Ladybug
1/1
When Kevin was nearly five, Mom and Dad built a sandbox in the backyard.
It was because of the new baby, of course. Nicholas was only a month old, but Mom and Dad figured that since he'd be crawling around soon enough, they'd might as well have a bit of foresight and put a sandbox in the backyard. He was their third son, after all, and a sandbox was long overdue.
That was about all the baby was good for, anyway, in Kevin's opinion.
The baby demanded all of Mom and Dad's attention in ways that Joe hadn't. Whereas Joe - and Kevin remembers this though he was merely two at the time - was quiet and silent and never spoke a word, Nicholas seemed more lively, more animate than the baby Joseph had. He actually cried, too, which was supposed to be normal, but actually really sucked.
Attention had been given to Joe because he was abnormal; was there something wrong with him, to be so quiet? Mom and Dad's worry had become Kevin's worry and he'd worried for his little brother, too.
Until Nick came along - it was a new baby brother that seemed to zap some life into Joe and he was three and adamant about being a big brother. However, where Kevin had been excited only to be given a mute, lifeless brother who gave him ulcers, Joe was given this cooing, crying little baby who babbled and squealed.
So not fair.
And it wasn't like Kevin could try to stake the tiniest bit of claim on this exciting new baby, because Joe had latched onto Nicholas the day that Mom's belly started to show, really, and this baby was so important to Joe that Kevin somehow understood that it was Joe's, and Joe needed it somehow.
Well, as much as little baby Nicholas annoyed Kevin, he got him a sandbox. The spoiled little brat, who already had his parents wrapped around his pudgy little finger before he was even two months old.
Honestly, Kevin was excited about the sandbox. Carter from next door had one, and Joe and Kevin often spent afternoons at Carter's house and his yard was fun, exciting; full of amusements other than just a simple swingset and a muddy garden like the Jonases.
So it kind of sucked when Joe ditched him and the sandbox for the baby in the few weeks they had left before winter.
At first, Joe had decided to boycott the square pit of sand, because Nick was still too young to play in it with him and Kevin. Joe loved being a big brother and adored baby Nicholas, preferring to stay in and wave baby toys in Nick's face rather than play outside with Kevin.
And, like, that was cool but Kevin was easily bored without the newly-crazy Joseph to watch run around the backyard. So he boycotted the sandbox, too, until Nick was old enough to play in it, as well. Which was just as well, because winter came and they couldn't play in the thing, anyway. Not with all that snow.
Finally, summer had rolled around again and Nick was roaming around the house, restless. Mom let Kevin and Joe take him outside, watching protectively from the deck. Kevin showed Nick how to pack pails with sand and make sand castles, while Joe worked on a moat and listened to Nick babble, seeming to understand the little mite and contribute to the stories with animated questions and exclamations.
There were many small wonders like sifting sand and fluffly clouds that disappear in the winter that Nick became facsinated with, squealing at Joe and tugging on his shirt to show Joe every new thing that he discovered. He would then turn his big eyes and expectant expression onto Kevin for an explanation to each of these.
It was the ladybug, though, that caught Nick's attention the most.
He'd spotted the bug while Kevin carved a door into the front of their sand castle. Nick's breath sort of caught and the discovery of something new made his eyes wide with curiosity as he awkwardly crawled to the edge of the sandbox. He plopped himself down and stared at the bug, which had stopped moving.
"It's a ladybug," Joe said quickly. Nick's smile was bright and he clapped happily as he gurgled a stream of baby words to copy the name the curious piece of life in front of him.
"Ladybugs are insects. Even the boy ones are called that," Kevin chimed in. Although he had been preoccupied with building onto the sand castle, he was perceptive to the inquiring look that Nick had passed in his direction.
Joe has always loved the boy ladybugs being called ladies, and laughed. "I think this is a boy one," he said, proclaiming it like a statement at a public meeting, each word enunciated sharply.
Nick giggled and poked the ladybug, pushing it over the edge. He clapped in delight yet again, amused and full of bright laughter. He babbled in that baby talk again, and Joe pretended to have a conversation with him, something that he'd copied from Mom's example.
Kevin decided then that - so long as the brat didn't get his own piano or whatever - if Nick held up this "I'm adorable" act and continued to keep a smile on Joe's face, Kevin might actually start to like him.
From a word prompt - this was SUPPOSED to be a drabble. Then it somehow became 800 words more than that xD From Kevin's POV, finally. I've been meaning to do this since I entered the fandom, I swear. It just took me awhile to actually DO it. For KJ and Becky.
It was because of the new baby, of course. Nicholas was only a month old, but Mom and Dad figured that since he'd be crawling around soon enough, they'd might as well have a bit of foresight and put a sandbox in the backyard. He was their third son, after all, and a sandbox was long overdue.
That was about all the baby was good for, anyway, in Kevin's opinion.
The baby demanded all of Mom and Dad's attention in ways that Joe hadn't. Whereas Joe - and Kevin remembers this though he was merely two at the time - was quiet and silent and never spoke a word, Nicholas seemed more lively, more animate than the baby Joseph had. He actually cried, too, which was supposed to be normal, but actually really sucked.
Attention had been given to Joe because he was abnormal; was there something wrong with him, to be so quiet? Mom and Dad's worry had become Kevin's worry and he'd worried for his little brother, too.
Until Nick came along - it was a new baby brother that seemed to zap some life into Joe and he was three and adamant about being a big brother. However, where Kevin had been excited only to be given a mute, lifeless brother who gave him ulcers, Joe was given this cooing, crying little baby who babbled and squealed.
So not fair.
And it wasn't like Kevin could try to stake the tiniest bit of claim on this exciting new baby, because Joe had latched onto Nicholas the day that Mom's belly started to show, really, and this baby was so important to Joe that Kevin somehow understood that it was Joe's, and Joe needed it somehow.
Well, as much as little baby Nicholas annoyed Kevin, he got him a sandbox. The spoiled little brat, who already had his parents wrapped around his pudgy little finger before he was even two months old.
Honestly, Kevin was excited about the sandbox. Carter from next door had one, and Joe and Kevin often spent afternoons at Carter's house and his yard was fun, exciting; full of amusements other than just a simple swingset and a muddy garden like the Jonases.
So it kind of sucked when Joe ditched him and the sandbox for the baby in the few weeks they had left before winter.
At first, Joe had decided to boycott the square pit of sand, because Nick was still too young to play in it with him and Kevin. Joe loved being a big brother and adored baby Nicholas, preferring to stay in and wave baby toys in Nick's face rather than play outside with Kevin.
And, like, that was cool but Kevin was easily bored without the newly-crazy Joseph to watch run around the backyard. So he boycotted the sandbox, too, until Nick was old enough to play in it, as well. Which was just as well, because winter came and they couldn't play in the thing, anyway. Not with all that snow.
Finally, summer had rolled around again and Nick was roaming around the house, restless. Mom let Kevin and Joe take him outside, watching protectively from the deck. Kevin showed Nick how to pack pails with sand and make sand castles, while Joe worked on a moat and listened to Nick babble, seeming to understand the little mite and contribute to the stories with animated questions and exclamations.
There were many small wonders like sifting sand and fluffly clouds that disappear in the winter that Nick became facsinated with, squealing at Joe and tugging on his shirt to show Joe every new thing that he discovered. He would then turn his big eyes and expectant expression onto Kevin for an explanation to each of these.
It was the ladybug, though, that caught Nick's attention the most.
He'd spotted the bug while Kevin carved a door into the front of their sand castle. Nick's breath sort of caught and the discovery of something new made his eyes wide with curiosity as he awkwardly crawled to the edge of the sandbox. He plopped himself down and stared at the bug, which had stopped moving.
"It's a ladybug," Joe said quickly. Nick's smile was bright and he clapped happily as he gurgled a stream of baby words to copy the name the curious piece of life in front of him.
"Ladybugs are insects. Even the boy ones are called that," Kevin chimed in. Although he had been preoccupied with building onto the sand castle, he was perceptive to the inquiring look that Nick had passed in his direction.
Joe has always loved the boy ladybugs being called ladies, and laughed. "I think this is a boy one," he said, proclaiming it like a statement at a public meeting, each word enunciated sharply.
Nick giggled and poked the ladybug, pushing it over the edge. He clapped in delight yet again, amused and full of bright laughter. He babbled in that baby talk again, and Joe pretended to have a conversation with him, something that he'd copied from Mom's example.
Kevin decided then that - so long as the brat didn't get his own piano or whatever - if Nick held up this "I'm adorable" act and continued to keep a smile on Joe's face, Kevin might actually start to like him.
From a word prompt - this was SUPPOSED to be a drabble. Then it somehow became 800 words more than that xD From Kevin's POV, finally. I've been meaning to do this since I entered the fandom, I swear. It just took me awhile to actually DO it. For KJ and Becky.