Prompt: Hey Jen, can you do a prompt where Dimitri and Alec finally make up?? It's been far too long lol
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Alek sat on the couch, watching Dimitri and Galen play together. Galen was giggling and Dimitri was smiling cheerfully at him as they played a game of war.
“I win again!” Galen said as he laid down a 7 over Dimitri’s 3.
“Ah, my fabulous little brother has defeated me yet again,” Dimitri said with a dramatic sigh.
Alek watched him, a little surprised. Normally Dimitri would win, even against Galen. But she had seen him switching his cards when Galen hadn’t been paying attention to let the little boy win.
Dimitri sure had changed. He had been dating Theo for a few months, and it was changing him. Alek claimed that she hated her brother mostly for his flamboyancy, and while she did despise that about Dimitri, the true reason was because he was selfish and he was mean. But no one ever believed her when she said that, not even her in-denial parents.
But lately, he had been nicer and more thoughtful to others. Theo was having a good influence on Dimitri, and Dimitri seemed to be realizing how wrong his own selfishness was.
“Do you want to play Go Fish, Dimmy?” Galen asked.
“Sure, dear. Aleksandra! Come join us for a game,” Dimitri said, surprising her even more. He usually liked to rub it in her face that he was Galen’s favorite.
Alek got up and sat down with her brothers. Dimitri shuffled the cards and dealt them out to his siblings.
“Alek, do you have any 8s?” Galen asked.
“Go fish,” Alek said and the small boy pouted and picked up a card from the mess of them on the floor. Alek turned to Dimitri. “Do you have any 5s?”
“Terribly sorry dear, but go fish,” Dimitri said, but not with his usual smugness.
She picked up a card from the pile and they continued to play. She was amazed at Dimitri’s lack of smugness or cockiness. He was playing like a normal person, just having fun.
They finished the game and Galen stood up. “I have to clean my room before mommy gets home,” he said with a frown.
“Would you like some help?” Dimitri offered.
Galen shook his head. “No thanks Dimmy. I can do it!” He kissed his brother’s cheek before taking off to head upstairs.
Dimitri began to pick the cards up off the floor and Alek hesitated before helping him. They picked up the cards in silence and she handed her pile to Dimitri to put away.
Alek stared at her little brother. He had hurt so many people with his selfishness. He would have sex with them and move on without even realizing how much damage he was doing. He had outed Theo before Theo was ready. He had always been mean to Alek, ever since they were little.
But he’d been with Theo for months, and she knew he hadn’t had sex since they started dating. He’d been nicer. He wasn’t as selfish anymore. It was as if Theo had helped him realize his fatal flaw.
“Dimmy,” Alek said, remembering the way she used to call him that when they were little.
He looked at her in surprise. “I wasn’t aware you were calling me that again,” he said.
Alek shifted uncomfortably. “Well, I used to call you that when we were little.”
“You haven’t exactly been my biggest fan since we were small children, Aleksandra,” he reminded, raising an eyebrow. “May I ask why you’re calling me Dimmy again?”
“Because…I guess because I’m sorry,” she said.
“Sorry?” He cocked his head to the side curiously. “Elaborate.”
“I hated you,” she said, and saw his lips twitch into a small grin. “I hated you because you were selfish and mean. But you’re a lot better now.”
“My little Theodore has made quite the impression on me,” he said, standing up with the box of cards in his hands.
Alek stood up as well. “I know. So I just wanted to say I’m sorry for…”
“Disowning me?” He chuckled. “I’m not one to hold a grudge.”
She looked at him, remembering when they had gotten along as little kids, the way she would comfort him during storms and the way he would teach her how to draw. She remembered the mean things he had done to her as he started to get a little older. And now here he was, finally realizing that it was wrong to do those things.
“You’re still my brother. You’re a pain in the ass but…you’re my brother,” she said with a sigh.
“Consider the affections returned,” he said, smiling a little.
She sighed again and did something she hadn’t done in years. She put her arms around her brother, who was so much taller than her, hugging him. He was surprised for a minute before hugging her back.
She pulled away from him, blushing lightly. He glanced at the cards in his hands before giving her an easy grin.
“Care to play spit?” he offered.
She smiled a little because that was the first card game she had ever taught him as children, and nodded. “Let’s do it.”
They sat down together on the floor and Dimitri distributed the cards. They began to play, laughing as they slapped each other’s hands, and things between them eased considerably as they carried on.
