Gracious

Part 4 - Chapter 41

A/N - got kicked out of the club last night #heartbroken 💔

*Zane is 25 in this part*

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"Happy birthday to you!", the grin on my face was so wide it made my cheeks hurt, the non-stop cheers filling the room as Xavier and Alexander blew out the candles on their individual cakes. The former's was covered in light blue frosting, ice hockey themed fondant shapes all over it, and the latter's was completely black, an edible cigarette sticking out of the top.

Their differences were showing now more than ever.

"Give a speech!", Caleb yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth for added effect, Theo nodded beside him in agreement.

"Thank you to everyone for coming to see the royalty that is me", Xavier held the...knife he was due to cut his cake with as a microphone, dangerously close to his face, "Xan's here too, but he's a miserable piece of shit". He was smiling as he said that, even going so far to pull his twin into a headlock and laugh; Alexander was not sharing the sentiment.

"Do we get a speech from you too?", Prescott squeezed Alexander's shoulder, receiving a light scoff in reply.

"Nope", he declined, taking a step back, "I'm going out".

Of course he was.

He spent more time out of the house, driving around in his car, doing who knows what nowadays. I wouldn't say our relationship was strained, I still saw glimpses of the kind-hearted boy we all knew and loved frequently, but he felt distant recently.

"Leaving me to fend for myself?", Xavier gasped, amusement written all over his face, "have fun". He wiggled his eyebrows at his twin who pressed his lips into a thin line, sending me a quick nod before leaving the room.

"Care to enlighten me?", I raised an eyebrow at my freshly seventeen-year old brother as he lowered his knife into his cake, cutting a slice that looked more like a quarter.

"Nope", he flashed me a smile and I rolled my eyes, "Rory, you can share this slice virtually with Chase". He reached over and handed the wedge of cake to our brother's girlfriend who, despite Chase being away at college, had turned up to see the twins regardless.

"This looks like a brick Xav", her eyes widened as she pointed her camera at it, "look at what your brother's given me Chase".

"It's for the two of us", came the nineteen year old's reply which made me chuckle, Prescott slipping out of the room catching my eye briefly.

"You're so old", Caleb ruffled Xavier's hair, turning my attention back to them, "I remember when you were like, this height".

"Well, look at me now", he made a point by flexing his muscles, everyone in his vicinity rolling their eyes, "other twins, you want some?".

"Fuck yeah", Elijah stepped forwards while Ezekiel shrunk back, moving closer to Marco who slipped his car keys into the sixteen year old's hand; I watched him leave the room with narrowed eyes, eventually dragging them over to my oldest cousin.

"Where's he gone?", I tipped my chin towards the doorway, watching his jaw clench slightly, so much so you would've missed it if you didn't know Marco inside out like I did.

"To the bathroom", he pocketed his hands and pinned me with an emotionless stare.

"I didn't know we were using vehicles to piss in now", I raised an eyebrow and his nostrils flared, a silent tell that I was pissing him off.

"You worry about your brothers, I'll worry about mine", he muttered, moving into the living room; I'd never seen him get so defensive so quickly like that.