Beyond Bloodline - Unbreakable Bonds

twenty seven

There weren't a lot of things that could give Saxon a jump scare. His twin sitting cross-legged on his bed to arrest his entrance and looking like one who was owed money—or candy— was one such thing. "Should I even bother asking how you got in?" Saxon asked as he slipped off his bag, depositing that and the cellophane he'd been gifted on his desk before turning to his closet for a change of clothes.

"I missed you," his voice was cheery and followed by the crinkling of foil that didn't immediately raise the appropriate alarm bells in Saxon's head.

"I'm not giving you your candy stash," Saxon's voice was blunt as he tugged a t-shirt over his head. "Not unless you've had dinner."

"I ate."

"Oh?" That he was surprised to say the least would be the understatement of the century. "What did you have?"

"Pudding," he piped up and Saxon just felt his eyelids begin to twitch with maddening alarm. "Banana."

He whirled around, leg only halfway through the shorts he'd pulled out. His lip twitched at the sight of his twin feasting away at the snack that had been shared by a course mate at rehearsals, mouth smeared with cream. ". . .You're annoying," he scowled, pulling the shorts up the rest of the way and going to snatch it back.

Nigel held it out of reach from him, his other hand coming over to hold him off. "Weren't you the one advocating for me to eat properly?" he asked, quirking a brow. "Now you're just going to take it away?"

"I never advocated with my own dinner," Saxon glowered at him.

Nigel ignored him, taking another bite of the pudding and getting the tip of his nose smeared in the process.

". . . And disgusting." A disdainful glance at the mess he'd made of the lower half of his face.

"You're mean."

Saxon rolled his eyes and went to brush his teeth so he could go to bed. When he came back out, he felt a vein pulse in his temple at the sight of his twin having extended his mess to his bed.

"This is really good," he remarked when he was done, accurately tossing the empty pudding cup into the white polythene still sitting open on the desk. "Do you have another one?"

"No," he managed through gritted teeth, getting a wet wipe to clean his blanket and launching the rest of the packet at his brother's head.

"I'm sleeping here," he said when Saxon tossed the trash away and got into bed, absolutely persistent and steadfast in ignoring him.

"Suit yourself."

His eyes were screwed shut and Nigel left him to his petty self, massaging his forehead that had taken the brunt of the heat before cleaning up the rest of his face and laying down as well.

"Were you drinking?" he asked minutes later, tone already hoarse and low with impending sleep.

"Just a little," he smiled. When his twin didn't say a word more, back to ignoring him, he just chuckled. "'night, Saxon."

Silence. But he welcomed it and didn't say a word more as they both drifted up to sleep.

—

Nigel didn't remember much of the night prior to his return home. Not much of the conversation he'd had with his friends or the ride back home in the cab. He did remember getting into his twin's room and ransacking it top to bottom for his snacks, eating the most wholesome cup of banana pudding he'd had in a while and annoying the shit out of his brother in the process and as a result, having one of the most peaceful rests he could vouch for in a long time.