Family Time [BrotherhoodAU]

.one.

Ichiji did not see the purpose in going outside. It was full of bugs, humidity and other stuff that Ichiji did not liked one bit. He preferred the warmness of the chimney with a book but his brothers wanted to play outside and so his mother forced him, as she referred to, be a kid and enjoy the weather outside!

"Look Niji!" Sanji laughs happily, "it's a frog!"

"Cool!" Niji replies as he stands up from his place on the grass, "bring it here, Sanji!" he smiles as the youngest Vinsmoke runs towards him with a yellow jumper, bringing the tiny animal towards his brother.

It's just a frog. What are they so happy about?

Ichiji only glares at the ridiculous amount of humidity that there is outside from his place underneath the shadow of a tree. Meanwhile, Liora, the mother of the triplets, smiles at both of his sons and at how adorable they look playing with the tiny animal, before her eyes cast a knowing glance towards her oldest one.

She knows that Ichiji has grown so far to be a very smart boy and that he has input into his personal task to act like an old mean older brother, forgetting sometimes about the fact that he himself is still a child.

How much she wishes she could keep her sons innocent and pure for a little bit longer.

She finds herself touched by the fact that Ichiji cares so much but shows so little, acting more mature than what a child should be at his age. Her eyes offer him an affectionate look he fails to see as she makes her way towards him.

"What are you doing, darling?" she asks, a smile on her lips as she leans against the tree. His tiny eyes look towards her mother, dressed in that beautiful white dress, a dress he has always thought made her look like an angel.

"Reading a book." He mutters, casting his eyes back towards the letters.

Liora laughs, "I can see that darling," she says, taking a seat next to his oldest son with a tiny smile. "I was wondering what exactly."

Ichiji doesn't answers but instead he lifts up the book with his hands as to show the cover of it towards his mother. The purple-ish cover showing the title of Nolan 'The Liar'.

"Oh!" Liora smiles, petting the blonde head of his child with a soft hand. "Can I read that for you and your brothers?"

Ichiji's about to ask what she means with that since his brothers were playing with garden animals but the question is never asked when the screams from both Niji and Sanji approaching them at fast speed, make their presence known.

"What is that, mom?" Niji asks with a curious smile.

"This is a book called Nolan 'The Liar'. I was about to read it," she smiles, taking the book from Ichiji's hands. "You boys wanna listen to it?"

"YES!" Niji and Sanji sing in unison. Ichiji just smiles and relax into it as his mother starts speaking, relating the story about the character named Nolan. Niji and Sanji have an occasional look of awe besides the smile on their faces and Ichiji just listens happily as the story goes on.

By the time Liora has ended the story, the triplets have already fallen asleep. Ichiji resting his head against her lap, while Niji and Sanji cuddle the other side of it.

......

That was the first time their mother had read them the book of Nolan, 'The Liar'.

"Ichi, you're okay?" Niji asks him as he shakes the shoulder of his older brother.

"Yeah, yeah..." he sighs deeply as he holds the familiar book in his hands. "I'm good. Let's go."

Ichiji and Niji are careful as they leave their home in the middle of the night, the brothers make their way past the guards, and Germa soldiers before they reach the familiar fields reaching their destination.

"Hi..." Niji starts, sighing deeply as he kneels in front of the grave. "...mom."

Ichiji stays quiet as Niji tells everything about the past year. The brothers had made this a habit, a tradition, every year on the same day, the two of them would come here and tell their mom... everything, because for some reason it helped them feel better.

"You should've seen Sanji's poster mom! It's hilarious!" Niji's laugh cuts through the air as it slowly dies down, the 2nd son of the Vinsmoke family turns to look at his older brother before his eyes set on the horizon, the sun starting to show up.

They need to be back before their absence is known.

"It's time." Niji says, Ichiji nods his head, lowering his head with her eye towards the ground, before he takes something out of a backpack he had brought. Niji leans his forehead against the stone-head, as he always does and kisses it chastely, murmuring a few words towards his mother, intimate as he always does.

Ichiji, on his part, comes closer before he leans down and softly touches the cold marmol with his fingertips, eyes closing at the contact before he leaves something next to the fresh batch of flowers growing on the field.

Niji smiles as his eyes catch what Ichiji had left behind. "Let's go, Niji. Before they notice we were gone." Niji only nods, starting to walk away as Ichiji follows behind with a smile, glancing one final time towards his mother's grave.

And the book of Nolan 'The Liar' he had left behind.

Together with Sanji's new wanted poster.