KevEdd One-Shots Book

Five Favorites

Author: The_Stitched_One
Summary: There were five different things that Jim loved. They were his favorite! (Jim's POV)

There were five places Jim loved being. He hadn't been living all that long, just two years or so. And granted, there were many things Jim didn't understand, a lot of words that didn't compute in his brain. But what Jim did know was this: He was happiest when he was in five particular places.

He loved it when his brother, Al, took the time to play with him.

Wither it was in the backyard (with sunblock, safety toys, blankets, and other objects to make it extra "safe" for him) or in his room. Jim loved it when Al would walk up to him and play with him. Al always came up with the best things to play. He wouldn't allow Jim to play with much. He was always worried about his safety, but still, Al was fun. He would always sit close, sometimes letting Jim rest against him.

Jim's favorite was when Al let Jim draw with him. He would hold Jim in his arms as they worked on a picture together. Al would hand him colors. Help him draw their house and Mama and Papa. He would hold the paper still as Jim scribbled on it. Jim would feel warm-up against his big brother's chest; his scratchy sweater matched Jim's just in miniature, keeping them both warm. He has long arms around him, skinny like Mama but big hands like Papa. Like Mama, Al may be overprotective and safety conscious to the extreme, but that was one of Jim's favorite places. He loved his brother.

Jim also loved it when Plank came over to play.

Al was always especially protective whenever Plank was around, but the ordinarily silent boy tended to even out Al's obsessive ways. Whenever Plank came over, he would let Jim play with non-safe toys (in Al's words). Plank would teach him words in another language too! Al didn't like it much, but Jim didn't care. Plus, Mama and Papa approved that learning another language at such a young age (while learning English) would prove to Jim's advantage at a young age.

Plank would sit Jim down on his bedroom floor with some toy or another and repeat words in both English and Russian. Al would always hover nearby when this happened. Jim liked leaning against Plank as he pointed at objects or told stories in his deep old voice.

"Твой брат мило. Сможет ли он стать моим?" Plank muttered, his voice soft and low. Whenever he used this tone, he would always look at Al, who made faces from the door. It was usually during this time that Jim started to doze. He always got sleepy when Plank spoke softly, telling him stories. " Могу ли я его подержать? Поцеловать его?"

Jim didn't find it strange that he always fell asleep when his friend was over. Plank just had one of those voices. It was deep and soothing, and it just put Jim right to sleep when it reached the right tone. One of Jim's favorite things was to take a nap when Plank came over.

And when Mama D kissed Jim's cheek!

Even Jim knew that Mama had a problem with cleanliness. Papa said it was OCD, whatever that meant. He also said something about being afraid of germs, but Jim didn't know what those were, so he just dismissed it. Bath time was always tricky for Mama D. Jim loved getting dirty and playing in the mud....which Mama didn't love. So while Jim was trying to stay dirty as long as he could, Mama would run behind him carrying the evil loofa and shouting about being clean.

But sometimes, when Jim least expected it. Mama D would kiss him on the cheek before sanitizing him! Jim especially loved those times. He could be coloring or just finishing with lunch, and Mama would swoop in to plant a kiss on his round cheek. It would always be warm after and left a light-hearted feeling in his chest. Jim loved Mama D's kisses.

Jim knew that all kisses from Mothers must be as warm and soft as the ones Mama D gave him. People were lucky to have mothers. And Jim was fortunate to have a mother like his! That was why those kisses were his favorite.

Even more than Mama's kisses, though, had to be spending time with Papa.

Jim loved Mama D's kisses; he loved getting dirty even more. And he did that whenever he spent time with Papa. Jim wanted to grow up to be just like Papa and Plank. All tall and manly, talking in Russian, motorcycles, cars, and sports! That would be the best thing ever to happen!

Whenever Jim spent time with Papa, he would typically let Jim sit on his motorcycle while he worked on it. It was there that Jim could talk to his dad about anything under the sun. Kevin (his Papa's real name, but Jim didn't like calling him that like Plank did) would sit there and nod, smiling at Jim. Al and Mama D hated it when Jim sat on the motorcycle, but Jim didn't care, and neither did Papa most of the time. Sometimes he would even let Jim help!

Jim would sit right beside his Papa, as close as he could without actually getting in the way during those times. Because though Papa loved Jim and Al Hugs when he was working with the motorcycle, it was too dangerous to have Jim in his lap. Papa would explain what did to make the machine run. It was like talking with Mama without the big words and dictionary. Jim hated the dictionary. Mama would always pull it out to read to him or have Jim try to read it whenever he didn't understand something. Why couldn't Mama explain what he meant right then and there? Like Papa. Papa didn't pull out a dictionary; he described it, so Jim understood. Jim loved spending time with his Papa, on top of a motorcycle like a big boy. It was his favorite thing.

Above all else, though, all of Jim's favorite things and places and feelings had to be when Jim had nightmares.

It only was when Jim had a nightmare when he was allowed outside his bed after his bedtime. It only was when he had a nightmare that he could sneak out of his room. It only was when he had a nightmare that he could go into his parent's room and wake them up. It was only during this time, late at night, that Mama D would wake up first. He would blink at Jim for a few moments, watching as his child shivered in his onesie with the cactus on the front. Mama D would give him a small reassuring smile, showing off that gap between his teeth, before shifting around to wake up his partner.

Papa would grunt. Mama always had to try at least three different ways to wake up Papa. He would push his shoulder; that always got another grunt. Then he would try kicking him, and he would constantly whine. Then Mama D would kiss Papa. That always embarrassed Jim. He would hide his face in his onesie, giggling and blushing. But it would always wake Papa, so it didn't bother him that much!

"Wha?" Papa would grumble, his voice very rough from sleep and sounding like gravel.

"It appears we have some company." Mama would say, his voice soft as always.

Then Papa would lean up to look over Mama at Jim. He would eye his son for a moment as if sizing him up. Jim would try to stand taller than he was. He wanted to pass inspection. It was unneeded; he always did.

"Well...." Papa would say with a sigh, "Get up here."

Then, and only then, would Jim be allowed to climb up into Mama and Papa's big bed? He would scramble over Mama D and shuffle up to lay his head on a pillow.

That's when it happened.

Mama would give a stretch and a small moan before settling in. He would curl up towards Jim, wrapping the boy in his embrace. Jim would settle his face in his Mama's chest with a sigh. Papa always waited until they were both settled before shuffling closer, throwing a solid muscular arm over them. He would grip Mama's waist, pulling them closer as Jim reached out with one hand and just lay it on Papa's arm.

It was there, surrounded by Mama's clean and fresh laundry smell combined with Papa's rich and metallic smell, that Jim found peace. Mama said it was serenity. Jim didn't know what it meant precisely, but if this was it, then Jim thought it was a good thing.

Jim had lots of favorite things and places. He loved his brother and Plank and his Mama and Papa. But no matter what, above everything else

he loved being surrounded by those he loved.

It was his favorite thing.