Thanks to I'mImmortal for the awesome review, honestly I'm still smiling to myself about it! Also, if anyone is interested I have started to post this on Tumblr under OneInAMillionLifeTimes.
Alec isn't as lucky as he bursts into a fit of laughter. Issy forgoes the innocent look as Max glares at her. However, Alec is still laughing rather hard. He leans slightly to his side and before any of them can react, Alec falls to the floor, giggling and pathetically clapping his hands. "Guys I think I've broken Alec."
In the early hours of the next morning, Issy sat on her fire escape again but this time with a pad of lined paper as she wrote what else she needed in her flat, mostly the important stuff, and of course coffee was at the every top of that list. Like the day before she had her headphones on and a blanket around her shoulders. She bobbed her head and hummed to the rhythm of to Oh The Larceny's About to Get Crazy as she dotted more items now on her list.
When Issy thought she had the main items down she climbed back into her room and reached out to grab her jacket. Her hand froze in mid air when she remembered she had given it back, instead she pulled on a thick hoodie and shoved her phone, card and key into a pocket as she headed to the front door. When she opened her door and took a step forward she stopped with her eyes wide.
Outside her door are several boxes stacked around her, and she laughs to herself when she literally finds herself boxed in. From what she can see some of them have numbers on them but when she tries to lift one Issy almost stumbles over due to the weight of the box.
"What the fuck?" She whispers to herself, ignoring the rattling that comes from the door opposite her, knowing that she'd meet her neighbour at some point. But when the door opens and the figure in black freezes, she looks up and if she could, her eyes would have widened even more.
Eric stands in his doorway, his mouth opened slightly as he stares at the boxes critically before glancing up to Issy. "What are those."
She holds his gaze for a moment before she looks away, shaking her head. "I haven't got a clue. I haven't ordered anything."
He hums as he locks his door and takes a few steps closer, analysing her situation before speaking up again. "Need help?"
"Please?" Eric smirks at her, stepping forward to pick one up and Issy smirks back at him when his eyes widen in surprise at the box's weight. "Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Issy laughs at him. Eric simply flips her off which makes her laugh harder. She's pleased that Eric is no longer cold towards her and its no longer awkward between them. She missed their banter.
"They have numbers on them." Eric points out and she coughs to cover her snort.
"Thanks Captain Obvious, I'd never have guessed."
"Issy," Eric sends her a reprimanding look but it's ruined by the grin that takes over his face.
"Yes Eric?"
"Behave or be quiet, fuck knows you can't do both at the same time." Issy laughs joyfully at this. It was true after all. "Now back up! I can't do anything from this side." Issy steps back into her flat and leaned against the door frame as Eric leaned a hand on the wall and the other on top of the boxes. He swings his legs back and forth for a moment before he propels himself up and over the boxes, landing effortlessly next to Issy. She rolls her eyes when he shoots her a pleased smirk. On top of the nearest box a large 8 is painted on it and underneath it says to open box 1 first. "Right, so, we need to find number one."
"Alrighty then." Issy grins as she tries to turn the other boxes around to find their number when she feels eyes on her. Issy catches Eric watching her with a small smile and instead of looking away his smile widens into a grin. "What?"
"You're awfully happy this morning. What happened?"
"I actually slept for like, five hours-ish, which is good and I can feel it." Issy's eyes light up and she gazes up at him. She realises she's never thought of their height difference before. He's definitely taller than Dec and the top of her head only comes to the every bottom of his chin. "And I'm starting my training tomorrow which I'm thankful of. Honestly a few more days off and I'd go crazy with boredom." Eric snickers quietly to himself as they pick up box eight and carry it into her flat.
"Not one for days off?"
Issy sighs as they place it down and they head back to the pile. "I don't mind them but even before initiation I could never just do nothing and during initiation everything was mostly planned out. But now, I feel that need to do something." When Issy stumbles forward under the next box, Eric quickly caught her while supporting the bottom of the box with his knee. She nods her head in thanks as she stares at the box. "At least we found number one."
"Yeah, let's put away from the others though." After they had placed box number one on the coffee table Issy remembered something she and Dec had talked about the morning beforehand. "What is it?" Eric asks suddenly and Issy looks up from the box she was frowning at.
"Hm, what?"
He steps closer to her with eyebrows raised. "I can see that something is bothering you Issy. What is it?"
She shakes her head. "Nothing really." Eric pursed his lips, staring at her pointedly. "It's just something Dec said and –" Eric sighed quietly the moment she mention Declan. "He said that your department is like special patrols that tackle faction uprisings and traitors but surely there's not that many of them to keep you busy all year round?"
"No, there isn't." He stares down at her with a surprised look. "But don't forget I'm an instructor too, so that takes up some time. Although when there's no initiation and no faction uprisings, I and my other squad members supervise Harrison's patrols."
"Oh." Her lips form an 'o' shape and her shoulder slump subtly. That sounded more professional than what she thought he did in his spare time. Honestly she had an image of Eric pissing Four off in every way possible just for shits and giggles.
By the time the carried the last box into her flat the others were on the floor in descending order with the first box still on the coffee table. They placed the last box, number five, on the floor and Eric handed Issy a small knife that he had pulled from somewhere on his leg. She took the knife with a smile and tore through the brown packaging tape. Issy opens the first two flaps to find two small cards, no bigger than two inches squared, and one had Issy's name on it and the other Alec's. On her card was the familiar handwriting she had grown up with.
Congrats on ranking 1st, with love mum and dad xxx
Each letter was neatly ordered, each the exact same size and the tails of the g's elegantly looped. By the writing alone, she knew her mum had written it as her dad's handwriting depended on his mood and none of his letters were ever the same, much like her own. Alec's card congratulated him on ranking second. Issy placed the cards to the side and opened the two remaining flaps as Eric picked up one of the cards.
She barked out a laugh as she stared at the contents. "What the hell?" She whispered to herself as she picked up her tablet that she had left at home. Issy could feel Eric's breath on her neck as he leaned over her shoulder. His arm came around her left side and he began to shuffle through the box finding a laptop and several books at the bottom. Her eyebrows knitted together as she glanced over at the other boxes. "Surely I don't have that many books?" Eric laughed behind her before flippantly picking up the discarded knife and opened another box. He was greeted with more books and he rose an eyebrow at Issy with a smirk on his face. Confused, Issy picked up a card and scanned it for a single idea of what the fuck was going on. She flipped the card around, smacking her forehead because of her stupidity. On the back of the card, Alec's card, was her dad's scrawl. Apparently, the boxes numbered four, five and six held Alec's stuff and eight had some of Declan's stuff in. On the back of her own card were the numbers one, two and three with the number seven under Hugo's name.
Eric picked up the card she had just dropped. "So its not all of your stuff after all."
"I knew I didn't have that many books!" Issy stood with both of her hands on her hips, looking down at the box. It was a moment before she looked back up and smiled brightly at Eric. "Thanks for that." Issy motions to the boxes in front of her.
Eric looks down to the ground as he slips his knife back into its sheath, somewhat bashfully. When he looks back up a boyish smile cover his face. "Any time." He says with a nod and when stands by her door he glances back with grin before leaving her with eight boxes and no clue as to where to start.
xXx
Throughout the two, nearly three, hours Issy spent organising her stuff around her flat she had sent a text to her brothers, notifying them on their boxes that are currently taking up her floor space. She had marked which ones belonged to who and had proceeded to empty out her own boxes. The books that she had read and reread often were placed in the bookshelf in her room whereas the others which were mostly on history, various poets and engineering were place in the narrow set of shelves in her living room. The boxes that didn't hold books were filled with other knickknacks that had scattered her old room. She was pleasantly surprised that her laptop and her tablet were in there as well, along with their charging cables. Her hand froze over a stack of envelopes, holding the conversations between her and her pen pal from all those years ago. All of them were ordered by date and smiled as she placed them in between two books on the bookshelf in her room.
At the very bottom of the final box Issy grinned when she saw her old sketch books. There were at least ten of them, filled to the brim of designs that weren't drawn to fit in with the morals of Erudite but she never designed them for Erudite. With a pen, she flicked the first book open and proceeded to star all of the designs that could go in her folder. It took her just over an hour to go though all of her pads and once she was finished she stuffed them into a matt grey satchel that was in one of the boxes. It was lined with red stitching on the front and red fabric inside of the bag. Her destination after the tattoo parlour was to go shopping, using the list she had made earlier that morning. Issy tucked her points card and her list into a small zip pocket inside of the bag. With her satchel slung over her shoulder and her headphones plugged in her phone and on her head, Issy stepped out of her flat, locking the door behind her and chucked her key in her bag before setting off for the tattoo parlour.
xXx
With her headphones hanging around her neck and her music on pause, Issy walked into the tattoo parlour and her mouth curved into a smile. The parlour was a hell of a lot warmer than the halls of the compound and Issy stopped, relishing in the warmth. Issy waved at Andy when their eyes met, he was bent over a man's chest inking a swirling pattern. She head towards the back of the room and to the counter. Owen was leaning on his elbows, chatting animatedly with Tessa who was sat on top of the counter with her legs swinging over the edge aimlessly. When Tessa looked up, her rich brown eyes lighting up when she spotted Issy.
"Golden Eyes!" Tessa sang happily and Issy grinned back, her eyes shinning. Issy hadn't seen any of the other artists recently and it was nice to see them again. Tessa jumped down from the counter and enveloped Issy in her arms when she got within arms distance. "I haven't congratulated you on ranking first and oh my god! That dare yesterday was the best!" Tessa grinned widely as she pulled away, glancing back at Owen with a cheeky smile.
"It was good, wasn't it?" Issy laughed, winking at them. Tessa's face faded as she looked over Issy's shoulder.
"Dammit! My appointment has just arrived." Tessa collected her sketchbook and bounced off to her customer. "See ya later Golden Eyes!"
As soon as Tessa had left them Owen turned to her and spoke up. "I wouldn't do that if I was you." Owen raised a slim eyebrow at her, his blunt voice surprising her.
"What do you mean?"
"Winking at other men," He pushed himself off of the counter and took a small step towards her. "Teasing them." Issy's eyes narrowed at him angrily and when she opened her mouth to contradict him, Owen raised a hand to stop her. "I know it was in a friendly way, Golden Eyes, don't get your fur all ruffled up. But other men might not catch that drift and they might want more." His eyes roamed her body, making her feel positively disgusted and she almost took a step back. Almost. His voice dropped until her ears had to strain to hear him. "You have a very possessive man chasing after you, one who doesn't do the chasing so I'd be careful if I was you."
"Issy!" A voice called out behind her and she has never been more thankful. She watched as Owen's eyes widened the slightest bit and he stepped away, stalking to the other end of the room without another word. Bud came to a stop behind her and motioned his head to the back room. Issy followed him and it wasn't until Bud had closed the door behind them that she let her shoulders sag.
"Thanks."
Bud scratched the back of his neck slowly. "I should apologise for Owen. He means well but he's just a bit –"
"Blunt?" Issy offered when Bud paused, collapsing into a near by chair. "Crude? Oversteps his boundaries?"
"Yeah. Perhaps just stay away from him for now." Bud trailed off before sitting opposite her and a bright smile overtook his features. "So what can I do for you today?" Without a word, Issy pulled the sketchbooks out of her bag and placed them on the table between them. Issy has to say, she's never seen him look so excited before.
"These are my sketchbooks from my time in Erudite." She explained. "I've already gone through them and starred the ones you can add to the folder."
Bud grinned. "Thank god! I've had numerous people come in and ask when the folder would be updated. This should keep them happy for a while." He flips through one of them before looking back up at her. "Anything else?"
"Nah. I've got some stocking up to do but I think I'll get a new stud soon." Issy smirked at him as she stood up and left the back room with a wave of her fingers.
As she walked through the main area of the tattoo parlour, Issy knew Owen was watching her but she didn't let him get to her. Whatever she could class his words to her as – warning? Promise? Threat? – he had no place to do so. They had only talked twice and whatever runs through the ears and mouths of Dauntless about her, of what he might have heard, none of it even worth a second of her time. Issy stepped out onto the rocky path outside of the shop and breathed out. She shook her head, pushing Owen from her mind as a smile stretched on her face while she walked to the shops.
Rather than getting bits and bobs from multiple shops, Issy heads away from the smaller shops and away from the bars to where the shop she is searching for is. The shop is literally called what it is: Multi Department Store, and yet several members of Dauntless got lazy and started to call it Muldos instead. Muldos is the biggest store within Dauntless and because of its size there are many people from Candor and Erudite that shop there too but they order their items from their tablets or phones and its shipped out within the hour. The members of Dauntless however have these handheld scanners – courtesy of the Weapons Specialist department and Erudite – that scans the items, logging them onto a digital receipt. Once finished the shop assistant behind the counter adds it to the system with the customer's name and address after the items have been payed for and is delivered at a chosen time. It saves carrying it throughout the store and then all the way back to her apartment. For one of the city's most active factions, Dauntless really is lazy.
When Issy pushed the door open, Issy gaped a little bit. The shop assistant giggled at her reaction so maybe more than a little. She followed the signs around her until Issy was in front of a counter with a computer screen in the middle and the scanner by the side. Issy cocked her eyebrow at the black screen before her and almost cautiously tapper the screen. The screen came to life and two boxes appeared on the screen. One said New Customer within a green box and the other said Returning Customer within a red box. She tapped the green box and was assaulted with questions. At the top of the page was an asterisk followed by bold lettering. All the questions that were starred, she had to fill in and that happened to be most of them. Issy groaned. She just wanted to buy some shit for her apartment, not fill out an autobiography. With a sigh, she filled out her details, cursing and swearing when the keyboard was slow or because she missed a letter off a word and had to go all the way back just to correct it. She was tapping furiously at the back button when Hec suddenly appeared at her side, the smirk on his face angered her even more.
"You have to be gentle with it."
"I'm being fucking gentle with it." She hissed and she threw her hands up in annoyance when Error came onto the screen in big, bold lettering. It was a second before the page reloaded but every single fucking word she had painstakingly typed in had been deleted. What pissed her off more was that she was on the last question and all. Issy stood there, glaring at the screen. "I just want some fucking coffee!" 'Plus some other things but mostly coffee.' She added mentally.
"Okay," Hec held an arm out pushing her behind him and stepping in front of the screen. "I'll type and you'll just tell me, okay?" They got through the form quicker than Issy had. She mumbled her thanks as she picked up the scanner and waited until Hec had logged in and picked up his own.
Silently they went now aisle by aisle scanning the stuff that they need. Hector laughed quietly when Issy scanned the barcode of the coffee brand that Hugo buys repeatedly until it was down on her receipt at least ten times. It wasn't until they had joined the back of the queue to the counters that Issy remembered the text she had received.
"Hey Hec, did you get that text on Saturday morning?"
Slowly they moved forward in the line as Hector turned to her, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head. "No. What text?"
"Oh." Above each counter was a green light that flashed when the next customer could be served. She watched as one light flashed and they moved forward again. "It was from squad captain saying that we're expected at the fighting rings in the Pit by six a.m. He also said that we need to wear workout clothes."
"Huh, thanks for that." He shrugged his shoulders with a small grin. "I don't actually have a phone but I do have a tablet so I should have gotten an email." A light flashed again and Hec moved to the counter under the light, winking at the woman on the other side.
Issy shook her head with a fond smile on her face, watching as her friend shamelessly flirted with the shop assistant. She was pretty, her bleach blonde hair was highlighted with pastel pink and tied into two braids. A deep blush settled onto her cheeks as Hector complimented her hazel eyes. The light on the counter next to Hec's flashed and Issy moved towards it. She greeted the assistant with a smile and handed the scanner over. This girl had the same bleached blonde hair but highlighted with pastel blue and braided into a single braid instead. Issy glanced between the two, noticing the similarities. The women in front of her smiled, catching Issy's eye.
"We're sisters." She said before nodding to a man at the very end of the counters. "Our brother, Jake, has the same blond hair but he has it highlighted with orange. We're triplets, the names Jessie and this is Jade." Jessie smirks at her sister as the blush deepens even more.
"Hector before you dig yourself into a hole, just stop." He turns to Issy with a pout. "Beautiful girls either have extremely protective brothers that don't let them out of their sight," Issy nods to where Jake is watching their exchange through narrowed lids and Hec follows her gaze. "Or, they have possessive boyfriends that stalks them at work."
Hector snorts as he slips his card back into his pocket with the selected time folded around his card. He spins to Issy with a sly smirk. "I'll take your word for it." He winks suggestively.
"Oi!" Issy squawks and Jessie and Jade laugh while Issy hands over her own card, circling at time for he deliveries to arrive by. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, you have the protective older brothers," Hector counts the names on his fingers. "Dec, Hugo, Alec with the added bonus of Josh and Noah and we both know how possessive he can be."
"Now wait just a minute! I'm older than Alec by like, five minutes and he's not my boyfriend." Issy takes her card and time slip and puts them into her satchel while Hector walks around her with a smug grin.
"Not yet." Issy huffs but says nothing. There's nothing she can really say to that and Hec knows it. She barges her shoulder into him as she passes, ignoring him as he laughs and speeds towards the exit. She heard him jog behind her to catch up and he places a hand on her shoulder, pulling her to a stop. Issy shifts the strap of her bag as his grin fades. "Sorry." Hec says as he clears his throat and he doesn't meet her eyes. Issy knows he means it, after all, she knew he only meant it as a slight jab. They move out of the way of the doors and he turns back to her with amazement clear on his face. "Are you really older than Alec?"
Issy pushes his shoulder forward to get him moving as she begins to walk back to the Pit. "Who did you think was older?"
"Honestly? Alec."
"Nope." Issy grins. "It's one of the things I can hold over him, my ickle bickle brother."
They come to a stop by South block and Hector waves as he steps towards the doors to the stairwell. "See you bright and early Iss!"
She laughs, waving until his back is turned and then she continues into the Pit towards Paint & Shit. As she turns a corner Issy is suddenly shoved into the rail. It creaks worryingly under her weight but she is pulled away by the back of her hoodie before the rail collapses. Her eyes widen as she breathes deeply, staring at the ground. Issy is surprised to find that there's no fear in her mind and her heart races with adrenaline. Boots step into her view and a hand lands on her shoulder. She looks up to Uriah who's eyes are as wide as her own.
"Shit Issy, I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. Zeke was chasing me and I –"
Zeke comes up behind his little brother and shoves him out of the way. "Uri shut up. You're rambling." Issy laughs at their attitude towards each other and Zeke grins at her. "You okay?"
"Yeah." She breathes.
Zeke slaps Uri's head. "You better hope Dec doesn't find out 'bout this, he'd kill us!"
Issy waves them off with a smile. "Nah, he'd only kill you if I had fallen, plus, I'm not gonna tell him. He'd want to wrap me in bubble wrap and lock me away." Issy knows she's exaggerating – hopefully – but it gets a snort from Uri and a laugh from Zeke. "Now I need to get some paints and you'd have no trouble carrying them back for me, would you?" Issy cocks an eyebrow at them, almost challengingly.
"Nah we can take it." Uri bounces up with his signature grin plastered back onto his face as he playful bumps into his brother. "C'mon then." He pulls Issy up and heads off down the corridor.
Issy and Zeke exchanges a smirk before she calls out. "Uriah! Its the other way!" Zeke snickers when Uriah freezes before he turns and walks back towards them, looking sheepish.
"I knew that."
Issy rolls her eyes and leads the brothers into the shop, waving at the owner. It was just like she remembered. She walked towards the paint section and picked up a six pack of red spray paints and handed it to Uriah before shoving a another pack of white spray paints into Zeke's arms. The boys grunted slightly under the unexpected weight and shifted the packs in their arms as she reached down for another pack of spray paints but this time it had several shades of black. Issy placed that pack on top of the pack Zeke was holding before turning around and choosing several different brushes of different sizes.
"Take them to the counter, would ya?" Issy winks at them as she spots where the tubs of paint are stacked. The brothers grumble under their breath as they walk towards the counter and she hears someone laugh. She looks between two tubs: one a deep red and the other a light grey. Issy points to each of them in turn with each word, mumbling under her breath. "Eenie, meenie, miny, moe. Catch-a spider by its toe, if it squeals let it go. Eenie, meenie, miny, moe. You are out." Issy shrugs her shoulders as her finger lands on the grey so she pick up the red and strides towards the counter. As she draws nearer she spots Hugo chatting animatedly with Uriah and the owner as Zeke leans against the counter. Issy greets her brother with a grin and he laughs again.
"What have these two idiots done to become your slaves?" Behind Hugo, Zeke's head shoots up and Uriah pales significantly.
"Nothing." Issy lies, smiling when Hugo's eyes narrow. "We just bumped into each other and they're helping me carrying the heavy shit back to my flat for me." Her brother glances between them as Issy winks at them. "Plus if they wait long enough I have a order from Muldos coming in and if my memory serves me correctly, I think I ordered some chocolate cake as well."
Colour flows back into Uri's face as his hand shoots up. "I am down for that!"
"Of course you are." Hugo laughs while he steps out of Issy's way and she places the tub on the counter. "That text Issy? How many boxes came?"
Issy took her card back out of her satchel and gave it to the shop assistant while she glanced at Hugo. "Eight. Three for me, three for Alec and one for you and one for Dec." She took her card back and placed it and the receipt into the back pocket. "Mine just held books, sketch pads, my tablet and laptop. And this bag." She motioned to the bag as she shoved the brushes into it and fastened it up as Uriah, Zeke and Hugo picked up a box of spray paints each and Issy took the tub of paint.
Issy let the boys chatter idly between themselves as they walked through the Pit and to the lift. She dazed out into her own world as the lift smoothly rose. The morning beforehand she had sketch out ideas of what she wanted to do with her apartment and she had yet to decided what is going where. The dinging of the bell brought Issy back while the doors slid open. She shifted the tub into her other hand as she lead the way to her door while she stretched out her fingers. When they were finally in front of her door, Issy dropped the tub with a thud, her hands aching. Before she could even reach into her bag to search for her key Hugo shoves her out of the way and unlocks it for her.
Issy narrows her eyes and points to the key. "Where...?" She trails off as Hugo swings the door open and strides in. She looks to the Pedrad brothers still pointing to where Hugo once stood. They grinned at her and shook her head. Absently, she picked the tub back up and walked in, shutting the door behind her and leant against it. "Where did you get that key?"
"Declan." Hugo smirks as he takes off his jacket and slings it across the sofa. Issy rolls her eyes, not impressed by his answer. Uri places a pack onto her island before slouching into the chair. She lifted an eyebrow in her brother's direction and he smirked back. "Declan asked Max for a spare key to your apartment and he gave us four so I have one, Dec has one, as does Alec and we gave the final one to Bree." She stares at him for a while longer before she looks to Zeke who didn't want to interrupt their stare down.
"Where's the toilet?"
"First door on your right."
Zeke nods, striding away. "Cheers chick."
Issy watches as Uri opens his mouth when there's a knock at the door, sending vibrations through her back and she shivers. Issy takes a step back and opens the door with a polite smile. A woman with a clipboard smiles back flanked by two men, who nod their greetings, with a pile of boxes behind them. They wear similar clothing of black jeans and a top with Muldos stitched into the shoulder.
"Hi!" The woman chirps. "Issy Vince, correct?"
"Yup." Issy smiles and she pushes her door open further. As the men pick up a box closest to them, she glances back to Uri and Hugo who are still lounging around and she rises an eyebrow in their direction, silently scolding them. "Uriah! Hugo! Get off your arses and help." With the warning laced in her tone she has no need to raise her voice. As Hugo gets up with a frown, Uriah groans and slumps further into the chair and Issy's tongue clicks in annoyance. "Alright then," She shrugs her shoulders with a smirk. "Seeing as Uriah's not strong enough, not Dauntless enough to pick up a few boxes then we'll just have to do." One thing she's learnt from the men of Dauntless: most of them are lazy when it comes to doing something practical in their spare time but when underestimated or challenged, they'll do it. Snorts come from around her as Uriah jumps up with a determined look on his face, mumbling that he is Dauntless. She looks to where Zeke is standing with a hand over his mouth with laughter in his eyes and she winks at him.
"Are you sure you don't want to take on Leadership?" Issy turns around to see surprise on Max's face as he stands at Eric's door. Dec is behind him with shoulders shaking as he laughs silently, leaning into Eric's side.
Issy smiles as her back straightens and she raises her chin in his direction. "My decision still stands but thank you for the offer." Max nods his head, making conversation with Eric and sending glances to Issy as the delivery men and Hugo and Uriah pick up boxes between them and carries them in. While Issy makes conversation with the woman, Elise, about the delivery service she catches Declan and Zeke taunting their brothers as they lean against the wall opposite. Elise follows her gazes and snickers quietly into her hand. When they both look up, they catch Issy's hard glare and she places her hands on her hips, cocking them to the side. She doesn't say anything as she raises her eyebrow for emphasis. Zeke is the first to look away. His shoulders slumping forward as he huffs and chips in. She focuses her whole gaze on her brother, who flinches, but doesn't break eye contact. She smirks as she wills her irises to shift into slits as her pupils lighten in colour. A feral grin covers her face as she watches a shiver run through Dec's whole body and he jumps forward to help Zeke with a box. Issy shoots Max a cheeky smile but shakes her head, answering the silent question on his face.
Once all of the boxes are in her apartment, Issy signed her name on the form that Elise handed to her and waved them off. Max left with Eric and Zeke who, along with his brother, received their cake they were promised. Her brothers whimpered jokingly, boasting they felt betrayed. Issy snorted, asking them if they thought it the Pedrad brothers were really helping her out of the goodness in their hearts. That gained some laughs as Uri waved them off indifferently, following his brother out of the door. Issy's own brothers stayed behind and helped her unpack and sort everything into the cupboards. She nearly cried with relief as she found the coffee and immediately put the kettle on while Dec and Hugo whipped up a meal for the three of them before thy both left with their boxes in hand and Issy collapsed onto her bed.
Long chapter again XD. It started to drag and I didn't know how to end it. Oh well...