“Attack!!!” Liam screamed, howling in fury as he charged down the carpeted hallways. The hulking Nerf rifle clutched in his skinny arms, practically a mini gun in comparison to the boy’s diminutive form, whirred aggressively as he gunned down on the trigger – spitting foam darts in all directions.
Will ducked down skillfully into his hiding place behind a nearby side table, flicking open the revolver chamber of his own simple nerf-pistol to find that he had just one dart remaining. He locked his smooth curve of an undeveloped jaw into a steely scowl and scrunched up his cherubic cheeks into a determined pout, imagining himself as a grizzled, battle-worn cowboy – outmatched, outgunned and with his back firmly against the wall. Grimacing, he cocked the brightly colored plastic hammer back and squinted his right eye over the sight, peeking up over the table to take steady aim at his prey stumbling clumsily down the corridor – hoping to make the single bullet count for all it was worth.
“Boys!” Jane’s voice interrupted his fantasy. Both kids froze mid play, perking up their ears. “Ice cream!”
The boys abandoned their game at once, Will dropping his pistol and running boldly past his opponent – determined to be the first to get to the delicious treat waiting in the kitchen below. He was already stuffing his face greedily with chocolate ice cream, paying little mind to the conspicuous brown mess he was smearing around his lips, when Liam appeared in the doorway – Nerf rifle still in hand.
“No guns at the table, buddy.” Jane instructed, busy securing the ice cream tubs back in the freezer. “I left some vanilla for you on the table.”
“Yeah, Liam.” Will imitated mockingly through another gob full, feeling quite smug that he’d managed to secure his first choice of chocolate. “Don’t bring guns to the table.”
“Don’t worry.” The boy chirped innocently, though his lips were pursed in a coy mischievous smirk. “The guns are staying right here…”
Will had just scooped up another huge portion of ice cream and was ferrying it to his lips when his brother levied the barrel of the rifle threateningly towards him. He could only watch in chocolate-stained open-mouthed horror as Liam pressed down firmly on the trigger, sending a full clip of foam bullets spraying directly into his chest. Instinctively, he threw up both hands to defend himself, loosely dropping the fully loaded spoon of chocolate ice cream and sending it tumbling down directly onto the crotch of his khaki cargo shorts.
“Liam!” Jane cried, turning back around just in time to see the assault and its aftermath. The triumphant grin on the face of the busted boy disappeared as he swung the plastic rifle behind his back, hiding it there as though doing so would make his sister forget what she'd seen. “That was a very mean thing to do!”
“I'm sorry!” Liam reflexively replied. “I didn't mean to!”
“That's no excuse, Liam, you need to take a second to think before you act.” Jane chided the boy, standing over him with her hands on her hips. “And it's not me you need to be apologizing to.”
“...sorry, Will.” Liam mumbled as he glanced at his brother, who was sniffling as he looked down mournfully at the mess he'd made of his shorts. “It was an accident. Really.”
“...it's okay.” Will murmured as he managed a smile. “It's just a stain, no big deal.”
“Thank you for accepting his apology, Will, that's very mature of you.” Jane declared as she swept the bowl of vanilla ice cream off the table. “Liam, this is going back in the freezer – you can have it if you're good for the rest of the evening.”
Much as Liam wanted to whine how unfair that was, his protests were cut short by a sharp look from Jane that told the boy not to press his luck. He scowled and kicked at the ground as Will quietly retrieved his spoon and finished the rest of his ice cream – typically he'd tease his brother for getting in trouble, but doing so in this case seemed too cruel with Liam already upset at being punished. The pair shared an awkward silence until Jane returned to the table, doing so just as Will polished off the last of his dessert.
“I'll put those in the wash while you guys clean up.” Jane assured Will as she picked up his empty bowl. “Speaking of, go ahead and hop in the tub – I know you're probably too old for bubble bath, but there's a bottle of it on the counter if you like.”
“Okay.” Liam shrugged as he dropped the Nerf gun and disappeared down the hall, still annoyed at being denied dessert but glad at least to get out from beneath Jane's disappointed gaze. Will, meanwhile, was stuck to his chair, features flush as he avoided Jane's curious eyes and her questioning smile.
“Do we hafta take a bath together?” Will asked, cheeks darkening when his question came out much whinier than he'd intended. Not helping matters was the way Jane chuckled at the boy as though he were being very silly for expecting anything different.
“Sorry, sweetie, but I'm not running two baths unless you want to pay my water bill.” The young woman grinned as she ruffled the wavy hair of the frowning boy, not even mentioning the possibility of letting him take a shower. “There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Will, it's not as though Liam's got anything you haven't seen before. Go on now, I'll get your guys' jammies together while you're in there.”
Seeing little point in defiance, Will gave a pouty little nod as he hopped off his chair and trailed after Liam, the thundering of the water into the tub growing louder as he approached. The boy had barely stepped into the bathroom when he squeaked and covered his eyes, startled by the sight of a shirtless Liam kicking off his shorts.
“What's the matter?” Liam asked as he stood before Will in nothing but his navy blue, robot-patterned briefs.
“Um, nothing.” Will dropped his hands and averted his eyes as a shrugging Liam turned back towards the tub, testing the water and looking completely unconcerned about his state of undress. The boy knew that he'd have to shuck his own clothing sooner or later but he just couldn't bring himself to do it, whimpering as his thumbs froze hooked in the waistband of his shorts.
“What’s taking so long?” Liam demanded after a while, shooting his brother a cheeky grin as he dropped his undies, hopped lithely over the lip of the tub, and sunk down amidst the fluffy peaks of bubbles that had formed in the warm water.
Will hesitantly plucked off his t-shirt but stopped short as he once again took hold of his waistband. “Close your eyes.” He demanded, but Liam only gave a playful snicker at his brother’s bashfulness.
“Why? I saw it all yesterday.” The boy smirked, stretching his bubble-clad arms casually out on the sides of the tub.
“Aww, are you shy now that you’re just my itty-bitty little brother?”
Will blushed even harder, deeply embarrassed by the reminder of the miniscule age gap between them, but even more disturbed that Liam seemed to have specially computed and stored the insignificant information. He just hoped the fact wouldn’t become a regular route for teasing. “You’ve only got a month on me!” He reminded the boy, crossing his arms petulantly over his bare chest.
“Doesn’t matter, you’re still the little brother.” Liam insisted playfully. “Come on, it’s getting cold.” He splashed the water enticingly, but Will still didn’t react. Letting out a disappointed harrumph, he eventually averted his eyes a few degrees sideways “Happy?”
The solution wasn’t even close to sufficient, but Will reasoned that he might as well get it over with. Shivering, he quickly slid down his shorts and undies before hopping heavily over in the over side of the tub, quickly concealing himself beneath a mound of bubbles. The clumsy entrance promptly conjured up a tsunami of bath water, a heavy wave glugging from one side of the bath to the other taking Liam by surprise and splashing him directly in the face.
“Hey!” He objected, kicking up a storm to direct his own tidal wave towards Will’s end of the bath. The boy may have been a little too enthusiastic in his vengeful zeal however, a large portion of the water spilling over the lip of the tub and sloshing noisily onto the bathroom floor.
“Crap!” Will snorted, peeking over the edge of the bath to observe the huge puddle pooling on the hard wood floorboards with concern. “Jane’s gonna kill us.”
“Don’t be such a baby.” Liam grinned, snickering at his brother’s wide-eyed panic. “It’s only a little bath water.”
Will relaxed a little as he met eyes with his brother, breaking into a broad smile of his own “Who you calling baby, pee-pee pants?” He teased, splashing his hands to send a few more waves Liam’s way.
The boy let out a hearty laugh, the teasing that had put them so at odds just a few hours earlier now no more than water off a duck’s back. “You, baby Billy!” He returned with a goofy grin.
Will let out a good-natured giggle, eager to show that he was equally unbothered by the slurs employed by their mutual bullies. “I’m not a baby.” He insisted, slathering his hairless cheeks with a fistful of suds to form a make-shift bubble beard and putting on a silly croaky voice. “I’m an old man!”
The silly impression sent both boys into a cacophony of cackling laughter, Liam soon imitating his brother and constructing his own soapy set of facial hair. The pair were soon immersed in yet another round of fantastical pretend play, taking turns kicking up water, putting on stupid voices, and forming endless new bubble sculptures all through unrelenting reams of breathless giggling. They must have been causing quite a racket, as a frustrated knocking on the bathroom door soon interrupted their game.
“Are you boys just going to mess up my nice dry floor, or are you actually going to wash up?”
“Sorry, Jane.” Will chimed, able to contain his sniggers for just long enough to force out the apology.
“I can always help if you’re not up to the task…”
“No-o!” The boys sang out in unison, the threat more than enough to spur them into getting down to business. Will grabbed a nearby loofah, while Liam went about wetting his hair.
“Those bullies were so dumb!” Liam reminisced as he got busy massaging a squeeze of shampoo in his scalp. “I would have loved to see the look on their faces when Mr. Byrd was through with them!”
Will went quiet as he absently scrubbed himself down, thankful for the distraction from the details of his immature form yet troubled by being reminded of what was in store for the reclaimed trio. Liam worked the shampoo into a lather as he went on and on about how badly he wanted to get the bullies back for their cruelty, oblivious to the way Will shivered when his brother gleefully described how he'd get his revenge if the roles were reversed.
“Don't say that,” Will whispered.
“Why not? You know they deserve it.”
Though that wasn't what Will was worried about, he had to stop himself from shouting back that no one deserved such a fate – much less three dumb kids who merely lacked discipline. His main concern was how Liam would feel if he and Will ran into the shrunken trio tomorrow. Would his brother regret speaking their reclamation into existence? Or would what little remained of his maturity be gone by then, leaving only a vengeful second-grader giddy at the sight of his reduced tormentors? Jane didn't need to tell Will that Liam's mental regression was nearly complete – he could see as much from his brother's increasingly impulsive and carefree demeanor, his behavior at this point indistinguishable from that of an actual child. So much so that Will didn't know if it was right to burden the boy with what he'd learned at the council hall, racked with indecision until he considered what grown-up Liam might be thinking if he was watching this scene – the horror he'd feel knowing that Will was more concerned with the feelings of his little self than the erasure of his adult self.
“I've gotta tell you something,” Will finally said, wincing at Liam's look of innocent curiosity. The bright smile on his lips soured as his brother revealed the truth of why he'd taken so long at the council hall, of what had been on his mind when he lashed out at the park. Liam was frowning by the time Will got to Jane's knowledge of the whole affair, how she wouldn't even discuss it with Will until tomorrow. His look of deep thought was only somewhat undercut by his crown of suds, Liam seemingly even forgetting they were there as he chewed on this new knowledge.
“...that part about Theodore was messed up,” he finally offered. “And that was Amanda's new baby brother you were playing with?”
“Yeah.” Will sighed at the second unpleasant reminder, this time of the way Teddy gurgled and furrowed his soft little brows as he soiled himself. “It wasn't until then that I realized just how bad things are here. Even Jane thinks so, when I tried to talk to her about it at the park she didn't have an answer for a lot of the stuff I was saying.”
There was another stretch of silence, broken this time by Liam plunging briefly into the water to rinse his soapy hair. He surfaced, wiped his eyes, and then gave Will a shrug.
“What do you mean, okay?”
“I mean, okay.” Liam said with casual indifference. “It sucks that they did that to Theodore –- and I guess it's not cool that it's going to happen to Lucas and his goons, too – but what are we supposed to do about it?”
Will – having not thought this far ahead – had no idea what to say. The indignation that had roared up within him the previous instances that Liam seemed resigned to his fate just wasn't there on this occasion, rising in its place – despite the warm, sudsy water he and his brother shared – a tight cold numbness that just made Will feel sad and alone. He wondered, for the first time, whether it was even right for him to keep struggling. Though he didn't feel responsible for the fate of the bullies, Will couldn't deny they'd been caught up in the ripple effects of his ineffectual thrashing, that it was in fact his inability to mind his own business that had gotten him into this mess to begin with.
The brooding boy was so lost in his melancholic moping that he barely registered Liam stepping out of the tub, leaving him to sulk all alone among the deflating canyons of foam. He dunked his head under the surface, leaving just his little button nose peeking out for air as he decluttered his mind of all the trials, tribulations, and troubles he’d been confronted with throughout the day. As desperately as he wanted to do something, Liam was right. Try as he might, he was powerless to help. He was only one little boy, after all.
The epiphany was oddly calming. Floating all alone in the bath water, the all-enveloping warm liquid swaddling up his naked form imparted on Will an intense awareness of every inch of his juvenile body, yet the sensation wasn’t frightening. In fact, the boy felt entirely at peace – as if he was only now experiencing his true self. He didn’t have to feel judged; he didn’t have to feel embarrassed; he could just let go, let all his silly grown-up grouches and grumblings slide off him along with all the other greasy grime in the bath water. That’s what Liam was doing. And after all, wasn’t it easier? To let go of his increasingly flimsy raft of pretended maturity, and dive off into that wonderful expanse of blissful childhood joy? To simply cease to care?
The unpleasant feeling of the water cooling around him into a tepid chill broke Will out of his trance, the boy hopping out of the tub and searching blearily for a towel. To his annoyance, he didn’t find one – but there was a rather ridiculous looking terry cloth dressing gown hanging from the back of the door. It was a rusty brown color, the cartoonish features of a grizzly bear embossed on the hood; complete with a pair of fluffy appendages for ears and another little stub on the back meant to represent a tail. He glanced at the size tag – “8 BOYS.” Will rolled his eyes; the outfit was decidedly infantile, but it was indisputably intended for him.
Still, with nothing else to keep dry and in keeping with his new found spirit of self-confidence, the boy slipped on the silly robe – tying the belt snuggly around his tummy. He glanced in the mirror, taking in the sight of the freshly scrubbed sandy-haired little boy posing unabashedly in the goofy garb. If he was nothing else, he really was adorable. He managed a dopey smile, pulling the hood up over his dripping wet garland of curls.
“What's taking you so long?” Liam demanded as he poked his head back into the bathroom. It was strangely comforting to Will to find that his brother was in a similarly childish robe - his silver mane, ruffled tail and pointed ears making him look every bit the eager wolf pup. What's more – after an instant's embarrassment at his own animal-themed gown – Will realized that Liam wasn't at all interested in making fun of him, that he in fact wore an appraising grin as he took in his bear cub of a brother. “Yours is okay but mine's obviously better, wolves are way cooler than bears.”
“You wish!” Will countered as he leapt towards Liam with a high-pitched roar. The crafty wolf eeped as he was caught but briefly, tearing away with a mad giggle from his brother's crushing bear grip. Their shouts and laughter filled the hall as Will chased Liam into the living room and then around the sofa, the pursuit ending in a squealing tumbling wrestling match that carried on until both boys heard the distinct sound of a smartphone shutter. They froze in place as they looked up at their snickering big sister, who cooed in mock sympathy at the pair when they separated and scrambled to their feet, blushing and pouting at the woman who'd been documenting their adorability.
“Don't be like that, it's no fair I'm the only one who gets to see how cute you guys are.” Jane assured the boys as she trained her smartphone on Liam. “Let's hear a wolf howl for mom.”
“Don't wanna,” Liam shot back, his defiance undercut by the giggly grin on his lips, by the way the over-energized second-grader squirmed where he stood. “But maybe if I get a doggie treat...”
“You'll give me a great big howl if I let you have your ice cream?” Jane asked wryly, chuckling at the eager nod Liam gave in response. “Alright, as soon as you and your brother are in your jammies. Now let's hear it.”
Liam, clearly delighted by the opportunity to perform, took a moment to clear his throat before balling his little fists, throwing his head back and...
AAAAAAWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
“Wow!” Jane prodded the tummy of the breathless, beaming tyke as her walls rang from his animalistic cry. “The leader of the pack, you are. And Will? Do you have a huuuuuuuuuuuge bear growl for me? Let's see if you can get even louder than Liam.”
Though struck with shyness once filmed, Will wasn't about to let his brother win any sort of contest without a fight. After taking a moment to gather his nerve, the boy puffed up his scrawny chest, stepped forward and...
RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWRRRRR!!
“Whoa!” Jane declared, standing up straight as though stunned by the sound. “It's too close to call – both my brothers are absolute animals. Now go on and get in your jammies, you little beasts, I've got a bowl of ice cream for Liam and Mario Kart for all three of us once you're dry and dressed.”
“Okay!” The pair chirped as they raced back down the hall and into the guest bedroom, where Jane had laid out underwear and two sets of pajamas for the boys to slip into. One set was clearly Liam's, as the electric-yellow briefs were covered with tiny Pikachus at play while the chest of his soft cotton top was adorned with an adorable image of the iconic spark mouse having a snooze. Though Will's didn't line up with his interests quite so specifically, the boy grinned from ear to ear when he looked upon his soccer-themed briefs and onesie. Their teacher must've passed along his favorite sport to Jane at some point, though neither could've known how obsessed he'd been with it when he was eight the first time – so much so that he threw both the undies and jammies on without a second thought, studying himself with pride once he was in the super-cool yet soft and fluffy ensemble.
Back in the living room, Jane was already set up on the coach – Switch controller nestled in her lap and a big bowl of vanilla ice cream cupped in her hands. She smiled mischievously as the boys peeped around the door, admiring their respective cutesy costumes.
“You better hurry up Liam, or I’m going to have to finish up this ice cream all by myself!” She scooped up a large spoonful, hovering the utensil a few inches from her mouth as if to make good on her threat before Liam rushed urgently over to intervene.
“Hey!” He complained, grabbing for the bowl – but Jane got up to hold it far out of his reach.
“What do we say?” She prompted, wagging her finger authoritatively despite her decidedly bubbly demeanor.
“Please!” Liam begged, narrowing his amber eyes and licking his lips anxiously; perfectly imitating the pleading puppy dog he’d so artfully mimicked a few minutes earlier.
“Please, what?” Jane continued cajole, lowering the bowl just a little.
“Please may I have my ice cream.”
The boy anxiously crossed his legs, his sad little pout simply too adorable to resist. “Oh, alright then.”
Liam’s piteous demeanor transformed instantly into ecstatic joy as soon as the bowl was lowered into his impatient grasping mitts. He trampolined down onto the couch cushion, starting to scroll gleefully through the video game menu with one hand while he shoveled mouthful after mouthful of delicious sugary ice cream into his waiting gob with the other. Just like his brother, he paid little attention to his table manners – sacrificing both a clean face and any allusions of maturity to achieve the maximum rate of treats delivered to his tubby little tummy per second.
Will observed the scene with obvious envy, tottering over to stand expectantly next to Jane’s seat of the couch.
“Can’t I have some ice cream?” He demanded, trying on his own set of puppy dog eyes.
Jane just laughed, prodding him playfully on the soft fuzzy material on the front of his onesie. “You’ve already had yours, greedy guts!”
“Yeah…” Will admitted, biting his lip impishly. “But I want more!”
“Nice try, mister.” Jane scolded lightly, pulling the boy closer, wrapping her arms around his waist, and pulling him snugly atop her lap. In truth, Will was a little too big for the maneuver – but his sister made do, perching him daintily upon her knee and intertwining her slender fingers securely around his waist. The boy wriggled restlessly at first, but soon gave in, surrendering to the soothing cuddly feeling that arose from being held so lovingly. Jane tapped knowingly on one of the soccer ball appliques adorning his onesie, directing Will to recline back casually in her arms so that his damp downy hair was snug against her shoulder. “I can’t have our little soccer star eating too much junk food.”
Will let out a disagreeable grunt at the remark. “You need calories.” He contradicted. “All the athletes are constantly eating!”
“I doubt Messi survives on endless bowls of ice cream, Will.” Jane joked. “Mr. Byrd does coach a junior soccer team, though. You should sign up!”
“Totally!” Liam declared as he polished off the last of his bowl. “It's really fun and everyone gets to play, plus there's snacks after games and practices. There's practice after school tomorrow, I bet Mr. Byrd would let you join if you asked.”
Will smiled as he silently considered this, surprised by just how appealing the idea seemed. Though he and the man had gotten off on the wrong foot, Mr. Byrd showed by coming to his and Liam's aid at recess that he only wanted what was best for the boy. It may have been a little too much to wish for since the team was already established, but Will hoped Mr. Byrd would let him play goalie sometimes, his favorite position and the one he was best at. The boy would be glad to take the pitch wherever there was an opening, though, already feeling the wind in his hair and the mud on his cleats as he ran as he fantasized about running as fast as his little legs could carry him.
“I'll let Mr. Byrd know you're interested.” Jane winked at Will as she helped the boy off her lap so that he and his brother could snuggle up on either side of their sister. “Right now, though, I'm gonna beat both your little butts so hard at Mario Kart that you'll go crying to mommy about it.”
“No way!” Will declared despite not having played the game in years. “Me and Liam are gonna beat you every time, right?”
“Right!” Liam chirped, he and his brother bumping fists in front of Jane as the young woman rolled her eyes. Though the boys weren't quite able to make good on their claim, both were more than skilled enough to make every race competitive. The living room was alight with shouts and laughter as evening turned into night, the competitive chatter of Will and Liam dying down to yawns and murmurs as they blew past their usual bedtime. It was because it was already late that Jane didn't give in when both boys tried to whine their way into staying up, holding them by their hands as she guided them back into the bathroom. The trio volunteered their favorite parts of the gaming session as Will and Liam brushed their teeth and washed their faces, both squealing like piglets when Jane rewarded the pair's efforts with a quick tickle.
“Would you guys like as a bedtime story?” Jane asked as she ushered Will and Liam into the guest bedroom and under the covers, the pair nodding their sleepy little heads as they squirmed their way into more comfortable positions. “Do either of you know the story of The Bear and the Wolf?”
“You're making that up,” Liam challenged, having not forgotten the same roles he and his brother had so adorably played earlier in the evening.
“Maybe, maybe not.” Jane grinned. “Does that mean you don't want to hear it?”
Liam quickly shook his head, both he and Will looking to Jane with rapt silence as she launched into her tale.
“Once upon a time, there was a little bear cub who was on a very long journey. He had almost reached its end when the cub, tired from walking for so many days, laid his head down in the forest to rest.
When he awoke, it was to find that mist had settled in while he slept, a thick gray soup that hid the trail he had been following. Scared and confused, the cub tried to continue on his journey but only got more lost in doing so. Not knowing what else to do, the cub curled up against a tree and waited for sunshine to chase the mist away. It was while he was waiting that the cub was discovered by a wolf pup, who trotted happily along the trail as though the skies above were crystal clear.
'Hello.' The pup said when he came across the cub. 'What's that you're doing there?'
'Waiting for the sun,' the cub replied.
'It means when you're not where you're supposed to be.'
'I see!' The pup pondered this. 'Well, I don't know where I'm supposed to be, but I can't say I've ever felt lost.'
'Really?' The cub wondered. 'Even without the sun?'
'Sure! Wanna come with me? Maybe we'll find it together.'
And so the cub and the pup trotted off into the forest, neither sure if they'd find the sun but neither feeling lost without it. The end.”
“That’s a good story.” Will smiled through an almighty yawn. “Even if you did make it up…”
“The best stories are always the ones you make up for yourself.” Jane whispered with a mystic hum, prompting a sleepy nod of agreement from the exhausted little boy. “But hush now, buddy. The little wolf pup’s already sleeping.”
Sure enough Liam was conked out on the mattress by Will’s side, having been instantly rocked to sleep by Jane’s soothing storybook tone. The sight was truly adorable, one arm stretched out lazily towards Will’s shoulder as if grasping for a cuddle while the other was crooked up at an angle, his thumb resting securely in his mouth. Snoring softly, the boy let out the occasional hum of contentment around the digit, nursing softly and unashamedly as he drifted into the very edge of sleep – already oblivious to the troubles of the waking world.
“Cuddle up comfy, honey.” Jane instructed, directing the boy to lay down properly and tucking the sheets securely over her two angelic little charges. “There’s my sweet cub.” She praised, gently twisting a finger around a fine lock of his hair before planting a final kiss on his forehead.
She made to leave, padding gently across the carpet before flicking off the light – but a high-pitched drowsy voice from across the room called her back.
“Jane?” Will called out through a barely stifled yawn, struggling even to keep his eyelids open.
“I’m sorry…” he mumbled, a lethargic melancholic sadness in his voice. A beam of moonlight piercing through the curtains illuminated his scrunched up sorrowful features framed by the snuggly blanket, the little boy suddenly overwhelmed with a strange sense of guilt and grief. He hated the horrible judgmental thoughts he’d levied in their earliest sessions against this kind, compassionate, caring woman who obviously cared for him with every inch of her being. He hated the horrible sense of guilt in the pit of his stomach, how even now he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was somewhat responsible for the fate of those three bullies who hours ago must have settled down to their newly appointed Kindergarten bed times. Most of all he hated how he’d given up, how despite his theatrical protests and melodramatic moaning he’d settled down quite readily that evening into an easy life of childish simplicity. He’d taken the easy way out, while everyone else who’d ever known him – those kids at camp, his job, his mom – could never see him or rely on him ever again.
But of course, Jane couldn’t understand any of that. “Whatever are you sorry for, Will?” she cooed, genuinely perplexed.
“I just…” Will muttered, incapable of compiling all of his conflicting complex thoughts into one coherent sentence. “Love you…” he concluded, surrendering to exhaustion.
“Love you too, little cub.” Jane reassured.
Will smiled, clinging onto that singular thought as if it were a security blanket as he finally slipped in sleep, dreaming of cubs and pups and twilight gleaming through redwood trees.
