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The sound of light sizzling overcame the kitchen, the sweet, distinct aroma of pancakes following soon after. Nicolaas turned his head at the faint pattering of footsteps entering the room, his face softening once he saw Jordie, his oldest son, enter with slightly bleary eyes. He was dressed for the day yet his clothes managed to be expertly rumpled, he was clearly not fully awake while putting them on.
“Mornin’ Jord” he said, his voice laced with amusement. “You know you could have slept in longer, I would've saved you some breakfast”
Jordie snorted, “Yeah you might have, but would Kazzie?”
Nicolaas paused at that, “...fair enough”
They grinned at each other, Jordie moving to the table in the centre of the room to collapse into the seat he always sat in, rather ungracefully dropping his head into his crossed arms on the surface. Nicolaas turned his attention back to the pancakes, panicking marginally as he realised the one he currently had on the stove was, in fact, burning.
He swiftly lifted it up and flipped it, he wasn’t surprised when it landed practically perfectly centre: if there was something he could consistently pride himself on it was his pancake flipping ability (though this may have stemmed from Kaz’s recent obsession with the food.. it was almost crucial for him to have the skill). Relief flooded him when he saw it was only lightly burnt around the edges, though he would take this one to save some likely complaints.
He fell into a rhythmic routine from there - put batter in the pan, flip when he deemed it fit (he was often right), and slide it onto the plate on the countertop beside him. He would get the occasional interjection from Jordie when a side looked faintly undercooked or a flip wasn’t as satisfying, but the Dad Look™ seemed to stop the quip as soon as it started.
“Jordie, liefde, can you go and get Kaz? I think he’s outside with Kaatje” Nicolaas asked after a few minutes had passed when the last pancake began cooking, the smell of it now more prevalent in the room. Jordie groaned in response at the prospect of getting up, but begrudgingly stood.
“‘m surprised he hasn’t already sniffed them out” he remarked as he sauntered out.
“Thank you” he called out to his son, chuckling quietly at his antics.
Jordie slipped on a dainty pair of his shoes that sat beside the back door, he should probably let his da know he needed new ones before they fell apart on a walk or something, he didn’t exactly want to take a chance with his luck.
He pulled on the handle of the back door - practically a window with the large screen of glass that filled half of it, sectioned into squares and slightly frosted - and hauled himself through it. He hummed minutely as he stepped outside onto the field that backed their farmhouse.
Spring had finally approached them, the air warming up to a respectable temperature where he could forgo wearing his coat, and the flowers had started to sprout up from the grass, splattering odd patches of colours around the area.
He trudged his way over to the horse stables, a smile pulling at his features as he did. If he strained his ears enough, he could make out the sweet voice of his eight-year-old brother coming from the stable closest to him. Kaatje’s stable Jordie thought fondly.
To him, Kaz was undoubtedly some kind of animal whisperer, any and all animals seemed to immediately take a liking to him, and he enthusiastically reciprocated that adoration.
He went to knock but hesitated, he instead opted for leaning up against the stable door to listen to his brother, smiling wider at the idle conversation he seemed to be making with his horse.
It was almost a year ago that their da had surprised them with their own horses, and Kaatje had quickly become one of Kaz’s favourite things - he loved her with his whole heart.
After a few more moments of listening, he shook his head and knocked on the stable door, not waiting for any response before opening it. He shouldered the heavy door open, it creaked with familiarity and age, he made a mental note to oil the hinges sometime soon.
The sight inside made his heart all but melt. His brother looked curiously at him for a moment before his face split into a wide grin as he realised who it was. He was sitting on the stiff floor, the hay that lay beside him disturbed, with Kaatje’s head situated comfortably in his lap.
“Jordie!” he exclaimed brightly, his fingers slowly carding through his horse’s mane.
“Hey Kazzie,” he replied, “you and Kaatje okay?”
Kaz returned his attention to her. “Yeah! I woke up early to see her”
“Aw, I’m sure she appreciates it a lot”
“I hope so!” Kaz said, his voice rising slightly in excitement at the idea.
Jordie let the next few moments lull in comfortable silence, but the pull of hunger he felt gripping his stomach rudely reminded him of the reason he came here. Before he could start the conversation in some awkward attempt at subtlety, Kaz had beaten him to it.
“Sooo.. why did you come out here?” he inquired with a raise of his eyebrow, a common way for Kaz to unintentionally show his feelings openly.
Jordie paused for a moment, bracing himself for the wrath of Kaz Rietveld being forced into something he didn’t want to do.
“You need to come inside, da made breakfast”
Kaz’s face fell.
“No.” he uttered, his features hardening.
“Kaz.”
“No.”
“You need to, da wants you inside and we all know you didn’t eat much for dinner last night.”
“So?”
“So.. you need to eat. It’s the weekend. Da’s going to want help around the farm, and you won’t do much if you’re hungry” Jordie tried. He waited for a reply, but none came.
His eyebrows knitted together, “Kaz?”
“...”
“Kaz?”
“...”
Jordie groaned at the second lack of reply.
“Stop ignoring me, you podge.” he remarked, though he knew he wasn’t going to get far: Kaz’s averted eyes and mind fully focused on Kaatje painted an undeniable picture of defiance.
He sighed in defeat, already wondering how he could manhandle Kaz into the house without hurting the horse, before stopping and mentally slapping himself for forgetting the obvious - the pancakes.
“Da made pancakes.”
Kaz stopped his hand that was brushing through Kaatje’s mane and seemed to perk up slightly, but still refused to meet Jordie’s eyes.
“How do I know you aren’t lyin’?” he asked after a few moments of thinking.
“You don’t.. but you’ll miss pancakes”
Jordie watched in amusement at the almost comedic amount of seriousness on his brother’s face. Jordie smirked wider as a thought entered his mind on how to win Kaz over.
“And..” he started, “..da went to the shop recently, and I’m certain he picked up a new bottle of chocolate sauce for the house.”
Kaz’s head flew up at that, the house had been without chocolate sauce for a few weeks now, and he seemed to be going through some weird, mopey withdrawals without his daily fix of far too much sugar.
“..He did?” he asked after a few seconds of silence, trying to mask obvious excitement.
“Yup.” he replied, his words dripping with confidence.
Honestly, he actually wasn’t sure. And he was silently praying to Ghezen that their da had actually picked up some. He could have sworn he’d seen some in the cupboards recently, but if his memory had failed him on this matter he was sure he’d never hear the end of it.
If there was one thing about Kaz, it was that he certainly knew how to hold a grudge, no matter how small. He was still given reminders for the time he accidentally used all the hot water for the shower in the depths of winter after working on the farm all day, despite it having happened almost two years ago.
Kaz seemed to contemplate this idea with all his being, his hand coming up to rest on his chin as his head cocked to the side, staring into the barn wall as though it wronged him by standing there.
Eventually, he sat up straighter.
“Fine.” he muttered, though still not looking entirely content about the situation.
“Good, da has probably expected us back by now”
Kaz droned bitterly, deflating as he slowly started nudging Kaatje off his lap. Her ears seemed to prick forward as if curious, attentive to the change in position. He watched quietly as Kaz comforted her through her alert.
“Shh, it’s okay. I’ll be back soon Kaaty” talking in a soft tone to ease her confusion. Jordie watched as the horse clambered up and nickered, turning away from Jordie as if putting the sole blame on him for their parting. He glared at her but said nothing else, directing his attention to Kaz.
His younger brother was still sitting with a pout on his face for a few moments, glancing up at Jordie with an unreadable expression in his eyes that always made him unnerved.
He sighed, rolling his eyes at the stubbornness eliciting from him.
“Alright” he said before stalking forward towards him. Kaz raised an eyebrow at him, eyes following his every move as he inched closer.
“What are you doing?” Kaz asked hesitantly, and Jordie smirked at the fear slowly rising in his voice.
“Getting you to breakfast, it’s probably cold by now.”
Kaz slowly backed away, shuffling himself across the floor.
“Go away! I can get up by myself, Jordie!”
“Hmm, no.” Jordie muttered, stopping as if to ponder the thought; pouncing onto Kaz a few seconds later.
Kaz shrieked as Jordie’s weight landed on top of him, flailing his limbs out in a futile yet desperate attempt at freedom. Though the scuffle was only short and Kaz posed an admirable fight, the moment Jordie had a hold on his legs it leant immediately in his favour.
He awkwardly lifted a, still flailing, Kaz into his arms as he stood up, hooking his arms underneath his knees and back. It likely also helped that Kaz was practically half his size. I should get going, he thought, da has probably expected us back by now.
“No! Put me down, Jordie!” Kaz shouted as he made his way out of the stable “I’ll tell da!”
Jordie only gripped him tighter as he laughed and peered down at the boy in his arms. The threat would perhaps hold more bite if their da wasn’t the gentlest person he knew, and if it wasn’t yelped by someone with a voice that adorned a lisp from a lack of two front teeth.
“Dude, what’s da going to do?”
Whatever Kaz was going to remark, the words seemed to die in his throat, giving up this battle. His body flooded with affection as he felt Kaz stop fighting and lean into him more, tucking his head against his shoulder.
The rest of the walk was laden with a homely silence, apart from when he had to ask for Kaz’s help to open the back door, which earned him a smack to the shoulder and a groan.
He let Kaz down when they entered the house to allow him to take off his shoes, much to his chagrin. He and Kaz stood in a small break from antics that Jordie thought might last, until he was brutally pushed off balance by a wickedly grinning Kaz, falling heavily into the wall behind him.
“I’m getting the first one!” he exclaimed before darting off in the direction of the kitchen.
“Hey!” he shouted back.
Everyone in the house knew the most recent pancake was the best one, it was the warmest of the stack and somehow always tasted the best. And swear to Ghezen he wasn’t about to let Kaz steal it.
Nicolaas was standing in the kitchen beside his dining table, which was currently laid out with three plates and a large stack of warm pancakes on a fourth plate in the centre of the table.
He frowned down at them, wondering idly where his children were, he knew getting Kaz away from Kaatje would be difficult but he didn’t expect it to take as long as it had been.
Just as he was about to consider going out himself to peel his youngest away from the stables and into the house, he heard the unmistakable sound of his shouting and complaining permeating from the field.
He chuckled lightly, listening as the complaints eventually got quiet and the faint sound of footsteps from outside crept subtly louder.
He sat down in his seat and waited for them, shifting uncomfortably as the stiff wood of the chair dug faintly into his back. He was sure it was adding to his already much-too-present back pain.
Nicolaas raised an eyebrow at the thump he heard from the next room over, his head snapping up at the exclamation of “I’m getting the first one!” that followed. He lowered his head into his hands, elbows resting on the table. ‘So much for a peaceful breakfast’ he thought. Their mornings were typically slow, peaceful, and uneventful, but it seemed like both of his boys were energetic today.
There were a few more moments of easeful silence; then it was rather rudely interrupted by two boys barrelling into the room in quick succession of each other.
He watched in a kaleidoscope of admiration and fear as they didn’t immediately sit down, but rather continue to push and shove at each other ruthlessly past the table and to the sink.
He slowly averted his eyes back to the table, almost unsure of what to think, at least he’d taught them good hygiene even in the face of competition?
“Slow down you two,” he said sternly “we don’t need any injuries this morning.”
The tussle didn’t entirely cease, but there was considerably less noise coming from the side of him. In quick succession, he heard the tell-tale squeal of the tap turning on and he could make out the sound of the soap being silently fought over, a wave of dread coursing through him as he could envision the mess of water on his countertops.
He had half a mind to take the pancake for himself, but he wanted to see how this would play out.
Kaz’s chest heaved as he panted. His shoulder seemed to be a consistent force against Jordie’s even against his da’s complaints for them to tone down the fight. Humiliatingly, he had to use a stepstool to reach the sink, but it did give him the advantage of blocking the sink with his body to avoid Jordie using it.
The moment he saw the last bubble on his hands disappear as if it were a shadow in the shade, he leapt off the stool and to a nearby cupboard where a hand towel hung on the handle. Exhilaration and fear flooded his body as he realised he could feel Jordie’s presence close behind him.
As soon as it was within reach, he snatched the towel and hugged it close to him, making a point to face away from Jordie with it in his arms.
The act didn’t seem to make Jordie falter or hinder in the slightest. Jordie’s arms snaked around him and he could feel the fight taking a more physical turn once again.
He was psyching himself up for a brawl - the pancake would be worth the bruises he’d come out with. He moved one hand to where Jordie’s were clasped tightly around him, steeling himself as Jordie gripped him tighter and-
“Jordie.” a stern voice interjected.
That made them both freeze, immediate regret caressing their beings as they looked sideways at the source of the sound.
The silence in the room was almost deafening, the only thing breaking it for a few moments was Jordie’s nervous swallow behind him. Kaz understood why he was so tense, their da never often used that voice against them.
Kaz was just glad that they weren’t in enough trouble for his da to use Jordie’s full name. That was reserved for times of deep trouble, he could count the amount of times it had been used on one hand - the name Jordan was not used commonly in their household.
They met the face of their da, he was never quite able to master a glare but the minute downturn of his features was enough to make them feel disappointed.
“‘m sorry da.” Jordie uttered, releasing Kaz and starting to fiddle with his hands instead.
“Me too!” Kaz added, casting him an apologetic look and standing up straighter.
He watched as their da’s eyes flickered between them both before he sighed, a soft smile playing on his face.
“C’mon, sit down and be nice to each other. You know I can’t be mad at you two, but listen to me when I tell you to tone it down.” he said, picking up his coffee and taking a large mouthful.
Kaz wondered vaguely if it hurt, there still seemed to be a considerable amount of steam rising from the cup.
He shrugged the thought off and quickly finished drying what was left of the dampness of his hands. He passed the towel to Jordie, receiving a weighted stare in return from his older brother.
He would have given him a look back, but his da was able to see his face from this angle, and he didn’t fancy getting himself scolded once more. So he settled for the mental confirmation that he would somehow get Jordie back when working on the farm later.
They both sauntered to their seats after Jordie had hung the towel back on the handle, the two of which were opposite their da.
The smell of pancakes was much stronger now, and his mouth watered as there was, in fact, a brand new bottle of chocolate sauce there ready for him to open. He subtly inched the bottle closer to him, it was as if it was calling out his name.
He eyed the top of the pancake stack, unsure of whether it would be rude of him to grab it or not.
“You take it, Kazzie.” Jordie said to his right. Kaz turned to him with his eyebrows raised.
“You sure?”
“Yea, pretty sure I had the top one last time anyway”
Kaz shot him a toothy grin, wasting no time in snatching the top pancake and lathering chocolate sauce on top of it. Their da chuckled in response.
“Really, Kaz?” he asked jovially.
“That’s literally chocolate with a side of pancake.” Jordie giggled, reaching for his own.
Kaz's face morphed into one of downright seriousness (or, as much as his eight-year-old face could muster).
“Of course,” he stated with a confident nod “it should be the only way to eat them.”
“I’m not sure my blood sugar could take that.” his da replied, casting a look down at Kaz's plate.
“Uhm…” Kaz faltered, contemplating what to say, “...sorry?”
For whatever reason, his da and Jordie both laughed at that.
He wasn’t sure what he said was funny, but he didn’t dwell on it. Not with his chocolate pancakes in front of him.
He watched as Jordie and his da started reaching for their own toppings and smiled. They were, in his mind, bland and inferior to chocolate sauce.
Jordie idly started a conversation about replacing his shoes while cutting up his pancake, which he intently listened to, mirroring Jordie actions, thinking of his own battered pair that would probably need replacing soon as well.
Throughout being occupied with his brother’s words, he missed his da’s fond look between them both and the proud expression that settled on his face afterwards.