A/N: Surprise! I have an update. Enjoyyy~

What, you're wondering about the nature of this oneshot? ... It makes me feel young. Deal with it.

Am I S'posed ta?

Takes place in the Hidein Compound, sometime around Whisper chapters 49-51. No definite time slot.

"Okay, but where are we going, now?" J'avi asked, trailing down the hall behind Soren.

"It's twelve o'clock in the morning. Where do you think we're going?"

J'avi regarded the back of Soren's head as they went. "You want me to guess?"

"Maybe you should think for once, mm?"

He ignored the insult. "Fine, I'll guess."

Soren exhaled. "That's not what I—"

"Are you taking me to check on the prisoners?"

"No."

"Are we... maybe... going on a walk?"

"J'avi, shut up."

"Are we gonna play Moponoly?"

Soren halted suddenly and turned to face J'avi, his eyes narrowed, eyebrows high. "Monopoly, idiot," he corrected. "We're going to bed."

"Ohhh." J'avi laughed. "Well you coulda just said so."

Soren swept the door open with a deliberate, mock-courteous nod.

"You're sure mad about it," J'avi observed.

"I can't imagine why," Soren said through clenched teeth.

J'avi entered the bedroom. And stopped short.

"Woah-ho-ho..."

His gaze swept from one end to the other, drinking in the glossed mahogany dresser. The wide, beautifully dressed four-poster bed. The tidy desk and swivel chair against the wall beside him. The concise bookshelf full of assorted leather-bound tomes. It all smelled faintly of lavender and cigarette smoke.

Velvety, pale carpet squished beneath his toes. J'avi crouched down to feel it with his fingers, fascinated. Then he collapsed to his back, spreading his arms and legs like a child in snow heaven.

He began rolling around on the floor, laughing helplessly.

Soren entered behind him, undoing his cloak as he shut the door. He cast J'avi a look of mild disgust.

J'avi rolled up against the bed. He stared at the overhanging plum covers for a moment, before scrambling to his feet to get a proper look. The bed looked to be made out of violet glass, at first. He smoothed his hands over the silken fabric, relishing its unnatural, glossy, polished plush.

"Wow," he breathed, fluffing one of the many decorative pillows. He was delighted to find the pillow just as satin as the blankets. "This stuff is like... grape fluff."

Then he bounced onto the bed and sprawled across it, sinking into the luxurious duvet.

He gave a long, contented sigh. "Damn."

"Get off my bed." Soren hung up his cloak beside the door, then leaned down to unzip his boots.

J'avi sat up in the bed, his eyes growing huge. "Wait! This is your room?"

Soren stepped out of his boots. "Whose did you think it was?"

J'avi watched in fascination; he couldn't help but notice how short Soren was, without his boots. "A guest bedroom?"

"We don't have guest bedrooms."

"What? Really? In the whole Compound?"

"Believe it or not." Soren yanked his socks vehemently off.

"But I thought Father would at least have set up a room for me."

"You would think, wouldn't you."

J'avi frowned. "Wait, so that means I have to sleep in here? With you?"

Soren closed his eyes, his entire frame sagging. "That's pretty much what it means."

"But I don't want to," J'avi fretted.

"Really? That works out perfectly. Me neither."

"How about I just sleep with Eboni?" J'avi asked.

"How about you sleep outside?" Soren replied hotly.

J'avi shut his mouth and narrowed his eyes.

But Soren ignored the glare, shoving his boots beneath his hanging cloak and disappearing into his closet. "Get off my bed."

"But where will I sleep?" J'avi protested.

"Not with me."

J'avi leaned to peer into the closet, gaping. "Wait—you have a walk-in closet?" he demanded.

Soren sighed. "Yes. I do."

"What are you doing?"

Soren's head popped back around the doorway, miffed. "Changing," he said, and shut the closet door.

J'avi stared after him.

"Changing?" he repeated.

He flopped backwards onto the bed again, tucking his hands behind his head, furrowing his brow. "Changing," he said with a huff. "... chaaainnn-jing. What does that mean?"

Of course, he knew what it meant. But now he was confused. What would Soren be changing into?

J'avi contemplated for a moment. "To change is to... uh."

He sat up again, gazing hard at the bookshelf. Then he hopped off the bed.

"C'mon," he said, thumbing past the huge books. "One of these has got to be a dictionary."

He found it, one of the thinnest volumes. "Aha."

Snuggling back into Soren's bed, he opened the book and perused through it until he found the ch's.

"'Definition of change. One: to make or become different'," J'avi read, muttering to himself. "As in, 'a proposal to change the law'. ... Two: take or use another instead of, as in 'she decided to change her name'. Change is a verb."

He narrowed his eyes. Yeah, it made sense, for the most part, but...

"What's a verb?"

So J'avi looked that up, too. "Definition of verb'." He read the rest to himself, his mouth moving as he read, but no sounds coming out.

J'avi closed the dictionary and stared up at the ceiling.

"Soren is... changing... huh...?"

He tilted his head to look at the closet door. From where he lay on the bed, it was sideways.

What will he be when he comes out? J'avi wondered.

Now intrigued, he sat up, waiting impatiently for Soren to reappear.

When he finally came back, J'avi was disappointed to find Soren the same, only wearing different clothes.

"I thought you said you were changing," J'avi accused.

Soren glared at him for a moment. Then his eyebrow quirked. "I did change."

A pause. J'avi squinted at him again, finding the same dark hair, paper-white skin, slender cheekbones. Even his height was the same.

But he was staring at J'avi like he was a stupendous idiot.

"Oh," J'avi said, stuffing the dictionary inconspicuously under one of the pillows.

Soren growled and made a shooing motion with his hand. "For the last time. Get off."

"But I don't have anywhere else to sleep!" J'avi said, then yelped as Soren shoved him off the bed. His gi slipped across the silk covers more effectively than J'avi had thought, and he landed on his rear with an "oof!" about four feet from the bed.

"Yeah, well, neither do I," Soren said, "and this is my bed."

J'avi whirled around. "But Soren!"

"You liked the floor before."

"But—not to sleep on!"

"Why did you lay down on it, then?"

J'avi was seriously regretting that. "But I laid down on the bed, and it feels way better than the floor! Please?"

Soren chucked a pillow at J'avi's head. J'avi caught it by reflex. "I have some extra blankets in my closet, you can sleep with those."

"But—!"

"I'm turning the lights out in five minutes."

"Why don't I get my own room?" J'avi whined.

"You have until then to set up your sleeping spot."

"But Soren—"

"Look, you're not sleeping on my bed. This is where I'm sleeping."

J'avi threw his arms wide. "We could both sleep on it! It's big enough! It's big enough for three people, probably! Maybe even four! Or five!"

"That's pushing it."

"Please, Soren? I'll be quiet! I won't take all the covers!"

Soren raised one eyebrow.

"I'll try not to take all the covers," J'avi amended. "It'll be hard, cuz they're super cushy grape cream, but I'll try."

"Really? You would do that, for me?" Soren imitated a touched manner.

"Oh, don't be such a—" J'avi cut himself off. Calling Soren a name would probably decrease his chances of sleeping on the bed. "Gah—come on, Sor, please?"

Soren just shook his head, skirting J'avi to enter the bathroom. "I'm going to ignore you."

J'avi opened his mouth, then closed it. He glared at the bathroom doorframe for a while, seething, then scrambled after him.

The bathroom was quite nice, too, painted pale blue with white marble surfaces. Soren was brushing his teeth when J'avi entered, and ignored his presence.

J'avi was about to plead some more, then caught sight of himself in the mirror above the sink.

"Hey," he said, pointing, "that's me!"

Soren spat into the sink. "Imagine that."

J'avi inspected his reflection, combing his hair to one side with his fingers. "Hot damn," he said, leaning over Soren to bring his nose up to the mirror.

He got about five seconds of close-up examination before Soren tried to straighten and whacked right into J'avi's stomach, giving a muffled grunt.

"J'avi," he said, exhaling, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. J'avi stepped back as Soren rinsed his mouth out and left his toothbrush on the bathroom counter.

"Please can I sleep in the bed with you?" J'avi said, grabbing Soren's arm and shaking him. "Please, please, please?"

"I'm turning the lights out in three minutes, now," Soren said, brushing J'avi off and leaving the bathroom.

"Please," J'avi said again, following Soren out, waving his arms contritely. "Can I please sleep with you? Please?"

"No. That sounds all kinds of wrong."

"Please..."

Soren approached his dresser, opening the top drawer. "Two minutes," he said.

J'avi moaned and slumped against the side of the bed.

Soren scoffed. "Oh, don't cry, that's pathetic."

"I'm not crying," J'avi snapped. "I'm whining."

"My mistake."

"Please," J'avi said miserably, gazing at Soren as he unscrewed the lid of a small can.

He watched for a moment.

"Wait, what are you doing?" he said, sitting up.

"Feeding Tucker."

J'avi struggled to his feet and ran to Soren's dresser to get a better look.

There was a large glass bowl-tank full of water, pink pebbles in the bottom, and a tiny, frilly orange creature swimming in circles around the bowl. J'avi gasped.

"Is that a Tucker?"

Soren paused. "A goldfish."

"A goldfish?" J'avi repeated, eyes wide as he lowered to a level with the little shimmering fish. "Wow. It's so pretty..."

Soren stared at the young Fragment. "Spinjitzu Master. You really don't know what a goldfish is?"

"But you just called it a Tucker."

"... Tucker is his name, J'avi."

"Wait—how is it breathing?"

J'avi tapped the glass lightly with his index finger, and in a flash, Tucker the goldfish was on the other side of the bowl, his little mouth bubbling open and closed. J'avi jumped at the sudden movement.

"He's a fish," Soren said. "They live in water."

Soren nudged J'avi over and tipped the jar of fish food over the edge of the bowl, tapping a few times. J'avi watched colorful flakes spread out over the surface of the water with each tap.

"What is that?" he said.

"Fish food."

J'avi opened his mouth, thoroughly offended, as the little fish floated to the surface to peck the flakes. "That's what he eats? That's disgusting!"

Soren rolled his eyes and screwed the lid back on the can. "Yeah, well, Tucker likes it."

J'avi shifted his angle, watching the reflections in the water change as he moved. "What does it do?"

Soren replaced the can of fish food in his top drawer. "He swims."

"That's it?" J'avi frowned at the goldfish.

"He sleeps, too."

"What a stupid pet," J'avi decided, watching Tucker continue to pluck red, yellow and purple flakes from the surface. "... Hey, Soren. If I stuck my finger in there, would he eat it?"

Soren glanced at him. "No."

"Can I try it?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Just—don't."

J'avi narrowed his eyes at the fish. "You're stupid," he informed it. "I can't even pet you. All I can do is look at you."

Tucker's cute mouth bobbed open and shut, treading water casually with his golden fins, huge eyes blinking up at J'avi.

J'avi gave a lopsided grimace. "It's a good thing you're pretty, then, huh?"

Soren left the dresser. "I'm turning the light out."

J'avi remembered his predicament and abandoned Tucker, giving a shout of protest. "Nonononono, wait! Please! Can I please sleep in your bed with you?"

"No, J'avi. Good night."

"I don't wanna sleep on the floor! Soooorrrreeen!" J'avi caught hold of Soren's arm and hung from it, making Soren stumble.

Soren's brow twitched. "You're kidding, right?"

"Pleeeeaase, Soren! I'll be cold! I'll be lonely!" J'avi clung to Soren staunchly, refusing to let him make it to the lightswitch. "Please, Soren, I'll be so quiet!"

"Are you throwing a fit like a two year old?"

A split second's silence as Soren registered that J'avi was, technically, only two days old.

"Sooorrreeeeeen," J'avi moaned again, wrapping his arms around Soren's legs when the older Fragment tried to worm out of J'avi's grip.

"Get off," Soren snapped, grabbing the top of J'avi's head and shoving downwards, prying J'avi away from him. J'avi's grip slipped from around both legs, but he caught on to one calf and held on for dear life, whining into Soren's pants.

"FSM!" Soren said hoarsely. "You are insufferable!"

"Pleeeease," J'avi begged, voice muffled in Soren's pajamas. "Pleeeease..."

"Fine!" Soren huffed and pushed on J'avi harder. "Get off and shut up, and you can sleep in the bed with me."

J'avi lifted his head and gazed up at Soren. What a weird feeling, he reflected. "You mean it?" he said.

"I mean it. Now get off."

J'avi got to his feet, then threw his arms around Soren, knocking the air from the older Fragment. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

"Don't touch me," Soren said, throwing him off with a huff. "Just be quiet, alright?"

"Alright!"

J'avi bounded to the bed and threw back the covers, grinning triumphantly as he slid under the blankets and pulled them back over himself.

Soren stared at him.

"What?" J'avi whispered. "I'm being quiet!"

"You're sleeping in that?" Soren said.

"In what? The bed? Of course I am."

"No, in your clothes."

"Well, yeah, I'm sleeping with clothes on. Don't tell me you're not?"

Soren looked about ready to slap himself in the face. "No—those are—gah. Don't you wear pajamas?"

J'avi blinked. "Am I s'posed to?"

Soren leaned up against the wall and hung his head. "Yes," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yes, usually, you sleep in pajamas."

"Oh. Well, I don't have any."

"You'll probably fit a pair of mine."

Soren, rubbing his temples, went back into the closet. While he collected clothes for J'avi, the younger Fragment realized he would have to change clothes, and became depressed.

"Here." Soren came out with a shirt and pants draped across one arm. "You can change in the closet or in the bathroom."

"Change?—Oh! Change clothes!" He knocked himself in the head. "That makes so much more sense now. I can just change right here."

J'avi stripped off his shirt and pants, balling them up and tossing them past Soren, who backed up just in time to avoid them, annoyed.

"You're cleaning those up," Soren said.

"Yeah, yeah." J'avi poked his head through the top of the shirt. "Oooh! This is comfy."

Soren walked around J'avi's discarded outfit and stood by the lightswitch, waiting for J'avi to tug the pajama pants on. J'avi tied the pants at the waist, noticing about six inches of exposed ankle.

"Is that how much taller I am than you?" he inquired, pointing.

Soren's brow twitched, and the lights went out.

J'avi slid under the covers with a moan of delight. He had never thought he could be so enveloped in softness; it was so soft that he almost couldn't find a comfy spot. It took him a long while, but finally, he found a suitably cushy spot and snuggled into it, sighing.

The cushy spot shoved him. "Don't touch me," Soren growled.

"Alright, sorry," J'avi huffed.

He squirmed around some more, trying to find another cushy spot—one that wasn't his brother.

"Don't touch me," Soren repeated, when J'avi found what he had thought was a Soren-free cushy spot.

"Sorry! You're just so cuddly!"

"Spinjitzu Master, J'avi. Just stay on that side of the bed."

"Fine."

Another silence.

"Stop moving," Soren said.

J'avi stopped indignantly. "I'm not!"

"Yes you are."

"All I'm doing is breathing!"

"Then stop breathing."

"... You're not a very nice brother, you know that?"

"Shut your entire face."

J'avi tried his best not to breathe, just to make Soren happy.

It proved difficult, and he stopped trying after ten seconds.

"Hey, Soren?" he whispered.

"What," came the dark reply.

"Can I feed your Tucker tomorrow?"

"It's not my Tucker." Soren sounded exasperated.

"Well, can I feed it?"

"Maybe."

"Please?"

"First Spinjitzu... go to bed, J'avi."

"I am in bed."

"That means shut up."

"I won't shut up until you say—"

"Fine, J'avi, you can feed the stupid Tucker. I'm trying to sleep."

"... He's a goldfish, Soren."

Soren mumbled something and rolled over in bed. This tugged on J'avi's side of the blankets.

"Hey! You're taking my side!" J'avi protested.

"I don't care."

J'avi jerked on the blanket, forcing Soren to either relent the covers or roll backwards and into J'avi. Soren did not let go of the duvet, so their foreheads thudded together with a sharp, painful thud.

"J'avi!" Soren hissed, bringing a hand to his head, gasping.

"It's your fault!" J'avi snapped back, dizzy. He took the opportunity to yank the blankets away from Soren. "If you'da just let me have some stupid blanket—!"

Soren tugged on the covers. J'avi tugged harder. They each pulled, growling, to no avail.

J'avi stuck his index finger in his mouth, sucked on it until it was good and wet, then jammed it into Soren's ear.

As expected, Soren reeled back with a yelp. J'avi took the blankets and cuddled into them before his older brother could recover.

Soren stilled. J'avi couldn't see him in the darkness, but the rustling silk sounds stopped, so he supposed Soren had given up.

Then something thudded hard against the top of J'avi's head.

J'avi gasped. Ears ringing, he reached up to grab whatever had nailed him. His hands closed around the leather dictionary.

Then he felt the covers ripped off of him.

"Why-you-little—"

He tried to turn the dictionary onto Soren, but the older Fragment parried with a pillow to the face. J'avi hadn't expected the bundle of cloth to deliver such a solid thwack—Soren snatched the dictionary and shoved J'avi back down in bed.

"Look, here." Soren threw one edge of the blanket over top of J'avi, muffling him. "You get that half. I get this half. No pulling, tucking it under, or wrapping." After a pause, he added, "or cuddling."

J'avi popped out from under the blanket, scowling. "But I like cuddling," he said.

"No cuddling," Soren repeated.

"Not even a little bit?"

"None. Lay down, J'avi, and lay still."

J'avi huffed. Then he obeyed, his head still aching from the blows dealt.

He fidgeted.

... But I like cuddling.

He heard Soren's breathing grow deep and slow across the bed from him. It was a mark of just how tired Soren was, that he could fall asleep within two minutes of silence.

J'avi wondered if he could cuddle Soren when he was asleep.

He wondered if Soren was a light sleeper—or if he snored. He waited to see, but Soren's breath stayed even.

So J'avi cuddled him.

Soren was truly, deeply asleep. J'avi snuggled into him triumphantly. Then relaxed. For such a jerkish pipsqueak, Soren sure was cozy, and J'avi could finally sleep.

It was about a half hour later, when J'avi had managed to wrap his arms around Soren, that the older Fragment woke up.

And groaned.

"That's it."

Soren shoved J'avi off, shed his side of the blanket, and got out of bed.

J'avi blinked, groggy and confused. "What are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to sleep on the floor."

Soren snagged his pillow from the bed, thrust his extra blankets down on the floor next to the bed, and flopped down into them, grumbling.

Meanwhile, J'avi pulled, tucked, wrapped, and cuddled the blanket and remaining pillow on Soren's luscious four-poster bed, too sleepy to care that his cuddle-ee was gone.

"I just decided," J'avi said, his voice slurred with weariness. "You suck. Big time."

"Go to hell," Soren replied.

But J'avi fell asleep.