When the party reached the car Melissa carefully deposited Connor in the middle of the backseat and buckled his seat belt, careful not to wake the dozing boy. Oliver and Jackson, without being asked, piled in on either side of the child, each exercising the same degree of caution. Nobody - not even effusive little Oliver - said a word as they pulled out of the lot. There would be time later to unpack what they'd been through, but at the moment they remained silent as they struggled to wrap their minds around the strangest day of their lives. Little Connor, meanwhile, shifted and murmured in his sleep, training diaper crinkling beneath him, thumb still planted firmly between his lips as he sleepily nuzzled his head against Oliver's shoulder. The boy's expression hardened as he looked down at his little nephew - after everything Connor had put him through, he'd be totally within his rights to simply shove his nephew right off of him. But he faltered as he took in Connor's pure, heart-melting innocence...and after a few seconds he smiled, rested his head against his nephew's, and closed his eyes. He could do with a nap too after a day like this.
Jackson smiled down at the boys, a smile that disappeared when he met his mom's eyes in the mirror. Immediately his gaze dropped to the lap in which he idly played with his fingers. She hadn't looked mad or even disappointed - in fact, she was just trying to catch her son's eyes to let him know that she had also taken notice of the ridiculously cute scene that had played out beside him. But his childish contrition was such that the barest glance from his mother felt like a condemnation, the anticipation of his punishment only growing more and more gut-gnawing with each horribly silent second. That anticipation grew to a terrible climax when Melissa pulled over without warning, the trembling man sure that she was going to punish him right then and there. But when Melissa turned to face her son, it was not in anger but in understanding. Jackson frowned and squirmed, sure that he was being led into a trap.
"You know that what you did was wrong, right?" She finally said. "You know that it's very bad to take someone's stuff and use it without their permission."
Jackson bit his lip and stared at his mother's blank face. He slowly nodded. Melissa - after what felt like an eternity - smiled.
"Okay then." She reached over and put her hand on Jackson's knee. "I think you and I have to have an extra-special Mommy-Jackson secret, okay? When Connor wakes up, I'm going to tell him that everything he did today was just a silly dream - otherwise he might try to be big again. I love the two of you absolutely the same - but I think we both know that the you're a little more grown-up than your brother."
Jackson glanced down at his grown-up body and giggled. Melissa laughed.
"You know what I mean," she grinned, patting his knee. "So can you do that for me? Can you promise to keep today a secret?"
Jackson, flooded with relief at not being a trouble, probably would've agreed to leap out a window had his mother asked.
"Uh huh," he nodded excitedly before glancing at the sleeping boys and lowering his voice. "I promise, mommy."
Melissa beamed.
"Good boy."
Not another word was spoken until they pulled into the driveway of Melissa's home. The woman gently awakened her little brother - the boy groggy and grumpy as he climbed out of his seat - and then pulled her still-sleeping son into her arms, carrying him inside the house and all the way to his bedroom. Jackson and Oliver, left in the living room, were confronted with a bit of an awkward moment - big nephew glancing down at little uncle and vice versa as each of them tried to figure out what to say to the other.
"I like your shirt," Jackson eventually blurted out. A bit of color came to Oliver's cheeks as he grinned down at himself.
"Thanks," he piped. "It's Justin's so I'll hafta give it back, but that's okay since I'm gonna be big again soon anyway. Maybe I can get it in a grown-up size."
"Yeah, you should," Jackson smiled. "And the next time Connor and I come over we can play Adventure Time. We can be Finn and Jake and you can be Ice King."
"But he's so laaaaame," Oliver moaned. "I'll play but only if we take turns. I don't wanna be that weirdo the whole time."
Jackson laughed and stuck out his hand.
"Deal."
Oliver giggled and eagerly shook it.
"Deal."
"Oliver?" Melissa's voice called softly from the bedroom. "Could you come here for a second?"
Though he was unsure at what it was she wanted, Oliver followed his sister's request just the same, skipping down the hall in anticipation of how much fun he and his nephews would have the next time they played. Melissa closed the door behind him when he entered Connor and Jackson's room, not that he noticed - he was busy marveling at the sheer awesomeness of their stuff and wondering why he'd never before noticed how cool their room was. Oliver was snapped out of his admiration only when Melissa put a hand on his shoulder, the boy turning to see a strange smile on his sister's face as she lowered herself to one knee before him.
"I'm sorry that you had to go through such an awful day..." Melissa ran a hand through his soft hair. "This is my fault - with my husband and I so busy, sometimes my boys don't get the attention and guidance they deserve. Jackson's the kind of kid that can take care of himself, but Connor...he needs someone around to watch over him and show him the right way to do things. He needs a big brother."
Oliver frowned at his sister.
"You can't keep Jackson big," he contended. "He's not justa grown-up, he's me."
Melissa's laugh only deepened Oliver's frown.
"No, sweetie. Jackson's going back to normal in just a minute. The big brother Connor needs..."
She took Oliver by the shoulders and turned him towards the mirror. The boy stared wide-eyed at his reflection as his sister took him up in a big hug from behind.
"...is you."
Oliver's mouth went dry as his heart thumped in his throat. After witnessing her work with Connor at the family fun center, he had a pretty good idea of what Melissa had planned. From where he stood he could out of the corner of his eye just see his little nephew sleeping peacefully in his bed, wrapped up so warm and cozy beneath his moon-and-star covers. He looked so peaceful. So safe. So happy.
Oliver swallowed. He squirmed in Melissa's embrace for a long moment before...