You knew from the very start what you were signing up for. Getting involved with them was never going to be simple. After all, they are proxies, and trouble follows them like a shadow. But what you had not anticipated was just how exhausting their jealousy could be.

The second you gave Toby a shred of extra attention, Jeff would immediately start griping, throwing out complaints until you offered him the exact same treatment, down to the last detail. God forbid you leaned a little too close to one of them during movie night, because the other would act like you had just declared war. And then there were moments like this. Both of them latched onto you from either side of the bed, each refusing to give an inch of space, trading sharp remarks or petty insults anytime their hands brushed against each other while clinging to you. It was childish, ridiculous, and a little overwhelming, but somehow you could not help but find it endearing too.