A Dozen Cookies is the way to the Heart !!

Major distractions

It was quiet in the room. Late at night, and MePhone, currently 12, was still awake, staring at the ceiling. The curtains weren't shut all the way, and the moonlight was peeking in, but thankfully not shining on him, nor his brother, but it was enough light to keep him awake.

Well, that wasn't the only thing.

His older brother had gone off to college about a month ago at this point, and things were different. A lot of change had happened in what felt like such a short period of time, and it was frankly disorienting.

There had been a routine to how things were at the house before these changes. He and 4s went to school, and came home. 3gs, their older brother, would get off of work, and often be the one responsible for dinner. Dad wasn't home often. A busy man, but none of them minded. He was scary sometimes when he was home.

Despite being adopted into a well off family, he and 4s were by no means well off themselves. There was never much food in the house. Just enough for dinner each night. 4s tended to eat school lunches, but MePhone never liked them. So dinner was often the only meal.

Now, with 3gs gone, they had to start making things themselves. 4s was good at cooking, but MePhone wasn't great at it. He could make basic things. He could make a killer grilled cheese, but that was the extent of it at this age. He was never taught anything else like 4s had been.

Though, despite his poor skills with that, he had started baking. Or at least-- he tried. He really did think he was getting better, but today, dad came home from work during the day for the first time in a while. Long story short, MePhone had been scolded for wasting ingredients for something so 'trivial' as baked goods. 4s had said they were his best brownies yet, but Cobs wasn't so amused. He never was. Baking was clearly not something dad saw as a fit hobby.

But that's not what he was so hung up on tonight. Everything was just different, and he didn't like it. Dad had started working less. Or at least, he was spending more time home than he used to. Maybe it was because 3gs wasn't there to take care of them, and the man didn't trust them, but... It sucked. MePhone wished he would just stay away, but that probably wasn't realistic.

He'd rather have a neglectful dad than someone who made him feel small for doing things he liked to do.

He missed his older brother, honestly.

"Are you still awake?" A quiet voice through the silence of the night.

"Yeah." the younger answered.

"... Has 3gs texted you at all since he left?"

"... No," 4s shifted a bit to his side, facing his older brother. It was quiet for a few minutes, MePhone just moving his head to look at his brother.

"Do you think he's ever going to come back?" 4s spoke again, a loaded question.

"If he's smart, he wouldn't... But I still hope he does."

"I miss him."

"Me too," MePhone just frowned.

Worse than anything, 4s had been quieter this month. He had been really close with the oldest. A bond over shared interests, and 3gs trying to help him get a better hold on not being so angry all the time. MePhone never got as angry as either of them tended to get. They got angry like dad all the time, but not him. Something he didn't have in common with any of his siblings, his immediate response to something upsetting him or making him angry was to get sad. He didn't understand it.

4s missed him, too.

"If he doesn't text me back, I'll just spam him until he does. He doesn't have to come back, but he better not just ditch us like that."