𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐇

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𝙰𝙿𝙿𝚁𝙾𝚇𝙸𝙼𝙰𝚃𝙴𝙻𝚈 𝚃𝚆𝙴𝙻𝚅𝙴 𝚈𝙴𝙰𝚁𝚂 𝙰𝙶𝙾...

"Stay by my side, Vincent. Do as i say, when i say," says the authoritative voice of fifteen year old Zephaniah.

The two brothers trudge along the cobblestone pathway, having exited the run-down corner shop.

Across the road, a park can be seen. A ridged roundabout and some rusty, old swings are just about all it has to offer.

Vinnie observes his two older brothers, Xavi and Wyatt, as they push two of the three triplets in said swing-set. His eyes then travel to his three year old sister, who is held in the arms of Yakov.

She notices Vinnie staring at her and then glances at Zephaniah, who pays her no mind. She shyly cowers away and redirects her attention back to her twin brothers, clapping her hands and wiggling her little feet in excitement when she hears the sound of their childish laughter.

Vinnie feels as if he's missing out on all the fun, having been tasked to get the groceries alongside his eldest brother.

Zephaniah is his usual, moody self and displays this when he clips Vinnie on the back of his head for daydreaming.

After that, Vinnie forces himself to look away from his siblings, skipping to catch up with his brother's mammoth-like strides.

"You know my name's not Vincent, Zephaniah. Why must you call me that? I like my name but Wyatt said it sounds girly. I don't think it's girly; i think it's awesome. I told him his name was boring. I'm lucky because—"

The nine year old pauses mid-sentence, becoming distracted by a misshapen cloud.

One of the reasons his older brothers don't allow him to drink energy drinks is because he has an attention span that could rival their baby siblings'.

"I despise your name," Zephaniah retorts.

"I think Teddy's a funny name. If i named him, i would've called him Thor. Thor is my absolute favourite avenger, by the way! What will you name your son, Zeph?" he continues to pester the disinterested boy.

"Certainly not Thor. Not that i'm ever going to have a child."

"You don't know that!" Vinnie exclaims. "You could have a child one day, when you're big enough to. Wyatt told me that when you turn sixteen, you can have children. You'll be sixteen in November, so then you can."

"There's a big difference between casual sex and having sex to have children, Vincent. Big difference."

"How do you know anything about sex?"

Zephaniah releases an exasperated sigh.

After walking a few miles more, the pair come to a halt. In front of them, a bald, bulky man exits a convenience store, a plastic bag filled to the brim in his hands. The bell sounds as he bids farewell to the shopkeeper, nodding his head at the young boys as he walks past them.

Zephaniah glances at his clothes, and then his little brother's. Vinnie wears an oversized trench coat, some sneakers, and a pair of sweatpants; all hand-me-downs. Zephaniah wears shoes that are a size too small for him with holes in the sole, a Green Day t-shirt, and some faded jeans, but no jacket since he gave the one on his back to Xavi earlier on.

"Come on, Vincent. It's showtime."

Zephaniah gives his brother no time to respond, rushing him into the store.