“Why does he have to stay another week?” Scottie had been whinging about it for the past hour, even though he firmly claimed not to be sulking or pouting—at all. He glared at Silus when he snickered. “Don’t be an arse.”

With his university term starting in a couple of weeks, Silus had finally decided to finish getting his flat situated. Scottie had managed to see him a couple of times since his brother had moved. Today he’d brought over a pizza to help him put some shelves together.

“Just admit you miss your American.” Silus lifted his head up from where he’d been hunting for a missing part. “Are you sure we need the bolt?”

“If you want your books to stay on the shelves, yes, you do. If you’re not fussed, then see what happens without it.” Scottie felt almost parental, showing his younger brother how to build a bookcase. “And I’ll admit nothing to your nosy arse.”

“Success!” Silus held up the tiny bolt with a triumphant grin. “My nose is on my face where it belongs.”

Rolling his eyes at his snickering brother, Scottie grabbed the bolt to secure the last of the shelves. They’d worked on the bookcases for several hours already. The time had flown by as the half-siblings enjoyed each other’s company.

With the last shelf done, Scottie used brute force to manoeuvre the heavy shelf into place against the wall. He brushed his hands off on his jeans and happily accepted the cold bottle of water from Silus. They collapsed onto the tiny sofa—crushed together on the tiny thing to watch the ending of the football match on Silus’s small telly.

“I’m buying you a bigger telly.” Scottie thought the screen was only slightly bigger than a laptop’s. “And an adult-sized couch.”

“It is adult-sized. Not all adults are the equivalent of an overgrown yeti. Plus, I’m a university student.” Silus waved off his offer dismissively. “I’m not going to live in the lap of luxury.”

“Fine. Keep your toy sofa and your duct-taped car.” Scottie shifted around on the couch, almost knocking Silus off it in the process. “What if Santa brings you one for Christmas?”

“It’s barely September. You’ll have forgotten about this by December.” Silus grabbed his mobile when it started to ring with a tune that sounded familiar to Scottie. “Zeb? Can I call you back?”

At the familiar name, Scottie’s eyes narrowed on Silus, who made the wise decision to finish his conversation in the bedroom. Why the fuck is that French shit calling my little brother? He told himself it wasn’t his business, and the young Chardin hadn’t done anything to truly earn his ire.

Still a little shit.

Before Silus returned to the room, Scottie’s mobile buzzed in his pocket to alert him to a text message. Ahh, Gray. The brief note told him that the American would be returning to Cardiff at the end of the week. Despite all his efforts, he couldn’t quite wipe the grin off his face.

“Hear from your sugar daddy?”

Scottie grabbed the nearest object, a pair of socks, and beamed them at his brother. “I probably have more money than he does.”

Silus caught the socks, sniffed them, and tossed them into a nearby basket. “Clean.”

“What did the—”

Silus held up a hand to stop him mid-sentence. “His name is Zeb. I have no idea why you’re such a jerk whenever he’s mentioned. He’s brilliant.”

“Fuck,” Scottie groaned, sinking further into the couch. “Am I going to have to play nice with Zippie?”

“Yes.”

“Fine.” He glared at his brother who grinned at him.

“Not going to argue?” Silus grabbed the box of pizza from the table and held it out to him. “I figured you’d have a six-page summary of why I should stay away from him.”

“You’re a Monk.” Scottie had never met a member of his family who wasn’t stubborn. “I’d be wasting my breath. Plus, if he breaks your heart, I’ll have a legitimate reason to beat the shit out of him that even Remi can’t argue with.”

“Well, at least you have a goal in mind.” Silus grabbed a slice of pizza from the box and sat cross-legged on the floor. “Try to be nice to him.”

“Shit,” Scottie grumbled around his mouthful of food. He wanted to argue with his little brother but knew it would be pointless. “Have any plans for the evening?”

“None of your business.” Silus became very interested in the slice of pizza in his hand.

“Where’s Zippie taking you?” he asked with a knowing grin. “Fucker better treat you right, or I’ll kick his arse back across the channel.”

“You wouldn’t, it’s too much work.” His brother leaned to the right to avoid the second pair of socks. “Stop tossing my clean laundry everywhere.”

“Why are your socks all over the couch?” Scottie had found bits and pieces of his brother’s laundry scattered around the flat. “Actually, never mind, you might break my brain.”

“Don’t want to risk what’s left after playing rugby?” Silus snickered—again.

“Oi. You cheeky little fucker.” Scottie leapt up from the couch and caught his foot on the coffee table squashed right up next to it. He fell forward like a log, crashing through the wood and landing on his stomach amidst the wreckage of his brother’s cheap furniture. “Well, shit.”

“My table.”

“Your table?” Scottie carefully got to his feet while brushing debris off his jeans. “Well, you sure you don’t want me to buy you some new furniture?”

“Fine. Let’s go to Ikea.” Silus grabbed his car keys, stared down at them, and then glared at Scottie. “If you ruin my car so you can buy me a new one, I’m hacking your mobile to send naked pictures to everyone in your contact list.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” Scottie kicked at the ruined coffee table. “Why don’t I get my friend who works in waste management to drive out to get your couch, coffee table, and bed? I’ll buy you a whole new set of furniture. And I promise to leave your piece of shit car alone.”

“Fine.”

“Stubborn arse.” He winked at Silus, who flipped him off. “Can you hack anyone’s phone?”

“No.”

“But—”

“No, I’m not hacking any of your friends’ mobiles so you can prank them.” Silus herded Scottie out of the small flat. “You’re an idiot, but I love you.”