It All Sounds Like

[Beth Young]

Beth started at the boys as they spoke, remaining quiet as she waited for them to finish. Once they had though, she offered them a wistful smile. "So... What you're saying is that you're doing to others what you're so afraid of them doing to you?" She cocked her head to the side. She hoped that the boys would realize exactly what they were doing. "Doesn't that just make you as bad as them?" she asked curiously, hoping she wasn't pushing too far now.

She didn't pay much attention to the odd effect the boys suddenly took on; the whole talking in unison. She didn't really think it mattered. At least, not for the time being. There were other things they had to tend to.

She offered them a small smile at their question. "Because it looked as if you needed it," she spoke, her tone soft. "And because I wanted to. Do you want me to stop?" she asked as she lifted her hands from their shoulders, letting them hover slightly above their shoulders for the time being. Though as she felt their arms around her back, she lowered her hands again and nodded. "Let's go sit down until the cookies are done," she said with a firm nod towards the couch in the corner of the room.

[Casper & Jasper Emory]

What they were doing to others was what they were afraid of others being able to do to them. Yes, that was exactly what it was. It was better to be in control of what was going to happen then to allow someone else to control what was going to happen in your life. You had to take charge of a situation if you wanted the outcome to be something in your favor. Simple as that. Yes, Beth had a point in a way. Didn't that make them as bad as them? Did it? The brothers didn't honestly know because someone was always going to be the ones pulling the strings to it were better to be that string puller.

Yet, perhaps that was why the people they had actually started to open up to no longer wanted to deal with them or were actually doing the string pulling now because they were tried of the twins being the ones in control. So much to think about along with so much confusion was so stressful and the chemicals dumping into their bodies just made them want to be sick, but they just cried for now. Cried and tried to understand it all at least a little bit. Then there was the hugging, the physical comfort, and the confusion that came with it.

More confusion just added to it all when Beth simply responded that it looked like they needed it and she wanted to. They didn't answer her question if they wanted her to stop or not, they simply responded by each pulling her in a little closer to hug her back. It was nice...in a way. It still confused them on why she even cared or wanted to make them feel better, but it was her job after all. Yet, it felt like it was more than just that...or perhaps they were still over thinking everything that they were trying to figure out.

They did as she suggested, moving to the couch and releasing her in the process so they could all sit down comfortable and wait for the cookies to be done. "Thank you..." The brothers muttered out, rubbing at their eyes as they worked on getting the tease to stop. While they didn’t like feeling like this, it also felt good on some level to just…let it out?

[Beth Young]

She smiled warmly at the boys as she lead them over to the couch. Once seated, she gave them both a pat on the head before she moved back towards the kitchenette to finish the hot cocoa. She also checked on the cookies - almost done. Wonderful. She hummed gently as she pulled out two mugs and poured the warm chocolate into them. She opened a drawer and pulled out some of the marshmallows she'd used the last time she'd made hot chocolate here.

She placed the two cups on a tray and turned off the oven. She got the cookies out and carefully placed them on a plate, making sure that the still warm cookies didn't burn her fingers. She placed the plate onto the tray and nodded to herself.

The last time she'd done this...

No. This was hardly the time to be thinking of such things.

Instead, Beth brought the tray over to the boys and placed it on the table in front of the couch they were sitting on. "Bon apetite," she said, smiling.

[Casper & Jasper Emory]

They all moved over to the couch, Beth still being kind to them and giving them a pat on the back. This all still felt really weird to them and they were uncertain if they liked it or not, but for now they accepted it. The siblings wiping away the tears on their face in unison as they pretty much mirror image of one another's actions. Mrs. Beth, or Beth as she seemed fine being called by was making something else. Hot chocolate? Right, that was also a part of the deal to come along with the cookies and the brothers were pretty excited about it all. "She is...nice." The brothers said in unison, even if they were talking to one another.

It was hard to just snap out of their one mind mood at times but now that they were slowly calming down they were able to feel their difference again. They wondered if they should offer to help her out, but she seemed to be handling it all well enough on her own so they stayed where they were. Their eyes went wide at seeing the cookies and hot chocolate laid out in front of them on the table. It all smelled so good and it was just so weird to think that they helped make them. "Wow...hope they don't taste bad." Jasper spoke up, hoping that because they had helped make them that it didn't mean the cookies were going to taste awful.

After all, they didn't really know how to cook or bake so they just hoped Beth would not have to eat yucky cookies because of them. "Thanks for all of this...really. It's...we don't really get this kind of thing often." Casper spoke up. He hesitated at first but reached out to take a cookie, handing it to his brother before grabbing one himself. Once they took a bite, the cookie they had in their hand quickly vanished and they were reaching out for another along with their hot chocolate.

"It's pretty good." Casper spoke up. "This hot chocolate is the best!" Jasper added soon after his brother words. He burned his tongue on his drink a little but that didn't stop him. It didn’t taste like store bought cookies, but that somehow made them taste a little better. Perhaps it was because they had helped make them and that Beth had been kind enough to actually show them how to.