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Malcolm sat cross-legged with his hands folded in his lap and a pout on his face, facing the corner in the living room. His cheeks were stained with tears, and his nose was stuffed up from all his crying a few minutes ago.
Today was supposed to be a good day–a fun day! But instead, it was probably the worst day of his entire life.
Last week when Gil told Malcolm that Dani would be coming over today to play for a few hours while JT and Tally went out for a Valentine's Day dinner, Malcolm had been over the moon. Malcolm loved having playdates with Dani! They always came up the most fun games together and always built the best pillow forts. Malcolm had been so excited for today. That excitement gradually lessened, however, after Dani's arrival earlier this evening.
After JT had dropped her off, Dani wasn't acting like her usual self. She was really quiet, almost shy. While Dani could be quiet and reserved in her little headspace, she was also very excitable and bubbly when she was around the people she was comfortable with. She was always smiling and practically bouncing on her toes when she came over to play, not shy and clinging to her caregiver's coat like she had been this morning. It didn't click for Malcolm why this playdate was so different from the countless other ones they've had until JT and Tally walked out the door and Dani started to cry.
Every time they've had a playdate in the past, JT had always been present. This was the first time he wouldn't be. Malcolm could more than understand being sad or scared about being away from your caregiver. It was hard for any little girl or boy to handle. He was the same way about his papa. So, when Gil immediately swooped in to comfort her, Malcolm saw nothing wrong with that. JT or Tally would have done the same if the roles were reversed without a second thought.
However, when Dani refused to let Gil go even after she stopped crying, that's when jealously and anger started building up inside of Malcolm.
When they played with their Barbies and action figures before dinner, she didn't move the entire time from where she'd been huddled against Gil's side. When they ate dinner, she sat in Gil's lap the whole time and got fed by him. Gil even brushed her teeth for her afterwards, even though Malcolm knew they were both old enough tonight to do it themselves. It was like she was trying to steal his papa from him by taking all his attention for herself! Malcolm had refused to stand for that. Gil was his papa, not Dani's.
So, after Gil had dressed them both in their jammies and they were sat on the couch getting ready to watch Hotel Transylvania, and Dani moved to sit in Gil's lap again, Malcolm pushed her off and claimed his papa's lap for himself. He'd ended up putting a little too much force behind the push, however, and Dani ended up tumbling off the couch entirely. When she bursted into tears, all of the anger and jealously Malcolm had been feeling up until that point instantly evaporated and turned to guilt. He hadn't wanted to hurt her in any way; he'd just wanted to get her away from his papa.
Speaking of his papa, he'd been very upset with him for pushing Dani. After he picked Dani up off the floor, he sternly told Malcolm to go find a corner to sit in and not to move until Gil said so. Malcolm hadn't even protested, he just threw his bunny-lovey onto the couch and got up and walked himself to a corner and plopped down. He was crying before he even made it halfway across the room.
Malcolm didn't know how long he'd sat in timeout for, but once he had eventually stopped crying, he realized he could no longer hear Dani's own cries.
She probably hated him now though, he thought to himself. His papa probably hated him now, too. Maybe he wanted to be Dani's papa now because of how mean and bad Malcolm had been.
Malcolm's chin began to wobble as his eyes welled up with tears again. Then suddenly, there was a familiar warm hand on the back of his neck. When he turned his head to behind him and saw Gil looking down at him, he instantly broke into tears once more.
"I-I-I'm s-sorry, pa–hah–pa! I-I know I w-was me–heh–an a-an' bad! Pl-please don' st-stop b-bein' my p-papaaaa!" Malcolm wailed, turning all the way around before throwing himself at his papa and wrapping his arms around his waist.
"Whoa, whoa–what're you talking about, Mal? Come here, c'mere."
Papa lifted him off the floor and into his arms. Malcolm immediately latched onto him, curling his hands into the back of the man's shirt and winding his legs around his waist. He felt his papa start to rub and pat his back as he began to walk around the living room.
"Malcolm, baby. I need you to listen to me, okay? Can you listen to papa, please?"
Malcolm managed to jerk his head in a nod, doing his best to choke back his sobs just enough to listen to his papa speak.
"You were mean to Dani, yes–" Malcolm emitted low keening noise that turned into a strangled sob, prompting Gil to gentle shush and bounce him–"and very naughty. Not bad. Pushing her was very mean and naughty, but you aren't bad, muffin. And I most certainly do still want to be your papa. No amount of naughty behavior could ever make me stop being your papa. You hear me?"
"B-bu' could'a h-hur'ded Da-Da'ni."
"Yes, pushing her could have hurt her, you're right. But luckily, you didn't, and you realize now that it was very naughty and mean to do. Can you tell me what you could've done to express your feelings instead of pushing her?"
"U-um... t-talked 'bout 'em?"
"Yes, exactly. You could have talked to me about how you were feeling instead of taking out those feelings on your friend."
"I w-wasn' tryin' t'h-hur'd her. J-jus' was m-mad an' scared 'bout her tryin' take you 'way from m-me. Y-your m-m-my papa."
"Oh, little bear, no. Of course, I'm your papa. I'm only her Uncle Gil and she's my niece. She wasn't trying to take me away from you. She was just a little sad and anxious today without JT here, so she needed a little extra care and attention. I'm really sorry if it seemed like I was ignoring you in any way, though. That was not my intention at all, baby. I'm your papa and your papa only."
"O-oh." Malcolm swallowed hard and hiccupped, sobs slowing down. "Sh-she pr'olly hates me an' d-doesn' wanna be m-my friend no m-more."
"No, no, little bear. She doesn't hate you. Her feelings are hurt because she doesn't understand why you got so mad at her, but I promise she doesn't hate you."
"She st-still want t'be my f-friend?"
"Of course, she does, sweetheart. You ready to talk and apologize to her?"
"Um, y-yes, please," Malcolm murmured, lifting an arm up to scrub across his eyes.
Gil looked at him with an approving smile, pressing a kiss to his forehead before carrying him back over to the couch.
Dani was sat with her knees pressed to her chest and her blankie folded in her arms on top of them. She peered up from where she'd been staring down at the brown cushions when Malcolm was deposited right next to her, eyes brightening when she first saw him, before then just as quickly flickering away and dimming with sadness again. Malcolm hated that he was reason for that.
"Dani, um... m'really, really sorry I pushed you. Wasn' tryin' t'hur'd you. Was just really mad an' scared 'cause I thought you was tryin' t'steal my papa away. But s-still, I shouldn't a pushed you. I was a big meanie an' very naughty."
She looked back up at him, more confusion than sadness in her eyes now. "You thought I was tryin' t'steal Uncle Gil away from you? I would never do that! You're my best friend, an' best friends don't do that. An' b'sides, I gots J an' Tally. I don't need a papa." She shook her head for emphasis.
"I know. Well, now I know. M'real sorry, Dani. You forgive me?"
"Course I forgive you, Mally. M'sorry, too. For makin' you think I was tryin' t'steal Uncle Gil."
Malcolm shook his head. "S'okay. You don't gotta be sorry. It okay to hug you?"
Dani rapidly nodded her head and opened her arms, a smile creeping onto her face.
Malcolm didn't hesitate to shuffle closer and wrap her in a big hug. He nuzzled his cheek against her shoulder and exhaled a shaky, relieved sigh.
"Love you, Dani."
"Love you too, Mally," she softly responded, voice muffled slightly by his shoulder.