Bookcity

A Fight and a Tooth (English)

"Why don't you ever listen to anything he has to say?" Jayden yelled, pulling his little brother behind him.

"You shut up!" Alvin's finger was dangerously close. "You don't know what's good for him! You yourself are still a child!"

Klara had enough, "how dare you raise the voice against our sons?"

"You stay out of this, Klara."

"No, you listen to me, you brute. Don't you dare lay a finger on either of them!"

Jayden was furious. "Mom, stop it! I'm old enough to speak for myself!"

Sebastian started crying. His little chubby fingers grabbed Jayden's shirt.

"Shit," Jayden muttered, shooting an angry glare at his arguing parents. Biting back a hate-filled comment, he picked Sebastian up and took him outside. As soon as the door closed behind him the raised voices of the adults got muffled.

"Hey, lil' bro," he said to Sebastian, consoling the crying eight-year old by hoisting him up and down. "Don't listen to them. I don't either. They just don't know how you feel. How I feel. All they care about is themselves. Don't take it to heart." He paused, "they still love you."

Sebastian looked at him with his big curious eyes. "Love me?" he lisped.

Jayden nodded and grinned. "Yep. They love every single one of your toes," he poked Sebastian's socked feet, "and every single one of your chubby little fingers."

"Not chubby!" Sebastian replied in protest and crossed his little arms.

Jayden brought them down the hall while poking Sebastian. "Yes, chubby."

"Me not chubby!" Sebastian pouted angrily.

"Sure, lil' buddy."

"Me not!"

Jayden smiled, opened their shared bedroom door and set Sebastian down on his mattress. "You wanna read to me? I'm sooo tired after dinner."

Sebastian thought for a second with his tongue sticking out, then his face lit up and he clapped his hands together. "Yessss!" he shouted all excited. "You get the book!" He scrambled forwards and clasped a cheap captain's hat in both fists, holding it out to Jayden. "Put on!" He pointed at his own head.

Jayden complied, chuckling to himself, "as you command, captain."

The hat was slightly big on Sebastian but it didn't matter. He wore it with all the pride his curious mind could muster. "The book! The book!" he shouted.

Jayden wiped away some spit on Sebastian's chin. "Alright, alright." He pushed himself up and got a big colorful book from one of the lower shelves of the bookcase, which he gave to the eager little fellow.

Sebastian had climbed onto his bed and made grabbing motions with his hands at Jayden. He smiled. Excitedly Sebastian opened the book and looked expectantly at Jayden. Compliantly, he laid down on the mattress on the floor.

"Eyes closed," Sebastian demanded with a raised finger.

Jayden obeyed.

Sebastian peeked at him over the pages of the book then started to pretend-read.

The earnest babbling of his little brother didn't overlay the muffled shouting coming from the kitchen. His smile faded.

After a minute Sebastian was tired of reading the book and put it aside. Jayden looked at him.

"Why aren't you sleep?" Sebastian asked, frowning. His voice mimicked their dad's.

"I couldn't. The story you read was just too exciting!" Jayden said, smiling half-heartedly.