Noises greet me, voices consuming the limbo between sleep and wake.
"Shh. Don't wake them up."
I move slightly, my back twinging with pain before I find a comfortable position, heat warming me, a hand settling on my hips, shirt lifting slightly.
The pillow under my head moves slightly, and I groan, opening my eyes to glare at the person holding the pile, leaning over my body.
"Hey, Holly."
I grumble, reaching for it in my tired state but Liam only pulls it further away.
"We're playing a game you have to get up."
My glare turns hard, and he pouts.
"Please."
"I told you not to wake them." Comes a voice from the doorway.
I look over at Cleo as she walks in, hitting Liam upside the head.
I twist my head, blinking behind me.
Archer sleeps beside me, face still coated with dried paint, his face squished against his arm, eyes creased and lips pouting in a squished fish face.
I turn back.
"What's going on?" I groan, exhaustion still wanting to pull me under.
"You tell us, we found you guys like this." Cleo says, taking a seat on the unoccupied mattress.
"In my room." Comes Archer rough voice, his tone still tinged with the remnants of sleep. "With the door shut."
I turn to look at Archer over my shoulder, seeing him glaring at the two intruders.
"What were you doing?" Liam questions, wiggling his eyebrows and looking at the paint and canvas. "I mean, I've never used paint in the bedroom. Seems kind of toxic but you do you, boo."
Archer swears, throwing a paint brush at the nuisance of a boy and Liam jumps up, screeching. "That could have killed me."
Clay walks up to the open doorway, green eyes swinging between the four occupants, "What is going on?"
Liam jumps, not realising Clay had snuck up, falling back to land on Cleo.
She grunts, pushing him off. "Get off, you're a fat lump." He lands on the ground, rubbing his tailbone and pouting.
"That hurt." He looks incredulous before getting up and sitting beside her. "Payback is a bitch, you little pink haired troll."
"Did you just call me a troll?"
"What you going to do about it?"
"Can you guys shut the fuck up." Archer groans, closing his eyes and curling back into me, breathing softly into my neck.
"Sorry, dad." Liam mutters unapologetically.
"Go away." Archer mumbles against my skin.
I breathe out, lifting myself from the floor as Archer groans softly, lifting my arms above me in a stretch. I wince, resting a hand against my back as I feel a scab crack and begin to sting.
Archer twists, folding his arm behind his head as he stares up at me.
My gaze goes to his other shoulder, "How's the shoulder?"
He grins at my worry, "Aches but nothing I can't handle."
I nod, "I need to reapply the antibiotic cream."
Archer pushes himself up with his good arm, shooing the three busybodies out of the room, "Get out." He mutters, stalking forward, Liam squawking the whole way.
"Don't forget, we're playing charades." Liam claps before the door shuts.
"No, we aren't." Archer mutters through the wood.
"I heard that." Liam announces back.
"Go away."
Archer shakes his head, walking past me towards his bathroom, grabbing a cloth and running it under warm water.
I watch his muscles flex as he drains the water from the cloth before he turns to me, gaze stopping on my face, wandering over it.
"You have paint all over you." He grins, leaning back on the counter and crossing his arms in amusement.
I roll my eyes, "So do you." I remind him.
He chuckle before dropping the cloth in the sink, walking for the shower, and turning it on, running his hand under the spray to check the temperature.
He turns and walks to me, helping me lift pull my shirt off before I unbutton his, pushing the painted fabric off his body.
I quickly step out of my bottoms, watching Archer do the same before I walk for the shower, turning to look at Archer as he follows in after me.
• • •
