☼ ☾ ✩

𝟐𝟔... 𝐢'𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐤, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐤

☼ ☾ ✩

"Are you sure you don't want me to come in?" Matt whispers against my lips, his hands tangled in my hair while mine grip the front of his sweatshirt to pull him closer to me.

"As much as I want you to, I need to talk to my siblings." I press one more firm kiss to Matt's mouth before I pull away, giggling when he slumps back into the driver's seat of his car to pout. "But I'll see you soon."

"Let me know how everything goes." Matt's face softens into a smile and he squeezes my hand reassuringly. "I'm here if you need me."

Acting on impulse, I lean back over the middle of the car to kiss Matt again, and his hot lips against my own fight the voice in my brain telling me I need to go inside. When Matt's hand slides around my back and slips under my shirt, his skin blazing against my own, the tiny voice is sufficiently stifled, but unfortunately, my sister's voice is not.

"Hey, porn stars!"

A sharp raping against the side of the passenger side window sends a jolt of panic through me, and Matt and I jerk away from each other, both of our attention turning to where Kaya is smirking outside the car.

"Were you ever planning on coming inside, or were we going to have to rely on the ever present Cam to take care of us for eternity?" Kaya smirks at us as she leans against Matt's car, her elbows resting on my open window.

Completely disregarding Kaya's insinuation that Matt and I could make out forever, my eyebrows raise curiously at her mention of our brother. "Is he here already?"

Kaya's smirk drops and her mouth turns down suspiciously. "Cam? Why would he be here?"

I sigh in response and reach to grab my purse from the floor of the car before quickly kissing Matt on the cheek. "Thank you for today. It meant a lot."

"Good luck, Sunshine." Matt smiles softly at me, and, just like usual, the sight of his smile sends shivers through my body. I take a mental snapshot of him in that moment, slouched comfortably in the driver's seat of his car, his curls tousled from my fingers running through them so much, and his eyes gentle and understanding as they look at me. He's perfect.

I return Matt's smile before I climb out of the car and march towards my house, Kaya quickly chasing after me after she says bye to Matt.

"Is Cam coming over?" Kaya demands as she follows me inside, the sound of Matt backing out of the driveway fading as she shuts the door behind us. "Did you talk to him? What's going on?"

Chandler and Joey exploding down the hallway to jump all over Kaya and I in greeting proves an effective distraction, and by the time Kaya has looked up from petting the dogs, I have scampered down the hallway and am running up the stairs.

"Logan!" Kaya yells after me, her voice lined with fury. "What is going on?!"

"Go sit in the living room! I'll be down in a minute!" I shout back, not waiting for a response before I step through Vienna's open bedroom door. "Hey, Vi?"

"Yes?" Vi hums in response from where she is perched on her desk chair drawing on a pair of white sneakers with colourful sharpies.

"Family meeting downstairs, okay?"

Vi is quick to look up in concern, but I flash her a quick smile. "Don't worry, sweetie. We're just going to chat. Kaya's already down there, I'm just going to grab Mason."

A nervous smile crosses Vi's face, but she doesn't argue with me, and I ruffle her loose blonde hair in gratitude as she passes me to head downstairs.

Unlike his twin's, Mason's bedroom door is firmly closed. I tap on it lightly, and the bundle of nerves in my gut builds when Mason's voice tells me to come in. I have no fucking clue how Mason is going to take the news that Austin is home and I am terrified to find out. I don't want him to hurt anymore.

When I step inside Mason's room, my senses immediately fly on high alert. Mason always has his windows wide open in hopes of getting a breeze, and he often has oldies music playing for his record player. But right now, his windows are closed and shuttered, and his room is quiet enough to hear a pin drop. And my brother is curled up on his bed, clutching a teddy bear to his chest as he stares at an old family picture of the six of us before Austin left.

"Mas?"

Mason's eyes widen at the sound of my voice and his gaze darts to meet mine as he quickly scrambles into an upright position, his teddy bear falling to his side. "Logan, I have to tell you something."

Drawing a deep breath into my lungs, I school my face into a relaxed expression as I cross Mason's room to sit on his bed beside him. "What's going on?"

Mason bites his lip, his nerves scrawled across his face like a tattoo, and I see his throat bob as he gulps. "I'm scared to tell you. You've been having such a rough time lately, and I don't want to make you feel worse, but I don't want to keep secrets from you, but–"

"Mason," I interrupt quietly, gently laying my hand on Mason's knee. "I'll be okay. Just tell me."

"I saw Austin today."

My breath catches in my throat and I find myself unable to speak, but Mason doesn't notice, words continuing to spill out of his mouth.

"I saw him with Sydney, and they were kissing. I'm really sorry, Logan. I can't believe she would go behind your back like that. And I can't believe that he is back. I think I hate him, but I also still miss him. Do I need to hate Sydney now? I love Sydney, but I can't believe she did this. Do you hate Sydney now? Do you hate Austin?"

I wait until Mason finishes his word vomit, his chest heaving and his eyes wide with panic. "I saw them today, too," I say softly, resisting the urge to smile when Mason's eyes manage to widen even further, making him look like an owl. "I don't hate either of them, but I am a little upset with Sydney. But that's my problem, not yours, okay? I called a family meeting to talk about Austin, so do you want to come downstairs? Your sisters are waiting and Cam should be here soon."

Mason nods silently, his face settling into an unreadable expression as he climbs off his bed. "If Austin hurts you again, I'll kill him."

A light chuckle slips from my lips as I reach out to ruffle Mason's curly blonde hair. "Thanks, buddy."

When Mason and I arrive downstairs, Kaya and Vi are sitting beside each other on the couch, Joey and Chandler on either side of them. Vi is anxiously playing with her fingers, her gaze downcast, but Kaya's arms are firmly crossed across her chest as she glares at Cam, who is sitting on the other couch alone, looking clearly uncomfortable. Mason beelines for the occupied couch and manages to squeeze in between Vi and Joey.

"Nice to see you, Cam." I offer my brother a small smile, which he returns somewhat uncomfortably.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Kaya barks, her eyes narrowed at Cam.

Before Cam can fire off a retort, I step closer to the less occupied couch in an attempt to make Cam feel less like an outside. "I asked him to come. We all need to talk." I hesitate for only a second, the pressure of four pairs of eyes feeling like too much, before I blurt out my news. "Austin's back in town."

"And he and Sydney are dating!" Mason interjects quickly. "I saw them today!"

Vienna immediately bursts into tears and Mason is quick to pull her into a hug, his face swirling with a mixture of anger and fear. But my other two siblings do not possess the same quiet response.

"What the fuck do you mean Austin is back?" Cam explodes to his feet, the vein in his forehead popping as he stares at me in shock. "Did you know?"

"I'm going to kill that little fucker!" Kaya hisses as she also rises to her feet and plants her hands on her hips.

"I only just found out this afternoon." I raise my voice to be heard over Vi's growing sobs and Kaya and Cam's outbursts. "Matt and I saw him and Sydney together. But while Mason went undetected, Austin and Syd saw me, and I talked to them. Austin just arrived back in town and he wants to see you all."

"Absolutely fucking not!" Cam barks on a laugh, thunder drawn on his face. "He's got to be on drugs if he thinks any of us are talking to him."

"I told him that he could come by the house tomorrow for a chat." I ignore Cam and continue to speak softly. "He says he is sorry for everything he's done and he regrets it. He wants to be a part of our family again. If any of you would like to be here when he comes tomorrow, you are welcome to, but if not, that is okay. I told him I would hear him out, but I made no promises for the rest of you. It is your choice."

"This is a fucking joke," Cam growls before storming out of the living room, his thunderous footsteps on the ground waking up the dogs.

"Cam!" I call after him, disappointment washing over me. I didn't want our talk to end with him storming out. "Please come back!"

"Give me a fucking minute!" Cam shouts back before the front door slams behind him.

I resist the urge to sigh as I turn my gaze to my remaining siblings.

Kaya is glaring at me, a glare even deeper than the one she was giving Cam only a couple minutes ago. "Austin has made it clear that he wants nothing to do with us. I don't want him in our house or in our lives," she mumbles before she takes off after Cam, sending another echo of a slamming door through the house.

Vi has stopped crying, but she stays silent as she rises to her feet and stumbles forward into my embrace. My eyes well with tears as I clutch her to my chest. "I'm so sorry, you guys," I whisper, my gaze meeting Mason's above Vi's head. "I am so sorry things have been so shitty lately."

"I'm glad that we have you." Vi pulls back to look up at me, a teary smile on her face. "You're the best guardian ever."

"Thanks, sweetie." I kiss Vi's forehead before letting her go, and she is quick to scamper upstairs, Mason and the dogs close on her heels.

I am left alone in the living room, all of my siblings having fled at the news that our long lost brother has returned, and I wish I could flee too. Instead, I make my way to the laundry closet to drag out the vacuum. I may as well put my nervous energy to good use.

☼ ☾ ✩

When I hear the front door open later, I am on my hands and knees in the second floor bathroom, scrubbing at a splotch of pink hair dye on the floor that has been there for God knows how long.

"Logan?" Matt's voice chimes through the house. "Are you here?"

"Matt?" I am quick to ditch my cleaning supplies and jog downstairs to see my boyfriend hovering in the doorway to the living room. I am mildly surprised to see him since he only dropped me off at home a few hours ago, but this isn't the first time he has shown up unannounced, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy to see him.

But when Matt doesn't return my smile and gestures for me to follow him into the living room, my grin quickly fades at the sight of two of my siblings perched on the couch. Cam has a guilty expression on his face and Kaya is wearing her usual 'I don't give a shit if you get mad at me right now' look. Something is afoot.

"What's going on?" I ask hesitantly, my eyes darting between my siblings and Matt.

"Are you going to tell her or am I?" Matt asks Cam and Kaya, his voice hard as he looks between the two of them. His arms are crossed across his chest in a clear dominance stance, and he is radiating authority. It's probably a bad time to notice how hot he looks, but damn.

When they both stay silent, Matt sighs. "That wasn't really a question. One of you needs to fess up. Right now."

Nobody says a word, but Kaya's lips tilt up into a small smirk. My eyes narrow at her, sensing that my sister will be the first to crack. "Kaya. Tell me what is going on, please."

Kaya sighs dramatically and leans back against the couch, throwing one leg over the other. "I didn't want to tell you because I knew you would be jealous, but I made friends with Ryan Reynolds, and I think he is going to leave Blake for me."

I grit my teeth in frustration, and my nails dig into my palms as I clench my fists. "Kaya, are you drunk?"

"What?! No!" Kaya gapes in feigned shock. "I'm not drunk. You're drunk. This is actually an illusion, and when I snap my fingers you'll forget this ever happened."

"Kaya," Matt snaps, his patience clearly thinning as his arms fall to his sides.

"We got arrested," Cam speaks up, his voice quiet and coated with guilt, very different from his sister's nonchalant tone. "I blew off my hockey game and we went to the park with a couple drinks. But then this guy started hitting on Kaya and wouldn't leave her alone, so I punched him. A cop saw and was pretty pissed."

"Pretty pissed is an understatement," Kaya snorts in amusement. "His face was practically purple."

"Anyways," Cam interrupts, shooting Kaya a warning look. "Matt came and bailed us out of jail."

"Our knight in shining armour!" Kaya giggles. "But instead of sweeping us off our feet, he threw us in his car and yelled at us."

I might as well just drown myself at this point. "Kaya, I can't deal with your attitude right now. Go to bed. We'll talk tomorrow."

Kaya's confident expression fades and she nods glumly before rising from her seat and trudging out of the living room, her footsteps echoing as she stumbles up the stairs. Cam moves to follow her, but I am quick to stop him.

"Sit your ass back down, Camden."

Cam sinks back onto the couch, and he avoids my gaze as he anxiously tugs at the ends of his hair.

I know he is waiting for me to tell him off, but I stay silent. Part of me just wants to scream at him and beg him to tell me why he has been acting like such an asshole lately, but Matt's silent presence at my side helps cool my simpering temper. Lucky Cam.

"The thought of Austin being back infuriates me," Cam eventually says, his gaze remaining on his hands. "It destroyed us when he left. And even before he actually left he was such a jackass. If we let him back into our lives, he's just going to fuck everything up again. When that guy started bothering Kaya tonight, I didn't even think before I punched him. I was just thinking about Austin, and I was so fucking pissed off."

"And I get that, I do." I move away from Matt to sit beside Cam on the couch, my eyes not leaving my brother even though he still refuses to look at me. "But Cam, there are so many things wrong with what happened tonight. Violence aside, public intoxication is illegal, not to mention the fact that you're still a minor. And you were drinking with your sixteen year old sister. Things could have gone down a lot worse. You're really lucky."

"I'm so sorry, Logan." Cam finally looks up at me, and I am shocked to see that his eyes are shining with tears. "I've just been so fucking angry lately, worse than usual."

My breath stills as Cam's voice fills the silence of the living room, and even the rest of the house seems to hold its breath in anticipation.

"I'm sorry for yelling at all of you last week when we fought. I shouldn't have lost my temper the way I did, and I didn't mean the things that I said about you, or Kaya or Mason. It wasn't fair of me. And I'm sorry for tonight. I shouldn't have left with Kaya when I was so mad, and I regret the choices I made after that."

"You have got to figure out a better way to deal with your anger." My voice is soft, and I gently nudge Cam's knee to show him I am not upset with him. "I understand that life can feel overwhelming, but you need to know how to handle things when it gets to be too much. You can't keep taking it out on your family or random strangers."

"I know," Cam sighs, the noise lined with exhaustion. "Coach recommended a therapist who primarily works with athletes, and he said that maybe seeing him would help me learn to get a grip on my anger. I think I'm going to book an appointment."

"I think that's a great idea, Cam. I'm proud of you."

"And as mad as it makes me that Austin is back, there's no way I'm letting you see him without me tomorrow."

"Cam, if seeing him is going to trigger you–"

"You're not seeing him without me," Cam interrupts firmly. "I've seen the way that he has manipulated you in the past, and as noble as it is that you always see the best in everyone, this is a situation where there is more to consider than simply giving him a second chance. So I will be there. Besides, you are always fighting battles for us. Let me help fight this one. You don't have to take care of everything on your own."

I don't say anything in response, but I grab Cam's hand to give it a reassuring squeeze, silently thanking him. And when he squeezes my hand back, I know that no matter what happens with Austin, things with Cam will be okay.

Once Cam has retreated to his room, I shift my attention to Matt, who is already looking at me with concern. "Why did they call you and not me?"

Matt sighs and runs his hand through his hair before answering. "From what they were saying in the car, it seems like they both feel like they have let you down a lot lately. They didn't want to burden you anymore. It seems like they're really hurting."

"Neither of them took the news about Austin very well." I wiggle my fingers in Matt's direction, and when he sits beside me with his arms extended, I don't hesitate to curl up in his hold. With the sound of his heartbeat under my ear and his warm breath against the top of my head, I can almost forget about my hurting siblings hiding in their bedrooms. "I'm glad they trust you enough to call you, but I'm sorry you had to get involved."

"Don't be sorry." Matt smooths my hair out of my face to kiss my forehead. "It means a lot that they called me."

"They're all really fond of you, you know?"

"And I am really fond of them." Matt continues to run his hand through my hair, and his chest rumbles with a chuckle when I yawn. "Are you ready for bed, sleeping beauty?"

"Can you stay the night?" I ask drearily, the events of the day suddenly catching up to me. "Please?"

Matt kisses my forehead again, and the safety that comes with being in his arms sends me to sleep faster than I have ever fallen before. And the last thing I hear is Matt's quiet voice whispering, "Always."

𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐚'𝐬 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 ♡︎

i would like to formally apologize for being so inactive on wattpad lately. i haven't been responding to comments as often or reading your guys' fics, but i have honestly just been so busy trying to make the most of my summer. but i do see your comments and i appreciate every single one, and i am going to get caught up on my reading asap!!!

you can all thank my sister who basically saved this fic lmao. i've been having a lot of writers block lately and have been feeling very over matt and logan, but my sister helped me create a good plan for the rest of the story and i'm feeling much better now! we're looking at approximately ten more chapters, and if things go as i hope, i should be finished writing before i go back to school.

question of the day! since i know many of you have gone back to school already or are going back soon, what are some goals or dreams you have for the coming school year? for myself, i want to find a better balance between my education and personal life. i am a terrible procrastinator and that often leaves me cramming and crying at the last minute, and i would like to avoid that this year! i also want to be more intentional about getting out of my comfort zone more regularly, because school often puts me in a rut and i laser focus on my studies and don't do anything adventurous, which makes me sad lol

lots of yapping today! i love you all very much and i appreciate you more than you know. i hope you have a beautiful weekend 🩷

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