𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗜 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗗𝗜𝗘 | the boys

>>𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦<<

T. FIELDS

Of course I remember that day. I remember every second after I stepped through the front door. I kept my head down, staring at my dark curls as Dad and I wiped our shoes in the hallway. He hadn't seemed to bothered when he picked me up from school but we both knew Mom would be upset. In the car we had agreed that there was no point in hiding it from her, so my head only hung in shame. 

"Hey, boys!"

It didn't help she seemed especially cheerful. 

"Hey, Mom-" I began to mumble, but a hand pulled at my hair, jerking my head upwards. Dad stood close behind me, holding me still for her to see as I winced and shifted my feet between my feet. 

"Oh, Baby!" She gasped, dropping to her knees and beginning to fuss over the ache around my left eye. "What did you do?!" She ran a thumb over the red welt.

"Nothing." I was able to pull away once Dad let go of my hair. 

"Titan!" She called, climbing back to her feet, "Come here!"

____________________

I tried not to clench my jaw at the stinging cotton wool on my cheekbone, all while explaining, "It was an accident. Joshy was doing impressions and-"

"Who was he doing an impression of for this to happen?" Mom giggled.

My eyes nervously wandered to Dad's face as he sat at the kitchen table with us, his hands clasped together over his nose and mouth. "Go ahead, pal. Tell us." He nodded calmly.

"It's not a big deal - it was only Homelander. Joshy kept saying he could fly so... Jake said he should jump off the slide. I wasn't looking and... he landed on me." My head shot to the window as soon as the thought entered my head, "Why does no one else call him John?" 

"Titan, that's not something to just say out loud with the curtains undrawn." Dad placed his hands on the table. 

"I know, it's just-"

"You haven't been talking to Joshy and Jake about this, have you?" His unfathomable eyes rested on my face once again, his eyebrows curled at the end like horns, casting shadows over his lashes and pupils. 

I shook my head vigorously, "No, I wouldn't. But why does no one else know what-"

"I'm pregnant." Mom suddenly blurted. I'd never seen Dad's expression utterly light up the way they did that afternoon as he echoed the word to himself. "I was going to tell you tonight but-"

"Does that mean..." My head buffered.

"Your mother's having a baby." Dad gasped, leaping out of his seat to cradle her head, repeating, "Your mother's having a baby!"

It took me a while to comprehend - my only thoughts were of the countless occasions I had sat by myself, and how it all felt like nothing more than a snap of fingers. It didn't feel real. "Is it a girl?" I asked rather loudly to be heard over the sound of their excited whispers and chuckles. 

"Well, we don't know yet, pal." Dad pulled his chair in before picking me up and resting me on his lap. "You want a brother, huh?" 

Staring at Mom's stomach, I shook my head again. I could learn more from a girl. Joshy and Jake were my only friends, and they were the only kids in our class with sisters. It wasn't exactly that they were nicer, I had been told that it just suited me more. "I want a girl." I mumbled and leaned my head into the crook of Dad's neck. His gingery stubble scratched at my skin, making me wrinkle my nose at the itchiness. But that, coupled with Mom making jokes about my old clothes and toys made the kitchen cosy again. I wanted someone to take up my time. I wanted someone to utterly fascinate me.