My Little Brother Connie
Conrart could not sleep. With a teddy in his arms, his small feet padded the cold stone floor of the hallway. He was worried.
Lady Celi had become slightly more moody, mopy and irritable since her pregnancy. The thing was she was not married. She had divorced with Ulysses Von Bielefeld somewhat about a month before. Conrart could not understand why. Though he tried to keep out the man's way as much as possible, Stoffel had blamed him for it.
He did not hear anything from Waltorana, as the Noble of the Bielefeld estate completely ignored him. Whether or not he blamed Conrart for the divorce, the boy did not know. Gwendal had also been so busy that he did not have the time to answer any of Conrart's questions, and the little boy did not want to upset his mother.
"You know," said a voice, disturbing his serious little head of thoughts, "you can come into bed with me if you want."
Conrart looked up to find Gwendal at the door of his bedroom. He looked at his brother with big brown eyes. Their eyes locked for moments on end before the elder of the two brothers realised the staring contest was not going to get them anywhere as he sighed tiredly walked over, picked up his little brother, teddy bear and all, and walked back into the room.
Safe in his brother's arms, Conrart buried his face in the Gwendal's chest, brought his legs around his brother's waist and held his pyjamas tightly in one hand because his other hand still had his teddy. Gwendal did not say anything until he sat in bed and wrapped the both of them with his blanket – Conrart was shivering.
"What is it about tonight, bear?" Gwendal murmured, knowing Conrart would not be up in the middle of the night, walking around the cold castle bare footed unless something bothering him. Little Conrart continued to hide his face in Gwendal's chest; he was not ready to let go of the warmth of his older brother's embrace. Gwendal forced down a sigh as he sat with his arms around the young one. He hoped Conrart would not go to sleep before telling him why he was up late.
"Gwen..." the little miscreant finally voiced in a barely audible whisper, "What if the baby doesn't like me?"
The statement surprised Gwendal. Was that what this was all about?
"That's nonsense," he murmured back, a little sharply, "Why would the baby hate you?" Conrart hesitated, still holding onto his teddy tightly. Little did he know, in months to come there would be a little blond baby in his arms.
"Well?" Gwendal asked again, becoming impatient. Conrart cringed slightly, there was no arguing in that voice, he had learned that ever since he could remember.
"Be-because..." he stuttered, not daring to meet Gwendal's blue eyes, "Because I'm half-Human..."
Blue eyes softened at this. Gwendal, knowing Stoffel had bullied his little brother, took the initiative to accidentally break his uncle's nose. Just because the man hated Conrart it gave him no right to constantly taunt the boy of his abomination. Because:
1. Conrart was a good boy.
2. The kid did not do anything more to Shin Makoku but exist and walk on its very soil.
"Connie," he said gently, "How old are you now?"
"Sixteen," the little boy replied, knowing he really worried Gwendal. Gwen only called him 'Connie' when he was worried.
Gwendal frowned. Has it been that long?
"What makes you think the baby would hate you?"
"Lord Waltorana hates me..." Conrart murmured, trying not to whimper, "And so does Uncle Stoffel..."
"They don't know you, Connie..." Gwendal said firmly, tightening his arms protectively, "I don't hate you."
Large brown eyes stared at him in awe. "Really?"
"Really, really," Gwendal answered, slightly amused, "You know why?"
"Why?"
Gwendal smiled for the first time that evening and gave Conrart what Earthlings called an Eskimo kiss. "Cause you're my favourite little brother,"
Under normal circumstances, this would ease a child's worry but knowing little Connie, the kid's smarter than an average bear. "But what if the baby's a boy?"
Gwendal simply shrugged, "Then he'll be our favourite baby brother."
He gave Conrart an assuring kiss then. "And you'll always be my little brother Connie..." Gwendal shifted then, gently pushing Conrart from his body, "Time to go to sleep." He lay Conrart beside him on a second pillow and covered them both with the blanket around them before shifting to a more comfortable position.
"You won't leave, right?" Conrart asked, making Gwendal turn his attention back to him.
"I promise," Gwendal murmured as he started to rub soothing circles into Conrart's back, "Now get some sleep..."
Brown eyes began to droop as the older boy hummed a lullaby. Soon Gwendal's little bear was asleep. Blue eyes softened, these were among the times when being an older brother was worth it. Gwendal wondered if he could always be like this, watching over his little brother Connie. I like that, he thought to himself, bringing a protective arm around Conrart and pulling him close before drifting off to sleep, my little brother Connie...
Author's note: I know Gwen's a little OC here, but you know as well as I do he can't resist cute things.
