intrepidity

Alec frowned as he took in the sight of his baby sister hunched over her desk, dark circles visible under her tired eyes. She was so focused on her math homework, scribbling numbers and erasing them just as quickly, that she hadn't even noticed him standing there.

He sighed, pushing off the doorway and walking over to her. "Morning, sweetheart," he murmured, placing a gentle hand on the top of her head.

Aurora startled slightly, blinking up at him before rubbing at her eyes again. "Morning," she mumbled, voice thick with exhaustion.

Alec glanced at the pages in front of her—pages filled with messy equations and half-erased attempts. "You've been at this all morning?"

She shrugged, nibbling on her lip, not meeting his gaze. "There's a lot to do."

Alec hummed, dragging a chair over and sitting beside her. "You look like you need a break," he observed, tapping the eraser of her pencil against the desk. "Or maybe a nap."

Aurora chewed on the inside of her cheek. "I can't. There's still so much left."

Alec tilted his head, watching her for a moment before reaching out and closing her notebook with a soft thud.

"But—"

"Shh," he interrupted, standing up and offering her his hand. "C'mon, you need some sleep. Five minutes, darling, that's all I'm asking."

Aurora hesitated, torn between the mountain of work she had and the tempting promise of a break. But when she looked up at Alec's expectant expression—soft yet firm—she let out a small sigh and placed her hand in his.

Aurora barely had the strength to keep her eyes open as Alec led her to the bed, his hand warm and steady in hers. The exhaustion from the past week weighed heavily on her, the stress of schoolwork, assignments, and endless reading leaving her drained.

"Just five minutes," she mumbled sleepily, already feeling herself sway.

Alec chuckled, pulling back the covers and gently wrapping her up in a fluffy white blanket. "Five minutes, huh? You say that every time, princess."

Still, he didn't argue. Instead, he scooped her up into his arms, settling back against the pillows as he pulled her against his chest. His warmth, steady heartbeat, and soothing scent—faintly of mint and antiseptic from work—lulled her almost instantly.

"You need to rest, baby," he murmured, running his fingers gently through her hair, untangling the strands with a tenderness that made Aurora's chest ache in the best way.

She hummed softly in response, snuggling closer, her tiny hands gripping onto his shirt. Alec smiled to himself, pressing a light kiss to the top of her head. Within minutes, her breathing evened out, and her body melted into his.

Five minutes turned into an hour. Then another.

By the time she stirred awake, the room was dimly lit, the sun low in the sky. There was a faint, delicious scent in the air—something sweet and warm, like vanilla and melted chocolate.

She blinked sleepily, shifting slightly, only to find herself still wrapped up in Alec's arms. He was awake, absently scrolling through his phone with one arm around her, keeping her snug against him.

"Morning, sleepyhead," he murmured with a grin, glancing down at her.

Aurora yawned, rubbing at her eyes. "I slept too long, didn't I?"

Alec chuckled. "A little. But I figured you needed it, hun."

Before she could respond, a new voice called from the doorway.

"She's up?"

Aurora turned to see Elias leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, that soft, knowing smile on his face. "Perfect timing. You're helping me bake cookies, sweetheart."

Aurora perked up at that, pushing away the lingering sleepiness. Elias and baking? That was a rare combination.

"Really?"

"Of course, baby," Elias said smoothly, offering a hand to help her up. "Come on, let's go make a mess of the kitchen."

She let him pull her up, still wrapped in the oversized blanket as he guided her downstairs. The kitchen was already set up—bowls, flour, sugar, chocolate chips, and even some cookie cutters spread across the counter.

Elias patted the bowl in front of her. "You handle the mixing, baby. I'll take care of the serious stuff."

Aurora giggled at his dramatic tone, grabbing the whisk and stirring the dough. The movement felt oddly comforting, grounding her in the moment.

"You need any help?"

Aurora turned to see Atlas appearing in the doorway, a comic book in hand, peering over his glasses at the mess on the counter.

"You're just gonna stand there and supervise, huh?" Antonio muttered; arms crossed from where he leaned against the fridge.

"Supervising is important," Atlas shot back, flipping a page in his comic book without missing a beat.

"Oh, let him be," Roman said lazily from his seat at the table, sipping a cup of coffee. "He just doesn't want to get flour on his book."

Aurora giggled, feeling lighter than she had all week. She focused back on mixing the dough, letting Elias guide her hands when needed. Occasionally, Alec sneaked in to steal a chocolate chip, only to receive a light smack on the hand from Elias.

"Hey!" Alec protested, but Elias only raised a brow.

"Touch the ingredients again, and you're on dish duty, fratellino."

Alec grumbled but backed off, though Aurora caught him sneaking another chip seconds later when Elias wasn't looking.

"Marcus, grab the trays," came Aiden's deep voice as he entered the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves.

Aurora blinked in surprise—Aiden? In the kitchen? That was new new.

"You're going to bake?" she asked, tilting her head at him.

Aiden scoffed, smoothing her hair as he passed. "I'm just making sure this house stays in one piece while you all experiment in the kitchen."

Despite his words, there was a fondness in his gaze as he helped organize the baking sheets, taking charge of placing the cookies in neat rows.

After a while, the kitchen filled with a comforting warmth, both from the oven and the soft chatter of her brothers. Roman occasionally checked the oven, ensuring nothing burned, while Atlas put his book down to help decorate the finished cookies.

When the first batch was done, the sweet scent of chocolate and vanilla filled the air. Elias carefully pulled out the tray, setting it on the counter to cool.

Aurora watched as Aiden grabbed one, breaking it in half before handing her a piece.

"Try it, princess," he said, his tone softer than usual.

She took a bite, eyes widening at how warm and gooey it was.

"It's really good," she mumbled, licking a stray crumb from her lips.

Elias chuckled, watching her fondly. "Of course, it is, baby."

"Oi, don't forget Thumper," Atlas pointed out, grabbing one of the plain cookies for the bunny, who was watching the scene from his spot near Aurora's chair.

As the evening continued, Aurora found herself sitting at the table, surrounded by her brothers, nibbling on cookies and sipping warm milk as they all talked about their day.

For the first time in a long time, she felt nothing but warmth. Nothing but love.

Yeah, she could get used to all this.

author's note - hiii everyone, hope you like this chapter :))

and Ramadan Mubarak to everyone who celebrates it 🌙🌙🌙  :)))

tell me what u think guys, what else do u wanna see? 

stay safe, love u <3