Two

                                    

                                          
Sally woke up groggy and sore, her pride chafed. Yes, she was sorry. But she so hated being wrong. And spankings. They were the worst. Reuben's the worst, she grumbled noncommittally.
It's not that she was resentful, no. Not in that instance at the least. She was just grumbling. Her bum throbbed, her throat ached and her eyes were groggy from all the crying. Moreover, there were fences to mend, tempers to placate. She hoped Rowland wasn't still angry with her. Though she doubted he'd be. When it came to her, he was quick to forgive, she knew.
What she really didn't want to acknowledge, was that she'd been a right brat, scared her brothers shitless and probably hurt her brothers' feelings with her outburst downstairs. Hence why she stared through her window lamenting her brother's horribleness.
***
Downstairs, Rowland worried his bottom lip as he tried to work. He wanted to concentrate, he did. It was a rare occasion where he had someone around to help cook while he got work done but he couldn't quite concentrate.
Things with Sally felt... unfinished. He wasn't used to letting other people deal with her. Nor, was he used to letting a long time lapse before settling things between them. Any moment she'd come downstairs and he didn't know what kind of mood she'd be in post spanking. If he'd been the one punishing her, he'd have known.
He'd peeped in a little bit after Reuben came to pester him but she was dead asleep. He rubbed the aloe on her sore bottie, kissed her and went back downstairs.
"She's fine, Row. She'll be down in a minute," Reuben said from the stove.
"I know. I'm just not used to the waiting."
"Could've spanked her yourself." Reuben shrugged unhelpfully.
Rowland glared at him through squinted eyes. Fucking twat!
He harrumphed indignantly and went back to typing on his laptop, this time with much more heavier hand than was necessary.
Reuben smirked smugly and went back to his cooking.
It wasn't long before a door was heard opening followed by creaky footsteps down the staircase.
"Um... hey," Sally shied, playing with the hem of her shirt.
"Hey," Reuben replied, gruffly. He wasn't angry, no. Still, there's was a serious discussion to be had and he didn't want to coddle her just yet.
Rowland, had no such compunction.
"Hey, sweetheart. Come, sit with me." He made space for her.
At the stove, Reuben rolled his eyes. It was, such a Rowland move.
Sally ambled her way to Rowland and made herself comfortable on his lap. There's no way she was sitting on her sore bottom! She relaxed in the embrace, leaning her head on Rowland's shoulder. "I'm sorry about today," she mumbled softly.
Rowland kissed her hair and soothed her back. "Shh, we'll talk about it when Rue's done with dinner." She nodded and enjoyed her brother's warmth.
Rowland went back to his work, doing it as best as he could with one hand. He was glad she was pliable and repentant. It'd make their talk so much easier.
When Reuben was done, he sat at the table resolutely, regarding Sally. She started getting nervous. Were they not done? Wasn't it time for apologies and long cuddles?
Finally, he spoke. "Little love..." Ah! So he isn't angry afterall. Little love was her special nickname, never used to scold. It deferred sometimes; little love, little lady, little thing, all terms of endearment that held her in a special regard. So, she knew a scolding wasn't eminent, but a talk was.