I own nothing of Major Crimes. I just borrow the characters from time to time.
Oh Brother
Ricky shifted again on the not so comfortable sofa. He pulled the throw up over his shoulders and squinted at the clock with one eye. He heard muffled voices coming from this mother's room, that and the smell of cookies mixed with freshly brewed coffee coaxed him awake. He peeked over the back of the couch to see his recently acquired little brother taking a fresh batch of cookies from the oven. Ricky stumbled to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Is it always this lively at 6 in the morning?"
Rusty freshened his own cup and said, "I think I'm getting a cold. My head hurts and I'm congested. I've been up most of the night. Who knows why they're up."
"So, when you're sick, you make my favorite cookies." Ricky said as he grabbed a spatula and began to scoop a mouthwatering delight from the cookie sheet. "Chocolate chip oatmeal are the best."
Rusty was about to stop him, "but…"
However, Ricky interrupted with, "you didn't like sneeze on anything, did you?" At his new older brother's comment, Rusty said nothing just leaned back against the counter and smirked. Ricky took a big bite. His hand flew to his mouth as he nearly spit it out. "How could you? I was expecting warm, rich, gooey, sweet chocolate… and what do I get… dried up grapes."
"At least it's raisins and not the remnant of one of my sneezes," Rusty started to laugh. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with oatmeal raisin cookies."
"I believe there was malicious intent," Ricky said as he swished the coffee around in his mouth to kill the taste. "My taste buds have been assaulted."
"Now you're just being unraisinable," Rusty almost got a snort laugh out before Ricky put him in a headlock and the tussle began.
In the bedroom, Sharon and Andy were getting ready for an early morning meeting. She noticed a loud thump coming from the kitchen. "I'd better see what's going on out there," she said uneasily.
Andy draped his tie around his neck, "just finish getting ready. I'll get us some coffee." Returning shortly with two cups, he handed her one and said with a shrug, "they're just being brothers."
Sharon looked concerned. "Since neither one of them has had a brother, I'm not sure they know how."
Andy smiled, "oh, I think they're figuring it out."
"Still," she said worried about her sons getting along, "I'm going to go check on them."
Rusty heard the bedroom door shut. "It's mom," he warned. By the time Sharon reached the kitchen, Rusty was looking for Kleenex while Ricky poured himself another cup of coffee.
"Everything alright?" She asked as she noticed Rusty's red face and Ricky's messed up hair.
"Poor little brother here has a terrible cold," Ricky said in an almost sympathetic tone.
"And Ricky hates raisins," Rusty wiped his nose, "who knew."
Sharon eyed them suspiciously as Andy came up behind her. She knew something was up, but she also knew her boys wouldn't confess anything to her. Turning to Andy she asked, "Are you about ready to go?"
Andy reached for the phone he'd left on the counter when he came out for coffee. "I'm just going to the bathroom, then I'll be ready."
Reaching out her hand, "phone," Sharon commanded, "give me your phone."
"What?" Andy questioned, "so, you've misplaced your phone and the car keys?"
"No, you'll take an hour in there. First, you'll have to check the sports scores, then play a couple games of pool… Oh, then there's that giraffe you're obsessing over," she replied with an eyeroll as she took the phone from his hand and slipped it in her pocket.
"April's had a long pregnancy, I'm emotionally invested. Besides, I'll be done long before you find your keys," he smirked. "Where was the last place you put them?"
Sharon glared, "If I remembered that, I wouldn't be looking for them, now would I?"
Andy smirked again, "yeah, and sometime soon, you're gonna want me to kiss that smart mouth of yours."
Sharon moved closer to him. To the untrained eye, she appeared to be giving him the death glare, but Andy saw the mischievous gleam in her eye. "Reeeeealy," she said as she snapped his suspenders. "Are you so sure about that?"
Andy jumped and rubbed his chest. He was about to give her a pat on the behind, when he heard Ricky clear his throat and not so quietly say, "awkward."
Andy casually dropped his arm to his side and gave Ricky a shrug,
"Why don't you boys put all that energy to good use and look for my keys?" Sharon asked as she padded back to the bedroom to retrieve her brief case.
"Are they always like that?" Ricky asked.
"Sometimes worse," Rusty said, shaking his head.
"Well, at least it's not my room across from their bedroom anymore," Ricky grimaced.
Rusty scrunched up his nose and held back a sneeze, "oh man, now you're just trying to get inside my head."
Ricky laughed, "no little brother, it's much too congested in there for me."
They laughed, but then Rusty turned serious. "You know, when I was little, I always wished for a big brother."
Ricky nodded his head, "and I always wished for a dad that would love my mom."
They sat silent for a moment, "Well, it looks like you got your wish in Andy," Rusty said.
"And you got your wish for a big brother in me," Ricky agreed smiling broadly.
"yeah, about that… What was I think…" Before Rusty could utter the last syllable, Ricky had him in a headlock, doing what brothers do.
A/N Special thanks to my wonderful beta, gingersnapped907.
