Chapter Text
"Not bad." You grab a towel, rubbing it through your hair and wiping it across your sweat drenched forehead. "Maybe you'll beat me one day." You grin at your brother, tossing Dave your used towel.
Dave grunts, snagging the cloth out of the air. "As if I'd wipe my pristine body with the remains of a rag disgraced by your body oils." He flings it back, instead tugging off his shirt and using the dry part to dab at himself.
You snort. "Pussy." You sling the towel around your neck and eye his lean torso. "Since when did you have a burn on your right pec?" You walk over and flick the small circular cigarette burn.
Hissing, Dave bats your finger away. "Stop that. I got it last night. It still fuckin' hurts."
Your narrow your eyes. "Who gave it to you?" You demand, hardly even a question.
"Why do you care? It's none of your business. I'm 19, and I can do whatever the fuck I want. Stop treating me like your damn kid brother."
"I am older than you."
"By two fuckin' years. Big deal." You could sense more than see Dave roll his eyes behind his shades.
"That still makes me the responsible one. When Dad went off to the war he left me in charge." You set a hand on your brother's shoulder, squeezing none too kindly. Dave shrugs it off.
"Whatever, dumbass. You're just making that up. And I know you don't believe that bullshit about Dad and the war. He just deserted us for whores and drugs, and you know it as well as me."
Your grab Dave by the base of his throat, feeling a familiar anger start to burn in your gut. "Don't
ever
say that again." You snarl. You will never stop believing in your dad. You'll fall apart if you do.
"I lost my faith in Dad years ago." Dave snaps, shoving you violently.
You release him, taking a step away and clenching your fists tightly, your leather gloves creaking quietly. "Well fuck if all you have left is me. You have to deal with it and my shit. So fuckin' sorry that I'm not the fuckin' perfect person to support you." You grind out angrily.
Dave stares at your silently, and you watch as all the fight leaves his body. Dave sighs, turning his head to stare out over the cityscape of Dallas. "I know." He says, barely audible.
You feel you tensed muscles unwind, and you're ashamed for exploding at your only companion. "Look, Dave… I know I'm not the best brother, but I try to be here for you. I guess I can get a bit possessive; you're all I got." You shrug. "And I intend to take care of what's mine."
Stiffening, Dave turns to face you once more, his face flushed. "I am not
yours
. I'm your
brother
not your
lover
."
"Shit. Damnit you know what I meant." You clear your throat, feeling sweat dripping down your neck. You blame it on the hot afternoon sun. "Let's just go inside and clean up, okay?" You rub your temples.
Dave's stance remains tense. "Fine. Whatever." He snatches his sword up from the ledge and storms into your apartment, slamming the door behind him.
Closing your eyes, you turn and sit, swinging your legs over the edge of the apartment complex. You pick up your katana, laying it across your legs and idly running your fingers over the edge of the blade. "What am I going to do about this?" You mumble. "I really am being possessive of Dave like I would a lover."
You rest your chin in your hands and turn your mind to the past. When your dad had said he was leaving, you'd been so angry at him. Your mom had died giving birth to Dave, and so if he left you'd be alone. You Dad had promised he'd come back for you one day, but that you had to swear to take care of Dave. He'd said that Dave was weaker and needed someone strong like you to be by his side. You'd said that the next year when you turned 18 you were going to sign up for the military and come find him, Dave be damned. He was furious. He said that Dave was your number one priority and that if you went to look for him he would never come home. Grudgingly, you agreed, and when you left the room you found Dave staring at you hatefully. He told you he'd heard everything and that if he was such a bother to you and Dad he might as well kill himself. You'd shrugged and walked off. The next day, Dave ended up in the hospital for overdosing on drugs. You were so scared. You didn't think he'd been serious. You made an oath to yourself to always protect him because he suddenly meant so much more to you after you almost him. He would be your most important person. And he always has been. You'd put your world on hold to take care of him. You'd dropped out of high school to get a job while Dave finished, and after he graduated he got a job too, though you still pull most of his weight. You don't mind though. The four years you've had alone with him have been hard, but he's been there for you just as much as you've been there for him. Even if you both acted like you didn't give a damn about the other, there was an unspoken agreement between the two of you to watch each other's backs. Not saying you guys never fought, 'cause sure as hell you strifed all the damn time. But that was okay.
Another half-hour passes as you stew in your thoughts before you finally go inside, walking down the stairs and into the hallway. To your left you could hear Dave watching T.V. in the living room, so you head to the right into the bathroom. After an unusually short shower (only 45 minutes), you tug a towel around your waist and amble to the kitchen for a coke. Half way there you realize you left your shades in the bathroom, but you decide it's too much effort to go back and get them.
"Bro, could you at least grace me with gift of wearing clothes as to save my poor virgin eyes?" Dave drawls from the futon, absently flipping through channels.
"I can do what I please." You retort, popping the top of the can and taking a swig. "And you're full of bullshit."
"Why do you have to be such a dick?"
"Why do you have to be such an ungrateful brat? You should mind your elders."
Dave scoffs and gets to his feet, tossing the remote on the couch and brushing past you to the fridge. Expertly, he opens it and catches the swords with one hand, pulling out a bottle apple juice with the other before thrusting the swords back and slamming the fridge shut. He casually returns to his perch on the futon. "I guess you're too
elderly
to put on your clothes by yourself. Do you need you dear younger brother to help you?" He coos scornfully.
"Why yes, actually that sounds like a wonderful offer. Why don't you do just that?"
Dave freezes.
"Ha ha, woops." You give him a shit-eating grin. "Didn't expect me to take you up on that, now did you?" You knew Dave couldn't back down now without losing. God you love fucking with him. And by that you mean his head. Fucking with his head, that is.
With an indifferent shrug, Dave stands. "What are you waiting for?" He saunters off down the hall to your room. Chuckling, you follow.
When you enter your room, Dave has a box in his arms, and a dead-panned face.
You hesitate. "What's that?" You wonder what he's up to now.
"Just some stuff I picked up from some people that have spent the night and forgotten a few things." He whips out a thong and a bra, followed by a pair of booty shorts and a spaghetti top.
"Ahahaha. No." Your cross your arms, not amused. "And when have chicks been crashing at our flat?"
Dave smirks. "They haven't."
"Shit, you're telling me that you have your boyfriends dress like chicks? Isn't that kinda against the point?"
"They have dicks and chicks don't. I can't help if I like seeing them in nice things."
"Another reason I'm not wearing those." You'd be damned before you put on shit he and his boyfriends had come all over.
"You told me I had to dress you, old man. And I plan to do exactly that." Dave advances on you.
"No." You glare at him, giving him the full power of your orange eyes. He isn't fazed.
"And look, you've saved me the trouble of trying to force you out of your boring regular clothes." Dave slips his finger into the edge of the towel encircling your hips. You smack his hand and he withdraws. "Aw, you're going to make me do this the hard way, aren't you?"
You sigh, fed up with this idiocy. "Dave, get out of my room so I can change." You turn your back and head for your closet. A weight crashes into your back, pinning you to the ground. "Hey! Get the fuck off of me!" You were going to castrate him.
Dave flips your around and sits on your chest, pinning your arms with his knees. "Not until you let me dress you."
"Fuck off." You try to twist out from under him, but he won't be budged. "If you don't let me up this instance you're grounded for a week!"
Dave laughs. "Bro, that worked when I was like, 10 and thought you were God or some shit." He leans over you, leering.
Rolling your eyes, you arch your back and fling your legs forward so that they wrap around Dave's neck, hauling him backwards.
"Uungh!" Dave is smashed against the floor, your legs locked around his throat. You swivel before Dave can recover and pin him down with your body, your hands trapping Dave's over his head.
"Now then. I think we can come up with a separate arrangement where
I
dress
you
." You grin. This fucker was going to pay.
Dave's face is flushed and he twists his head so he is looking up and away from you.
"Uuhh, bro, your towel fell off."
"Huh?"