She crosses her chest and her husband tries to contain himself because there is always something magical about Bee. Even now in her fox head, with snow falling around her. He thinks of their two babies tucked up at home. All their fights, the angst, the days she hates him… despite all of it, he is still as drawn to her as he ever was. It’s not because she still has a beautiful body – although even after twins, even with its silver lines and the stomach she hates, to him, she does. What strikes him most is her absolutely unrepentant spirit. Rab has long learnt to accept that his wife is uncontainable, she always has been, and she always will be.

They disappear from the street.

Leave footprints, barely noticeable in the snow.

The stairwell of No. 10 Luckenbooth Close is garishly lit. It smells of poppers. There is a big clunky plastic light on each landing, glaring down on the chipped paint and worn steps. They look at each other, their eyes animal-like behind their masks.

Davey and Ali are the hardest boys around. Ali was born exactly nine months after Davey. In many ways, they are almost like one person. But there are several fundamental – and problematic – differences between them. Davey does not love women but he cannot help but pursue them. They always want to marry him and he has now been down the aisle three times. Ali believes in love for life but he always falls in love with his brother’s girlfriends. The brothers have eight children between them. It is uncertain who is the biological father of each child. Ali has been sleeping with Davey’s girlfriends, then wives, since they were teenagers. He will pretend to be his brother if it means he can get something he wants. And he can pull off the Davey persona so well even his dad can’t tell sometimes who is who – it is almost impossible for anyone to tell them apart. They are easier to differentiate in their masks. Otherwise, they are so identical that nobody believes they are not twins. They are both huge, dark-haired, and Italian-looking.

Don’t say that in front of their da.

It won’t go well.

There are many things that cannot be said in front of their da. The brothers learnt everything they needed to know about their father when they were six years old. He parked them in a car with lemonade and crisps and went into the pub. When he came out, it was getting dark. Another man stoated out behind him. There was an insult and then a shove, and then their da turned around, shoulders squared.

– Ye fucking hink sae, aye?