Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Never in his life did Leona ever imagine this being his future.

Looking at three teenagers who belonged to three of his greatest lovers which are also three of his biggest heartbreaks. A carbon copy of the faces he tries desperately to forget.

 

He had cut ties and ghosted everyone from his past, settling on living in a forest nestled deep in The Shaftlands.

 

Bang!

Leona looked outside. Two of his boys were out, and it was already dark. And whatever that was, it was piercing as it rang his ears. Giving goosebumps all over his body
He sat up only to be held back by his youngest. Hands grip his wrist with a force he's never seen him use before. His fiery blue hair flickered as he held his Mother's hand.
"It's dark out, Mama. Don't go." He muttered, softening his hold after realization.
"Sydra, your brothers are out there." He remarked. Looking back outside, to see if he'll catch a glimpse of his other sons.
"I'll look for them." He said in uncharacteristic calmness, and before Leona could say anything more, he was out the door, leaving his cup of milk cold, and the mother confused.

Sydra never offered to do anything. His brothers often commented that he'd rather stick with Leona than do anything with them.

 

It didn't take him long to find both of his brothers standing over something, and Sevens, it was foul. Albeit it was too dark to make out. But he knows it was another one of Sephyros' mistakes.
"Mama's calling you both home." He said, eyeing them with annoyance. His two older brothers really had to ruin his moment with their mother.
He heard them both mutter their version of a sorry, then stood up.
"Mom's right, it is getting late." The blonde agreed, nodding and removing his jacket. Sydra didn't need to glance at what coated it.
"Solis, bending to Ma's whim." The black haired one mumbled.
"Quiet yourself, Sephyros. Remove your jacket too." Replied Solis. Watching Sephyros unbuttoned his jacket.
"We'll deal with this tomorrow." The curly haired blonde told his brothers.

All three walked in silence. A slight tension hanging in the cold night air.

"Mama heard that." Sydra looked at them. Specifically, the shotgun that hung off Sephyros' back.
Solis shot his middle brother a glare. Hitting his shoulder with minimal but hurtful force.
"I knew that was a stupid thing to do!" He yelled.
"Ma knows I go hunting. It's the best excuse we have." Assuring both his eldest and younger brother, disarming said gun.
"But you don't hunt at night!, it's almost 8pm! Mom's not stupid." He gritted his teeth, his perfect face twisting in worry and annoyance.
"I said leave it! I can conjure up some half ass excuse, Solis!" The half fae shot back. His brother was such a worrywart it's so annoying and just makes his head hurt.
"Shut up!" The youngest cuts in, silencing them both immediately.
"We're here." He continued.

 

"Home." Solis announced. Nudging Sydra who took both their jackets and ran to their shed. The lights were dim and orange in color, their home smelled of cinnamon and sandalwood. And it was weirdly warm, a tingling sensation crawled on both brothers skins. Their mother in view, cooking dinner.

"Good. Now help me out here." He didn't even turn to look at them which was good as they scurried around to make themselves presentable.
A whisper of 'fix your hair' to a mumble of 'straighten your shirt', Leona absentmindedly chuckled, hearing his boys scold each other.
Their voiced were as familiar as their faces. The only thing Leona hated about his children was every time he looked at them. And it's a bad thing, he should love them, but his genes could have at least tried.

"Smells good, what are you cooking?" The eldest materialized behind Leona, who jumped.
"Now, what is wrong with you?" He reprimanded, pointing the ladle at the teen. Who gave a small smile.
"My bad, I was just curious." He apologized, stationing himself in front of the cutting board, continuing where Leona left off with the vegetables. The two remaining followed suit. Sydra cleaned the table while Sephyros sets it. No one said anything, but the three would exchange looks, like the way Sephyros was holding the knife or how something was left in Sydra's room.

When Leona finished cooking all the boys were in their respective seats. Looking at him, with the only thing they inherited from him. Those sharp slitted emerald eyes. It always felt like looking into the mirror whenever he makes eye contact with them.
"That's creepy, stop it." He narrowed his eyes at them. Setting the pot down.
"I have something to attend to, you boys start eating." They just nodded while Leona exited the dining room.

"You think he noticed anything?" Solis started as both just gave him an unsure shrug and shake of the bed.
"Yeah right, Sephyros is reeking of blood." Sydra said, Sephyros ignoring them to eat.
"Sephyros is the least suspicious for reeking of blood, He hunts out animals everyday." Solis explained, it was true. Sephyros smelling of gore like this was nothing new.

"You know, what we should talk about is the clothes in Sydra's room, mom's gonna find those" the ravenette said, spinning his spoon in a gesture. Solis hummed.
"He's right, we should burn it." Two nods.
"Later tonight when mom's asleep." He continued planning out everything.
"Sydra will hide for the time being."  The youngest assented. Shutting up when their mother re-entered.
"What are you three talking about?" He sat down. Serving himself a plate.
"Just about cleaning Sydra's room." Sephyros muttered.
"Oh yes, clean your rooms tomorrow okay?" They nod.
"We'll do it later, Mama." The fire haired boy beamed at his mom.
"That's my boys." He praised, lighting up a candle for more light.

 

Silence fell again.

 

"Do you want to go to the city tomorrow?" Leona asked them, not looking up from his food, pushing it around the plate.
"Why?" Solis was always the first to speak to out. Their mother never offered anything like this. Like ever, he always said the outside of the forest was crazy and chaotic. And with what was happening in today's day and age, from the things they saw in the news on their crappy old TV no one even uses, their interest in going out in the big wide world dwindled.
"Forget it, I'll go myself-" Leona sighed, he didn't really want to give a reason to his children, he can't just say 'oh cause I genuinely hate your father's that I live in a forest so they can't find us!'. Absolutely not.
"No. we'll come." Sephyros cuts in. He seemed agitated and no one questioned it. Especially Leona, who always told his brothers to leave their middle half be whenever he acts out like this.
"Yes, we'd love to!" Sydra grinned. Despite the glimmer in his eyes, his hands gripped the fork tightly, noticeable to only his siblings.
"Agreed." Solis nodded, stretching out his hand to hold Leona's.
"It might be the first and only time you'll ever offer." He smiled when Leona looked up at them. Mirrored the smile.
"Behave yourselves okay?" He warned, returning the soft hold his oldest had on him.

Oh of course they would, they wouldn't dream of embarrassing their mother.

They eyed each other. A small glint in their eyes passing around like they were doing telepathy. All thinking the same thing.

Mayhem. Subtle, but there.

Half brothers. Same mind.

Chapter Text

They had to make multiple stops. Sydra had terrible motion sickness, they had discovered.

Sephyros offered to knock him out. Leona refused.
"Are we there yet?" Sydra held onto Leona's arm, eyes bleary as he recovered from vomiting. Swaying with the hoping it would lessen his sickness.
"Yes baby, hang on." Leona pets his hair, from the driver's seat. Opening the windows of the car they rented.
"Lean on me, And sleep it off." Solis pulled his brother close. Pressing menthol near his brother's nose.
"Sol is right, just stop moving around you little-"
"Shh, quiet now." Leona hushed, before Sephyros could finish whatever he had in mind.

The sun was blinding and scorched their skin, they weren't used to it. Their house was usually buried under thick trees so the sunlight was never a problem but geez, this was horrid.

Solis didn't mind it.
Sydra was suffering.
And Sephyros found it uncomfortably appealing.

Their mother laughs at their shared misery.
Before making a stop.
"The hell is this?" Sephyros gestured outside. The sea of people and a big building, listen. They lived in a forest but they weren't clueless of the outside world, their mother was not necessarily evil, to completely shut them out...unlike a certain Shaftlands tale.

"It's a mall." Their mother said. "You can buy things here, hang out or eat."
"I want to eat." Sydra said, seemingly fine now, despite everything he just went through.
"Fatass." Sephyros commented as the fire haired boy gaped.
"Shut up! Why would you-"
"Halt." The oldest positions himself between them, to avoid whatever this was to escalate. Walking a few steps behind Leona.

There were hundreds and hundreds of people. As Leona looked at them, mixed reactions, his older two seemed okay while the youngest looked like he was going to pass out.

"Oh Sydra baby." He stopped to turn to them, cupping Sydra's face.
"You're just like your father." He notes, Leona said more words but it fell on deaf ears for the brothers. It was rare when Leona talked about their Fathers, and they never actually sought anything about them, hearing anything about them twisted something deep inside. A tingle of resentment and longing for the three absent men in their lives. But they can't ask, mom hates it when they ask.

Leona snaps them off their lamentations by telling them to follow him.
They end up in a small restaurant right outside the mall.
"You boys missed lunch, come and eat." He pointed to an empty table for them to sit.
"What do you boys want?" He asked them.
"Anything." Solis replied. The other two agreed.
Leona sighed but didn't engage more, looks like they're all getting the same thing.

Lunch was boring. Minimal talking and fast paced eating from Sydra who suddenly yearned to explore the place. Which forced the other two to follow suit.

They ended up walking around the mall, buying small things here and there and 'laying low' as their mother advised.

"Do you think we'll ever go out like this ever again after?" Sydra said, they were in a small trinket shop with old antique things.
"If we're good enough." Solis answered. Running his hands along a practically rotting lamp which had hanging decorations off of them.

It reminds him of the weeping willows near their house.

A crash caught their attention. It was Leona and some group of random guys.

"Watch where you're going, boys." Leona crossed his arms. Unrelenting to their empty threats.
"Yeah, what about you watch where you're going huh?" One of them got all in Leona's space, face scarred and bruised.
"Second thought." Another chimed, definitely their ring leader. "Why don't you come with us? You're pretty hot." He said, gripping Leona's arm.
"Hell no, let go and scram, kid." He rejected which didn't deter the guy. Who only seemed more interested.
"No? Come on, it'll be fun." He urged, all other four of his friends conceded, nodding with him.

"I thought I heard him say no." Solis stepped in. Face masking emotion.
"Yeah, and who are you?" The leader laughs. Not taking him seriously.
"I'm his son. We are." He said as the two others popped up.
"Aha, children." He turned back to Leona.
"So you're ran through? They don't look alike." He taunted, Snickers from the group arose.
"You fucking—" Sephyros balled his fists, ready to charge at these assholes.

Solis stopped him.
And took Sydra's arm instead. Standing Infront of him as Leona looked confused and Sephyros flabbergasted.
"We can talk about this." He begged, as Sydra nodded profusely.
"Please don't beat us up!" He pleaded. The gang laughs.
"Aww, cute. Whatever, you and your little family aren't worth it anyway. Don't want to get myself stuck with your mother who hops from one guy to another." He mocked before walking past them, group in tow.

"What the fuck?!" He screamed at his brothers, who looked indifferent. Sydra ran up to his mom.
"Mama, they were so mean to you, I feel like I could cry!" He buried his face in Leona's neck who soothed him.
"Some kids don't get loved by their parents, don't turn out like them." He proclaimed, not even that much fazed from those dumb boys and their headache inducing antics. While Leona was distracted, Solis flashed Sephyros an ID, which successfully waned his anger as he realized. It was the Drivers license of the asshole. Ah. Aha, Solis. Sydra. Truly his brothers.

 

They resumed their day, not letting a little scuffle like that ruin their hangout.
Sydra hogged all of the Lion's attention but the two didn't seem to mind, after all. A plan was brewing, do you really think they'd let something like that pass? Oh you are astronomically mistaken.
Quickening their pace to catch up.
"Mom, where can I purchase scissors?" Solis queried.
"And why are you asking that?" Leona raised a brow.
"Our scissors at home are turning full, have you not noticed?" In fact, Leona did. He was glad Solis thought of that.
"I did, actually. Over there, the department store. Here." He gave them money for the scissors, and extra for themselves.
"Thanks Ma." The half fae smiled, trailing behind Solis as Sydra stayed behind.
"You're not joining them?" He questioned his youngest who just held onto him.
"Nah, let's go sit somewhere." He cheered, dragging Leona to an empty bench in front of a playing band.
"I want to listen to this Mama." He gasped. Leona didn't blame his child. He's never seen anything like this before.
"Tire yourself." He hums.

 

---

 

"Here." They walked to a section and grabbed a pair of scissors.
"How much do we have left?" Sephyros took the scissors that were handed to him. A thought forming in his head.
"Like 10 madol." Solis counted as they made their way to checkout.
"I thought I saw them park nearby, before we did. They have that black car with ugly flames on them, and they don't even have windows!" He jeered, before continuing.
"Let's buy candy." He offered.
"Sure." Solis hummed, walking to the candy aisle, getting lost a few times because they were not used to this.
But ending up succeeding. Grabbing two bags and then went to checkout. Paying for their things and instead of going back to their family they went on a little detour to the parking lot.
Identifying the car. Sephyros tore the packaging of the scissors open and hid behind the closely parked cars. Smirking at each other before Solis kneeled beside the driver's side.
Cutting the wires beneath it. Safety sensors, brakes, lights, and possibly a fire hazard in the making, everything. Not to mention they are still in possession of the license, meaning that if they were stopped they would've been illegally driving.

Sephyros remained standing. It was their mistake to leave the windows open, it was so drastically hot and the candies he threw inside would melt in no time. How unfortunate.

They finished their side quest. Absolutely satisfied with what they did, heading back inside.
Finding the two in front of an obnoxiously loud band.
"Hey mom! Sorry we opened the scissors, Sephyros' shirt got stuck on a loose part of the self checkout." He sheepishly. Sephyros showed a torn up part of his shirt as evidence. Obviously, it was a lie, Solis ripped his shirt himself which annoyed the horned brother since this was his favorite. But he was promised a good hunting target this season, and Solis never really broke his promises.

"Oh, that's.." He eyed the rip. He could probably fix that.
"No worries, I'll sew it right up." He assured, prodding them to sit down, which they obeyed. Giving Sydra a smirk of confirmation, the youngest eyes lit up, They did it. Oh, that was good. So good.

"What do you think is gonna happen?" He moved away from their mom who was busy watching a random show that popped up in the middle of all the singing.
"Did you slash their tires?" He piqued, feeling all giddy. Both shook their heads.
"It would have been too obvious." Sephyros said. "We cut off the wires under their car. Ya know? What you need for it to function properly."
"And scattered candy inside it." Solis added.
"I heard there's cameras, what are they called?" The youngest continued asking.
"CCTV's as far as I remember, but come on, look at those beat up things in the parking lot, they probably work as well as a dull axe." Solis laughed.
Receiving snickers from his brothers.
"I wanna stay and see what happens." Their little brother said.
"All of us want to." The ravenette rests his face on his hand, getting bored. This song was not catchy at all and the show felt like a fever dream.

They suffered through half an hour of this ungodly little parade, they wanted to leave so badly, but they couldn't. Their mother seemed so immersed that they didn't want to ruin it.

Solis took out an old digital camera and snapped a pic of their mother, before taking a picture of them. Who threw some half assed peace signs or be like Sephyros who didn't even bother smiling.

Flash.

Flash.

Flash.

 

Flash!

"Can you stop!?" Sephyros exasperatedly asked his brother. He's been hearing and seeing that stupid flash for 15 minutes straight. They were currently on their drive home.
"How about you be quiet? I'm taking memories over here."
"You're taking pictures of yourself!" He pointed out, pissed.
Sydra looked at his brothers tiredly. Leaning his head against the backside of Sephyros' seat who was arguing with Solis from the passengers side. He downed the nausea as he sipped his tea and pressed the menthol Solis handed him in the beginning of this stupid ride against his nose.

"Shush! I'm going to listen to the radio." The brunette admonished his children. Flipping through music and random shit before settling on news.

First it was news about Briar Valley and it's King...
Ma- whatcha ma call it.
Sephyros saw how his mom's fingers held the steering wheel tighter. He said nothing. But flipped the news himself. Muttering something about how he hated politics or whatever.

"Today, a car crash occurred near wonder avenue, 8 people injured but no lives lost. It was seen that a black car was swerving around the road before hitting a passing van. The cause of the crash has not been identified." The voice in the radio said.

Making all three spring up and look at each other in bewilderment. Holy Sevens, was that...

"Bad luck." Leona spun the wheel to make a sharp turn.
"Why on earth were they swerving." He went on as Solis shrugged.
"Terrible drivers, am I right?" He stifled a smile.
Sydra nodded happily.
"Terrible. Abysmal, even." Sephyros crossed his arms. Looking outside the window, passing ambulances, because wonder ave. was near the road they were taking.

---

 

It was sunset when they arrived back home. Still quiet and hidden in the forest. They actually had to walk 30 minutes to get to their house. After returning the car. It didn't bother them though, they were drained from simply being around so many people. And a quiet walk in the forest could clear their heads from the brainrot they've consumed today. Enough to kill a victorian child that's for sure. They clearly prefer this solitary life their mother built for them.

"Go inside mom, we'll handle these leaves." Solis said handing the keys to Leona who nodded.
"Give me those bags." Snatching the bags with their essentials and other groceries. Switching on the lights and disappearing inside.

They were left outside. Turning to each other.
High five! Laughing with each other, even though they could've taken lives. Apathy is a weird thing.

"We absolutely destroyed them."
"On Sevens!"
"Deserved, honestly"

Celebrating like they won the lottery, the lottery if ruining lives, probably. But a win is a win.

They sat in their porch feasting on the bag of candy they had remaining like a reward.

"Now let's actually clean these leaves." Solis stood up resting his hands on his hips. Looking at the messy front yard caused by shedding trees as autumn slowly but surely approached.
A sigh escaping from all three of their lips.

Anything for mom?
Of course.
Sure...
Yeah!

Chapter Text

A few days had passed since that incident. They didn't know nor cared what happened to those guys.
They are busy dealing with another problem at hand. Busy as in, they rushed out of the house at the crack of dawn.

5:02am
They saw on the clock, hanging on their wall. It ticked menacingly, as if daring them to stall. They had at least an hour before their mother woke up.

"Go, go, go." Solis opens the front door as silently as he could, leading his brothers out.
"It's the hiking season, we can't leave the body out there, people are gonna come across that."
Their oldest brother explained. Followed by his younger ones.

"Sephyros did that! It's always him!" Sydra pouted, it's always that they have to hide something in the forest cause of his brother's mood swings.

The body still laid there. The rotting process had already started. There were already maggots crawling around.
Sydra stayed a few feet behind, covering his nose in disgust, as the two made quick of their work. Solis started digging a hole near the corpse. While Sephyros shot down a bird to put just above it. Stepping back to let Sydra drop the clothes and set it on fire.

They stood in front of the flames for a long time. Their vision getting blurry and their sense of smell getting filled with ash. No one moved, none knew what each other felt. They used the fire of the burning clothes to warm their bodies, cause it was technically still the break of dawn. The sun crept up on them and they knew they had to head back home soon. Their mom would question them unendingly if he saw them outside at this time. A time where they weren't even awake.

"Can we go home? I'm so hungry, and Mama's gonna wake up soon." He pointed at the sky, Leona woke up around this time. Both brothers watched as Sephyros stomped the fire dead before signalling them to stand up.

"Refrain from such actions again, little brother." Solis closed his eyes to take in the morning breeze. The horned brother grunted but uttered a small okay behind them, Sydra didn't really believe that. He knows how bad their middle brother's emotions can be, and his lack of controlling it. But he didn't dare say anything about it, not when Sephyros is holding his still loaded shotgun.

Both bumped into their oldest brother's back who stopped in front of their house.
"Solis-" "Big brother!" They looked. Their mother stood in front of the porch. Eyes glued on them, as if expecting them to start explaining from where they were standing.

"Why are you boys outside?" He tapped his foot still in his sleepwear. It wasn't six yet, they know, the sun wasn't as high yet, their mother must've woken up earlier than expected.
None of them said anything.
"Well? Start talking." He descended the stairs, Sephyros steps forward.
"I woke them up to come and see if some nocturnal animals were out." He said, begrudgingly having to defend his brothers.
"I thought I told you not to go hunting at night, and instead of listening you go ahead and do it. You brought your brothers." Leona said, voice stern and his arms crossed.
"It was reckless I know-"
"It is. You two inside now." He pointed as the two hurried inside. Defying their mother was more of a death sentence than being held at gunpoint by Sephyros, which he regularly does anyway, so Sydra and Solis were already used to it. Doesn't mean their hearts don't stop every time it happens.

Sephyros didn't look that mad though. He was the one always getting punished by their mother, accustomed to it already.

 

"Sephyros. My son." He stood face to face with his second born. Looking up at him, already surpassing Solis in height. A carbon copy of Malleus, down to the way his face rested. It was all him.
"I'll let it slide, but never do this again." He said, warningly. Holding his hand.
"Yes, mother." He nods, intertwining their fingers. He tried to look as sorry as possible, to be fair. He slightly was, he disliked seeing his mother disappointed.
"What were you doing there anyways? I know what you said was a lie." The lion confronted. Separating their hands so he can touch his pale face.
'think Sephyros.'
"It was unusual that we woke up early, and Solis wanted to see the lake. We figured you wouldn't wake up yet. And I have my weapon because it was still dark." He explained, looking 'shameful'.
"Are you afraid of asking me?" Leona questions, pulling back to tend to his garden, making Sephyros follow closely.
"I'm not. I'm not sure about Solis and Sydra." He admits. Disarming his gun before setting it down on the porch, going back to stand beside Leona.

"Did I do anything to make them think like that?" Leona asked, watering the slowly growing vegetables, that he planted at the start of spring.
"I take it that they're just afraid of how you'll react if they mess up.
"..."
"Go inside and eat." He continued watering the plants. Hearing Sephyros enter the house. The soft clicking of the door closing.

 

"What did mom say." The blonde and fire haired duo stood in front of the door.
"What the hell, were you guys standing there the whole time?" He backed away.
"Yes, and I'm hungry!" Sydra whined, pulling Solis to the kitchen.
"He's inside! Feed me!" He pleads. No one lets Sydra cook, Sevens, please don't even let him near a stove.
"Answer me first, Malachi." Solis didn't move. The use of that name agitated Sephyros.
"Don't use that name on me, Virelle." He shot back.
"And I'm Idrees!" Sydra pumped a fist in the air, blending in with whatever his brothers were having, just with 100% less malice.
"But I got off easy, Ma let me slide." He opens the sliding cabinet and hangs the firearm along with the superfluous amount of armament they possess.
With that Solis seemed satisfied and finally let Sydra tug him to the kitchen, overflowing the table with things he wanted to be cooked. Which was quite possibly... everything.

 

Leona stayed in the garden. Just standing when Sephyros left. These were the rare moments that he had time to think. About all of this, Vil, Malleus and Idia. He loathed them, his insides boiled with scalding hatred whenever he thinks about their faces or even anything that remotely reminds him of those bastards. That's why he lives so isolated, those three are not just men he had a past with, they had power, control and connections. And they could easily find them. But Leona won't allow that, Ha. He'd scoff, good luck finding them in a secluded forest.
His phone rang, wiping his face. He didn't even realize he was crying. Accepting the call.
"Hello? Yes of course, it's no problem, I'm sure."

 

"Mama's sure is taking his sweet time outside, he hasn't even had his coffee." Sydra pointed out, looking at Leona through the window.
"He's on a call." He touches the glass and knocks on it. Hoping to get his mother's attention. But he was too busy focusing on whoever is on the other line..honestly it was a miracle they even have service here. Sydra glowered.
"He's talking to someone?" Sephyros followed, also taking a look outside. And there it was, Their mother was indeed talking to someone over the phone.
"Wonder who that is." He tried to hear but his voice was so hushed, he raised a brow, sharing a look with his younger brother.
"Stop eavesdropping." Solis ordered.
"That's not very respectful." He chastised, the two retreated back to the kitchen.
"Good. Stay there." He instructed and laid the plate of bacon, eggs and whatever in front of them.

Leona entered the house and smiled at his sons.
"I have to make a quick run in town. Be good okay? Solis, man of the house." He shot his son a look who inclined his head to a nod.
"Got it, Mom." He obliged.

All three watched their mom head upstairs to get ready.
"Where do you guys think he's going?" Sydra rests his face on his palms. Before his eyes widened.
"Ooh, on a date?"
"No way" "No."
"I'd shoot that guy dead." The middle child played around with the food on his plate.
"Overkill, but if what Sydra assumes is true, we can have a little fun." Solis' lips curled. Taking a bite of his breakfast.
"Yeah? Can we finally slash tires?" Sydra jumped in his seat.
"If he has a car." The curly haired blonde told.

Sitting there for what felt like an eternity before Leona went downstairs, dressier than usual and had a folder on hand.
"Be good boys" he kissed them one by one.

"Stay safe.
"Hmm...watch out."
"Be careful Mama!"

Each of his children called out as he puts on his shoes and blows one last kiss to them.

"That's a nice fucking dress." Sephyros grits his teeth. Fork scraping against the plate he was eating off, making Sydra cover his ears.

"Do you guys think it's a man?" The little one repeats his question. After recovering from the stunt his older brother pulled.
"Now, I'm inclined to believe so.." Solis sipped his coffee, green slitted eyes glaring at the door.

 

After breakfast they decided to collectively clean the house. Already asserting dominance over the expected man that will be infiltrating their life. It was not easy though, they had fights here and there about who did who, and who ruined their mothers coffee table. Before Solis smacked them both silly and commented that it was on the leg, that their mom would not have a heart attack if he saw that since it wasn't even obvious! Gosh, his brothers were infuriating!

 

They spent time apart. Which was rare, Sephyros went out to the forest hunting as usual. Solis decided to rummage through the kitchen finding spare ingredients to bake with, and Sydra, okay, only Their middle half was apart. Sydra stuck close to Solis. Probably starving as always and waiting for what Solis would whip up.

"Can we add whatever Seph hunts into what you're baking?" He dips his finger into the batter and puts it in his mouth, bananas! He liked bananas. If he said that out loud his brother would say something about him liking all the food the world had to offer. Hmph. Hater.
"Fuck no, Sydra." Solis grimaced at the thought. Sydra would probably like to display a dead bird on top of the banana bread Solis was making.
"It could be cute." He pleads. "Think about the aesthetic."
"The aesthetic of an empty shell of something that used to be alive is not my cup of tea little brother. And cute? For you maybe." He rejects.
"Also you're making a mess, clean it up." He hits Sydra's hand who acquires a tissue to wipe the table down. Solis hates messes, and Sydra wants food. So he'd have to follow his brothers desired for now. A very long sigh escape him.

 

The steps of Sephyros' heavy boots outside for both brothers inside.
"Whatcha got?" Sydra sprung up from his seat to see what the tallest brother had.
"A deer!" He exclaimed, thrilled to see the beast laying there. Sephyros was kneeling beside it.
"A deer?" Solis popped up too. To see what the other was getting so worked up about.
"Hell yeah. Venison and a new decoration." Sephyros boasts lifting the grown beast.
"Let's take a picture of it." Solis raced to get his camera, and let Sephyros have pictures with his catch before taking ones of it alone. Just lying lifelessly on their porch.
"Let's behead it!" Sydra cheered. Pale hands making a chopping motion right at the neck. He was giddy with excitement.
"Woah there." Sephyros laughed, but seemed to entertain the thought.
"Sharpen the knives then, can't do it with dull ones, hmm?" He stares, pulling the deer aside so it won't block the door, Sydra dashed like a lightning bolt to get the knives.

"That's one way to get him to do something." Solis crosses his arms leaning on the doorframe as Sephyros throws his head back in laughter.
"He just wants to behead it, let him have fun." He said, patting the creature before standing up.
"What next, you're gonna offer me to skin it?" He eyed the animal.
"You wanna?" He raised both brows, a smirk plastered on his face.
"Hard pass." He shakes his head. "I'm making banana bread." He tells him.
"Sounds good." Sephyros acknowledged flashing him a toothy- no, fanged grin.
A few minutes of just talking about how he catched the beast Sydra came back.
"Let's do this!" He dropped the items, filled with exhilaration.

 

Sephyros lifted the knife, Sydra had one of his own and Solis stayed very far from this cult behavior his brothers were showing.

 

"Boys." Mother. Eyes half shocked as he takes in what's in front of him. Both boys freeze in place, Cleaver still in the air, a wave of sunlight hits it as it sparkled.
"Sephyros...where did you get this?" He asked, the boy shrugged, setting the knife down.
"I was hunting and came across it, not gonna let it pass up, chasing it in the forest was thrilling." He relived the earlier memory. Leona's jaw slightly opened...what, did a portion of Rook's DNA get inside him cause what the hell is going on.
He shakes his head.
And pulls someone's wrist. Catching all three brothers attention.

"Who the hell is that guy?" Sephyros furrowed his brows, whispering quietly enough that it was only shared between the trio. As Solis stared in interest.
"He looks too young to be Mama's boyfriend." Sydra observed the newcomer, middle didn't react but the oldest hummed.

"This is Fiadh. He's gonna live here from now on. As your brother." Leona smiles massaging the newly arrived teens shoulders, he looks to be between Sydra and Sephyros' age. So fifteen. He blushed and thanked Leona. He fidgets with the hem of his sweater as he greets his three new 'brothers' but truthfully speaking, they stopped registering shit after their mother uttered "new brother".

He had brown hair and blue eyes, he was also taller than Leona. So around Sydra's height? Who cares. He carried a luggage. Holy fucking shit. This is actually happening.

Silence.

 

A knife clattered to the floor. Lodging itself right beside the deer's neck.

Chapter Text

"Has mother gone mad?!"  Sephyros hits his nightstand, with such force that it rattles. They were all in his room, it was the next day, afternoon to be precise. And Fiadh whatever his name is, was helping Leona downstairs with lunch, saying something about 'repaying him". He sneered, that bastard was already trying to one up them.
"I know! It's so annoying, I'm already sharing with you three, and he enters!" Sydra cried, legs kicking back as both brothers stare incredulously. But they can half agree.
Solis steps his foot down, amidst his brothers he needs to make sense, because right now, they don't look very calm.
"Whatever happens, no one will do anything reckless, rough him up a little and that's it " he said.
"Rough him up a little?" Sydra looked up, starting to grin.
"Can we pretend we're hunting him in the forest?" Sephyros, sat upright. Solis didn't answer, he was battling between dismissing his siblings and the crudely pleasuring thought of breaking the new guy.

"Not too much, now. But I'm thinking we let him settle, let him feel safe." He smirks, looking out of the window into the forest, further was the river they got their water from.
"I have something in mind." He adds, both brothers behind him shared the same emotion of delight, one clapped like a broken toy while the other played with the miniature gun by his bedside.
 "Guys, the deer's just laying in our front yard by the way. Mama's gonna get mad if it stays there." Sydra reminds. Sephyros shook him off.
"I'll deal with it later." He stayed in bed.

 

"Watoto!" Leona called out to them, which they promptly ignored, they were sulking on their mother and didn't want to be in the same room as that stupid brunette. It's shoving it more in their throats that that guy actually has some resemblance with their mom, unlike them who actually came from Leona and the only thing they inherited was his eyes!

No following call happened, but they heard footsteps ascending the stairs, expecting their mother to give them a stern lesson about inclusion or something along the lines. But no, It was Fiadh.

"Leo-" He flinched, like he was pinched from behind.
"M-Mother is calling for us..." He grips the door handle, opening to reveal Leona standing behind them.

...

 

...

 

...

 

MOTHER?

 

Mother ...

There is no mother! And there is definitely no us!

"Ma-"
"hush, look at Fiadh, he actually listens when I call him, go downstairs, do you all know what time is it?" He berates them. Opening the door wider and signals towards the stairs. Adhering them to follow.
Their mother and Friadh in tow.

 

"Why don't you get to know me Fiadh? Sit next to me, okay?" He offers, the teen stammered nervously, turning pink.
"If you say so.." He smiled, making his way to set the table.

 

"You boys sit down." He approached his sons, None looked happy or slightly amused.
Leona gives them a cautioning glance. 'be good.'
So they didn't say anything and begrudgingly sat down in their own chairs.

"You guys have a nice house." Fiadh compliments, the brothers didn't reply and Leona clears his throat.
"Thank you." Solis responds.
"Sweetheart." He stands up. "You look like a servant, let me help." Leona said, and Fiadh waves his hand.
"Please, no, it's fine." He laughs nervously.
"Stop being so shy, we're all family here." He tells him, taking the utensils.
The brothers snapped their heads towards each other, gazing at each other in disbelief.
There is no way. Their mother finds this random boy gosh knows where and takes him in as a son, as their brother? Their mother was never and they mean NEVER this affectionate. He mostly left them alone to do whatever they wanted. Hence, how they grew up.

Half of the things they learned, had come from the hikers and campers who decided to stay here, they'd show themselves sometimes, spend some time with them if they see them as docile, or just watched them secretly, watching every step, every move they did. And replicated it, that's how Sephyros learned how to use his prized possession. His shotgun.

He watched hunters who found themselves near their house to hunt animals. He'd observe every little thing down the the way they breathed, deeming it relevant in the future.

And fuck, he'd like to hunt this Fiadh guy down.

 

Fiadh had all of Leona's attention, Solis had to massage Sydra's hand to avoid a tantrum in the middle of lunchtime.
"Mom is just making him feel welcome." He whispered to his brothers ear.
"He doesn't care for him as much as he cares for us." Sydra was still mad.
"I hate him." He bursts into tears, scratching at his hands, enough that it would bleed. Solis pulls his arm back to the table.
"What's wrong baby?" Their mother looked concerned, Sephyros wasn't paying attention but Fiadh was, looking at them with such curiosity like he's trying to understand their dynamic. Sevens, Sydra wants to rip his eyes out. He was fuming.

Solis excuses them both.
"Mother, there's a loose nail under the table" He motioned. "I think Sydra accidentally harmed himself." He leads his brother out.

 

He closes the bathroom door behind them, holding his brother by the shoulders.
"Shh, shhh. Keep it together." But Sydra wasn't listening, he was already sobbing and Solis had to hold him back from throwing items around.
"I hate him! I hate him already! Let Sephyros kill him!" Solis shushed him louder. Shaking him back to his senses.
"Sydra, Don't scream, if mother hears, Sephyros is done for, we're all done for. I'm gonna find a way, okay? Stop crying, you'll turn ugly." He lulled him down. Watching Sydra wipe his eyes, sniffling. Solis bandaged his arm quickly.
"Don't show mother, this looks nothing like a nail pierced you." He comments about the scratches.
"Keep it covered until it heals." He orders.
"Understand?" Sydra didn't respond.
"Sydra." His tone changed, Sydra nodded.
"Mhm." He follows his brothers order and pulls his sleeve back down with the bandage.
"Good. Now stand." He pulls the youngest up by his other arm.
"We're going back, and you follow what I say. You pierced yourself with the rouge nail under your side of the table." He nods, listening to every word his brother said. Before opening the door.

Leona rose up upon seeing them.
"Are you okay? Let me see." He takes ahold of Sydra's arm but Solis stopped him, holding his mother's wrist gently.
"It's...best we don't. I wrapped it up tightly and it would be a waste to unravel it now." He explained, Leona seemed unsure. Eyes moving from Solis to Sydra's pulled down sleeve which held the bandage underneath. But he trusts the oldest to take care of his siblings so he drops it.
"Get back to eating." He pulls them to the table.

"Are you okay Sydra?" Fiadh asks him.
"Do I look fine?" He glares, at the cusp of another break down.
"He is. Just don't talk to him when he's overstimulated like this." Solis warns. Fiadh just nods, head down to eat his food. Leona rubs his arm.
"Don't talk like that. I didn't raise you boys like this."
"Not like you raised us at all." Sephyros said.
...Fiadh gasped, Solis and Sydra's eyes locked on their brother. Did he just...
A strained pause followed.
"What did you say?" Leona, puts his utensils down, looking straight at the ravenette.
"Mother, he does not mean it-" Solis tries to de-escalate the situation.
"Don't meddle Solis! You're always trying to fix shit, and it's only just to save face!" Sephyros accused. Slamming his hands down the table and standing up.
"Me? You! You're always the problem! You cause nothing but chaos! Look at yourself, you're littered in scars because of your own foolishness! I always have to defend you! You and Sydra." He yelled, shooting back.
"Stop making it about yourself. You always make yourself the victim." He rolled his eyes. Solis scoffed. Unbelievable.
"Listen to yourself. You're coping."
"Fuck you!" A brawl was about to start. They felt it.
"SILENCE." Leona stood up. Furious with them.
"What is wrong with all of you? Can you at least try to get along? You do nothing but fight! Always, everyday! If you hate each other so much, I'll call your fathers and give you back to them!" He shouts. Clearly stressed. His shook with anger, with having to deal with all of this with a new person living under his house.
Sydra started crying, Solis fell silent and Sephyros sat back down. Learning to shut up when their mother reacts like this.

Fiadh watched the family fall apart in uncomfortable silence. He didn't want to butt in or involve himself, but he stayed. When he first got here. Which was just yesterday, he already felt something off, when he saw all of them stand over a dead deer. He saw the youngest smile like they were building a Lego tower...like it was fun.

But still, he thought the best of them. Tried to, actually they the only ones weird in his eyes. Their mother was an angel. He took care of him the whole night, even had a late night tea drinking session with him. It was fond behavior, he hopes it'll keep up. He is thankful someone took him in after his parents both went missing after a travel, they just... disappeared, gosh this town's sheriff was more lazy than sloth.

 

Lunch finished. And their mother said no hard feelings, forced them actually. but at the same time commanded that they take Fiadh outside to the deer. They agreed.

"Never hunted an animal before?" Sephyros asks. Taking the cleaver. Fiadh shakes his head.
"No. We got everything at the market." He explains, leaning on one of the porch frames. He admits he knows nothing about this but he was intrigued with was what about to go down.

 

Sephyros started to cut off the animals limbs before opening the body. Sydra dropped to his knees to see inside.
"He's so bloody, look at him." The blood started to pool around the body. He touched it, amazed, before retreated his hand which was stained with the animals blood.
Fiadh winced. That's so disturbing.

He watched as they took apart the animal. It smelled of heavy iron from the blood. And the disgusting stench of rot. He almost gagged at the way Sephyros forcefully gauged the things eyes out. And carved it's organs out with the knife. Or the way Solis grabbed its heart like it's a prize he won.

"It'll make good decoration.. right Fiadh?" Sydra turned to him. Fiadh hesitated, but nodded.
"It will also make pretty jewelry!" He said throwing the animals guts around Fiadh's neck like a gory necklace, stifling a scream, quickly taking the intestines off of him, he couldn't even cover his mouth since his hands were drenched in blood.
"What's wrong? You agreed with me?" He inched closer, taking in the brunettes unease.
"Were you ...lying to me?" He asked, head tilting and eyes scrunching together, feeling betrayed. Fiadh shakes his head.
"I wasn't! I was simply caught off guard." He explains wiping the red liquid on his shirt.
Sydra backed off, he thought that was the end of it.

 

"Then hold it, it'll get dirty if it stays on the ground." Solis said. Sydra nodded cheerfully picking up the animals insides and placing it on Fiadh's hands, who shakily accepted it.
"S-Sure...no problem." He keeps it steady, if he ignores it, it won't make him vomit. But gods, the feeling of the slippery guts made his head spin.
"You're the best!" Sydra hugs his side. Sephyros holds back a growl from where he sat. Stabbing into the deer more, and butchered it more violently than normal.

It felt like they were purposefully slowing everything down, so Fiadh would get more and more uncomfortable, but they didn't openly express it. It was basically telepathy for the three of them.

Sydra placed the disfigured eyes on Fiadh's palm.
Smiling at him, both blood in their hands mixed. All of them were coated red. Like they escaped a massacre.

"Cause we're always watching you." He closes Fiadh's palms. And not letting go, forcing him to hold the eyes longer than he ever wanted to.

It sent a shiver down his spine, but he brushed it off as Sydra wording it wrong. And being clingy, his mother explained how each of them functioned, one by one during teatime at 2 am. So Sydra probably meant it as 'we'll always be at your side?'

He thanked him though...but what would he do with these? They were horribly marred from the pressure Sephyros applied while digging them out. He'd seen it, he dug them out like the animal had personally wronged him.

He looked at the beast, one last time. Mangled and misshapen.

Oh, sevens...

 

----

 

"You all look murdered." Was the first thing they heard when the door opened. Leona stood there inspecting the four of them, indeed they did look like it. If you wanted to know how much, Fiadh's once white shirt was now a deep red.

"None of you are rinsing off inside, go to the river. It'll give you boys more bonding time anyways." He tells them.
"And I have to clean the house." He adds, broom already on hand.

They were about to leave but Leona stopped them.
"Here." He gave them towels. Each of them took one before heading to the river, Sephyros didn't have a shotgun. Fiadh didn't mind but Solis was secretly relieved, He was not in for the usual antics of Sephyros holding them by gunpoint. Though, there's a small part of him that longs to see how he'd react, throughout the severing earlier he remained calm...for the most part. He wonders how long he'll last.

 

It was a short walk to the river. Five minutes max. The river was particularly calm today and not rushing like it usually does when they would swim in it. They could see fishes swimming around and fleeing when they saw them approaching.

They didn't bother removing their clothes and just jumped in, the running river turning red as it got the blood off of them. Fiadh stayed close to the edge, Sydra tried pulling him to the middle.
"Don't be so scared! We're here after all!" He assured. Grabbing tightly onto his arm. But the brunette shook his head, explaining that he couldn't swim. He saw Sephyros look at him, weird.

Sydra gave up a few minutes later and decided to make a game of trying to catch fish like 'a grizzly bear would' his words. They didn't try to understand.

The others left Fiadh alone. Mostly, The fiery haired boy, well now not so fiery his hair was now a dull blue gray, curly like Leona's. It stopped producing fire when drenched...where did he get that type of hair? But that was besides the point, Sydra has been making dives underwater and try to pull him under the current, it genuinely scared him and he told Sydra to stop, who apologized, but with the way he was laughing, It was obvious to Fiadh he wasn't sincere about it.

Solis would scold him but didn't push further, Sephyros outright didn't care. It looks like he took Sydra's game seriously and was actually trying to hunt a fish down, using the stick he was holding. Is this man the family feeder or what?

 

When Sydra finally left him alone, it was his first time actually studying the Kingscholar Trio. He notes that Solis was the most tanned one. Sephyros was well built, from handling all the physical labor, and also he had scars around every single part of his body. Sydra was deathly pale, you could see the veins run under his skin, his under eyes were purple.

They all moved differently too. Solis was graceful, Sephyros was rough and Sydra well...he just moved, whatever his brain processed, he'd act on it, his movements were light, like a balloon, mixed with the force of a rollercoaster going 100 miles. He was most definitely the oddest of the bunch.

 

They walked home, covered in towels but still drenched, Solis dried his hair. Sydra skipped, singing about how they were gonna have fish for dinner.

Yeah, Solis had caught 4 fishes with his bare hands.
They were huge, suspended by fishing twine that the horned fae had with him the whole time. A bear would be envious if it wandered past them, and Fiadh didn't even know which one should be scared, the bear or Sephyros.

 

Leona was sitting in the front yard. Drinking coffee, the blood that once flooded the porch was now gone. Spotless.

"Welcome home." Leona looked up from the book he was reading.
"You guys sure took a while, did you boys play?" He asks, chuckling. Sydra nods.
"Yeah, it was fun! Right Fiadh?" He asks, expecting an answer.
He nods. "It was. The forest is very green." He shivered from the cold.
"Very well. Now go inside and change." He waves them off.

Fiadh was the first to enter and go to his room. The three stayed downstairs for a little while.

"Why are you suddenly nice to him? Earlier you were screaming about wanting to murder him in the bathroom?" Solis questioned. Bewildered by the switch up. Sephyros raised a perfect brow.
"He was?"
"Yeah, he wanted you to shoot him down." Solis confirms, Sephyros grunted, It was plausible that he could commit something as atrocious as that. Actually, he already has. But his brother having that image of him was not really a good thing.

Sydra spins to face them.
"Don't you see it? He's so fun to play with! He was so scared when I tried pulling him underwater!" His eyes gleamed. Satisfaction glowed in them.

"So you enjoy bullying him?" Sephyros asks, put off by the new sudden behavior Sydra was exerting.
"Peculiar." Solis chimes in, a smile creeping up his lips.

"You guys should try scaring him! It's so fun. Like eating a spoonful of sugar!" He excites, wrapping the towel around himself.

"For another time. You tormented him enough today. And don't eat spoonfuls of sugar." Solis looks at himself in the mirror, gazing at his face, he feels the need to trim his hair. It was nearing his shoulders and he could feel his mother's eyes on him the longer it grows, he guesses his father had the same length of hair.

"I second that, Getting an animal's guts wrapped around them to mimick jewelry is not for the weak minded." Sephyros laughed at the earlier memory, he was so irritated earlier that he didn't react but now looking back at it, he found it hilarious, the way Sydra was guilt tripping the poor guy to put on or hold the organs like he was meant to be adorned, like a coat and a coat hanger. Except Fiadh was the coat hanger and the viscera as the coats. He kind of expected the blue eyes newcomer to faint when they started. But he proved resilient.

He remembers a quote written in one of his mother's books.

"It's hard to beat a person who never gives up"

And Sephyros Kingscholar considers himself to be that person.

Chapter Text

It was a bright and sunny day.

Cliche?

Okay.

 

"I don't like the way he looks at Ma." Sephyros had his arms crossed, while they watched from the porch in the guise of bird watching. Leona was guiding Fiadh over the basics of their garden.
Again, something Leona never taught them.

He didn't know what it was, that he hated about how Fiadh was staring.

"You don't like anything, get your mind out of the gutte-" The fiery haired youngest child hits his arm before halting, head turning to Solis for confirmation of his other brother's weird point of view. Gasping in fear at the possibility. Solis didn't react much, instead choosing to observe him.
He thinks Sephyros is overreacting, but it's not nothing that he's irked about. Fiadh just has a weird glint in his eyes as he held the basket of weeds they just pulled out. Making eye contact with him, giving the faux brother a smile. Which he returned.

"Don't look too much into it. He's practically harmless." Solis assured, standing up from his seat and approached the two, his two brothers watched him in curiosity.

"Ma, Seph and Syd said they were interested, why don't you teach them? I can take Fiadh with me to collect more firewood, we're running low." He proclaimed. Leona straightens and nods, putting another handful of weed inside the basket.

"All right, call those two, Fiadh?" He gazes at the boy, waiting for his answer.

"That sounds fun." He nods, placing the basket down gently before following the eldest.

"Perfect. We'll be off now, I'll take care of him. I don't want him to break." He teased, Leona gave a half smirk to his son while Fiadh just gave a slight chuckle.

"Boys. He accepted." He jogged back his way to the porch at his two confused siblings.

 

"What?" Sydra tilted his head.
"I told mom that you two will help him. And I will take Fiadh to collect firewood. In the forest." He relayed.
"Are you gonna kill him?" Questions the middle, chewing a piece of jerky they made from the deer. The antlers have been displayed beside another head in their living room, like he was collecting trophies or something.
"Of course not, I'm just here to spend time with our new brother." He smiles, eyes closed and a hand to his heart.
"Yeah, I don't believe that for a second." Sephyros laughed in his face but it didn't bother Solis who just stepped inside the house for a couple of minutes before returning with two axes and a bag, hopping back down, beckoning Fiadh to follow him.

"Come, let's not stall." The blonde says, passing the extra axe to the brunette. He shifts so they're walking beside each other. Fiadh watches behind him, the slowly disappearing silhouette of the house and its occupants as they went deeper and deeper into the woods.

 

"The weather is quite nice, don't you think?" Solis starts, Fiadh was caught off guard since he was used to Sydra being the only one who gave him attention, frantically nodding.

"It is, the sun is up high...and there's no clouds present." He notes. Solis hummed in agreement, chopping a loose piece of the tree, Fiadh not following far behind on another tree.

"You know how to do this?" He asks, swinging another time until it gives in and finally snaps.
He picked up the fragments that fell and puts it in the bag.

"Only a little." The other says admittedly.
"My father owned a butcher shop, and even cooks it for the buyers sometimes, so sometimes we'd go to the forest to collect wood." He stories. Solis stood behind him.

"That's interesting....What happened to your parents? If you don't mind me asking." He steps closer, then another step.

"They...just disappeared."

The blonde's eyebrows raised slightly.

"Just like that? How unfortunate."

"Yes- and I don't even understand how or why."

His breath slightly shakes when he goes back to those memories not even long ago, his parents going out one night, and never coming back again. He wonders what happened to them. Did they abandon him? Highly unlikely. Everything was still in their house, just what happened, he can't stop thinking about it-

Chop.

 

Solis brings his axe down disturbingly close to Fiadh's hand. He flinched and instinctively retracts his hand.

"Oh, my apologies, were you gonna take that?" He questions, a small curl of his lips as the branch fell, right where Fiadh previously rested his arm while deep in thought. He hadn't even noticed Solis get closer, as far as he knew Solis was on the other side a few feet away from him.

"But truly. My heart goes to you." He puts a hand to his chest. Which made Fiadh smile.

"Thank you, Solis. It means a lot." He unconsciously mirrors Solis and places his hand on his heart.
Which Solis gave a tiny chuckle.

"Interesting." He puts a hand to his chin. Eyes closing.
"Is there something wrong?" He said, they had collected enough firewood. So they should be heading back soon. He wonders why Solis hasn't offered yet, The First Son always struck him as someone who always kept his cool but also demanded control. The complete opposite of his younger ones. Just a few days ago, he watched Sephyros almost fistfight a bear. Seriously, whatever goes on inside the middle child's head should be a scientific study.

"It's a nice atmosphere, we're having. Why don't we talk a little longer before we head back?" He offered, Fiadh felt rude to decline so he nodded, they found a fallen tree and sat down on it.

"Tell me more about yourself, you know." He says, moving closer to Fiadh. "We never really talked hm?" He raised a brow.
"I mean, I don't mind it, but yes." He acknowledged.

"So what do you like?" The air was awkward, but at least Solis was trying to make it work.

"I like cleaning, and gardening, that's why I was asking mom to teach me. I've never been a forest or wild person so it's all pretty mediocre." He disclosed, Solis eyes narrowed at the word "Mother" but didn't utter a word as he let him continue.
"And I like sewing, Haha!" He laughs. "It's a skill I picked up from my biological mother." He goes on.

So. Fiadh already considered Leona as his mother, biological mother sounds like a cheesy way of saying 'oh, my old mother that I replaced with yours so I can take over and steal your mom' to him but who cares right?
Not like it was his parents who disappeared overnight.

Apologies. He might've overstepped with that one.

 

He makes a sound of amazement.
"That's a nice skill to have. Mom might get you to help fix Sephyros' clothes. He fights with wild animals a lot." He praised, making the other cough in embarrassment, but couldn't help but laugh at Solis' jab at his younger brother.

"What about you?" They make eye contact.
"Oh." Solis was kind of surprised. He didn't realize it would be flipped, but to be fair he did say 'let's get to know each other.'

"Well, I like cooking, I like teaching my brother things they desperately need to know, cause they might actually just die if I don't." Fiadh snickered.
"And also I just like being around them, even if they're so incompetent to me." He finishes.

 

They stay in silence for a little while. Occasionally pointing at birds or any other species that pass them, they knew quite a few well. It was impressive, Solis mused. Especially for someone like Fiadh who in his own words "not a forest or wild person" he didn't know what that meant or if it was to make shade at the three brothers but he lets it slide.

 

"What's your favorite color." Fiadh went to basic questions.
"Mine is blue, Sephyros' is red and Sydra likes yellow."
"Cute."
"Thanks, but Sephyros isn't, he likes it because it's the same color as blood."

 

Oh.

Well...he wasn't expecting that. Solis must really have a hidden grudge against the black haired brother since it's been twice the insults, and Sydra has gotten nothing so far.

 

"What's your favorite animal?"
"Deers. And yes add the other two's favorites too." They both laugh.
"Mine are Peregrine falcons. Sephyros likes African wild dogs, and Sydra likes those stupid ugly clear or blue Jellyfishes that are named after cardboard because he insists it looks like him."
"The box jellyfish?"
"Yes. Exactly. We have read about them in books or those documentaries our mom has saved for some reason." He lets out an amused hum, going on.
"And your favorite are deers? Well I feel sorry you had to see what happened last week." He looks at Fiadh who took a shaky breath at the earlier week's activities.

"It's quite alright. It's what you guys eat anyways." He tells him, closing the drawstring of the bag, they should really head back.

"I have one last question for you." Solis stops him, He feels a tight grip on his arm that almost instantly loosens when he sat back down.

"Of course..? Shoot."

"What do you hate the most."

 

...

 

"What do I hate the most?"

What did he hate? He never really thought of that. He guesses-

"Lazy people, or Injustice. I hate it when people don't get the justice they deserve." He decides to say.

 

"And you?"

 

"I hate people who think they belong where they don't. People who overstep their boundaries. I hate being challenged and I hate being replaced. No one gets to do what I will do. I'm the man of the house as my mother says."

 

...

 

"That's an interesting point of view." He just pretends to be interested, deep down it gives a shiver down his spine and  he swears all the hairs on his body stood up. It's like Solis knew what to say, like that thought has been lingering in his head for some time.

 

"You're actually an intriguing person, Fiadh. It's been nice talking to you. And not having to stress about my idiot brothers for a change." He stands up first, offering a hand to the younger, who took it. Muttering words of gratitude as they started heading home.

 

Today's occurrence has been...Strange. He' admits, but it was quite nice to talk with someone...who seemed more normal. Don't get him wrong Sydra is fun to talk to talk with but he's.. eccentric.

 

Yells and shouts started to be heard as they neared the house.

"They're fighting." The oldest son already looked tired and they weren't even home yet.
He just nods along to whatever.

 

---

Fiadh awkwardly stood there, while Solis kicked some sense into the fighting duo...over some.. what?

"Mom's tablecloth will be green. He decided. It will not be yellow, it will not be red. Now quit fighting."
Solis hits the with a random stick he found, it honestly made the brunette wince. That must've hurt.
"Now pick these stones up that you two threw at each other like you're some savages. Ugh, you guys are embarrassing." He rubbed his temple but refrained from saying more words even if they deserved it.

Sephyros did look like he was gonna snap and shoot everyone in a second, while Sydra looked like he was gonna have another mental breakdown, right on the front yard.

 

"There's my men!" Leona cheered, smirking at them like they survived something. He was preparing dinner since it was almost evening.
"Put those over there, oh my boys, look at you working together already." He clasps his hand together in a teasing manner while Solis maintained his calm smile and Fiadh blushed furiously.

"It's nothing. Nothing will happen if we don't talk, right?" He waits for the other to agreed, which he did.

"He's right."

 

Of course, Solis knows that. He's always right.

 

-----

 

"Did you try to kill him?" Sydra asks, they were all in Solis' room, bombarding the eldest with questions like he was some sort of fortune teller.

"No. I did try to scare him a little. Tried severing his arm off while he was trauma dumping." He smirks at the memory of almost cutting his adopted brother's whole hand off.

"You're so mean, Kaka." The youngest smiles.
"What else? You two took so long there I thought one of you got eaten by a bear." Sephyros smirks, leaning on the bed like it was his.
"That's just you." Solis retorts.
"Nothing else happened." He ends the conversation. Instead asking them what happened while they were gone and what they learned from their mother.
"So? What did you two learn from mom?" He crossed his leg, interrogating them next.

 

"Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside." Sydra blurts.
"That's such a boring fact. Let me handle this." Sephyros pushes him, leading the younger to hit him. Which he blatantly ignored.
"When snapdragons dry up, they become weirdly similar looking to human skulls."

"I see." He rubs his chin in faux interest at his siblings info dumps.

 

----

 

Fiadh couldn't sleep, so instead he read a book about animals, a flashlight shining on the pages he tried to squint on since it was so offendedly blurry. It was dark and storming already.

 

"Peregrine falcons are the faster animal's known to man. Especially when actively hunting."

 

"African wild dogs have one of the highest success rates of any animal with a total of 85%"

 

"The box jellyfish is considered to be the most poisonous creature alive."

 

He flips through the pages, why do other animals have cute facts and these ones don't?

Should be be scared?

He turns off the flashlight and tries to make himself comfortable. But the lightning was making it hard. Earlier it was so bright and sunny, what happened.

 

"Fun fact, Deers are the primary prey of the animal kingdom."

 

Someone finishes from outside the door. It made him jump. His heart rattled with surprise and fear.

"Hello?" He turns on the flashlight in an instant grabbing it like a lifeline, no one responded.

He got out to bed, touching the door handle. It was freezing cold, and he opened the door.

Taking a look at the dark hallway, left, then right, he tried to make out whatever was outside but it was too dark.

 

No one was outside. He shuts it quickly without a second thought.

 

It was just his mind playing with him. He should sleep it off.

Chapter Text

"Wake up! Wake up!"

 

Fiadh was rudely awakened, by who he presumes is Sydra, shaking him like his life depended on it.

"Sydra? What's going on?" He rubbed his eyes, getting used to the light spilling inside the room.

"Come on! It's already six in the morning! The day is starting!" He dragged the brunette out of the bed, who couldn't even complain. It was peculiar since Sydra never really woke him up, and he himself didn't even get up until thirty minutes or so.

 

The birds chirped outside and the sun was already rising, blue coated the sky and a fresh freeze passed through the windows.

 

They got downstairs, Both brothers were already awake. Solis moved around the kitchen efficiently since he was tasked with cooking, and Sephyros sat on the couch, sipping on his coffee while reading the newspaper like he was a father.

 

"Where's mom?" He asks, noticing the absence of the lion.
"Not here." Sephyros didn't even look up from his paper, as he said it straight up.
"Sephyros." Solis glares at his brother. "Mom is out running errands, he does this every Saturday."
The blonde explained, sliding the last plate on the table. Fiadh nodded.
"This early though?" He couldn't help but question as he settles himself on one of the chairs, Sydra only crossed his arms.
"Cause he loves that farmers market more than us." He sulks, plopping down and taking over Fiadh's personal space.
"That's totally not you right, Fiadh?" He looks directly at him.
"Uh, no?" Shaking his head in reply, Sydra hummed.
"Good." The youngest remarks, taking his plate full of food.
"Cause if you do-"
"You should eat too." Solis hands Fiadh a plate, with a smile, Sydra looked offended but didn't say anything. He just shoves a bite down his throat as Solis ruffled at his hair.

 

"Pretty sure mom will be back soon. I woke up around 5:40 and he was already gone." Solis takes a seat, to face the two, then glances behind them.
"You." He points at Sephyros.

"Here. Now." He motioned towards the table.
"No-"
"No. Come here now." He orders, Sephyros groaned and sets the newspaper down, dragging himself and his coffee mug to the dining table.
"We're all gonna sit here and have a nice breakfast." Solis declares, specifically at the middle brother.
"Fun." He said, sarcastically.

 

Surprisingly...it was peaceful. No one started a brawl or broke out crying. Even Sephyros seemed to let his guard down a little bit, but shot him occasional glares.

 

"We should go back to the river!" Sydra said, clinging closely to Fiadh.
"It's getting cold, Little brother. It's almost Fall." Solis said. He wasn't sure about his brother's abrupt decision.
"It's not gonna kill us, plus we could use fish again. I need to get better at carving them." Sephyros pipes in, holding a piece on thread between his fingers, like it was a fishing twine.
"See? Seph wants to go too! Do you, Fiadh?" He stares at him, while he was in the middle of eating, so it kind of caught him off guard.
"I-I mean, there's no harm..?" He lets out a small smile, as Sydra cheers.
"We win! You lose! We're going to the forest!" He jumped excitedly in his seat, Solis just rubbed his temple, knowing this was already a lost cause, because Sydra won't let this go. Even if he didn't have the other two agreeing with him.

"Fine. But don't pull anything okay? Do not and I mean not! Stray away like you did last time." The blonde said sternly at the youngest who nodded profusely.
Fiadh remembers it as clear as day in his head. Sydra got bored of dragging him to the middle so he suddenly disappeared in the middle of it. It seems like disappearing was a hobby of his.
"And you." He turns to Sephyros, who looked done already.
"You are not fighting a bear, any animal actually. Emphasis on not."
"Sure, whatever." The ravenette rolled his eyes, as Solis just looked at him unimpressed.
"I mean it."
"I know you do." He shoots his brother a lazy smirk, one their mother always wore. And one Sephyros can mirror effortlessly when he was trying to rile up somebody.

It was a little off that the middle seemed calmer than usual. Fiadh was so used to getting threatened by him. He seemed docile today, is something coming up?

He leans down, near Sydra's ear.
"Why does Sephyros seem so calm?" He questions the youngest who was chugging down juice like a lifeline.
"It's hunting season." He whispers back. Well,that quickly answers it.
"He's always out during this time of the year, and he always comes back with weird animals. One time he came home with a bear, it was so cool, but mama and Solis were not amused. Actually, Mama was horrified." He laughed, before choking, startling Fiadh who pats on his back roughly.
"I'm okay now." He said, putting the glass down like he didn't almost die.
"We should go outside and collect spiders." He offers, a smile decorating his face, he looked genuinely excited for that idea.
"Oh..."
Can anyone even refuse Sydra? Not for his cuteness, sure he's cute but the household only follows what he wants since he's obviously well...Sydra.

 

Rest in peace to that lizard he crushed. It did not deserve that.

 

"Don't you think, we should go outside?" A certain horned fae said.
"You always want to go outside." Solis grabs the plates off the table, to put them on the sink.
"Yeah, cause there's no shit to do in this house." He crossed his arms, leaning back on the chair.
"Go watch a documentary." The oldest retorts.
"I wanna watch one!" It got Sydra's attention and he pulled both Fiadh and Sephyros to the couch.
Fiadh almost fell over it Sephyros didn't grab his arm roughly. The ravenette did not say anything and sat down on the couch, Fiadh taking the other side.

They watched, Fiadh in curiosity and Sephyros in utter boredness, while Sydra skimmed through the countless tapes until he found one.

"Sevens, please don't be that God awful cave documentary." Sephyros groans, resting his elbow on his knees.
The fire haired boy, made the couch move with how he jumped on it. Setting himself beside his new brother.
"Do you like caves? I love caves." States the youngest, and the middle who shoves him.
"Fuck off Sydra, you only like the parts where someone gets stuck."
"But it's interesting!" He excuses himself, sinking deeper into the soft cushions of their sofa. Kicking his brother's leg gently.
"At least I don't repeatedly watch that movie about a man and walruses." Sydra shoots back at Sephyros who just scoffed.

"Stop." A voice made them go silent. It was Solis, stopping their bickering before it turned into a fight.

Sydra goes back in front of the TV and removes the tape, a smile still on his face as he places it back on the box.
"Actually, I want Fiadh to choose!" He announces, Fiadh looked taken aback.
"Me?" He questions as Sydra nodded again, handing him the box.
Sephyros just looked the other way to avoid seeing this bullshit and knowing he'll get crap from Solis if he says anything.
"I guess we can watch this?" He grabs random tape, it was only decorated in colored markers, no titles adorned it.
"We get to watch the trapped in a nightmare movie!" He said, eagerly.
Shoving the tape back in, and making himself comfortable between his siblings. Him being in the middle was probably the only reason Fiadh felt safe from Sephyros piercing stares. It felt like a bullet shooting through his body whenever he made contact with those slitted green eyes he shared with the rest of his brothers. But this was something different, it felt different.

Scary.
Like he should be scared.

"Look!" The younger points at the TV.
That's how Fiadh realized he was not paying attention to the movie like, at all. And was in fact making eye contact with Sephyros who looked ready to jump him. Giving him the 'why are you looking at me like that' look. He assumes he didn't look that nice while looking at the fae since the ravenette looked angry.

He quickly diverted his attention back to the TV, well...that was embarrassing.

 

He hopes to whatever god was listening, that Sephyros did not take that personally or he was in real deep with the only brother he fears.

 

"And that's why he got stuck there." Sydra was explaining the movie as it went on, he was spoiling every scene, and the only one mad was Sephyros.
"Shut the fuck up Sydra, let him watch the damn movie." The fae hits the boy with a pillow.
"Why are you so mean to me?!" He kicks his brother roughly.
"I'm not, you're just annoying as hell." He takes his brother's leg. And pulled it slightly so Sydra fell off the couch.
"Stop fucking kicking me, or I'm making you bait again like I did last year." Sephyros' firm grip on the youngest's ankle loosens when he stops. He just pouted. Getting up to sit back down on the couch and surprisingly, no crying.
"Okay." He calms down, It was honestly a work of wonders how it worked so fast for the tantrum throwing brother.

 

Fiadh turns around, when he hears footsteps, it seems like Solis was done in the kitchen so he sat beside the brunette.
"Sorry about them." He apologizes, eyes glued to the TV.
"I'm getting used to it." He replied, holding the pillow close to his chest.
"So... when's mom getting back?" Fiadh asked, watching as Solis glanced at the clock on their wall.
"If he doesn't come back in the next hour or so, I'll go to the market myself." The blonde affirms.

 

Sevens...he hopes their mom gets back, as much as he likes it here. He doesn't want to get stuck babysitting Sydra and Sephyros. These two ticking time bombs he now calls his brothers, that somehow make every conversation they
have into an argument.

"But I'm confident he'll be back within the next 30 minutes or so. He doesn't last a lot in those markets since the men like to hit on him, don't tell Sephyros."
Solis let's him on that little secret, though he himself did not seem amused by that little fact, he seemed calm.
And, yeah he won't tell Sephyros. He's sure if he even breathed wrong around the guy he would die.

 

He meant that as a figure of speech or whatever they call it. He doesn't want it to come true though.

 

Little did he know. That if he told Solis that, The oldest would just look at him, knowing how absolutely possible that was.

 

But luckily none of the words were exchanged.

The oldest hands him a cup filled with tea, Fiadh takes him before taking a sip.

"That's dangerous." He said, leaving the brunette confused.
"What's dangerous?" What was Solis getting on? At times he could be so random that Fiadh would have a hard time understanding him.
"That you didn't even ask what was in it. I could've poisoned you."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Fiadh looks down at his tea. That was really stupid honestly, but he didn't expect anything that ever happened in this household, he wasn't even over the deer yet. But avoided letting them know.
"Did you?" He musters out, he didn't know why his heart was racing but there was something off.
"No. I just wanted to see your reaction." Solis smiles.
Oh, Solis thought it was funny to play with him? To be fair, him believing that the tea was poisoned, was just plain rude to the other. Who had been nice to him.

 

"I'm going hunting." Sephyros stands up from the couch, pushing his hair back with his fingers.
"Can you get me a bird? Alive?" Sydra made a request.
"First part is insured, second part?" He didn't continue and just shrugged.
"I'll try though." The middle walked away near the front of the house where all the guns were placed. The fact they all belonged to him too made Fiadh uneasy. He was the only one capable of handling such weapons.
"I want a  parrot!" He shouts, as if Sephyros wasn't 5 feet away.
He straps a gun and shoves spare bullets down his pocket before making his way out.
Shutting the door with a loud thud.

"I really want a bird." Sydra quips.
"But I want it alive." He adds, as Solis just chuckled.
"Sephyros bringing an animal home alive is basically asking Mom to let us go to the city."

"Low but never zero?" The blue haired boy said, tilting his head.
"Where did you even learn that phrase." Fiadh raises a brow, he hasn't heard that before, and these three were literally stuck in a forest, they were more isolated than him in the village, so where do they get these random words and curses they spill out of their mouths.

"The cave documentary." Solis teased, his smile turning into a grin, resting his elbow on the backrest of the couch and placing his head on his knuckle.

 

Lucky, Sydra did not hear that. He turned the TV on at an obnoxiously high volume when Sephyros left, immediately changing it to the Cave documentary the other hated with a passion. His eyes were already glued to it like it was his first time watching it. Which was definitely not.

 

"Sephyros is gonna get sick of this sooner or later and shove him in a cave." Solis sighs, the narrator's voice that he's heard more than a hundred times echoes inside the house.

'you watch that shit so much, why don't you go live in there?' He could imagine the horned brother saying that. Solis laughed to himself.

 

"What is so funny?" Solis turned abruptly, seeing his mom holding a tin of plastic bags. Weird, he didn't hear the front door open.
He rose from the couch to take the bags, setting them down on the kitchen aisle.

"Those two idiots again." He chuckles softly as his mother raised a brow.
"Hmm? What did they do?" Leona sets his hand on the counter, observing his son who was putting away the groceries.

"Sephyros is calmer be because it's hunting season, and now Sydra wants a live bird from him." He relays the earlier events.
"A live bird? Where on twisted wonderland did Sydra get that idea?" His mother's brow raised as he processed what his eldest just said.
He shrugged. "Dunno. You know how Sydra is."

 

"I don't think that's a good idea." The lion hummed, striding to the couch and sitting down beside Fiadh.
"Obviously, and it's not like Sephyros can even bring live animals home."

 

"How are you, Darling?" He holds Fiadh's shoulder gently. The teen softened to the touch.
"I'm doing good." He affirms. Leona nods.
"That's good." He smiles, leaning back on the couch.

"Tea, Mother?" Solis calls from the back.
"Of course." The lion confirms, waving his hand.

 

Fiadh stayed silent beside his adoptive parent.
He had his eyes closed so was probably tired, he never noticed the similarities between them, they had the same brown hair and tanned skin.
He never really got to observe him this intently, he always felt watched for some reason when he did it. Even now.

 

Leona just made a small sound of acknowledgement, oh. He must've felt him staring.. but he still feels off.

 

A cup sets between them.

Solis stood there, a hot cup of tea sat on the coffee table.

 

"Mother is resting. We should go somewhere else."
He takes the remote from Fiadh and turns off the television.

"Oh, um. Sure." He nods, standing up to walk beside Solis who opened the door.

 

"Wait- where is Sydra?" He finally noticed the youngest was not present...he remembered being beside him a few minutes ago?

 

"Who knows." Was all Solis replied with, he didn't even sound that concerned, so it might not be that big of a deal.

 

They settled on an assortment of chairs sitting on the front porch. Beside where they slaughtered the deer. Fiadh avoided looking at it.

 

The wind was fresh and the leaves rustled as the air kissed it.

Fiadh felt his eyes close, it was so relaxing. Who wouldn't?

 

Bang!

 

Bang!

 

His eyes shoot open.

What the hell-

Sephyros.

 

Solis laughs beside him, like actually laughs.

"Did his shooting wake you up? It's loud isn't it?"
He presses his palm to his face, watching the expression of the brunettes face closely.
"That means he's near." He adds.

 

Fiadh tried laughing it off, but that rattled his heart a lot, mostly because he did not expect it.

Solis eyed him closely.

"Your eyes shake a lot when you're scared." He comments, Fiadh glances at him.

"I'm not scared, I was just surprised."

"Of course, my apologies." He gets comfortable in his own chair. Turning his head back to his fellow teen.

"But it's true." He said, before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath in.

A few more shots rang out in the forest but it didn't seem to faze the blonde. Not even a little bit.

 

Fiadh was not keen on going back to napping after that assault his heart just gotten.
So he looked around, he saw birds dancing around in their little nests, squirrels scurrying against the forest floor, searching for food.

 

It was fairy tale-esque. The forest looked unreal during this time of the morning. Thought it was rapidly approaching noon.

He watched foxes chase each other where it was barely noticeable. These foxes could very well be one of the Sephyros' future victims. And he would see them hung up in the fae's room.

 

He cooed slightly, bunnies? Hopping around... It was adorable when it was this quiet.

He looked over to his shoulder, a spider.

 

Aww.

 

A What.

 

He brushes it off frantically when it dawned on him. He didn't move around to make enough noise to wake up Solis.

"What the-"

 

"Hey!" Oh. It was Sydra.

 

"What is that?" He pointed to the scurrying creature who was placed back in Sydra's hand.

 

"I went looking for spiders, I got bored waiting for you." He explains. He had tons of spiders in a small sheer bag that he carried.

 

"O-Okay. Sorry." He didn't know why he apologized, he just felt the need to.

 

And that was a good thing.

 

"It's alright! But next time don't." The youngest drops the spider to the ground and steps on it.

 

"Cause I'm gonna be really sad." His blue eyebrows scrunched up in sadness.

 

Fiadh's mouth hung open as to what the hell just happened in front of him.

"Close your mouth, a spider might crawl inside it." He teased, shutting the brunettes mouth.
Before laughing.
"You get scared so easily." Sydra notes. Uncomfortably close to his face, that Fiadh could feel the flames of his hair ticking his face.

 

"I'm gonna go inside and bother Mama." He hangs the spiders on a hook near the door. And heading inside, leaving the spiders there like some eternal punishment from Tartarus.

 

Another shot rings from the woods.

Chapter Text

"Leona please, don't be so cruel to me. I want to see my son."

 

Beep.

 

Leona sets his phone down, before deleting the voicemail. He's been getting these over the years. And not once did he ever reply, he never bothered changing his number either.

Out of spite. They can contact him, but never receive anything back.

 

He continued chopping the onions, he was preparing to cook lunch, seeing the voice from the window. They seemed to be getting along, it was quite endearing.

 

Humming an old tune from his childhood before placing the freshly cut ingredients somewhere else to focus on another part.

Every month or so he'd get something like that.

From Vil, to Idia, then Malleus who somehow learned how to use a phone. It was laughable how much they still tried.

The voice rings fresh in his mind though, Vil sounded older, more mature. But it was still him.
He keeps seeing his face everywhere in the city. On billboards and on magazines, he truly did achieve his dream of being one of the biggest actors to ever walk twisted wonderland.

That's why Leona became more careful in picking out their movies, he doesn't want that man's face in his kids minds. Or the other threes, he avoided using his phone altogether since Idia basically owned technology and what not. And Malleus? He avoids talking to fae altogether.

 

Hope that was worth losing your son, asshole.

 

He couldn't help but feel irritated as he wipes away the tears threatening to fall from his face.

He hated hearing each and every single one of their voices, but he couldn't bear to delete them either. He tells himself it's for revenge. But is it really? When sometimes he'd sit on his bed, alone at night listening to the voicemails over and over again like it was a chant that needed to be heard?

That was definitely unhealthy.

 

Whatever, fuck those three. He's living perfectly content with his boys. The lion didn't care about luxury anymore. His boys already did everything for him, what's more to ask?

 

He watched the pot simmer, an enticing aroma filled the air as he started cooking.

 

Every plead.

 

Every message.

 

Every call.

 

Sevens, where did he go wrong? What has he ever done to deserve this.

 

Tsss!

Leona pulled away violently, burning his hand against the hot stove. The escaped coal crackled like angry phantoms. He was thinking too much into this.

 

"Ouch." He musters out, taking a small cup and drawing near the window, pouring the water on his burned palm. This is going to leave a mark.

 

"Mother." Sunshine blonde practically blinds him when he turns around.
"Solis, Baby." He sets the glass down, to cup his son's face.
"Aren't you supposed to be outside with your siblings?" Inquired the mother, it was surprising to see him inside, knowing he was basically the parent in the group.
"I'm thirsty." He muttered, grabbing a cup from the shelf and serving himself water, green eyes looking down on him with so much little emotion, Leona always wondered what was behind those eyes, what was he thinking of?
"Why are you crying?" He chugged the water down, placing it on the table with a soft thud.

Leona quickly wipes his face again.
"I'm cutting onions." He managed a quick reply. Facing the other way out of embarrassment
"I love you." Solis stepped closer, wrapping his arms around him. Head touching his.
"I-" The parent stammers, but sighs reaching out to run his hand through the teen's blonde hair, matching his own curly texture. It was like touching his his own hair.

"I love you too, Honey. Now go back before someone gets hurt out there, you know how they are." The lion mused, pulling away from Solis' usually tight hold.
"Ah, yes." The blonde grins giving his shoulders one last squeeze before letting go, exiting the house, seeing him reunite with the trio outside. It was easy to watch them from here, don't get him wrong, he trusted his kids. But he has been recently so paranoid. The calls have been more and more frequent that dread started pooling inside his stomach.

 

The pot screeches from behind him, catching his attention, he slides over and opens it and placing the lid down.

He hears the boys outside, yelling. Footsteps and laughter were evident outside, along with the screams of "tag you're it."

 

His phone pings.

 

He ignores it.

 

---

 

"Solis!" Sydra spotted his brother returning, he was already dirtied by the ground he kept rolling around in.
"I'm back, I just went in and got some water." He soothes, taking a seat beside the younger. Watching Sephyros chase Fiadh, the unseen tension visible to none other than the eldest, Sephyros sounds exactly the same when he hunts his prey. The same mocking laughter and the way he'd tease them like it was funny.

 

It definitely had Sydra's attention, who wanted to be a part of everything.

"I wanna join!" Sydra sprung and caught up with the other two, now chasing poor Fiadh.

Solis rests against the tree. Eyes locked onto his mother, who was cooking inside. The view was clear from here, as he liked watching them when he cooked. Did he know that Solis liked doing the same thing from the outside?

Oh how terribly his mother lies. Truly lost it all, the bite he used to have in his youth. At least that's what he knows from the discs he had hidden in his room of his mother when he was younger. A hyena and a wolf he knew nothing of were sometimes present in it. Following each and every single command barked to them like a small pack.

Earlier, prior to entering, he noticed a faint voice inside before he went in. But whatever it was, made him cry. And Solis would be damned if he didn't find out what it was.

He noticed the burn on the older's arm but said nothing about it, knowing the flurry of denial that would have been sent his way.

 

Oh those men ruined him.

 

It was so... so... sad.

 

And incredibly pitiful.

 

He observed Leona cooking inside, practically a shell of what he used to he during his younger days. Those videos of him leading and being all cocky, he had the same fire but it was so worn out that only a tiny flame remained.

 

The flame of bullying them sometimes. When they get a little too out of hand.

A flame that will soon be extinguished.

 

Oh, how Solis adores his mother.

He looked at him lovingly, the person who raised them their whole lives, taught them everything they know...if we were not to include the hikers.

 

That's everything he'd ever look for in anyone, if he ever decided to go looking for a wife.

 

But honestly he looked so pathetic right now.

 

He diverts his eyes to his brothers in the distance.
They had Fiadh tied to a tree while Sydra sang a song about roses and ashes.

 

An idea he had been brewing up in his mind. And he needed to make it work.

 

"Oh, dear me." His steps caught the brothers off guard.
"Why are you bullying the poor deer?" He presses his hand against his lips to stifle a laugh.
"Because." Sydra only shrugged, while Sephyros begrudgingly cuts the rope. Freeing the poor guy.

 

"Come here, all three of you." He beckons, confusion shared amongst three.
"I have a request."

 

....

 

"But why?" Sydra sulks, a pout on his face. Solis only caressed his cheek to soothe him.
"I will be back, what do you want?"
"Candy."
"Granted."

"You?"
"Anything?"
"Within reasonable request."
"I want an elephant."
"I can't buy an elephant Sephyros."
"Oh. Well, I want a music box, the one in the film we watched?"
Solis couldn't help but smile at his brother's oddly tame request, he fully prepared himself for something like, 'Oh, something to tie a human up with', or an 'A machine gun like in the documentary.'
"Of course, anything for you."

 

Finally, he turned to Fiadh.

"And you?"
Fiadh looked unsure, no doubt he had the hardest job. To distract their mom who was doing house chores.
"Uhm, Incense stick please." He whispers, Solis nods.

Honestly, Fiadh's room smelled of irony blood that's what he requested for it. Something to clear it out. It was a miracle Leona hasn't notice it.

 

"Go."

 

And with that they spread out. Sydra and Sephyros were on other side of the house, ready to spring up in case Fiadh fails inside.

Solis disappeared off into the forest.

 

He had most of his trust into Fiadh, despite knowing him for a short while. His two actual brothers were a hopeless case of violence and stupidity.

 

It took him some time but he finally escaped the forest, hitching a ride with some woman who definitely didn't look sober. They swerved off multiple times but Solis knew better than to argue. This ride was very much needed.

 

Solis only flashed her a charming smile and he got in. Swatting at her gently when she tried to make contact.

 

"So, what's a handsome young fellow such as you doing in those parts?" The woman smoked a cigarette, her auburn hair flowing against the breeze of the horrendous speed they were going.

"Hunting." He looks the other way, not interested in small talk.

"You know, you can just come with me?" She offers, Solis almost lets his inner Sephyros out but sighs, giving her grin.

"Tempting, but no." He jokes, or whatever.

 

He blocked out most of her talking, it was disgusting talk about sex life anyway. Nowhere near anything entertaining to him.

 

Thankfully he spots the slightly familiar streets.
"This is my stop, thank you." He quickly gets out, giving her like 10 madols which she didn't even need, she was absolutely sold when Solis winked at her.

 

The blonde kept the smile on until she drove off, his face dropping into repulsion as he wiped his hand on his sweater. How abhorrent. He doesn't know why such people were allowed to roam free like this.

The gods really just do make anybody.

 

He enters the mall he was in almost a month ago. Same old, same old. He spots the shop he was looking for, he eyed the place the moment he stumbled upon it.

 

A wind chime sounded when he entered, horrid interior decoration. They were in a mall for fucks sake.

The poor lady at the counter couldn't even muster out a greeting before he puts money on the table.

"Cellphone, doesn't have to work good, I only care about calls and texts, oh and good signal."

 

She was taken aback, but accepted. Pulling out an assortment.

A moment of silence passed between them.

 

Oh, she was letting him pick.

 

He grabbed a random one and paid, Incredibly so, it was enough. Probably because it was old. But he cared only about one singular purpose.

 

Marching out to make a few quick errands to a thrift store and the grocery.

 

Picking up with his three brothers wanted.

 

"Excuse me."

"Can't talk, busy." He waved off the person. Walking away without glancing back.

 

"Who was that?" A velvety voice called out.
The manager turned to face the actor, looking absolutely astonished.
"That kid looked exactly like you. But he just disappeared."

Vil stopped in his tracks. Ditching his manager to run after the boy, which he found outside the mall.
He touches his shoulder and he turned.

Face to face with each other. Their hair matching, same shade and everything, the only difference was the texture. His hair was curly, like someone he knew.

"Who are you?" Solis steps back.

 

Was Vil hallucinating? This boy looks exactly like him it made him question every life choice he had.

"Are you-"

 

"It's Vil Schoenheit!" Someone called out and before he knew it, a swarm of fans surrounded him, letting teen walk off.

 

"I love your new movie! Can we ask questions?" A phone was shoved at his face, he didn't even need to squint he was used to the bright lights.
"Can we please take a photo with you?" A group of girls squealed, and Vil just looked at them, reacting violently would be bad press. But- his son-

 

His manager quickly rushed to the scene with guards, trying to de-escalate the situation.

"Everybody back away!" The manager panics.

 

Solis walks away, pushing the weird interaction behind him, that was so random, who in Twisted wonderland was that man? Touching him and shit.

Whatever. He needs a ride...

 

---

 

Fiadh awkwardly watched over Leona, the moment Solis walked off he kinda had to be focused. And luckily it was somewhat easy. But he was fed spoonful after spoonful of whatever the lion was cooking.

 

"It's very good, wow." He praises as Leona's smile widens. Taking off the apron and hanging it on a rack.
"I knew I still had it." He sat down in front of the younger, wiping the excess off his face.
"Why are you inside anyway?" His mother decided to ask, "Aren't you supposed to be with the three?" Fiadh paused, what was he going to say?
"They decided to go to the riverside. I can't swim, so I passed." The blue eyed boy reasons, his knee couldn't stop shaking out of habit. But thankfully Leona bought it.
"I don't know what is about those boys and that river." The older brunette wondered, but the younger just laughed.
"It's very refreshing, but the current is strong. And they like making Sephyros catch fish?"
Leona chuckles, he was glad they were adventurous.

 

The kitchen smelled heavenly, he felt lucky to end up here. It was such a beautiful small home, and Leona clearly cared deeply for them.

"Why don't you go watch something? I'm going to take a shower." He pats the boys head who nods profusely.

 

Sighing in relief when Leona went upstairs.
The other always spent so long in the showers so his concerns were only mild but...hey, there's still so many ways this could go wrong. If Solis gets caught they could say goodbye to the outside world.

Calling the other two outside about the lucky strike.

 

Sydra almost busted the door down after he was told to watch a movie. Sephyros stayed close to the stairs. Waiting for their mother to get back down.
It honestly confused Fiadh why Sephyros was always on high alert.
But he did remind himself that Sephyros was a hunter, so being on high alert was basically a personality trait for them.

 

Still, he couldn't watch a movie with them? Sydra looked thrilled to watch the same movie he'd watch over 10 times, how dystopian.

 

Fiadh wanted to cool some ice with Sephyros but the other was already ascending the stairs. Loud and heavy footsteps, that always made his presence known around the house.

Okay...?

 

Oh Solis, I pray to whatever is out there that you come back already!

 

────ʚ ♡ ɞ────

 

The door opened and Solis got back inside, Sydra practically screamed when he saw the bag of candy.

"Remember to hide it." He ruffled his brother's head who nodded eagerly.
"Cool! You pulled it off! You're so cool big bro." The fiery haired teen exclaimed before going back to the couch.

Solis walks over to Fiadh, giving him a small box.
"Thank you." He flushed in appreciation. Finally, his room could smell like anything other than the stench of death.

He was seriously starting to wonder if Sephyros hid animal carcasses around the house.

"Where is Sephyros?" He questions, noticing the absence of a certain hothead
"Upstairs, watching Mama like a hawk." Sydra explains through him stuffing his face. This boy hadn't even had lunch yet!
Fiadh looked at him incredulously.

"I'll just take it up to his room. Don't make a mess." He orders before making his way up.

Seeing Sephyros guard the door.

"What are you doing?"

"I was waiting for you to get back."

 

"You're trying to give mom a heart attack, here."

He hands him the last thing inside the bag.

The music box.

"I found the tune you liked."

Sephyros immediately softens up and twists the thing alive. The soft music of once upon a dream playing.

The half fae always loved that song, he read it in the book once. It was an ancient Briar Valley lullaby that had been used since the dark fairy herself sang it.

 

"Thank you big brother."

 

That absolutely floored Solis into a small fit of laughter.
He didn't know Sephyros was even capable of saying the word thank you.

"You're welcome."

"Hide it well, hm?" He raised a brow to which his younger brother agreed. Stuffing the small instrument in his pocket.

"What did you do there anyway?" The ravenette voice lowered into a hush whisper as they distanced himself from Leona's room.

"I just wanted to get a book. I saw it during our last trip and couldn't stop thinking about it." He takes out the book, "Wow. You really risked us for your nerdy hobbies." Sephyros deadpans, he bought it. Good.

"How selfish of me, I know. Forgive me." He smirks, gazing straight at his brother who just scratched his head.

"Eh, couldn't care less. I got what I wanted anyway." He walked away presumably to bother the two downstairs.

 

He walks inside his room and turned on the phone, great it works. He would've gone back and fought everyone if it didn't.

There was a small signal bar flashing on top of the screen. So that was something.

 

It was low on battery though, so he had to charge it. The lack of electricity around the house was his only problem.

 

Oh wait.

 

He went downstairs and grabbed Sephyros off the couch, dragging him upstairs in the guise of a surprise.

He blindfolded him and used those weird electric or lightning powers his brother had to charge the phone.

It...worked?

 

In theory it was stupid. But he pulled it off.

Sephyros grumbled and took off the blindfold
Both brows raising at the sight before him.

"Adam?" He mouth gaped at the battery powered toy he lost like a few years ago. Twitching around on the ground like a fish taken out of water.
"Where the hell did you get him?" The middle brother whips his head towards the eldest. Who just shrugged.

"Under my bed. Now go, reunite with Adam or something." He pushed Sephyros out of his room.

He'll worry about having to charge it again some other time..but now, he had access.

But what does he do about it? Wait for another call from whoever his mother had been talking with?

 

He stuffs the old thing under his mattress.

"Baby?"

Leona was standing in the hallway. Looking at him.

"Did you guys go to the riverside again?"

Oh, so that's what Fiadh went with.

"Yes, but we weren't feeling it actually, so we just came back."

"Mhm, let's go eat." He extends his hand which Solis takes, his mother had such soft hands. It was the years of staying indoors and letting them do all the heavy work, he doesn't remember the last time the lion carried something heavier than a grocery bag. It was either him, Sephyros, sometimes Sydra and now Fiadh who did the man's job.

 

Stripped of everything that made Leona once him.

 

The boys were called in, surrounding the dinner table like moths to flame. Sitting in their own chairs when Leona served them food.

 

Sydra was more hyper than usual. That was his sugar level spiking. Solis had to discreetly pinch him from under the table.

Giving him a look which he immediately understood. Sitting more still.

"Let's eat?

 

----

 

Solis laid awake in his bed. Fiddling with his new phone. He wasn't interested much in it but when his mother tended to the garden outside he snuck a number in. He didn't know whose it was.

 

He stared at the set of numbers before him that he memorized it. He was hesitant, his mother never called anybody and he made sure to dig deep.

 

Someone he hasn't had contact with in three years when he saw the date.

He pressed call.

 

Watching it ring a few times before someone picked it up.

"Hi! Hm- I swear if it's another spam call!"

 

"Hello?"

 

"Who is this?

 

"You first."

 

"Nope! You first!"

 

The infuriatingly cheery voice chirped, it was like a more sickly sweet voice of Sydra's, albeit higher in pitch.

What the hell was this person's deal?

Solis pulled the phone from his ear taking another look at the number.

"Whatever, my name's Solis."

"My name's Maia, this is my dad's phone, he's asleep though!"

The other person's shrill voice rang in his ears.

 

Ugh, who knew making contact with people could be so annoying?

 

"Hello? I'm bored! Let's talk."

"No the hell we're not."

 

"Please?"

 

To be fair, Solis wasn't feeling drowsy in the slightest, and he'd have nothing to do anyways.

 

"Fine."

 

"Yay!"

 

"Sevens, keep it down please."

 

"My name's Maia and I'm fifteen!"

 

"Solis, seventeen." He flatly responded, a rude way to reply to the others liveliness. But the other didn't even seem to notice it.

"I'm in Scalding Sands, you?"

 

Where is that? He tries to recall if he had ever heard of such a place.

"I don't know."

 

His mother never bothered telling them that, well there goes one thing he never taught them.

 

"Are you kidnapped?" He could hear the surprise in the others voice.

"No. I just don't know where I live, calm down."

 

"Solis?"

 

"Hm?"

 

"Your name is weird."

 

"Yours is literally a girl's name I don't want to hear it."

He retorted back, he was getting slightly irritated by this, unbelievably dumb conversation he was having.

He can't believe he was even subjecting himself to things like these.

 

"I'm a boy! Hm? Yeah?"

 

Solis listened in. His interest spiking as another voice rose from the background.

 

"Maia, what are you doing? Is that your father's phone?
Nothing Mama. I just wanted to play games.
Go to bed sweetheart."

 

"I have to go! Bye! I'll call you again hehe!"

 

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

 

The other caller hung up.

 

Well, that was the first ever phone call he had in his life.

And it was with some annoying boy.

 

Though...it kind of felt refreshing talking to someone else, it also piqued his interest that he didn't know what the person on the other side looked like.

 

The phone belonged to their father, so that was their son.

But he was given the promise of a call back so he didn't overthink it.

 

Placing the phone back underneath his bed and looking at the ceiling.

 

How...How...

 

Enticing.

 

He wonders how his mother knew these people. But for now he was left with more questions than answers.

 

One of the men his mother used to go to school with perhaps?

 

He gets up from bed and steps outside, pitch black as everyone was asleep.

He was about to head downstairs for a drink before hearing a faint noise from his mother's room.

As quietly as he could, he walked towards it. Pressing his ear against the wooden door.

 

There it was, listening to one of the voices again, has his mother finally lost it? It was the third time he's heard this happening.

 

The words were muffled but he could hear soft sniffling from inside.

 

Was his mother getting emotional over some recording?

He couldn't understand why, his mother, who never even got too comfortable around them was being so dramatic over such trivial matters.

There was nothing to cry about. Especially during this hour.

 

He knocks.

The voices inside stop, he hears the sheets being fixed and footsteps approaching.

"Solis? Do you know what time it is? Why are you still up?"

"I'm having a hard time sleeping mother."

 

The brunette pursed his lips. Looking at the blank look on his son's face.

"Come, I'll heat up some milk for you." He passed by him, knowing the boy will follow.

Heading downstairs, he sat on the dining tables chairs, watching his mother work around the kitchen silently.

 

None of them talked, until the milk was finished, steaming as it was placed in front of him.

"Thank you." He holds his mother's hand again, getting comfortable with the feeling, that Leona was finally getting used to contact.
"Drink up, I don't want you having a bad sleeping pattern in the future." Leona mumbles, brows furrowed but stroked the blonde's knuckles.

 

Solis adored his mother much.

He just wished he didn't become so helpless.

Chapter Text

"What is wrong with you?"

 

A question even his mother asked him. And honestly? What was Sephyros supposed to answer?
"You raised me, why are you asking?". He'd get a harsh slap to the face. And that would feel like absolutely nothing compared to the shame he'll feel by getting slapped by his mother.

 

Stupid fucking Solis.

 

Always the favorite.

 

He never once mentioned it, but he could always feel it. Their mother played favorite.

 

What? Was Solis' father better than his? Surely not, his magical abilities or even his physical strength alone overpowered the older, he was clearly better. Better than Solis, better than Sydra, better than that bastard outsider Fiadh.

Better than his mother.

 

His fists clenched so hard that his fingernails drew blood against his palm.
Solis could be such an attention seeker sometimes, more so than a certain younger brother.

It was earlier when Sephyros was yet to fall asleep. And overheard movement from outside, just to be faced with his mother babying his older brother.

 

When has his mother ever done that for him?
The fae could only recall when his mother would braid his hair. That does count.

 

Or the way he'd wipe blood off his face whenever he hacked off the animals and it would make a mess, the animals he had dragged home.
He didn't comment on the lingering unease on Leona's eyes whenever it happened though.

 

Do you even love me?

 

Of course his mother did. He'd seen the stories of children getting thrown out or killed by their parents for being unwanted.

 

Solis this.

Sydra that.

 

Now, Fiadh here.

 

When was it his turn?

 

These were the thoughts that ran across his mind as he stood behind the door, listening to the sounds of his mother and older brother having their oh so sweet bonding time.

 

Whatever, he could care less.

Not like this'll affect him in the long run.

He had other shit to worry about.

Like hunting.

It was something he started doing young. He reminisced about his younger years where he'd throw a tantrum and run off into the forest only to return with corpses of animals.

He made it into his hobby. A pleasuring escape from the things he wanted to do to his family.
He liked his siblings. Sure, loved his mother dearly. Everything that decorated his room was dedicated to him. From the picture frame he learned to carve from bone, storing a picture of him in it, to an antler where he carved Leona's name into.

Oh. How he relished in the praises his mother would sing whenever he succeeded.

 

Solis? Man of the house?

Pshh, yeah. He basically provided everyone's food.
If it wasn't for him they would've been little vegetable eating idiots.

 

He quietly made his way back to his room, putting effort into shutting the door quietly, his mother would ask questions if he heard.
And if he knew Sephyros listened he would get all mad like he usually does.

"Why didn't you join?"
"Don't be such a recluse"

 

The words echoed in his mind, already knowing what reaction he'd get.

Because, what will he say? That he wanted one on one time for once, that not everytime his siblings had to be there? His mother would not understand, and Solis' smug face would look at him, call him selfish.

 

Hell even Fiadh had tea with his mother in the middle of the night.
First night fucker. Hated his guts.

 

Sephyros still disliked him with a burning passion, those irritating blue eyes softened slowly around him, as the others do.
Did they think his hatred subsided? They were sorely mistaken. He just had something else to take it out on.

 

His fingers fiddled with the tiny little music box his brother had bought. He was not fucking stupid, Solis is not reckless enough to go to a city and risk their freedom for a damn book. He called bullshit but laughed in his brothers face, letting him play it safe.

 

Chasing affection like it was a luxury he couldn't afford was stealing his dignity and he loathed that.

Turning the music box as it started playing, he tossed it on his nightstand before tucking himself into bed.

Closing his eyes and forcing himself into deep slumber before the boiling anger overflowed out of the screaming pot.

 

The amount of times he woke up during what was supposed to he his rest was actually worth a crash out. How was he gonna be refreshed if his mind decided to fuck with him today?

 

Birds could not even sing when he woke up. Having enough and reluctantly starting his day. He awoke like a madman with a mission. He noticed that the meat was running out, perfect excuse to go hunting.

Rising out of his bed with so much as drowsiness and stepping into the showers for a quick bath.

 

The water ran down his body like a waterfall, as he touched the wall. Completely zoning out.

He heard thunder rumbling in the distance which snapped him out. That was definitely his fault. He learned it control it, considering his default emotion was basically irritation. But sometimes it's slip. He was like eight when he learned he could do that.

Another thing his mother would probably overlook.

Such magical talents were useless in a household that didn't need it.

Even their damn electricity ran on the sun.

Blue hour poured in from the windows as he finished, heading back to his room to quickly dress himself.

He didn't feel good.

 

He descended the stairs quickly, grabbing his mother's attention, who he himself had just woken up. Surprised by his son's early rise.

"Sephyros? Why are you up so early?" His mother's voice rang out. It was like a distorted melody that he tried to block, heading straight to the cabinet which he practically claimed.

"Hunting, low on meat." He muttered, rummaging through the firearms, before picking something other than his usual, then shoving bullets down his pants like he normally did.

"Come, let me braid your hair." Hearing the coffee mug set on the table as Leona offered.
That was their only time being together.

He glanced at his mother, who looked at him expectantly.

"No need. I'm heading out." He saw his mother physically freeze, well...the fae couldn't blame him, when has he ever rejected that? Slinging the weapon on his back before opening the front door, a cold but fresh breeze tickled his face as he ignored his mother's questions from inside the house.

 

He sets up his gun. It was too early, but he kept waking up every hour or so and decided he needed to do something...there were still plenty of animals to hunt during this hour anyways, so he was not that bothered.

 

His hair was a mess, his hair was not curly but it was wavy, and thick enough to cover parts of his face. That's why his mother always braided it for him. Even his rejection surprised him... It was kind of amazing.

He cuts off a piece of twine he always kept on him, half heartedly trying to tame his hair, since the wind was somewhat strong today. It was messy, so messy but it was the best he could do.
It also made him realize he didn't know how to take care of his own hair.

 

But.

He made that decision earlier.
He was deprive himself of the only affection his mother gives him.
He can learn it himself. He was not some helpless freak like Sydra.

He could handle himself.

"It's not even that important anyway." Muttering to himself, but keeping on tucking his hair behind his ear due to how horribly he tied it.

 

Going back to the present.
He hunted everyday sure, so why were they low on meat?
He imagines that moron Fiadh asking.

Because most of the time he'd just throw it out, leaving it's body out in the forest floor for other animals to feast on.

What he actually took home were the big animals.

 

He cocked his gun, hearing rustling, whatever it may be. It's blood was going to decorate Sephyros' pristine flannel shirt.

 

The thing darted and Sephyros shot a couple of rounds. Missing the first ones before finally getting it.

A Fox.

It's blood slowly pulled around it as it took it's final breath. It was honestly sad to look at....

Was what a fool like his siblings would say. They didn't understand that he killed what they ate. So obviously he's not going to be sad and mopey about it.

He just lowered his gun. Having had no use of the deceased thing. A pretty room decor, sure, but he was too mad to do anything like skin them and make it a little tiny rug for his room, or some cloth he could use to gag Sydra, since that dimwit kept running his mouth, he was still not over that cave documentary idiocy...he left the body. It was useless to him.
Who even ate foxes? Not them.

 

Continuing on his way, deeper and deeper into the forest that was still basking in darkness. He didn't even know what his goal was today, he only got up to get out of the house. Animals were more abundant this time of year, so there were more threats he definitely had to be wary of, like...

 

Crunch.

 

His gun shoots up, pointing to wherever he heard the noise.

It was heavy.

Definitely not a smaller creature. His guard was raised as he squinted his eyes...he definitely had better vision thanks to his genes but he couldn't make out anything other than the ongoing rustles behind the leaves.

 

Growls rose from behind it when he approached. Glowing eyes made contact with his equally slitted ones.

It was a mountain lion.

 

Something he'd seen once or twice during childhood. Typically lived a little farther than where his house resided. Quite the sight. His lips curled.

 

What does lion taste like?

 

He drops his gun to the floor, taking out his knife instead. He wanted to try this one.

 

---

 

Leona sat on the front lawn. It had been almost an hour, even the three other boys would he awake soon. But he couldn't help but just stand there. Waiting for his boy to come home.

He didn't understand earlier. Sephyros was not talkative sure. But he wasn't avoidant like that.

He refused to let me braid his hair.

It conflicted Leona beyond belief, nipping at his nails as he rested on the stairs.

 

Everytime something would move, he would hope to see his son, only to be faced with the disappointment of a small animal or bird.

 

Deer's were out and about lately. He even sees them going around their house from time to time.

Maybe that's what his boy would bring back?

Usually it was either the weird abundance of wild turkey the forest had or wild boars.

 

His cup of coffee sat cold inside. He didn't bother to bring it outside with him as he was too distracted chasing after his second son who ignored him.

Did he do something to anger the boy? Sephyros was always driven actions..not emotions so he wouldn't be able to tell. But he moved around the house fine earlier. His strong arms dug through the closet as he did so every single day.

 

It was still chilly outside, and his clothes were obviously not built for it as he shivered, only puting his arms around himself for body warmth, it was honestly stupid he was waiting around like this stupidly. He remembered when he could care less and sleep everything off like a mummy.

And this was his biggest rivals son too.
He hated that specific pregnancy as a whole. Malleus was a nightmare he wouldn't wish on the cruelest of people.

 

He felt like some lame tacky princess, locked up like he would die if he stepped even an inch outside. Just who did that stupid dragon think he was? Some weak and helpless maiden? It was infuriating. He was all up on him, questioning him slowly like he was lacking intelligence, everything Malleus did was insulting to his very existence alone. But at the same time at the same time, he felt like Malleus was never there. King or briar Valley here, impressing is grandmother there.

Even talking to princesses and duchesses during balls.
One's he never attended, just cooped up in the inner walls where guests were not allowed.

 

Then there was said grandmother.

 

Maleficia didn't even like Leona. It was so obvious he wanted his son to find a better royal to be with.
Those backhanded comments slapped against his face didn't go unnoticed but what the hell was he supposed to do in front of immeasurable power?

Exactly.

Nothing.

 

He remembers when he finally had a reason to leave Malleus, taking Solis with him and Sephyros

He remembers. When Solis used to hide in his room because he was so scared of everyone. Who wouldn't be? They were so broody and emotionless. That castle was not up his alley.

 

Just to end up in the underworld not even a few years later.

 

But it was nothing now. It's been more than a decade, past is past or whatever the saying is.

 

Squinting his eyes and rising up when he finally made out the approaching figure of his son.
He was quicker than usual... Normally he stayed out for hours.

 

"Seph?" He called out, gasping when he saw his son, bruised and bloody but triumphant.
Holding the limp body of a mountain lion.

Leona's mouth hung open as he took in the sight before him.
"What happened!?" He puts his hand all around his boy, noting his son's battered clothes and his marred shoulder, a gash of the animal's claw ran through his collarbone and his shoulder like a warning.
A warning that failed because the animal was currently motionless on the ground.
He also held a baby deer.

"I know you don't want to eat this." He leaned into his mother, placing the smaller animal into his palms, it was shot once, quick and painless. Meanwhile the lion looked mangled, Sephyros definitely took his time with the creature because they both looked horrible.

Leona couldn't find words, his mouth opened and closed as no sound came out.
Sephyros only took his hand and led him back inside, leaving the wild animal outside like it was useless.

Washing his hand in the sink and changing his clothes, grabbing one that was fresh from the laundry, it wasn't even dry yet.
Leona quickly followed him, trailing him worriedly, a med kit in hand as he tried to get his son to sit down.

"Stop moving around and sit!" He grabbed his son's arm, before loosening it, taking in the injuries.

Sephyros just grunted and followed him.

"I'm sorry for rejecting your offer earlier." He mumbled, flinching at the pain as his mother just scoffed.
"We have bigger problems at hand. What happened?"
The ravenette just leaned back, he didn't really have a reason other than he wanted to.

"Never fought it before so I tried."
"Are you dumb or suicidal?"
"Neither."

 

"Cut it out, I'm serious." He scolds the boy who just looked away.
"It's nothing, I'll live." He retreated his arm away from his mother's grasp, before walking away without saying more. He didn't understand the worry, this has happened countless of times now he wants to do something about it?
He eyes the other scars that have healed but left a mark, he took pride in them. Knowing he was still here and the creature or even people that caused this weren't anymore.

Leona sat there stunned, this was new.

 

He felt the couch move under him, to replace where the fae had previously been sitting. It was Solis, freshly awake, his brows furrowed.
"What's wrong?" He puts an arm around him.
"You look conflicted." He adds, noting the concern written all over his mother's face so early in the morning.
"Your brother is behaving out of the ordinary. I'm weirded out." He confessed, but masked his apprehension. Breathing out stiffly but not pushing his oldest son away.
Solis just hums, not a hint of worry in his tone as he started speaking.
"He's just acting out. We all go through something similar, t's best if we ignore it." Solis puts his head on his mother's shoulder, still stroking at his arm, urging him to brush it off as a phase.
"I really hope so." Leona groaned. While Solis stood up to make himself a cup of coffee, noticing the untouched and still full cup that sat on the kitchen island that definitely belonged to his mother. He poured it on the plants that sat outside their window before making two new ones.
Looking at his mother's sulky figure.
It was annoying seeing him worry about his vulgar younger brother. He does nothing but cause troubles.
Now he's causing more mayhem by acting inconsiderate and pulling shit like this?
Yesterday he looked fine.
He was genuinely starting to think his brother had problems inside his head.

Might have been the time Solis accidentally hit his head, or something else because he had no idea what his brother does in the forest.

"Here. You didn't finish your last one." The blonde hands him the cup before sitting back down, the lion gave a quick thank you, before drinking it.

Yesterday, he learned to silence his phone. It would be disastrous if the brunette or anyone else found out. He was thankful they were all clueless.

 

He puts a soft smile on his face at his mother's distracted form, standing up to catch the morning sun outside. but inside something bubbled, like a form of disgust. He doesn't hate him, he hates what he became. He just patted his thigh for comfort, he didn't really know what to do.

 

He wishes he could explain the way he froze when he saw what laid on the ground.

 

---

 

Sephyros just barges into his room, dismissing his injuries and sitting on the bed, ignoring the pain that shoots through it at the slightest of movements.
He carried out his routine, taking out the chest from under his bed to get his stuff, that could butcher the animal. He kept it away from the kitchen knowing Sydra.

Acting all concern and shit. He's heard everything Solis said. And he was seething, just who did he think he was? Re directing his mother's attention and literally sizing the apparent "problem at hand" as just a phase. His brother couldn't get more narcissistic than that.
Always focusing the attention on himself, wasn't it so convenient that the blonde came along the moment he walked away?
Some emotional manipulation or shit.

Walking down the stairs, not taking a glance at Leona who still sat on the couch, he could feel his mother's gaze burning holes into his head.
He saw the door slightly ajar and raised a brow. Pushing it open just to see Solis looking at the animal.
"What? Aren't you used to it?" He asked, setting the knives down.
"A fucking lion? Are you insane?" Solis shot back, with an uncharacteristically angrier tone. Gesturing to the predator just laying by their house.
"All animals are the same. Why does it affect you so much" Sephyros jeered.
"Don't be so angry, you might start crying." He added with a smirked, fangs flashing like a threat before pushing past his brother to start working.
"Even Sydra wouldn't help with that." The blonde crossed his arms, repulsion written across his face.
"Who said I need you two? Eat it or not, I don't care, hunt your shit." He hummed, his back faced Solis so they couldn't see each other's expressions but it was sure none was positive.
Satisfaction filled him when the blonde didn't respond.
He heard his brother's footsteps disappear inside.
He'd won that.

 

He looked at the things face.
Eyes closed and body cold but still looked fierce.
Would his mother look the same dead?

He wanted those fangs. He wanted them wrapped around his neck.
A necklace he will make.
A trophy of his victory.

He started making use of the knives, this is what his siblings were gonna eat whether they like it or not, he spared his mother using the baby deer since he didn't consider himself cruel.

 

---

 

"Wow! What is that?" The sun was hot and shining now, as Sydra gawked at the hung meat, it was swinging wind the wind, no one commented about the way Sephyros stores the animal. In front of the house, that's gonna be the first thing you see, posed like it was crucified.
Fiadh looked just as curious beside him. It was so red, no wonder. It was skinned, he saw the skin lying idly on the floor as Sydra said how much he wanted it on his wall.
"Lion." Sephyros said flatly. His skin was filled with bandage but some parts exposed the bruises and scratches on his skin left the younger boys in awe and fear.
Fiadh audibly choked on his milk when he heard that, while Sydra just stared at him.
"Like mommy?" He said, poking at the wrap on his brother's arm pressing a little too hard and getting swatted away roughly, making a noise of pain from both sides.
"Don't know." Recovering and shrugging before crossing his arms, he didn't bother learning families or animals, the only thing knew was that they were all kill-able. so far.
"I'm assuming that belonged to the lion." The bastard said nervously, pointing to the thing that wrapped around his neck, leather he found somewhere and the teeth.
"You're so cool! Can you make me one using it's claws?" The youngest beamed, looking absolutely thrilled at the accessory.
"If you become my bait. I want a deer." Sydra puffed out his cheeks, his brother was back to his usual antics of asking him to be practically sacrificed into the wilderness, but he just sighed, he did want that necklace bad.
"Okay." He said in defeat, but went back to smiling when Sephyros said he'd give him the necklace.
Before walking away towards the back of the house to do Sevens knows what.

 

"Why does he want you for hunting so much?" Fiadh couldn't help but question the giddy brother who was talking about claws.
"Cause my hair lights up and it distracts the deer more than flashlights, I don't know why." He explains, Fiadh finds that odd but didn't say anything further.
"Why don't you come with us?" He leans in, getting into the brunette personal space as usual.
"I don't know.." he hesitates, knowing how the horned brother is.
"I got you! Dont worry it'll be fun! Like camping?" He exclaimed, excitement riddled his voice that Fiadh couldn't deny it.
"You know what? Sure...I guess it wouldn't hurt." He mutters as Sydra screams in excitement, running to the back of the house to tell Sephyros.
If he gets angry during it, there's gonna be another bait and it's not gonna be Sydra.
He shivered.

 

Fiadh was alone and he wondered where Solis was. It's been a couple hours and he didn't see either the blonde or ravenette talk to each other. Did they have a fight?
He couldn't ask and Sydra most likely didn't even notice.

He still stood barefoot on the front porch, the animals blood still pooled beneath their feet, Sydra's own footprints were littered across the grass like a massacre victim who escaped.
He grimaced and stepped away, the sticky fluid coated his feet in such an uncomfortable way he tried his best not to gag.

He made his way down the steps, still in his sleepwear he washed his feet using a nearby pale and put on some slippers, he wanted to have a little stroll in the forest, ya know? Without the biggest predator in it. By that he means Sephyros.

He inhaled the air, it was so nice and the breeze was a little cold but he didn't mind since it was so hot outside, the air smelled oddly sweet because of the surrounding flowers...the deeper he got the more relaxed he was, normally a forest would he intimidating to him but it looked so calm and serene, the way the sun just showers through the trees dancing around as they moved, it was cinematic and felt ethereal, he could hear the abundance of animals where he couldn't see, hiding or hunting.

 

He moved behind a tree, spotting beautiful red near the roots, one mother would definitely like, the soft smell it emitted caught his attention but so did the reek of iron that accompanied it the nearer he went.

What on Twisted wonderland was that? He's heard of corpse flowers, and the awful stench they gave off but it was clearly not that since they smelled sweet.

He peeked further inside it, trying to see if something was causing it.
Plucking a few during it, the fragile seeds that barely held onto the flower fell into his pockets as he placed them inside.

He covered his nose and recoiled when he finally spots it.
A dead fox.
He remembered seeing the same one a few days back, he remembers the missing tail it had...
It was already crawling with maggots and had parts of its body eaten.
it was very much obvious it didn't die of natural causes or by other animals.
The single bullethole through its head told him more than he needed to know.

Chapter Text

Sydra didn't know what was going on!

Why was everyone so quiet? Even his mom who usually asks around like how their days were going made no noise, he nudged Solis who just gave him a hum, not saying a word.

Guess he lives in that one movie now ...
'A quiet place' was it?

 

He sulked further into his seat as everyone finished, the clattering of plates and utensils grinded in his ears painfully, his hands sprung up to cover his ears, especially Sephyros, like he was doing it on purpose! Since he saw the way Solis' brow twitch.
He was about to start whining about the sevens awful noise.

But before he could add his drama into the scene, Solis and Sephyros started arguing...as per usual about what they were eating...aw shoot...
A yell of "you started it" a shout of "why are you blaming me" and a string of curses filled the air as they bantered.

 

He sat on his chair, watching the argument in front of him like a tragic play. While their mother looked at them exasperated but didn't do anything, only taking the plates from the table.

He never did anyway. Sometimes he would, when his two older brothers were really at each other's throat, which was actually often that you would have thought. So Leona just moved to the sink, preparing to wash the dishes, he cared about those damn dishes more than de escalating a fight, unbelievable. Ignoring his children's dislike towards each other.

 

Sydra was just going to remain sitting in the dining chair, and watch this whole debacle play out, he'd rather watch this negativity than sit alone somewhere.
until he saw Fiadh exit, he was turned but definitely heading towards the front door.
Piquing his interest since the other had been getting comfortable and going out more often.
Sounds fun!
So obviously Sydra got up and started following him.

Grabbing the others shoulder who jerked away, Sydra only raised one of his blue colored brow at the reaction.
"What happened to you?" He studies Fiadh's face who just sighed out of relief upon realizing it was just him.

"I'm just thinking." The brunette looked away, the youngest continued following him.
"Are you going to the forest again?" He noticed the pattern, when Fiadh took his jacket off the rack and exited, the other liked going to the forest when Sephyros wasn't in it. For obvious reasons.

"I wanna come with! The energy inside is making me mad." He huffed, taking his own jacket with him and crossing his arms, footsteps light behind Fiadh who slipped a small smile at him.
"Fine." They both zipped up their jackets, surely Fiadh would not be needed for the other chores, since their mother considered watching over Sydra a chore in on itself.

Both walked beside each other for some time, the bluenette looked at the teen beside him, raising a brow at how peaceful he seemed, the forest didn't even look that good. What was he getting so feely about?
"You're so weird, what are you doing?" He slipped out, judgement clear on his face as Fiadh didn't react much, already used to his personality.
"It's nice out..." The other managed a small snicker as he pointed to the sky as some sort of proof, it was sunny with no clouds even if noon was coming to an end.
He just made a face and tried it himself, grass?
Trees? Annoying sounds... That was it.
He even tried to breathe in, like he saw Fiadh did. Nope, still nothing
He didn't get it.

But having someone to talk to was okay enough.
He didn't know what to do half the time he was left alone, that's why a lot of things in his room ended up broken. His brother also didn't find the assortment of the toys hanging from his ceiling amusing in the slightest.
He just had to accept the fact that his mommy was boring.
And as for Fiadh, he finally got used to the adopted brother's presence, very quickly actually. As he started bothering him more and more, even more often than he did Solis. Which to be fair, seemed to like hanging out with their mom.
But nonetheless, Sydra liked him. More than the older two did, they didn't even like each other... They more so... Tolerated.

 

And Fiadh was thankful for that.
They strolled further and further, constantly glancing at Sydra making sure he wasn't getting too bored.
Because he always found the youngest to be very impulsive, half of the things he does, Fiadh was pretty sure he doesn't think of.
Like...you know, crushing that bug to intimidate him?
He cannot form a memory in his mind, a moment where Sydra was left alone other than to sleep.
Shower? They basically showered in the river everyday...so it kind of didn't count.

Everyone in the household knew what Sydra's business was, so he wasn't that concerned about being alone with him.

"You are so tense." Sydra comments, twirling his hair around his fingers. "Did something happen at your earlier walk?" Questions the younger, Fiadh wondered if he should tell him, but decided against it. Knowing Sydra wouldn't take it seriously considering he's been living with Sephyros for almost 14 years and already used to his behavior.

 

The fiery haired teen just looked at him, but didn't say anything further, instead putting on a big smile.
"So~? What should we do?" He asks excitedly. Before beaminh at him, an invisible light bulb lit up above his fiery head.
"I know!" He said, before Fiadh even processed his earlier question.
"Let's practice for our hunting with Sephyros tomorrow!"
He takes the brunette's arm, deeper into the forest, away from his path.
"Sephyros is going to be super focused, and we have to match it, so we can look as cool as him!" Sydra liked praising his older brother from time to time. It was definitely for the skill he had.

"Okay!" They stopped, in a small clearing, it was nothing scary, still looked like a part of the forest, actually it was a little more peaceful. With a ton of flowers and mushrooms surrounding it.
"Listen up. We're going to play hide and seek! It's easy!" He walks him through it, and the blue eyed teen just listens like he doesn't already know how to play the game every child in the world has. He had to keep his ear open for whatever Sydra was going to throw at him.
"Do you get it?" He questioned, tugging at his jacket noticing that Fiadh was zoned out.
"Oh, yeah. Let's begin?" He offered with a smile as Sydra grinned.

 

He was being hunted.

Sydra was no professional predator like his older brother was, but hello? They're related. No way the youngest didn't' learn a thing or two from him.

That was the twist he should've known, his hide and seek was more like hide and hunt...
Sydra liked fucking with everyone. That was his talent.

He could hear Sydra stifling his giggles behind him as he turned towards a tree trunk starting to count.
"I'm going down from 10!" Yelled the younger.
"You won't even notice me, even when I'm behind you!" He boasted too.

 

10!

 

He steps away from the clearing, looking around to get used to the surroundings. Crap, it all looks the same...cons of living in a forest?

 

9!

 

He searches, bushes here and there that could cover a person but it would be obvious.

 

8!

 

Sydra was oblivious not stupid.

 

7!

 

The amount of leaves that crunch under his feet makes him feel like this is not going to be easy...

 

6!

 

Okay...he was starting to panic!

 

5!

 

...

 

4!

 

He takes off his shoes.

 

3!

 

Fiadh just sighs to himself, holding his shoes, still hearing Sydra's voice off in the distance.

 

2!

 

Fiadh, you have to focus.

 

1!

 

Why was he taking this game so seriously?

 

He gave up on hiding...he's just gonna watch Sydra from a distance...
If he could find him that is.

 

He hid behind a tree for the meantime...it was obviously stupid but he was scared, he's an idiot for agreeing...
Sydra was the only sibling with quiet footsteps...you genuinely cannot tell when he's coming, he's seen Sephyros, the guy who's usually on high alert being bamboozled by Sydra who jumps on him at random times.

 

He pounds on his chest softly, trying to slow down his heartbeat. No sign of him yet.

 

He sits there waiting...he was more vigilant than ever.
He plays with the hem of his coat as he looks around, the longer branches obscured much of the sunlight.

 

It didn't even take Fiadh 5 minutes to hear.

Sydra's footsteps were quiet. Not him.

He could hear his loud singing off an off-tune nursery rhyme.

He was looking up? He couldn't make out much since the bushes obstructed half of his vision.
Why on-
Nevermind.
He learned not to question anyone in this family.

 

Watching as Sydra disappeared into another side of the forest, literally away from where he was sitting.

Oh.
Well...alright ...
Maybe he thought wrong.

 

He lets out a sigh, and laughed to himself quietly.
Not even knowing why, maybe he was just relieved.
Sydra wasn't even dangerous to him... At least he thinks so?

 

---

 

Ta-da!

 

Sydra announces as he turned around. And to be expected Fiadh was nowhere to be found.
His heart was beating so fast! He loved playing this game!
This time it's with someone he knows!
He was tired of the one one one games he used to, his brother Seph always bought random people for him to play with. Only for him to never see them again. It was unfortunate, but now! Fiadhs here.

 

He tries to look in the bushes, but he didn't check them all, obviously Fiadh wouldn't hide here.. he knew the pattern of us behavior, which kind of made him angry but, eh. They were brothers. He knew everything going on.

 

Sydra started noticing the forest twirl, what in twisted wonderland?
Why was this happening again? It's so random... A few days ago it started when he was picking spiders. He swears Fiadh was a deer when he placed the spider on his it's leg, only to make eye contact with those scared blue eyes. Sydra had to play it off before Fiadh got more scared and asked questions. Hmph, he hated being questioned, it was so dumb.

 

Ah...
He looked up, everything was so colorful, the sky was purple, the trees were pink.
He knows what Fiadh is talking about now! It was so cute.
He could hear squirrels singing as they danced to a melody!
He started singing along with them, that was the song his mother sang to him when he was forcefully being put to sleep!

 

"You're doing this again?" A rose asked him, it's thorns swaying around with it.
"Yeah." He replied with a shrug. The rose made a grumble from its roots.
"It's fun though." He pouted at the things reaction, so rude.
"Why do you always do this?" A smaller tree butts into their conversation. It's body changing colors with every movement.
"Because i wanna, and I can?" He replied, turning to the tree who continued dancing around with the squirrel ensemble.
The roses continued moving, openly judging him, He didn't like that.
Taking out four of them before stepping on them violently.
"Judge that, stupid." He huffed and rolled his eyes.

Hearing a stick snap behind him thinking it was Fiadh.
"Don't talk to me." His mood soured, as he ignored the other flowers that tried talking to him, even the porcupine who was reciting him poems in a deep baritone voice.
"Your poems are crap! leave me alone." Throwing a discarded branch at the poor thing.

 

He shakes his head in disappointment, why was everyone always questioning him? He was easy to trust! He was nice!

 

He went back to looking around, it's like the surroundings had a filter.
Colors glided around the trees like a rainbow as they spun around. And the bushes point their arms to the sky.
He looked up, the sky was still purple. Though it was changing back to blue.
Aww.

 

He thinks he hears something on the other side, was it Fiadh? He goes up there, ready to prank his other brother, he's gonna be so scared!

Because he didn't like how Fiadh lied to him earlier.
Putting his hands in his pockets.

 

---

 

Fiadh stayed behind that tree, maybe he should get up? It was likely Sydra got bored and decided to just go back home altogether.

He puts his shoes back on, tying the worn out laces before standing up, taking a peek behind it again. No sign of Sydra.

 

He should also head back to the house, crows cawed in the distance, a little further away was a part of the forest Sephyros threatened him not to go to, and you know what, he'd be more than happy not to... That place looks like a graveyard.

 

Breathing out heavily as he started to try and find his way back home. He just hopes Sydra didn't take him too far, or he'll be in trouble.

But won't mother scold him for it? Sydra hates being told off more than anything in the world.

 

He'd start crying and telling everyone they were wrong, Solis would have to drag him back to his room. He knows because it has already happened. He had only been living with them for a month and a half and he already feels like he'd been through it all.

He just nodded to a passing rabbit, the rabbit looked scared shitless though. They were so wary, Fiadh found it adorable.
"What's wrong little guy?" He crouched down to touch the rabbit, that didn't stray away, but it's fur was noticable shivering.
"You must've outran a predator huh? You're shaken up." He smiles, letting the rabbit continue on its way.

At least something nice happened.

 

Thud.

 

A loud thud hit the ground, and before he knew it, he was being pinned to the ground, Sydra on top of him and definitely not smiling.

 

"You! You lied to me, do you think I'm stupid?" He said, in a fit of rage trying to hit Fiadh, who blocked some, but got hit by others, he winced in pain, he didn't understand where this was coming from, what was he even talking about?
"Sydra- what's gotten into you?" Shouted the other, trying to push him off, but the younger just continued his assault like a switch was turned on in his brain.
"I hate you mom! You always keep secrets from me!" He called out somewhere, Fiadh couldn't see because he was actively trying not to get his eyes mauled out.
he didn't hear him coming how-

 

Oh.
Is that why the bunny was scared? Fiadh did notice it wasn't looking in his direction...rather it was hiding its face away from him. He was not the scary one after all.
'you don't even notice me, even when I'm behind you.'

 

Sydra is actively trying to choke him.
"You're just a toy, and toys don't make noises."
He tried covering Fiadh's mouth, there was a knife hanging off his jacket's pocket, so it definitely made Fiadh's adrenaline spike up, thinking back to all the mutilated toys or trinkets in Sydra's room. He definitely didn't want to be one of those... as he finally pushed the bluenette away and putting distance between them. He made no move to run when Sydra just sat there after being flung away.

 

"Sy- ...Idrees. give me the knife." He pleads, the older calling him by his second name, one their mother used caught him off guard. Enough for Fiadh to snatch the weapon from his picked and throwing it somewhere far. He just sat on the forest floor, looking deflated and somewhat confused. Looking straight at The brunette. It was something he noticed with all the brothers, there eyes seem to lack something...but he can't pinpoint it.

Fiadh didn't know what to do when Sydra started bawling his eyes out.
"Why?! Why won't you tell me?!" He cried, pointing accusingly at him, mustering up a sigh he just pulls his younger brother up. A slew of apologies escaping his mouth.
"I'm sorry okay? Sephyros just really puts me off, there?" He admits, to Sydra who still cried, tears streaming down his face as his anger slowly but surely started to subside.
"You guys don't tell me anything! I tell you guys everything!" Continued he.
'That's because you have no sense of privacy.' Fiadh thought to himself but didn't let it be known to the other, he might actually just turn up dead if he told him that.

 

"Let's go home okay? Stop crying. They say you'll turn ugly." He wiped the others tears off, using the cuff of his sleeve. A hiccup escaped him as he finally calmed down.
"Do you know where in the forest are we?" Turning to Sydra who only shrugged, yeah he's never following Sydra anywhere ever again. That's for sure.

After some time of walking and almost getting attacked by an elk, Fiadh finally recognized the path they were going on. He was started to believe they were actually lost.

"Tell me everything, okay?" The fire haired boy, demands from him and the other could only nod.
"Ask nicely." He turns it back on him, luckily the other teen just nods.
To think they were only a year apart...

 

It was conflicting how Leona was raising all his kids, Sydra acted too young for his age.

Oh, well. At least he wasn't murdering people...
Haha...

Sydra asked him more and more questions, and he swallowed down the discomfort he felt to answer it. He'd rather feel uncomfortable than be disfigured by some rogue teenager, that would be his brother.
"Are you sure?" The pale brother scanned his face, looking for any hint of deception.
"Trust me, Idrees. I wouldn't lie to you about how Zeus had the whole island of woe pregnant." He confirms. He pulled up a random story he liked and told the other about it.
"Alright." The bluenette immediately accepts, wow. No wonder they lie to him.
It was so easy.

 

Sydra fell short behind him though, stopping a few feet behind, before Fiadh could notice.
"What's wrong?" He raised a brow, seeing him just stand there, looking at him weirdly like he violated all the laws in existence.
"You're standing in a fairy circle, dummy."
He looked down, it was a ring of mushrooms. What fairy circle was this boy yammering about.
"It's just mushrooms." He shot back, extending his hand for the younger to take, he just wanted to head back home, their stay in the forest was long overdue. But no, Sydra stayed firm.
"Nope, you're cursed now. I don't want to step in there." He rejects, looking the other way in childish defiance.
He sighed. "Okay, what's gonna happen to me then?" The best way was just to play along with whatever the other believed in or they were actually gonna be stuck here forever. Stepping out the circle before doing some mock trying to fend of the magic or whatever.
"You're gonna lose an eye or die."

 

Well isn't that fucking great.

Chapter Text

Fiadh and Sydra returned home, and it was surprisingly calm.
Their mother was reading a book, resting in the duvet, as Sephyros laid asleep beside him, soft snores escaped him, hair in disarray and covering his face. Meanwhile the oldest was nowhere to be seen.
"Hi, mommy." The bluenette snuck up behind him, wrapping his arms around the Lion's neck, and planting a kiss on his cheek, taking a look at to what he was doing.
Leona just held at his son's cheek as acknowledgement.
"Where were you two?" Leona hums, leaning into his son's embrace before closing his book. Glancing at the two.
"We went to the forest, and we played hide and seek. It was so fun, and Fiadh got so scared, right Fiadh? You were scared right?" Telling his mother everything, taking a seat beside him, and taking a glance at the younger brunette who just gave a silly lopsided half smile and remained standing. He'd rather be here than interrupt the sleeping dragon.
"Well, that's nice." He smiled in approval, a little teasing grin towards the other brunettes way, who just blushed.
"Oh and he stepped in a fairy circle." Sydra chirped, drinking his mother's unattended coffee.
"Ah?" The Lion's eye glints in amusement as a huff of laughter escapes his lips.
"Well, let's hope it's only an eye." He reaches out to touch Fiadh's chin who was too nervous to even utter anything, other than a sputter of words.
So Leona DID know about the things coming out of Sydra's mouth.

"Now shimmy along, boys. Do not wake the sleeping dragon." Smirked their mother, gesturing to the ravenette who was face planted into the couches cushions.
"Who knew arguing made him more tired than hunting, huh?" Leona fixed the boy's crooked collar, from all the moving he did earlier as Sydra just puffed out his cheeks.
"That's because he needed to use his brain."
That caught them off guard, Leona threw his head back in absolute laughter, while Fiadh looked stunned and scared at the same time. The guy was like 2 feet away! Who knows if he's actually even sleeping! Awh hell no.

"Oh, baby." He pinched his youngest's cheek. "Don't let your big brother hear you say that, even I can't defend you from him." He reminded, Sydra just scoffed but it didn't affect him much as he just stayed close to his mother, his breath slowly noticeably, someone else might fall asleep too.

Leona turned to Fiadh who just awkwardly stood there.
"Solis might be asleep in his room too. Do you want to sleep?" The lion turns to him, handing him the empty cup Sydra chugged off of. Walking over to the sink and placing it down, the bright sunlight hit his face making him flinch. Pulling away to Leona who was still eyeing him.
"Answer, boy." He smirked at Fiadh who looked away, he never really had one on ones with Leona, and now everyone was asleep except them two.
Even Sydra, he was awake like 5 seconds ago what happened?!
He mumbled an excuse to use the bathroom, face redder than the tomatoes in their backyard, he genuinely did not know how to react to his mother. Maybe because with his own parents, well...his mother was extremely docile, while Leona, was not. He was more fiery and definitely the opposite of what he used to have.
Standing there like an idiot statue looking at his reflection.
Whew...what a day. And it's not even afternoon yet. But that was the catch of being alone with one of the brothers. It's like a punishment from Tartarus.
He washed his face with cold water. Maybe this shit was all a dream.

 

Giving Leona a smile when he exited.
"Make me a coffee won't you? Someone decided to drink mine." Gesturing at the sleeping boy, head laying on his lap like it was a pillow.
"And I can't move. The coffee drinker will throw a tantrum." Earning a chuckle from both of them, Leona freely teasing at his kids was always funny to him.
"Yeah, of course. No problem." He heads back to the kitchen, opening one of the cupboards and making the coffee like how he'd seen Solis do it a million times before.
Leona didn't like sweet things, so he held back on the sugar.

Placing it softly on the coffee table.
Leona diverted his attention from the book, to give him praise.
"Good boy." He said, pulling him down for a small affectionate kiss.
"Get your well deserved sleep." He shooed him away lovingly(?). Eyes glued back to whatever book had him hooked.

To be honest...He wasn't even sleepy, so he figured he could actually take time and do the same thing like their mom. Read? He never considered himself a reader, actually. He learned better visually, it was kind of hard for him to process words.
He's just boring, not a lot of imagination ran inside his brain.

Passing quietly through Solis' door.
Noises echoed inside it, another person's voice. A high pitched shrill voice, ear shattering potential if Solis didn't obviously lower the volume.
A phone? Because there was absolutely no way, Solis snuck someone in here. And he's had his share of city technology before landing here.
Is...
My sevens, this is what Solis left them for a few days ago. Where did he even get the money?

He didn't get to think any further when he heard movement from inside, his heart almost leaped out of his chest, and he turned back forward.
Nope. He walked away faster, before Solis and the super senses he had felt him, Fiadh did not hear anything.

 

He sat on his bed, exhausted. I mean, he almost took a knife to the eye from Sydra.
He slowly faced his nightstand. A picture of his parents sitting on it. He frowned, just...where are you guys?
Looking at their faces closely, like he was going to forget them forever if he looked away. He did not believe for a single bit, that they had just run away. That's what Leona told him.
But how much of that was really true?
"I'll find you mom and dad." He whispered, determination filled his eyes, despite the knowledge of how hard it will be, considering his now parent hated the outside world.

I mean, think about it. The last time he saw them, they were happy, his mother's sweet words of love to him as his father pats his back, his father also loved that butchery like it was his other home, and he prided himself in being the number one in town. The one everyone flocked too, he was the towns man, someone that everyone knew.
That applied to his mother too, since she was around him so much.
So when they vanished without a trace, it was attention catching.
Everyone asked him, 'its been days', 'what happened', 'where are they?'. Fiadh also wanted the answers to the never ending questions they threw his way. the lack of solution caused the townspeople to look for one, find someone to blame, it started to shift to him. People started looking at him with suspicion, like he had a bone in his body that was capable of doing so, despite knowing him his whole life! The same guys he called friends who knew his personality inside and out, started to distance themselves from it. Fiadh did not stop them, he always took his father's words of 'let them leave' to heart, but now...no one was there to console him.
He was completely and utterly alone.
Until Leona came in and took him in, somehow pulling strings he didn't even get to witness to drop claims against him. And before he knew it, he was here. There's no more town, only a mother and his three sons.

He likes it here, don't get him wrong, Leona was a very sweet person when he wanted to be. He was fed, clothed and praised, kissed like the other guys from time to time.
But the lack of freedom and comfort really puts him off.
But he just wanted to go home.

 

Oh, he never picked up a book. So much for saying he'll take time to read.

 

────ʚ ♡ ɞ────

"How do you keep getting your father's phone?"
Solis quietly inquired, this boy on the other side kept calling him almost every night, and his voice was obnoxiously loud so the blonde had to be extra careful.
So imagine his shock when he received this in the middle of the day. A overly happy greeting grated terribly in his ears.

"He's with my mom. And I don't even think he uses his phone a lot." Maia hummed, he loved this! He had a new friend courtesy of his dad's phone, but okay! He didn't mind.

"Sure.." the blonde let's it go, he couldn't be that judgemental considering he knew nothing about Maia other than his name, and other small basic details.

"We should meet sometime!" Maia's high pitch voice felt like it punctured his ear drums, Solis flinched hard. The casual offer makes him slightly irritated.

"Sevens, what's wrong with you? And you don't even know me." He indirectly rejects the idea. Running his hands through his hair tiredly.

 

"That's why we should meet! You're so nice!" Admired the person on the other line, this boy was more stupid than Sydra, picturing one's whole being based on the four phone calls they've had. And the other two before this were just him talking Solis' ear off, who just wanted to sleep, one of those calls. He hung up, which earned the blonde a huffy and tearful callback the next day. Acting like they were close, and he had no one else to talk to,for Sevens sake, he was in the outside world there was like a million other people. And this wasn't even Maia's phone, it was his father's, whoever that guy is.
The only thing he knows is that his mother had called it multiple times.

 

He wanted to get a call with that man. He's just scared that man will tell his mother.
So he just settled on getting info from Maia little by little, this time he had more questions to ask.
Since he found an old map of twisted wonderland in one of his mother's drawers, a few nights ago.
When he was looking for the solar powered charger.
Solis would be really mad if he was named after this ...
"If I could ask, where in Scalding Sands are you?"
"Silk city!"

 

Silk city.

Maia answered without hesitation, he's definitely gonna get kidnapped one day.
One of the most prominent and highly regarded hub in the Scalding sands, though not holding the title of capital, its one of the most important, he assumed because of its abundance of oil and riches.
That's all he knew for now.

"You're cutely easy." Solis laughed for the other line, moving his body in his body, so he was laying on his back, gaze frozen in the blank ceiling. It was just an observation he made, he could hear the others confused noises.
"Thank you!" He could feel the others blush from the screen.
That wasn't really a compliment but alright.
"You're welcome." Playing along with him.

He contemplated asking about his mother but decided against it, putting out a different question instead.
"Do you know about NRC?" It was easier to ask about a famous school than a person this boy wouldn't even know.
He could hear the loud hum of confirmation from Maia,
"Both my parents went there! I'd tell you more but we're going out so I can't call much longer but I will next time!" He heard the other giggle excitedly.
That was fine with him. He asks another one.
"Do you like me?" Questioned the blonde, holding the phone close to his ear, expecting a quick reply.

Eh? Maia blushed bright red! He was so straightforward!

"Shush! But we are friends." He tried hiding his shaky and nervous tone.

Solis didn't care anyways.
"Don't tell anyone, okay?" He urges calmly, hoping the other will agree with him.
"Okay!"

He heard the sounds of children in the background, even hearing Maia make a sound of pain as he pleaded with one of the kids to stop pulling his hair. Earning a low chuckle from Solis.

"Big family?"
"Mhm! I have ten soon to be eleven siblings!" Cheered Maia, who seemed excited about getting another one even though he had a whole extended family's worth of siblings.
"I see..." Eleven siblings was an absurd number to Solis. He could barely contain his two, now three brothers. He shudders at the thought of 5 Sydra's and 5 Sephyros'.

 

But anywho, there's still something he got.
So they went to the same school as his mother, he presumed around the same time the lion did.
"Of course, goodbye." He hangs up before the other could say anything back.

 

────ʚ ♡ ɞ────

 

Maia almost had his jaw hung, Solis was so rude! Looking at the phone like it was the one who wronged him.
He archived the number as he usually did, or as Solis would ask him to.

He didn't know much about him but he liked him! He was so nice and he didn't even know who Maia was which was so cool!

Jumping up under the coffee table and placing his dad's phone sneakily back on one of the cabinets that decorated their living room.

"Maia's blushing!" One of his younger brothers snuck up on him, laughing and teasing as he shook his head violently. "Nuh uh! I was just thinking!" He reasons weakly, but his brother clearly didn't buy that.
"Whehehe! Who do you have a crush on, does Papa know?" Hakim continued on asking, making him more and more flustered, poking at his cheek for answers.
"Who?" His little sister Hiba butts in, jumping on his other side, her blonde hair a mess, Maia swept it away with his hand, so his poor sister could see.
"Maia has a crush, because I saw him blush!" Hakim rhymes adding on to the flurry of teases sent his way, further worsened by Hiba's giggling.
"Shut up, both of you!" He turned away, it was embarrassing getting bullied by his younger siblings.
The two just looked at him before continuing to fix their clothes, which reminded Maia they were supposed to go out, he could hear his parents in the other room laughing and talking about the upcoming show they were supposed to be heading at.

Their mother entered the room first, and picked up one of his younger siblings despite carrying one inside him still, cooing at the small child who lets out small puffs of laughter, before turning his attention to Maia.

"Why are you sitting on the ground honey?" Kalim asked his oldest child, who was still and rosy on the floor.
"It's because he was thinking of his boyfriend!" Hakim, the little monster shouts.
"Boyfriend?" Kalim questioned, raising a brow a stifling a giggle. "Where?"
"Ma! There's no one! Don't believe him!" Shaking his head in denial.
"What boyfriend." His father spawned behind his mother, with a straight face, arms crossed like he was going to start interrogating him.
"No! Papa he's lying, stop it Hakim!" The said younger brother just giggled, so the parents assumed it was actually a joke.
"Ruggie, calm down!" Kalim cheerily handed his husband the baby, who took it and went outside.
All his other siblings continued running around and playing, filling their home with never ending noise.
"Maia." His mother crouches beside him, hands on his knees.
"Nothing!" Maia immediately answers, Kalim just laughed as he started tying his child's hair into an intricate style.
He hummed along, as the parent planted a kiss on his head. "Fix your clothes." He points before putting all his attention onto his rampaging siblings.

Pulling himself off the ground, making himself look presentable, as his other sister Jamila sat beside him, eyeing him curiously.
"Why are you so quiet?" She puts her hand on his, Maia just tilts his head.
"Why? Are you worried?" He teased, making her gasp in offense and fluster.
"You wish!"

 

Children were running around, and Kalim looked more like he was playing along than actually trying to fix them up.

 

"We're going to run late!" His father called for everyone from the outside, oh my days. His father was the only responsible one in this family.
Him and Jamila laughed as their father fussed over each and every single of them, looking exasperated.
"But, ruggie, it doesn't start for another 30 minutes? And besides isn't there announcements?"
Ruggie had to physically do a breathing exercise in front of his wife.
"Hey, honey. We need to transport ourselves there you know, we can't teleport. And we might get stuck in traffic. And the announcements are important for YOU to hear, it's dedicated to your family and the royals."
Kalim's mouth formed an O shape upon realization, both the twins just looked at each other from beside their dad.
Hiba and Hakim shared a look of mischief.
One that Maia caught, the oldest was already preparing himself from the mischief. He laughed to himself, but it would be really fun.
"Helicopter!"
"No."

The hyena grabbed his phone off the cabinet, Maia would lie if he said it didn't make his heart skip.
But he puts on a huge smile.
"Papa's right, Ma! Let's hurry! I really want to watch it!" Putting his head on his mother's shoulder, whining. His father groaned while his mother nods, saying something to him.
But it was mostly blocked out by the complete chaos that was their house.
"Okay, formation." Kalim puts on a grin, hands on his waist as he summoned his children.
His husband only raised an eyebrow.
"Formation? These are toddlers."
"Worth a shot." He pouts, putting his hands down.

 

They sat in the car. His other siblings were with the servants, but Maia was with his parents, along with the other half.
His parents bantered with each other in the front seats, with a sleeping baby being held in his mother's arm by the way.
While the car was filled with laughter and shouting from his little brothers and sisters. Who were basically jumping up and down, seriously, it was giving jungle inside.
He looked out of the window and blocked the noises, he slipped out a smile and a tint of pink started dusting his cheeks, Solis was so mysterious.
But he does wonder how he had his father's phone number.
Oh, he still does want to meet him, even if he rejects-
Sitting up straighter when he noticed his father looking at him through the rearview mirror. It gave him goosebumps, his father used to have bigger eyes during their school days, or at least that was what their mother said. But now, oh boy. Looking into his dad's eyes was like looking at wild animals.
His father was one...but still!
Like an actual animal! Not beastmen!

Maia just gave a sheepish smile, as his father turned his attention back on the road, his mother never once noticing.
Wow, his father was so scary.
But rightfully so, cause his wife was not.

 

────ʚ ♡ ɞ────

Fiadh moved around the kitchen, he volunteered to help Leona in the kitchen. The spicy aroma filled the air, the brothers sat in the living room. It was quiet since Solis was trying to solve a puzzle with Sydra, it made the youngest weirdly quiet. He was really using his brainpower for this one.
As for Sephyros, he still lay asleep on the couch.
Seriously, that was kind of for the better.

Leona looked at him, chopping the peppers carefully. "You look tense, something happen?" He grinned teasingly. Touching shoulders with the teen who just managed a titter.
"Not really, I'm just trying to focus on the knife." Replied he, the lion only hummed, stirring the pot and offering him a taste.
"Good?"
"Mhm." He nods, continuing to chop the remaining vegetables. Trying his best to seem unaware of the piercing gaze Solis was giving him.
If he doesn't react maybe he'll cut it out.

But he didn't, The next thing he knew, the blonde was in between them, shoving Fiadh softly that it was barely even noticeable. Offering to help instead of Fiadh, a smile adorning his face as he charmed his way into the conversation, facing Fiadh and telling Fiadh to sit back down. The younger brunette just nodded profusely not daring to argue.
Leona looked questioningly at his boy but didn't deny the help being offered, he dismissed it as Solis having more experience in the kitchen so he just wanted to take over.

 

Sydra greeted him happily, pushing the remaining puzzle pieces his way.
"Give it a go." He beamed, but it seemed more like an order being barked at him.
He took one of the pieces before placing them in multiple spots before finding the place where it was meant to be.
Sydra just inclined his head happily, like he was giving him approval for ...like putting a singular puzzle in.
He placed more and more until it was finished, it was a farm, a herd of sheep with a black sheep right in the middle. Fiadh tilted his head to understand the picture being presented to him.

 

"Some puzzles don't fit in hm? Well they're not supposed to. With a black sheep too.. " he tapped his chin as if in thought before gasping. "Isn't that you Fiadh?" Sydra rests his head on his brother's shoulder. Who didn't answer.

Chapter Text

"Do you think we can go to the city?"
Solis mumbled through the sounds of plates being stacked together.
Breaking the hum of the tiny little birds right outside the kitchen window. Like it sensed the audacity of the question.
"Why do you ask?" Leona puts his hair in a low ponytail before turning to his son, finding the sudden curiosity peculiar.
Solis has never really asked for such things, considering he's a man who feels for his surroundings and knows how Leona feels about the great out world, or how those books they had laying around described it.
The blonde just shrugs his shoulders, making himself comfortable near the sink. Watching his mother work through the chores like he did everyday. For the past 10 years. Repititive and boring.

The leaves rustled outside filling the uncomfortable void of silence between the eldest child and the parent. The three younger brothers were nowhere in sight. So the rare bliss of silence in the house was appreciated, you know? Without having to worry that the whole house could collapse because Sephyros and Sydra decided to have a fight. But to be fair, it was a beautiful afternoon so it was expected that they were outside. There was quite literally nothing to do.
Maybe that's why Solis found himself asking for such a thing.

He observed his mother, the flicker of annoyance in their matching eyes, but also thought.
"No- I don't know. You boys are quite..." Leona paused in the middle of his words, like he was hesitating say something to avoid hurting his kid's feelings.
He knew what his mother was going to say, eye catching? Inexperienced? Stupid?
"But you're almost 18." He adds the running water harsh against their ears. The sentence surprised Solis who was ready to accept the rejection.
"I'll think about it." The lion turned away, so the blonde couldn't see his face, but he could feel the unsureness in his voice from miles away.
This was clearly a huge step. But he was right, Solis was approaching manhood. He couldn't stay cooped up here, unless he wanted to? It was true though, that he needed experience with the big cities just in case.
"Thank you." Solis smiled, poking his mother's side at an attempt of a tease, it made Leona flinch and scold him, but slipped out a grin of his own, an eyebrow raised in his usual smugness.
"Don't get too comfortable, I didn't confirm anything." He laughed handing him a stack of plates to put away.
The oldest son just takes it with a low hum. Unbothered by the possibility of rejection, worst case scenario was he continued his life as normal. So nothing really bad was going to root.
"At least you're thinking about it?" He shoots back before walking near the window where the plates were neatly put away. Intricate plates that he found himself disliking as more days pass, the designs were soft. He hated it, actually.

"Sure, I'm not fucking evil." The brunette goes back to glancing down at the sink, watching his own frown reflected in the murky water.
After more than 10 years. Was he really just going to let his kids wander around? Without a lick of experience? Of course he'll be there, guardian the shit out of them, making sure they're no out and doing something stupid that could land them in jail... letting them find their true calling, but shit, he remembers his teenage years, where his peers would say the same thing only to end up as fucking drug addicts in the streets. So much for true calling huh?
But he admits to himself. That he's slowly losing it too. The familiarity slowly dwindling the more time passed each day, month and year. The last time he went outside the village itself was a few months ago! And his children, that trip they made randomly was their first time. Leona thought himself a fool for that, but he remembered how well behaved his boys were, even Sephyros, who looked like he was content.
Despite the sudden disappearing during that one section of their outing. With their excuse of sightseeing. It was quite endearing. Seeing the two older ones acting quite curious and slightly childish. Considering it has and always will be Sydra.
He really doesn't know when the boy will grow out of these habits. He admits it was his fault for babying him too much.
But he was proven to be as sensitive as his father. Stupid fucking Idia, it's been a decade and he still wants to punch his face. He hate how that guy didn't even try for them.

Leona shakes the thoughts away, before he started crashing out. resuming washing the dishes. More aggressively while doing so. Almost shattering one of the plates. In the passing years he's learned to suppress his old behavior for the sake of his children. It was simply no good. But it'll never disappear from him.

 

Solis stays silent. Watching the small of his mother's back, the way the hair tie just gives up and his curly brown hair just cascades down like some soft movie scene made Solis raise a brow. Leaning against the counter in both adoration and judgement. He was troubled by how to feel towards his mother sometimes. With staying loving to the version he grew up with. Softer but still aggressive. Or mourn the version he never once met but saw through the photos he stole and hidden under his bed. Looking at it every night like it was a forbidden found relic.

Leona doesn't feel the light foot steps coming towards him, resting his chin on Leona's shoulder like the dishes were the most interesting thing he's ever laid his eyes upon.
"What are you doing?" He moves his head to make eye contact with his son, weirded out by this sudden but quickly becoming the norm antics from the oldest.
"Nothing. Just bored." He takes it lightly, the afternoon sun shining in their faces like a shower from the angels. He had to squint his eyes slightly at the golden hour raining upon them, rendering their curtains attempts at blocking it futile. The curtains were quite thin and weak anyways, so who cares.
"That's not gonna help you make me agree." Teased his mother, running a free hand through his son's hair softly,which mirrored his curls, undoing all the knots and feeling through the soft hair, the oldest has always been more meticulous about his looks than the two younger, who could hustle and bustle around the forest looking like undead trolls.

Solis was not amused by it but forced out a smile.
"Aww. Can't even show love to my mommy anymore?" Whined the blonde, in faux hurt. Breaking their contact and holding his heart lightly.
The lion just waved him off, a light chuckle escaping his lips.
"Oh, whatever. Go find your little brothers." Demands the parent. Seeing Solis agree and make his way out of the door.

Solis gave a hearty laugh at the bark of order given to him. Exiting the door. And dropping his warm smile. Oh mother, I love you. But making my brothers my responsibility is really starting to piss me off.

But he does it for the motherly bond.
He does think about his mother's words though, echoing through his mind, He was turning eighteen. He was already matured but this is basically sealing the deal. He can go do his own things without his mother looming over him.
Find a wife? He was not the slightest bit interested. But maybe in the future. He'd want them to be just like his mother. Minus the hiding his sons in the forest thing. A smile crept its way up to his face as he thought about it. Independence was something he had. But being completely alone was not. He always had the company of his brothers and mother. So it got him thinking. If he left them, what would happen to both sides? He knows he's the only one who considers it. Sephyros would genuinely rather die in this forest with their mother, and Sydra's a complete mommy's boy. Fiadh, he doesn't know him to take a deep dive into his head, he knows how to scare the boy but not really what was going on in his head.

And then Maia.
Scalding sounds sounded far, considering it was well...sands and it was always cold here. It didn't take a genius to connect it. Even his little Sydra who definitely lacked in the intelligence department could realize it. he didn't exactly know what country he was in but wasn't dumb.
Maia sounded pure and happy, actually, scratch his earlier thoughts, he could make the perfect wife. But Solis did not like how naive he was. So desperate to answer each and every single of one the blondes question without thinking of his own safety or his family's. It was both charming and irking. He does not know what he looks like, but he sounded small. Solis liked that.
But he didn't stay on it long. Noticing the absence of his siblings presence. Great, he actually had to look for them.

 

---

 

Fiadh was trying his best. Truly.
But he couldn't hide his nervousness as they used him as the prey. Sydra led him to the forest, wanting to play. And Sephyros decided to tag along for whatever reason.
The bluenette boy slapped a mask of a deer on his face before wanting to play.

A game where it was only fun for them.
Sephyros, by whatever gods blessed them, carried no firearms so he was only getting chased by a stick. But knowing the fae brother he was not relenting on hitting fiadh at least once.

He didn't know how this was supposed to be fun when the only thing working right now was his adrenaline. He tried to take it lightly, since Sydra was laughing, Sephyros was the problem! He was dead serious!

Solis was back in the home, giving their mother company so no one with a conscience was here to defend him.

This stupid game has been going on for countless or rounds, his arm ended up bleeding because Sephyros shoved him against the forest floor too harshly. Muttering a half assed apology before Sydra pulled him up, crying like he was the one hurt.
Wiping the dirt that clung to his older brothers clothes before steadying himself.

"I'm bored. Let's do something else!" He chips, back to smiles, thankfully. Anything but this game. Fiadh would happily play hide and seek with Sydra again if it meant never playing anything with Sephyros.
"Let's look for a bear." Sephyros offers, in actual seriousness too. He was adamant on fighting bears  after getting scarred by one. He remembered seeing the scars running along his collarbone. Starting his rivalry with the huge creatures.
"Maybe something else?" He stammered out, almost tripping because he wasn't on par with both brothers athleticism.
Sephyros promptly ignored him but Sydra nodded, eyes squinting as the sunlight violated his eyeballs. "Yeah! Mama won't like that, you know! If we come back beaten up!" He makes his usual pouty face, hoping it would coerce his brother out of the horrendous idea. Sephyros just scoffed and stopped to look at his younger brother.
"What makes you think that we're gonna be the ones going home defeated?" The fae personally took offense to that.
"I'm just saying! Bears are huge!" He motions, the usual size of the brown bears that resided in the forest.
"Whatever." He cuts off, back to walking ahead of them, his pale hands going to fix the cuffs of his red flannel shirt that he loved to wear for some reason. Fiadh almost never sees him in anything other than that.

They tread the forest. Sydra's voice is what keeps everything alive. Talking about, well. His interests in the island of woe mythology.
"Do you know Sisyphus was subjected to rolling a rock up on a mountain where it will fall down again? For all of eternity?" He looks straight at Fiadh who just breathed out a chuckle.
"That's nice Sydra. I didn't know that." Said brother was gripping on his arm.
"I'm going to put you in a wheel like Ixion if you don't shut the fuck up." Sephyros however, did not share the happiness. as they made their way home. The fae led it, Fiadh couldn't look away, the brothers braid was something. It was not as if his hair was long, in that sense he was used to. It was more of a rat's tail or a mullet.

"Clearly he cuts his own hair." Sydra whispers into his ear noticing the glances he gave Sephyros, before bursting out into giggles. He laughed along. But pats the younger, shaking his head. "I think it's nice, actually. It suits him." He complimented the fae who was not paying attention, more interested in looking around for animals.
Who seemingly all vanished. It was funny to think that they sensed Sephyros or something.
before looking at Sydra, he looked more neat. Since Leona paid attention to him the most. His hair was always decorated in feathers or some sort with twine if not hair clips. His hair had fire, he did not know how this was possible but he did not dare question it. But it was dim. So his hair underneath was somewhat visible. Same curls Solis had.
Hmm, it seems like it was Sephyros who did not inherit the curly hair gene. His hair was more wavy, and no evident curl.
Genuinely, why was he paying so much attention to this? He felt like a weirdo for starting to analyze the smallest of things.
Distracting himself from the possibility of Sephyros randomly jumping him I guess.

"We're back." The fae snaps him out of it. Even Sydra was looking at him questioningly. A tug on his sleep, searching for an answer. Fiadh had to think of one quick before Sydra found it suspicious. "It's getting colder." He utters, that was so stupid...obviously! It was nearing Fall, stupid Fiadh. Sephyros just maintains eye contact with him without a word. Like he was memorizing his soul, it was such an uncomfortable feeling so he looked away. Just for Sydra to do the same! But at least the look he had was softer. Like he was actually trying to understand the bullshit Fiadh was spitting out of his mouth.

They bump into Solis who looked unimpressed, standing on the porch.
"I was about to look for you guys." The oldest said, descending the stairs to observe. They're all alive. Good. His emerald eyes trail down towards Fiadh's arm, a trickle of blood rolling down his arm.
"You might want to get that sorted out." He inched near, grabbing him and heading back towards the house, not giving him a chance to speak out.
Sephyros and Sydra in tow. The wind chime that decorated their door echoed to let the owner knew the kids were home.
"Nevermind! They're back!" Solis calls out to their mother, who took a look. He looked unamused upon saying the injury Fiadh had, but didn't say anything.
"Hi!" Sydra cheers, making his way to the kitchen to leech off their mother as usual.
"Where were you three?" He hands Sydra the apron which he quickly hangs on the wall.
"We were in the forest, and we decided to play a game because it was so boring and then when it was Fiadh's turn-"

Everyone in the living room tuned out Sydra's voice. Solis watched Fiadh handle the injury himself, after insisting. He shoots Sephyros a glare. Even if he was not there to witness he knew where this came from. Fiadh was not a clumsy boy.
The horned brother just rolled his eyes and sank further into the seat.
He made no move to approach his mother. No attention will be going his way as long as Sydra's in the area, or as long as Solis' stupidly serene face was seen.
"Clean it up" Solis placed his hand on the Brunette shoulder who gave him a quick nod. Striding his way to the bathroom, he waited for the lock to click before his full attention went to Sephyros.
"Sephyros." He starts, his hands resting on the coffee table in between them. Leaning forward so the younger can do nothing but connect with him.
Sephyros' eyes were heavy, as usual. He always had that look of evil deep in his eyes. Solis noticed it from a young age. He watched his brother's eyes flicker between him and behind him. Where Sydra and their mother stood.

"What did I tell you about doing random shit to Fiadh just because you feel like it?" He scolds quietly. To which Sephyros groaned, sitting up straighter to match his brother's tone.
"It was a fucking accident." He hissed back, hands slamming into the table with more force than expected. their eyes met, identical but showed different emotions reflecting their personalities. One calm and the other in a flickering flame of anger, adamant that he did nothing wrong.
"Listen, I don't know what fuck you're throwing a tantrum about these past few days. But mom is going to catch up with the way you're doing shit." Shot back the older, he just wanted to make sure his siblings weren't digging their own graves, like he always did. That was basically his job and his purpose of living at this point.

"I'm just saying." He said, sighing knowing nothing will go through him.
"And I did nothing wrong! Fiadh just tripped, he's not invincible. And it was Sydra's idea to play it in the first place." He explains, he was a scolding away from raising his voice.
"But you used it to take advantage, to harm Fiadh." The blonde leans back, knowing damn well it was true. A brow raised and eyes still locked on him. He was confident, that it pissed Sephyros off.
"Fuck you." He shoves the coffee table enough to make a horrible noise as it scratched against the wooden floor.

"Sephyros?" Leona raised a brow at the sudden aggression his son was emiting. The ravenette didn't even grace him with an answer. He didn't want to start a fight with him mom, knowing how quick the both of them get mad at each other.

The door slamming left them in an awkward situation, even Sydra calmed down from his ramblings. Both looking at the oldest brother in confusion.
Solis offered a smile, hiding his own irritation.
"He's been throwing a fit more lately hm?" He laughed out loud. "Dear Sephyros just got mad I was scolding him about bears." He finished, Leona opened his mouth to say something about how it was not something Sephyros would throw a fit over.
But Sydra beats him to it.
"Oh yeah! He wanted to find one earlier, when we were playing!" He happily says, adding more random things that did not connect into the conversation. Solis just nodded at his mother, wanting him to acknowledge Sydra's confirmation.
"Alright...tell him to fix himself up."
"Will do mother."

 

Don't play with me Sephyros I'm not in the mood.

Chapter Text

The feather soft kisses peppering his face should've done more than enough to calm him down.
This week has been hellish and long.
The hyena could barely spend alone time with his wife. Though the Al-Asim family events or a school function their kids have. Oh, sevens. It was endless.
But something else bothered him.
Maia. it had been weeks but he couldn't forget about his eldest being teased about a mysterious crush. Call him protective but he damn well wants to know who this man is.
Maybe rough him up a little, to show that hurting Maia had consequences.

He probably looked crazy, burning holes into their poor wall.

"What's wrong, habibi?" Kalim removed the glasses resting on his husband's face. Both were finally in bed, lingering in the silence and the soft essence of incense, sandalwood passes through his nostrils along with the soft citrusy scent of Kalim's hair.
"Nothing." Ruggie mutters, not wanting to dwell on such matters. Knowing his wife, who will brush it off. Talking about young love just like theirs.

 

If Kalim only knew.
That Leona had to pull shit behind the scenes because they wanted to execute Ruggie for apparently "hexing" the beloved heir.
Tough times.

But guess who won?
Him.
He has a crazy amount of children now.
Eleven. well, soon to be twelve. Yes, yes, he knows. Blessed man he was.

Placing a soft kiss on top of the others head who only lets out a gentle hum of content.
"You seem so out of it tonight." Kalim let's him on the observing, actually this past week if he wasn't lying. Feeling the others hand caress through his hair with such tenderness it was almost possible to ignore his eyes. Garnet locking with blue gray ones.

Kalim frowns, over the years he'd notice his husband's eyes get harder and harder. Oh how he missed the mischievous glint that used to shine off of them...He tried asking him about it, he did! But every time he was waved off. Like whatever Ruggie was going through was something only he should face...Oh how Kalim hated it!
But, you know him. He wanted to keep it peaceful. Especially with their kids.
Ruggie had been starting to lose his temper more quickly, and focused much more on Maia. Being more strict on the poor teenager who just wanted to live life, it reminded him terribly of his father. Who was exactly like this with him.

He didn't know what to say. He was taught not to say anything since childhood.
'respect your husband' was etched into his mind as a kid, not only by his mother but also his father's other wives.

"It's getting late. Go to bed." Ruggie told him, placing the book he was holding back to the nightstand before turning off the lamp beside their bed, like it was basically an order, to which Kalim can't deny since he was tired. All these back to back outings and conferences did a number of him. He even thinks he's starting to look more dull. Work was draining his color.

"Goodnight." Sharing a kiss before silence engulfed the room again. The smaller made himself comfortable, engulfing Ruggie's personal space to dfit off.

Kalim fell asleep fast. It was one thing Ruggie knew, so in mere minutes the soft snores of the other filled the air.
He knows he should drift to sleep too, since they basically shared a schedule now as his husband.
But for some reason he can't.

He stares at the ceiling. A frown etched deep into his face.

Leona.

It's been months since they talked. Close to a year actually, and three years since their last phone calls.
The dry texts they kept sending each other was mildy irritating for the younger hyena who just wanted to know about the lion and the boys' well beings.

He hasn't seen them since they were young.
They probably don't even remember him.
But he hopes that Sephyros at least knows that he's the one who taught him how to hunt.

Was it weird that he was the so-called "hiker" that Leona said Sephyros would talk about during his younger years?
Probably.
Sneaking off to "go to grandma" was an excuse Kalim used to hear all the time.
And luckily the white haired younger was... Dumb enough not to question it.
But he was actually just going to shaft lands to see Leona. Ruggie genuinely cannot believe this fever dream Leona was living.
But it wasn't his life so who was he to judge it?
He'd sometimes stay over. But those were when they were so young they probably haven't developed consciousness yet.

Hey. He was not cheating on Kalim. Sevens he loved his wife. But kalim was such a loudmouth it would all be exposed. And Ruggie spent too much of his life repaying and caring about Leona for it to be outed by his idiotic wife.
The red eyed still had contact with the three fathers, as he did with their classmates from the NRC days.
Especially Vil.

Fuck, that makes him shiver.
He sees that man once a month, not even in a film or any piece of media.
Like actually in person. He could wake up one day and his wife would be all like "Hey I invited Vil for tea haha!" Or some shit.
And that man was famous! He was one of the most famous actors in the world, he did finally gain that since Neige would gently retreat from the spotlight after getting married and pregnant, cute whatever. The point was, that man definitely had better things to do than linger in their house like some higher presence.

The fuckass blonde was also looking at him too intently everytime too, while sipping his tea, like he had an ability to read Ruggie's mind and would telepathically say 'Iknow you know where my son is' any moment. It just made the hyena grunt everytime and sink into his seat as the house would get louder and louder, he just wanted to avoid this. Unfortunately both his wife and kids were fans.

 

The door creaked open.
Ruggie raised a brow at the sudden noise. Who could possibly be entering their room at this time of night.
He recognized the white hair.

"Maia?" He calls out gruffly, but his tone shows confusion. Said teenager almost screamed, realizing he was awake.

Both father and child looked at each other awkwardly.
Waiting for each other to speak.

Their eyes are identical blue, one cold gazes into the opposing nervous pair whose dart around the room, anywhere but meeting his.

"Haha! I thought I forgot something here..." Maia said, his voice small in fear of his father. The cold air blew through the many open windows their mother insisted they had.
"And what is that exactly?" The father pried himself off Kalim's hold to sit up. Facing his kid directly, a brow raised questioningly at what he could possibly forget in his parents bedroom. Where none of the kids were even allowed.
"I don't know." The white haired teen said, turning pink in embarrassment.
"Go to sleep." Ordered the hyena, making the younger nod profusely.
"Yes, baba." Then he dashed out of the room like his life depended on it.

His weird ass kids.

 

Nevertheless.
Does he need sleep? Absolutely.
There was an event tomorrow, like all days. But instead he takes his phone from the nightstand.
What time was it in Shaftlands? Who in seven's knows.

He gets out of he'd and quietly steps into the balcony. The cold air makes his whole body rigid and shiver. Seven, he really should've put a shirt on.
But he ignores it as his feet makes contact with the cold tiled floor. And pacing around like a man with a mission.

He rings a number, one he hasn't called in years.
He should've hesitated more cause he pressed that number to quickly.
Praying to any present higher being that he didn't change his number.

A ring.
Thank the seven's.
Hopefully it's not one of the boys.
Another one.
Then another.
Is he gonna answer or not?

 

"Hello?" Ruggie physically breathes out a sigh of relief hearing the voice on the other end. The soft velvety voice he thinks about more likely than he wanted to. The person who basically built his life.
"Hey Leona." He replies, earning a confused sound from the lion.
"Why the hell are you calling? It's almost midnight."
Oh, so Shaftlands and Scalding sands did have a close time zone.
"I miss you." His voice goes quieter, a little ashamed to be even admitting this. Cause what the fuck was there even to miss? Leona almost killing him? Him doing everything for the lion?
"You miss me?" Asked the other like it was unbelievable, frankly. It kind of was? He was just the errand boy to a spoiled prince.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"I don't know. It's been so long since I've heard your voice." Three years. He focused on his family more. Though he last visited Leona more than a decade ago, only the calls stayed, then texts. Then nothing... until now.
"Did something happen?" The lion asked, his voice groggy, as if he was pulled away from sleep. Ruggie almost felt bad for waking him up.
"No."
"Then why?"
"I told you, I don't know."
"You're so weird. How are you and your little wife?"
"Good. We have twelve kids."
"What the fuck?"
Alright. That made the blonde chuckle, Leona was so astonished he cussed out.
"Yeah. He's pregnant." He shrugged it off, as he heard Leona laugh from the other end. The airy laugh he was so used to hearing during their High school days. When Leona was actively being held back. A smile curls up his lips.
"Can't keep it in your pants or what? What do you need twelve damn kids for?"
"Eh."
"The fuck you mean "Eh"? Ruggie." Why was Leona so surprised? Kalim had triple the amount of siblings...but at the same time his father had three wives.
"Yo, shut up. We're pushing 40."
"Exactly!"

 

Ruggie doesn't mention a visit.
He can never do that again. The boys were already nearing adulthood. They were not some small children he could talk to and spend time with anymore.
As they don't even remember him he bets.

"The boys?" He asks, after some time of nothing. He looked up at the sky, the moon was full. They used to joke that Jack would howl up there, it was crazy to think that was 20 years ago.
How fast time flies.
"They're something." Leona said, his tone becoming more tender as his sons were mentioned.
"How detailed." The blonde couldn't help but deadpan, decades and Leona still hasn't changed.
"Thanks."
"..."
"..."
"They're well put together. Like a group of parasites." Leona finally said, it was a peculiar explanation but it was a thousand times better than 'they're something.'
"I see. Well I hope they don't stress you out too much, boss." He says it, his last title, which he followed the ex prince with everywhere, from the errands just to simple classes, how he missed the way that word rolled off his tongue effortlessly
"Oh stop, look who's richer now."
"I'm nothing without you."

 

...

 

"Stop it."
"Yeah, my bad."
"I'll keep in touch, go to sleep." And with that Leona hangs up. It was hella rude but to say Ruggie was content was an understatement.
He finally heard his voice again, got a small update even if it was riddlish in nature.

It didn't last though since he was faced with Kalim, upon entering the room again.
Sevens! His heart almost leaped out of his body seeing him sitting up on the bed confused.
"Who was that?" The other softly asks, not even fully conscious. But wanting answers.
Which Ruggie will not provide.
"No one." He mutters placing the phone back on the nightstand and forcing Kalim to lay back down.
Ruggie feels somewhat terrible for shrugging off Kalim so much nowadays but this shit was genuinely getting to him.
Thankfully, he just hums and goes back to sleep.

 

He should too actually.
The lamp stays off for good this time.

 

────ʚ ♡ ɞ────

 

Leona sets his phone down.

What the hell was that?

Ruggie missed him?
Seven's that man had a family. Twelve kids?! Pervert.
What was he doing thinking about him, at midnight too mind you all.

 

But he couldn't help but laugh. This hyena boy he remembers was still the same. Or at least he hoped so.
He was irritated that he was awoken from his sleep, the one time he decided to get to bed early this happened.

 

He thinks as he breathes in, looking outside into the full moon. He remembers a joke they had about that, he laughs to himself softly.
He can't lie though. He felt a little happy Ruggie still cared about him, even after all the shit he made the poor guy go through.
A care even his own family didn't give him since he was born. When he left, it was relatively easy.

 

He didn't care about them save for Ruggie and Cheka but they were both stable enough.

"I'm a terrible person." He laughs to himself. Even from the people who loved him he ran away, but listen. Vil, Malleus and Idia? He believed they loved him, every hushed whisper or adoration and gestures of devotion, in the end it was all for nothing.
It was kind of his fault from jumping from one guy to another. He admits, will he blame it for the neglect he experienced during childhood? Sure. But he's long past that state. Lingering on the past is so embarrassing and cliche now. he should just think of what to cook tomorrow.

He hated those three. It wouldn't change anymore.