Chapter Text
On the occasion of their sixth birthday Mike and Danny had asked their mothers if they could choose a gift to give to the other. Kenzie had been incredibly amused when she witnessed the two boys presenting their case to their mothers.
On a Sunday afternoon, the twins walked up to their mothers sitting in a cuddle on the couch. Danny took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and shook it out, before standing up straight, holding the paper out in front of him and looking up at Maura and Jane. Mike then attempted to clear his throat, which more or less resulted in some spit flying about.
“Momma. Ma.” Danny started in a very serious tone. Mike nodded along. “We have a very important question.”
Jane and Maura looked at each other in amusement, before focusing their attention back on their sons. “We are listening, please continue.” Maura gestured with her hand, smiling as both boys grinned her way.
“Momma. Ma.” Danny continued. “You know our birthday is coming soon.”
Mike nodded enthusiastically. “We’re gonna be six-years-old, that’s this many!” He held out a hand with all his fingers splayed out and then added a ‘thumbs-up’ gesture next to it.
Jane chuckled. “Yeah, buddy. We, especially me, are very aware of your birthday. You’re getting big…”
“Yes!” Mike pointed a finger and nodded enthusiastically again. “We’re not little boys anymore!”.
Danny nodded seriously and shook out his paper. “So, we had a question. And we made a list of reasons for the question. As a- uh…” He stopped, mouthed something to himself and then slowly enunciated “jus-ti-fi-ca-tion!” And shook his paper again.
Maura quirked an eyebrow over to her eldest daughter who was sprawled on an armchair watching the proceedings with great interest. Kenzie just grinned and shook her head. “I had nothing to do with this. This was their idea.”
“Yes.” Danny stated with a nod, before frowning in contemplation. “Well… Kennie gave us the paper. And the pencil.”
“Thanks Kennie!” Mike grinned and waved at her enthusiastically, before poking his brother on the arm. “Tell’em the list Danny.”
“Oh, yes.” Danny shook out his paper again. “Mike and I talked a lot. And we want to get a present for each other for our birthday. We have a list of reasons!” He waved the poor sheet of paper again and then leaned over to whisper (loudly) to his brother. “You remember the list, right?”
“Yes!” Mike whisper-shouted back.
“Okay! Number one!” Danny poked at his paper, where Kenzie could make out a short list of three items with very wobbly numbers and some scribbled lines and wobbly random letters.
“Danny is my best buddy and I’m Danny’s best buddy!” Mike declared.
Danny nodded in agreement and then poked his paper again. “Number two!”.
“It’s our birthday and we are big boys!”
“Number three!”
“We have our piggy banks with lots of coins!”
“And number four…”
Mike was grinning proudly, but suddenly stopped. “What? There’s a four?” He shuffled over to his brother, who was squinting down at his paper and poking at a wobbly number four with a wobbly letter ‘p’ next to it.
“Yes, Mike. Look.” Danny tilted the paper “It’s the ‘p’ word…”
“Oh, you’re right! Almost forgot!” Mike straightened himself and patted his twin on the shoulder.
The two boys took a deep breath and simultaneously intoned, “Please!”
“Oh my god!” Kenzie hissed to herself in astonishment. “That is the most adorable thing I’ve ever witnessed!” And then promptly fell over the side of the armchair where she had been precariously leaning over to peek at Danny’s paper.
“Kid, you’re a menace.” Jane scoffed at her eldest where she lay on the floor exaggeratedly squealing to herself, poking her in the side with a foot.
“My boys!” Maura enthused, misty eyed and proud. She leaned forward, welcoming her grinning twins into her arms with a laugh. “I’m so proud of you for presenting your idea and justifications.”
“Yeah? It was good momma?” Danny asked with another wave of his paper.
“It was perfect…” Maura said, once again misty eyed.
“And can we do it momma?” Mike asked with an excited wiggle in his mother’s arms.
The doctor hummed pensively, pulling back gently to look at both boys. “I think we can accept your proposal…” There was an excited shout from the twins. Jane chuckled and threw an arm over her wife’s shoulders. “But first I’d like to ask a question.”
Kenzie flopped over on the floor, so she was lying on her back and was able to see what was happening, even if it was upside down and at a weird angle.
“Okay momma. We can answer questions.” Danny said very seriously, waving his paper around one more time.
“In your list…” Maura gestured at the paper “…there were four items listed.” The boys nodded in sync. “My question is: what is the most important item on that list?”
“Number 1!” Danny stated imperiously. “It’s why it is number 1.”
“We’re best buddies!” Mike exclaimed flailing his arms and then hugging his brother close.
Kenzie lost her composure once again, flailing about on the floor in an overly dramatic fashion. Jane snorted, “Oh my god kid, control yourself!”, and then started laughing in earnest when Maura sniffed and shed a tear and then threw her arms around her grinning sons.