Chapter 38

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was warmth.

The kind of warmth that wrapped around me completely, like a cocoon solid, steady, comforting. The kind that made me want to stay exactly where I was and never move.

The second thing I noticed was that I wasn't just lying in bed.

I was lying on Lucas.

My head was resting against his chest, rising and falling steadily with each breath he took. His arms were wrapped securely around me, one tucked under my shoulders and the other resting against my waist, his fingers curled slightly against the fabric of my hoodie. Our legs were tangled beneath the blankets, his taller frame completely caging me in.

And the worst part?

I didn't want to move.

My heart was already pounding way too fast for someone who had just woken up, my mind racing as I became painfully aware of every little detail—the warmth of his skin, the solid weight of his arm around me, the slow, even rhythm of his breathing.

I swallowed hard, squeezing my eyes shut again. Okay, don't panic. Just stay still.

Maybe if I stayed like this, he wouldn't wake up, and I could just... have this. Just for a little longer.

Except there was one tiny, massive problem.

My bladder was full.

Like, nearly-bursting, I might die if I don't get up full.

I groaned internally, biting my lip as I tried to shift just slightly, hoping I could reposition myself without disturbing him. But the second I moved, his arms instinctively tightened around me, pulling me in even closer, and oh.

I froze as his breath ghosted against my hair, his chest rumbling slightly as he sighed in his sleep.

Oh no.

This was bad.

I clenched my jaw, trying so hard to just hold it a little longer, to just enjoy the warmth for another minute or two, but my bladder was having none of it.

I was out of time.

Dammit.

Carefully, very carefully, I started untangling myself from him, prying his arm away from my waist inch by inch. He made a soft noise of protest in his sleep, his fingers twitching against my hoodie, and for a second, I thought he was going to wake up.

But after a moment, he just shifted slightly, rolling onto his side, his arms curling into the warmth I had just left behind.

I let out a shaky breath, forcing myself to move quickly now before I could second-guess it. I climbed out of bed as quietly as I could, hurrying out of my room and straight to the bathroom.

By the time I made it back, I felt ten times more awake—and more annoyed that I'd had to leave at all.

But when I walked back into my room, Lucas was awake.

Still lying in bed, one arm stretched over his head, the other resting lazily on his stomach. His hair was a complete mess, sticking up at odd angles, and his half-lidded brown eyes were groggy and unfocused.

And then he spoke.

"Mmm... morning, Shorty."

His voice.

Gravelly. Deep. Sleep-rough.

My brain short-circuited on the spot.

I stared at him, gripping the doorframe as I willed my heart to calm down. Because this was unfair.

Unfair that he could look like that—sound like that—without even trying.

Lucas blinked at me lazily, rubbing a hand over his face as he yawned. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

I snapped out of it, forcing myself to act normal. "I—yeah. I'm fine. Just... woke up too fast."

He hummed, stretching his arms above his head, his shirt riding up slightly as he did. "Mmm. Same. What time is it?"

I glanced at my phone. "Almost nine."

Lucas groaned, flopping back against the pillows dramatically. "Too early."

I huffed out a laugh, finally stepping away from the doorway and sitting on the edge of the bed. "It's not early. What do you even want to do today?"

Lucas peeked at me through half-lidded eyes. "I dunno. What do you wanna do?"

I shrugged. "It's the weekend. We could just hang out."

Lucas smirked, finally sitting up. "Are you saying you wanna spend all day with me?"

I rolled my eyes, shoving him lightly. "You literally slept in my bed last night, Lucas. Don't make it weird."

He chuckled, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he leaned toward me slightly. "Too late, Shorty."

I scowled, but there was zero heat behind it.

Because I was still way too aware of how close we'd been just minutes ago.

And worse?

I kind of wanted it to happen again.

Lucas stretched beside me, his lips tugging into a smirk as he leaned back against my bed. "By the way, I couldn't help but notice something last night."

I froze, immediately on edge. "What?"

Lucas grinned wider. "You cuddle something in your sleep."

My stomach dropped. Oh no.

"I do not," I said quickly, already feeling my face heat up.

"Oh, you definitely do." Lucas tilted his head, clearly enjoying this. "And it was... soft. Kind of round. Kind of..." He paused, letting the suspense drag out before finishing with a smug grin. "Teddy bear-shaped."

I groaned, grabbing a pillow and shoving it over my face. "I hate you."

Lucas laughed, pulling the pillow away. "So, wanna explain who Muffin is?"

I glared at him. "How do you even know his name?!"

Lucas shrugged. "You mumbled it. Something like, 'Mmm... Muffin...'" He mocked my sleepy voice, making it sound way worse than it probably had been.

I wanted to die.

"It's not a big deal," I muttered, refusing to meet his gaze. "I've had him since I was a baby."

Lucas grinned, nudging my shoulder. "That's adorable."

I whipped my head toward him, eyes wide. "It is not!"

Lucas chuckled, completely unbothered by my embarrassment. "It totally is. Tough, sassy Adrian still sleeps with a teddy bear."

I scowled, crossing my arms. "You're making way too big a deal out of this."

Lucas hummed. "Nah. I just think it's cute."

My face burned hotter.

Before I could respond—or throw him off my bed—Lucas hopped up. "Alright, come on, Muffin Boy. I smell food."

I groaned dramatically, grabbing a pillow and chucking it at him as he dodged effortlessly, laughing the whole way.

Lucas and I eventually made our way downstairs, the smell of something sweet and buttery filling the air.

The kitchen was quiet except for the soft hum of the radio playing in the background, and Easton was standing at the stove, flipping pancakes onto a plate.

But Elijah wasn't there.

I frowned, glancing around. "Where's Elijah?"

Easton turned slightly, tossing me a look. "Out with Megan today."

My frown deepened.

Lucas must have noticed my expression because he nudged my shoulder lightly. "Don't pout, Shorty."

I scowled. "I'm not pouting."

"You kind of are."

I sighed, slumping into my chair. I hated how much it bothered me. I wasn't a little kid I didn't need Elijah with me every second of the day. But I wasn't used to him prioritizing someone else. It felt... weird.

Lucas nudged me again, this time a little firmer. "Hey. You and I get to spend the whole day together. Isn't that way better?"

I rolled my eyes, but he wasn't wrong.

Easton turned back to the stove, shaking his head. "I don't know how I've survived this long with you two."

Lucas smirked. "It's a mystery."

With that, Easton finished up the pancakes and set a stack of them in the center of the table.

I grabbed my fork, feeling a little better now that there was food in front of me. Pancakes always made things better.

Lucas piled his plate high, dousing everything in syrup. "You know, if Elijah were here, he'd be making some weird protein version of these."

Easton snorted. "Yeah, well, he's not, so we can eat like normal people."

We were just starting to eat when the sound of shouting suddenly echoed from upstairs.

I froze, fork halfway to my mouth.

Then, SLAM.

A door shut hard, rattling the walls.

Lucas and I exchanged a look just as Henry stormed down the stairs, his face twisted in pure rage, a broken pair of headphones clenched in his hand.

"ALEX BROKE MY HEADPHONES!" he yelled, throwing the busted pair onto the table. "These were new! I've had them for, like, a week!"

I winced at his volume, but before I could say anything, Alex came stomping down after him, his expression much less guilty than it should have been.

"I said I was sorry!" Alex groaned, throwing his hands up. "It was an accident!"

Henry's face burned red. "Yeah, right! You have your own headphones! Why were you using mine?!"

Alex huffed. "Because someone stole mine!"

I stiffened.

Lucas, who had just taken a bite of his pancake, paused.

Because I had used Alex's headphones yesterday morning.

And I never put them back.

Crap.

I kept my eyes on my plate, forcing myself to chew like I hadn't heard a thing.

Lucas glanced at me, but he didn't say anything.

Easton sighed loudly, stepping between Henry and Alex before they could start throwing actual punches. "Okay, enough. Henry, it sucks, but it was clearly an accident."

Henry glared. "An accident doesn't make my headphones magically work again and Whoever stole your stupid headphones wouldn't need to replace mine if you hadn't been using them in the first place!."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Yeah? Well, maybe if you didn't leave your stuff lying around like an idiot, they wouldn't have gotten broken."

That was the wrong thing to say.

Henry's fist flew out before anyone could react, slamming into Alex's shoulder with a solid punch.

Alex stumbled back, cursing loudly as he grabbed his arm. "What the hell, Henry?!"

"You're replacing them!" Henry snapped.

Alex's face burned as he rubbed his shoulder. "No, I'm not."

Henry lunged again, but Easton grabbed him by the back of his hoodie and yanked him back. "Enough! Both of you!"

Henry struggled in Easton's grip, his fists still clenched tight. "This isn't fair! I didn't do anything, and now my headphones are ruined!"

Easton shot Alex a sharp look. "You shouldn't have been using Henry's stuff without asking." Then, he turned back to Henry. "But you're not going to solve this by punching your brother."

Henry's jaw clenched, but he didn't argue.

Easton sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, we'll get you a new pair, okay? But until then, you can borrow mine."

Henry crossed his arms, still fuming. "Fine."

After breakfast, Lucas and I slipped back upstairs, leaving Henry and Alex still glaring at each other in the kitchen. I shut my bedroom door behind us, flopping onto my bed with a groan.

Lucas sat at the desk, spinning slightly in my chair. "So... you gonna tell me why you looked suspiciously guilty during that whole argument?"

I froze mid-groan.

Lucas raised an eyebrow, smirking. "I knew it."

I huffed, rolling onto my stomach to bury my face in my pillow. "I—may have—borrowed Alex's headphones yesterday morning and forgot to put them back."

Lucas let out a low whistle. "Wow. So you're the reason Henry got punched?"

I groaned again. "Don't say it like that! I didn't mean for this to happen!"

Lucas laughed. "So what's the plan, Shorty? You gonna sneak into the twins' room and put them back?"

I sat up, rubbing my face. "That was the idea. But now Henry's on a warpath, and Alex is gonna murder me if he finds out."

Lucas grinned. "Sounds fun. Let's do it."

I blinked. "Wait—you're helping?"

He shrugged. "Of course. Watching you try to be sneaky is the highlight of my day."

I glared, but dragged him up anyway. "Fine. But be quiet."

We crept down the hallway, my heart pounding in my chest as we approached the twins' room. The door was slightly open, and the room was dark, the curtains still drawn and the sound of miles snoring was echoing around the room.

Lucas nudged me. "he's still asleep. Just be quick."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. "Alright. Stay here and be quiet."

Lucas grinned. "No promises."

I rolled my eyes before tiptoeing inside. The room smelled like a mix of body spray and unwashed clothes, and the floor was littered with random junk. Clothes, books, a pair of football cleats. how did they even live like this?

I carefully stepped over a pile of clothes, keeping my eyes trained on Alex's desk, the perfect place to drop the headphones and sneak out. Just a few more steps and I'd be.

My foot suddenly caught on something, and before I could stop it—

CRASH.

I hit the floor with a loud thud, knocking over a pile of books. My hands slammed against the carpet, the force jarring my wrists.

I froze.

Lucas sucked in a sharp breath behind me. "Oh, that's not good."

The room was dead silent for a second.

Then, a shuffling noise from one of the beds.

I squeezed my eyes shut as a groggy, annoyed voice mumbled, "What the hell?"

I turned my head slowly, my heart dropping.

Miles was sitting up, rubbing his eyes, his hair a mess of curls from sleep. He blinked blearily at me, then at Lucas, then at the headphones still in my hand.

His brows furrowed.

"What... the hell... are you doing?" he muttered, his voice hoarse from sleep.

I panicked. "Uh—nothing?"

Miles's gaze dropped to the headphones. Then back to me. Then to Lucas.

Realization dawned.

His eyes widened.

"Oh my god," he said, his voice a little louder now. "You're the one who stole them!"

Lucas snorted, failing to hold in a laugh.

"Shhh!" I hissed, frantically waving my hands. "The others will hear!"

Miles's expression morphed into pure amusement. "Oh, this is too good."

Before I could stop him, another voice spoke from behind us.

"What the hell is going on?"

I whipped around, my stomach dropping.

Alex was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed, his expression a mix of confusion and irritation.

I gulped.

He scanned the room, then his eyes locked onto my hand. His headphones.

His eyes narrowed.

"You've gotta be kidding me," he said, voice flat and unimpressed. "It was you?!"

I awkwardly held up the headphones. "Uh... surprise?"

Alex's jaw clenched. "You're the reason Henry punched me."

I winced. "Technically, it was still Henry who—"

Alex lunged.

"WAIT—"

Before I could escape, he grabbed me in a headlock, yanking me forward with zero mercy.

I let out a high-pitched yelp, my arms flailing uselessly.

"You little thief!" Alex grumbled, trapping my head under his arm.

"I WAS GONNA GIVE THEM BACK!" I squeaked.

Alex ignored me. With one swift motion, he wedged me HARD.

I let out a choked gasp, my entire body going stiff. "ALEX, STOP!"

Lucas burst out laughing.

Alex only smirked, tightening his grip. "Oh, what's wrong, Shorty?"

I squeaked. "NOTHING—JUST—LET ME GO—"

Alex wedged me again, even harder.

I kicked my legs wildly, struggling like my life depended on it. "ALEX THAT HURTS!"

"That's kinda the point," Alex said flatly.

Lucas was dying.

I twisted in Alex's grip, my face burning. "LUCAS, HELP ME, YOU TRAITOR!"

Lucas wiped at his teary eyes. "Sorry, Shorty, this is way too entertaining."

I groaned in mortification. "I HATE YOU BOTH."

Alex finally let go, shoving me away with an eye roll.

I stumbled, my face flaming, my hair a complete mess.

Miles grinned, watching me sulk. "So, how's it feel knowing you caused all of this?"

I glared. "Shut up."

Lucas just smirked.

I swore revenge.

Before I even had a chance to regain my dignity, the sound of footsteps thudding up the stairs made my stomach drop.

Lucas, still grinning, leaned in and whispered, "Busted."

I glared at him. "Shut up."

The bedroom door swung open, and Easton stood there, arms crossed, his expression a mix of concern and suspicion. His gaze immediately landed on me, still rubbing my sore backside, while Lucas hovered beside me, attempting to be comforting but still struggling to keep a straight face.

Easton raised an eyebrow. "Do I even want to know?"

Alex, without hesitation, pointed at me. "Adrian stole my headphones."

I scowled. "Borrowed!"

Alex ignored me. "And because of that, Henry punched me, so I gave him what he deserved."

Easton sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay. First off, Adrian, you ask before taking something. You know that."

I grumbled, shifting awkwardly. "I forgot..."

"Not an excuse," Easton said firmly.

Before I could protest, Alex crossed his arms. "He still needs to be punished."

Miles snickered. "Pretty sure you already handled that."

Alex smirked. "Yeah, but I feel like it wasn't enough."

I whipped my head toward him. "Are you serious?!"

Before Alex could respond, Henry appeared in the doorway, arms crossed smugly. "If it makes you feel better, Adrian, you kinda deserved it."

I gaped at him. "Excuse me?!"

Easton chuckled, looking me up and down. "Honestly, judging by the state of you, it looks like you've already been punished enough."

Miles laughed, and Alex grinned victoriously.

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "I hate this family."

Lucas patted my back reassuringly. "Aww, it's okay, Shorty."

I swatted his hand away, but my face was still burning so I buried it in his shoulder to hide my face from my brothers..

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Word count: 2760

Hey Guys Thanks for reading this story so please be nice and kind. I am sorry if there are any spelling mistakes or bad grammar.

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*EMMA HETHRON*