The Baby Game: Time Out
The wedding's tomorrow! Making it the perfect day requires a lot of practice and for everyone to focus
“Run, Carson!” With a squeal the towheaded toddler took off running toward first base, nearly tripping over the ball that he had only just barely managed to knock off the tee. His oversized batting helmet threatened to fall down over his eyes with every wobbly step he took. Alex rolled his eyes. Carson finally getting a hit meant he was next.
“Kiss for good luck?” Mark asked, holding Alex in place until he got his answer.
“No, Bubba.” Alex muttered. Yet another piece of evidence that this was not a real sport was the players hung out with their family until it was their turn to play.
“Suit yourself.” Mark smiled all the same. That worked just fine for him since it meant Alex would be going up to bat with caramel still all around his mouth from his mid-game snack. It felt almost like a tragedy as Alex pulled his batting helmet over his freshly cut hair. The wedding was next week and apparently, Alex's mom had decided he needed a trim. After a trip to Funky Monkey, an absolutely livid Alex came over. That also suited Mark just fine, who insisted Alex spend forty-five minutes resting against his chest until Alex was absolutely certain he was calm. That was how Mark learned that not only had they gone to Funky Monkey, Alex's next haircut was also now scheduled there.
"You'll look so handsome for back to school." Mark said, patting his bottom.
Back in the present, Alex swung and the ball flew into the field, forcing the coach standing unnecessarily at the pitcher's mound to sidestep out of the way to avoid being hit by it. Alex ran for first base.
“Go, Baby Lexie!” Mark called proudly, grinning as Alex pushed the helmet off of his head to better run the short distance to the orange mat that was first base, not even halfway between home and the actual first base. Mark was so busy admiring how cute Baby Lexie looked with red cheeks that he didn't notice at first that Coach Trevor had squatted down to talk to him. Baby Lexie had made some comment about him probably having a wife and kids a few days ago and Mark still hadn't had the heart to tell him that Trevor was probably 17, maybe 18 at most.
"What did Coach Trevor want?" Mark asked once Alex had returned to him on the sidelines.
"Eh, just another lecture about being safe. The only way I'm getting hit in the head is if I do it myself."
"He's got it out for you." Mark said. "He doesn't like that you're better than his nephew." Alex looked at him for a moment before recognizing that this was Mark the brother, not Mark the tormentor. He definitely preferred one to the other.
"It's just teeball."
"Don't start with that. You know, mama and dada are considering postponing the wedding since you'll be going pro any day now."
“There's no pro teeball.”
“You'll be a pioneer then. A trailblazer!”
* L *
Despite Mark's claims, the wedding remained set. Alex was forced to run into Mark's arms the moment he spotted him in the hotel lobby. The way Mom said it would be a great start to their wedding memories unnerved him, though it was hard to wonder just what that meant when he was in Mark's clutches and more pressing things were at the front of his mind.
“Well, hi there, Baby Lexie!” Mark said, scooping him up and spinning him around. “You know we're not supposed to run inside, but you just got really, really excited, huh?”
“Stop.” Alex muttered as Mark set him against his hip. “We're supposed to focus.”
“I'm glad you're taking this oh so serious.” Mark said. “We're officially brothers in like twenty-four hours, aren't we?”
“Lucky me.” Alex muttered as Mark carried him into the wedding venue just off from the lobby.
“Are we waiting on anyone?” Alex's mom asked as Alex finally managed to extract himself from Mark's coddling. He shyly glanced at Sara, his mom's best friend, and now Maid of Honor, who had babysat him many, many times before Mark came along. He missed having her watch him quite a bit, he realized as Mark grabbed his hand to keep him from total escape.
“Craig insists he's pulling in right now, so he probably hasn't left yet.” Mark's dad said. The women exchanged a wry look.
“It's like a rule with the Best Man.” Sara said with a laugh.
“Can Baby Lexie and I go to our room?” Mark asked. Alex's look of panic could not have gone unnoticed, but Mark's dad only looked at his current son.
“You need to stay here. We'll be starting soon and this is where dinner is.” Mark sighed. “Have you even said hi to your grandparents?”
“Yeah.” Mark said sullenly. He turned his attention back to Alex, flopping down on the faded carpeting. “Are you excited?”
“I guess.” Alex had accepted that, with less than twenty four hours to go, there was no way out of being the ringbearer. Lucas's family wasn't coming and Mom seemed to believe that the ringbearer – and him being the ringbearer – was essential.
“Cheer up. You're gonna look so handsome!” He gave Alex a squeeze.
“Not handsome, adorable.” Alex said dutifully as Mark added it sotto voce.
“Wouldn't it be cute if you kiss the rings before giving them to Mama and Dada?” Alex remained silent. “Try it in rehearsal, okay?”
“Whatever.”
“No, not whatever.” Mark said. “This is exciting!” He pulled Alex to him and kissed his cheeks in rapid succession. “Oh, are you all mopey because mama told you to be serious? We'll have lots and lots of fun.” Alex knew that what was fun for Mark usually ended up humiliating for him. “Oodles, even.”
“Get off.” Alex said. “Aren't we supposed to be doing something?” He hated to admit it, but Mark usually had a better idea of schedules than he did. Even when he asked Mom, she would usually say something like ‘don't worry. We'll make sure you're where you need to be’
“It's gonna be a lot of waiting today and tomorrow. Are you hungry?”
“Not really.”
“Dang, was hoping I could use you to get a pre-dinner snack.” Mark tugged Alex fully into his lap, getting his clogs off almost too quickly. “Maybe I can nibble on your little piggies?”
“Ew. My feet stink!”
“Do not.” Mark laughed. “Unless you think we need to go upstairs and give you a bath?" He laughed again as Alex pushed against his chest to get out of his lap. His hair smelled clean, so he doubted his feet would stink. “Guess we'll just tickle you!”
“Stop!” Alex whined, running away from Mark. Mark got to his feet quickly. Much as he liked to tease Alex for being a silly little boy, he knew he was the faster runner between them. If he was on a team that actually kept score, coaches would love him. Mark's only hope was to try and anticipate where Alex would go so he could take a shorter route.
“I'm gonna get you!” He said as he saw Alex take a half second to look over his shoulder and see where Mark was. Alex tried to speed up, but took a wrong turn and ended up trapped between stacked chairs against the wall. “Told you!” Mark crowed, lunging and nearly rapping his knuckles on the chairs as Alex desperately dove to the side.
“I think that's our cue to get started.” Alex's mom said as everyone turned to see what all the commotion was. “Mark, Lexie, come line up.” Distracted as he was by Mom taking charge, Alex had to accept that Mark would seize the opportunity – and him.
Wedding rehearsal seemed like a waste of time to Alex. He stood against the wall and watched the groomsmen and bridesmaids walk slowly, snickering as Mark blushed at the idea of having to loop arms with one of Mom's friends.
“Wish I knew where my shoes were.”
"I'm sure Mark knows." Mom said, overhearing him. "Almost your turn, Lexie. Saving the best for last. Well, second last." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "I'm happy you're being such a good sport."
"Ringbearer!" Dad called. Alex began to walk. Why did he need to practice? It was a straight line.
"Not so fast." Mom said behind him. "No need to rush."
"It'll be easier with music." Mom's coworker -- Daisy? Alex could never remember her name -- said. Alex tried to walk more slowly, looking around the room. If he felt like everyone was watching him now, what would it be like tomorrow when every chair was filled and he was dressed in... whatever Mark had picked for him. He had a horrible feeling it wouldn't be the childish suit he had worn at the suit place.
"And you'll come stand over here." Dad said, pointing to his left where the groomsman stood. "Right at the end there." Alex swallowed. Right by Mark, you mean.
"You did so well, Baby Lexie!" Mark cooed, dropping down to his knees and pulling Alex in.
"Stop!" Alex protested. It bugged him that, on his knees, Mark was shorter than him, but he still had Alex completely in his control as he began to tickle him. "Stop, Mark! Stop!" He began to giggle more and more, squirming and stumbling, landing on his butt as Mark pounced.
"Mark!" They both froze. "Get off the floor and come over here." Alex watched as Mark immediately got to his feet and followed his dad over to a corner. Why did he feel guilty? Mark deserved to get into trouble.
Alex stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do while Mark got what seemed like a major chewing out.
"Lexie, how about you practice with this?" Mom, sensing his discomfort, dug into her bag. Even in mid-lecture, Mark glanced over to see what it was. Out of the bag came an ornate white pillow. "We'll tie the rings to it tomorrow so they don't fall off. For now, you'll just imagine." Alex nodded, taking the small pillow. "Both hands."
"I know, mama." He mumbled, grateful for the moment that no one his age – other than Mark – was around to hear that. She smiled and kissed his forehead.
"Alright, you go there and walk down the aisle. Take your time and keep the pillow level." You do know I'm thirteen, right? Alex thought, but Mark was still in the corner with his dad and the last thing he wanted was for them both to be in trouble. That had to be bad luck for a wedding!
“Sorry about that, everyone.” Dad said, coming back from the corner. Mark stayed there. Alex couldn't be sure, but he thought Mark might be crying. What had Dad said to him? “I'm mostly standing here and letting you all come to me, but-”
“Well, we should practice the recessional too.” Suggested Sara. “I know it seems obvious, but you never know.” Only Craig missed her side eye in his direction. Mom went and stood beside her.
“Is it so obvious?” She asked, her finger on her chin and her other hand on her hip. “When does Lexie leave?”
“Bride, groom, pairs, him?”
“Save the best for last?”
“You're having him stand with the groomsmen, right?” Mom smiled at Alex.
“He's a groomsman.” Then why don't you call me one? Alex thought.
“I can bring up the rear.” He said, figuring that this was a good opportunity to assert his maturity.
“My thought,” Dad said, coming over and running a hand through Alex's hair. “We could have the brothers walk together on the way out.”
“But what would Emilie do then?” Sara said.
“Let's have Lexie go alone then.” Dad suggested. “It's the reverse of the processional, right?” Mom nodded.
“Alright, so everyone to the back. We'll go up and then practice the recessional.”
“Remember to cheer our whole way out.” Dad joked.
Mark barely even looked at Alex as they practiced once again. Even when it was time for dinner, Mark didn't say a word to Alex. He kept telling himself he should be relieved, but it felt weird, like he had been replaced by some other person.
“Come here, Lexie.” Mom said, grabbing him and pulling him into the line with her to get barbeque chicken sandwiches. “I know I'm not Mark, but he's in a time out, so I'll take care of you.” She chuckled. “I'm Mama before I'm the bride today.” Any hopes that she might let him feed himself vanished as she dug into one of the catering bags and produced a white plastic bib.
“No!”
“We don't need a messy little boy.” She pulled it over his head and led him down the buffet line with the bib seeming to glow against his forest green t-shirt. He did not even get his own plate and he wondered just what the difference was between Mama doing this and Mark.
It was unnerving to see Mark sitting all by himself as Alex dutifully followed Mom. He wondered what would happen if he ran over to Mark, but Mom had his food and he figured it was still better to be fed by her than by Mark. Everyone seemed to want her attention, so Alex was even able to feed himself, albeit still close to her. Definitely better than being in a lap, he thought, though he knew Mom noticed the streaks of sauce down his bib.
“Is there dessert?” Alex asked once everyone was done eating. Mom did not answer. “Mama, is there dessert?”
“We're gonna have cake tomorrow.” She said, wiping his face with his bib before taking it off him. “I think there's some treats in your hotel room though. I think it would be okay if you and Mark go up now, but I expect your absolute best behavior, mister.” She ran her finger through his hair to make it lay right. “And don't stay up too late.”
“I won't.” She smiled and kissed his cheek.
“Remember, this is our family's special day tomorrow.” She looked over Alex's head toward where Mark said. “Speaking of, I think your soon-to-be brother needs some cheering up. Go on.” She nudged him off of her lap.
Alex felt every eye on him as he walked toward Mark, suddenly aware that he had been barefoot this whole time as the rough carpet hurt his toes. He was in trouble and still kept my shoes? Maybe he feels bad and he'll call me my actual name, he thought a moment later.
“Bubba.” He said as he got close enough. He knew it would cheer Mark up, but he didn't know why exactly that was something he cared about, nor why he felt so good to see Mark's face light up. All the same, he groaned in abject frustration as Mark swept him off his bare feet. Only then did it occur to Alex that this might have been the longest time he would be out of Mark's clutches for the rest of his life.
“Did you miss me, Baby Lexie?” He asked as a chorus of adoration came from the adults. “I'm sorry that you were all alone for so long!”
“I wasn't.” Alex protested.
“Dad, we're gonna go upstairs.”
“Oh no.”
“It's almost Baby Lexie's bedtime.”
“Mark!” Alex whined as Mark single-mindedly headed for the exit.
“That's Bubba.” Mark corrected. “It wasn't that long that you forgot who I am, was it?”
“Put me down.” Alex demanded.
“Ask nicely.”
“Put me down, Bubba.” Why had he even gone up to him? “Please.”
“Since you asked nicely.” Mark set him down on the floor, but still held him.
“Thank you.” Alex said, pushing Mark's hands off of him.
“You're welcome.” Mark's smile made Alex realize that Mark really had missed him.
It was a compromise, and Alex hated that it was, but he held Mark's hand across the lobby, the same lobby he had run across only a few hours before. Mark gave his hand a little squeeze as they entered the empty elevator.
“What floor?” Mark asked. Alex shrugged. Mom hadn't mentioned it. “I know you know your numbers, Baby Lexie.” He teased. The doors closed, but the elevator did not move. Maybe Mom had? He wracked his brain to remember. “You don't know?”
“No.” Alex mumbled, embarrassed.
“That's okay. I know.” Mark pushed a button and the elevator began to move. "Come here, cutie." Mark pulled Alex toward him.
"What are you doing?" Alex whined as Mark tugged his shorts down. “We're in public!”
"Making things easier for bath time."
"There are cameras and stuff!"
"So?" Mark shrugged it off. "It's a busy place. Bet they've seen lots of little boys in t-shirts and bunny unnies." He patted Alex's cheeks. "How silly are you?"
"So silly." Alex mumbled.
"And how little are you?"
"Itty-bitty."
“And who am I?”
“Bubba.”
“That's right! And remember what game we played a few days ago?” Where was Mark going with this?
“Simon says.”
“Yes, but it was actually Bubba says. We never said the game was done, did we?” Alex sighed.
“Dude.”
“Not dude, Bubba.”
“Bubba.” Alex said with the exact same intonation. Mark snorted.
“Snarky Baby Lexie.”
“Can you not call me that tomorrow?”
“It's your name.” Mark said at once.
“Please. Just one day.” What was he saying? One day? How about the rest of their lives? The elevator dinged and the door opened.
“This is our floor!” Mark said excitedly. “Want me to carry you?” Alex considered it. It was probably the fastest way to get to their room and out of the view of other people. “Better idea, let's practice your walk for tomorrow!” Mark folded Alex's shorts. “Hands out! This'll be your pretend pillow, kay?” Alex sighed.
“Why don't you just carry me?” He didn't even care if that was Mark's plan all along.
“Nono, we need to practice.” Mark nudged him out of the elevator. “We're looking for room 17, so we'll take a right.” Alex began to walk, holding his shorts like the pillow and wishing his shirt was long enough to better hide his underwear. “Nice and slow, we don't rush.” Mark said behind him.
“Are you sure this is the right way?” Alex asked as he noticed that the room numbers were definitely, undeniably going down as they walked.
“It probably loops around.” Mark said. Alex groaned. Of course they were going the long way!
“Loops around?” He said a moment later when they reached a dead end.
“Oops, guess we shoulda gone left, huh?” Alex glared at him.
They finally reached the room after Mark relented and allowed Alex to walk a bit faster. He immediately whisked Alex off of his feet and planted kiss after kiss on his cheeks before tossing him onto the bed with a laugh at how high Alex bounced.
“Alright, we can jump on the bed later, Baby Lexie.” Mark said, settling him in his lap and giving his cheeks a squeeze. “We've got a big, big day tomorrow, don't we?”
“Yes.” Alex lisped through squashed cheeks.
“You are just the cutest silly little boy ever.” Mark gushed. “And I'm so glad Mama and Dada agree.”
“Stop.”
“You're right. We should get you ready for bed, shouldn't we?” He gripped one of Alex's feet in his hand. “This little tootsie has gotten so dirty! Baby Lexie needs a bath.”
“I showered this morning.”
“And we've had a whole day since!” Mark retorted, still studying Alex's foot in his hand. ‘This little bunny hopped through clover, this little bunny's white all over”
“Stop!”
“I'm making it up as I go.” Mark tickled his foot and Alex squealed. “This little bunny munched a carrot so sweet, this little bunny's… got big feet, and this little bunny splashed in puddles, all the way home!”
“That was dumb.”
“And Baby Lexie bunny, in his bunny unnies, needs a bath!” Mark declared, pulling Alex's shirt up and over his face before blowing a raspberry into his tummy. He realized that the pair of Bunnydale undies that his silly little boy of a soon-to-be brother was wearing were new to him. Had his mom bought him new underwear and kept with the theme? He loved the idea of that.
“Baby Lexie Barebum, in the tub!” Mark declared. While it had been adorable seeing the naked boy shivering beside him as the tub filled, a silly little boy sitting in the tub was even better. Sitting down, it was harder to tell that Alex really wasn't that much shorter than he was, not that that mattered. One of them clearly seemed like a young man of thirteen to everyone and the other, a little boy of indeterminate age, though Mark had his own personal thoughts on that. All that mattered was he was able to pick him up, he had the chubbiest chubby cheeks, and he was going to officially be his silly little boy.
“Wanna play the baby game tonight?” Mark asked as he dried a certified squeaky clean Alex off.
“No.”
“Probably not a good idea anyway.” Mark said with a chuckle. “I'm on thin ice with Dad, you know.” Alex allowed himself to relax a bit as he realized that this was Mark the brother, not Mark the tormentor.
“What was that even about?” He asked. “Like, yeah, you were being annoying, but you…” he shrugged. “You didn't deserve time out for it.” Mark's laugh was startlingly loud in the bathroom.
“Time out?”
“That's what mama called it.”
“Oh.” Mark's grin softened. “I guess it was kinda like time out, huh?” He returned to drying Alex off. “But yeah, I think Dad's a little stressed out. Grown-ups get like that. Taking all the fun out of what's really a big party. We're gonna boogie tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah.” Alex said, feeling just as stressed about tomorrow, though for very different reasons.
“But tonight's all about relaxing!” Mark decreed, pulling the towel off of Alex. “Oh, right. You wanted to jump on the bed, didn't you?”
“No, you said-”
“Hotel beds are the bestest for jumping on!” He pushed Alex toward the bathroom door.
“Can I get dressed first?” Alex asked.
“Pajamas are for when it's bedtime.” Mark declared.
“But you're dressed.”
“Do you really want to see me naked?” Mark snorted. “We'll do jumping on the bed, then we'll play another game before bed, okay?” Alex shrugged. “Unless,” Mark glanced at his bag in the corner. “You want to play the baby game?”
“No.”
“Then what do you want to do, Baby Lexie?”
“Jump on the bed.” Alex said reluctantly.
In no time at all, Mark had Alex standing on the bed, holding his hands in his. He grinned up at Alex, loving how Alex held his hands tightly, trusting him to not let him fall.
“We're gonna get in trouble.”
“I told you. Hotel beds are made for jumping.” Mark said. “Besides, it's early, so the grumpy business man below us probably isn't even in bed yet.” Before Alex could come up with a reason why he shouldn't do this, Mark began to sing. “Hop, little bunny! Hop, hop, hop! Hop, little bunny! Hop, hop, hop!” He repeated the song over and over again, grinning as Alex bounced up and down on the bed.
“I'm not a bunny.” Alex said defensively, slightly winded from the bouncing.
“Coulda fooled me. Baby Lexie the bunny boy.” Mark said. “Hopping down the aisle to deliver the rings to Mama and Dada.”
“What's the other game?”
“Other game?”
“You said we'd jump on the bed, then play another game.” Alex hoped that the second game would allow him to get dressed.
“I did, didn't I?” Mark held his arms out. “Hop into my arms, little bunny.”
“Is this the game?”
“Hop!” Alex rolled his eyes, but leapt into Mark's arms.
“Whee!” He spun Alex around and around and around again, finally stopping to play with his cheeks. “In just twenty four hours, you're going to officially be Baby Lexie Little-Darling, my little brother.”
“Mama said names aren't changing.” Alex said, worried that, like always, he was out of the loop.
“Well-” Before Mark could finish, there was a knock at the door. Alex's instinct was that it must be one of their parents, here to tell them to quiet down.
“Mark?” The voice was unfamiliar. Mark tossed Alex onto the bed.
“Floor's lava, Baby Lexie.” He said, going over to the door. “Alex!” For a moment, Alex thought he might be talking to him, but then he heard the unfamiliar voice again.
“Can I come in? Mom says I gotta find something to do other than bother her.” Alex froze. He was naked!
“Sorry, man. Dad would kill me.”
“Oh.”
“We'll hang out tomorrow.” Relief washed over Alex.
“But you're busy with the wedding.”
“Not all day!”
“But”
“Sorry, I promise we'll hang out tomorrow, kay?” Alex heard Mark close the door and then he reappeared. “I didn't realize it was so late, Baby Lexie! We'll have to get you ready for bed.”
“It's not even that late.” Mark was already pulling pajamas out of his suitcase and Alex groaned. He could make a run for it, but what was the point?
Dressed and tucked into bed, Alex could only lie there while Mark told him a bedtime story about a professional teeball player named Baby Lexie who bunny hopped all the way to the World Series.
“This doesn't even make sense!”
“But it'll give you such nice dreams, Baby Lexie.” Mark cooed, kissing his cheeks. He smiled so warmly down at him, Alex couldn't help but return a smile. Mark felt his heart melt as he admired Alex's cheeks and his mushroom of hair, extra fluffy when it was freshly bathed. He wished he had had a way to set up a camera to record him bouncing on the bed. Next time, he reminded himself. After all, they would be brothers for the rest of their lives!
“Quit staring at-” Alex's latest complaint was interrupted by a yawn that made him look even more adorable.
“Alright, you get to sleep. Such an important day tomorrow!” He gave Alex a few more last kisses and then walked away from the bed. With any luck, Alex would fall asleep quickly and deeply enough that he could slip into bed with him. As far as Mark was concerned, a perfect wedding day needed to start with Baby Lexie waking up in his big brother's arms.
“Run, Carson!” With a squeal the towheaded toddler took off running toward first base, nearly tripping over the ball that he had only just barely managed to knock off the tee. His oversized batting helmet threatened to fall down over his eyes with every wobbly step he took. Alex rolled his eyes. Carson finally getting a hit meant he was next.
“Kiss for good luck?” Mark asked, holding Alex in place until he got his answer.
“No, Bubba.” Alex muttered. Yet another piece of evidence that this was not a real sport was the players hung out with their family until it was their turn to play.
“Suit yourself.” Mark smiled all the same. That worked just fine for him since it meant Alex would be going up to bat with caramel still all around his mouth from his mid-game snack. It felt almost like a tragedy as Alex pulled his batting helmet over his freshly cut hair. The wedding was next week and apparently, Alex's mom had decided he needed a trim. After a trip to Funky Monkey, an absolutely livid Alex came over. That also suited Mark just fine, who insisted Alex spend forty-five minutes resting against his chest until Alex was absolutely certain he was calm. That was how Mark learned that not only had they gone to Funky Monkey, Alex's next haircut was also now scheduled there.
"You'll look so handsome for back to school." Mark said, patting his bottom.
Back in the present, Alex swung and the ball flew into the field, forcing the coach standing unnecessarily at the pitcher's mound to sidestep out of the way to avoid being hit by it. Alex ran for first base.
“Go, Baby Lexie!” Mark called proudly, grinning as Alex pushed the helmet off of his head to better run the short distance to the orange mat that was first base, not even halfway between home and the actual first base. Mark was so busy admiring how cute Baby Lexie looked with red cheeks that he didn't notice at first that Coach Trevor had squatted down to talk to him. Baby Lexie had made some comment about him probably having a wife and kids a few days ago and Mark still hadn't had the heart to tell him that Trevor was probably 17, maybe 18 at most.
"What did Coach Trevor want?" Mark asked once Alex had returned to him on the sidelines.
"Eh, just another lecture about being safe. The only way I'm getting hit in the head is if I do it myself."
"He's got it out for you." Mark said. "He doesn't like that you're better than his nephew." Alex looked at him for a moment before recognizing that this was Mark the brother, not Mark the tormentor. He definitely preferred one to the other.
"It's just teeball."
"Don't start with that. You know, mama and dada are considering postponing the wedding since you'll be going pro any day now."
“There's no pro teeball.”
“You'll be a pioneer then. A trailblazer!”
* L *
Despite Mark's claims, the wedding remained set. Alex was forced to run into Mark's arms the moment he spotted him in the hotel lobby. The way Mom said it would be a great start to their wedding memories unnerved him, though it was hard to wonder just what that meant when he was in Mark's clutches and more pressing things were at the front of his mind.
“Well, hi there, Baby Lexie!” Mark said, scooping him up and spinning him around. “You know we're not supposed to run inside, but you just got really, really excited, huh?”
“Stop.” Alex muttered as Mark set him against his hip. “We're supposed to focus.”
“I'm glad you're taking this oh so serious.” Mark said. “We're officially brothers in like twenty-four hours, aren't we?”
“Lucky me.” Alex muttered as Mark carried him into the wedding venue just off from the lobby.
“Are we waiting on anyone?” Alex's mom asked as Alex finally managed to extract himself from Mark's coddling. He shyly glanced at Sara, his mom's best friend, and now Maid of Honor, who had babysat him many, many times before Mark came along. He missed having her watch him quite a bit, he realized as Mark grabbed his hand to keep him from total escape.
“Craig insists he's pulling in right now, so he probably hasn't left yet.” Mark's dad said. The women exchanged a wry look.
“It's like a rule with the Best Man.” Sara said with a laugh.
“Can Baby Lexie and I go to our room?” Mark asked. Alex's look of panic could not have gone unnoticed, but Mark's dad only looked at his current son.
“You need to stay here. We'll be starting soon and this is where dinner is.” Mark sighed. “Have you even said hi to your grandparents?”
“Yeah.” Mark said sullenly. He turned his attention back to Alex, flopping down on the faded carpeting. “Are you excited?”
“I guess.” Alex had accepted that, with less than twenty four hours to go, there was no way out of being the ringbearer. Lucas's family wasn't coming and Mom seemed to believe that the ringbearer – and him being the ringbearer – was essential.
“Cheer up. You're gonna look so handsome!” He gave Alex a squeeze.
“Not handsome, adorable.” Alex said dutifully as Mark added it sotto voce.
“Wouldn't it be cute if you kiss the rings before giving them to Mama and Dada?” Alex remained silent. “Try it in rehearsal, okay?”
“Whatever.”
“No, not whatever.” Mark said. “This is exciting!” He pulled Alex to him and kissed his cheeks in rapid succession. “Oh, are you all mopey because mama told you to be serious? We'll have lots and lots of fun.” Alex knew that what was fun for Mark usually ended up humiliating for him. “Oodles, even.”
“Get off.” Alex said. “Aren't we supposed to be doing something?” He hated to admit it, but Mark usually had a better idea of schedules than he did. Even when he asked Mom, she would usually say something like ‘don't worry. We'll make sure you're where you need to be’
“It's gonna be a lot of waiting today and tomorrow. Are you hungry?”
“Not really.”
“Dang, was hoping I could use you to get a pre-dinner snack.” Mark tugged Alex fully into his lap, getting his clogs off almost too quickly. “Maybe I can nibble on your little piggies?”
“Ew. My feet stink!”
“Do not.” Mark laughed. “Unless you think we need to go upstairs and give you a bath?" He laughed again as Alex pushed against his chest to get out of his lap. His hair smelled clean, so he doubted his feet would stink. “Guess we'll just tickle you!”
“Stop!” Alex whined, running away from Mark. Mark got to his feet quickly. Much as he liked to tease Alex for being a silly little boy, he knew he was the faster runner between them. If he was on a team that actually kept score, coaches would love him. Mark's only hope was to try and anticipate where Alex would go so he could take a shorter route.
“I'm gonna get you!” He said as he saw Alex take a half second to look over his shoulder and see where Mark was. Alex tried to speed up, but took a wrong turn and ended up trapped between stacked chairs against the wall. “Told you!” Mark crowed, lunging and nearly rapping his knuckles on the chairs as Alex desperately dove to the side.
“I think that's our cue to get started.” Alex's mom said as everyone turned to see what all the commotion was. “Mark, Lexie, come line up.” Distracted as he was by Mom taking charge, Alex had to accept that Mark would seize the opportunity – and him.
Wedding rehearsal seemed like a waste of time to Alex. He stood against the wall and watched the groomsmen and bridesmaids walk slowly, snickering as Mark blushed at the idea of having to loop arms with one of Mom's friends.
“Wish I knew where my shoes were.”
"I'm sure Mark knows." Mom said, overhearing him. "Almost your turn, Lexie. Saving the best for last. Well, second last." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "I'm happy you're being such a good sport."
"Ringbearer!" Dad called. Alex began to walk. Why did he need to practice? It was a straight line.
"Not so fast." Mom said behind him. "No need to rush."
"It'll be easier with music." Mom's coworker -- Daisy? Alex could never remember her name -- said. Alex tried to walk more slowly, looking around the room. If he felt like everyone was watching him now, what would it be like tomorrow when every chair was filled and he was dressed in... whatever Mark had picked for him. He had a horrible feeling it wouldn't be the childish suit he had worn at the suit place.
"And you'll come stand over here." Dad said, pointing to his left where the groomsman stood. "Right at the end there." Alex swallowed. Right by Mark, you mean.
"You did so well, Baby Lexie!" Mark cooed, dropping down to his knees and pulling Alex in.
"Stop!" Alex protested. It bugged him that, on his knees, Mark was shorter than him, but he still had Alex completely in his control as he began to tickle him. "Stop, Mark! Stop!" He began to giggle more and more, squirming and stumbling, landing on his butt as Mark pounced.
"Mark!" They both froze. "Get off the floor and come over here." Alex watched as Mark immediately got to his feet and followed his dad over to a corner. Why did he feel guilty? Mark deserved to get into trouble.
Alex stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do while Mark got what seemed like a major chewing out.
"Lexie, how about you practice with this?" Mom, sensing his discomfort, dug into her bag. Even in mid-lecture, Mark glanced over to see what it was. Out of the bag came an ornate white pillow. "We'll tie the rings to it tomorrow so they don't fall off. For now, you'll just imagine." Alex nodded, taking the small pillow. "Both hands."
"I know, mama." He mumbled, grateful for the moment that no one his age – other than Mark – was around to hear that. She smiled and kissed his forehead.
"Alright, you go there and walk down the aisle. Take your time and keep the pillow level." You do know I'm thirteen, right? Alex thought, but Mark was still in the corner with his dad and the last thing he wanted was for them both to be in trouble. That had to be bad luck for a wedding!
“Sorry about that, everyone.” Dad said, coming back from the corner. Mark stayed there. Alex couldn't be sure, but he thought Mark might be crying. What had Dad said to him? “I'm mostly standing here and letting you all come to me, but-”
“Well, we should practice the recessional too.” Suggested Sara. “I know it seems obvious, but you never know.” Only Craig missed her side eye in his direction. Mom went and stood beside her.
“Is it so obvious?” She asked, her finger on her chin and her other hand on her hip. “When does Lexie leave?”
“Bride, groom, pairs, him?”
“Save the best for last?”
“You're having him stand with the groomsmen, right?” Mom smiled at Alex.
“He's a groomsman.” Then why don't you call me one? Alex thought.
“I can bring up the rear.” He said, figuring that this was a good opportunity to assert his maturity.
“My thought,” Dad said, coming over and running a hand through Alex's hair. “We could have the brothers walk together on the way out.”
“But what would Emilie do then?” Sara said.
“Let's have Lexie go alone then.” Dad suggested. “It's the reverse of the processional, right?” Mom nodded.
“Alright, so everyone to the back. We'll go up and then practice the recessional.”
“Remember to cheer our whole way out.” Dad joked.
Mark barely even looked at Alex as they practiced once again. Even when it was time for dinner, Mark didn't say a word to Alex. He kept telling himself he should be relieved, but it felt weird, like he had been replaced by some other person.
“Come here, Lexie.” Mom said, grabbing him and pulling him into the line with her to get barbeque chicken sandwiches. “I know I'm not Mark, but he's in a time out, so I'll take care of you.” She chuckled. “I'm Mama before I'm the bride today.” Any hopes that she might let him feed himself vanished as she dug into one of the catering bags and produced a white plastic bib.
“No!”
“We don't need a messy little boy.” She pulled it over his head and led him down the buffet line with the bib seeming to glow against his forest green t-shirt. He did not even get his own plate and he wondered just what the difference was between Mama doing this and Mark.
It was unnerving to see Mark sitting all by himself as Alex dutifully followed Mom. He wondered what would happen if he ran over to Mark, but Mom had his food and he figured it was still better to be fed by her than by Mark. Everyone seemed to want her attention, so Alex was even able to feed himself, albeit still close to her. Definitely better than being in a lap, he thought, though he knew Mom noticed the streaks of sauce down his bib.
“Is there dessert?” Alex asked once everyone was done eating. Mom did not answer. “Mama, is there dessert?”
“We're gonna have cake tomorrow.” She said, wiping his face with his bib before taking it off him. “I think there's some treats in your hotel room though. I think it would be okay if you and Mark go up now, but I expect your absolute best behavior, mister.” She ran her finger through his hair to make it lay right. “And don't stay up too late.”
“I won't.” She smiled and kissed his cheek.
“Remember, this is our family's special day tomorrow.” She looked over Alex's head toward where Mark said. “Speaking of, I think your soon-to-be brother needs some cheering up. Go on.” She nudged him off of her lap.
Alex felt every eye on him as he walked toward Mark, suddenly aware that he had been barefoot this whole time as the rough carpet hurt his toes. He was in trouble and still kept my shoes? Maybe he feels bad and he'll call me my actual name, he thought a moment later.
“Bubba.” He said as he got close enough. He knew it would cheer Mark up, but he didn't know why exactly that was something he cared about, nor why he felt so good to see Mark's face light up. All the same, he groaned in abject frustration as Mark swept him off his bare feet. Only then did it occur to Alex that this might have been the longest time he would be out of Mark's clutches for the rest of his life.
“Did you miss me, Baby Lexie?” He asked as a chorus of adoration came from the adults. “I'm sorry that you were all alone for so long!”
“I wasn't.” Alex protested.
“Dad, we're gonna go upstairs.”
“Oh no.”
“It's almost Baby Lexie's bedtime.”
“Mark!” Alex whined as Mark single-mindedly headed for the exit.
“That's Bubba.” Mark corrected. “It wasn't that long that you forgot who I am, was it?”
“Put me down.” Alex demanded.
“Ask nicely.”
“Put me down, Bubba.” Why had he even gone up to him? “Please.”
“Since you asked nicely.” Mark set him down on the floor, but still held him.
“Thank you.” Alex said, pushing Mark's hands off of him.
“You're welcome.” Mark's smile made Alex realize that Mark really had missed him.
It was a compromise, and Alex hated that it was, but he held Mark's hand across the lobby, the same lobby he had run across only a few hours before. Mark gave his hand a little squeeze as they entered the empty elevator.
“What floor?” Mark asked. Alex shrugged. Mom hadn't mentioned it. “I know you know your numbers, Baby Lexie.” He teased. The doors closed, but the elevator did not move. Maybe Mom had? He wracked his brain to remember. “You don't know?”
“No.” Alex mumbled, embarrassed.
“That's okay. I know.” Mark pushed a button and the elevator began to move. "Come here, cutie." Mark pulled Alex toward him.
"What are you doing?" Alex whined as Mark tugged his shorts down. “We're in public!”
"Making things easier for bath time."
"There are cameras and stuff!"
"So?" Mark shrugged it off. "It's a busy place. Bet they've seen lots of little boys in t-shirts and bunny unnies." He patted Alex's cheeks. "How silly are you?"
"So silly." Alex mumbled.
"And how little are you?"
"Itty-bitty."
“And who am I?”
“Bubba.”
“That's right! And remember what game we played a few days ago?” Where was Mark going with this?
“Simon says.”
“Yes, but it was actually Bubba says. We never said the game was done, did we?” Alex sighed.
“Dude.”
“Not dude, Bubba.”
“Bubba.” Alex said with the exact same intonation. Mark snorted.
“Snarky Baby Lexie.”
“Can you not call me that tomorrow?”
“It's your name.” Mark said at once.
“Please. Just one day.” What was he saying? One day? How about the rest of their lives? The elevator dinged and the door opened.
“This is our floor!” Mark said excitedly. “Want me to carry you?” Alex considered it. It was probably the fastest way to get to their room and out of the view of other people. “Better idea, let's practice your walk for tomorrow!” Mark folded Alex's shorts. “Hands out! This'll be your pretend pillow, kay?” Alex sighed.
“Why don't you just carry me?” He didn't even care if that was Mark's plan all along.
“Nono, we need to practice.” Mark nudged him out of the elevator. “We're looking for room 17, so we'll take a right.” Alex began to walk, holding his shorts like the pillow and wishing his shirt was long enough to better hide his underwear. “Nice and slow, we don't rush.” Mark said behind him.
“Are you sure this is the right way?” Alex asked as he noticed that the room numbers were definitely, undeniably going down as they walked.
“It probably loops around.” Mark said. Alex groaned. Of course they were going the long way!
“Loops around?” He said a moment later when they reached a dead end.
“Oops, guess we shoulda gone left, huh?” Alex glared at him.
They finally reached the room after Mark relented and allowed Alex to walk a bit faster. He immediately whisked Alex off of his feet and planted kiss after kiss on his cheeks before tossing him onto the bed with a laugh at how high Alex bounced.
“Alright, we can jump on the bed later, Baby Lexie.” Mark said, settling him in his lap and giving his cheeks a squeeze. “We've got a big, big day tomorrow, don't we?”
“Yes.” Alex lisped through squashed cheeks.
“You are just the cutest silly little boy ever.” Mark gushed. “And I'm so glad Mama and Dada agree.”
“Stop.”
“You're right. We should get you ready for bed, shouldn't we?” He gripped one of Alex's feet in his hand. “This little tootsie has gotten so dirty! Baby Lexie needs a bath.”
“I showered this morning.”
“And we've had a whole day since!” Mark retorted, still studying Alex's foot in his hand. ‘This little bunny hopped through clover, this little bunny's white all over”
“Stop!”
“I'm making it up as I go.” Mark tickled his foot and Alex squealed. “This little bunny munched a carrot so sweet, this little bunny's… got big feet, and this little bunny splashed in puddles, all the way home!”
“That was dumb.”
“And Baby Lexie bunny, in his bunny unnies, needs a bath!” Mark declared, pulling Alex's shirt up and over his face before blowing a raspberry into his tummy. He realized that the pair of Bunnydale undies that his silly little boy of a soon-to-be brother was wearing were new to him. Had his mom bought him new underwear and kept with the theme? He loved the idea of that.
“Baby Lexie Barebum, in the tub!” Mark declared. While it had been adorable seeing the naked boy shivering beside him as the tub filled, a silly little boy sitting in the tub was even better. Sitting down, it was harder to tell that Alex really wasn't that much shorter than he was, not that that mattered. One of them clearly seemed like a young man of thirteen to everyone and the other, a little boy of indeterminate age, though Mark had his own personal thoughts on that. All that mattered was he was able to pick him up, he had the chubbiest chubby cheeks, and he was going to officially be his silly little boy.
“Wanna play the baby game tonight?” Mark asked as he dried a certified squeaky clean Alex off.
“No.”
“Probably not a good idea anyway.” Mark said with a chuckle. “I'm on thin ice with Dad, you know.” Alex allowed himself to relax a bit as he realized that this was Mark the brother, not Mark the tormentor.
“What was that even about?” He asked. “Like, yeah, you were being annoying, but you…” he shrugged. “You didn't deserve time out for it.” Mark's laugh was startlingly loud in the bathroom.
“Time out?”
“That's what mama called it.”
“Oh.” Mark's grin softened. “I guess it was kinda like time out, huh?” He returned to drying Alex off. “But yeah, I think Dad's a little stressed out. Grown-ups get like that. Taking all the fun out of what's really a big party. We're gonna boogie tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah.” Alex said, feeling just as stressed about tomorrow, though for very different reasons.
“But tonight's all about relaxing!” Mark decreed, pulling the towel off of Alex. “Oh, right. You wanted to jump on the bed, didn't you?”
“No, you said-”
“Hotel beds are the bestest for jumping on!” He pushed Alex toward the bathroom door.
“Can I get dressed first?” Alex asked.
“Pajamas are for when it's bedtime.” Mark declared.
“But you're dressed.”
“Do you really want to see me naked?” Mark snorted. “We'll do jumping on the bed, then we'll play another game before bed, okay?” Alex shrugged. “Unless,” Mark glanced at his bag in the corner. “You want to play the baby game?”
“No.”
“Then what do you want to do, Baby Lexie?”
“Jump on the bed.” Alex said reluctantly.
In no time at all, Mark had Alex standing on the bed, holding his hands in his. He grinned up at Alex, loving how Alex held his hands tightly, trusting him to not let him fall.
“We're gonna get in trouble.”
“I told you. Hotel beds are made for jumping.” Mark said. “Besides, it's early, so the grumpy business man below us probably isn't even in bed yet.” Before Alex could come up with a reason why he shouldn't do this, Mark began to sing. “Hop, little bunny! Hop, hop, hop! Hop, little bunny! Hop, hop, hop!” He repeated the song over and over again, grinning as Alex bounced up and down on the bed.
“I'm not a bunny.” Alex said defensively, slightly winded from the bouncing.
“Coulda fooled me. Baby Lexie the bunny boy.” Mark said. “Hopping down the aisle to deliver the rings to Mama and Dada.”
“What's the other game?”
“Other game?”
“You said we'd jump on the bed, then play another game.” Alex hoped that the second game would allow him to get dressed.
“I did, didn't I?” Mark held his arms out. “Hop into my arms, little bunny.”
“Is this the game?”
“Hop!” Alex rolled his eyes, but leapt into Mark's arms.
“Whee!” He spun Alex around and around and around again, finally stopping to play with his cheeks. “In just twenty four hours, you're going to officially be Baby Lexie Little-Darling, my little brother.”
“Mama said names aren't changing.” Alex said, worried that, like always, he was out of the loop.
“Well-” Before Mark could finish, there was a knock at the door. Alex's instinct was that it must be one of their parents, here to tell them to quiet down.
“Mark?” The voice was unfamiliar. Mark tossed Alex onto the bed.
“Floor's lava, Baby Lexie.” He said, going over to the door. “Alex!” For a moment, Alex thought he might be talking to him, but then he heard the unfamiliar voice again.
“Can I come in? Mom says I gotta find something to do other than bother her.” Alex froze. He was naked!
“Sorry, man. Dad would kill me.”
“Oh.”
“We'll hang out tomorrow.” Relief washed over Alex.
“But you're busy with the wedding.”
“Not all day!”
“But”
“Sorry, I promise we'll hang out tomorrow, kay?” Alex heard Mark close the door and then he reappeared. “I didn't realize it was so late, Baby Lexie! We'll have to get you ready for bed.”
“It's not even that late.” Mark was already pulling pajamas out of his suitcase and Alex groaned. He could make a run for it, but what was the point?
Dressed and tucked into bed, Alex could only lie there while Mark told him a bedtime story about a professional teeball player named Baby Lexie who bunny hopped all the way to the World Series.
“This doesn't even make sense!”
“But it'll give you such nice dreams, Baby Lexie.” Mark cooed, kissing his cheeks. He smiled so warmly down at him, Alex couldn't help but return a smile. Mark felt his heart melt as he admired Alex's cheeks and his mushroom of hair, extra fluffy when it was freshly bathed. He wished he had had a way to set up a camera to record him bouncing on the bed. Next time, he reminded himself. After all, they would be brothers for the rest of their lives!
“Quit staring at-” Alex's latest complaint was interrupted by a yawn that made him look even more adorable.
“Alright, you get to sleep. Such an important day tomorrow!” He gave Alex a few more last kisses and then walked away from the bed. With any luck, Alex would fall asleep quickly and deeply enough that he could slip into bed with him. As far as Mark was concerned, a perfect wedding day needed to start with Baby Lexie waking up in his big brother's arms.
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