"Meet me outside please, Lucian," Nico said, stopping for a moment while keeping his gaze fixed on Lucian. Lucian blinked and looked towards Nico when he heard his name.

"Pardon?" He asked.

"Let's step outside for a bit," Nico repeated. He smiled a little when Lucian looked towards Amira with worry hidden beneath his supposedly emotionless facade.

"And leave Bunny alone, Nicholas?" Lucian asked, looking at Nico like he was crazy. He did seem crazy to Lucian for suggesting such thing.

"She'll be fine," Nico said. He turned his head a bit to look at Amira, who was nodding her head vigorously, with one hand in the bag and the other holding a packed stuffie. Lucian followed his gaze and immediately complied.

"Alright," Lucian said. He pushed himself up off the chair and walked past Nico to the door. Nico took one step but stopped himself.

"Bunny?" He called out, turning around on his spot to look at the girl. Amira looked up, smilling. The panda stuffie in her hand was so adorable she wanted nothing but to cuddle it and sleep.

"Don't fight with any of the stuffies," he said, earning a cheeky smile from the girl, which in turn caused a genuine sweet smile to appear on his face.

He walked out, only to find Lucian leaned against the opposite wall, lost in his own thoughts again. Nico shook his head and closed the door behind him. Lucian didn't even blink as Nico walked forward.

He stopped just when his shoes touched Lucian's. Lucian looked at him and furrowed his eyebrows when he found his younger brother smiling softly.

"Wha-" He was cut off when Nico wrapped his arms around him in a brotherly hug. Since Lucian was leaning and seemed shorter than he really was, Nico was successful in being the one actually wrapping the other in the hug.

"Ease off a bit on yourself, Brother," Nico's soft voice said.

Lucian remained how he was standing before. Stiff and surprised. Slowly, he lifted himself, so he wasn't leaning against the wall anymore. Nico struggled to be the giver in the hug, but he stood his ground and patted Lucian's back.

Only when he patted his back did Lucian come back to reality. He continued staring at the wall opposite him but slowly lifted his hands to rest them on Nico's back, so his arms were wrapped around him.

It felt good.

Lucian needed every bit of support he could get and this was more than just a bit.

"She's okay. We're getting her where we want her," Nico spoke in a hushed voice, partly so the comfortable silence won't get interrupted, partly because he didn't want Bunny to hear him.

"We're getting the exact reasons of her mental condition, we're getting all the information we need to know about the trauma. This is going to get better."

"You've said it a thousand times before," Lucian muttered.

"What?" Nico asked. He tightened his hold a little.

"That it's going to get better," Lucian answered. "I don't see it. Something happens and it gets better then something happens and it gets worse than it has ever been."

Without Lucian's knowledge, his hands had clenched into fists on Nico's back, bunching his shirt in it. His gaze remained at the wall though. Unblinking and unwavering.

"Maybe that's what it is," Nico muttered. "Once it hits the peak, it's bound to incline downwards and come to the lowest level."

Lucian sighed and with the sigh leaving his nostrils, he felt his energy drain with it. A sudden rush of the overwhelming feeling returned and Lucian found his vision go blurry. He tried to blink the moisture away but it stayed. That's why he tried to calm himself down by taking a deep breath.

Again, with the extremely shaky exhale, he found his energy draining. The inhale was threatened to be accompanied by some sobs that raked through his chest. He barely kept himself composed.

When nothing worked, he let his head drop, so his forehead fell on Nico's shoulder. The grip on Nico's shirt fabric that Lucian had tightened to the point his knuckles turned white, gave Nico indication enough as to what Lucian was feeling.

Nico felt himself being held tighter against Lucian's currently weak body. As soon as he dropped his head on Nico's shoulder, he tightened his arms around his younger brother and the hold his fists had on his shirt.

It hurt so much. It hurt Lucian much more than anything he'd ever been through. The fact that it was all his fault because he trusted the wrong person hurt him. Even when the person was never much present for his own family.

Nico let Lucian take his time to compose himself which involved taking deep breaths, a sniffle and the gulping down of the emotions.

"It's all okay, Lucian," Nico mumbled softly. He patted Lucian's back continuously. The two stood like that for a long time.

Lucian needed that support and he was embracing every bit of it eagerly.

"Nicholas," he said after a moment. Lucian lifted his head up, after he had regained his composure. Having gone emotionless and composed again, he showed nothing on his face as he pulled away.

"Yes?" Nico asked, looking up with a smile. He was glad he witnessed the human side of Lucian. Even if it was only for some minutes.

"Thank you." Lucian managed to get out just these two words. But it explained everything. It meant the world for Nico and he couldn't be happier.

"You don't thank a brother, Brother." He chuckled.

Another chuckle followed but from the older man.

"Alright Nicholas," Lucian said as he pulled away completely. He stood straighter and put his hands in his pockets.

Nico rolled his eyes, which irked Lucian slightly but not to the level that he scolded him for it. Lucian was currently not his hardass self. Instead, he was feeling a little overwhelmed.

"Please start calling me Nico." Nico tried his luck again. He'd been begging Lucian to just call him Nico like everyone else. But Lucian wouldn't agree.

"Why?" Lucian leaned back against the wall and stared at Nico.

"Everyone calls me that." Nico shrugged.

Lucian smiled which caused Nico to freeze and admire the smile he didn't remember if he'd seen or not. Maybe not.

Lucian pulled his right hand from his pocket and lifted it to rest on the side of Nico's face.

"But you're grown now," Lucian said. He let out a chuckle. "Doctor Nicholas Rodriguez."

A sense of pride filled Lucian, like always. The three of them had worked hard to be where they are now. All three boys, Asher, Beau, and Nico had there own motives set.

Nico wanted to help people escape their minds because that was the most dangerous place yet where everyone found solitude. Beau wanted to deal with children especially, but he did train as a surgeon too, he was specialized in both. Asher was a senior surgeon. He didn't want to deal with kids especially because he didn't have enough courage to see the little souls in pain.

And they did all this without any help from Lucian. Lucian wasn't fond of helping them reach somewhere they didn't deserve. That's why he made it clear once the three boys entered med school that he won't be getting them recommended or getting them jobs. They'll have to pave their way themselves.

If nothing worked out, they could ask for a job in the family business. That was the most he could do.

And that is exactly why Lucian was filled with pride whenever he looked at the trio. They never asked for help. They worked hard on their own and got themselves settled however and wherever they wanted to.

With the smile still visible on his face, he patted the side of his face, causing Nico's frown to slowly vanish and change into a smile dramatically.

A weird warmth settled in his chest. Lucian looked so proud and that was something that filled his entire world with warmth. With so much happiness for himself, Nico felt like crying. He wanted to cry so bad.

Lucian's actions had more effect even when he didn't exactly say, 'I'm proud of you', it still made it all the more reason to be happy.

Nico wanted to keep it in his memory permanently. The proud look on Lucian's face as he said 'Doctor Nicholas Rodriguez'. He wanted to remember it forever.

Nico's eyes gathered moisture while he had a toothy grin on his face. He looked away chuckling to himself.

Lucian watched how the younger man's eyes twinkled on hearing 'I'm proud of you' indirectly. That twinkle gave him enough happiness for him to come out of his overwhelmed state a little.

"When is Beau visiting?" Lucian asked when it crossed his mind suddenly.

He missed Beau, honestly. It had been three years since they moved and Beau had never visited them, because of his misunderstanding with Asher. Lucian had just seen him twice in three years and that was when he visited Beau himself.

"Soon," Nico said, reading the look in Lucian's eyes. "They kinda made up."

"They did?" Lucian's eyebrows rose in surprise. "When did this happen?"

How he didn't know this, nobody knew.

"Kind of," Nico said. "I mean they've talked through the misunderstanding and have put a start to building their friendship again?"

He looked at Lucian closely, hoping he understood. Lucian smiled softly.

"That's great."

Inwardly, Lucian was jumping with joy. He really wanted to meet him and this meant Beau was going to visit if Lucian called him over.

"That also reminds me," Lucian said. His smile dropped as he raised one eyebrow. "I hope you're being nice to Beau."

Nico resisted the urge to roll his eyes but he couldn't stop the scoff from escaping.

"Beau is a crybaby-"

"Nicholas," Lucian cut him off with a warning. The expressions on his face became more stern.

"Fine," Nico said. It almost came out as a grumble. "I'm being nice to your dear baby brother."

"Watch it," Lucian said with a pointed look on his face. That made Nico look away immediately and mutter a small sorry begrudgingly.

Lucian pulled his hand away and put it back in his pocket.

"Am I free to go back inside now?" He joked. Nico chuckled and stepped aside.

"You're free to go, Brother," he said, a little smugly. With a shake of his head, Lucian started walking.

As soon as he stepped in though, he noticed two things. One, his sister was completely drowned in the sea of stuffies on her bed, ranging from huge to tiny in size and two, despite the sea there were a bunch of stuffies thrown ruthlessly in the corner of her room.

Amira froze when the door opened. Her hand stopped midway as she was about to throw another one to the corner. Her arm was raised with the soft toy in her hand as she looked sheepishly at her two older brothers.

"Why are the poor babies in the corner?" Nico said, moving towards the pile in the corner. The scowl on Amira's face showed her displeasure for how Nico was reacting to the criminals in the corner.

Lucian watched her reaction closely before he let out a chuckle.

"She's just grumpy there's more than one bunny in this house now," Lucian stated, watching her scowl deepen and her head turn to face him.

Two seconds of looking at Lucian and the scowl dropped. Amira looked away, not being able to bear eye contact anymore.

"I'm not!" She whined, tightening her hold at the bunny in her hand. "They're just too smug."

"Then why are all of these rabbit stuffies," Nico asked turning his head back to face her. He had crouched down by the pile now and had one of the bunnies in his hand.

"Because they all look smug!" She gritted. Lucian cleared his throat in warning, which caused her to shrink a bit and look down. The pout that now rested on her face had both men admiring her for a while.

"You can't treat them like that." Nico blinked.

"But they snatch my share of love," she mumbled, fiddling with the stuffie now.

"How so?" Nico raised an eyebrow, while Lucian watched her upset self with amusement. This was pure gold in his eyes and if it was Jayden in his place, he would be recording it so he can rub it in her face after.

"Because I have to share Asher. He kissed Bunny Junior goodnight too," she whispered. One eyebrow of each set raised at her response. Both of them looked at her embarrassed self with a grin on their face. Lucian had a soft smile but he still looked amused.

Amira however was trying to hide as much as she could. So she looked down and let her hair hide her face completely.

Lucian moved forward slowly until he was standing right at the foot of her bed, directly in front of her. He bent down and placed one palm on the soft bed, which was a hard task because of the stuffies. He had to make space for his hand before he bent down.

With his left hand supporting his weight, he extended his right hand towards her face. His hand brushed against the soft curls as he pushed them back and tucked them behind her ear.

"Now that's adorable," he cooed, keeping his volume low. Amira shrunk more in embarrassment. That caused Lucian to stifle a laugh.

"I want to talk to Asher," the girl mumbled. She was missing Asher again, now that she was feeling a little better.

Lucian sighed and ran his fingers through her hair gently.

"Asher will call once he wakes up."

Amira nodded sadly, trying to forget about the sudden urge to cry. There were still two days left of this before Asher returned.

"Is he okay?" She found herself asking. She looked up into Lucian's eyes and found confusion in his features.

"Yes." Lucian said. "Why wouldn't he?"

Amira simply shook her head. The worry swirling inside her was clearly visible outside. She didn't know that though. She thought she was hiding it well.

But actually the two men saw it and exchanged looks. She was getting paranoid because of what happened with her Dad.

She didn't want to lose him again. Asher resembled her Dad with his personality, in more ways than she can count. She had started finding comfort in her brother and as selfish as it sounded she didn't want to lose her comfort and happiness. Not again.

"He'll be okay, Bunny," Nico assured as he stood up from his place. He strode over to the bed and threw some of the suffies in her lap to make space for himself on the bed.

"You don't have to worry so much," he said in the same gentle tone he used before.

"Okay," The girl said, although she wasn't really satisfied fully.

The men sighed inaudibly. They knew they couldn't get her to forget the fear.

"Let's have dinner," Lucian announced. He moved to the side of the bed and extended his hands towards his sister. Amira raised her arms and let him pick her up from the middle of the sea of stuffies.

She clung onto him, while he walked with her in his arms. Nico was quick to follow the two out of the room.

However, he had to scrunch up his face as he looked at Amira. As soon as Lucian turned towards the door and Nico came into her view, she had been making faces at him. That made Nico scrunch up his face. Amira kept her chin on Lucian's shoulder while doing so.

Nico rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her.

When she wouldn't stop with mocking faces, he reached over and flicked her forehead.

"Ow!" Amira whined. She exaggerated and held her hands to her forehead. "Lucian!"

Lucian stopped on hearing the whines and turned his head to look at the baby in his arms.

"What?"

"Nico hit me!" She pointed her finger at Nico accusingly. Nico's eyes widened in fear when Lucian turned his head more to look at him and raised an eyebrow.

"She was making faces!" He exclaimed. "She started it."

"Nicholas." Lucian sighed. He shook his head and turned around to give him a weird look. "You're the older one here."

Lucian deadpanned which caused Nico to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"Exactly. I'm older and she shouldn't be making faces at me."

"I'm younger. I should be making faces at you," Amira stated. She stuck her tongue out. Nico took a threatening step forward about to flick her again but Lucian was quicker.

Lucian reached out and poked his finger into Nico's forehead, stopping him at arm's distance immediately.

"I said, you're the older one here, Nicholas." Lucian's tone had a warning as he retreated his finger a little, only to poke it twice a little more forcefully.

Nico resisted the urge to pout after hearing the reprimand from his older brother. The obvious favouritism irked him a little too much but since it was Lucian he was dealing with, he wondered if he should take the risk to say it.

"This is favouritism," he mumbled, taking a step back to avoid the poking on his forehead. Lucian's hand lowered slowly and his eyebrow raised.

"Are you accusing me of treating you all differently?" He asked. His tone was challenging, daring Nico to say so before he faced his wrath.

Amira leaned forward by pushing her hands against Lucian's shoulders.

"Can your dumbass self be smart for once and back off?" Amira whisper yelled at Nico when she saw he was about to get caught in a fire.

"Not you calling me a dumbass while cursing where he can easily yeet you to another world," Nico whisper yelled back. He reached out and flicked her forehead, earning a smack on his hand for it. He scowled and smacked her head for revenge.

Lucian rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. When he finally opened his eyes, he was glaring.

A few moments later.

"Your fault," Amira mumbled. She had her face held by her hands under her chin, while her elbows rested on her knees. Nico was sitting in the same way. He rolled his eyes when Amira said that.

"Your fault," he mocked in a high pitched tone. Sitting at the third step after so long felt weird.

But his teenage self, who usually served this sentence for mouthing off, would never have imagined he would be sitting here with his sister one day.

He had lost all hopes of meeting his sisters ever again, but a miracle happened and their family got their angels back.

The family having seven of them brothers who had always stood beside each other. Who had always lessened the pain the other was feeling.

A smile graced his lips as his chin lifted from his palms slowly. He sat straighter and let out a quiet chuckle.

Amira turned her head to look at him weirdly. This wasn't worth laughing.

"The boredom got to your mind already?" She asked.

"No," Nico said. "I love you."

The unexpected 'I love you' made Amira blink in surprise as she looked at the therapist like he had lost his mind.

Without waiting for another second, Nico quickly reached out and scooped her up into his arms. When her shocked and speechless self was curled into his embrace properly, he pressed his lips to her temple.

"I love my little Bunny so much," he whispered against her temple. "And now I miss my little Rose too."

"Me too." Amira pouted. She finally wrapped her arms around his middle and pushed her head more into his chest. "I love you too."

Meanwhile, Lucian stood at the end of the hallway behind the pair. He was leaning against the wall with his hands stuffed in his pockets. The smile that graced his lips was something he didn't want to get rid of.

Somehow, watching his siblings shower love on each other warmed his heart. His heart fluttered when he heard angelic giggles echo in the lobby.

"Hey!" Amira said, pushing his hands away from her stomach.

"Tickle punishment!" Nico yelled, announcing her sentence.

"For what?" She giggled pushing at his arms to pull away. Nico caught her and held her tighter to his chest.