My Three Protectors [MXMXMXM]

Chapter 14

We decide to shuffle over to the couch to talk, but since all of us can't fit comfortably on it, Adam settles on the floor next to the twins.

I squeeze myself cosily in-between Dante, who has his long legs extended on the L part of the sofa, and Malachi whose besides Thaddeus. Dante has his arm thrown lazily over the back of the sofa and I'm conscious of how close he is. His hand is nearly touching my shoulders with it being so close I swear I can feel the heat radiating off of it.

"So, you guys actually enjoy my little bro's company enough to hang out with him?" Adam starts up the conversation, a genuine curious expression on his face. It takes me a few seconds to digest that my dear older brother had just insulted me, and it doesn't help that Dante snorts right next to me.

"Hey, you take that back! I'm a delight and you know it." I defend, and when I look around at everyone they all have disbelief in their eyes.

"I wouldn't go that far. You're bearable at best, wouldn't you agree Adam?" Dante goes to say, his hand stroking his imaginary beard with a shit eating grin across his face. Adam seems to contemplate it, and then as if he had remembered a word that had been bothering him, he nods enthusiastically.

My mouth hangs open in disbelief at what I'm hearing. When did they become so cosy that they joined forces to tease me?

"Bearable? Are you mad?" I turn towards Malachi with a pout, "You think I'm a delight right?" He looks as if he will give in to agreeing with me, but gives me an I'm-sorry expression before betraying me and siding with the other two.

Knowing Thaddeus is the only one left that I can persuade, I lean forward to stare at him and am greeted with a face full of amusement. I deepen my pout, getting my lip to slightly wobble and my eyes to water in hopes he'll take my side, "Thaddy?" I ask expectantly and he shrugs like his hands are tied and inevitably agrees with the others.

That would've totally have worked if he was in his lion form. I want lion him back. I want them all to shift back so they can't pick on me. Petition for them to shift back say I. I! I'm the best thing to happen to them and they all secretly know it, they're too in denial to admit it. I harrumph and cross my arms, pretending to ignore them all from now on, no matter what.

They all try to get me to laugh or acknowledge them and despite my best efforts I cave and crack a smile when Dante gives me a noogie, his knuckles digging into my hair.

We go on to talk about random things and sometime during our conversation Delanie must've fallen asleep with her head lopsided on Thaddeus' leg. Her tiny hand is grasping tightly onto his sweatpants, as if scared that he would leave her. A very adorable sight to behold. Dillan had also fallen asleep lying down on the floor, his head on Adam's lap, with little snores escaping from his parted lips occasionally.

Adam notices that his kids are sleeping and takes that as his queue to get going so he can put them to bed properly. He asks me to help take the twins down to his car, so I scoop Del up from the floor, untangling Thaddeus' sweatpants material from her hand, and try not to jostle her awake.

Adam puts all the animal plushies in a bag so he can take them with him and then carefully picks up Dil. He rearranges him in his arms and after he has said his farewells to the three residing in my apartment, with arrangements to meet up again sometime soon to hang out, we make our way into the lift.

"They seem like good people to have around," Adam gently says, keeping his voice low so as to not wake the twins, "I can see that they care a lot about you." I turn to look at him to see if he was just saying that, but the genuine expression on his face told me he truly meant that.

I go to ask him something but the lift dings and opens up to the ground floor. He walks out first and I follow him, the question leaving my head.

When we reach the car we buckle in the twins, them still blissfully sleeping, and I kiss them both on their foreheads before going around the car to give Adam a hug goodbye. "I love you bro, say goodbye to the twins for me when they wake up."