Extras🎬

Phoenix's Story <3

A/N - it's Leo season 😛😛

TW: themes some may find upsetting in this scene

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Isabella

As much as I was a summer girl, there was something about winter that I fucking loved recently.

The everlasting hot chocolates from Zane, stealing huge hoodies from my brothers and boyfriend, baking gingerbread men with Nix almost every week...I was living the life.

It was about three in the afternoon, I may or may not have just woken up after falling asleep at four in the morning, I'd watched The Nightmare Before Christmas with Caleb so I blame him. I descended the stairs wrapped up in my fluffy robe, the all too familiar smell of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg filling my nose when I was about halfway downstairs.

Gingerbread men.

"Izzy", Nix smiled at me the second I entered the room, he was the only one in here and was wearing an apron, flour dusted all over it, his face too.

"Nix", I beamed, taking a seat at the kitchen island and sighing, "where's Zane?". His smile only grew at the mention of my brother, the pair of them were so in love it was unreal.

"Emergency babysitting duties", he chuckled, placing the ball of gingerbread dough on the floured counter and beginning to roll it out slowly, "Iris and Isaac- something about Addy's brother's dad?".

"Oh", I frowned, not really knowing a lot about that, "so you're baking him gingerbread for when he gets back?".

"Not just him", he declined, a smirk tugging at his lips, "you're welcome to some too". Thank fuck for that, Zane ate almost half a batch everytime we made some, even though I'm pretty sure it was damaging for his health.

"My favourite pre-Christmas treat", I rubbed my hands together in anticipation, watching his expression falter for a moment.

Phoenix had been dating Zane for over two years now, and I could say with confidence that I knew nothing about the guy apart from his birthday, that he loved my brother more than anything, and that he hated Christmas. I was a naturally curious person, but prying into someone's personal life wasn't something I could bring myself to do.

At least I thought.

"Can I ask you a question?", I blurted out, he nodded with a hum, pulling his slightly longer hair back and tying it into a small bun with a hair tie on his wrist, "or two questions?".

"Go ahead", he chuckled and I deflated in relief, at least he was open to a conversation at all.

"I don't know a lot about you", I fiddled with my robe and watched him smirk again, putting the rolling pin down and resting his forearms on the counter.

"Statement", was all he said, I rolled my eyes and pretended to throw a cookie cutter at him, "you mean you want to know things about me?".

At least he'd made it easier for me I suppose.

"I was trying to take a less invasive approach but yeah", I said sheepishly before my eyes widened slightly, "not that I'm forcing you or anything, or that I don't trust you or whatever, I'm just curious".

"Relax, I know", he shook his head, picking up with rolling pin once again and continuing to flatten the dough, "I'm not exactly an open book".

Who was an open book in this family at this point?

"Everyone has a reason for that though", I shrugged, getting up and moving across the room, retrieving the orange juice from the fridge and pouring some into a glass, by the time I'd turned around to sit back down Nix was already planted in the chair next to mine.