Work Text:
Younger Shannon & Younger Jared
Jared squealed with delight when he saw the envelope from his pen pal from Germany. The young nine-year-old sprinted up the short amount of stairs and threw open the door. He shouted for his older brother, the ten-year-old upstairs doing his homework.
He scampered to the kitchen, the young boy practically exploding with excitement as he heard Shannon trudged down the stairs. However, Shannon’s pace quickened when he heard his brother whimper in pain.
Shannon pushed opened the kitchen door and swiftly made his way to his brother’s side, the small boy clutching his right index finger. Small tear tracks marred his cheeks as he watched a droplet of his blood ooze out of the shallow cut.
Shannon gently took the finger from Jared and examined the cut. Another drop filtered out of the ivory skin, staining it a deep red. He heard Jared whimper as he applied a minute amount of pressure onto the wound. “Come on,” Shannon said, rubbing Jared’s back gently, “Lets wash it.”
Jared sniffled but allowed Shannon to pull him to the bathroom. His whimpering reappeared when the water hit his cut, it stinging badly. Shannon tried to soothe his baby brother by rubbing his back. Next the ten-year-old stood on his tippy-toes and opened the medicine cabinet. He grabbed a small brown bottle. Jared’s whimpering intensified when he saw the bottle and tried to wrench his hand away from Shannon’s grasp. “No Shan-Shan!”
Shannon frowned, “We have to clean it out Jay, or it will get infected.”
“But it hurts.” Mumbled Jared, his lower lip pouting.
“I know Baby Jay,” Shannon replied with a frown, “But it needs to be done.”
Jared looked at Shannon, his bright blue eyes filled with tears, “But… “
“It will be over in a few seconds, I promise.”
Jared gnawed his bottom lip, obviously mulling it over, “You promise?”
Shannon chuckled, “Yes, Baby Jay I promise.”
“…Okay,” Jared replied, sticking his finger out.
Shannon smiled and quickly soaked a piece of toilet paper with the hydrogen peroxide. “Okay, ready?”
Jared nodded as he turned away as if he didn’t see it, it wouldn’t hurt as much. Shannon let out a deep breath and pressed the soaked paper into the cut. Jared yelped out in pain as it sizzled. He waved his finger, attempting to sooth the burn.
Shannon shushed the young boy, trying to calm him down. Soon, the boy stood, silent tears streaming down his face. Shannon pulled Jared into a tight embrace, rocking him back and forth in an attempt to calm his baby brother down.
“Shh, let’s get a band-aid on it then you can go read your letter, ‘kay?” Shannon said, rubbing the little boy’s arms.
“Okay,” sniffled Jared.
Shannon smiled and wrapped a Batman band-aid around the tip of Jared’s finger. “There! Good as new.”
“No,” muttered Jared.
Shannon raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”
Jared pouted and extended his finger, “Kiss it. Momma always kisses boo-boos to make it better.”
Shannon rolled his eyes but pecked the band-aid. “There. Happy?”
Jared giggled and wrapped his arms around Shannon’s neck, “Thank you Shan-Shan.”
Shannon smiled and hugged his baby brother, “You’re welcome Baby Jay, now go read that letter so I can do my math homework ‘kay?”
Jared’s nose scrunched at the word math, but smiled broadly before sprinting out of the bathroom. Shannon chuckled and shook his head before heading to his bedroom, where his chuckles died when he saw his next math problem.
Older Shannon and Jared
Shannon cursed loudly when the set-list paper sliced through the skin on his finger, the drummer using words that his mother would be scolding him for. Tomo peered up from his guitar and chuckled when he saw the so-called tough man waving his finger around. Jared glanced over his shoulder and witnessed the sight that his brother was. Telling the stage manager to work on the lights, Jared ventured over to his brother. “What’s your problem?” Jared mused as he watched Shannon suck on his finger.
“Fucking paper cut.” Shannon said around the digit.
Jared rolled his eyes and pulled the appendage from Shannon’s mouth. “Ew, you know Mom said not to suck on it,” muttered Jared, “Come on,” he said pulling Shannon along by the wrist.
Shannon grumbled but allowed his baby brother to tug him to the bus, the older man feeling slightly embarrassed. Jared led the drummer to the bathroom and sat him down on the toilet.
The blond singer opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed a familiar brown bottle. “Now, do I need to fight you or are you going to be a big boy and do it yourself?” Jared said with an eyebrow raised.
Shannon rolled his eyes but grabbed the bottle, “Don’t know why I need to clean it, it was the set-list that did this.”
“You have no idea what is on that paper in that venue,” ranted Jared, “And I’m not taking you to the hospital because you have some weird ass fungi growing out of your fucking finger.”
Shannon maturely stuck out his tongue at his baby brother as he dabbed the cut, “Its paper, not a piece of wood in a shit plant.”
Jared crossed his arms and held out a band-aid wordlessly. Shannon ripped the bandage out of Jared hand and wrapped it around his finger. Jared tossed the garbage into the wastebasket knowing Shannon wouldn’t leave it on the sink counter. Jared turned but stopped when he heard Shannon clear his throat. “Aren’t you gonna kiss it better,” mocked Shannon.
Jared rolled his eyes but took Shannon’s hand as if the drummer was a queen and gently pecked the band-aid. “There. I hope it heals.”
Shannon laughed and pulled Jared into a headlock, “You’re a fucking smartass Baby Jay.”
Jared pulled out of the lock and shoved Shannon, “I told you to stop calling me that Shan-Shan!” yelled Jared, the drummer already sprinting away.
Shannon laughed as he darted into the venue, Jared on his heels. And to this day, the Leto brothers owe Tomo a new guitar considering Jared’s foot snapped off the neck and Shannon lost three of his picks after throwing them at the singer.