Arundel Castle - Gentle Parenting || Bae

Thursday, June 8, 1922
Adira's Room
12:30 PM

"Evander Harrison, so help me if you don't let me love you, you're going to turn up missing!"

Her threats were wasted on the overly rambunctious toddler. It didn't matter how much she furrowed her brows or puffed her cheeks. Those only seemed to entertain him. Rae stomped across the room with Adira on her hip, trying to finally grab hold of the boy so she could have a pair of cuddles. Real babies were better than dolls, and Ruth Anaya was having the time of her life babysitting for the afternoon. But that joy could go so much further if Evander didn't manage to convince himself they were playing a game of 'keep away'.

"A little help here?" she complained, lolling her head in her boyfriend's direction when Evander took off clear across the room giggling again.

THEY were meant to be babysitting, playing their part in maintaining order in the castle while she was there. Benji was about as helpful as he'd been with the dolls. Thankfully, he understood that these were real and that some effort would be needed.

For all the good it had done them.

If she didn't know any better, she'd think the boy was doing everything he could to distance himself from the image of childcare. It was as if he didn't believe her when she assured him she wasn't trying to become a mother. She was sure that, in his mind, he'd managed to convince himself that the moment he played along, she would be pawing at his clothes, insisting they could work things out.

She wouldn't. She was a new girl. Changed by circumstances. Rae had learned to keep her hands to herself and her expectations non-existent.

Some of that required pouring her energy into other things, like wrangling toddlers that would be needing a bath soon now that lunch was over. Rae was perfectly occupied and hadn't forgotten the 'warning' she'd received at the end of the school year.

Subtle as her father was, he'd thrown away all illusions of diplomacy in his owl. She'd be spending two weeks at the castle, and in that time, he expected her to remain "unencumbered". When he picked her up at the docks on the 17th of June, he expected her womb to remain empty and her body untouched. As if she'd needed him rubbing salt in wounds that had only recently stopped being raw.

Roger Burke could mind his business. He and his family had already done enough.

"Just five minutes, Evander. Come to Rae. I've got...I've got...candy!" She did not. "Benji has candy, and he'll let you have some if you come and give me and Adi the biggest hug in the universe."

It was time for Cuddrun to become a true magician and magic up some from where he could. She had a toddler to woo.

Benji had never been the type of bloke to loathe little kids.

Plenty of his friends did. Boys his age - and younger and older - typically weren't interested in the antics of little ones and showed absolutely no will to babysit for their own siblings or otherwise. He, on the other hand, had always loved being a big brother. From the time Kate had entered the world when he was five, he'd taken on the role in earnest, never regretting a second that he sacrificed time being a kid or spending it with his friends to care for her.

Now, he had four younger siblings - thanks to Maddox's and Julia's inability to keep their hands to themselves - one of which was tearing across Adira's ridiculously large bedroom with glee.

"Evander Harrison, so help me if you don't let me love you, you're going to turn up missing!"

Benji grinned as he tucked his arms behind his head, his belly full from the lunch they'd just finished, happy to take a nap right here on the floor. His little step-brother belly-laughed as he dodged and weaved around the room, remaining out of reach of the girl that was determined to cuddle both toddlers at once.

How he and Rae had gotten roped into watching both Adira and Evander was a mystery, but he had an inkling it had to do with the fact that Rae was relentless when it came to 'playing house'. She'd taken on those dolls Blackwood had assigned with a disturbing zeal. And while she assured him she was no longer in the market for a fetus, Benji wasn't exactly convinced.

Not while she actively fell in love in real time with the two toddlers.

"A little help here?"

His grin widened. Why help, when this was so entertaining?

"Ooof!" he exclaimed as Evander launched himself canon-ball style right into Benji's stomach and proceeded to bounce in anticipation for another chase. The wind properly knocked out of him, Benji blinked and sat up, sending his little brother rolling off and across the floor.

Adira's little fingers played in Rae's curls, twisting lightly and giggling every time they sprang forth from her grasp. She paid little mind to her comrade who continued to evade Rae at every turn, until the promise of candy was exuded and she immediately snapped her attention to Evander.

"Evander!" the little three year old's voice shouted across the room as she squirmed against Rae's grasp to be let down. "Stop it! Miss Rae has CANDY!" Apparently, Adi wasn't going to allow Evander to ruin the opportunity.

"Benji has candy, and he'll let you have some if you come and give me and Adi the biggest hug in the universe."

How did he get roped into this?

He did have candy. Not candy he'd planned to share with little goblins.

Evander skidded to a stop, eyeing Benji suspiciously while the boy sighed and dug into his pockets. "You owe me a box of Fizzing Whizbees," he muttered, producing the little orange box of fizzy chocolates and dumped a few into his palm.

"What do you say Ev? Give the lady a hug for a treat?"

Adira was a gem.

The sweet girl was bossy as all get out and had the makings of a proper tyrant someday. It always amused Rae when she took charge in her very 'little miss' way, but she had an uphill battle when it came to one Evander Barlowe. Everyone did. That boy was harder to keep hold of than a firedrake on caffeine and more slippery than an eel who spent an entire week in slime. Try as her little hip companion did to get him to settle for the promise of candy, the toddler was busy accosting her boyfriend.

Good. Honestly. Someone had to force him into the fold since her passive requests and occasional pouts did nothing. She loved Benji, but he could be the absolute worst when it came to indulging her. Other boys pampered their girlfriends and let them get away with blue murder. He wouldn't even tell her flattering white lies to improve her mood – and he certainly never lay with her, entertaining wild plans for the future. Always too busy reminding her of her age.

Jerk.

"You owe me a box of Fizzing Whizbees."

"Add it to my tab." The one that only ever stacked higher while the girl had no intention of ever repaying – not now when all mutually acceptable methods of repayment were off the table. At that point, debt became more profitable.

Just like that, the candy was produced, and Evander came barrelling toward her. Rae crouched to reach him, scooping him onto her other hip before smooshing her cheek into his.

"That wasn't so hard now, was it?" she asked. "You love cuddling with me and Adi."

He was already wiggling to break free.

Definitely Benji's brother; blood wasn't necessary. Her boyfriend had only recently decided that cuddling with her wasn't the worst thing in the world. Before then, he'd always thought she was 'too clingy'. Tsk. Boys never understood good things until they were gone. Someday, she bet Evander would love cuddles from the bright-eyed girl, and Rae hoped that when that day came, she would snub him so hard that hell freezing over would still feel warmer to him.

She barely got a minute out of him before he was back on his feet and bouncing before Benji with chants of "candy, candy, candy!"

Rae walked over to them with a heavy sigh. "Just let him have it. I'll get my cuddles from Adi. Right, sweet thing?" she asked, squishing the little girl. "We don't need dumb boys anyway."

She looked down at the bouncing toddler. "You fit right in with your sex, Evander Harrison." Hall of Fame even.

"You wanna take them outside for a bit? Get them to burn off some energy before their nap? You play with them in the grass, and I'll lie on a blanket watching you while pretending it's real." She reached a hand out to fix the colour of his shirt. "Make sure you smile; make it very convincing. I wanna practically be able to see the receding hairline on you, got it?"

There was nothing better than a game of make-believe while watching three-year-olds.

He would add it to her ever-growing tab of things she owed him, and he'd be incessant in his reminders too. He had no illusions he'd ever get his candy - or otherwise - back, but it was the principle of the matter. He hadn't spent his own hard-earned money on chocolate just to have to relinquish it to his little hellion of a brother and the tiny banshee that was currently plucking Rae's curls, but here they were.

Benji wasn't too pressed. But he liked playing the part for Rae's benefit.

"A real Romeo," Benji grinned as Evander came hopping for his reward. The hug had lasted a millisecond before it was over, and the boy mused he'd really never seen Evander cuddle anyone long aside from his dad and mum.

Trouble that kid would be someday. He'd make Benji proud.

Bees snatched from his outstretched palm, Benji groaned and climbed to his feet, grinning at his girlfriend as he offered one to Adira. "Sure you do, Adi. Boys bring you chocolate and smiles." He popped another between Rae's lips before she could protest. As much as Rae liked to say she didn't need him, Benji remembered good and well who had pursued who, and he would never not be smug about it. He planted a kiss on his girlfriend's forehead before giving her a wink.

Adira paid them no mind, too busy trying to understand the strange popping that was happening in her mouth.

"You wanna take them outside for a bit? Get them to burn off some energy before their nap? You play with them in the grass, and I'll lie on a blanket watching you while pretending it's real."

They could do that. Benji was itching for some fresh air. It wasn't that Adira's room was uncomfortable, but with a small tornado like Evander tearing through it and Adi's yelling, it was definitely getting a little stuffy. He swatted her hand away gently as he reached down and took Evander by the arm.

"My hairline is immaculate, thank you." Benji swung the small boy by the arm, and plopped him up on his shoulders to give him the best view. Now that he stood nearly six feet tall, the two easily towered over the girls. "Envy's not a good look, Elliot. It's not my fault I was blessed with perfect physical genetics." Mental and emotional were certainly lacking, but she hadn't insulted his mental stability.

"Bet they can't beat us out there, Ev. Girls are slow." Without waiting for his girlfriend's no doubt snarky response, Benji ran out the bedroom door with a squealing toddler on his shoulders, bounding for the terrace that would lead them out into the gardens.

"Sure you do, Adi. Boys bring you chocolate and smiles."

Her lips parted, ready with a rebuttal to end the nonsense he was trying to teach to Adi when she found her mouth occupied with candy. She could protest anyway. Merlin knew that whether her mouth was full or empty, Ruth Anaya was always willing and able to give a piece of her mind to one Benji Henry. But it was such a nice day, and whether he wanted to admit it or not, they were doing so well at playing family that, for that brief moment, she allowed herself to be placated by his offering and the kiss atop her forehead.

See? She could play nice – until she swallowed.

"Ignore the smiles; keep the chocolates, Adira. You make sure they only get you the best kind, the sort men went to war for and can't afford anymore."

The little girl knew nothing of war and didn't seem to be paying them any mind anyway, but it still felt worth saying. Having a tornado like Evander around could only spell trouble, and the little girl was already so pretty that it became easy to imagine boys fawning over her someday. She would have to use it to her advantage, become a man-eater, as it were. Settling for just anything wouldn't do, in the same way taking 'no' for an answer simply wasn't in the cards.

If Rae had given up the first hundred times Benji had rejected her, where would they be now? Fucking other people probably, and she couldn't very well have that.

"My hairline is immaculate, thank you. Envy's not a good look, Elliot. It's not my fault I was blessed with perfect physical genetics."

Raw tutted at him as she gently eased Adira's little hand away when she tugged too hard at a curl. "All dad's have fading hairlines eventually, Benji. It's just something you'll have to get used to. If you start early, maybe it wouldn't be so hard convincing you to relinquish some of your DNA. You'll no longer have anything to lose."

And then he was off.

Just like that. Benji scooped up Evander, made a jab about girls being slow, then bolted from the room like he heard there was a second serving of spaghetti back in the dining room.

She rolled her eyes.

"Boys are the slow ones, Adi. They don't do much thinking. Come on, sweet thing, we'll show them how slow we are." By taking a little detour over to Benji's room. If he had candy on him, there was every chance that there was more in his room. Becoming as frequent a guest within the castle as she was, Rae happened to know where that was, and – bless – he'd even cleaned it. Just the day before she'd been on him about his socks and his disparaging comments of her being his mother.

She reached for the wooden box atop his dresser, pleased by her find. "Let boys think they're winning Adira. More rewards for you." She pried the lid open and allowed the girl to choose while her gaze drifted to a second box, a red one. Huh. Indulgent as her boyfriend could be, she didn't think he'd have a whole second stash—and who hid them in plain sight right next to each other? It was like he'd wanted her and Adi to help themselves.

Rae flipped the lid open and...

Oh?

Well now, never a dull moment, was there?

Satisfied with her haul, Rae exited out into the gardens after cutting through the library. Adira had a pair of ice mice gripped in one tiny hand and a red box tucked precariously under her outer arm. A rather familiar-looking red box. Rae clutched for herself a pair of cauldron cakes. In her mouth hung a liquorice wand, a taste that had admittedly grown on her thanks to a certain Hufflepuff.

As they approached the boys, she set the toddler onto her feet.

Rae said nothing when she got to them, only smiled.

Rae thought she was so funny, didn't she? As the boy jogged out of the room with Evander on his shoulders, he gave a dismissive wave, one that indicated he couldn't hear her further denigrations of his hair line, nor her request that he relinquish his DNA sooner than later.

He wouldn't. And she wasn't doing herself any favors with that whole 'I didn't really want a baby' load of crap.

Outside, the boy held snugly to his little brother's legs as he spun them. "Arms out Ev!" he called as he spun faster, the younger one squealing and hollering as loud as Benji was. Over the years, he and Rae had babysat Adi and Evander a few times - usually when Rosalie (and Cassian when he couldn't get out of it) wasn't available and it was an emergency. Recently, Claire had become more regular amongst the group of toddlers that were getting more and more rambunctious as the days went on, but Aunt Amelia preferred keeping her daughter with her as much as possible.

For...whatever reason. Benji didn't care. One less baby for him to chase after.

As the dizziness took hold, Benji plopped himself into the grass, tossing Evander up and over his shoulders before he hit the ground. He caught the boy and grinned widely. "Don't you listen to a thing that Rae says," he lectured as Evander's smile mirrored his own, "Girls are nuts, and not worth half the trouble they - "

He stopped, looking around, realizing that his girlfriend and Adi hadn't joined them yet. Huh. It wasn't like his girlfriend didn't know how to find her way outside. It was literally right out the door. She saw him go...

Ah, there she was. With...what was that?

Benji sat up, dropping Evander down into the grass as Adira rushed over, a red box tucked underneath her arm. Rae was smiling, candy hanging out of her mouth and -

Oh. Oh shit.

Was that his red box?! "Heeeey, Adi," Benji said, sitting up on his knees and beckoning the little girl towards him. "Where...uh...where did you get that? Can Benny see that please?" Adira stopped, her little face crumpling in suspicion, wanting to keep the box for herself. She glanced over her shoulder at Rae for her direction.

Benji didn't follow the little girl's gaze, not wanting to have to decipher what sort of trouble he was in for.

Absolutely not.

The moment Benji enquired about the box, Rae took Adira by the shoulder and pulled her close to her. His reaction was enough. Her boyfriend knew the jig was up, and if he thought avoiding the storm would be as simple as taking the box from the three-year-old, he was mistaken. The time to hide his crimes and get away with them was over. The only thing left was the confrontation.

Reaching down, she eased the box out of Adi's arm before giving the girl a gentle nudge in Evander's direction.

"Share your ice mice with Ev. Make sure he doesn't eat it all. Here, take this." She dropped one of the cauldron cakes in the little girl's hand to soften the blow of having to share her bounty. "This one you don't have to share. It's all Adi's." Rae offered the girl a sweet smile, patting her gently on the butt to get moving. When there was no longer a small child acting as a tiny barrier between her and the dead-boy-walking, she cleared her throat and waited for him to meet her gaze.

"Benji, I'm about two seconds from screaming so loud I'll scare the children and burst your eardrums. I suggest you start talking things that make some lick of sense before then." Her tone was deceptively calm, a warning that she didn't want to hear deflection or denials. They were beyond that, too. Benji knew damn well Rae wouldn't have walked all the way out there without having taken a peak inside a box she'd never seen before. How else would she have known what value hid inside?

It was quite the find.

Last year, when Cassian had nearly offed himself, Rosie had told her what the boys were up to. She'd screamed her lungs raw trying to make Benji understand he wasn't allowed to die and that he needed to leave all this shit alone. Didn't he understand the health risks? Did he even care? How long did he think his 'perfect genes' would keep him above the consequences of his actions? The boy could lose his teeth, his hair, his mind, his life – the list was truly never-ending. There were so many things that could go wrong, but that wasn't enough for the idiot.

"I don't know what's worse, the shit you're putting in your body or the note you decided to keep from Melanie." A third year. She was now competing with third years.

Benji couldn't prevent people passing him notes. K E E P I N G one? That was a choice, the wrong choice, and they were going to talk about it.

Rae fished the note from her pocket, having removed it in case the boy had tried to grab the box and run.

This time, she cleared her throat more forcefully.

"'I've admired you for the longest while. You're smile warms my insides.' Didn't know you'd become a fucking oven, Cuddrun," she said, shooting him a pointed look before dark eyes sank to the unfolded parchment again. "'I lose my mind every time you're near me'," Rae paused, tutting. "Dangerous boy, you are. A menace to the female population apparently. 'I know you've already got a girlfriend; everyone knows that'. Do you, Benji, do you know that? 'But I think you and I could have something special. She doesn't have to know'. Ahhh, sneaky sneaky. Brave girl. I'd never think she had it in her. Anywho, 'meet me by the Whomping Willow this evening, 7:30PM'." Rae refolded the note then shifted to look at him again.

"Benji, where were you at 7:30 on..." she paused to check the paper. "November 12, 1921?"

Benji was going to die.

He supposed he should have accepted his fate much sooner, but the boy had convinced himself he'd outsmarted his early demise somehow. He'd gotten comfortable, convinced the invincibility he'd procured in his early years had endured through all the shit he'd experienced, and now nothing was ahead but sunny days and enjoyment of life's little pleasures.

He was wrong.

He'd underestimated the lengths his girlfriend was willing to go to see him to his grave. She and Ren had dug several for him over the years and held just as many funerals. Some with poems, some without, none of which he'd had to actually commit his earthly form to.

This was it. The time when he'd have to acquiesce that a long, happy, peaceful life just wasn't in the cards for him. The fates had already decided, and they were cutting his cord.

"Benji, I'm about two seconds from screaming so loud I'll scare the children and burst your eardrums. I suggest you start talking things that make some lick of sense before then."

Adi waddled off, content with her treats and not at all concerned for the murder that was about to take place in these very gardens.

Benji's mouth went dry, making it impossible for him to find words. Water. He needed water. There was a fountain nearby, not one anyone should drink from but -

"I don't know what's worse, the shit you're putting in your body or the note you decided to keep from Melanie."

Melanie? Melanie who? Benji didn't know what the fuck she was talking about, but all he could remember tossing in that box were her potions, a couple cigs and a note...

Oh shit. That Melanie.

It had been innocent, really! She'd passed him the note during Charms one afternoon, and he'd completely forgotten to look at it. It had sat in his coat pocket for a month or so until he'd gotten home for Christmas vacation. When he'd finally looked at it, he'd grinned and tossed it into the box, never thinking another thing about it. He had been more interested in the potion he was drinking at the time and....

"It's not what you think!" he managed, but she was already on a tangent.

"'I've admired you for the longest while. You're smile warms my insides.' Didn't know you'd become a fucking oven, Cuddrun."

It was never a good sign when she called him 'Cuddrun'.

Benji swallowed hard.

"'I lose my mind every time you're near me'. Dangerous boy, you are. A menace to the female population apparently."

He wasn't though! Hadn't been in a couple years and -

"'I know you've already got a girlfriend; everyone knows that'. Do you, Benji, do you know that?"

He did, very well thank you, and he was terrified of her.

"'But I think you and I could have something special. She doesn't have to know'. Ahhh, sneaky sneaky. Brave girl. I'd never think she had it in her. Anywho, 'meet me by the Whomping Willow this evening, 7:30PM'."

He breathed a heavy sigh before groaning and running his hand over his face. He knew there was nothing he could say - nothing he could do that would calm her down now. There was the note, from a third year he had zero interest in, but there were also the things she'd screamed at him over. The things Cassian had fucked up with, not him!

God rest his soul, Cassian had fucked things up for Benji too in that area.

At least the boy would get to see his old friend soon. Maybe the other side, Heaven, whatever it was called, wouldn't be lonely.

"Benji, where were you at 7:30 on...November 12, 1921?

"I don't know!" he said shrugging, his palms splayed out on either side of him. "I can't even remember what I did last week, Rae." He paused. "N-not because of the stuff in there," he said carefully, indicating to the red box. "I don't even use that...but not much...not really...not at all I mean. Not at all. It's just leftovers I forgot about."

He was panicking.

Panicking was never good.

"And...I don't really even know Melanie. She's just some girl. You know? Not like you. You're..." he pulled for a nervous grin, "pretty. And kind. And forgiving. And the love of my life. Definitely not like...Melanie."

This was bad.

"It's not what you think!"

"It's not what I think? IT'S NOT WHAT I THINK??"

Was that really his best defence? Doing this shit as long as he had, so many girls trying to worm their way in like their relationship was some revolving door with a sign out front saying 'Try me', trying things he shouldn’t be ingesting and...that was all he could say? The usual then. She was overreacting. She was being crazy, blowing everything out of proportion, making mountains out of molehills. Rae was so used to the narrative that she could recite it in her sleep. Whenever something came up – no matter what that something was, Benji was always quick to make her believe that all she had to do was calm down and the offence would magically disappear.

To add insult to injury, the boy had the nerve to groan and pull at his face as if he had any right to be exasperated. As if she hadn't caught him red-handed (literally, almost), and the evidence of his crimes wasn’t now resting between them.

The more she read, the angrier she got until Rae became very certain she might hit him. They'd agreed she wouldn't anymore and, with the odd exception, she was getting better at it, but by the time Benji told her that he didn't know where he'd been on the night he was asked to meet this girl, she was seeing red. How couldn't he definitively say that he wasn't under the Whomping Willow with Melanie, plotting some future with a million babies and no her?

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW, BENJI?"" She challenged, barely managing to keep her voice from turning into a full, high pitched, end of the world approaching scream?

Was she loud?

Not nearly as loud as she was about to be if he didn't start saying things that could matter.

"N-not because of the stuff in there,I don't even use that...but not much...not really...not at all I mean. Not at all. It's just leftovers I forgot about."

The...the stuff in there?

It brought forth a second anger, one that had been kept away by the note but now resurfaced at his own mention of the potential link between his memory and the shit in the box. Benji protested too much, and she wasn't having it.

"THEY DON'T LOOK LIKE LEFTOVERS!"

Julia had spent a lot of time teaching them about the correct methods of bottling and storing potions as well as how to tell whether they were still relatively fresh or needed to be thrown out. How long could they have been forgotten if they were still in good condition? "You think I'm a fucking idiot, don't you? DON'T YOU?" she asked, reaching out to shove hard at his chest. "You wanna die and want me to pretend it's all okay. You wanna leave me here, off to the afterlife. Did you and Melanie plan that? Got mansions side by side in the Lord's house? What the fuck, Benji?" She shoved him AGAIN, this time, letting the box fall in the grass so she could use both hands.

You're...pretty. And kind. And forgiving. And the love of my life. Definitely not like...Melanie."

Rae blinked at him, realizing for the first time since she’d started her assault…that Benji…probably was trying to die.

“You want me hitting, don’t you?”

This was all a game and he was oh so amused.

This was not going well.

Aside from being called 'Cuddrun', Benji could pick up on every last warning sign that signified his end was near. From the way her brown eyes flashed, to the way her cheeks grew a little pinker...and the yelling. The yelling was never great. It wasn't that Benji was afraid of Rae's volume, and he had met it plenty of times with his own, but it was the accusations within them and the rage that told him she wouldn't be easily pacified.

"It's not what I think? IT'S NOT WHAT I THINK??"

"I mean...it's not." What was he supposed to do? Cop to something he wasn't doing?! The boy hadn't messed around with Melanie and after he'd forgotten about her note she'd never attempted to talk to him again. Come to think of it, it was probably that he'd left her at the willow without any sort of rejection, but he hadn't read the paper until a month later!

If Melanie had really been persistent, he guessed she would have confronted him.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW, BENJI?"

Good lord. Her voice was nearly screeching, the two toddlers looking on curiously as they munched on their cauldron cakes with wide eyes. Maddox and Aunt Edith likely wouldn't appreciate the scene his volatile girlfriend was making in front of their children, but there was nothing at this point that Benji was willing to risk to get her to shut up.

This would just have to run its course.

"THEY DON'T LOOK LIKE LEFTOVERS!"

Well...

In his defense, he had brewed them months ago. He'd stored them away for when he was home and just hadn't had the opportunity - or want - to take them yet. He was saving them. For what, he wasn't sure but he'd know when the time came. He wasn't overdoing it. A sip here or there and he was fine. This wasn't like his drinking. She was making a mountain out of a molehill.

The shove came hard, and Benji gritted his teeth, his jaw tightening as he stumbled back.

"You wanna die and want me to pretend it's all okay. You wanna leave me here, off to the afterlife. Did you and Melanie plan that? Got mansions side by side in the Lord's house? What the fuck, Benji?"

Fucking McCormick.

Benji cursed the day Cassian had gone too far and nearly taken himself out. He cursed the next several days when Rosalie found out about everything and decided to go nuclear on him and all his ancestors over it. He missed his friends, but fuck if they hadn't put insane ideas in his girlfriend's head about his own mortality.

Another shove, this time with both hands and he knew what was coming next.

“You want me hitting, don’t you?”

Nope. It was pretty much the last thing he wanted, right before being dumped. "You could try," he said, tilting his head slightly at his tiny, short girlfriend who'd probably have to jump to reach his face anyway.

He knew that there would be no rational conversation about this until she calmed down, and with two little ones looking on, there was only one thing he could think to do to make it happen.

Of course it could make everything worse.

Only one way to find out.

Benji bolted, racing across the grass of the gardens and away from his homicidal girlfriend.

He...ran...

That fucking piece of shit.

There she was, trying to make sure he understood how upset and worried she was about him after the stash she'd found – and how incredibly angry she was about the note from Melanie – and he... ran. Rae didn't chase at first. Couldn't. Her mind struggled to make sense of the fact that he was there one minute, then bolting across the grass in the other. Benji was the one who insisted they talk. Always whining and moaning about how things would never work if she didn't tell him what she was thinking and didn't allow him to know when she was upset.

She was very upset, and she was trying to let him know while he was trying to break the national record for cross-country running.

How would things ever get better? How would he ever be able to lecture her for keeping things to herself and bottling up when the alternative was him abandoning her there to her volatile feelings while she tried to make sense of them?

Unacceptable.

They would be talking about this. Benji couldn't run forever. Sooner or later, fatigue or circumstances outside of his control would force him to stop, and when that happened, she would be right there on his heels.

Without wasting another moment, Rae took off after him. The girl's mind was beyond any thoughts of the toddlers she was leaving behind. Evander and Adira were peripheral at best, fading into the background of the rage that continued to rise as it hit her that Benji really was choosing to do this the hard way.

"GET BACK HERE, CUDDRUN!" Rae screamed, light on her feet without shoes hindering her. The wind clawed at her hair, yanking and tugging against it as she propelled herself through the garden in pursuit of the chronically emotionally constipated boy who always preferred to run from his problems. For a boy who liked using his fists and tackling things, he became awfully fleet-footed when words were the combat style being chosen.

She wouldn't have hit him – maybe. What was a little yelling when he'd realise how much she loved him and only wanted the best for him, and how deeply she couldn't stand the thought of losing him, even to little girls who stood no chance?

This didn't have to end this way, but Benji had chosen violence.

"BENJI! DAMMIT, BENJI, I KNOW YOU HEAR ME. STOP RIGHT NOW!"

She was closing the distance, but not enough. Ultimately, her boyfriend with his longer legs was faster, and nothing could aggravate her more in the moment.

"YOU'RE ONLY MAKING THIS WORSE FOR YOURSELF! SURRENDER IF YOU PLAN TO HAVE ANY MERCY!"

It was his final warning. She could only be so forgiving.

"GET BACK HERE, CUDDRUN!"

He'd be a fool to stop now. Benji's feet carried him across the grounds, no thought in his head for the two toddlers that were still tucking into their treats. It never occurred to the boy during his escape that both of them leaving the little ones behind was probably a poor idea, but survival was currently his only concern.

"BENJI! DAMMIT, BENJI, I KNOW YOU HEAR ME. STOP RIGHT NOW!"

He heard her. He glanced over his shoulder at her, his grin growing wide to see her gaining on him. Her pretty curls flew in chaotic whirls behind her as she raced after him. Wild untamed rage flashed in her eyes, but it only made his heart thump a little harder.

Did she know how cute she was when she was like this.

Focus, Cuddrun Laurence, he told himself. She was trying to kill him. This was no time for a fluttering of hearts.

He was coming close to the tree line; the same one they'd flown through with Noir last summer and had nearly been decapitated by a branch. He skidded to the left, dodging as she reached for him, before taking off again back towards the meadow.

Benji knew they probably did need to talk, but he hoped that when he did, she'd be so fatigued and out of breath that she wouldn't have the strength to yell or hit him. The less yelling, the less likely they'd draw attention from adults, and he really didn't feel like explaining his red box to them too.

"YOU'RE ONLY MAKING THIS WORSE FOR YOURSELF! SURRENDER IF YOU PLAN TO HAVE ANY MERCY!"

Benji never surrendered, and he certainly wouldn't now. He sprinted, forcing himself to keep up his momentum, but when he looked back again, he stumbled, tripping over his own feet. He flew forward, tumbling into the grass where rolled a few times before coming to a stop on his side.

His eyes widened as she got closer and he scurried onto his back, moving away as quickly as he could.

"OKAY LISTEN!" he shouted. He needed to talk quickly. "I - I haven't taken any potions in a long time! Honest! I just kept them. I don't know why! Well, I do know why, but I haven't taken them! And I just forgot about that note, honestly! I never met up with her at the willow because I didn't even read it until a month later - well, no that's not the reason I didn't meet up with her, I wouldn't have anyway but..."

Shit.

If you asked Rae about Evander and Adira, her honest reply would be 'Who?'.

Toddlers? She'd never heard of them. The angry girl was focused on her boyfriend and that cheeky grin of his. This was all a joke to him. Have his girlfriend chase him across the grounds, get his blood pumping; never consider the depth of the grave she would dig when she finally caught up to him. But she would. If not now, then later. She still had over a week left at the castle and knew where he slept. She knew where he took his showers, where he ate, and where he met with his uncle for important meetings.

There was no escape, only delaying the inevitable.

She was getting closer, likely a function of her boyfriend getting careless and complacent – looking back at her like evading her was so effortless – and it had slowed his gait. Her fingertips brushed against the flowing fabric of his shirt as they approached the trees, but he was quick on his feet.

With a pivot, Benji propelled himself in the opposite direction. It was difficult skidding to such a sharp stop-pivot of her own, costing her a few metres, but Merlin had chosen to smile down on her.

He fell.

Good.

"OKAY LISTEN!"

She wouldn't.

Rae lunged at him as he turned onto his back, straddling the boy in the grass while her hands flailed at him. The rage within her had expanded. It was no longer just the note or even the potions, but having been made to run. Her hair was likely a mess now, messy curls falling all over her. Worse? She'd broken into a bit of a sweat from the summer heat. Having her sprinting across the grounds like some wild stallion – what did he take her for? Benji lifted his hands in defence, deflecting most, if not all, of her slaps, but the adrenaline coursing through her kept her in motion.

"I - I haven't taken any potions in a long time! Honest! I just kept them. I don't know why! Well, I do know why, but I haven't taken them! And I just forgot about that note, honestly!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE THEM BUT DON'T KNOW WHY BUT DO?? DO YOU TAKE ME FOR AN IDIOT??"

"I never met up with her at the willow because I didn't even read it until a month later - well, no that's not the reason I didn't meet up with her, I wouldn't have anyway but..."

Her hands grew sharper in their aggression, shoving at him to get his hands out of the way so she could slap him properly. Unfortunately, her anger was no match for his strength – ruddy morning exercises; he needed to cancel those – and it made her job of getting across her frustrations much harder.

"So what? You'd have gone sooner if you'd seen the note? You'd have met her under the moonlight? Fucked her under the swinging branches – GIMME ALL YOUR POTIONS!"

Not just what she'd found in the box, but anything else he had.

"Get up!" she screamed while making no moves to get off him so that he could. "Get up! We're going to your room, and you're emptying all your drawers! You will NOT destroy yourself!"

Rae tried grabbing at his hair, trying to hold him still.

"YOU WON'T END UP DEAD LIKE CASSIAN! YOU WON'T LEAVE ME!" And the sooner he got that through his thick skull, the sooner they could move on. "STOP FIGHTING ME; I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE I LOVE YOU. LET ME LOVE YOU AND KEEP YOU SAFE!"

Since he clearly couldn't on his own.

Hmph.

Before Benji could raise his knees to launch her, she jumped on him, straddling him while she flailed wildly. Her palms slapped his cheeks, the side of his head and shoulders before he got enough sense to put his own up in defense. "Knock it off!" he protested, knowing good and well he probably deserved every one of them.

Benji wasn't stupid. He knew good and well what he was planning for those potions. He had just been comfortable enough to think his girlfriend would mind her own business and stay out of his private, personal belongings! Not that he could say that now. It'd only serve to piss her off more, and he didn't fancy slaps becoming punches.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE THEM BUT DON'T KNOW WHY BUT DO?? DO YOU TAKE ME FOR AN IDIOT??"

He'd be a fool to answer that. Of course he didn't, but he really didn't want to try to keep explaining when he wasn't doing a very good job in the first place. Instead, he focused on dodging her slaps, pushing her hands away as fast as she brough them down on him.

Merlin, she was getting strong.

It was kind of hot.

"So what? You'd have gone sooner if you'd seen the note? You'd have met her under the moonlight? Fucked her under the swinging branches – GIMME ALL YOUR POTIONS!"

"Are you insane?!" he finally answered, his eyebrows crinkling at the unappreciated accusation. "I already said I wouldn't have met with her at all! How would I have done anything with her BY NOT GOING TO SEE HER?!" His voice raised as loud as hers now as she screamed at him to get up but didn't allow him to and then took hold of his hair.

"Ow - what the fuck - "

She pinned him to the ground, her fingers wound tightly in his sandy waves. The boy grimaced in pain, knowing he should have thrown her off when he had the chance.

"YOU WON'T END UP DEAD LIKE CASSIAN! YOU WON'T LEAVE ME! STOP FIGHTING ME; I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE I LOVE YOU. LET ME LOVE YOU AND KEEP YOU SAFE!"

"I'M FINE!" he shouted, his hands grabbing hold of her wrists and yanking her hands from his hair, taking a few strands with her. Bloody Merlin. The girl would be the death of him before any potions would be. Fast as lightning, he vaulted, taking her with him and pinning her beneath him as he slammed her wrists into the grass and hovered over her.

"Listen," he said breathlessly, ignoring the sudden pain that took hold of his head. "I'm not gonna end up like Cassian," he said, God rest his friend's soul, "Cassian was..." He paused, feeling something strange come over him, "...stupid about it. He took way more than he knew he could handle. I never take more than a sip at a time. And like I said," he let her go and sat back in the grass.

"I haven't taken any in months."

The boy became more subdued for a moment. "If you want to go through everything, then fine. I'll take you up there myself." He would, and earnestly show her where his stashes were. Did he want to? No. But if he hadn't taken any, then he shouldn't need them anymore anyway. His therapist was...helping as much as Benji hated to admit it, and he was finding new ways to cope.

"I'm sorry," he said finally, "You don't have to believe me, but I really haven't taken any. And I don't like any girls but you." He thought to add a snarky comment at the end but thought better of it.

"Don't be mad?" he smiled sheepishly, and nudged her with his foot.

"Knock it off!"

"Don't tell me to knock it off when you know good and well what you did!" she screamed back. Of course, she should knock it off. Of course, she shouldn't have pounced on him, landing blow after blow with the feral energy of a wild animal – they'd talked about this after all – but sometimes...sometimes Benji just...made her so upset...that all she could do was release the little gremlin that took up residence inside her.

Potions. Potions. With everything they knew. With how often Rae had tried to explain how thoroughly he was fucking up his own body. "Later," he liked to say. "I'll give you a family someday." Sometimes even, "We'll have plenty of babies when the time's right." It was a clever ruse by the boy who clearly had no intention of remaining alive long enough to be anyone's husband or father. Tell her what she wanted. Bide the time. Smile and crack insufferable jokes, use physical force when none of it worked, then wait for certain death.

Just the thought was enough to rile her up again, making it nigh on impossible for her to, as he said, 'knock it off'.

She wasn't nearly done.

"Are you insane?!"

"YOU ALREADY KNOW I AM, B E N J I!" He really did, but he played around anyway. "You know that I'll lose my shit," she continued, tugging violently against the hold he had on her wrists. "Get off me! Let me go!" It was too late. Out of nowhere, the lush grass switched places with the sky as the world spun itself upside down. Benji had her firmly pinned, a point she grudgingly realised. Try as she did, she couldn't lift her arms even a centimetre off the ground. It was a losing battle against his weight that bore down strategically and the force he exerted to keep her there.

"I'm not gonna end up like Cassian...Cassian was...stupid about it. He took way more than he knew he could handle. I never take more than a sip at a time."

How was he not getting it...?

"You shouldn't be sipping anything!"

She'd have said more – worse, sharper – but then Benji shifted. The defence he'd put up was laid down, and she could almost see the boy slump into something less combative. It pacified her own fire just enough for her to stop fighting, and in that space, she was more willing to listen. Rae's muscles melted with his apology, her limbs going limp in the grass.

"Fine," she conceded. "Fine. Take me to your room. Show me every inch of it. No bluffing. No cover ups." If he wanted her to believe him, then she wanted an honest showing. If she could see it for herself, she'd willingly drop the matter.

Rae ignored the way his leg nudged hers, knowing she needed to stand on business for a while longer. He wasn't about to flash her some stupid grin and have her surrendering her own smile to him. This was serious.

She moved her hands to his chest, nudging against him in indication that she wanted him to get off her.

"Let's go."

There were many things he knew about his girlfriend.

He knew she was prone to fly off the handle at the slightest grievance. He knew that despite his request, she was a hitter and wouldn't hold back if she felt offended enough. He knew that she was incredibly possessive of his attention and affections and lashed out if he felt threatened. He knew, just like she proclaimed to the entire estate, that she was insane.

Certifiably, probably, but Roger Burke hadn't seen fit to have her committed just yet.

Perhaps that would happen in the coming years, and then Benji would be tasked with breaking her out. If he wasn't dead by then. The boy didn't really plan to live past the age of twenty-five. Not because he was taking himself out, but because blokes like him typically didn't and he had a knack for finding trouble without trying.

In any case, if she wanted out of the nuthouse, she'd better get committed no later than twenty-three or so.

They were running out of time.

"You shouldn't be sipping anything!"

Well....

He didn't really have an answer for that, so he chose to pretend he didn't hear it.

"Fine."

Fine? The boy watched her with hesitation. While his own defeat was palpable and he was earnest in his offer, he wasn't quite convinced she was done with her own fury.

"Fine. Take me to your room. Show me every inch of it. No bluffing. No cover ups."

He let her push him off and he climbed to his feet, taking her by the hand and helping her to hers. "Promise," he said with a nod, lacing his fingers with her. "No bluffing."

Trust had to start somewhere, he supposed.

The toddlers they were meant to be watching were the furthest from his mind.

---

"That's both stashes," he said letting her take the three vials he'd had stashed in the back of his closet within the pockets of his now-too-small Quidditch robes. "I swear there aren't anymore, but if you need to tear apart the whole room, go for it." He didn't keep his potions anywhere except his room, lest Kate or one of the little ones find it and get into it.

Considering they never came in here, he figured they were good. Rae had certainly turned that theory upside down.

His voice remained calm, without the hint of his usual attitude or cheek. He wanted her to know he was being honest and that he didn't have a problem with her going through anything she wanted. Did he want her throwing away his stuff? No, but he also didn't want her running to his mum or thinking he was some kind of junkie when he wasn't.

He liked when she said she was proud of him...and he wanted to feel honest when his heart surged at the sentiment.

Potions - like alcohol - helped ease his mind when nothing else did, but he was finding less and less need for them these days. And if he really was going to stay clean, like he'd promised his mum he would, then not having access to all that stuff was probably the better option.

He sat himself on the edge of his bed, watching her for a moment. "When we get back to school I'll show you the stash I have on the roof...and the one at the Quidditch pitch." He dropped his eyes from her, choosing instead to look out the window. It wasn't shame that came over him per say. Benji knew good and well who he was and he really had never made an effort to hide it. His girlfriend knew as well as he did what his vices were, but it was time for the boy to grow the fuck up.

He wouldn't be a dumb kid much longer.

He turned his eyes back to her. "After you get me my box of Fizzing Whizz - OH SHIT!"

The boy launched himself off the bed and raced for the door. The babies. They'd forgotten about the babies.

"Ev and Adi! Shit Rae! Shiiiiit."

Fuck the room upending. She could do it after they made sure the little ones hadn't wandered off into the woods by themselves.

"I swear there aren't anymore, but if you need to tear apart the whole room, go for it."

She did, actually.

Rae mentally mapped the room, choosing all the places of interest to her. The girl would never have thought to check inside the robes of a uniform Benji hadn't worn in ages, and it opened up the possibility of many other places where little 'forgotten' vials could be hiding. Under his bed would be next. His pillows, the other side of his window, further inside the closet – all his drawers would be emptied, every single one of them. Oh! His hamper. One never knew when drugs could be hiding among dirty soc—

"When we get back to school I'll show you the stash I have on the roof...and the one at the Quidditch pitch."

She turned to look at him as if he'd grown a second head. Time itself froze, the world around her growing quiet.

The roof...?

The...quidditch pitch???

"Dammit, Benji! All the times you told me you were 'just hanging out'!" she said, reaching out to shove him as she'd done back out on the grounds. "You told me you were just clearing your head!" She shoved him AGAIN. "What the fuck, you idiot?"

Ruth Anaya could admit that she was...at times...a clingy girlfriend. It wasn't something she could help. Benji was her favourite person in the castle. He was her best friend, the absolute love of her young life, even when he liked to pretend all that sentiment was too mushy for him. He made her laugh, and when her mood was down, he had the highest chance of bringing it back up. It had taken her some time to accept that he wanted and needed to hang around other people...without her and even longer to accept that he needed his own business.

She got business for herself, plenty of business. She stopped grilling him when he said he was slipping off to the roof or headed to the pitch for practice. In many ways, the young girl was learning to find peace in letting go.

Then she dropped the hammer, and it felt like everything snapped tightly shut all over again. How stupid she'd been to let him out of her sight—especially during times when she knew he wasn't alright.

Rae wasn't an idiot; she knew his vices still plagued him and that he was in a constant fight with himself, but she thought he'd been winning! Instead, he was telling small lies, knowing she wouldn't follow up, and it had worked.

"After you get me my box of Fizzing Whizz - OH SHIT!"

He...had the gall to bring up candy...after dropping such a heavy bomb....

Where was he going? If Benji thought he was gonna run away agai—

"Ev and Adi! Shit Rae! Shiiiiit."

Who?

It took an extra moment for her brain to come down from its new rage enough for her to understand the words coming out of his mouth, and when they did, they hit like a truck. Her own eyes widened with realisation as she hurried to join him at the door.

"You're still in so much trouble," she said as she pushed by him to hurry back into the corridor. Later. When they grabbed the children and brought them back inside, there would be round 2. For now, all their focus needed to be on finding the pair before they could find trouble for themselves.

"Come on, we left them by the gardens."

If he wasn't so panicked at the idea that his little step-brother and cousin had somehow gotten themselves eaten by a passing creature and he'd have to answer to not just Maddox about it - but Edith, the human embodiment of harsh looks - he might have had the wherewithal to answer Rae.

He may have apologized again, sincerely. He may have insisted that he really had just been clearing his head, and that she really didn't need to worry about him. Therapy was helping, despite the fact that he'd tried his hardest not to let it, and he'd found healthier ways to deal with the bullshit that inevitably arose in the darker moments.

As it stood, her shoves and understandable accusations would have to wait until he ensured two toddlers weren't currently drowning in a pond.

The two of them raced down the hallway, Benji close behind her as they descended the enormous staircase and skidded around the corner down the long hallway that led out to the expansive gardens. He rushed ahead of his girlfriend, his eyes frantic as he searched the area where they had just been, neither three-year-old anywhere in sight.

FUCK.

They'd run off. "C'mon," he huffed, taking her by the hand and racing across the grounds towards the pond, praying to every god above that the two hadn't decided to go for a swim. Seeing an absence of little bodies floating in the water, he wasted no time, racing toward the tree line when a loud screech tore his attention back towards the meadow of wildflowers.

"Adira?" he called, trying to follow the sound of her wailing. "Ev? Where are you buddy?!" Between the trees and the castle, it sounded like the little girl's cries were coming from various directions.

"Shit," he muttered, looking to his girlfriend. She was...better at this whole mum thing than he was. "Do you see them?"

When Fidele had popped into her room that morning to let her know the responsible and well-meaning adults wanted her helping Benji with a spot of babysitting, Rae had been over the moon. It wasn't a secret that Rae loved babies and littles. Dolls, real children, Benji's younger sister who stared at her with the passion of a flobberworm – it didn't matter; she'd cuddle them all. None of them ever complained, not even flobberworm Kathryn. Stiff as a board though she was, the little girl had never insisted she let her go.

The day was already planned. They would take them for their meals; she would brush Adi's beautiful hair. They'd give them organised – sort of organised – play. She and Benji would be the picture of domestic bliss, and then when they returned them later in the evening, she'd watch her boyfriend's face contort with exasperation while they praised her for how great she was with children.

"You'll make a fine mother, Ruth."

"You've got such a way with children, Ruthie."

"We hope Benji realises what a gem he's got in you."

She'd grin like a Cheshire cat and relish every second of his discomfort.

None of that could happen if the children were DEAD, and, as it stood, there were far too many places that weren't safe for 3-year-olds who had a distinct lack of caution or sense of danger. Evander alone was a whole force. That little boy had sugar running through his veins and the misguided idea that babies lived forever, no matter what they threw themselves into. Adi was far more reasonable, but still only 3.

Rae let Benji tug her along, at a loss of where to even begin looking when returning to their original spot turned up neither.

The scream pierced through her panic, narrowing her field of vision and scrambling her thoughts. It wasn't the sound of toddlers having too much fun but raw terror from the mouth of a little girl in distress. Was she alone? Had they gotten separated?

When Benji looked at her, she knew it fell to her to figure it out. 'Shit' was an understatement, but screaming meant life. Wherever they were, at least one of them was still breathing.

She grabbed Benji by the wrist, yanking him along. "Adi said she likes the wildflowers, come on!"

It was a blind search, looking for small bodies against the backdrop of a wide expanse, but a sudden movement at the corner of her eyes had the girl whirling around.

"There!"

She saw Evander first. Throwing himself into the grass seconds before he let out a wail that made it very clear where he happened to be. Releasing Benji, she took off at a sprint, cutting through the shin-high grass toward the frightened children. Once they were in sight, Adira sprang forward, lunging at her with tiny trembling hands. Rae scooped her up immediately, hugging her tight while Adira poured out her fears in the form of tears. Evander was a little more composed or better at recovering anyway. The moment he saw them, his screams subsided, though he never got up from the grass.

"Are you two alright?" she asked, doing what she could to soothe the little girl with rocks and bounces. "You can't be running off on your own. Something worse could've happened." Securing Adira, she crouched by Evander. "Benji and I are sorry that we ran off and left you both. You must have been scared."

"I wasn't scared!" Evander declared.

She clamped a hand over his mouth.

"So terribly scared," Rae continued. "We promise not to leave you like that again, right, Benji?"

Benji, surprising to none, had not been as enthusiastic about being assigned babysitting duty as his girlfriend had been. As much as he loved kids - and was rather good with them - Benji could have named a hundred other ways he would have preferred to spend his Thursday. The sixteen-year-old was a boy like any other - he'd much prefer to be laying in the warm grass with his girl against his lips, her soft scent of sugar and candy filling his senses.

It was hard to do that with two pairs of eyes watching curiously.

Of course if they couldn't find those two pairs of eyes, he doubted he'd ever be allowed to snog Ruth ever again.

"Adi said she likes the wildflowers, come on!"

Thank Merlin for curly-haired baby-obsessed menaces. With a quick tug of his wrist, they were off, running across the meadow, searching for the little ones amongst the tall grass and flowers where he prayed the two would be. The screams led them onward, signaling that while they might be in danger or hurt, at least Adi was breathing and that meant Edith at least wouldn't join in on their execution.

Maddox on the other hand...

"There!"

"Oh thank fuck," he breathed, dropping his hands to his knees as he bent over in relief. He let his girlfriend rush forward, scooping up Adira in her arms as Evander sat wide-eyed in the grass, his screams instantly hushed at the sight of his sitters.

Gathering himself, he joined Rae, running his hand along Adi's back to try and help soothe. "You're alright, Adi girl," he said gently, but the little girl locked him with an angry pout and a 'hmph' that saw her pushing his hand away as she nestled deeper into Rae's neck. She wanted nothing to do with him.

"I see how it is," Benji grinned, "I don't blame you. She's much prettier than me."

"I wasn't scared!"

Despite the clamped hand over his mouth, Evander continued his protests before Benji scooped him up and tucked him back on his shoulders. "I know you weren't bud," he said, holding tight to the toddler as he spun them a couple times. "You did good! Protected Adi and everything. That's what boys are supposed to do."

He grinned at Rae, leaning in for a quick kiss while Adi let out a shriek of, "Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!" It was just the distraction he'd needed to get his girlfriend's mind off the stuff he didn't need her worrying about. In fact, it would be easy to say that Benji couldn't have planned such a distraction better if he tried.

"What do you think, pretty? Nap time for these two?" He raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes drifting down to her lips as his mind trailed back to the warm grass and the way sugar would envelope him. "I don't need sleep!" Evander declared, wiggling impatiently on his brother's shoulders for him to spin them again.

Either way, Benji thought, at least they wouldn't be talking about the problems he didn't have and that she didn't need to worry herself over.