While Bryan is judging us for potentially kidnapping a random kid in the streets, James and I share a glance. The stiff smile on his lips tells me he's leaving it up to me. Bryan is my brother, so he's my problem. Just like Jonathan is his patriarch and his problem.
Fine, sure. Why not. It wouldn't be the first lie I've told my brother, but don't blame me later if you don't like it.
"What's with that look?" I roll my eyes. "Do you believe we picked up a random kid on a random street and forcibly adopted him or something?"
Bryan responds by arching an eyebrow, still sizing us up with suspicion. Thanks to that poker face of his, I can't tell if he's being serious or not. So, I gotta elaborate. Just in case.
"...Jonathan is James's relative. His parents asked us to babysit him for the day, and y'know…?" I sigh, eying the two little gremlins and praying they won't say something they shouldn't. Please, kids, keep behaving. "Anyway, long story short, the children kinda took a liking to him, and whenever these two like someone, they tend to, well, drag them into the family tree."
"Huh-uh."
Gosh, I hate it when he pulls that deadpan look. He might be my twin, but I sure as hell can't read him. His poker face reveals nothing when he doesn't want to show his emotions or thoughts, just like our father's.
To make matters worse, he's human, not an otherworldly being, so I can't get any clue whatsoever about what's going through his head. The shadows of supernatural beings' true forms tend to betray them, but humans don't have that. I can't cheat with my peers.
I'm left in the dark, and that's annoying.
"Dad, Dad!" Ellena tugs on my sleeve, and I lower my eyes to meet hers. Her smile is full of expectation. "Can I give dad-but-not-dad his gift?"
"Before that, how about calling him by his proper name? "Dad-but-not-dad" is not how you should address him." I feel my mouth twitch. Don't you dare pout, kid. "Or at the very least, call him uncle…!"
Bryan raises both eyebrows this time, but wisely decides not to interrupt us. He has always been good at avoiding sticky situations.
"But he's dad-but-not-dad!"
Girl, we already had that conversation at home!
"Ellena…" I gently call, but the smile doesn't reach my eyes, and the corners of her lips pull down a little more. I swear, this brat!
And then, there's a faint chuckle, and my body stiffens. I feel like my ears got prickled, 'cause darn, Bryan just laughed.
My brother laughed.
"Anyway!" James cuts the discussion short, snapping me out of my daze. "How about moving to the side if you want to give Bryan your gift? We're in the middle of the alley. Not the best place to talk, I'd say."
Thanks for the distraction, pal. Ellena has forgotten about the "dad-but-not-dad" bit, and she instead drags us away from the crowd.
We make our way to the resting area near the ice castle. There are ice sculptures everywhere, sparkling under the sunlight. It ranges from animals to people and objects. I don't think this year's competition has a particular theme, so it's all over the place. It's pretty, though.
"That's for you, Dad-but-erm, I mean, Uncle!"
You're a good boy, Elois. Good, good, boy.
Now… Please, bro, grow some tact and don't say anything hurtful, even if you don't like the gift. I throw him a pleading gaze, but he blatantly ignores me. His attention is focused on the kids leaning against his wheelchair, invading his personal space.
They're staring at him with a burning gaze.
My brother narrows his eyes at Elois for a second, then shifts his attention to the wrapped box the boy is offering him. Ellena is bouncing beside her brother, gripping the armrest of the wheelchair to keep her balance. She's a little too excited, I dare say.
Seconds pass, and Bryan opens the box. My anxiety rises as he discards the lid. I know he's not the biggest fan of jewelry or bracelets—it gets in the way, according to him. I just hope he won't show a single hint of distaste and keep his brutal honesty to himself for once.
A frown creases his brow as he stares at the bracelet. He keeps quiet. The longer the silence stretches, the more nervous I get.
Dang it,kids! Why did you have to be so adamant about that darn bracelet…? Well, no, actually, I can see why; this thing is beautiful. Intricate Celtic carvings adorn the edges, and the leather is of a deep-brown color. If anything, it'd suit my brother well. So, please, Bryan, for the love of god, don't you dare—
"A bracelet…?" My brother finally mutters something, peering at me. Dude, even if you look at me with a questioning look, the bracelet won't suddenly vanish and turn into something else.
But before I can say anything, the kids giggle.
"Yes, a bracelet just like ours!" Elois nods vigorously, pulling up the sleeves of his coat and his shirt underneath to show off his bracelet to Bryan—his sister imitates him, too. The bracelets aren't mirroring each other perfectly, but they're a matching set, and it's obviously filling Elois and Ellena with pride.
"Well," Bryan forces a smile, "thank you. The bracelets are pretty."
Holy cow, my brother is actually being tactful!
"Put it on, put it on!" Ellena demands.
Bryan obeys without a word of protest—no, but seriously, who the fuck is this man? What have you done to my brother?
I'm still in the midst of questioning life when James nudges me. Only then do I realize Bryan is struggling to wrap the bracelet on his wrist. The straps to tie it are a pain to handle with one hand, and it's going to take him forever without someone's help.
So, I step forward.
"Let me do it…?"
His movement halts for a second.
Another second passes before Bryan stretches his hand toward me, the bracelet hanging on his wrist. Wait. The guy is not even wearing proper gloves! They're so thin that he might as well have worn nothing. It makes me frown, but I refrain from commenting and instead remove my own gloves, so I can tie the bracelet around his wrist.
Well, this is awkward. My fingers tremble under the cold air, and it takes me a little too long to tie the darn thing.
"Do you have one, too?" Bryan asks, lifting his eyes to look at my face. I refuse to meet his gaze and concentrate on the tiny cords. They're no better than threads. "A bracelet, I mean. Do you also have one?"
Bro, there's no need to reiterate the question. I heard it the first time. It's just embarrassing as hell to say yes. But I know him. When he wants to know something, he won't let it go, so better answer him and get this over with.
"Yeah, I do." I offer a faint chuckle. It sounds like a scoff to my ears, though. "I have one, my husband, too. Oh, and James and Jonathan as well."
"Mom has one, too!" Elois chimes in. "We chose one for everyone in the family!"
"It's like a family crest!" Ellena chirps, joy sparkling in her hazel eyes. "It's telling everyone we belong to the same household!"
Girl, that's not how it works—and doesn't your family already have an official crest? Prominent demon houses usually have one, and I doubt Jordan's is any different.
There's a proverbial headache pounding at my temples, and I pinch the bridge of my nose.
So, that's why they wanted these matching bracelets, enough to throw a tantrum and roll on the floor at the shopping mall. These brats want the world to know that we belong to the same "family" and are related in one way or another.
I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Are they being possessive, or are they insecure? The question pops into my mind, and discomfort twists my belly. Could these two, who are always oozing confidence, be insecure deep down? I don't know. Maybe I should ask Jordan later.
"Well," Bryan's smile cracks a little, "that's an interesting idea, for sure."
No, you don't say!