Pumpkin Pie 5
Author: Casey
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy universe, Pre-NIEE: Real World AU
Challenges: Pumpkin Pie 5 (skeleton), Papaya 17 (talking to myself), Green Tea 4 (afternoon)
Toppings & Extras: Whipped Cream (Beau is 3, Ren is 7), Chopped Nuts (RWAU), Sprinkles (Ren)
Word Count: 721
Rating: PG
Summary: Beau and Ren meet their new brother.
Notes: Summer, 1998. Pumpkin Pie used in the ‘skeletons in your closet’ sense for Mick.
Ren stood still next to his mother, holding tightly to his little brother’s hand. Beau, at only three, didn’t understand the importance of today and he kept jerking at Ren’s grip, trying to get free and run around their grassy lawn. Ren shot him a glare. “Beau,” he hissed, “this is important. Mom and Dad said so.”
The toddler scowled. “I wanna play. We’ve been standing here forever,” he whined.
Ren was fairly certain ‘forever’ was only about ten minutes so far.
“Beau Highcastle,” their father said sternly, “Mick’s come a very long way to live with us.”
“Why’s Mick comin’ to live with us again?” He paused, thinking hard. “Do I ‘member Mick?”
“No, honey,” Elizabeth Highcastle said. “His parents went to college with us a long time ago and we’ve only seen Mick a few times since he was born and you two haven’t ever met him.”
“Then why’s he coming to live with us? What about his parents?”
Ren was curious to know as well, but he saw the looks his parents got every time they mentioned that Mick was coming to live with them and he didn’t say anything. It was the same funny look Sorin got when his dad was mentioned.
“Because he needs brothers,” Ren said.
Beau tilted his head and then grinned up at the seven-year-old. “Brothers are the best,” he said. “Is he going to live with us forever?”
“Yes, sweetheart, and we’ve already told you this. We adopting him, which means he’ll be just as much your brother as Ren.”
“Okay,” Beau said just as the van pulled up. A woman got out, waved briefly to the family and then opened the side door. Ren got his first look at his new brother as a small six-year-old with closely cropped sandy hair slipped out, taking the woman’s hand and looking up at the foursome waiting for him.
Their father, Patrick, moved down to meet them, first crouching in front of Mick and saying a few things. The little boy nodded seriously and hugged him, gaze drifting to the other two boys as Patrick and the woman went to grab Mick’s belongings out of the trunk of the van. Then Patrick put a gentle hand on the boy’s back and steered him up the front drive.
“Ren, Beau, this is Mick. Mick, Ren and Beau.”
“Hi!” Beau said cheerfully.
“Hey,” Ren said as nonchalantly as he could. What did someone say to a complete stranger who was now your brother?
Mick shifted his weight and, at a gentle prod from Patrick, finally answered. “Hi.”
“We’re going to leave you three boys for a minute while we do a few final grown-up things, okay?” Elizabeth said before leaning down to speak softly in Ren’s ear. “Mick’s had a tough time recently so be extra nice, okay?”
Ren nodded as the three adults went inside. “D’you want something to drink or a snack or something?”
Mick regarded him silently through stormy grey eyes before shaking his head.
“D’you speak?” Beau asked curiously and then yelped as Ren tugged roughly on his hand. “Ow, Ren, that hurt!” he whined, subsiding into a pout. “I just wanted to know.”
“That’s not polite.”
“I’d ask you the same thing if you weren’t talking,” the three-year-old muttered.
“Ignore Beau,” Ren told Mick, “he doesn’t know how to be polite. Want to see your room?”
“Elizabeth told you to be nice to me, didn’t she?” he demanded.
Ren blinked, not at all expecting him to speak let alone a full sentence. It also felt weird to hear this boy, younger than him, call his mom by her first name. “Well, yeah, but I would be anyway. You’re going to live with us now and I’d like to be friends.”
Mick’s eyes narrowed. “She tell you why?”
“Why we’re adopting you?”
He nodded.
“No.”
For a moment, Mick’s face crumbled, but the boy quickly looked away and, when he returned his gaze to the brothers a moment later, all scraps of that emotion were gone again. “Okay.”
“Want to go see your room?” Ren asked again, figuring that was enough for now.
Mick nodded. Ren offered his free hand, feeling like it was the right thing to do. When Mick took it tightly without hesitation, the boy knew he was right.
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy universe, Pre-NIEE: Real World AU
Challenges: Pumpkin Pie 5 (skeleton), Papaya 17 (talking to myself), Green Tea 4 (afternoon)
Toppings & Extras: Whipped Cream (Beau is 3, Ren is 7), Chopped Nuts (RWAU), Sprinkles (Ren)
Word Count: 721
Rating: PG
Summary: Beau and Ren meet their new brother.
Notes: Summer, 1998. Pumpkin Pie used in the ‘skeletons in your closet’ sense for Mick.
Ren stood still next to his mother, holding tightly to his little brother’s hand. Beau, at only three, didn’t understand the importance of today and he kept jerking at Ren’s grip, trying to get free and run around their grassy lawn. Ren shot him a glare. “Beau,” he hissed, “this is important. Mom and Dad said so.”
The toddler scowled. “I wanna play. We’ve been standing here forever,” he whined.
Ren was fairly certain ‘forever’ was only about ten minutes so far.
“Beau Highcastle,” their father said sternly, “Mick’s come a very long way to live with us.”
“Why’s Mick comin’ to live with us again?” He paused, thinking hard. “Do I ‘member Mick?”
“No, honey,” Elizabeth Highcastle said. “His parents went to college with us a long time ago and we’ve only seen Mick a few times since he was born and you two haven’t ever met him.”
“Then why’s he coming to live with us? What about his parents?”
Ren was curious to know as well, but he saw the looks his parents got every time they mentioned that Mick was coming to live with them and he didn’t say anything. It was the same funny look Sorin got when his dad was mentioned.
“Because he needs brothers,” Ren said.
Beau tilted his head and then grinned up at the seven-year-old. “Brothers are the best,” he said. “Is he going to live with us forever?”
“Yes, sweetheart, and we’ve already told you this. We adopting him, which means he’ll be just as much your brother as Ren.”
“Okay,” Beau said just as the van pulled up. A woman got out, waved briefly to the family and then opened the side door. Ren got his first look at his new brother as a small six-year-old with closely cropped sandy hair slipped out, taking the woman’s hand and looking up at the foursome waiting for him.
Their father, Patrick, moved down to meet them, first crouching in front of Mick and saying a few things. The little boy nodded seriously and hugged him, gaze drifting to the other two boys as Patrick and the woman went to grab Mick’s belongings out of the trunk of the van. Then Patrick put a gentle hand on the boy’s back and steered him up the front drive.
“Ren, Beau, this is Mick. Mick, Ren and Beau.”
“Hi!” Beau said cheerfully.
“Hey,” Ren said as nonchalantly as he could. What did someone say to a complete stranger who was now your brother?
Mick shifted his weight and, at a gentle prod from Patrick, finally answered. “Hi.”
“We’re going to leave you three boys for a minute while we do a few final grown-up things, okay?” Elizabeth said before leaning down to speak softly in Ren’s ear. “Mick’s had a tough time recently so be extra nice, okay?”
Ren nodded as the three adults went inside. “D’you want something to drink or a snack or something?”
Mick regarded him silently through stormy grey eyes before shaking his head.
“D’you speak?” Beau asked curiously and then yelped as Ren tugged roughly on his hand. “Ow, Ren, that hurt!” he whined, subsiding into a pout. “I just wanted to know.”
“That’s not polite.”
“I’d ask you the same thing if you weren’t talking,” the three-year-old muttered.
“Ignore Beau,” Ren told Mick, “he doesn’t know how to be polite. Want to see your room?”
“Elizabeth told you to be nice to me, didn’t she?” he demanded.
Ren blinked, not at all expecting him to speak let alone a full sentence. It also felt weird to hear this boy, younger than him, call his mom by her first name. “Well, yeah, but I would be anyway. You’re going to live with us now and I’d like to be friends.”
Mick’s eyes narrowed. “She tell you why?”
“Why we’re adopting you?”
He nodded.
“No.”
For a moment, Mick’s face crumbled, but the boy quickly looked away and, when he returned his gaze to the brothers a moment later, all scraps of that emotion were gone again. “Okay.”
“Want to go see your room?” Ren asked again, figuring that was enough for now.
Mick nodded. Ren offered his free hand, feeling like it was the right thing to do. When Mick took it tightly without hesitation, the boy knew he was right.