Ashton leaned against the railing of the balcony, his cheeks hollowed as he took another drag. He had stolen the cigarettes from Jordan's room, hidden on a bookshelf behind his textbooks. He held the smoke for a few seconds, waited for the familiar burn in his lungs before blowing it out through his nose and parted lips.

"I thought you quit."

"Well you thought wrong," Ashton snorted, looking up at the moon. "I'll quit tomorrow."

Jordan stepped through the sliding doors and followed his brother's gaze. The warm weather had cleared the sky and the stars were finally peeking through. "How's your ankle?"

"It's fine. Just took a painkiller." Ashton flicked his cigarette, watching as the flakes rode a soft breeze in the air. "How is he?"

"I went to check on him but there was an ambulance on the driveway so I stayed in the car. They drove off forty minutes later without him so I'm guessing he's alive and well," he sighed.

"Good for him," was all Ashton could muster because unlike his father he was gonna be dead soon.

"You should probably steer clear for a few days." Jordan plucked the cigarette out of his brother's fingers and clamped his own lips around it. "And watch your back."

Ashton dropped his head forward; his shoulders lightly shook as he chuckled under his breath. "Oh man. I'm screwedddd," he dragged the word out.

"Don't worry about it. I got this." Jordan rubbed the back of his brother's neck, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'll talk to Colby. But let him simmer down first."

He laughed, Ashton couldn't help it. Something about the whole situation seemed funny to him. Ashton had tried hard, so fucking hard, to remain on his father's good side. The amount of insults and retorts he had swallowed down, the amount of times he had unclenched his balled-up fists. He'd dreamt about beating his father into an inch of his life, fantasized about it, even went as far as to picture every calculated move in his head – the outcome, the possible retaliations, the damage.

But he never did it.

Not because he gave a single shit about the consequences – at this point, Ashton didn't even care what happened to him anymore. Being kicked out? Fine. Get his ass kicked? Fine. Juvie? Fine. Foster care? Fine.

The only reason Ashton never acted out his 'plan' was because he didn't want to disappoint his siblings again. Letting his family down? Not fine.

Tristan had no idea how much damage he had done during those few minutes. Everything Ashton had worked hard for had all been for nothing. He'd have to start from zero again and somehow gain back his father's trust, or what little had been left of it. How was he ever going to face his father again? How could he ever sleep under the same roof again?

"Where have you been?" Jordan suddenly spoke.

Ashton had been so lost in his thoughts, he didn't even notice Tristan coming back in. He had left as soon as he dropped Ashton off at the apartment, ordering him to stay inside and lock the doors before leaving without an explanation.

Ashton followed Jordan back inside, into the kitchen. Tristan stood in front of the fridge, grabbing a beer. He had changed into a clean sweater before he had left but the blood embedded under his nails was still there.

He seemed cooled off and collected. His sandy blonde hair was a little messy and the collar of his jacket wasn't folded correctly – but other than that, Tristan looked composed as he casually took a sip from his beer.

He cocked a single eyebrow at his brothers scrutinizing him. "What?"

Jordan took a moment to observe him as he leaned against the counter. "What's gotten into you?"

Tristan kicked the door of the fridge shut with the back of his foot. "I know you're just jealous you didn't get the chance to do it instead."

"Tris," Jordan studied him closely. "Have you lost your mind?"

"You mean to tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing?" he scoffed, a bitter sound that matched the resentment brewing in his eyes.

"Absolutely not."

Ashton remained quiet as he stood in the doorframe, one foot on the balcony and the other in the kitchen. He fumbled with the ring on his thumb, hands already twitching for another cigarette.

"He had his hand on our brother's fucking throat," Tristan clenched his teeth. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"Anything but beat the man unconscious!" Jordan fired back.

"He had it coming, Jordan. We've warned him enough, that bastard needed to be put back in his place."

"And I agree," Jordan stated calmly. "But not like this."

"You're saying he didn't deserve it?" Tristan questioned with a challenging glare.

Jordan pointed a warning finger in his face. "Don't fucking twist my words. You know damn well how I feel about that son of a bitch. If anything, he deserves death for all I care. And the fact that you don't even get my point, proves to me that you were only thinking about yourself."

Tristan pushed himself forward and slammed his beer on the table at the accusation. "I was doing this for him!" He angrily gestured at Ashton.

Ashton straightened his spine, alert. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, his position guarded and ready to intervene. Not that he managed to do much to deescalate the fight previously that day but he could try.

Jordan slowly shook his head. "You really don't get it, do you?"

"What's there to get? He put his hands on Ashton and I warned him a million times before that he was gonna get it if I ever catch him do that again," Tristan reasoned, frustratingly licking his lips. "I did what I had to do."

"This isn't even about Colby anymore," Jordan replied softly. He glanced at their younger brother who hadn't budged from his spot at the door. Ashton was calm other than his twitching hands, eager to do something. But his eyes always betrayed him, they didn't reflect the poise in his posture, they were dark with a storm that came after the calm. Jordan gazed back at Tristan. "How could you do this to him?"

Tristan let out an exasperated sigh and roughly ran both hands through his hair, locking his fingers behind his head. He still couldn't quite wrap his mind around the whole incident. It still felt like some dream, a haze that took over at the heat of the moment. Tristan couldn't even recall the details of what happened – couldn't even remember what he had done. The only thing burning at the forefront of his mind was the image of blood, a lot of blood.

Tristan eventually locked eyes with Ashton, his eyes regretful. "I'm sorry, Ash. I'm sorry, okay?"

Ashton worked his jaw, contemplating his next words. "What happened?"

Tristan picked up his beer again, trying to sound casual. "What do you mean?"

"You snapped."

"I kinda lost it," he admitted, lifting the bottle back to his lips. "Not gonna happen again, I promise."

"No, that was different." Ashton wasn't going to drop the matter so easily. "That wasn't you back there. I've seen you lose it before, Tris. But never like this."

"What's going on with you?" Jordan wanted to know.

"Mhmm?" Tristan was about to ask what they were all talking about, they acted as if they never cracked before. But then he noticed they weren't even watching him; their eyes were trained on his free hand. It was trembling.

Ashton's tongue poked against the inside of his cheek before he spoke. "That thing I found in your car the other day ... did you really throw it away?"

Jordan perked up. "What thing?"

"This is ridiculous," Tristan huffed out a laugh. He stretched his fingers, cracked his knuckles, willing it to stop trembling. "Probably just the adrenaline."

Ashton made an incredulous humming sound. He moved past his brothers to grab the pack of cigarettes he had left on the windowsill. Not missing the disapproving look Jordan sent his way, Ashton merely half-smiled. "Tomorrow," he promised falsely.

Jordan refrained from rolling his eyes. Ashton went back to the balcony, closing the door behind him – a clear sign he wished to be left alone for a few moments.

Tristan finished his beer and cleared his throat. "I'm gonna take a shower."

"Tris," Jordan called him back. "You'll tell me if something's bothering you?"

"I'm not a kid, Jordan." Tristan's eyes crinkled in a wan smile. "You don't have to do this anymore."

"Do what?"

"I can take care of myself now." Tristan patted his brother's shoulder as he squeezed past him into the bathroom.

TAINTED

Noah loved Saturday mornings, they were only allowed to eat breakfast in front of the tv during the weekends. He started on his second bowl of cereal, completely sucked into the screen as he watched a new episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog.

"I wanna watch The Powerpuff Girls," Jade suddenly announced.

"Episode's nearly over," Noah mumbled distractedly, shoving another spoonful of corn flakes in his mouth.

Jade pouted, sitting cross-legged on the other end of the couch, near his feet. "That's what you said earlier and then you kept watching another episode."

"You know it's my turn to choose what we're watching."

"No, it's not."

"It is," he stated as he wiped a dribble of milk from his chin with his sleeve.

"It is not!" she insisted.

"It is."

"I'll tell mommy," she threatened weakly knowing her mother would most likely not even bother to intervene.

"I don't care," Noah shrugged.

"Pleaseee."

"Stop whining before I change my mind."

"Fine," Jade gave in meekly. She dropped her scowl and flickered her eyes back to the screen. Jade never really liked this type of cartoons; she preferred more color, less scary and happy endings. She didn't remember when this had bothered her so much, she usually just patiently waited her turn to change channels. But not this time – the spookiness was getting to her for some reason.

When Jade watched how a scary alien locked Courage in the closet, she found herself backing away into the couch, cowering.

"Noah," she moaned.

"Shhh," was all her brother said, oblivious to the fear lacing her voice.

Jade squirmed as she watched the alien stick his tentacle arm up Muriel's nose, sucking the kindness out of the woman. Jade stiffened and pinched her eyes close.

"Is it over yet?"

Noah briefly looked away from the screen to see his sister close her eyes and cover her ears. He snorted out a laugh. "You're such a baby sometimes."

Jade dropped her hands from her ears and shot him a dirty look. "I heard that."

Noah chuckled, happily munching away on his cereal as he continued watching the cartoon, unfazed.

Jade wasn't having it. She eyed the remote that lay near Noah's outstretched legs. She could easily grab it without him noticing. So that's what she did and her brother didn't suspect a thing.

... until she changed the channel of course.

Noah's head whipped to face her. His gaze instantly turned downcast to the remote in her hand. "Jade, put it back!"

"No." She shoved the remote under her butt and crossed her arms.

"Jade!"

"No!" she shouted back.

Noah had had enough. He put his bowl on the coffee table and grabbed his little sister. He easily lifted her up and dumped her on the other end of the couch. He was about to grab the remote but Jade was faster. She snatched it away and was about to run away with it.

Noah got a hold on the back of her t-shirt, stretching the fabric as he yanked her back. Jade struggled to get out of his hold.

"Give me the remote," Noah demanded, pinning her against the couch.

Jade hid the device behind her back and refused. "No!"

"Put it back, now!"

She simply told him off by blowing a raspberry right in his face.

"Ugh," Noah recoiled in disgust, wiping away her spit on his face.

Jade used the distraction and managed to slip away – being tiny and lithe had its advantages. To her surprise, her brother didn't try to chase her. She curiously watched as he started for the television, using the buttons instead.

Jade was momentarily angry and disappointed in herself her plan had failed, until she remembered she still had the remote. So she changed channels again.

Noah didn't move from his spot near the television. He tossed her a hard stare, pushing the buttons again. Jade's finger did the same with the remote. They went back and forth until Noah let out a frustrated groan.

"Stop it, you're gonna break it!"

"You stop it first," she bit back.

"I already told you, I'm gonna let you watch your stupid show if you let me watch mine first," he negotiated.

"But I don't wanna watch Courage the Cowardly Dog, it's scary."

"Then don't watch it, you idiot." Noah rolled his eyes. "And it's not even that scary."

"Yes, it is," she angrily stomped her foot.

Noah walked away from the television, back to the couch. Jade thought she had won and he had finally given in but she startled when he made a quick move, snatching the remote from behind her back.

"Gotcha," Noah grinned victoriously, plopping down on a pillow on the floor and finishing his cereal at the coffee table.

Jade's attention was drawn to the screen again. The alien was still there, moving his slimy tentacles around. A shudder ran up and down her spine, imagining those creepy tentacles on her own skin. Touching her toes, one by one; her fingers, her hair, her face – Jade's breath quickened. She felt a prickling sensation covering her body, almost as if she could actually feel the slimy touch – she stopped her thoughts, not liking where this was going.

Noah looked away when he heard a soft sob.

He studied his little sister; her face was crumpled and her eyes watered. "Are you – are you crying?"

Jade sucked in her bottom lip, taking a shaky breath.

"Jade?" Noah took another moment to observe her closely. She was just standing there, staring at the screen with frightened eyes. She seemed glued to the spot, taking quick breaths. What was going on?

Noah pushed his bowl away and was about to rise to his feet when Jade suddenly snapped out of it. She blinked and a few tears traced her cheeks to her chin. Noah froze, gauging her reaction.

Jade suddenly looked at him, drawing a shuddered breath before spinning around.

"Jade!" Noah called after her but he could already hear her run up the stairs. He followed her to the bottom of the staircase just in time to see her round the corner to their room. "It's fine, you can watch Powerpuff Girls. I don't mind!"

He could hear the door close – luckily, she didn't slam it so maybe she wasn't upset.

"Jade!" Noah tried again. He waited a few moments, got no response, and realized she probably was upset after all.

TAINTED

When Tristan woke up with a throbbing headache, he wasn't surprised. He got up, got dressed in a pair of sweatpants and dark t-shirt, planning on not leaving the apartment today. When he reached the door of his room an invisible string suddenly stopped him from going further.

It was pulling him back.

Tristan dropped his head back and stared up at the ceiling. His fingers anxiously tapped against the doorframe, his teeth worrying at his lip. What to do, what to do.

He abruptly stepped back, opened the drawer of his bedside table. His hand reached inside, blindly feeling around until his fingers bumped against a familiar plastic bag. He pulled it out, counted the pills – only one left.

Throw it away, his conscience told him.

Tristan never felt this type of hunger before. It twisted your stomach, set your whole body on fire. Even his heart beat faster against his ribcage; exhilarated, starving.

It's just one, he battled his own inner voice. What difference did it make anyway? This was the last one and then he'll be done. Officially done. He'd had his fun but it was time to face reality again.

Tristan walked into the kitchen, realizing he was alone. When he checked the time, he noticed it was a quarter after two. It had been a while since he had slept in on a Saturday but he rarely stays in bed after noon. Unless if he was suffering from the after effects of a hungover or in this case, a rebound.

Sighing at the pile of dirty dishes in the sink, he decided he might as well clean up a bit. The drug had given him a burst of energy, the kind he failed to produce without the pills anymore. Tristan started washing the dishes, letting them dry on the dish rack. He wiped the counter and table, put the food back in the cupboards.

He took out the trash and even fixed the pedal of the bin. Tristan went across the hallway to borrow a vacuum cleaner from their neighbor. After sweeping the entire apartment, he loaded the washing machine hoping it wouldn't fail on him again after Mo had fixed it.

He was in the middle of cleaning up the fridge when there was a knock on the door. Tristan frowned. Both Ashton and Jordan had a key. He answered the door and his frown deepened at the sight of his mother.

"Tristan, hey! Happy birthday, baby," she grabbed his face, kissing each cheek with a loud smack.

Tristan gently pulled away from her. "What?"

"Mommy, I really have to go," Jade squirmed around, knocking her knees together.

"Well, what are you waiting for, go," she ushered the little girl inside.

"But I can't undo my buttons," she pointed out. Jade hated the hook and eye type of clasps on her skirt, she could never manage to unfasten it correctly.

"Noah, help your sister," Carla ordered.

"Mommm," he groaned. "Why can't you do it?"

"Cuz I'm busy. Go," she pushed him through the door.

"Wait – " Tristan rubbed a hand down his face. Too much was happening. He must be off his rocker because he could've sworn his birthday wasn't until –

"I know I'm a week early," his mother cut off his thoughts and Tristan let out a breath of relief – he might not have gone crazy after all. "But I have a gift for you and I couldn't wait."

"A gift?" Tristan couldn't remember the last time his mother had given him a gift. He couldn't even remember the last time she correctly remembered his birthday.

Carla stepped back into the hallway, looking at the door where the flights of stairs were. "Where's Mo?"

As if on cue, the door pushed open and for a moment, only a huge box could be seen. It almost looked like the box was moving by itself until Tristan caught sight of Mo, pushing it with his back.

Carla smacked her son's arm. "Help the poor guy."

"What the hell is that?" he asked as he joined Mo. The man was panting, sweat glistening at his hairline.

"I have no clue, but the five bucks your mother gave me to carry this thing four flights of stairs, was not worth it," Mo huffed out.

Tristan chuckled. "Are you finally regretting never getting around to fix that elevator?"

Mo stopped in front of Tristan's door. He let out a heavy sigh, dusted his hands off and smiled, "Shut up."

"Alright, old man. I'll take over from here. Thanks!" Tristan laughed. He pushed the poorly wrapped box all the way into the apartment, Mo hadn't been exaggerating, this thing was fucking heavy.

"Bring it over here," Carla gestured at a spot in the living room. She pushed the coffee table aside, rolled up the carpet to create some space.

Tristan groaned as he gave it another shove. He dragged his hands on his thighs and sighed. "Alright what is this?"

"Open it!" Jade stumbled out of the bathroom, bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly.

"I think it's pretty obvious," Noah gave his own two cents, sitting on the armrest of the couch.

Tristan thought it was pretty obvious as well but there was no way his mother could afford this. Curiosity got the best of him so he started unwrapping the box. Noah was right.

"Shit," Tristan muttered under his breath. "Are you kidding me?"

Carla could barely contain her smile. "Do you like it?"

Tristan eyed the brand-new flat screen tv and whistled lowly. It was 55 inches wide, it would probably cover the entire wall if he put it up. Watching sports games on this screen must be a different kind of experience.

"Imagine playing video games on this one," Noah smirked, sharing the same excitement.

Tristan ran his hand along the thin edge of the screen, almost mesmerized.

"I knew you would like it," Carla grinned.

"Thanks?" Tristan was still at a loss for words. "I don't know if I can take this though." He remembered how Jordan had told him about the movie tickets a few weeks ago. His brother hadn't accepted the gift for a reason and even though it hurt to turn down this offer, Tristan couldn't take the risk.

"What are you talking about?" Carla got up to her feet. "I am not taking a no for an answer, Tristan."

"It's too much, ma. How did you even afford this?"

"Don't worry about it," she waved off.

"How?" he pressed, he needed to know. Not even a month ago she was begging for money and now she was gifting him a flat screen that was at least worth a monthly wage.

Carla shifted her weight between her feet. "I might have gotten a little help from ... someone."

Adrien? Tristan was aware the man was financially stable even though he still was paying for his mistakes in the past. Were they trying to bribe him or something? If he accepted this gift, were they going to use it against him? What were their ulterior motives?

"What's the catch?"

Carla rolled her eyes. "There is no catch, I promise."

"I'm sorry, but I don't trust any of this," at least Tristan was being honest. "You didn't have to get me this for my birthday. I would've been happy with a cake, I don't want anything else. I already have everything I need."

"This isn't just a birthday gift, Tris. It's for you and Jordan. For the kids and even Ashton." Carla moved to stand in front of him, rubbing her hands up and down his arms. "I realize I haven't always been the best kind of mom to you. I'm sorry. And a flat screen won't fix any of it, but please just take it. It'll make me feel a little bit better for being such a bitch."

Noah couldn't help but bite back a laugh.

Carla shot him a cheeky smile. "That's right I admit, your mother can be a bitch."

Jade gasped. "Mommy, no ..." she whispered.

Carla laughed. "It's okay, baby. We all think it sometimes."

Tristan still wasn't convinced. His mind said no but his heart said fuck it – it might be the first and probably also the last time his mother would ever be this generous again. After all the shit she's pulled them through, he was entitled to indulge in his mother's generosity. This didn't make up for all the Christmases and birthdays Carla had missed, but it's something. And Tristan was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Alright, fine," he breathed out.

Carla jumped into his arms, wrapping him in a tight hug. Tristan gave her two seconds before he started to get uncomfortable. He peeled her arms off of him and softened the blow with a tight-lipped smile. "Thanks."

Noah jumped to his feet. "Let's set it up." He couldn't wait to connect his Xbox with it. Judging by Tristan's smirk, he could tell exactly what the young boy had in mind.

Carla grabbed her purse and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Is it okay if I let them stay for a few hours? I need to run some errands."

Tristan had half a mind asking her where she was going. "Yeah, sure."

"Thanks." Carla waved at Noah and Jade. "Bye kids, mommy will be right back. Be good!"

Tristan heard the door close and let his nails scratch the back of his neck. Noah nearly barreled into him with a kitchen knife in his hand.

"Whoa! Buddy, careful with that," Tristan snatched the knife out of his hand. "I'll do it."

"I can do it, too," Noah protested, he knew perfectly how to open a stupid box.

"Never said you couldn't, I just don't want you to scratch the screen with this." Or your hands, Tristan didn't add that part knowing his youngest brother hated being treated like a kid even though he was ... a kid.

It took them a total of fifteen minutes to move the old tv and set up the new one. Noah already fetched the Xbox, working on connecting the game console.

Tristan cleaned up the mess and threw everything in the box before putting it outside the door to take down later. He kept the manual and a piece of bubble wrap for Jade. Speaking of his little sister – she had been oddly quiet as she took her favorite spot in the corner of the couch, watching her brothers wordlessly.

Tristan walked up behind her and popped a few pockets of air in her ear. Jade jumped and looked up, giving him a small smile.

"Hi," she said in that tiny voice of hers.

Tristan lifted her up in the air, took her seat and sat her down in his lap. He hugged her from behind, peppering a few kisses on her little neck which elicited a string of soft giggles.

"You okay, princess?" he asked, rubbing a hand across her back.

Jade nodded but didn't feel the need to say anything else. She grabbed the bubble wrap and started mindlessly playing with it.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Tristan pressed his mouth close to her ear to whisper. "You can tell me. Is it mom?"

She shook her head no.

"Is it Noah?"

Jade glanced at the back of Noah's head, recalling the incident this morning. Her heart didn't feel as heavy as before when she thought about the scary scene of the television. She also wasn't that mad at her brother anymore because she never could hold a grudge, especially when it comes to Noah.

She eventually shook her head no and Tristan had to guess again.

"Did something happen at school?"

"No," she sighed with a tinge of annoyance.

"You wanna tell me what's bothering you then?" Tristan asked patiently, still rubbing circles on her back. Her could feel her spine against the palm of his hand as she drew in a big breath.

"I think I had a nightmare," she confessed in a small voice.

Tristan tucked his head closer against her shoulder to catch what she was saying. "What was it about?"

She shrugged and her shoulder faintly bumped against his chin.

"Can you describe it to me?"

Jade popped a bubble and then another, and another one and another – until Tristan softly encased both her hands in one of his own. The motion caused her to release the bubble wrap but her gaze never left her lap.

"You wanna talk about it?"

Jade's teeth timidly clamped down on her bottom lip.

Tristan moved her around in his lap until she was facing him, her legs straddling his waist. He unclipped one of her hairclips and pushed her curls out of her eyes before securing the strands to the side of her head. He then did the same to the other side.

"It's okay if you had a nightmare, baby. Everyone does. It happens," he reassured. "It's not fun, I'll give you that but it's okay. It was just a dream."

Jade still wasn't quite looking him in the eye. She played with his fingers instead and tenderly touched his skinned knuckles. "You have boo-boo's on your hands."

Tristan followed her gaze, eyebrows twitched as he suddenly remembered. He followed Jade's light touch as she traced his bruised knuckles with the tips of her fingers. He couldn't feel her touch, couldn't even feel the throbbing pain from the bruises. He was rendered numb. It had kicked in.

"What happened?" Jade suddenly asked.

Colby's bloody face briefly flashed before Tristan's eyes again and he had to swallow hard to keep the bile down. He looked down again when he felt Jade's soft curls brush against his arms. A wan smile made his way to his lips as he watched her kiss each knuckle individually.

Usually Tristan would instantly feel better but not this time. Healing started with feeling, and right now he couldn't feel a thing.

"What happened in your nightmare?" he asked in an attempt to divert the attention away from him.

Jade didn't stop playing with his fingers as she slowly tried to summon glimpses of her memory. "There was someone in my room."

"Who was in your room?" Tristan spoke calmly.

"I don't know," she mumbled.

"Was it a person?"

She seemed to think about it. "Maybe."

"Did you see how they looked like?"

"No," she shook her head. "I think it was a monster."

"A monster? That must've been really scary." Tristan gently pried one of his hands from her hold to tip her chin up. She refused to meet his eye though, and kept her gaze downcast. "What did the monster do? Did he say anything?"

"I don't remember," she whispered.

"What do you remember?" Tristan could have sworn he felt her shiver for a second. He used his free hand to rub her bare arm and frowned when he could feel actual goosebumps covering her skin.

"He was cold," she eventually spoke.

"Cold?" he frowned.

"Mhmm," but she didn't elaborate any further.

"Can you look at me, babe? Jade, look at me." Tristan waited until she hesitantly looked up at him through her long eyelashes. "There's nothing to be scared of because monsters are not real."

"They only exist in movies and cartoons," Noah suddenly spoke. He had heard the conversation between his brother and sister and felt the need to clarify that. He had witnessed how Jade had freaked out that morning which was so unlike her. But hearing her tell Tristan about her nightmare suddenly made a lot of sense to him.

"And in books?" Jade wondered curiously.

"Yup, books too," Noah nodded.

"It was just a bad dream, nothing more," Tristan promised. "Everyone has a bad dream once in a while, right Noah?"

Noah put down his controller and plopped down next to Tristan, jostling them both. "I once had a really bad dream about Tristan."

Tristan threw an arm around the back of the couch and playfully pulled at a strand of Noah's hair. "Oh really?"

"Yes." Noah tried to school his features but Tristan could tell he was trying really hard not to burst out laughing.

Now Tristan was interested to hear the story. "Do tell."

"I don't think you wanna hear this, Tris. You won't sleep for days if I tell you," Noah warned with a serious expression.

"Clearly I was in the dream, so I have every right to know what it was about," he argued.

"To be honest, I really don't think you should hear this. It's beyond scary." And for added effect, Noah even shivered dramatically.

"To be honest," Tristan started mockingly, "I don't even get scared. So bring it on."

"Are you sure?"

Tristan smacked the back of his brother's head.

"Okay," Noah laughed. "Remember you asked for it." He then addressed his little sister. "Jade, you tell me to stop if it gets too scary, okay?"

"Okay," she answered meekly. She wasn't ready but she was too fascinated and she had to know.

Noah made a whole show of mentally preparing himself to tell the story. "Okay, so one day I came over to the apartment – "

"By yourself?" Jade cut off.

"Yes."

She gaped. In her mind, this was scary already because Jordan had drilled it into them to never go anywhere by themselves. There was danger lurking behind every corner. His words had seeded a fear into her, a fear so big; Jade didn't even dare to walk outside of the house to get mail from the mailbox without having someone keeping an eye on her.

Noah continued with his story. "No one was home – "

"How did you get inside?" Jade asked.

"With a key, duh."

"You don't have a key," she stated the obvious.

"In my dream I had one," he reasoned with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, no one was there. I thought, this is pretty cool. I have the apartment all to myself! So I did what anyone would do – "

"You made cupcakes!" Jade smiled.

"... no?" Noah shot her a weird look, bursting her bubble. "I started looking for snacks to eat because no one was there to stop me. I looked in the cupboards and the fridge but it was so weird because I couldn't find anything. The apartment was empty – "

"Did you check behind the washing machine because I once caught Ashton hide candy in there," Jade said matter-of-factly.

Noah rolled his eyes. "No, I didn't actually. Thanks for the tip, I'll make sure to check next time."

"You're welcome," she responded proudly, once again oblivious to his sarcasm.

Tristan nuzzled her curls as he hid a smile.

"Now stop interrupting me, Jade," Noah shot her a pointed look before picking up where he left off. "There wasn't any food and I was hungry – "

"No surprise there," Tristan muttered.

Noah stopped, he wasn't amused to say the least. "As I was saying, I was hungry so I decided to get some food at the store."

"By yourself?" Again, Jade still couldn't wrap her mind around the thought of Noah going out all by himself.

"Yes," he emphasized the word with clear annoyance in his voice.

"But Jordan said you're not allowed to – "

"Jade, baby, you do realize that none of this actually happened," Tristan told her with a chuckle.

"I'm just telling you how my dream went, remember?" Noah added. "In my dream I was allowed to leave the house alone, okay? Now stop interrupting me."

Jade sheepishly smiled.

"Right," Noah sighed. "So, I was about to leave for the store to get some food when I heard something. At first I thought the sound was coming from the neighbors but it wasn't ..."

"Maybe it was Mo – " The rest of Jade's sentence was muffled when a hand suddenly covered her mouth.

Tristan looked down at his sister and lifted his free hand to put a finger against his own lips. Shh. She got the message and nodded. Tristan released her and gestured at Noah to continue.

"It wasn't the neighbors and it wasn't Mo," he looked at Jade when he added the last part. Noah added a dramatic pause. "It was actually coming from Tristan's room."

"Oooh," Tristan made a spooky sound to play along but Jade wasn't a fan.

"Don't do that," she told him.

"Sorry." Tristan cleared his throat. "Go on, Noah."

"I heard someone call my name, it sounded like Tristan. He was calling me, asking for my help. I thought he was hurt so I didn't think about it and I just went to his room. But when I opened the door, I saw something I didn't expect at all. Tristan are you sure you want me to continue, this is the scary part."

The way Noah kept his face blank, Tristan was impressed. He tried hard no to laugh. "I'm ready."

Noah turned to his sister. "Jade, are you ready?"

Unlike her brothers, she wasn't ready at all. And yet she nodded anyway, albeit very reluctantly.

"I saw Tristan," Noah paused for a few seconds, ".... but he was huuuuuge."

"Huge?" Tristan was confused.

"Fat," Noah explained.

"Wow," Tristan commented dryly.

"You were so big, you had crushed your bed into pieces. There was food all over the room. You ate everything you could find in the apartment and when I walked in you were still eating. And with every bite you took, you grew an inch. Your belly was so big, you couldn't even see your toes. And when you burped, the entire room shook like an earthquake."

Tristan kept his face neutral. "You're kidding, right?"

Noah gave him a knowing look. "I told you it was going to be scary. Do you want me to stop?"

"Oh, I'm fine," his brother smiled sarcastically.

"Tristan was asking me to help him stand up but he was so freakin' heavy I could barely pull him up. Good thing I have muscles," Noah stopped two seconds to flex his biceps, ignoring Tristan's unimpressed snort. "I got Tristan to stand on his feet but even his ass had gotten so big that when he stood up, he lost his balance. He fell right on top of me!"

"Oh no," Jade whispered, eyes wide as she was sucked into the story.

"Oh no," Tristan copied his sister but compared to Jade, his voice was as expressionless as his face.

Noah's lips twitched as he nearly lost it right there but he quickly cleared his throat and composed himself. "I couldn't breathe. Tristan's ass was so big that he was literally crushing my lungs. I tried to worm my way out, I tried to push him away but I believe he forgot I was under him at some point. He didn't budge while I was suffocating."

Jade suddenly smacked Tristan's chest. "You're mean."

"It was just a dream." Tristan retaliated by flicking her forehead.

Noah had to pull the collar of his sweater over his mouth to keep his laughter in.

Jade turned back to Noah. "And then what happened?"

He had to take a few seconds to keep his expression blank. "So after a few moments he just started eating again and kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I could feel his weight getting heavier and heavier. And I kept gasping for air until ..."

Jade blinked, enthralled by her brother's vivid storytelling. "Until what? What happened? Did you die?"

"I think so, I don't know. That's when I suddenly woke up."

"Oh no! You died?" Jade sounded devasted. She genuinely felt bad for Noah. She couldn't imagine being crushed to death. "That was a really scary nightmare, Noah."

"Hmm," he agreed with a dejected nod. "Now you see, everyone has nightmares but it's important to remember that it's not real. The monster you saw doesn't really exist. And the big, fat Tristan I saw in my nightmare," Noah stopped to glance at Tristan, pretending to observe his brother, "that one I'm not a hundred percent sure if he exists or not."

"You little – " Tristan started saying before mouthing the last part, 'shit.'

Noah bit back another laugh when his brother poked his side – his most ticklish spot. "I still dream about it till this day on."

"You just made that up, didn't you?" Tristan deadpanned.

"Nope," a boyish grin danced on Noah's face. He quickly realized his mistake and put his mask back on by making a sad face. "I'm still traumatized. Sometimes I look at you and all I can see is that huge belly, chocolate smeared all over your face and that big fat ass – "

Noah didn't get the chance to continue when Tristan suddenly lunged for him. Jade, familiar with her brothers' roughhousing, automatically moved out of their way. Noah screamed with laughter when his brother pinned him on the couch, tickling his sides. His messy blonde bangs covered his face, a few strands even landed in his mouth as he laughed while simultaneously asking Tristan to stop.

"C'mon Jade, help me!" Tristan instructed.

"No, no – don't do it, Jade!" Noah begged in between fits of laughter and gasps of air. Tristan's fingers dug deeper into his sides and Noah shrieked. He was laughing so hard, his voice at some point was nothing more than sounds of wheezing.

Jade was momentarily conflicted but before she could decide which brother to help, her attention was suddenly drawn to the person entering the living room.

"Ashton!" she skipped towards him and hugged him tight, her face pressed against his hip.

"Whoa," Ashton had to hold onto the wall to keep his balance. He propped up his crutches against the wall and dropped a hand on top of Jade's head, running his fingers through a few curls. "Hey, JJ."

She beamed up at him without releasing him. "I had a nightmare about a monster coming into my room and Noah had a nightmare about a really fat Tristan crushing him to death."

Ashton had so many questions he wanted to ask but then he decided he didn't even want to know. "Great! Thanks for the info!"

"Do you wanna see our new tv?" Jade didn't even wait for an answer. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

Ashton followed her with a slight limp. As they got in the living room, he instantly searched for Tristan. Ashton observed his brother, looking for the same signs he had witnessed the day before – the shaking fingers, the absent look in his eyes. Ashton couldn't find any of these though.

Tristan was smiling, his eyes vibrant as he continued torturing their little brother. This was the Tristan Ashton knew. This was his brother, not the stranger he saw beating up his father. And it was strange that Ashton didn't feel happy or relieved to his brother like this, because this only meant one thing.

Whatever Tristan stopped to take, it's what made him act the way he did at Colby's house. Ashton had seen it as a good sign, people lose control when they can't rely on something else to keep them in check. But judging by Tristan's behavior, he was very much in control right now. And it pained Ashton to think his brother had to rely on that kind of shit to do something as simple as act normal around his own siblings. Ashton was disappointed.

"Look how big it is!"

Ashton had been momentarily distracted by his own thoughts he didn't even notice the giant flat screen lighting up the entire living room.

"Damn," he was impressed.

"Early birthday gift," Tristan said, finally releasing Noah. He ruffled the boy's hair, chuckling at his disheveled state. "You okay, buddy?"

Noah was as red as a tomato. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. "Shut up," his voice was hoarse but the laughter still danced in his eyes.

"That'll teach you to mess with me. And you thought 'nightmare-Tristan' was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet," Tristan winked.

Noah groaned as he sat up, holding his sides as he could feel the taut muscles. "I never said he was bad, I said he was fat."

Before Tristan could fire back a retort, Ashton interjected as he took the empty armchair. "Gift from who?"

"From mommy!" Jade smiled excitedly, crawling into his lap. "Ashton, do you have nightmares?"

"Sometimes," he answered with a distracted tone. He eyed his older brother. "Mom got you a tv?"

"I don't wanna know either," Tristan shrugged. "Why, do you want me to return it?"

"No!" Noah exclaimed.

"Hell no," Ashton scoffed at the same time. "Playing GTA on this screen, that's gotta be sick."

Noah, who finally recovered, perched himself on the armrest of Ashton's chair. "I already set it up, here, it's connected," he handed his brother the second wireless controller.

"Hold on, Jade," Ashton grunted as he lifted her up to adjust her on his lap. His little sister seemed to get the message wrong and was about to slip away when his arm tightened around his waist. "Where are you going?" He shifted her around until her back was against his chest and his hands in her lap holding the controller. "That's better. Dude, you unlocked the gold tint? That's sick."

Noah nodded. "Yup, also got the Pogo mask."

"Nice," Ashton whistled under his breath, clicking away on his controller.

Tristan had been watching his brother play when he could suddenly hear his phone ring from his bedroom. He pushed himself up and went to fetch it. It was a missed call from Charlie. He deleted the notification when she suddenly called a second time. Tristan instantly hung up. Five seconds passed and his screen lit up with an incoming text.

'Need a refill?'

Tristan rubbed his fingers hard across his mouth, his skin reddened under the friction. He was filled with a sudden rage but couldn't act upon it because the drug running through his system kept him way too calm. The fuel that usually ignited his anger was missing. He felt powerless, as if his hands were tied behind his back.

Tristan blocked Charlie's number and quickly changed into a pair of jeans and comfortable sweater. He checked himself in the mirror, running his fingers through his hair while reminding himself to shave later. Not now though, right now he needed some fresh air.

"Are you okay staying here with the kids until I get back?" he asked Ashton.

Ashton flickered his eyes at his brother for a mere second before focusing back on the screen. "Where are you going?"

"Just getting some stuff to restock the fridge," Tristan said while patting his pockets making sure he got everything.

"Jordan's already on it, he's at the grocery store." Ashton risked to look away from his game just to get a better look at his brother this time. Tristan looked fine to him but he knew that was just a cover. "Are you okay?"

Tristan swallowed hard. He couldn't stand the look Ashton was giving him; his penetrating gaze was unsettling. As if he could see right through him. As if he could hear the erratic beating of his heart and see the nervous twitch of his jaw.

"Tristan, are you coming back?" Jade asked, tilting her head to the side. The movement caused a single curl to dangle in front of her eyes.

"Of course I am, baby girl," he shot her an easy smile as he walked over to her. He tucked the curl back with the help of her hairclip and pressed a loud kiss on her forehead.

"Get out of the way," Noah groaned, standing up from his spot on the armrest to get a better look at the screen.

"You get out of the way." Tristan playfully shoved him onto the couch. "Don't forget to lock the door."

And while Tristan started to leave, he didn't miss how a pair of blue eyes practically burned two holes in his back.

A/N: I needed a little breather after all those intense chapters, so this one was "less intense" I guess lol?

Next update will probably drive you guys crazy again, you're warned.

Please don't forget to vote or leave a little comment, lmk what you thought of this chapter. Thank youuuu xxxxx