Chapter 0.5: Prologue
January 18 , Market District.
A blond kid from around five to six years old stood staring inside a small bakery, he was feeling nervous while he tried being discreet. Inside was a boy clearly older than him (behind the counter) and in one of the tables was a girl that looked to be around fourteen to fifteen years old; the kid seemed to be looking at them, he seemed insecure about something, or better said, there was something that was troubling him.
As he observed the boy, he could notice how calm and happy he looked; in his opinion he was really alluring… but the girl that was enjoying a cup of some beverage he ignored, was also alluring. To be honest, the girls were always cute to him and they were what he liked the most… but he couldn't help feel attracted to some boys time to time.
Actually, the kid had been visiting that place for several weeks now and the reason for this was principally to look at that boy behind the counter… he didn't know why he was attracted to him so much but he couldn't stop staring.
As he peeked more than usual, the boy from the counter turned to see him… making the boy hide right away in response. The boy leaned against the wall, he felt how his heart was threatening to burst out from his chest from having been discovered.
"He is so attractive… and that warm smile…" murmured the boy to himself.
"Hey, what are you doing?" asked a voice. The boy jumped a little out of being startled.
'Oh no… Have I been discovered? Mom did say that people caught like this are either taken to prison or punished in some other way… but… but… I wasn't doing much… what should I say?' Thought the boy as he trembled nervously.
"I was only looking at the store's decor!" The blond kid shouted.
"Huh?"
"I wasn't doing anything wrong!" the boy continued shouting though he was now out of breath.
"Ok… whatever you say…" said the other voice. The boy slowly turned to see to the voice's owner and without much time passing, his expression changed from surprised to annoyed.
"Barricade! Don't do that!" The boy shouted to the other boy who had approached him all of a sudden.
"Ah? Do what?" Barricade asked as he tilted his head to a side, he was curious on knowing what the other meant.
"Ugh, nothing, just go" said the blond kid clearly unhappy with what was happening.
"Bruise, you were staring at that boy again?" Barricade asked.
"What?! Of course not! Pfft" said Bruise as he rolled his eyes. Bruise noticed the small bundle the other was carrying. "Barricade, why did you bring Brazen? Mom said we have to be careful with him and you could have gotten in an accident…"
"I brought him with me because you took off with his things and I couldn't leave him on his own" said the orange haired.
"What?! I did not…! Oh…" exclaimed Bruise highly sure of what he was saying… if it wasn't because he spotted, effectively, the diaper bag on his person. Habit of his probably. "So mom and Momo weren't home?"
"No, they probably went out to make some errands"
"I see… anyway, take his things and go" said Bruise while he offered the diaper bag for him to take… though Barricade didn't grab it.
"Bruise, you are aware that he already knows that you stare at him, right?"
"What?! That can't be! Besides, look, there's a cute girl near where he is" said Bruise as he peeked to look at the girl. "I think it's the first in days to look different to other common girls"
"What are you talking about? I only see a mass of hair…" said Barricade incredibly confused, he didn't understand his brother.
"Oh come on, look at her from another angle, you'll see she is cute" said Bruise as he gestured his brother to walk to the other side.
Barricade walked towards the other side, peeked in attempt to see whatever was that his brother was seeing and then went back to Bruise's side.
"She looks the same to all the others…" Barricade frowned feeling troubled… his expression turned even more intense once he realized what his brother had said before. "Wait… do you really come here that often?"
"Shh, just look. She looks so peaceful, do you think she is an 'odd' one?" Bruise asked while staring from behind the glass again.
"Uhmm…" Barricade murmured unsure while he stared the same way his brother way doing. Just before he could reply to his brother, the girl turned to see them and smirked in a clearly ill-intentioned way. "No".
Both boys stepped back from the glass and stood where they were a minute ago. Bruise held his head while feeling incredibly frustrated. "Ugh! Why are all girls the same?!"
"It's simply that way where we live, sad but true" said Barricade without any tone in particular.
"Why can't we live in a place where the girls are adorable and sweet? Why are boys generally friendly but not girls? Why is the majority of them so mean?!" Bruise exclaimed "This world makes no sense".
"Yeah… yeah… although I don't see you that tired of staring at that boy…" said Barricade. The boys made a pause as they heard the door from the establishment opening. The girl from before had left the bakery and had walked behind Bruise; Bruise felt himself tense once he felt the girl groping his butt for a moment.
"Nice butt" said the girl as she kept her smirk from before. The girl walked away while giggling to herself.
"Uh-oh…" murmured Barricade as he saw his brother's face, Bruise was between ashamed and on the verge of crying. He wanted to do something about it, but, even if he was dying to do so, he remembered his mother's words… eventually rendering him unable to do anything.
"She… just… ugh…" Bruise tried to speak but found it was impossible because of his embarrassment.
"That's what happens when you are looking at older girls… Mom said we should be careful especially around the older girls. You should act your age… When does the interest in looking at girls started? I don't understand".
"I know… but they are so cute…" said Bruise "Girls intrigue me, I want to find one that isn't mean"
"Huh? What for…?" said Barricade without finishing to understand his sibling. "You need to be wary of them, Mom said there are women especially interested in harming children"
"Hey! I'm not a child!" Bruise exclaimed irritated by his brother's comment.
"You are five years old, you are a kid even if you don't like it" said Barricade before releasing a sigh. "At our age it is really easy for us to get hurt or be deceived, that's why your weird behavior worries me…"
"Aren't you interested in finding an 'odd' girl?"
"No, I know that there must be one out there but it's not of my special interest…" said Barricade "I prefer you being safe than worrying about that silly stuff".
"Ah… I knew you wouldn't understand" said Bruise as he sighed "I know there are older girls out there wanting to hurt us… and I do hate when these things happen… but I don't think it's enough reason to stop looking for one that is different…"
"Bruise, you need to understand that in this place they are like that… maybe in another place they are different but…" said Barricade sounding concerned "Please don't put yourself at risk, after all… I don't know what I'd do if something happens to you"
"There you go again… I'll stay away from older girls, my curiosity won't hurt me"
"And it's when you say those things that I worry the most…" Barricade sighed once more "Anyway, back to the boy… don't you think it's time for you to say something?"
"Nah… I'm fine just watching…"
"Weirdo, that's what perverts do… or so mom would say" said Barricade.
"W-wha…?! S-Shut up..!" Bruise exclaimed without knowing how to reply to that, though, he noticed how the bundle in Barricade's arms moved… making it a perfect excuse to change the subject naturally. "Is he awake..?"
"Uh… yes, hi, Brazen" said Barricade as he offered a smile to the baby. Bruise stared at Brazen and stared mockingly at him.
"Hi, turtle" said Bruise before sticking his tongue out. Barricade looked at his brother and frowned in response.
"Bruise! Don't call him that!"
"Hey, it's true! We were born at the same time yet he is still so little!" said Bruise.
"Stop acting like an idiot, he's your brother, so show some respect!"
"Like he respected me…" Bruise muttered while rolling his eyes. "Right, retard?"
"Stop, moron!" Barricade exclaimed progressively angrier. "If you say anything else demeaning I'm telling mom!"
"What? Ugh, you do exaggerate everything… He doesn't even understand a word of what I'm saying!" Bruise replied equally angry.
"That gives you no right to insult a baby and less your brother!"
"Ok, ok, I'm sorry" said Bruise to Barricade without really feeling any regret.
"Apologize to Brazen, not to me" said Barricade. Bruise rolled his eyes before approaching Brazen.
"I'm sorry" said Bruise while he made insincere faces of apology to Brazen, thing that made Brazen frown and spit his pacifier at him with great force.
Bruise was smacked by the pacifier on the forehead, this made Barricade laugh really hard at him. The blond wasn't really happy but part of him knew that he deserved that for not apologizing like he should.
"Ha,ha, look at me laughing" said Bruise while he held the pacifier and stared at the baby who was currently giggling. "Just look at you, laughing like this was the funniest thing in the world"
Brazen smiled at Bruise now with a new good humor, he was expressing this by grinning and laughing a lot.
"And you probably think that because you are supposedly cute I'm going to ignore what you just did" said Bruise while frowning at the baby.
"Well, he is cute so… yeah, he can do whatever he wants" said Barricade as he then looked at Brazen. "Isn't that true?"
Brazen laughed effusively and grinned probably content of what Barricade was saying.
"Yes, yes, who is the cutest little baby ever? That's you, that's you~" said Barricade while in a trance of affection for the baby, Bruise could swear he could see the hearts
"Of course…" murmured Bruise while seeing the show. "That devil's spawn has you eating from his hand…"
"Oh, Bruise… Brazen is just a baby, it's obvious he has me tangled in his adorableness" said Barricade.
"Adorableness huh…" said Bruise without really thinking much about it.
"Yes, his adorableness" said Barricade "Anyway, now that Brazen is awake, why don't we use his charisma to help you?"
"What…?"
"Uhm, the boy, remember? Boys like babies a lot, so… maybe you could start from there" said Barricade.
"Eh? No! I don't want Brazen's help!" exclaimed Bruise "I can do this by myself"
"Sure, that's why you've been staring at him for days like some depraved woman" said Barricade.
Brazen stared at Bruise with an expression that could be clearly read as 'You gotta be kidding me', Bruise noticed right away.
"Hey! Don't underestimate me, snail!" Bruise squinted at Brazen with contempt.
"Huh? Bruise! Stop looking for a fight!" Barricade scolded already tired of his behavior. "Why are you so hostile? What part of 'he is a baby' you don't understand? He needs you caring about him, not your stupid unjustified anger".
"What? Didn't you see the face he made just now? He mocked me!"
"What's wrong with you? He's only sleepy, he's not mocking you" Barricade looked at him with concern, he didn't understand why his brother thought like he did. "Unlike you, babies don't look for fights or put others down"
"But-"
"Do you want help or not? He'll fall asleep and your chance will be lost" said Barricade.
"B-But… No way! I can't speak to him, he'll think I'm weird…"
"You are weird" said Barricade "Just go inside already" as he said this, the orange haired used his hand to start pushing his brother into the shop.
"What?! No! No!" Bruise exclaimed while he was being pushed inside; once the boy behind the counter stared at him, Bruise automatically went silent and blushed intensely.
"Welcome, feel free to taste our new ice cream flavors, we also have cake, pie and other sweets" said the boy while Barricade walked towards him.
"Can I see the menu?" Barricade asked the other who kindly nodded.
"But of course, here it is" said the boy as he handed him one of the menus he had nearby. Bruise remained still while he looked at the floor, he was paralyzed at the moment by pure embarrassment.
"Bruise, what will you have? Come and take a look" said Barricade. Bruise looked slowly at Barricade and once the orange haired finished speaking, he went to stand by his side.
"Hmm… I don't really know what I want" Barricade murmured while he read the options in the menu. Brazen stared at the menú and even though he didn't know how to read, he was attracted to the drawings of the food descriptions. "Oh? Do you have any suggestion?" the orange haired asked the baby who laughed and started trying to take the menu from his brother.
The brunet smiled as he saw the youngest's excitement and couldn't help but step out from his day to day role in the shop, he really wanted to speak to the younger kid before him.
"Aw, is he your brother?" the boy behind the counter asked.
"Yes, we are brothers" said Barricade as he pulled Bruise closer.
"He looks really adorable, I'm sure that you two feel blessed to have a baby as sweet as him as a brother"
"Yes, it's really fun to take care of him" said Barricade "Bruise usually gives him his baby bottle, right?" the orange haired said while looking at Bruise expectantly.
"Y-Yes I do t-that…" said Bruise while stuttering, if it wasn't because of his embarrassment, he would be pretty angry at what Barricade was saying since he considered it really stupid.
"That's nice, and you probably feel happy to have two brothers as considered as them taking care of you" said the boy to Brazen. Brazen looked at him and smiled in response to his comment.
"What's his name?" the boy asked politely.
"Brazen" said Barricade as he eyed Bruise trying to make him speak.
"Oh, and how old is he?" the boy asked leaving the other two in an awkward silence.
"He is five-" Bruise started to say until he was interrupted by Barricade who spoke louder than him to drown his brother's response.
"He'll be one this year" said Barricade unsure of his own answer.
"How adorable, so he is around six and seven months?" the boy asked while smiling, apparently, he had not heard what Bruise had said.
"…Yes" said Bruise still nervous.
Brazen laughed as he heard Bruise's nervous response, making the boy focus his attention on him instead.
"Haha, seems he is a really cheerful kid, he laughs and smiles a lot, doesn't he?" asked the boy.
"Yeah, normally when he is mocking me" said Bruise without thinking. Barricade dedicated an inexpressive stare in response.
"That's good, a baby with good sense of humor" said the boy "It's a great sign of good health".
Brazen observed the kid with curiosity and happily stretched his little arms towards him with the intention to be carried.
"Huh?" The boy uttered once he saw the baby doing this.
"Oh, that's new" said Bruise "He rarely lets a stranger carry him… oh! But I don't mean… I uhmm…"
"That's okay, I understand" said the boy with a smile. The brunet stared at the baby and then at Barricade. "Can I carry him?"
"Of course, just be careful" said Barricade a little concerned, however, he let it happen. The boy took Brazen in his arms once Barricade motioned him to do so.
"Wow" said the boy with a smile.
"What I it?" Bruise asked still embarrassed.
"It's just that carrying a baby leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling..." said the boy as he saw how Brazen responded to his expression with a smile. "By the way, my name is Mitsuki"
"Nice to meet you, my name is Barricade" said the orange haired.
"And I'm Bruise" said Bruise while trying not to stutter while speaking… although the blush on his face was quite apparent.
"And, do you want to order something? I'm sorry if my questions kept you from ordering but you can order something if you want" said Mitsuki
In the moment he said that, the back door opened and a boy walked in, he had brown hair and beautiful golden eyes.
"Tsuki! I'm back! How is…?" the boy was about to ask as he saw Mitsuki but then stopped once he noticed the small bundle in his arms. "Tsuki… that's…"
"Oh, I'm carrying a baby" said Mitsuki with a smile. Barricade and Bruise kept silent and watched.
"Really?" the boy said as he peeked to stare at the baby's face. The brunet couldn't help but find the baby familiar.
"Makoto…?" he uttered without really thinking, he then stared at the two kids and went silent. As he observed the kids he realized he had made a mistake. "Uhm, hi"
"Hi" said both kids while confused. Mitsuki arched a brow as he saw his friend start panicking in a silent manner, thing that baffled him a lot.
"He is Matt, he helps me with the store, he has the afternoon shift" said Mitsuki "Matt, these are Barricade and Bruise"
"Nice to meet you" said Matt with a smile.
"And this little one here is their brother, Brazen" said Mitsuki to Matt who looked absolutely puzzled.
"I see…"said Matt while looking at the baby.
"Uhm, why did you call him 'Makoto'?" asked Bruise.
"Ah, that, sorry haha, a relative of mine has a baby with that name and I thought it was him" said Matt.
"Well, that makes sense… I suppose…" said Barricade who found Matt as a way to approach Mitsuki for Bruise. "Are they that similar?"
"Something like that… that baby is around his age… well, around his months haha" said Matt.
"So, Matt, did you buy what I told you to?" asked Mitsuki.
"Yes I did, in fact, I'll go check that thing right now" said Matt as he walked away. "Bye, guys"
The kids returned the gesture, they then stared at Mitsuki.
"Actually, he bakes the cakes that are in the showcase, he is a little weird but he is a nice person" said Mitsuki "Oh and thanks for letting me carry him, babies are really cute" said Mitsuki as he handed Brazen back to Barricade's arms.
"Not when they cry or poop…" said Bruise causing Mitsuki to laugh and Barricade to sigh at his words.
"So, I'll take a strawberry shortcake" said Barricade somehow tired of listening to Bruise.
"I want a vanilla ice cream" said Bruise still embarrassed though he was clearly less nervous now.
"Sure thing, I'll give them to you in a second" said Mitsuki while smiling amicably.
xXxXxXXXxXx
"Well that was nice" said Bruise looking cheerful as they walked out from the store.
"Says the one who didn't want help" They were now walking towards home, Barricade was very irritated right now because of Bruise's behavior, besides being embarrassed for nothing he was also making unnecessary comments about Brazen.
"Ok, ok, thanks, it worked somehow… I can probably approach him now…" mentioned Bruise.
"I told you that Brazen's charisma worked" said Barricade "But hey, he is a kind person… why couldn't you approach him before? He is clearly an 'odd' person" said the orange haired in a low voice.
"It's still awkward to try and talk to him… but I won't stare from afar anymore now that I managed to say something to him"
"Yeah, since stuttering and complaining about the baby means you talked to him… I still can't believe you did that" said Barricade.
"Well… at least I said something"
"Just try again and do it better next time you approach him" said Barricade.
"Yes, I'll do that"
As they kept walking towards home, Brazen frowned and tried to get Barricade's attention, when he realized he wasn't managing to, he started crying to show his discomfort.
"Ah! Brazen, I'm sorry, are you hungry? Do you need a diaper change…?" Barricade asked the baby who kept crying.
Bruise watched his brother who was nervous about the smallest one crying, even so, he didn't say nor did anything.
"Or maybe your pacifier…?" asked Barricade. "Bruise, can you hand me his pacifier?"
"Sure, here it is…" said Bruise as he took it from the bag. "Ew! It's covered in drool!" The blond one exclaimed as he accidentally let the pacifier fall to the ground.
"Bruise! Be more careful with his things! I can't believe you let it fall! The baby puts that in his mouth!" Barricade said a little annoyed.
"I know, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" said Bruise as he picked it up. Barricade sighed and now with new found resignation took the pacifier from his brother's hands.
As if the most natural thing in the world… Barricade took the pacifier and instead of giving it to the baby right away, he sucked on it a couple of times and then offered it to Brazen who accepted it happily.
"What did you just…?" Bruise asked now grossed out. Barricade arched a brow not understanding his behavior.
"I cleaned it so the baby could suck on it, you didn't expect me to give it to him just after it touched the ground, did you?" Barricade questioned as Bruise looked baffled at him.
"Well, I did expect you to clean it… but not like that" said Bruise "Don't you know that our mouths are dirty too? Besides, the pacifier had drool everywhere, seriously, not cool"
"It's actually helpful for him, his body learns how to deal with germs and develops less allergies and hey, brother saliva is okay" said Barricade.
"How is that supposed to be okay…?" Bruise questioned not really agreeing with him.
"It's better that we that are the closest to him, next to mom, do it than a stranger… that would be gross" Barricade explained.
"I understand why mom would do it but… why you?" Bruise asked.
"I just explained it…" Barricade wasn't really content of his brother's apparent lack of attention. "And it's not just me, I hope you do it as well".
"Eh?! No way! I'm not tasting the drool of that thing!" Bruise shouted super disgusted in thinking he had to do the same his brother had done.
"You are his brother, you have the responsibility to protect him" said Barricade in a serious manner "If you have something you can use to clean the pacifier then use that but If you don't have anything in hand then I'm afraid you'll have to do that, it's better than giving it to him dirty"
"It's not like you clean it by sucking on it yourself you know… it's still dirty" said Bruise.
"I just explained it! Listen to me!" said Barricade "I don't want to think what will happen if I'm not with you two… I wouldn't want you to neglect him or something…" he added while looking at Brazen.
"I don't think anything would happen to him"
"Bruise!" Barricade exclaimed clearly pissed now. "He is just a baby! He can't do anything by himself!"
"Ha, you wish he was just a baby…" Bruise muttered not really in synch with Barricade. "Anyway, don't get angry, I would obviously take care of him if anything happened to you… even though he gets on my nerves"
"You are so stubborn" said Barricade "what am I supposed to do with you…"
"But, I'm serious, why do you behave so… weird?"
"Mom is training me to take care of you two" said Barricade "And how things are I hope I can be always looking after you"
"Training…? Why is that necessary?"
"She said it was necessary in case something happened" said Barricade.
"And why you? It sounds like you were our leader or something like that" said Bruise somehow pissed about that.
"I wouldn't say leader… more like a responsible eldest sibling" said Barricade finally smiling "I want to believe you'll actually learn that Brazen needs you"
"Ah… Barricade, can you stop talking about the same thing? Anyway… I suppose that's true, you are more of a parent to us… and that's not my style" said Bruise.
"Well… even if you are not that aware and such I guess that's fine, it's your role in some way… in my case I believe I'm here to take care of you" as he said this, Barricade kissed Bruise's cheek.
"Hey! Don't do that!" Bruise shouted not really pleased of receiving that gesture. "Just a moment ago you were mad at me, why are you being so affectionate now?"
"Well… It's just that I'm happy to be with you two, it doesn't matter how troublesome you are, I still like you the same" said Barricade with a smile.
"I will never understand why the anger slips away from you" said Bruise as he was now interrupted by Brazen's laughter. Barricade looked at him tenderly, seeing how his little brother was so happy filled him with intense glee, it was in those moments were he wished he could be with them forever.
"I don't understand it either, I just find it completely natural… I do get angry but I don't take much in reminding myself that that's the reason why I'm here, what it's truly important is that you two are okay and you are happy… and well, I would really want you to get along with Brazen better… I don't know when your crazy behavior about him started"
"Sometimes I really can't understand how come you are able to say so many corny stuff with such a serious tone…" said Bruise "I will never forget the day my perception of him changed entirely"
"Well, that will be a story for a not so… nearby future" said Barricade as he now snapped out from his perfect inner peace from before.
Brazen laughed again, he really liked how both his brothers interacted… however this time he was also trying to convey something- Bruise looked at him and noticed how he was reaching out to him with his arms.
"Oh no…" Bruise murmured as he expected the worst from seeing that.
"Oh, look at this, Brazen wants you to carry him… even with your attitude towards him" mentioned Barricade not so happy now.
"Haha, that kid only does that out of convenience" said Bruise causing Bruise to get angry again.
"What? How can you say that? Bruise, he is your brother and he likes you too!" said Barricade.
"Uh-huh, that thing hates me"
"He doesn't hate you! And don't call him 'thing'!" said Barricade "Stupid disrespectful…"
"And you were saying?" Bruise mocked Barricade's words about his affection towards him. Barricade looked at him and frowned in response.
"I like you but your behavior irritates me! We are brothers! Understand that and stop acting like an idiot!" Barricade shouted really angry while Brazen was still insisting on being carried by Bruise.
"As you say… just hand me Brazen" said Bruise as he gestured for him to pass him the baby. Barricade sighed and consented.
"I have to admit that it's very rare for you to accept Brazen's request since you are so immature… but I guess I should be grateful" said Barricade
"It's not like have any other choice… it's this or…" Bruise said as he took Barricade's cap and wore it himself.
"At least that means that there's a tiny hope for you two… I really don't like you to have that kind of relationship with the baby, you should be more considerate"
"Three…"
"The baby can feel your hostility and suffer because of it, I don't want Brazen to be traumatized because of you"
"Two…"
"Why can't things be different? When did things started to… hey, why are you counting down?" Barricade asked as he noticed this.
"One…"
"You are ignoring me aren't you… it's not fun to talk alone… idiot" said Barricade.
"Zero…"
"And…" The moment Bruise said this, Barricade's eyes felt tired "Just…" ending up falling, however, since Bruise was expecting this to happen he could manage to catch him before reaching the ground.
Brazen looked curiously and intensely at Bruise who after looking at Barricade shifted his attention to the baby who was staring intently at him.
"What are you looking at? Anyway, don't try anything funny, I have to take you two home" said Bruise not really pleased with the situation. Brazen kept staring at him and smiled in response.
"Stop acting cute, tch, you make me feel awkward" said Bruise to his little brother, he then looked at Barricade. "I seriously wonder who needs taking care of who… but I agree you behave like a parent"
xXxXxXXXxXx
"Uh… what just…" Barricade muttered as he looked at his room's ceiling. He was now wearing his pjs. " I was walking with Bruise and Brazen, then… Brazen!" Barricade realized that he did not know anything about the baby so he stood up quickly from the bed and hurried to find him.
"Brazen!" Barricade shouted as he went towards the living room where he found the scene of Bruise carrying Brazen while giving him his bottle, thing that calmed him instantly.
"Huh?" Bruise murmured as he turned to see Barricade, the blond looked tired… like he hadn't slept in days. "There you are… I thought you would never wake up"
"Wow, this isn't an everyday thing" said Barricade while beaming contently "Wait a moment" he said before leaving in a rush.
"What…?" Bruise murmured as he then saw Barricade leave and come back with a camera, thing he used to take a picture. "Oh come on…"
"This one goes to the family album!" Barricade exclaimed. He was very happy to see something like this since Bruise was always fighting with the baby, fight that was never followed for obvious reasons.
"Yes, yes, just carry him already, I'm exhausted" said Bruise.
"Wait, you prepared his special formula?" Barricade asked surprised.
"Yes, you weren't awake and I had to do it myself…" said Bruise.
"Oh, I'm sorry…" said Barricade "Even so, thanks for doing his for Brazen"
"Yeah, don't mention it…" said Bruise as he handed Brazen for him to carry.
"Thank heavens… so, I'll go sleep for a while, if something important happens just call me" said Bruise.
"Sure will do" Barricade nodded while Bruise walked away, he then kept feeding his brother. "Bruise can be considerate when he wants, I think I worry too much, isn't it?" Brazen said nothing since he was concentrating on eating at that moment. "I'm glad to know that even with his attitude, he can care for you, I wonder when did he start with his crazy behavior… he wasn't like that before… or at least I don't remember him being that way"
Barricade kept silent for a moment and then remembered what Bruise had said when they were outside the coffee shop, those hurtful remarks about the baby… that even so were true; he didn't like to think about that but it was true that he sometimes had that doubt in his mind.
"Brazen… I wonder when you are going to grow… we are growing older but you are still so little…" as he said this, Brazen stopped eating and instead looked at his brother's sad expression. Brazen felt a bit bad for a moment but he smiled once he reached for Barricade's face trying to cheer him up. Barricade's expression softened.
"You are right… I shouldn't say such… sad things…" as he said this, Barricade's voice broke and tears formed in his eyes. He couldn't keep Bruise's words away from his mind, about how Brazen was still the same even though they had been born at the same time. "But I can't help it, I'm scared and concerned… you should have our age, we should be able to speak and play videogames or joke… but you haven't even started to crawl…" said the boy as he then sobbed lightly. "I'm sorry… I simply can't seem to help you even though that's what I want so badly…"
Brazen's smile faltered and an expression of anguish formed on his face, he was sobbing in a way clearly different, he could feel his brother's pain so he was sobbing in a way that resembled Barricade's.
"Ah!" Barricade realized this and so changed his position to a vertical one to make him lean against his chest. "I'm sorry, Brazen… I didn't mean to make you cry… it's not right, you are my brother and I love you no matter how you look… you'll always be cherished by me so you don't have to worry about me shedding some tears…"
Bruise was listening to everything behind the wall and felt equally sad, as well as guilty for having brought that subject up, he had planned to ask his mother about Brazen's condition when he had the ideal chance. Once he heard Brazen sobbing along with Barricade, Bruise couldn't bare it and returned to his room to sleep… although before he did that, he stood in front of the window and looked at the sundown.
"A few years ago... I had no idea, since I was so little... but… since I saw Brazen in that state… I started to wonder what was the truth about him" said Bruise as he kept staring outside. "There's many things I still don't understand and so many I would like to get but… I think it's impossible to learn all that just because I want to"
Bruise walked away from the window and instead crawled on to his bed. The blond stared at his brother's crib and frowned really worried, without being able to keep reflecting about things, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
~"Brick… Butch…" murmured a boy as he sobbed. The boy looked around five years old, he had blond hair, his skin was white though it had a bluish color; he looked tired, this was highlighted even more by the shocking amount of needle marks on his body. He was at the moment in what seemed to be a freezer.
"Brick… Buch…" the boy murmured again. "Butch… I… what have I done…? I'm sorry, I couldn't do anything…" the boy looked weakly at the glass in front of him.
"How many days have passed since the last time I saw them?" thought the boy. "I'm scared… I can't get out"
As he thought this, sudden screams filled the crammed space he was in, it was a desperate sounding voice, a voice he knew so well that listening to it in such agony was always putting in question if the torture he was enduring was even torture in comparison… as he never thought... he would hear such fear coming from it.
"Butch… Butch…" the young one sobbed lightly as heard his brother's voice. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Without noticing, the voice went silent. The screaming was replaced with mechanical sounds, these were happening in response to the tube connected to his back… that tube was apparently in charge of sucking a black substance from his body, thing that made him squirm in pain.
"Ugh!" the boy felt a piercing pain on his back. "No… no…" he uttered as he kept sobbing, the fear he felt every time that tube activated was overwhelming. "Stop… my body… I can't feel my body…"
"As he said this, syringes came from the freezer and pointed towards him; the boy stared at them frightened for a moment until he finally looked down.
"Butch… will this compensate what I did? I don't think so, but… I promise to survive to apologize… nothing I say will be able to relieve me from those obscure memories I have but if only I…. if only I…" he thought. "Butch, I'm sorry… really… I'm sorry…" he uttered as he cried sorrowfully. ~
Bruise woke up frightened, he had seen a horrible nightmare… he didn't understand but he had a strong need to see how Brazen was for some reason. The blond stood up and walked towards the crib.
"Brazen…" Bruise murmured as he saw him sleeping. He let out a sigh in relief and without knowing, his eyes blurred with tears. He seemed to be really relieved that he was okay… for some strange reason.
"Nnnn…" Brazen uttered as he opened his eyes slowly and realized his brother was in front of him, he was about to cry if it wasn't because he saw how he was rubbing his face while tears fell.
"Did I wake you…? At least you didn't start to cry like you always do…" said Bruise "Go back to sleep…"
"..uise…" Brazen said, thing that startled Bruise. Did he just say his name…?
"You… what did you say…?" Bruise was really surprised, he was looking agape while staring at his brother. Brazen extended his arms with the intention of being carried. "Are you serious…?" Bruise couldn't believe that the baby wanted to be voluntarily carried by him. "But I…" Bruise found it really weird and was about to no accept but a strong emotion inside him led him to give in.
Bruise took Brazen in his arms and sat on the floor carefully. Forgetting he had heard him say his name earlier, Bruise looked at him and without wanting to, remembered his nightmare. Brazen stared at him with curiosity, it was really strange to see Bruise acting that way with him.
"Don't laugh but… I had a nightmare" said Bruise "I don't know who that was but he was trapped in a very narrowed space… he was crying possibly for his brother"
Brazen stared in silence, it was like he was paying attention… he was indeed finding what his brother said to be interesting, even more so since it wasn't a common thing for Bruise to sit with him and talk.
"In some other occasion I would feel really silly to be saying these things… but I know you understand me" said Bruise "In that dream, the boy seemed to be devastated about something, the guilt was eating him inside… even more than his actual situation. He started to hear screaming from someone, after suffering from hearing the screams, something started to hurt him and then…" Bruise was sobbing now, as he remembered every detail.
"…uise…" Bruise seemed to be too lost in his feelings that he had not noticed his brother saying his name once more, he couldn't as the nightmare had felt too real.
"I couldn't help feeling it so personal… like it had happened to me, I don't know, it felt so real… I…" said Bruise as he then went quiet since the words weren't coming out. "I'm sorry…"
Brazen was confused, he didn't understand the reason for his apologies though he could feel the apologies were being said from the heart… another rare thing coming from his brother.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry for being so useless… I couldn't help you… I'm sorry…" Bruise murmured while crying, he didn't know why he was saying this but he felt like he had to. The blond hugged Brazen and placed him in a way he was leaning against his chest, he was lightly crying while holding his brother's head with his hand in a kind manner.
Brazen didn't know what to think about what his brother was saying but being hugged in such a way conveyed him a really nice feeling of safety and tranquility convincing him to accept the hug. Both remained that way for a few minutes until Bruise realized Brazen had fallen asleep.
"Thanks for listening to me I guess…" said Bruise as he put Brazen back in the crib, seeing him looking so peaceful filled him with calmness and motivated him to sleep as well… he only hoped not to have any more nightmares.
xXxXxXXXxXx
Bruise fell asleep after like an hour and fortunately managed to sleep without problems, this until a few hours later when he was woken up by Brazen's cries.
"Uh… what's wrong…?" Bruise murmured as he looked at the crib. He wondered why Barricade hadn't gone to see what was wrong… but he soon realized he was still asleep, that his brother was still asleep didn't surprise him, Barricade suffered a strange condition and therefore he was a heavy sleeper… he fell asleep whenever and looked tired all the time, it was due to those things that he was concerned when his mother gave him too many responsibilities. "Ok…ok… I'm standing up now" he said while trying to stand up, thing that he found painful as he felt pain on a side of his waist.
As he checked to see what it was, he noticed his birthmark felt like it was burning but decided to ignore it for Brazen. Bruise walked towards the crib and peeked in to see the baby.
"What is it? Are you hungry…? Ah, wait… no, ugh, how annoying…" said Bruise as he realized he had to change his diaper. Bruise carried him and without finding it nice at all, went to the bathroom.
Time later, Bruise came back with Brazen who was now really happy.
"Grow up already, I don't like changing you" said Bruise "And you don't let me sleep"
"Uise… uise…" Brazen babbled as he tried calling him for his name, he was really grateful with his brother and was trying to express it. Bruise frowned in response.
"That you act cute doesn't make me forget you make me clean you" said Bruise. Brazen laughed after hearing him, Bruise took him back to the crib, put his blanket over him and offered him the pacifier which was easily accepted by him; after a bit he got sleepy and fell asleep. Bruise sighed and went back to the bed next to Barricade.
"Bruise…" Barricade murmured. Bruise got startled by hearing him.
"Eh?"
"Thanks for taking care of Brazen…" Barricade said as he moved to hug Bruise. Bruise didn't know how to react so he simply allowed Barricade to hug him. He felt somehow embarrassed since he thought his brother had seen and heard everything but he soon saw Barricade was sleeping peacefully. Had he really seen everything? Bruise didn't know with certainty but he preferred to think he hadn't. Without saying anything as a reply to his brother's words, Bruise simply closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
xXxXxXXXxXx
In the morning, Bruise woke up after hearing his mother's call for breakfast, his body felt like lead but worst of everything was that his eyes didn't really want to open… not because there was something bad with them but because waking up so early to care for Brazen had not allowed him to sleep well or so he believed.
"Hnn…" he murmured as he hid his face on the pillow, he didn't have the intention of going anywhere. Barricade was aside of him carrying Brazen, he looked really happy.
"Bruise, get up, let's have breakfast!" Barricade exclaimed with a grin. Bruise whined in response.
"You can say that because you didn't wake up to change Brazen… you really have it easy, I always have to get up and see what he wants" said Bruise while knowing that would remain unchanged as Barricade couldn't do so because of his condition.
"Oh, come on, I look after him all day, the least you can do is take care of him at night, don't you think?" said Barricade with a smile "Although, I'm sorry I can't help you…"
"I also take care of him during the day… just not as much as you" said Bruise "Anyway… okay, I'll get up" as he said this, the blond sat slowly and tried to stand, feeling a sting on a side of his body in the process.
"Guess what! Brazen can sit now! Isn't that wonderful? Now that I woke up I saw him sitting in his crib and of course, I took a photo" said Barricade while laughing feeling really proud. "It's possible that Brazen will grow now!"
"Really? Well, he sure took his time, he sure is a snail" said Bruise as he mocked him… although deep inside he was happy to hear that, he did want to see his brother grow up.
"Don't call him that!" Barricade scolded him though he soon softened his expression "But I forgive you, I know you are actually as happy as I am"
"I can't deny that it's nice to know there's been progress, but I'm not as pathetic as to get excited for something like this" said Bruise as he found himself not helping the previous day's situation. Barricade listened to him and his smiled faltered a bit.
"I know it's not much but… Brazen hadn't been able to sit before… it gives me hope so I don't care if I appear pathetic" said Barricade sounding sad. Bruise looked at him and couldn't help but feel bad for bringing his brother down when he had been crying yesterday out of desperation for Brazen's state.
"I… uh…" Bruise murmured in an attempt to correct what he had said, although, before he was able to say anything… he felt how the side of his body felt like it was burning intensely. "Ungh…!" Bruise fell from the bed as he held the origin of the pain.
"Bruise!" Barricade exclaimed while approaching him looking worried. "What is it? Does something hurt?"
"Ngh… it hurts…" Bruise muttered while wondering why his birthmark was burning like that. It was so weird, why was he feeling so much pain? It had burnt before but not like this time, he could only imagine it was something really bad… could he have cut himself? Although it didn't feel like the stinging sensation from a cut… it was the burning sensation of a scald.
"Oh no… what do I do?" Barricade asked himself though almost instantly, he called his mom. "Mom! Come! Bruise is suffering! Mom!" Barricade shouted while Bruise was still on the floor squirming lightly. Brazen watched Bruise really confused, he didn't understand why his brother was in that state, had he been hurt? Was he okay? The black haired didn't know what was happening and out of confusion he had started to cry… he didn't like to see Bruise in that state.
Her appeared soon enough, her skin was naturally red, but for some reason, when Brazen was around, Her always appeared with that human form… it was something Barricade couldn't finish to understand but that he had grown used to.
"What happened?" Her asked Barricade while she tried to see what Bruise had.
"I don't know, he was standing but he suddenly fell to the floor and started to squirm in pain" said Barricade "Mom, what's happening? Will he be okay?"
Her checked the young boy and noticed the place he was touching, as she saw this, she understood the situation. Her carried Bruise in her arms and went straight to her laboratory, Barricade followed right behind her.
"Mom, what's happening to Bruise?" Barricade asked once again.
"It seems his birthmark is hurting him" said Her "I knew it was something odd but I didn't know it would lead to this"
"His birthmark?"
"That's right… Bruise was born with an odd birthmark, I have been researching it and what I know of it, it shouldn't be a serious problem… although this is the first time I see it cause Bruise so many problems" said Her as she entered to the lab followed by her sons. Once inside, she placed Bruise on top of a surgery table as to be able to see the affected zone; she secured his wrists and ankles against the table… he didn't know why but… Barricade was feeling really nervous as he saw his brother that way.
"Mom… do you really have to place him on that thing…?" Barricade seemed worried about Bruise, he wanted to look at him but at the same time he was having a hard time with it. "I don't like seeing him like that…"
"Your brother is covering the zone I need to treat, it's necessary that he is like this or it would be really difficult to cure him" said Her as she approached the blond boy who seemed to be sweating. In how much pain could he be to sweat that way? His cold inner temperature being overridden by the pain made Bruise's state even more disturbing.
"But…" Barricade finally looked down, he couldn't stand seeing him like that.
"Barricade, don't look away, I need you to pay attention" said Her as she showed him Bruise's birthmark. "Bruise was born with this mark and this one is the one making him suffer" as she said this, Her walked away and instead went towards a rack which held several bottles.
"I have seen his birthmark before but… that's what's hurting him? Can that be removed?" Barricade asked.
"Removed… no, I haven't found a way, but in this time I have developed an ointment that can control it, I just didn't think it was necessary…" said Her looking worried. "Two years ago, Bruise experienced something similar but of less intensity so I worked on an ointment that could lessen his pain. I then did this ointment in the case of it worsening… I just didn't think It could happen" Her went back to where Bruise was and poured some over the mark in a gentle manner; Bruise whined even though she was being gentle but after a minute he calmed down.
"Wow… that ointment is effective" said Barricade very impressed by how quick it had acted.
"It depends on how much you use, if you don't use much then it takes longer to have an effect, but you shouldn't exaggerate on how much you take anyway" said Her as she then approached the orange haired. "I'm leaving you in charge of this ointment, Barricade, when you see Bruise is being bothered by the mark make him put some of it"
"I understand" said Barricade "Mom, why didn't you give it to me before?"
"I didn't think it was necessary… but seeing this made me realize I couldn't think that way anymore" said Her "You should remember that even though your brother calms down after a minute, the burning sensation only lessens, the burning will fade approximately after 5 or 10 minutes, depends on how intense it is"
"Oh… I see… but, why was he born with that? I don't have that and we are brothers…"
"I really don't understand the meaning of that mark… but I'm sure that it doesn't have to do with you being brothers, that mark he has isn't normal so I can only assume it's something personal of his, I know it doesn't sound logical but it's the only thing that comes to mind" explained Her.
"Personal?" Barricade murmured to himself "Uhm, mom, can I look at the recipe later?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm interested in knowing how to make it in case I have to prepare it" said Barricade.
"I understand, of course, I'll give you the ingredient list and the preparation steps" said Her "It's good that you look after your brother like that"
"Well, it's my responsibility to take care of them, isn't it?" Barricade responded grateful that it was happening now and not later.
"Yes, it's true" said Her with a smile, she then took Bruise in her arms and walked back to their room along with Barricade.
"Bruise…" Barricade murmured as he looked at his unconscious brother, it seems the ointment had relieved him enough and was now sleeping; Barricade couldn't help but wonder how much longer he would stay asleep.
"Barricade, don't stay there, your brother won't appreciate waking up and seeing you were waiting for him to wake up" said Her while she went towards the door. Barricade looked at her with worry apparent in his face.
"When will he wake up?" Barricade asked.
"I don't know but he shouldn't take long, give him a few minutes" said Her though she noticed the orange haired wasn't moving. "Barricade, don't worry, it's true that his birthmark affected him more this time but we managed to control it in time"
"Huh? Mom… what do you mean with 'in time'?" Barricade asked sounding unsure. "What would have happened…?"
"I don't know, Barricade… I don't even know if it can get so serious as to threaten his life" she explained while noticing the young boy was not feeling any better. "But you should know that as long as you take care of him he'll be fine"
"Yes… it's true, as long as I can look after him then he'll be okay" said Barricade "I'm his brother after all"
"That's right" said Her as she saw him calm down. "Come on, let's have breakfast, I'm sure Bruise will come when he wakes up"
"Okay" Barricade said as he followed his mother, though he couldn't help but look back at Bruise before really stepping out of the room. Barricade was following Her as he thought about his brothers. "Bruise… I didn't know he had something like that, I still can't understand what is really happening to him and it seems mom doesn't know either… and about things without an explanation, Brazen also has a strange condition; you could say it's even more confusing than Bruise's. Bruise, Brazen… could it be they have even more things that I don't know and that I should be aware of? Why were they born that way? And if they both suffer from something… does that mean I also have something but I'm not aware of it? I'm sure Bruise didn't know the mark could affect him so much…"
Barricade followed his mother to the kitchen while he kept being lost in thought, he felt like his world was falling since he was starting to worry for the things he didn't know about his brothers. Barricade got easily stressed when he thought about his brothers and it could lead him to feel overwhelmed, this happened a lot… and most of the time when he felt pressured, so intensely to the point of getting angry by his own incompetence… everything ended turning white for him, like something inside him was preventing him from feeling rage… or is it that his own body rejected the stress and frustration so badly that it eventually shuts down?
"Barricade" said his mom firmly "I know you have something you want to ask, I don't like you getting overwhelmed by things you can't control or understand… so just ask"
"Ah?" Barricade snapped out of his trance to see his mother. "I…" the orange haired felt very sleepy, not as much to fall asleep but he could feel how his strength was slipping away from each second that passed. "I was just wondering about the many things I don't know about them… and I was wondering if something might be happening to me and not know it"
"It's true that there are things you don't know, I don't even know all there is to know about your brothers and you… but what I know is that you are exhausting your body when you worry that way" explained Her who watched Barricade from her place near the stove, she was about to place a plate full of pan cakes on the center of the table.
"But it's natural for me to worry… isn't it?" Barricade asked while looking at Brazen, the youngest was looking back with curiosity. "I… I don't know what I'd do if something happened to them, I can't even be calm if I don't see them after a while"
Her looked at him with sadness in her eyes, Barricade's behavior brought her bad memories of when she struggled creating the three boys… it pained her to see that the three boys had one or several unexplainable defects, of course… at the moment she knew of some that were there because of the bodies they had.
Her was concerned about the three boys, she had a lot to think about them… Brazen's state was a constant reminder that something went wrong at the moment of creating him, Bruise's birthmark indicated that he was close to not being born since it looked like an incomplete piece of his body…
Whereas Barricade's issues started to manifest from his behavior, behavior that consisted on an extreme emotional attachment to his brothers; there were more details about him that turned concerning with time but Her first noticed how he was unable to do many things without the presence of his siblings: he wouldn't stop crying if they weren't nearby, he wouldn't be able to sleep, he didn't want to play if they weren't involved… one would normally think that it was a good thing that he had such preference for them but she noticed how that affection was affecting his body as well.
Without doubt, Barricade had been born to be the eldest, but his mental and physical health was constantly deteriorating… Her never knew how to teach him to distance himself from them appropriately, she never knew how to explain him that he had to care for himself as well, she constantly tried, but Barricade never seemed to understand… she was actually scared of Barricade self-destructing as he was more than only overprotective: his behavior was more of someone who had gone through something truly devastating, his strong fear of being separated from them made her think so.
And sadly she didn't know what to do, she didn't know what to say, she could only hope that as he grew… that behavior could be balanced.
"Barricade, I understand you are worried about them but you must understand that Bruise can take care of himself, he'll be fine… you don't need to worry so much" Her explained.
"But…!"
"You need to trust in your brother, Barricade, I'm sure he wouldn't like to hear you saying those things" said Her, as always, trying to make him get it.
"I trust in him… I just don't trust the world" said Barricade "I can't control that something doesn't hurt him, I know he can defend himself but it depends on what he is facing and it frightens me to think that I can't be with him all the time, if something happens and I can't do anything for him… I…I…"
"Barricade!" his mom called trying to snap him out of it as he was having a melt-down in that moment.
"Huh?" Barricade uttered as he noticed his mom's unhappy expression.
"You are scaring your brother" said Her referring to Brazen who was staring at Barricade looking sad.
"Ah!" Barricade snapped out of trance once he saw Brazen's teary eyes. "I don't know what happened to me, Brazen, I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention… it happens sometimes but I'm okay"
"Barricade… try to forget what you saw now, Bruise will be okay. But you should know something..."
"What is it?" Barricade asked.
"You have to start trusting them more, well, Brazen still needs you both, but, Bruise has your age… you can't treat him like he was a baby like Brazen" said Her.
"I know he is not a baby, mom, but I love him just like I love Brazen… even though he gets on my nerves many times" said Barricade with a smile "I want to look after him as well"
"You are ruining your health, Barricade, you can't take care of both like that" said Her "You have to trust in Bruise and care for him in a manner that is appropriate for his age"
"What do you mean with that?"
"Your way of caring for him is not okay" Her kept trying to explain, actually, it was the first time she was insisting so much without dropping the subject, she wanted to make him see things differently. "By acting like this you are just being detrimental towards him"
"What…? I'm harming him..? Why…?" Barricade asked looking really confused and concerned.
"If you don't teach him how to do things, Bruise will never know how to do them" Her explained "You can't look after someone without teaching them to look after themselves, just like you just said… it's impossible that you are with him at every moment so it's necessary that Bruise can look after himself"
"Oh… I understand…"
"You can't do everything for him, I want you to teach him some other day how to make the ointment for his birthmark, of course, after I teach you" said Her "This way, if anything happens and you are not with him, he'll be able to take care of himself and you won't have to worry about him being okay"
"Well, I guess that sounds convincing… I don't know… I hadn't thought about it" Barricade seemed to be really considering this, though, he then focused on sitting Brazen on the baby chair that was nearby… without noticing that it was weird for it to be there in the first place. "All this time, the things I taught Bruise to do were to take care of Brazen… but I must admit that I haven't taught him to take care of himself"
"Exactly, it's not wrong for you to worry for him, but you must understand that you need to balance everything… behave in a way that won't compromise your health" Her explained.
"I see…" Barricade murmured as he sat on his place to eat. "I'm sorry for worrying you, mom, I know that I get stressed a lot and that It stresses you…. I promise to work on that and think about what you said"
"I'm happy you'll consider it" said Her as she thought it was too good to be true, it might have been helpful to hear what she had to say… but it was a given that he would need to practice and try over and over… it was too much to ask him to change from one day to another.
"It's just that I find it really hard, there's an unexplainable pain in my chest when I think about me not taking proper care of them… I think I'm letting that nasty feeling control me… and I think it's possible I feel that way for not knowing what's best for them" said Barricade "I just want to be a good brother… I don't want to cause you problems with my behavior mom, it's just that I love them so much…" the orange haired looked sad once he said this, it was apparent that it was something really relevant to him.
Before Her could say anything, Bruise walked in the kitchen looking sleepy and somehow irritated.
"Barricade, stop being so melodramatic, I feel sick just by listening to you" said Bruise while blushing, he seemed to have listened part of what his brother had been saying.
"I'm happy you are okay now" Barricade commented while ignoring his comment, he was really glad to see his brother was no longer suffering.
"It wasn't a big deal" said Bruise. As he said this, Brazen cackled really hard which Bruise took as the baby laughing at him. "Shut up devil's spawn!" the blond shouted to the baby.
"Bruise…" Barricade's happy smile faltered and so a somber tone replaced his cheery one. Bruise turned to see him a bit taken aback and as expected, received a strong punch to the head. "Don't call him that!"
"But it's true…" Bruise muttered to himself. "Don't hit me, carrot head!" the blond shouted to Barricade who was now pissed at his brother.
"Shut up, banana head!" Barricade replied to the other who right away felt offended and jumped at him to hit him.
Her observed how the brothers were fighting on the kitchen's floor while Brazen clapped excitedly from his seat. Such scene was comforting to her, she would normally be mad at them fighting in the middle of the kitchen but it was something that made her think that Barricade wasn't a lost cause; he probably had needed this type of interaction with his brothers… if by this point he didn't dare hit his brother she would think his case was a serious one.
"Oh, by the way!" Barricade exclaimed while stopping the fight, Bruise looked like wanted to keep at it but Barricade was handling him with ease. "Mom! Brazen can sit now!"
"Yes, I know, that's why I prepared this chair for him" said Her as she pointed to the chair in which Brazen was sitting. "I was surprised to see you didn't notice it when you first entered the kitchen, normally it would be the first thing you would comment on"
"Ah…" Barricade murmured. "Seems like I was really distracted. But well, that's a good sign, right?"
"yes, I want to think it is" said Her "It's been years from seeing another change in Brazen"
"Huh? So… It's not safe to assume his condition will change?" Barricade said sounding disappointed.
"And what did you expect? The slowpoke has been like that for five years, a change like that one is nothing" said Bruise.
"I'm tired of you taking that attitude towards him! Brazen will grow! I know!" Barricade exclaimed to Bruise who just looked away looking bored.
"It's possible but we don't know what will happen" said Bruise.
"Bruise! Shut up! Stop angering me!" Barricade shouted making his hair lit up in flames, it was something that rarely occurred since he didn't get angry easily but it was usual for it to happen when he got angry anyway.
"Got a problem with me, huh?!" Bruise exclaimed ready to start another fight.
"Uise! Uise!" Brazen shouted while cackling, he really liked seeing them interact that way as he found it really funny for some reason.
Bruise looked at the baby in discontent whereas Barricade and Her were astonished by his attempt to talk.
"He just… he just…" Barricade murmured. Her remained quiet while sharing Barricade's astoundment. The orange haired broke the fight to put all of his attention on his youngest brother. "Brazen… you just spoke?"
"Uise! Uise!" Brazen repeated over and over. Bruise turned to see the scene and changed his pissed expression to one of mockery.
"I'm sure that's pure babbling, he started babbling that yesterday" said Bruise "I wouldn't say that's anywhere near speaking"
"What are you saying? Are you stupid or something? He just said your name…" said Barricade looking really marveled for hearing Brazen 'speak'.
"I think you are just desperate now, he is just blabbering" said Bruise while looking at his brother carrying Brazen.
"Brazen… you spoke right? Bruise is an idiot, isn't he?" Barricade inquired to the baby who smiled in agreement with what he was saying.
"Uise! Uise!" the baby cackled contently. Bruise rolled his eyes in response.
"Barricade, give up already and accept that he is just babbling… even if he appears to be saying my name" said Bruise.
"Age…" said Brazen as he looked at Barricade. For the first time, Bruise looked at Brazen looking surprised. "…Age" "…Rage"
"Brazen... you…" the orange haired murmured really moved. "You just said my name! I'm so happy!"
"He said 'Rage'" said Bruise "That's not your name"
"Bruise, don't be that way, he is trying to say my name and to me he is saying it perfectly" said Barricade soundly really cheery, in fact, he looked like it was impossible to stop smiling.
"Stop smiling, you are giving me the shivers" said Bruise as he felt awkward to the other's happiness. "I don't know what part of 'Rage' has anything to do with the name 'Barricade'"
"Now say your name, Brazen, Bra-zen" said Barricade without minding Bruise. Not helping Bruise's feeling of awkwardness, Barricade was now babbling along with the baby.
"Barricade, stop that…" Bruise said while blushing "Don't you feel ashamed of looking like a fool?"
"What are you saying? Babbling helps him to learn how to speak well… of course I don't mind you seeing me, in fact, you should babble along too" said Barricade.
"What?! Are you crazy?! The moment I try that thing will start laughing at me!" Bruise exclaimed still blushing.
"You are too shy for your own good… he is your brother, nobody will judge you for doing that" said Barricade.
"I have enough with just seeing you" said Bruise as he took his seat around the table. "Well, if you excuse me, I'm going to eat, I'm sure the food already went cold because of that dwarf over there"
Her looked at Barricade with Brazen and Bruise eating still embarrassed and couldn't help but feel that what was happening was something really heartwarming, she really liked experiencing things like this in family.
xXxXxXXXxXx
Once they finished having breakfast, Bruise went to take a bath while Barricade went to the living room to keep playing with Brazen, who was now showing signs of change; the orange haired was more excited than ever. Her had gone to sleep.
Bruise could barely believe what he had heard, Brazen's change in speech was giving him hope though he wouldn't admit that… he felt happy that he had tried saying his name before Barricade's, although, he wouldn't admit that either. And speaking of that… Wasn't he supposed to ask his mother about Brazen's condition? Although well, why ruin his brother's good mood? He really liked pissing him off but he didn't like hurting him to the point of going depressed…
"Ah… Barricade is a fool" Bruise murmured while staring at the ceiling, he was relaxing inside the tub filled with scorching water and foam everywhere… he didn't know why but every time that they went shopping, his mother would buy those type of shampoos. "I don't know why he has to be so melodramatic" the blond remembered what his brother was telling his mother, or well, what he had managed to listen to.
"Why is he stressed over those things? I obviously know how to take care of myself and it's obvious that I take care of Brazen… though well, that's not really the problem from what I heard…" said Bruise to himself. "I wonder if his concern is the reason for his apparent permanent state of exhaustion and the sleep attacks he has… if it is… then it's really worrying…" the boy dipped in the water a bit more. "Although that's what happens to him for being stupid, I shouldn't even care…"
Barricade was in the living room babbling happily with Brazen who happily answered him, he really liked that his brother was playing with him, it was amusing and clearly funny… he somehow felt understood.
"Rage…. Rage… uisee, uisee" Barricade babbled along with Brazen, "Now say your name! Say Brazen! Brazen!"
"Zuu" said Brazen not really happy about how that sounded.
"Hmm, I think your name is more difficult to say than ours… what if I give you a nickname? You can focus on saying that instead" said Barricade.
"Uiseee, uisee" said Brazen in response, he seemed to have taken a liking to say that when he was happy or was agreeing with something; Barricade found that to be funny.
"What can it be…? You nicknamed me 'Rage' so… what about... 'Raze'? It's a few letters from your name, it might be easier for you to say that" Barricade explained with a smile.
"Uisee" Brazen grinned effusively showing how much he liked the idea.
"And now we have similar nicknames, cool, don't you think so?" said Barricade to Brazen who couldn't stop laughing now for the glee he felt at the moment. "I'll call you that from here on to see if it helps you say it, you can then practice saying your name as it should be… although 'Raze' is really cute to me"
"Uiseee" Brazen lifted up his arms with the intention to be carried. Barricade saw this and immediately complied, he carried him in a way he could see his face.
"You can call me 'Rage', okay? Those will be our special nicknames" said Barricade while leaning his forehead against the baby's.
"Hehee" Brazen was in an extremely good mood in that moment, he wanted to keep seeing his brother as happy as he looked now.
"Now say your nickname, say 'Raze'" said Barricade "Raze, RA-ZE, R-A-Z-E, Raze"
"Age… Age…"
"No, Raze, say your nickname, come on" said Barricade while pouting a bit disappointed. "Well, I'm sure you'll say it, right now I'm just glad that you have said our names" the orange haired went silent after this, he had gotten lost in his thoughts for a moment… because… where was Momo? "Hey Raze, tell me… have you seen Momo? I'm a bit worried, I haven't seen him in a while…"
"Age…?" Brazen looked at Barricade, he didn't understand why he looked so down all of a sudden. Brazen smiled as much as he could as he tried to cheer him up.
"Hmm? What is it? You think Momo is fine?" Barricade asked him, he felt like Brazen was trying to answer him. Brazen nodded happily, thing that made Barricade grin back. "Well… it's true that I have no reasons to think that something bad happened… maybe I should relax a little" shortly after saying this, Bruice's voice snapped him out of his happy trance.
"Barricade! Hey! Barricade!" Bruise shouted from the bathroom. "Help me! Hurry!" As he heard this, Barricade stood up right away looking a bit worried.
"Huh? Hmm… Brazen, wait here a moment, okay?" Barricade said while sitting him on the floor, he then looked at his brother who stared back while smiling. The orange haired went silent for a moment and after a short debate in his mind, decided to take Brazen with him. "Okay no… it wouldn't be responsible, come, let's see what Bruise wants"
Barricade took Brazen in his arms again and calmly approached the bathroom's door, he knocked several times before entering… what he saw rendered him speechless…
"Bruise… you…" Barricade lowered his voice as he processed the situation. Bruise was looking down trying to hide his particular bluish blush, one that was highlighted by how he was frowning.
"I know, I know… just shut up and help me" said Bruise really ashamed but angry about his situation. Brazen observed the scene and couldn't help but laugh really hard which caused Barricade to do the same. Bruise glared at him while his orange haired brother kept laughing along with his baby brother.
"Barricade…! We already went over this!" Bruise exclaimed as he watched his brother laugh, he was really offended by his brother laughing at his disgrace… although he knew he had a right to laugh since it's not like his brother teased him or really returned the insults from him.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry… it's just that Raze's laughter is contagious" Barricade explained. Bruise looked at him confused. Raze? What was with the name?
"Eh? Raze?"
"Yes, Raze, that's the nickname I gave him so that he can learn how to speak" said Barricade with a smile after calming down completely. Bruise frowned without understanding the importance of that. He focused his attention on the baby who was still laughing.
"What's wrong with him? It's not that funny" said Bruise while pouting. Barricade just smiled, there was no way to defend himself from the baby, Brazen had all the right in the world to laugh at Bruise being trapped in the tub with it and partial part of his hair frozen.
"I see you can't stop freezing half of the bathroom" said Barricade as he went closer and with one of his hands started to thaw the bathtub as well as his brother's hair.
"Don't be so cocky now, I also have to come here and help you since you end up evaporating the water"said Bruise still embarrassed.
"Yeah, yeah, don't feel so bad now, these things happen" Barricade commented as he finished thawing everything."Ah, I'll boil the water for you so you can keep enjoying your bath"
"Yeah… thanks" Bruise replied while letting out a sigh. After Barricade had left the water scorching once again and Bruise deemed his powers to be in control, he took the liberty to dip in the water some more, to the point in which his collarbone was completely hidden. "So… your name is now Rage and he is Raze?"
"Haha, you don't have to call me that if you don't want to, it's just something I think is fine the baby does since he can't pronounce well yet" Barricade explained. Bruise went quiet and instead got lost in his thoughts.
"I see… that's better since I would feel really foolish by calling you that" said Bruise. Barricade chuckled slightly at that.
"Bruise, I don't mind if you want to call me that as well… in fact, I think Raze will force you into calling me that at some point" commented Barricade sounding really sure about that. Bruise looked skeptically at him.
"And why would I do that? Those are nicknames between you two, it has nothing to do with me"
"Because if we have a nickname… that means he'll give you one so that we can call each other by those nicknames, you are his brother after all, isn't that right, Raze?"
"Uise…!" Brazen beamed while responding, he seemed to agree with that very strongly.
"He doesn't even know what you are asking… you need to understand that the evil spawn hates me, he wouldn't give me a nickname" Bruise explained. Barricade looked intrigued by that… did that mean…
"Does that mean that you are interested in having a nickname?" Barricade asked while smiling evilly, expression not really common in his person but really necessary for the situation.
"Eh?! I didn't say that" Bruise exclaimed while blushing strongly. Barricade let out a small laugh for seeing his brother's embarrassment, though, this was interrupted by the sudden sensation of his sight gradually shutting down.
Bruise looked away out of shame, he hadn't noticed his brother on the brink of falling, he only looked once Brazen decided to call for him in desperation for the sense of danger he was feeling; as he turned around, Bruise froze by the shock of what he was seeing and so he was unable to react.
"Barricade…?" Bruise murmured as he saw how his brother in an instant had changed from laughing to falling apparently unconscious. The blond extended his arm towards his brothers and without really thinking about it, instantly created an ice hand that caught both Brazen and Barricade. "What a scare… it really happens out of nowhere…"
"Uu…Age… Age…" Brazen murmured as he stared at his unconscious brother on the ice hand, without being able to hold back, the little one started to cry out of confusion.
"Brazen…" Bruise murmured as he saw the baby crying. He understood what his baby brother was going through, it was really concerning and confusing to see that happening to Barricade… but it was something he would need to know; that no matter what they thought, they'd had to bear with their brother falling unconscious when they less expected it.
A/N: Sorry for the narrative changes, you see, there's a point in the story where I radically changed it and that's because I continued writing it way later. It will stay with this change, so yeah and also, a big apology for taking so much time to translate this x'D anyway, hope you enjoyed it! If you have any thoughts pleas share them with me, I love reading them! If you have an account I will reply to you, if you don't... well, I'll mention you but yeah, I always reply to reviews :3