, nothing on it, just a simple necklace that I knew held more value to him than he cared to admit.
"I found it on my dresser the morning after she left", I revealed, "I was waiting for the right time to give it to you".
"You wanted me to have it this whole time?", his eyes widened slightly and I smiled, "not the others?".
"You had a bond with our mother that none of us could touch", I shrugged, "and I know you've been missing her a lot more lately, so I thought now was a good time to give you this".
"Thank you", he hugged me again, clasping the necklace in his hand, "I'll look after it".
"I don't doubt that for a second", I smiled, "she's always with you yeah? We'll see her- Isabella too, someday".
"You think so?", he asked, eyes lighting up with hope.
"I hope so", I smiled, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "I hope so".
~~
"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise?", I swung the door open and smiled at Delilah, then down at Theo, "what brings you two here?". I knew she was here to check up on us, on me, and Theo was just here to see his best friend.
"Just stopping by", Delilah beamed as I stepped to the side, letting the pair of them in, "shoes off honey- how have you been Zane? How was Scott's birthday?". It had been six days since then and things were going smoothly, well as smoothly as they could go I suppose.
"I've been good", she watched me, waiting for more, "really good". She narrowed her eyes at me and I rolled mine, already knowing she was gonna force more than that out of me.
"Hey Delilah", Caleb charged down the stairs, hugging her instantly, "I knew I heard your voice". He chuckled when she ruffled his hair before proceeding to cock his head at Theo and head upstairs with him; I faced Delilah and she handed me four large containers full of food.
"You didn't have to-", she didn't take no for an answer, I swear to you.
"But I did anyway", she smiled, "are you gonna offer me a coffee or stand there?". Damn. I led the way into the room, placing the food in the fridge before sorting out the coffee machine.
"How have you been?", I asked her, dropping into the seat beside her at the table; even though I never admitted it, I liked the days where Delilah came to visit, it was nice to have another adult to talk to around here.
"Same old", she lifted a shoulder, "the twins are driving me up the wall".
"Tell me about it", I muttered with a smirk, "these two won't stop the arguments, although they're becoming less frequent".
"How's Xander's therapy going?", she inquired, cocking his head slightly, "do you think it's helping?".
"I do", I confirmed and she smiled, "he can actually walk away from a fight now, sometimes anyway".
"That's great", her smile widened, "he's doing great- you're doing great Zane". Hearing someone else say it made it sink in a little more, although doubt circulated my mind like blood circulated my body.
"It doesn't feel like it sometimes", I muttered, fiddling with my fingers, "it's a lot".
"I know", she nodded before pausing, "well I don't know, but I'd be more concerned if you said it was easy".
"I just keep telling myself as long as they come out okay, it's all fine", I told her, casting my gaze down at the table, "they're all that matter Delilah".
"You think that? You don't think you do?", I wish I could tell her different, that I saw myself having some importance here, but I'd be lying to her face, "oh honey". She reached out and cupped a hand on the side of my face, I found myself leaning into it slightly with a sigh- the closest thing I'd had to a mother's touch in five years.
"I'm too far gone", I shook my head slightly against her soft palm, "but I can still help them before it's too late".
"I don't believe you're too far gone Zane, not for a second", she took my right hand with her unoccupied one, "tell me one good thing in your life that isn't about your family". My mind instantly went to Cairo and I must've subconsciously smiled because the look Delilah was giving me literally said 'spill'.
"There's this guy-", I couldn't hide my grin and she couldn't either, "I really like him- no, I love him".
"Oh honey!", she gushed, squeezing my hand tighter, "what's his name?".
"Cairo", I replied, "I've introduced him to the boys and they love him, I think it could actually become something serious Delilah".
"I'm so happy for you Zane", she beamed, "did you introduce Cairo as your boyfriend or?...".
"No, they think he's just a friend", I declined, "I don't wanna tell them yet".
"That's absolutely fine", she nodded, "can I ask why?".
You need to let him go. Marco's voice all those weeks ago filled my mind and I winced, all the fears I'd been trying to push down resurfacing in seconds.
"I don't wanna get their hopes up", I swallowed, "I don't want them to get too attached and it all goes wrong".
"I get that honey, I do", she nodded, moving her hand from my cheek and pushing my kinda overgrown hair out of my face, "you deserve to be happy just as much as your brothers do Zane".
"Delilah!", the twins entered the room and Xavier hugged her straight away, "what are you doing here?". She laughed, wrapping her arms around him as I mouthed a 'thank you' to her, she just sent me a quick wink.
"I came to see some of my favourite boys", she pulled apart and stood, narrowing her eyes at Alexander teasingly, "too big to give me a hug now?". His feet stayed planted where he was but a smile tugged at his lips, he wasn't too big on hugs and she knew it.
"Hey Delilah", he gave her a quick squeeze before moving towards the fridge, "I don't wanna go to school tomorrow Zane". Planning his absence already.
"How come?", I asked, poking Xavier in the stomach when he tried to ruffle my hair, "did you tidy your room?".
"I started it", Xavier replied and I hummed, "I'm on a snack break". As soon as he said that he made a beeline towards the cupboards and grabbed a bag of popcorn, it was an addiction at this point.
"I don't want to", Alexander answered my previous question, "it's stupid".
"You sound like Theo", Delilah chuckled, "he tries to get out of school at least once a week".
"Why?", Alexander asked, all attention on her while Xavier crunched away at his side, "go away, you're eating right next to me".
"Talking can be pretty tiring for him", Delilah explained with a weak smile and Alexander nodded, "a little encouragement and he loves going to school eventually".
"Zane tries to encourage me but I still hate it", he shrugged after a moment and I rolled my eyes, useless.
"Zane only wants what's best for you, hm?", she told him, "don't you forget that". I found myself thanking her silently for the second time today, I'd needed her visit more than I cared to admit.
~~
It had been two days since Delilah's visit and things were still going smoothly, and while I should be grateful for it, I was dreading the unshakeable feeling of doom- I was accepting that this was maybe just how I was wired at this point.
"Get. Me. Outta. There!", Caleb threw himself into the backseat first and dropped his bag at his feet, Chase climbed inside in a much more civilised manner, "I'm so happy it's Friday".
"Hey Zane, how was your day?", two types of people right there.
"My day was great Chase, how was yours?", I smiled, glancing at Caleb, "and you? How was yours?".
"Shit, as always", he shrugged, "failed an English test, as always".
"Don't sweat it, hm?", I smiled encouragingly and he scoffed.
"I wasn't", he buckled his seatbelt, "I'm stupid, I've accepted that".
"Stop saying that", Chase frowned, "you just process information differently".
"What am I? A computer?", he scrunched up his face before wincing, "sorry, I just wanna get home". Him and I both.
"We're going", I announced, pulling off of the sidewalk and heading off down the street, "I'll bet you both ten dollars Alexander swears when he gets in the car".
"I bet twenty he says and I quote 'I hate school'", Caleb declared and I smirked.
"You don't have twenty dollars", Chase told him and he huffed.
"Zane will give it to me if I'm right", he announced and I rolled my eyes...we'd see about that.
~
"I hate school", you've gotta be kidding me.
Caleb's laughter filled the car as he told me to pay up; we'd since got Prescott from school and now the six of us were heading back home, and apparently I owed my brother twenty dollars now.
"How was your day?", I asked the twins, taking note of the fact that Xavier was near to silent- that was never a good sign.
"Boring", Alexander replied, "I'm just happy it's Friday".
"Tell me about it", Caleb mumbled.
"And you Xavier?", I peered in the mirror above my head, the car falling silent momentarily.
"Fine", came his quiet reply and I hummed, side-eyeing Prescott who was in the passenger seat - I'd get to the bottom of it within the next fifteen minutes...
~
"First one to the remote control gets to pick what we watch!", Caleb, Chase and Alexander rushed inside after kicking their shoes off and leaving them in a heap, Prescott just rolled his eyes and ascended the stairs with his rucksack slung over one shoulder having put his shoes neatly next to the door.
Why they couldn't all be civilised like him, I'd never know.
Xavier trailed behind, removing his shoes slowly before beginning to walk towards the kitchen at an even slower pace, I gripped onto his shoulder and held him back.
"What's up?", I crouched slightly, watching his hand tighten around the strap of his bag, "talk to me".
"I had a good day", he said, eyes cast down and voice quieter than I'd heard it in weeks.
"I'm glad", I smiled a little, ripping his chin up with two fingers, "so why do you look like someone told you there's no more popcorn left in the world?". He stayed quiet for a moment, then removed his bag from his shoulder and unzipped it.
"This was in my locker", he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and my eyebrows furrowed as he placed it in my hands, "it's about him right?".
There was only one man we referred to as him and it made me feel sick; I opened up the sheet of paper and my heart stopped at the words scribbled in front of me. It confirmed every single doubt I'd been having this past week, every suspicion that something wasn't okay, that I couldn't keep them safe at all times.
It was my worst fucking nightmare in the form of three words.
I'm always watching.
~~~
A/N - dun, dun, dun...
Thank you all for the patience I know that took ages❤️🫶🏾
Hopefully gonna have a good few extra scenes as well as another chapter out this week too :)
And in terms of that announcement...
Marco's book is officially in the EARLY stages of development‼️‼️🫶🏾🫶🏾
More to come hehehe...