27

Check out the new cover, yo! @annaweasely thank you!! (sorry for the delay, I couldn't remember where I saved it )

"Wait, can I say something first?" Glen shot his hand up like a school boy as he sat forward on the edge of the couch, his foot tapping up a storm as he looked at Austin for permission. Austin nodded in encouragement so Glen turned to look at Lotte, his eyebrows furrowed as if he was trying to solve the world's biggest puzzle.

"Please do, Glen," Charlotte smiled at him, hoping to ease his nerves.

It didn't work.

Glen averted his eyes, not at all comfortable with sitting in the same room as his older sister, less making eye contact with her. But at least his anger wasn't blatantly visible, or so he thought. It didn't take very long living with them for his brothers to pick up on his littlest tics.

"I know, like, the backstory and everything because Austin told me," Glen said, folding his arms against his chest, his head remained down as he stared at his feet, tapping the soles of his shoes together, "and I know there are two parts to every story, which Austin also likes to remind me, but honestly, I don't care."

"Glen," Austin started to intervene, unsure he liked where this was heading.

"No, wait. Let Smiley speak," Emerson said, backing the boy up. Dakota also nodded his head in agreement.

Outnumbered, Austin sighed but didn't say anything else. He sat back and cupped his chin, his index finger skimming his lips in wait. His original game plan was to observe, only stepping in when necessary so it didn't get out of hand. He thought it was best for his siblings to get their thoughts off their chests, otherwise this feud would never end.

And it was going to end, one way or another.

Spoiler, he already knew how. His mind was made up.

Someone wasn't going to like it.

"Sorry Austin, like I totally don't mean to be rude, but I agree with Dakota. I don't want an apology, I want an explanation. And I am sorry for yelling at you, Lotte, but I don't regret it. Don't ground me again, but it was worth it. If I didn't do that, then I don't think we'd be sitting here now." Glen faltered as he nervously scratched his arm, not having the guts to continue because he could sense the tension rising in his brothers. The reminder of Tuesday night was a still sore subject to think about, mainly because he scared his brothers bad. He didn't want Austin to be mad at him. He didn't want to be the cause of another rift. He certainly didn't want to be grounded again.

"You want to know why I didn't do anything, right?" Charlotte guessed.

"Umm, yeah." Exactly that.

"I kind of figured," she rubbed her sweaty hand on her knee, reminding herself that she couldn't change the past. She could only try her best to mend the present.

Emerson shifted anxiously in his seat, causing Charlotte to look up at him. This was the first time she'd seen him in a while, so she took her time, really looking at him, knowing this could quite possibly be the last time. Her hand paused, her nails digging slightly into her knee. The stinging sensation relaxed her.

"What happened, Em?" Charlotte asked softly.

Dakota's eyes darkened at the use of his brother's nickname. He just knew she was toying with Emerson's heart right now.

Although his black eye looked loads better than it had since the incident, for someone who hasn't seen the healing progression, it was still scary looking.

"Meh, baseball."

"Does it hurt?" She laced her fingers together.

"It did," Emerson said, gingerly touching his bruised face, "pain meds helped a lot," he added with an awkward chuckle at the end.

Charlotte nodded as her attention drifted back to Glen. Positioned in the middle of his two older brothers, he had slouched back on the couch again, settling down under Austin's protection. She admired their tight relationship, watching how Austin automatically dropped his arm around Glen's shoulder, with a quick tousle of the hair, of course.

She was jealous of Austin's bond with each of his siblings.

How they all looked up to him as their guardian, their role-model, their protector.

Jealous of how she never had that.

It made her feel sick to her stomach, in a way that not even cancer could. She felt so angry at herself. How, in good conscious, could she still feel jealous about all this?

What was wrong with her?

Jealously. Bitterness. Resentment. Spitefulness.

Because everything stemmed from jealously.

A single sob suddenly escaped Charlotte as she hurriedly tried to cover her mouth, preventing more sobs. She bent over, letting her red hair form a curtain around her as felt her face grow warm. She covered her eyes with the palms of her hand and took deep breaths to relax herself. Not now.

Nobody moved a muscle as the brothers watched their sister breakdown before their eyes. As sad as it sounded, they didn't believe it was genuine. She was the 'boy who called wolf.'

"Lotte," Colton finally murmured as he felt a twinge. Her twin reached out to lay his hand on her knee before rethinking it. He clasped his hands together, letting his hands perch between his legs.

"Sorry," She sniffled, composing herself, "I even told myself I better not cry as I drove over here, which obviously didn't work," she inhaled for 4 seconds before exhaling for 6 seconds, a grounding technique that she used frequently. "Goodness, okay, whew." She wiped under her eyes to rid of any tears.

"Take your time," Colton offered her the water bottle again which she gratefully took.

"If I take any more time, I may be dead by then," She weakly joked, taking a sip of water. The youngest brothers stiffened, not finding that very funny. Boy, they had no idea.

Maybe she should tell them. Charlotte took a deep inhale.

"How did you get in contact with mom?" Emerson asked, unknowingly stealing her moment. He had to keep reminding himself that Charlotte had done wrong. Protect his heart.

"I didn't," Charlotte revealed, "She called me."

"Why the hell didn't you call the cops?"

"You didn't think to tell anyone?"

"Why'd she call you?"

Question after question was spurted out, the last one for sure, by Dakota.

"Stop guys, let her speak." Austin put his hand up to call off his brothers' attack. Pack mentality was real.

Charlotte winced, a little ping to the heart at Dakota's connotation, like she wasn't worth anything. Jokes on him, mom didn't call him or any of the brothers.

No, Charlotte, make amends.

Clearing her head, she focused in on her youngest brother again. "Glen, how old are you?" She asked tenderly, ignoring the questions.

"Umm, 15," He responded, once more looking to Austin for reassurance to even be talking to her. He was totally weirded out by this whole thing, especially because Charlotte was being actually nice. It felt very, what's the word... fake? Like a performance, only there was no red buzzer to boo her off stage.

Glen could see Dakota in his periphery, still standing by the piano. Dakota happened to already being staring in his direction so when he caught his eye, Dakota subtly flashed him a hand signal.

I love you.

Or was it rock on?

Glen wasn't sure it was so quick but either way, his mouth parted a bit in surprise as his gaze shot up to Dakota's face. The tough façade was present making Glen think he just imagined the whole thing but then Dakota gave a miniscule head nod. He meant it.

Catching the interaction, Emerson squeezed Glen's shoulder in support making him work hard to suppress his boyish grin.

They had his back.

A fleeting smile passed on Charlotte's face as she remembered being 15 once. Probably her last true moments of happiness. "I was only a couple years older than you are now when everything went to shit, pardon my French."

Dakota scoffed but no one dared to interrupt her, waiting for her to continue.

"19." Charlotte said, adding at Glen's confused look, "That's how old I was. 19 and had no idea what I was doing, but I was doing it." She shook her head, "Ovarian cancer. Came back with a vengeance this time." Her voice cracked, betraying the toughness she wished she had.

Glen chewed the inside of his cheek to stop himself from talking. He didn't care about this stuff that she was feeding them. He never planned to understand her reasoning, because in his eyes, nothing would be ever good enough.

He just wanted to know one thing, why.

Why didn't she save them?

He had enough of this.

Glen abruptly stood up only to be pulled back down again by Austin who had a grip on his shirt. "Just try for 5 more minutes, for me, Bud." Austin whispered against his head. He understood the difficulty Glen was having, all the pent up emotions in him wanting to escape. Glen's knee started bouncing again as he fought the urge to pace.

"Can we get to the point," Dakota drawled, not buying into any of the crap Lotte was saying. He never liked her, never really had the chance to like her, and he wasn't about to start liking her just because she was here to set things straight. It was all manipulative bullshit in his opinion.

"Lotte, when did Jane contact you?" Colton asked, the brave soul to move this along. He hoped it'd be easier to get the answers they were looking for if they asked focused questions.

"Right after I was diagnosed," Charlotte responded, "She must have been keeping tabs on me still."

The brothers didn't miss the emphasis on 'Her' and only her.

X.

"And you didn't think to tell us because..."

Charlotte laughed humorlessly, "Honestly, you guys are acting like everything that happened was my fault. Do you not remember you despised me? Look at it from my shoes, a 19 year old girl practically shunned from her family who was just told she had cancer, and the one person who ever paid attention to her called her. She loves me."

XX.

One more and she was out.

Correction. One more, and he would leave and go find Hayes. That's who he should be with right now.

"Loved," Emerson corrected. "she loved you."

"I don't think mom loved anything," Glen countered offhandedly.

"Excuse me?" Charlotte tilted her head to the side, not understanding.

"Oh yeah, mommy dearest is dead, by the way." Dakota informed her, a mischievous glint in his eye. Colton looked over his shoulder, giving Dakota a silent warning. Watch yourself.

From the look of shock on Charlotte's face, it was apparent that she had no clue. She helplessly glanced from Dakota to Colton, settling on Austin. His lips pressed together in a thin line as he felt guilty for not sharing this. It never crossed his mind that he'd be responsible to deliver the news.

"She died 6 years ago," Austin said, rubbing a hand over his mouth. His other hand was quick to cover Glen's fist, reminding the boy to remain calm. Austin knew there was an imminent blow up bound to happen and didn't want Glen apart of it.

"Don't forget to tell her the best part," Dakota chimed in as if he didn't see Colton. He appeared to be enjoying this way too much, "our grandfather, the same old man that the babies have been living with, offed her! Aren't you so proud of yourself now? Leaving our precious siblings in the hands of a murderer?"

Colton was up and out of his seat so fast, gripping Dakota by the shoulder to get him out of the room towards the kitchen. "Fucking unnecessary," He gritted out, not stopping until Dakota's back was pressed against the sink.

Dakota laughed, not at all bothered by being treated like a delinquent, "What, your twin needed to know the truth."

"You're a douche."

"Ouch." Dakota smirked, knocking Colton's hand off of his shoulder.

Colton glared at him, his fingers instinctually forming a fist. Dakota wasn't phased in the slightest, knowing that Colton would never cross the line. He was a hugger not a fighter.

"Punch me," Dakota mocked, when Colton didn't say anything. "Come on, you know you want to."

"Shut up," Colton hissed, forcibly flexing his fingers by his side. He had way more self-control then Dakota, and would not rise to the challenge.

"Since when are you all buddy buddy with Lotte anyways?"

Colton took several breaths, his chest rising and falling with each action. He debated his next words before deciding Dakota should know. "She's dying, Kota. Nobody should die alone."

"Is that why she looks like shit?" Dakota asked before taking his own calming deep breath. Sarcasm was his common defense mechanism, next in line to swearing. His fingers rhythmically tapped against each other, to distract him from his temper. "I'm sorry, Cole," He muttered. He didn't know.

"Just, stay out of the living room," Colton sighed, before gripping Dakota's wrist and giving him a bro-hug. He couldn't help it, it was in his nature. "And I love you too, little fucker." Colton muttered in his ear, patting Dakota on the back.

Dakota rolled his eyes before pushing Colton away from him. "Whatever, I'm going in the backyard," He sidestepped Colton to leave the room, adding over his shoulder, "And yes, I'll still be there when someone comes looking for me."

————

The back door slammed shut, shaking the whole house. Even though she expected it, Hayes flinched, knocking into Francis' leg. She tilted her head up to look at him, breathing easier when she saw a crooked smile on his face.

Such a drama queen, he mouthed, exaggerating with an eye roll.

Hayes poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue, unable to grace Francis with the grin he was looking for. She felt very on edge, as she had been since they arrived home to see Charlotte's car. Thankfully, Francis loyally stuck by her side as he said he would and the dynamic duo found themselves sitting on the stairs.

No better place to eaves drop than the staircase, specifically the 6th step. Well, Hayes was on the 6th step, but daddy long legs was on the 8th step, his legs stretched out ahead of him..

The living room remained in an uncomfortable stillness after Dakota's declaration of death.

Hayes hunched over at the waist and covered the back of her head with her arms, trying to block sound from coming into her ears. She had heard enough for the night.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way," Austin spoke first, his voice easily heard from behind the wall.

More silence followed. Whatever was going on was too quiet for the nosy siblings to overhear.

Hayes felt Francis play with her ponytail, twirling the strands around his finger, relaxing her a little bit.

But suddenly, the tension was notched back up a couple levels when Emerson exclaimed, "You were jealous?" He was incredulous. "That's your final answer?"

Francis' soothing movements halted. They missed something big.

"I just wanted my mom!" Charlotte cried out, "I wanted her to be with me! You have to understand, I was so lost."

"So you showed up at the house and then what happened?" Austin asked, the definition of poised.

"She, she didn't even look at me." She fumbled over her words as tears started to leak out, "I tried to speak to her but she didn't care. Mom was, she was busy with Glen and Hayes. They looked happy. Like a family." But did they really look happy? Or had she imagined it.

XXX.

"You left two little kids with a known drug addict." Colton said, coldness finally seeping into his voice. It was over.

"Cole, no please, that's not..." Charlotte knew she was losing her twin again.

"You left our baby siblings who we reported missing in a fucking crack house." His voice was scary calm, which made Hayes more intimidated. And she wasn't even at the receiving end.

"They were with mom!"

"She's the one who took them!" Emerson was dumbfounded at his sister.

"She chose them! She wanted to be with them! Not me, not you or you. Them! So I said fuck it, alright. If that's what she wanted, then fine. She could have them. So I left. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

The sudden shouting match made Hayes whimper and curl up more.

"Shh, Sissy," Francis comforted her, nimbly moving so he sat behind her now with his little sister between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her, tugging her close to him. "I'm with you, you're safe. She can't hurt you."

You don't need to be brave anymore. Your big brothers are here.

Silent sobs wracked throughout Hayes' body as she clutched onto Francis' shirt.

"Do you even hear yourself right now?" Colton was on the verge of losing his mind. "You are so fucking clueless it's not even funny. Those kids, our little baby brother and sister, lived in hell for 7 years and you could have done something."

"Cole," Austin cautioned.

"Look at him. Glen's sitting right there. Look him in the eye and tell him that you didn't care."

"What are you..." Charlotte hesitated.

"I'm showing you what mom did to me." Glen replied, his young, still boyish voice really hitting Charlotte hard. It was haunting as he stretched out his arm close to her face. He pointed to the crease of the elbow. "Hayes has it, too. Don't you remember? I bet mommy even asked if you wanted to join."

"I didn't know," Charlotte gasped, looking past Glen to Austin in a panic, "I swear, if I knew I would have..."

"Don't lie to us," Emerson scowled.

"You would have what?" Austin questioned, looking at her expectantly.

"I would have told you," she weakly replied.

"Bull. Shit."

"Take a walk, Emerson," Austin ordered. "You too, Glen."

There were sounds of protest from the boys before footsteps were heard, getting louder and louder as they left the room, approaching the staircase. The brothers had all the intention to go outside like they were told but stopped when they spotted their siblings hiding on the steps.

Hayes felt their presences but refused to lift her head. She felt dissociated from herb ody, unable to move even if she wanted too, shaking as she took in broken breaths.

"Sunshine," Emerson's hushed voice wrapped around her like a warm blanket as he hurried over. He knelt down on the lower steps and laid a hand on her knee, brushing his thumb up and down. Glen sat down on her other side, laying his head against hers. His hand found one of hers, lacing their fingers together.

He squeezed their hands, us against the world, HayHay.

The house was deadly quiet, so no one had trouble hearing Austin's next words.

"I feel for you, Lotte, I really do. I'm sorry this is how our lives played out but it's time we accept it. I can't speak for Baker and Colton, but if you need anything, I'll help you out the best I can. But Charlotte, I need you to leave my family alone. This can't happen anymore, it's done. I don't want you anywhere near this house, or my kids. If you so much as think about calling Emerson or Francis, I will know. Do you understand?" Do not fuck with me.

Silence.

"Yes," Charlotte barely whispered.

"I think it's time for you to go now." Colton wisely suggested.

"I'm sorry." Another whisper.

"Do you need a ride or will you be okay to get home?" Austin ignored her apology.

Charlotte cleared her throat. "I can drive."

"I'll walk you out."

The four siblings tensed, knowing they were about to be busted. Hayes risked a peek, lifting her head up just a tiny bit to see over her arm. Standing in the foyer, staring back was Charlotte.

Mom.

Charlotte.

She looked so forlorn, so broken. So evil.

Hayes turned her head so she didn't have to see anymore.

Francis didn't even bother masking his thoughts, the look of betrayal and disappointment prominent.

Emerson displayed a blank look as did Glen.

Charlotte sighed, her heart breaking into pieces. Giving a last wave goodbye, she stepped out into the night, Austin closing the door behind him.

Colton stared at the front door for a second before turning and facing his siblings. His eyes were slightly glazed as he briefly scanned them over, running a hand through his unkempt hair. He gave them a grim smile  before walking the few steps to his bedroom, his head bowed.

He needed time to mourn.

To mourn the twin bond that never was.

The gentle click as he shut his door spoke louder than words ever could.

————

The sound of a dog barking aroused Hayes from her sleep. Her heart skipped a couple beats as she tried to decipher where she was. It certainly wasn't her room and they most certainly didn't have a dog.

Glancing around, she rubbed her chest for some relief from her frantic heart as her eyes landed on the picture frame sitting on the bedside drawer. Austin's room.

Letting out a very unladylike yawn, Hayes flopped back down onto the pillows. Now she remembered last nights' events and how she bunked with Austin.

Ugh, she could feel the start of a headache forming.

Laughter bounced throughout the house, seemingly getting louder as footsteps thundered up the steps. Brothers apparently didn't know the definition of quiet around here. Austin's bedroom door swung open with a bang as a blonde haired man and a fluffy puppy appeared.

"Chubba!" Hayes exclaimed, laughing whole-heartedly as the golden retriever jumped right onto the bed. His wiggling body sent fur flying everywhere as he attacked Hayes' face with kisses.

"We found her, Chubba! Good boy," Emerson cheered, belly flopping onto the bed besides them.

The whole house instantly got 10x brighter at the sound of his sister's joy. A dog truly was the way to a girl's heart.

Hayes' laughter settled into giggles as Chubba plopped down pretty much on top of her. "You're a good boy," she cooed, playfully rubbing his face.

"I know," Emerson responded making Hayes swat his head. He was such a goof.

"I was talking to the dog, stupid." She chuckled.

Suddenly she gasped, propping herself up on her elbows. Chubba was here! "Is Baker here?"

"No, Sunshine," Emerson said, feeling bad when her face morphed into disappointment. "Peyton has a weekend PT conference and asked us to watch Chubba."

"Oh," Hayes' response was muffled as she shoved her face against the dog's fur.

"Hey, don't do that. He'll be home before you know it. Maybe we can call him tonight. He'd love to hear from you. How's that sound?" Emerson tried to cheer her up again.

He wanted happy Hayes.

No more sullen Sunshine.

Emerson crawled up towards the pillows and flopped over so he sat leaning his back against the headboard. He reached over and rescued Hayes from underneath Chubba's body and tucked her into his side. Chubba inched closer to them and sprawled out on their legs. His tongue hung out as he panted from all the excitement.

"I miss him." Hayes' fingers braided through the dog fur. She missed Baker a lot.

Emerson knocked his forehead gently against Hayes' head, sighing "me too, Sunshine, me too."

A comfortable silence encompassed them for a couple minutes, allowing Hayes to start drifting back to sleep.

But before that could happen, Emerson jostled her awake again and left the room with Chubba behind him, lured by the promise of treats, so Hayes could go get changed for the day. No way would Emerson let Hayes waste a sunny day lazing around in bed. Granted 'getting ready for the day' only meant swapping one ginormous t-shirt for another of her brother's shirts, as well as a fresh pair of underwear and some clean running shorts. And socks, so she could slide on the floor in style.

And possibly bust her butt in a fall, but it was a risk worth taking.

Teeth brushed, face washed, and bladder now empty, Hayes headed downstairs. She must of subconsciously been thinking of Austin still because that would be the only reason why she turned left at the bottom of the stairs instead of right. She lazily slid into the living room, her feet gliding across the floor as she made a beeline to the den. Through the open doorway she spotted her eldest brother typing away on his laptop in his office.

Working on a Saturday? How boring of him.

Hayes slipped her hands around his shoulders, embracing him in a hug as she laid her head against his.

"Good morning, baby," Austin murmured, turning his head to kiss her temple as one of his hands landed on top of hers. The feeling of love warmed her as his thumb brushed back and forth on her arm.

"Morning, Austin."

"How are you?" He asked. Hayes loosened her hold so he could spin his chair around to face her properly. His arms found her waist and pulled her sideways onto his lap so she could nuzzle closer. Her legs hung over the arm rest, swinging lightly back and forth.

"Tired," she emphasized with a yawn.

"I see that," Austin chuckled. If she looked up, she would have see the concern on his face. Hayes had a restless night, waking Austin up several times, not on purpose, as she squirmed around in his bed.

He thought she might have been experiencing night terrors as she never truly gained consciousness and didn't appear to have any recollection this morning.

Glen also wrestled with a sleepless night, evident by the dark circles under his eyes when Austin saw him earlier that morning. But nevertheless, he went with Colton to their Saturday morning team basketball practice. Even though he wasn't able to partake in the practice, Austin kept his fingers crossed that it'd distract the boy for a couple hours.

Hayes sleepily nodded, her eyes fluttering shut again in Austin's comfort.

"I love you," he kissed the crown of her head.

"Love you most-est."

Finding no need to keep her awake, Austin spun the chair back around so he could continue working, letting Hayes doze off on his lap.

In a full house, it was impressive the serenity lasted even 10 minutes.

A sudden shout of glee startled Hayes; Austin's grip immediately tensing to make sure she didn't slip off his lap. "I win!"

"You killed me, you asshole!"

"All is fair in love and war, Sonny!"

"We were on the same team! Oh my word, you fucking stupid head." Emerson groaned.

The banter faded for a second until another unexpected scream was heard, this time way more girlish. "Jeez, don't be such a sore loser!"

What sounded like a herd of elephants running only got louder as the brothers ran around the house, the barking dog added to the excitement.

"No running!" Austin shouted, "If you break something, you're grounded!"

Hayes giggled as she pushed herself off Austin's lap to go investigate. Sounded like Francis was being chased by Emerson with Chubba tagging along.

"Safe! I'm Safe," Francis panted, appearing in the doorway. He instantly shuffled behind Hayes, using her as a barrier. His hands on her shoulders kept her in place, right in front of him so Emerson couldn't attack.

"You can't use our sister as protection!" Emerson complained, skidding to a stop in front of her, Chubba running past his legs to get to Hayes, his tail hitting legs as he passed. He jumped up, so his front paws landed on Hayes, demanding her attention.

"Hey, I'm working here," Austin half-heartedly scolded, secretly enjoying the chaos. He loved his family. "Take it outside, will you?"

"Sonny's being a baby because he sucks at the game." Francis poked fun at Emerson, pulling Hayes closer when Emerson took a step forward. Hayes laughed as she tried to bend over to pet Chubba. Good doggo deserves all the love.

"Francis, stop," She giggled when Francis playfully shuffled her to the left side and then to the right, mirroring Emerson's movements.

Emerson did some karate chop hand motions, teasingly jabbing her in the stomach making her chortle.

Woof!

"Whatever you two are doing, leave her out of it." Austin said, standing up. After sitting for an hour, his back needed a good cracking. Chubba spun around in circles, excited by all the humans, his tail gaining speed.

"We're not doing anything," Francis responded with a cheeky grin, "Isn't that right, Sonny?" He pulled Hayes back another step as Emerson inched dangerously closer. His back was now against the desk, there was nowhere else for them to go.

"Were you guys playing 'fun run' again?" Austin questioned, narrowing his gaze on Emerson, "After I have repeatedly reminded you no electronics? Have you forgotten you have a concussion or is your brain permanently damaged?"

"Why are you so mean to me?" Emerson dramatically cried, making Francis snicker.

Austin good-naturedly rolled his eyes, "Suck it up, buttercup. Don't make me take your phone away."

"So mean, I say! And I thought I was your favorite, Austin!" Emerson mock gasped, clutching his chest.

"I don't have a favorite," Austin denied, shaking his head with a smile.

"Yes, you do," Hayes grinned innocently, squealing when Francis tickled her some more. Chubba took this as an invitation to jump up again, licking her neck and face as she squirmed around. Her laughter turned to snorts, making her brothers laugh as well.

"Bro, I could hear you screaming like a fucking pansy from the toilet." Dakota rapped his knuckles on the doorframe as he joined the group, the office space starting to feel cramped now. He bent down to give Chubba some affection.

"That's where you've been this whole time?" Francis exclaimed, letting Hayes escape when he raised in arms in disbelief. She quickly skipped to Austin's side, her face turning red as she tried to hold in her laughter.

"We've been waiting for you to join the game." Emerson complained.

"I told you I had to take a shit!"

"That was almost 20 minutes ago."

"I hope you courtesy flushed, because your poop reeks." Austin couldn't help but rag on him. Pack mentality at its finest.

"Yeah, you stink up the whole house." Emerson added, pulling his shirt up over his nose, Francis doing the same thing. Gas masks activated.

"I hate all of you."

"Don't lie. You love us," Francis' voice was muffled by his shirt.

Hayes snorted as Austin wrapped his arms around her, hiding his amused face in her hair.

Her brothers were such a lost cause.

~~~~~~~~~

I am a child and will now only be communicating via gifs, until I find something else just as entertaining. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.