Gracious

Chapter 7

A/N - I'm about to become a uni dropout at this rate😍😍

TW - this chapter contains scenes some may find upsetting ❤️

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"This feels like when I get pulled into the office at school", I frowned midway through raising my fork to my mouth and eyed the twins, "are we in trouble?".

"Do they usually give you pancakes in the office?", I waved a hand around the pancake place that the pair of them had an obsession with, "you're not in trouble".

I watched their shoulders fall, and Alexander reluctantly picked up his fork, prodding at his maple and bacon stack; Xavier had already dove into his monstrosity. Marshmallows, syrup, chocolate sauce, gummy bears, Oreos- I was gonna have a blast trying to get him to go to bed later.

"So why are we here?", Alexander asked, levelling me with a face set like concrete. I couldn't tell you the last time I saw him properly smile.

"I can't take the two of you out without getting quizzed?", I raised an eyebrow, sipping my vanilla milkshake, "fine, I'll tell you why we're here- you two are a mess". Xavier choked, slapping his chest and gazing at our brother expectantly, Alexander just folded his arms and kept his gaze on me.

"If we're a mess, then so are you", he had the audacity to drag me into this, "you're the one being forced to look after all of us".

"I'm not being forced to do shit", I snapped, losing my cool, "I could easily send you-,". I stopped myself, wincing when I saw their wide eyes and apologising instantly.

"So uh...why are we here?", Xavier asked quietly after a moment of silence, a moment of his twin and I holding intense eye contact over the table.

"You two are fighting constantly, and I'm sick of it, our brothers are sick of it- even the teachers in school are sick of it", I leaned forwards and dropped my fork, intertwining my hands and resting my chin on them, "why?".

"He's just everywhere, talking, humming, whistling, doing something", Alexander jumped at the opportunity to rip his twin to shreds, "it's too much".

"Well I'm sorry that I can't help it!", Xavier exclaimed, causing a few heads to turn towards us, "at least you can help your anger, but you're always shouting or frowning or hitting someone!".

"Okay, take it down a notch", I muttered, flickering my gaze over to my youngest brother who's eyes were burning holes into the table, "Alexander?".

"I can't help it", he said quietly, "you think I wanna be angry like this? I can't help it and nobody listens".

"Maybe because you don't say anything", Xavier stabbed his pancake and shoved way too much into his mouth, "you speak with your fists".

"You're disgusting", Alexander grimaced at him speaking with his mouth full.

"Tell me something you haven't already", he rolled his eyes and wiped his mouth with a napkin, "you always make Zane mad- even on Izzy's birthday you made him shut himself upstairs".

"Xavier", he shut up, finding sudden interest in his pistachio ice cream shake, straw in his mouth and gaze travelling around the place.

"Everyone hates me, I get it", Alexander muttered, standing up and seemingly going to leave, not until I reached over and grabbed his wrist, halting him in his tracks.

"Did I say we were done here?", I stared at him, daring him to defy me right now. I may have had the patience of a saint with them but it was wearing thinner and thinner; and it was only October 8th, I hadn't even had them under my permanent care for two months yet.