...though he blushed and squirmed in Melissa's arms, the woman felt no real resistance coming from her brother, no conviction in his little chirp when he piped up to voice his objections.
"I...I can't be his...their big brother...I'm their uncle...an' you're...you're not my mommy..."
"Don't be silly, sweetheart. I don't mean that you'll literally be the big brother..." Melissa smiled as Oliver puzzled over the four-syllable word. "I just mean that you'll be the big kid in the house from now on. Connor and Jackson will know that you're they're uncle, but they won't care - they'll be too happy having a cool grown-up seven-year-old to play with. And as far as being your mommy goes..."
Melissa's smile saddened slightly as she met Oliver's eyes in the mirror.
"...the one we had wasn't too great, was she? I know it sounds like an awful thing to say, but neither she nor our dad were exactly parent of the year. I'm not trying to replace them - I'm just trying to let you know that, if you let me take care of you, I'll treat you like the sweet, clever, wonderful little boy you are. You deserve a proper childhood, Ollie. Let me give it to you."
Oliver's lingering adult consciousness shouted in indignation at him for even considering something so ridiculous, contending that he was a man and that he didn't need anyone to take care of him any longer. But the longer he stood in Melissa's embrace - feeling so warm and so little wrapped up in his big sister's arms - the smaller and smaller that voice got. He whimpered softly as he unconsciously leaned deeper into the hug, staring wide-eyed at the child in the mirror and wondering why he had looked so young earlier in the day. Everything about his seven-year-old body - from its skinniness to its slight height to its boundless energy - now felt...normal. Like being a grown-up wasn't his default setting. He might've been sixteen years younger than he was when the day started...but he was still him.
"I don't..." His voice was tiny and conflicted. "Melissa, I..."
"Shh...it's okay, sweetie, it's okay..." She affectionately rubbed her cheek against her little brother's. "There's nothing to be afraid of. I'll take care of everything, okay? All I'm asking you to do is to trust your big sister. Do you trust me, Ollie? Do you know that I love you very much?"
The tiniest of smiles curled Ollie's lips as he nodded.
"Then do me this one little favor, sweetie. Close your eyes."
Oliver bit his lip for a moment - and then did as he was told.
"There's a good boy. I'm going to do a magic trick for you. And I know that you'll know if it's the real thing since you've seen plenty of magic already today."
Oliver giggled, eyes still clamped shut. Melissa smiled and lowered her voice to a whisper.
"When you open your eyes, you're not going to see grown-up Oliver. You're not going to see an unhappy adult who doesn't know what to do with his life, who just wishes things could be simple and easy. You're going to see little Ollie. You're going to see an adorable little second-grader who loves to play and explore and learn just like any other child. You're going to see a little boy whose greatest pride comes from being a good influence on his little nephews, whose greatest worry is making sure he does his homework and brushes his teeth before bed. The big sister of that little boy loves him so much. And she's going to make sure that he's the happiest kid in the whole wide world."
A tinge came to Oliver's cheeks as Melissa's soft words slipped into his subconscious, the boy's breathing growing steady and even as he was drawn deeper and deeper into the beautiful picture his sister painted for him. Years' worth of adult knowledge melted away to allow for the re-emergence of a mindset that he had, without even knowing it, missed with all his heart. Simple and innocent and curious. Open and kind. Wide-eyed and wondering. Ollie truly became a boy again right there in his sister's arms - and though she couldn't be sure of it, Melissa's beaming smile hinted that she knew she truly had her little brother back.
"Open your eyes, sweetie."
Ollie did.
"How old are you?"
The boy paused for a moment before meeting Melissa's eyes and grinning.
"I'm seven."
"Hm? I don't think I heard that, could you speak up?"
"I'm SEVEN!" Ollie shouted, giggling at Melissa's silliness.
"Yes you are!" Melissa laughed as she scooped her little brother into her arms, the boy squealing as she gave him a quick spin. "You're my big grown-up seven-year-old, Ollie. My favorite little brother in the whole world."
Ollie's heart felt fit to burst as Melissa, still carrying the boy, pulled his small body against hers. He beamed and closed his eyes as he laid his head on her shoulder. He was home.
One month later...