Kevin was determined. It was fine if his husband didn’t care (that idiot who never seemed to care!), he was going to get to the bottom of Alexander’s actions. One day, he sat down and watched the brothers play. Afterall, he had no other chores to do.

Today, Alexander was teaching Soohyun how to draw. Which was weird, if you asked Kevin, because Alexander didn’t like drawing.

“You hold.” Alexander instructed and put the crayon in Soohyun’s hands.

Soohyun dropped it the next second.

“No, hold.” Alexander sighed, showing his younger brother how to hold a crayon. Pointing at his fingers, he explained in simple terms (because there’s no other way he knew how to explain). “These five around.”

The youngest of the three grinned happily and clapped. Alexander smiled, thinking Soohyun might have understood him finally. He picked up the crayon and placed it on Soohyun’s palm.

He dropped it again.

The crayon then broke into two, and Kevin noticed Alexander’s face turned slightly black. Alexander looked up and saw Kevin staring at him, and he immediately smiled back.

“Fine, I jaw you see.” Alexander said to Soohyun as he held up his crayon up in the air, before aiming it on the piece of paper before him.

He started drawing a square, before glancing up at Soohyun and then pressing dots on the top of the square. He looked up again, and saw Soohyun’s quizzical eyes, so he drew two question marks in the square. Soohyun’s eyes fell on the paper, and he laughed at the picture. Alexander then drew something that looked like a bowl at the base of the square, but still within it.

“This, you.” Alexander said and shifted it in front of Soohyun. Soohyun looked at it with a smile, holding it up as if to look at it, before biting off the side of the paper.

Kevin immediately rushed to Soohyun’s side and took the piece of now mushy and wet paper out of Soohyun’s mouth, asking Alexander to get a piece of tissue. The older brother nodded and trotted away.

Soohyun continued looking at the drawing with curious eyes, before his hands ended up on the same side of the paper, one hand pulling towards him.

Alexander walked back and passed Kevin the tissue to throw the mushy piece of paper away, before looking at Soohyun.

He was tearing it up.

The artist immediately cried.

-

Soohyun still doesn’t know what he did. He actually dared to crawl next to Alexander and tug his arm. That incident was the last straw for Alexander’s patience. He snatched away his own arm and pushed Soohyun away. Soohyun pouted adorably, but it didn’t matter to Alexander anymore. He stood up and walked back to his room (now thankful that he had his own room). The intention was actually so that each baby had enough space for whatever they were going to have, but now it was going to be the barrier.

Kevin tried comforting him by making him his favourite strawberry milkshake, but Alexander refused to drink it, knowing he would probably give in. Kevin now went to buy some mango pudding, and Alexander loves them a lot. He left the brothers together and hoped they could kiss and make up or something.

Alexander kicked his bean bag chair, now a little angry with Kevin too. And Kibum. Basically everyone. Why do they not see he had been trying? He was rejected so many times and even introduced drawing to Soohyun (even if he didn’t like it himself), only to get his second work torn up heartlessly. How is this fair? He’s being the best brother he can be and Soohyun doesn’t even have to try.

Now, he was going to be the mean brother. Maybe then Soohyun would try as hard as he did to get close. If he doesn’t, then well, that’s the end of the brotherly relationship.

“Xander? Come out? I have a surprise for you.” Kevin tried as he knocked the door. Although he could easily turn the door knob and walk in, he thought it was best for Xander to be willing.

Alexander turned away, keeping quiet and now returning to play with his dolls. He missed them so much.

Kevin waited outside for two minutes, before he sighed. Maybe Alexander wanted to open the door but he couldn’t reach the knob? Yeah, that’s possible. He knocked again, before entering.

“It’s your favourite mango pudding~! And I got you ice-cream too. Do you want them?” Kevin asked, sitting down to be as tall as Alexander. “Xander~ Don’t be angry at Soohyun, he doesn’t know!”

Alexander turned away, acting as if taking clothes off Barbie needs a lot of concentration. Barbie needs a bath, he thought, since it’s been so long since he gave her one.

“You don’t want? Maybe I should throw these away?” Kevin waited for a reaction. “Ah, what a waste.”

With a pout, Alexander threw Barbie in the bathtub and gave her a two seconds bath. He was tempted, but he wouldn’t tell Kevin that.

Kevin grinned when he saw Alexander’s angry reaction. “Okay, I won’t force you to not be angry at Soohyun, eat this all right?”

Alexander turned to look at Kevin for confirmation. Kevin nodded. “It’s a treat for being so nice to Soohyun. You even let him break your favourite crayon.”

Cautiously, the child reached out for the now melting ice-cream and mango pudding. Kevin grinned, ruffling the few strands of hair on Alexander’s head and then standing up to leave.

“Eat slowly, don’t choke, darling.”