8th May 2005: Due to this website's recent outright ban of songfics, I have had to edit my songfics and remove the song lyrics so as not to have them deleted. I am also reposting all of my other fics (without making changes to them) so that they appear in the right order on my profile. I apologise if this annoys anyone.
Disclaimer: I don't own Grub or Trouble. However, I do own Trouble's original name and plushie Grub. So there.
Author's Note: Thanks must go to Blue Yeti and Stardust Firebolt, not just for putting up with my insanity and awful typos, but for the incredibly enthusiasm with which they seem to regard my fanfics. Sorry for infecting you with my weirdness.
SOLACE IN THE DARK
A finger was poking him hard in the ribs. He cracked open one eye, but there was only an all-consuming blackness. "Mulberry," came an urgent whisper. "Mulberry, are you awake?"
Mulberry, or Trouble as he was to become in later years, groaned. "Yes, I am now. What is it?"
There was a brief silence. "I'm scared." Another pause. "Can I sleep in your bed tonight?" There was a raw, echoing undertone to Grub's voice.
Mulberry sighed and drew back the covers. "Get in then," he said, motioning with his head even though nothing was visible in this light. It was not usually him that Grub came to in the middle of the night, when he'd been having bad dreams. But nothing was right at the moment, and Mulberry was glad of the company. His aunt's house was an unfamiliar place and what he needed most right now was security.
Grub's small form manoeuvred itself into place. Mulberry, lying on his side, protectively wrapped his arms around his younger brother, who was lying against him but facing away from him. For a whole minute they remained silent.
"I was dreaming about Daddy," stated Grub, simply. Just as Mulberry began to articulate a comment, his brother continued. "He looked so sad. We were standing out on the porch, and he kissed Mummy goodbye. Then he kissed you goodbye. When he came to me, he bent down to look at me. He put his hands up by my ears," - here Mulbery could feel Grub copying this action, as the other boy's arms brushed against his - "And then he looked at me and said, 'Don't worry, I'll still be watching out for you.' And, and..." Here Grub's voice faltered. "He kissed me too, and turned around, and then he disappeared." This last sentence hung in the air, the weight of its meaning pressing down on the brothers. "He's not coming back, is he?"
Shutting his eyes, Mulberry wished for things to be different. This shouldn't be happening to them, not when they were so young. He shouldn't have to be the one to explain this to Grub.
Mulberry felt around for one of his sibling's hands, and finally grasped it. "No, Daddy's not coming back." He wanted to sound so strong, for Grub's sake - but his heart was twisting his words and making them seem so hopeless. Their father was dead, and both of them knew it.
Everything was suddenly very still. There was only the beating of their hearts, and the soft movement of their breath. No words could convey what either of them was feeling. Mulberry wanted to assure his brother, but he had no idea how. He was too young - they were both too young for this.
Then there was a question that Mulberry wasn't expecting. "Why did Mummy have to go too?" Mulberry was surprised at the earnestness in what his brother had just said.
"She had something she needed to so. Something she thought it was better to do alone."
Grub shifted slightly, and the mattress creaked. "I wish she was here." There was a faint rustle from the bedsheets, and Mulberry could tell Grub had just titled his head towards him.
"Me too," he replied wistfully. He was still lost for words. Mulberry felt a sense of duty towards his brother; he wanted to make everything all right, to brush away the pain at least until morning. But there, in the dark, he could find nothing.
"Don't worry," said Mulberry. "I'll look after you." It was all he could think of. He knew that those words would never have comforted him, but Grub was more innocent. And, wrapped up in his brother's arms, perhaps Grub did feel safe.
There came a small, muffled, "Thank you." Then there was a split-second pause. "I love you, Mulberry."
Mulberry gently stroked his brother's hair, and kissed him on the back of the head. "I love you too, Grub."
For a while, Mulberry waited in case his brother said something more. All he could hear was the soft flow of air through nostrils. He realised, after a minute or so, that Grub had fallen asleep. Then he settled himself back against the pillows - arms still encircling his brother's chest, making him feel safe as it had made Grub feel safe. In only a short amount of time, he had entered dreamland too.