The christmas tree illuminated one of the corners of the room, full of spheres and gifts but wholly abandoned in the darkness of the house. No one came and went, no festivity took place in this house. The tree, just like the lights outside and the decorative blankets, plushies, and small cloths over the furniture were only meant to impress visitors.

The family took to a fancy restaurant, dining with other three families equally as eager to fancy themselves as high class and extravagant. All wearing formal attires and showing practiced smiles that fooled no one else, but that made them think like the best tricksters in the world.

That they thought anyone would fall for it puzzled the boy, one of the only people there that looked out of place and very uncomfortable in the situation. Along with the kids that weren't old enough to follow their parents' instructions to the letter. And that asked their moms from time to time whether they'd leave soon or if they'd get an extra gift for putting up with all of this.

Honestly, he didn't blame them. The boy felt ridiculous in formal wear the night of christmas. While his friends took pictures in pajamas, in their cozy houses and showing off one gift or another, the boy had to smile at men and women that he knew nothing about and only cared about looking good to his father.

Lucius and Abigail, in spite of being younger than him, looked right in their element too. Saying something nonsensical and seemingly innocent whenever talked to, and distracting themselves by giving each other glances while they stalked the other children across the table. Like vultures that seeked a crippled animal, or in Abigail's case like a way too easily excitable parrot.

They'd get their gifts only after this diner was successful. And the boy knew his parents well enough that refusing to put up with all of this would have them destroy one of his gifts on the spot. Right in front of him. One time, he had to wonder whether it was what he had asked, and another he knew for sure that the new console they got him was broken beyond repair for daring to refuse to go to this sort of diner. Christmas was a stressful time, and the boy hated it more and more as years went by.

One of the women asked him something, a young ginger girl that could've either been one of the old men's daughter or side chick. The boy wouldn't know, the world his parents embarked in was often a scary one. And as he grew older, he learned to recognize that 'inviting the kids' babysitter' was a demure way to say that the patriarch was having sex with the teenager that had no relationship with the family whatsoever.

He hated it, but he hated it more that everyone pretended that it was normal. That the kids throwing tantrums about the food or that their mom didn't look at them as they crumbled cookies with their hands was normal. He hated that he learned to pick up those subtle details, and that speaking up about them later would be punished with a serious scolding.

The boy smiled awkwardly when it was pointed out that he didn't look too well, and he half-heartedly told them that he wasn't feeling too well. That one of the men hadn't stopped smoking a very thick cigar, helped him get his mother on his side. She told them half-joking that it'd be bad for the kids, and the man's wife chastised him for it. The man had no choice but to follow etiquette and put it out as Lucius cleared his throat, which made the other children either feel confident in finally coughing or doing the same as the small boy.

His mother gave the boy a look, but the boy couldn't be sure if she approved or not. He stood up to go to the restroom, and his mother asked Lucius to go with him.

"I can go alone."

"I know." The smaller Bradley spoke in that kid-trying-to-sound-like-an-adult way of his. Turning his expression into a poker face as he fondled his nose "Nice one."

"I didn't do it for you." The boy growled as they walked.

"It was still good." Lucius didn't care about the boy's feelings, so he didn't react at all "Maybe you could've changed your tone, but it was good."

The boy stopped in his tracks as he had almost opened the door to the restroom completely.

"I'm not trying to lie to anyone, I just didn't want to be yelled at." He didn't yell precisely because he wanted to avoid such a situation, but his answer made Lucius stop midstep and look at him like he had gone insane.

"Well, duh. Do you think I'm a dummy?" He still was young enough to find those words like the height of insults, which would've been funny to the boy if he didn't find his younger brother so irritatingly smug about it.

The boy thought about letting the door slam on Lucius' face, but that'd get him in trouble. The younger Bradley knew this too, so he confidently strided inside the restroom.

"Yes."

"That's not very smart." Lucius answered almost instantly, pouting. Because he was too young to actually frown.

"You're not smart at all." The boy placed his hands on his hips.

"Okay." Lucius forced himself to giggle. It'd have fooled other people, but the boy knew him well. The motion didn't quite reach his eyes, and it looked a bit unnatural. Even with the younger boy's round features.

The boy washed himself as, because he knew he'd not have any other opportunity, cupped his hands against the tap water and splashed his brother on the face as he got out of one of the toilet cubicle things to wash his hands.

The sheer spooked expression and disbelief that quickly replaced it, made the boy start laughing. Making some of the adults there give him looks as Lucius shivered because of the AC. He laughed so much that he couldn't do anything when Lucius lost his marbles and did the same to him. Prompting the boy to shove his little brother aside and start the tap again to do it once more.

They hadn't dried themselves off when they came back.

"What happened to you two?!" His mother looked horrified, while the other kids perked up at seeing the two boys come back wet and with their hair uncombed.

"The tap's too high up for Lucius and he sort of made a mess." The boy spoke up immediately, cutting the younger boy off because he knew that he'd do something similar.

Lucius closed his eyes and sighed.

"I… Sort of slipped cuz of the wetness there and… Y'know…" He made a convincing enough embarrassed expression that a couple of the adults smiled in that 'oh, silly children!' way only adults can come up with.

Abigail cackled openly, and almost dropped something herself as she leaned back while having her back turned against the person sitting to her right. The adults gave her their attention, and everything was laughed off as children being children.

Lucius bumped his small shoulder against the boy to sit down first.

"Merry christmas." He growled lowly, almost a whisper as he pushed his hair back again.

"Yeah." The boy went back to his seat, with a small smile on his face. When he sat down he exchanged a glance with Lucius. Who was glaring daggers at him.

The boy took a napkin and squeezed some hair to make water fall on it, almost like it was part of the tap.

Lucius suppressed a chuckle, the boy smirked. It had been funny, he had to admit. And for once, Lucius thought the same.

No one chastised them at the end of the night, though Abigail became insufferable on their way back.