Camden

Camden could have sworn he bolted his door before going to bed the previous night. Hence, when he woke up to the sight of East's daughter, crouched next to his bed and blinking bright, piercing blue eyes at him, it was already miracle enough he didn't directly jump out of his skin.

"What is it?" his eyes were bleary from hardly enough sleep, voice so hoarse it grated on his ears. Still, he waited to hear what she had to say.

"I'm hungry," she pouted.

Camden couldn't help the scoff that fell from his lips. He and East were identical twins but it wasn't that bad she'd mistake them for each other. Their mannerisms and the way they carried each other couldn't be more different.

"Dad's not here," she continued like she could read minds. "He didn't leave anything." Camden watched her eyes moist pitifully as she used her small hand to rub at her belly. Despite being East's kid, she suddenly didn't look so displeasing to the eyes.

He brought himself to a sitting position, Nainai who he'd been cuddling with under the covers falling away as he turned to his alarm clock. 07: 51am. Where had that irresponsible idiot run off to?

"Well, what do you want to eat?" he asked, watching her eyes light up at the sight of the white, stuffed dolphin and then turn hopeful, inquisitive blues on him.

"I'm fine with anything," she beamed when he stuffed the plush in her hands.

Her blue eyes were so big and so bright he'd feel like a villain if he did anything to dim that light. Perhaps she wasn't so repulsive after all.

He turned to the top drawer of his bedside table, pulling out his wallet and peering in then felt his lip twitch at the sparse denominations he met. He awkwardly raised his gaze only to find her expectant ones.

"Well, what do you guys usually have for breakfast?" he asked, slipping off the other side of the bed and going to pull on the first things he saw in his wardrobe. Then he started for his bathroom.

"Toast and egg. Mac and cheese. Mashed potatoes," he glanced half-heartedly at her reflection in his bathroom mirror as she ticked off on her fingers before going back to scrubbing at his teeth. "Lasagna. Stir-fry. Panca-"

"Never mind all that," he replaced his stuff and turned to steer her out, effectively shutting her up before she could add to his never-ending list of problems. "I'll treat you to something good instead."

Her father was endowed enough to provide her such luxury-style breakfast. But he was just a man. Just Cam. He'd only just fluidly melded into his work as barista and had already pushed to get his salary early on. Ethan didn't mind and treated him well enough but he wasn't shameless enough to do it again on such short notice.

The girl looked excited as she happily let herself be pulled along, stopping to tuck her feet into a cute pair of white Mary Janes with pearl buckles. He swallowed, heart hurting. His salary would barely scrape its value and he could hardly imagine her roaming the food streets in wears as precious as those.

"All set?" he asked when she shot him a smile when he was done, still cuddling Nainai close.

She responded by tucking her small palm in his.

He glanced at her tiny limbs that were quietly folded in his but upon meeting her quiet, docile expression ended up not saying anything and led her out of there. He took her to one of the less busier food streets and they slowly made their way down it. Anyway, that was what he could afford right then.

He wasn't expecting to spend a lot and just got a hotdog and cola himself. But his niece? His niece was a bottomless pit and he wasn't even sure who she got it from. Easton didn't eat a whole lot, his appetite only increasing the slightest bit when he started smoking.

She started off with a hotdog more than him and iced tea and they both finished it before they even made it halfway down the street. Then she had her eyes on chicken kebabs barbecued to so much perfection it was sizzling off the grill. So, he got a couple before she continued batting golden lashes hard enough her eyes were on the verge of falling out.

"Isn't it spicy?" he asked as they continued strolling down the street.

She shook her head, hard, even though a dusting of spice coated her lying mouth as she ate away at the skewer. "Not spicy," she said, finally tossing away the iron stick and looking to her uncle again.

His lips pursed speechlessly but he still handed her one more and continued eating at the last of his skewer. "That enough?" he asked when her third - or fourth - was soon consumed to nothingness.

She tripped slightly when she made to throw away the skewer stick to the floor and Camden jerked her straight back up with the hand he held gently in his. "Thanks, Uncle Cam," she smiled goofily and made hands for Nainai he'd stowed away in his other hand to prevent her from getting crumbs on it.

His blank gaze paused on the sun rays hitting her auburn hair with subtle blonde highlights and her bright, sincere eyes. "Of course," he managed, tightening his grip on hers. "Let's head back?"

She bobbed her head again and they started off again once he'd ensured she didn't actually get any dust on her clothes. "Uncle?" he glanced down at her tugging on his hand minutes later when they were just about to leave the food street.

"Hm?" he followed her pointer finger to the food stall she was focused on and all but drooling for. It was one of the last ones on the stall. "Aren't you full?" He could barely hold back the urge to ask if she really was a bottomless pit.

"It's for my mouth," she said, swinging his arm with a pucker on her lips. "It's still quite hot from the skewers."

"You said it wasn't spicy," he grunted but still led her over to the stall selling handcrafted, artisanal ice cream. He ended up buying two large cups of classic chocolate ice cream packed with crumbs of graham crackers, marshmallows and edible gold dust. All for her, of course.

She happily started eating it and Camden couldn't even grudge her with the sweet thank you that fell past her lips.

"Your daughter?" the selling lady asked as he rifled for change in his wallet. "She's cute. Cut from the same mold as you."

It'd be strange if she wasn't with the uncanny resemblance he shared with his twin.

"Thank you," he said, pausing and then muttering another appreciation when she sneaked a free bag of ice cream cookie sandwich. For the kid, she gestured. He thanked her again, the tips of his ears flushing red as he took his niece out of there.

"Uncle," she called sweetly again.

He glanced down to see that she had empty both the cups of ice cream. "Doesn't your stomach hurt?" he sneered when she smiled up at the pack of ice cream sandwiches though there was no trace of discontent in it this time. It almost felt strange on his face.

She shook her head.

It was a rhetorical but he still opened the polythene and gave her a couple. She nibbled on it quietly and he sneaked one in his own mouth. Then another. And then a third. Afterwards, he seriously began contemplating whether to keep bring her along for perks of free food.

"Cam?" he paused upon entering his apartment at the sight of his brother, looking in frantic disarray as he caught sight of his daughter alongside his twin, now gingerly taking off her shoes. East abruptly cut the call, face red as he glared at his twin.

"What now?" he asked, already irritated at the mere sight of him but still gently handed Willa one more ice cream cookie when she blinked up at him.

"What the hell do you even mean 'what now'?" Turning even redder, he stalked over to snatch the rest of the cookies still tucked in his twin's hand. "You can't just take her and run off. You even fed her junk when I explicitly-"

"Daddy, I-" Camden nudged her off before she could weave anything more, ruffling her hair slightly and letting her run off with the dolphin plushie.

"You didn't explicitly say shit," he snorted, snatching back the bag of cookies. It was won with his hard-work. . . and Willa's outrageous charm but still. "If you don't want me running around with her, then keep your fucking eye on her and do the providing yourself."

East's chest was still heaving hard with the adrenaline still pulsing in his veins. He'd only stepped out for five minutes and he'd come back to an empty apartment. He hadn't even been able to process a single thought normally. Had she run off on her own? Was his twin in the know? Where would he even begin to look?

"She was hungry," Cam said simply, slipping off his own shoes to replace with indoor slippers instead. "You're welcome."

East swallowed at his hardened expression. "I'm sorry," he said. Now that he was no longer high on worry, he at least owed him that. "Thank you, Cam."

Camden ignored him and proceeded to shut himself in his room like usual. He slumped in his bed and shoved one, two, three more cookies in his mouth. There were only about five pieces left when there was a series of soft raps on his door.

He quickly shoved another piece in his mouth and went to get it, already knowing who was sure to be on the other side. "What now?" he asked.

"I'm hungry," she said.

He scoffed but shoved the rest of the treats in her hand. "Your dad is going to have your neck," he said, watching as she peered in the bag and then begrudgingly stuffed one in his hand.

"I'm not having a lot of junk," she said, though Camden could only describe the smile on her lips as devious. "I only had a couple. You ate most of it."

"Of course." She giggled and ran off again.

A soft smile touched his lips. "Little swindler."

(a/n: 1.7k words. extension of rough #2 chapter)