Unlike his sister, Flora, who had been allergic to her mother's milk, Atticus had an easy time nursing and always seemed to have a large appetite. Winifred didn't mind one bit, in fact, she found it rather peaceful. With the twins, she'd been under terrible stress, fretting over why her daughter wouldn't take to her and hadn't realized how serene it could be to watch her baby receive nourishment from her.
Lawrence was adamant about making sure his wife was caring for herself as well, bringing her porridge with raisins and tea with cream and sugar, exactly as she liked it. He felt guilty he couldn't be home as much as he used to be, but it seemed with Beth's help to look after Ozzy, Winifred was fairing well all on her own.
He missed his family something fierce though, and the dark purple bags under his eyes were becoming heavier and more sunken. He longed deeply to be back in Ireland, or even just go on holiday again, but with their newest addition to the family, he knew it would be impossible to rest anytime soon and continued trudging forward.
Most afternoons after luncheon, everyone would gather in the parlor. Winifred cared for her youngest, or read in-between his naps, while Beth busied herself with knitting and Ozzy played with his toys somewhere nearby.
At first, Ozzy had hardly noticed his new little brother. None of them wanted to push it until he was ready, which had mostly been suggested by Beth and the rest followed suit, knowing that she understood his quirks better than anyone. Eventually though, he grew curious on his own, as was his nature.
Atticus napped soundlessly in his bassinet, while Winifred and Beth drank their English breakfast tea and Ozzy was making attempts to wake a sleeping Honey, who couldn't be more disinterested in the toddler. Even when the adults told Ozzy to leave the cat be, he hardly listened.
However, lucky for Honey, the newborn began to stir from within his bassinet, fussing quietly for now.
Standing on his tip toes to get a good look at what was making that peculiar sound, Ozzy crept over to the bassinet and peered inside. Unsure what to make of the sight, he gawked at him silently with a rather queer expression as Winifred rose from her seat to stand there beside him.
She observed his expression cautiously before saying anything. Once she was convinced there would be no tantrum, she spoke to him in a gentle voice. "That's your baby brother, Atticus. Would you like to see closer?"
"Mhm..." Ozzy replied, unable to look away from him for even a moment. He had never seen anyone smaller than himself before and it was very strange.
Winifred lifted Atticus from the crib, holding him in just the palm of her hand, allowing Ozzy to examine him while she hoped he would notice the features on his brother's small face that were similar to his own. The newborn stirred, cooing a little, and Ozzy reached his hand up to touch him, completely entranced.
"Soft touches, Oz." She reminded him softly, which they so often had to do when he wanted to "play" with the cats. He was doing perfectly fine so far though, and she couldn't wait to tell Lawrence how brilliant he had done with it.
Nevertheless, Atticus was still hungry after his nap and resumed his fussing once again. Startled, Ozzy turned on his heel, feeling awful for doing something wrong, before running towards his Auntie Beth for safety.
Beth opened her arms at once, suppressing a giggle at his reaction to the baby's cries. "Oh, my darling, come here, come here. It's okay!" She soothed, talking to him in a rather high-pitched, baby voice.
Once he heard her reassuring words, his chin ceased it's quivering, tantrum avoided, but still, he did not like that horrid noise! "Up! Up!" He whined, until at last Beth lifted him into her arms and placed him into her lap.
"Suppose that could have gone worse." Winifred noted, and Beth simply nodded in agreement.
Wanting to help make Ozzy feel a bit better, Beth decided it was time for him to get dressed for the day and go outside to play. The breeze was just warm enough to be comfortable and they played throughout the remainder of the afternoon.
Together, they ran through the yard after each other, smiling brighter than the sun in the bright blue sky above them. It was seldom Lawrence had the time to play like this, and preceding the baby, Winifred had been too pregnant, and now too busy with Atticus.
But Ozzy was too little to understand that as of yet. All he knew was that he loved to be with his dear Auntie most of all.
Once out of breath and needing to rest, they laid near each other in the soft grass, while Beth tickled him on and off as Ozzy erupted into fits of laughter.
Inside the house, Winifred watched them from the window while she bounced Atticus up and down in her arms.
Introducing Ozzy to his new baby brother had gone better than she expected and it seemed Beth had been right in knowing it would go smoother if they waited for him to make the first move.
It was the same way she just seemed to know when he needed an extra nap, or wanted another slice of an orange and no one except her could understand his babbling, or when he lost his teddy and was delaying bedtime.
'It went well', Winifred told herself over and over again as if still in disbelief. But as she watched Beth and Ozzy together, she realized she felt a little disappointed, envious almost, wishing she was Ozzy's comfort rather than Beth. Their relationship had improved, that much was true, but after all this time, she was becoming quite sure that it would never be what it should.
next / previous / first
45 notes
·
View notes
hey did you guys knowed that i um. headcanon them as relatives. all of them. (Cousins btw!! and they all have the tooth gap bc it runs in the family.) some headcanons n design notes below:
Sads is Atticus's cousin on the paternal side (and prester's kid bc its the funniest outcome) the weird lines on the foot is basically just me giving him my surgery scars in the form of dents. (and his design is based on that fake chup advert poster thing)
Winston's his cousin on the maternal side (i gave him fun colors bc i think he deserves neons and stuff. also he lost his foot owie ow
atticus is a big wig who got a loan shark frame on accident, and it was kinda painful to try and fit it all in there. he's also got those cool feet bc idc i like that it goes hard. and see thru plasticine legs bc i thought it'd be cool to give cogs see thru parts.
Sads also has that its on his torso and upper thighs kinda like how a lot of people drew sans with a "body" and stuff. winny used to have it but like. all bones. so sad.
oh. btw atticus's pupils being different sizes is healthy, he's got an anisocoria which is a medical condition where his pupils are different sizes, and he's got mild dry eyes (its caused by a mix of the head injury from BTL and also medication -- Fluxotine and Risperidone)
19 notes
·
View notes