So frigging stuffy.
But that's just an afterthought, 'cause darn, my head is trying to kill me this morning. The pain is pulsating from the base of my skull up to my temples, the muscles seemingly trying to contract and pull the skin of my scalp down to my spine. And as if that wasn't enough, 'cause of course it's not, the back of my head is throbbing like fucking drums at a festival.
Tension headaches are my worst enemy, for real.
"Is your head hurting again?" Jordan's voice travels to my ears, and the next instant, fingers are on my nape, pressing around the vertebrae to help release the tension. It hurts like hell, but feels so damn good at the same time. "You should try to rectify your sleeping position. That's probably why you've been waking up with headaches lately."
Not probably. It's definitely why.
I slowly crack open an eye, glancing at my husband, who's sitting on the bed working on reports, like always. There's a doting smile on his lips, and his hazel eyes look down on me with a bit too much tenderness.
"My sleeping position wouldn't be that bad," I grunt, realizing I've somehow moved closer to steal his thigh during the night, using it as a pillow, "if the bed wasn't this crowded."
My answer is a chuckle, and I cock an eyebrow, feeling the reverberations under my cheek—oh, crap, I think I drooled on his pants… Oops.
Let's pretend I didn't notice.
Anyway, Jordan can't deny that the bed is only so big, and we've been abusing it as of late. For some reason, the kids have been hellbent on sleeping with their Father, their Dad, their Uncle, and their big brother in the same goddamn bed. Our opinions don't matter, and no, they don't want to take turns.
The little gremlins have been adamant that we all sleep together every night, and we, as mere peasants, gotta obey the whims of the king and the queen.
Thank God, they have yet to drag Eve with us.
"Maybe it's time I invest in a bigger bed."
No, you think!
"That could be a good idea, yes." I clear my throat and glance over my shoulder. Ellena is snuggling against my back, with Jonathan sound asleep beside her, his face peaceful even as Elois clings to him like an octopus. James has miraculously not fallen off the bed, too, sleeping on his side at the edge.
"Your phone rang, by the way," Jordan warns me, putting down his reports to hand my brand-new phone over. The casing is a cute one, specially chosen by the kids. Not to my taste, but whatever. "Your brother is a morning person, isn't he?"
"He has always been."
I love to sleep in; he doesn't. We might be twins, but we're polar opposites on a few things.
My eyelids are still heavy with sleep as I sweep the screen open to read Bryan's message. He's been sending me messages now and then, always in the morning. I tend to imagine him getting ready for work, sitting down to eat his breakfast, and then typing something to his little brother while munching on his toast.
That would be like him.
Or at least, what I remember of him.
Big Bro 06:41
Will you be celebrating the New Year?
Oh, right. The New Year is just around the corner, isn't it?
In the past, we celebrated it a little later in winter, but our culture has been influenced by the outside world in the last few centuries, and now we usually celebrate it at the same time as most of the rest of the world. Well, people from hunter clans and supernatural beings don't really celebrate the other holidays, though. For us, the new year is the most important of them all, the beginning of a new cycle. It holds a critical role in rituals and ceremonies.
Just like solstices and equinoxes do.
I look at the date.
December 28th.
"…Hey Jordan." I lift my eyes to meet my husband's. "Do you celebrate the New Year in your household?"
"No, not really." He shakes his head. "But we can celebrate it if you want. I'm sure the kids would love it." His smile deepens. "Isn't there a festival downtown from tomorrow up to New Year's Eve?"
There's one. There are flyers everywhere in town to remind us of it, but, yeah, I kinda forgot about it regardless. I mean, I've never had the chance to enjoy it, so…
"That sounds like a plan." I nod, then type an answer to my brother. I refuse to look into Jordan's eyes when I add, "By the way, my headache is gone, so you can stop massaging my neck. Thanks."
"Are you sure?" the prick asks, his fingers still lingering on the nap of my neck. They're not applying any pressure now, though, just caressing the skin and fiddling with my hair. Shivers run down my spine.
"Yeah." I ignore the lump in my throat. "I'm sure."
"Alright, then." He removes his hand, but the warmth of his skin remains on mine. "Also, Eve might not be able to come this weekend. She's drowning in work."
"I saw that, yeah..."
There's a row of crying emojis on my phone.
After replying to my brother, I opened the other notification, only to find a dozen messages from Eve. She spammed my phone at around midnight.
Girl, couldn't you condense everything into one single message? I swear, sometimes…
"Dad?" Ellena's sleepy voice resounds behind me, so I put down my phone and turn around to face her. "Why are you already awake…?"
"It's past nine, sweetie," Jordan answers for me.
"Oh, that's why I'm hungry…"
She lowers her eyes to pat her belly, a pout on her lips. I can already tell why she's not happy; she wants to cuddle a bit longer and doesn't want to leave bed just yet. I've been wondering lately if their species isn't touch-starved or something. 'Cause their parents also love to hug and invade my personal space a bit too much—although admittedly, I'm the one who invaded Jordan's last night.
For my defence, the bed is cramped.
"We need to get up soon, anyway," Jordan comforts his daughter, his voice coaxing. "We have a bit of shopping to do today."
I feel my mouth twitch. Shopping sprees are hell with the children and Jordan. They love to dress me like a doll a little too much. James and Jonathan get a similar fate, too, and from the corner of my eye, I see James's shoulders jolt at the mention of shopping.
So, you're awake, huh?
"…We have?" I manage to ask through a forced smile.
"Yes, of course," Jordan responds as if it's evidence. "This year's winter is quite cold, and if we want to enjoy the festival without freezing to death, it's better to have appropriate clothing to brave the weather. We're not snow demons like Todd, after all."
You know what? Fair point.
I'm not very fond of frostbite, so appropriate clothing sounds good. Even if Jordan has already bought me winter clothing, they're just your typical clothing, the things you wear to get from point A to point B. It's not warm enough to spend hours outside. James and Jonathan also didn't bring that many winter clothes in their luggage. I'm not sure if the kids have some in their closets, too.
"Festival…?" Ellena repeats, stars filling her eyes.
All of a sudden, she's wide awake, ready to leave bed, and yank her brothers along with her.
Exhaustion already seeps into my bones. Today is going to be a long day, isn't it? But at least, the kids are going to be happy and maybe, just maybe, they'll be tired enough not to throw a tantrum about sleeping in their own beds tonight.
I mean. A man can dream.