Never ending Pranks

Keifer POV

Jay made dinner without burning the kitchen down, which—honestly—surprised me.

"Babe, this is really good," I said, staring at my plate like it had betrayed me.

"I think you're underestimating my skills," she said, smug.

"No, because last time you tried to cook, the kitchen actually burned down," Keigan chimed in.

Jay pointed her spoon at him. "That was because your brother was distracting me."

"Yeah, Kuya," Kerian added, grinning. "You were giving Ate kisses while she was cooking."

I turned to him, betrayed. "You're supposed to take my side."

Jay stuck out her tongue at me. I rolled my eyes and kept eating.

After dinner, Jay and I started clearing the table while Kerian and Keigan disappeared suspiciously fast. Too fast.

Jay raised an eyebrow. "They're up to something."

"I know," I said, stacking plates. "They always vanish when they're plotting."

We finished cleaning and headed to the living room. The lights were off. The room was quiet. Too quiet.

"Kerian?" I called. "Keigan?"

Suddenly, the TV blared at full volume—some dramatic villain monologue from a superhero movie. .

Then a spotlight flicked on, aimed directly at me.

Kerian stood behind the couch, holding a flashlight like a stage light.

Keigan wore a blanket like a cape.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Keigan announced, "we present... The Watson Reveal."

Jay burst out laughing.

"What is happening?" I asked, already regretting everything.

Kerian stepped forward. "Keifer Watson, heir to the empire, lover of soy sauce, and secret romantic."

Keigan added, "He once accidentally "liked" an old photo while stalking someone called Jay-Jay.'"

Jay burst out laughing, nearly doubling over. I covered my face. "You guys are the worst."

Kerian wasn't done. "He also sends texts like: 'I love you until scientists find the end of the universe.'"

Keigan gasped. "A poet. A soy-sauce-scented poet."

Jay wiped tears from her eyes. "I can't breathe."

I groaned. "You went through my texts?"

Kerian shrugged. "We're artists. We study our subjects."

Keigan bowed. "And you, dear brother, are a masterpiece of cringe."

Jay walked over, still laughing, and kissed my cheek. "Still my favorite cringe."

I sighed. "I need new siblings."

Kerian winked. "Too late. You're stuck with us."

Keigan added, "And now Jay's one of us. Which means you're outnumbered."

Jay leaned into me. "I like those odds."

I looked around at the three of them—Jay glowing with laughter, Kerian still holding the flashlight like a trophy, Keigan dramatically draped in his blanket cape.

And yeah.

I was outnumbered.

But it didn't feel like losing.

Later after the chaos

We went to our bedroom, the laughter from dinner still lingering in the air.

Jay flopped onto the bed, grinning. "You stalked me on the internet."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're still on that?"

She laughed. "You liked a photo from three years ago. That's not casual scrolling. That's deep dive territory."

I shrugged, trying to look innocent. "Well, I had my reasons."

Jay rolled onto her side, eyes twinkling. "Which were?"

"You were cute. And mysterious. And I needed to know if you were secretly a cat person."

She snorted. "So you risked digital embarrassment for feline intel?"

"Exactly."

She leaned in, mock serious. "And what did you find?"

"That you post too many sunset photos, have a weird obsession with mangoes, and once captioned a selfie with 'feeling spicy.'"

Jay groaned, burying her face in a pillow. "I hate you."

I grinned. "You love me."

She peeked out. "Unfortunately."

I kissed her forehead. "Fortunately for me."

Jay and I had just gotten into bed, the room dim and quiet, the kind of silence that wraps around you like a blanket. She was curled up beside me, her head on my chest, fingers tracing lazy circles on my shirt.

"I still can't believe you stalked me online," she said, voice muffled by sleep and amusement.

"You're still on that?" I groaned.

"You liked a photo from three years ago, Keifer. That's not casual scrolling. That's a digital excavation."

I smirked. "I had my reasons."

She sat up slightly, grinning. "Which were?"

"You were cute. And mysterious. And I needed to know if you were secretly a cat person."

Jay laughed. "So you risked public humiliation for feline compatibility?"

"Exactly. That's love."

She rolled her eyes. "You're lucky I didn't block you."

"You're lucky I didn't comment something cringe like 'nice pic.'"

She gasped. "You were this close, weren't you?"

I held up my fingers, barely an inch apart. "This close."

She shook her head, smiling, and settled back down. "You're a menace."

"I'm your menace."

We were just starting to drift off when the hallway light flickered. Once. Twice. Then it went out.

Jay sat up. "Did you see that?"

I blinked. "Probably just the bulb."

Then came the whisper. Soft. Drawn out. From the hallway.

"Keifeeeeer..."

Jay froze. "Nope. Nope. I'm not doing ghosts tonight."

I sat up, heart thudding. "Kerian? Keigan?"

No answer. Just another whisper.

"Jayyyyyy..."

Jay grabbed a pillow like it was a weapon. "I swear if your brothers are trying to summon spirits—"

I got out of bed and opened the door. The hallway was pitch black. Then—bam!

A sheeted figure lunged from the shadows, flashlight under the chin, voice warbling like a horror movie reject.

"BEHOLD! THE GHOST OF CRINGE TEXTS PAST!"

I screamed. Jay screamed louder. Kerian ripped off the sheet, cackling like a gremlin.

Keigan popped out from behind the bathroom door, holding a Bluetooth speaker playing creepy violin music. "We got you so good."

Jay was wheezing. "I can't—my soul left my body."

I glared at them. "You're both grounded."

Kerian grinned. "You don't believe in grounding."

"Then I'll invent it."

Keigan bowed. "We accept our fate."

Jay wiped tears from her eyes. "I take it back. I love your siblings."

Keigan beamed. "We're delightful."

Kerian added, "And terrifying."

I dragged them back to their room, muttering threats about chores and early alarms.

When I got back, Jay was still laughing, curled up in bed like nothing had happened.

"You okay?" I asked, climbing in beside her.

She nodded. "That was the most fun I've had in weeks."

I pulled her close. "You're not mad?"

"Mad? Keifer, your brothers staged a full horror production just to mess with us. That's love."

I smiled into her hair. "They really like you, you know."

She looked up at me. "I really like them too."

We lay there in the dark, the house finally quiet again.

And even though my heart was still recovering from the jump scare, I couldn't stop smiling.

Because this—this chaos, this warmth, this ridiculous little family—was everything I never knew I needed.