Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/482355.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Homestuck
  Relationship:
      Bro/John_Egbert, Bro/Lil_Cal
  Character:
      John_Egbert, Dave_Strider, Bro_|_Dirk_Strider
  Additional Tags:
      Age_Difference, dub-con, Bullying, Protection, 69_(Sex_Position),
      Rimming, Oral_Sex, Blow_Jobs, brotherly_striders
  Stats:
      Published: 2012-08-10 Completed: 2012-09-06 Chapters: 8/8 Words: 22455
****** Men Seeking Men Classifieds on Craigslist ******
by orphan_account
Summary
     Dave comes home late with a new-found bully problem, just as Bro
     finds an ad online posted by a 14-year-old boy looking for someone
     with a "big build" who doesn't mind "getting rough."
     Turns out the ad wasn't posted by a kid bound to be a sex icon, but a
     brat getting bullied who has no idea what "M4M" actually implies.
     Bro agrees to risk going to jail to take care of the kid's bullies,
     thinking Dave was the one who made the posting. Instead he finds out
     it's another kid all together, and he's left feeling more than a
     little cheated when the kid can't even turn up some payment for Bro's
     trouble.
***** Chapter 1 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
 Sometimes he felt like reading Craigslist destroyed the entire concept of
“self respect.”
Who knew who half of these people were or how reliable they were. They could be
murderers or rapists or scam artists. But he found it funny. The desperation of
the people who were sincere was humorous.
            Casually glancing through the “m4m” tag had become somewhat of a
hobby for Bro. At first he tried serious dating through the site, but that
became pointless. The first guy was at least 10 years older than the age he
said he was. The second, 10 years younger. The third, strangely enough he kept
in touch with. After a dinner date he decided to be friends with the guy and
now he was where Bro got his weed.
            Speaking of him, Bro figured he should probably text him soon. He
was starting to run low on his supply. It’s not like he lit up much, but it was
nice to have as a back-up plan after a particularly rough day raising a kid and
running an internet business. He turned away from the men seeking men and
picked up his phone to check the time. 4:23.
            Dave was late from school.
            He minimized the Craigslist page back into Complete Bullshit,
pleased by the way it began vibrating along with all the rest of his sites, and
Dave’s. He had been meaning to exit out of some things, but it was just way too
handy to have it all open all the time. Especially to monitor sales and
research for his puppet sites. Most of the thousands of dollars he made mostly
went to upgrading all his systems and paying his completely unill electricity
bills. But he still had enough to get some basic furniture (Ok, cinderblocks
and wooden slabs) and gifts for Dave.
            Meeting ends wasn’t something he never had to think about, but it
really wasn’t something he had to worry about, either. Which seemed fine to
both the Striders despite how crummy the place looked once you got passed the
sicknasty electronics crowding up all their wallspace. Bro didn’t even have his
own bedroom. Not that he really cared. What the fuck did he have to keep
private? Him and Dave were plenty tight. Dave knew the password to his
computer, and Bro knew Dave knew. Bro was his older brother and brothers don’t
have to keep secrets.
            Which is exactly why the moment Dave waltzed through the door, Bro
was on his ass like Oscar on Big Bird. His head was down a bit. He was guilty
of something. Backpack slung over only one shoulder, his eyes as hidden as they
always were like Bro taught him. Dave tried to walk right passed his brother
like he usually did, but with arms across his chest, Bro didn’t let that happen
at all.
            “You’re late,” he said flatly. An unasked question expecting an
answer. He tried to play up being intimidating, if only for the parental
effect. In actuality Bro was just worried. But he knew Dave and he knew Dave
wasn’t likely to talk unless something was bullied out of him. At least, that’s
what Bro thought. He could very well be wrong. It’s not like it was the first
time he had made a bad parenting decision. If this didn’t go well, he’d play up
the strategy.
            It’s not like Dave just seemed annoyed at something. He actually
looked upset. Though Bro couldn’t tell exactly what kind of upset he was. That
warranted a more serious approach. But only if this approach didn’t work for
him.
            “I know I am,” Dave finally responded, his voice small. He kept his
head down, sidestepping to avoid Bro again. He let his little brother take a
few steps before flash stepping right in his path again. No way was Bro giving
up that easily. Not this soon. He may have tried to be a cool parent, but he
was still a parent. Or “guardian” as schools liked to say.
            “Why.”
            “Because I got detention.”
            This time when Dave stepped past, Bro let him go. Dave got
detention?  What the fuck could he have done? Or what could have happened to
have upset him so much? Bro knew better than to assume this was a “Damn I got
caught doing something awesome” type of reaction. This was a “Fuck I feel like
shit” type of reaction. That worried Bro a lot.
            He probably would have handled it better if Dave was lying. If he
didn’t actually get detention, he was just fooling around with some girl in the
forest after school let out and lost track of time. Ashamed of giving into
temptation because Striders don’t do that. But why would he feel the need to
lie? Dave didn’t lie about anything. Dave didn’t have to lie about anything. If
Bro knew he was getting some they would have high fived. That left detention
being the only other thing he could think up.
            But even still, the question came down to why he was in there.
 
            That night at dinner an awkward heaviness hung in the air. Bro
watched his little brother from behind his shades. Dave unenthusiastically
prodded at his food with the prongs of his fork, once in a while sliding a bite
of it into his mouth and reluctantly chewing. Bro’s worry was bubbling up this
time, putting pressure on his throat. Say something, say something.
But what could Bro say? He wasn’t a counselor. He very rarely tried the big
tough loving dad routine because he thought he was shit at it. He preferred to
use it as a last resort. There was a middle step between bullying-confrontation
and talking shit out bro to bro. And that was strifing until Dave didn’t give a
shit about his issue anymore.
            Of course they couldn’t have a sword fight at the table. A hash map
rap battle would do for now. While he was sure Dave’s attention was elsewhere,
he captalogued his knife.  It moved out of his hand, and he cleared his throat
to drop his rhymes.
            “So, Junior’s lookin’ shitty, hell if you ain’t demagogic. Don’t
take a genius to know there’s a problem- simple logic.”
            Dave looked up from his plate, recognizing the rhythm in his
brother’s words and knowing the impending doom that would bear down from it. He
was already preparing himself, sitting back in his chair and pressing his palms
into the edge of the table. It made Bro smirk. As if Dave could actually get
out of this.
            “So you’re gonna tell me what’s up, and you’re gonna tell me why.
And fuck your smart-ass responses, I can already find the goddamn sky.”
            The knife flung from Bro’s sylladex. Dave was up from his seat in a
second, knocking the chair to the floor as he dodged. The blade pierced the
wall behind him, staying suspended in the drywall with a noisy sprong. Dave
didn’t fight back. He stayed silent. Just stood beside the table and stared at
his half eaten dinner. Okay, clearly a rap battle wasn’t what he needed. Bro’s
worry was on red alert now. It really was time to bring out the big guns. He
thought hard over what loving gesture to put forward, deciding just to turn his
body slightly to face Dave and resting an elbow on the table.
            “Come on, Dave. Tell me what’s wrong.” There was a long pause. He
chewed on his bottom lip as he mulled over a response. Was he thinking up
another lie? Was he trying to work the courage to tell the truth? Bro didn’t
know what to think. He’d faced this Dave before, but not since he was a tyke.
Now he was a high school student. Any number of things could go wrong.
            Was he acting out over something? Was he scared of a dude he found
himself crushing on? Was he actually a she his entire life and just now getting
to the point he had to say something? Was he failing a class? Worried about
puberty? Bro had read book upon book and article after article with forums on
top of forums in between to try and be as good of a parent as he could be. He
was prepared for this. He could do this.
            “I got in a fight, okay,” Dave admitted. He had stuffed his hands
defensively away in his pockets. The frown was heavy set on his face. It was
the kind of frown that weighed on his dimples as he tried to fight off that
hurt feeling in his gut.
            Damn. That really was not cool. Dave getting bullied? For what? He
was way too cool of a kid for that shit. And all the articles about bullying he
had read came down to “telling an adult.” Which Dave just did. Okay, that’s
step one… So what did the adult do?
            “What happened?” Might as well get some details. What could these
kids possibly have against Dave Strider? They’d have to be insane. Or at least
creepily deranged. They had to be. Whatever it was, Bro could probably combat
it once he knew. Tell these guys off and tell Dave exactly how to handle them.
            “I don’t want to talk about it, alright.” Dave heaved a sigh,
scratching the top of his head. “If it happens again I’ll tell you. I promise.”
            Bro couldn’t really ask for much more than that at this point. He
couldn’t push Dave farther than he wanted to go. Kids had to come to you.
That’s how it always was. It pissed him off a little bit, if only because why
the fuck was his little brother getting bullied, but he inhale slowly and sat
back forward at the table. His head ducked down, trying to give Dave the type
of shun that would help him get back up on his independence. The type that sort
of said…
            “Alright. I respect you kid.”
            There was a long pause as Dave stared at the knife in the wall. He
finally sat back down, picking at his food again. Just a few more bites were
downed before he sat back in his seat. He started picking at his nails, every
once in a while letting out a painful seethe. Did he have any cuts from his
fight? Did he… Oh, fuck.
            “You didn’t pull a weapon on him right?”
            That was actually a big fucking deal. That was the kind of deal
that would get Dave taken away kind of deal. If the government knew Dave was
brought up around weaponry and porn? Hell yeah Bro would be in trouble. But Bro
taught his brother better than that, right? Dave knew not to pull a blade on
someone unarmed. Especially not at school. He knew. That was lesson number one
that Bro had been drilling since they started sword fighting when he was just a
fucking toddler.
Thankfully when Dave looked up, he was looking at Bro as though he was an
idiot. But of course he did. What kind of distrust did Bro just show there? No
wonder Dave was offended.
            “Of course I fucking didn’t. I know the rules.”
            But Bro wasn’t going to apologize. He never apologized.
            “Good.”
            Bro stood up from the table, picking up his and Dave’s plates and
tossing them in the sink. He wasn’t mad. Of course he was a little worried, but
not mad. Dave could handle himself, right? Bullies were for character building
and Dave had plenty of self defense knowledge that he would be just fine. Dave
had a great self esteem. Bro was building it for years. He was fine. Bro was
worrying for nothing. Right?
            “I’m going to bed,” Dave grumbled, not bothering to give a good
night before disappearing down the hall. It made Bro sigh. He paused in front
of the sink, listening closely to the footsteps and the heavy slam of Dave’s
door. He really offended the kid, didn’t he? Whoops. Flipping off the kitchen
light, Bro moved back over into the living room.
            He didn’t bother lowering the futon before throwing himself on it,
propping his legs up on the arm rest and turning on the television. It felt
like he spent hours channel surfing. His thumb kept clicking but no stories
picked up his interest. He was just way too distracted. Soaps, reality
television, old movies, kid shows, porn… It all flashed by him but did nothing.
The sky outside the apartment window just got darker and darker. He was wasting
too much time doing absolutely nothing. Not that he had much left to do tonight
anyway.
  He gave up after passing the same Friends rerun for a third time, tossing the
remote to the floor and looking back at the ceiling. This Dave thing was
occupying his entire headspace. He needed something a bit more active to take
his mind off it. All of his website work was finished hours ago, so he would
have to get creative.
            The Xbox was one option, but Bro hated wasting time on games when
he didn’t have any articles to write. Otherwise he’d just get bored and games
would be a chore instead of a treat. He bent his head back to look back at his
computer. The screen was dark, but he knew it was still turned on by the quiet
hum of the tower.
            He kicked off his shoes before sitting up and moving over to his
desk, flopping down into the seat with a thunk and jiggling the mouse. The
screen illuminated and he punched in his password. lilcal. What an awesome
password. Coolest thing it could possibly be. He glanced over where Cal was
still propped up on  his speaker. He took a moment to grab the puppet’s leg,
pulling him and resting him firmly in his lap. High enough that Cal could see
the computer screen, of course.
  Complete Bullshit was still maximized, and he began mousing over all the
different tabs. He read the titles out loud to Cal, making sure to censor
himself. He mulled and made comments as he went, giving his pal A+ commentary.
Only the best for him.
            No new comics from Dave. A few new comments on PlushRump but
nothing that needed replies. No interesting happenings on CNN, he was finished
with that Jim Henson page days ago… And. Oh.
            Houston, TX men seeking men classifieds on Craigslist.
            Bro practically forgot he was doing that today. Sure, what the
heck. He clicked the tab to pull the page up. He hit F5 to refresh and sat back
to watch the new postings. A protective hand slid to cover Cal’s eyes and he
muttered an apology. Not that that stopped him from making lewd comments in
Cal’s direction when he saw a title that tickled his fancy.
 
            MWM NEEDS HOT EROTIC MASSAGE – m4m – 51
           Need me to rub your shoulders, Cal baby? Of course not, we all know
you’re the one with the magic hands around here.
            DEEPTHROAT available – m4m – 44
            Don’t worry, Babe, I don’t like oral anyway.
            TOP NEEDED FOR MY HOT ASS – m4m – 44
            Wait, this is my posting.
            SERVICING FEET, SOCKS, AND SNEAKERS – m4m – 44
            Wait, is this in the right section. Is this about foot jobs or.
            any young guys 18+ need a blow job – 24
            Sorry man I stopped being young years ago.
            looking for big build who wants to get rough – m4m- 14
            Well damn this might be our meal ticket, Cal.
 
            Wait. Fourteen?Bro had heard rumors that this happened sometimes,
but he never thought he would see it with his own eyes. A kid that young
wanting to get fucked, huh? It was amusing to say the least. He clicked the ad
out of pure curiosity. How slutty could a 14-year-old kid even be?
            Reading over the ad, it became apparent that the answer to his
question wasn’t about to come into view.
 
            “uh. i’ve never done something like this before but i’m getting
desperate. i need an adult or even a teenager i guess. someone tall and big and
intimidating who can fight or beat someone up. i just have a really bad bully
problem and i want them off my back.”

            Bro looked over his shoulder, swallowing hard as his eyes wandered
to the entrance of the hallway. Cal quizzically asked him what he was thinking.
But Bro couldn’t answer.
            He wouldn’t.
            Dave knew better than to risk something like this on the internet.
Bro had taught him better. There was no way this was Dave. This was a huge
privacy concern. He would have had to tell the guy what school he went to. The
names of his classmates. Was he just looking for a child molester or what?
Well, only one way to find out. Bro inhaled, clicked the link, and switched to
his work e-mail.
 
            == > Reply to: bbdxz-4136121025@pers.craigslist.org
 
Chapter End Notes
     http://justlikeacheesestick.tumblr.com/ wrote bro's rap because i
     cannot rap ha ha HA thank u christina u r good people
***** Chapter 2 *****
Hey, Kid. I read your ad. Gotta say you mislead me a little bit. If you need
help with these boys on your back then I’m willing to take care of them for
you. Just tell me where and when.
                  -DS
 
                 Bro didn’t expect to get a response right away, but he leaned
back in his seat and waited for one anyway. He didn’t even notice his foot
bouncing impatiently. He was anxious. Way too anxious. If this was Dave he
needed to make sure he took care of this before some other creep did. Why would
Dave be so fucking careless? He knew better than to give information like this
away on the internet. Dave knew all about the internet and yet here he was.
                  It was driving him nuts, and the moment he got a returned
email it made his heart spike. He threw himself back over to the desk, shoving
his thumb in his mouth to gnaw at the nail. His other hand worked the mouse,
clicking over to the new message.
 
                  wow that’d be great! i didn’t actually think that ad would
get a response but if you’re offering i’m not going to say no. i go to the high
school in the north part of the city. there’s three guys, two brunettes and a
blond. they’re always walking around together. one of them has a skateboard and
the other has a green backpack with one of the straps torn from the top so it
kind of drags behind him on the ground. they’ve got detention for the next
couple days so they won’t be leaving until 4. could you go then? please? i’m
going to stay home from school tomorrow since i don’t want to get beaten up
again so i won’t be able to point them out. is that ok?
                 
                 Bro let out a heavy sigh. It would have to do. He wasn’t
really all that happy about Dave skipping school, but if it was only one day,
he could catch up. Reluctantly he started typing up his response, feeling the
onset of guilt pouring over his shoulders and pooling in his stomach. How could
he have let this happen? Dave didn’t deserve this. Bro should have done better
to help him fit in. And look at him now. Giving Dave the easy way out and
fixing his problems for him. Bro was a terrible role model. He should stop
writing this right away, but he didn’t.
 
                  Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll be there. I’ll take care of the
assholes after they get out of detention. You just feel better.
                  -DS
                 
                  He didn’t wait for a response before shutting down his
computer. He just felt fucking ashamed of himself now. He looked down into his
lap, where Cal was still quietly resting. He hadn’t said a word all night. Poor
guy was probably tuckered out of his poor wooden head. No sex for Bro tonight.
Not that he minded.
                  “Ready to go to bed?”
                  Cal didn’t respond, but Bro took that as a yes. He picked Cal
up in one arm, holding him against his chest as he collapsed the futon and
climbed onto it. He curled up with Cal under the covers, whispering to him all
of his insecurities over this whole situation. Cal was shocked to learn Dave
was having a bully problem. But he supported Bro’s decisions even through Bro
being unsure about them.
                  That was comfort enough for Bro to drift to sleep. He dreamed
about death that night, along with every other night. It was happening since he
was a kid. Memories of past lives or something. Who fucking knows what.
 
                  He woke up again when he heard heavy coughing coming from
Dave’s bedroom. Just as he thought- he was faking sick to avoid this. Just like
the email said he was going to. Bro thought he taught his brother better, but
clearly he didn’t. It wasn’t long until Dave’s door opened, and he came out in
his pajamas with a bashful look on his face and a fist held to his mouth. He
was wrapped in his blanket, speckled in pool balls.
                  “Bro?” he heaved, his voice small. “I’m not really feeling
too good.”
                  What was he supposed to do now? Bro looked up at him. Did he
confront him and tell him he knew what was going on? Did he tell Dave he
shouldn’t be running away from his issues? Did he let him stay home? He had to
decide now or else Dave would definitely know that Bro knew. For once this was
a secret that needed to be kept between them.
                  “Go back to bed,” Bro said finally, rolling over and turning
his back to Dave. He could feel Dave’s presence linger for a bit longer,
probably shocked to know that his shitty plan actually worked. He waited for
Dave to leave, but he didn’t. Instead, his knees pressed into the futon
mattress and he dropped himself onto it. Bro looked over his shoulder. Dave was
just curled up with his blanket pinched shut at his front, eyes closed.
            He just laid right down against Bro’s back and waited to fall
asleep again.
                  That’s how shitty he felt over all of this, huh? That he
needed a presence to make him feel safe. God, Bro was going to give those brats
what for when he saw them, reducing his brother to this self sorry lump. He
should be strifing Dave right now to keep his mind off things. But he felt too
responsible. Instead he let Dave sleep next to him, rolling onto his back and
falling back asleep himself.
            More nightmares.
 
                  He didn’t wake up again until past noon. Dave was still
sitting on the futon in his boxers and teeshirt, legs crossed, blankets over
his shoulders, playing Xbox while he chewed on a grilled cheese. Bro watched
with tired eyes as he made a total ass of himself in the game, before lifting
his leg to kick the side of Dave’s head with his foot.
                  “Hey!” Dave grumbled, his entire body bending around as he
tried to regain control of his character on the screen. “What was that for? I
turned the volume down so it wouldn’t wake you up.”
                  “Yeah, but you didn’t make me breakfast,” Bro informed him,
gesturing at the barely touched sandwich. Dave glanced over for half a second
before going back to his game.
                  “You can have it if you want. I don’t have much of an
appetite.”
                  If he were actually sick he probably wouldn’t have one at
all. But they both knew he wasn’t. So Bro took the offered sandwich, laying on
his side with his head propped up with his arm as he ate it. At least Dave was
being somewhat productive on his day off. Not. It was inconvenient that he was
home, and Bro was frustrated with himself for enabling it. But there was no use
fighting now. One day wouldn’t wreck his years of work. Dave would have needed
to be at home so Bro could tail these kids anyway. Bro didn’t want to risk
getting caught playing super hero.
                  “You missed a bag,” he told his brother, gesturing to the
television screen. Shitty computer animated bars with half-assed rust were on
either side of Dave as his character skateboarded along a wheelchair ramp. He
ollied over an elderly guy on his up of it, and the game shouted at him for
being a hooligan. This was a shitty game, but Bro loved it. It was perfect, in
an ironic way.
                  “What?” Dave’s thumbs furiously smacked against buttons. It
was amusing to watch. Bro couldn’t fight off a smirk.
                  “Back there. A bag of Doritos. You missed it. You have to
grind the rail.”
                  “Fuck. Grinding is fucking impossible on this piece of shit
game. Can’t you review games that don’t suck for the magazine?”
                  “Nope. And quit complaining, we get these games for free.”
                  “Yeah yeah.”
                  Bro glanced at the clock. He wouldn’t be able to hang around
much longer. He was well aware the email said four, but Bro wasn’t about to
risk being late in case the kids skipped their detention. So he sat up, flicked
Dave’s ear, (which got a loud protest) then headed to the bathroom to get
ready.
            He moved his marionette out of the shower, hanging him over the
bathroom mirror, instead. He’d have to cut his shower short today to ensure he
made it to the school on time. Crap. Bro hated spending less than 2 hours in
the shower. Didn’t give him time to get everything done in there that he needed
to. Sometimes he wondered if he should be getting medicated for his hygiene
OCD, but if it wasn’t hurting him, who cared? It’s not like his OCD was bad
enough he was washing his hands four time every hour until they were dry and
cracked and bleeding all the time. He just liked to get off all the dead skin
when he showered. No big deal.
                  It was just passed two before he was ready at the door, hair
washed, dried, cap on, clothes fresh, shoes tied. Dave looked up from his cell
phone when he noticed Bro was at the door. Bro hadn’t told him anything
obviously. Hopefully he wasn’t suspicious. If Dave thought this Craigslist
thing was a way to independence, Bro wanted him to keep  believing that. He
didn’t want Dave to think he was getting an easy out and Big Brother was taking
care of him. That’s not have he rolled. Bro knew that.
                  “Where are you going?” Dave asked, not all that interested.
Good. Means Bro hadn’t roused any suspicions about being the person he was
emailing with. Exactly as planned.
                  Bro tugged on his gloves as he velcroed them to his hands.
                  “To pick up some stuff. Might not be back for a few hours.
Try not to burn the building down while I’m gone.”
                  Dave just snorted, back to tapping his thumb against the
screen of his phone.
            He was being so casual about this. Was he not worried at all about
the fact that he had just last night told a stranger where he went to school
and sicked a grown man on a couple of kids? Time to hopefully not have to teach
him a lesson.
                  “Dave,” he said suddenly, adjusting his cap. “Let me ask you
something.”
                  Dave put his phone in his lap, waiting attentively for the
message. He still seemed distanced from himself. He was still upset. He was
just distracted enough for it not to show. But Bro knew better.
                  “You know not to give out your personal information and shit
on the internet, right?” There was a long pause. Dave cocked an eyebrow above
his glasses, his mouth a hard line as always.
                  “What the hell brought on something like that?” He asked,
quickly lifting his phone back up and going right back to typing away at his
text. “Of course I know not to. I’m not five. Give me some credit, man.”
   1.             Fuck, that was twice now in two days that Bro’s managed to
      make Dave think he didn’t trust him. Now he just owed the kid an apology.
      Maybe taking care of these brats would be apology enough. Even if he did
      it anonymously. Poor Dave, already doubting himself thanks to bullies and
      he can’t even catch a break from his own  brother.                    
There was another silence- long enough for Dave to put his phone back down and
keep staring. As if Bro had more to say.
“Alright, good,” Bro finally said, giving the kid a break for once. Dave
returned to texting, head hanging off the back of the futon and one leg crossed
over the other. Bro wondered who Dave was texting with so religiously, but
didn’t feel the need to ask. It was a friend. Dave had a friend. That’s what
mattered.
                  Bro took a lingering glance at him before turning around and
exiting, closing the door behind him. Yeah, he was going to take care of this.
He was going to fix it. Dave was going to feel safe, he was going to feel
better about himself. And most importantly, he wasn’t going to fall victim to
some Craigslist predator.
                  He drove up to the side walk at Dave’s school minutes later,
turning off the truck and resting back in his seat. Kids started leaving one by
one until 3:15 hit, when out came a large group. He kept look out for the
dragging backpack strap, but there wasn’t one. Unless he missed them in the
crowd. He certainly hoped he didn’t. He would wait around until after four
anyway.
                  He almost fell asleep in his seat, having exhausted several
pages from the Sudoku book in his glove compartment. But through the open crack
of his window, he heard it. Laughter from teenage boys.
                  He opened his eyes, and there they were. Only two of them
came out, but one of them was carrying the skateboard and one of them had the
dragging backpack strap. These were the kids. That third blond Dave mentioned
better have been counting his fucking blessings, that’s for sure.
                  He stepped out of his truck, slamming the door and locking it
with his remote. The horn honked, and he stepped up next to the hood and
crossed his arms. The boys walked in the opposite direction, so Bro waited a
moment and started tailing them. The direction they were going wasn’t
populated. Good. That would lower Bro’s chance of getting caught and ending up
in the slammer.
                  It was a few minutes of tailing them before he finally
cleared his throat. The kids turned around, surprised to see the voice was
someone so large.They’d better fucking be surprised. Because they were about to
be really fucking sorry for messing with Dave.
            Bro was disgusted just looking at these punks. It was as if neither
of them had even bothered to hit puberty. Backpack’s face was chubby and young
and he was wearing his visor backwards and upside down like a complete fucking
tool. Skateboard had horrible eyebrows going on and his shirt was so greasy Bro
didn’t even want to touch him. Both of them were brunette and they both had
dull brown eyes. Bro would have assumed they were brothers if it weren’t for
the horrible differences in both of their faces.
                  “So,” he started, moving his hands in front of his chest to
crack his knuckles like some cartoon villain. He heard an audible gulp from
below him, and he kept his mouth straightened into a hard frown.
“Which one of you pig-faced brats beat up my little brother.”
 
***** Chapter 3 *****
Both the boys in front of him went silent. Skateboard’s eyes were terrified
looking up at Bro’s size where as Backpack seemed to be challenging him. Good
thing. Better to punch someone who wants to punch back.
                  “I asked you shits a question.”
                  “No way,” Backpack grunted, letting out a scoff. He was
already brimming in obnoxious pride. All the better to punch that look right
off of his face in Bro’s opinion. “There’s no way you’re that loser’s brother.
Even if you do both dress like complete failures.” It started him laughing,
Skateboard looking more like he was about to make a run for it.
                  A large hand gripped into Backpack’s shirt, easily lifting
him from the ground. This was usually the part where he would say something
like, “No more mister nice guy.” Except he never intended to be the nice guy.
He intended to slam these brat’s faces into the pavement and hopefully spill
some blood across it, too.
                  “Flattery will get you no where, kid,” he spat, eyes thin
behind his shades. He sure as hell hoped this kid could see his eyes. He
deserved to know the fucking terror. “Now answer the question before I slam
your face into the pavement. Which one of you beat up my brother.” Small
fingers were digging into his wrist. He didn’t feel a thing. He gave the kid a
shake, watching as he started to slip downward in his shirt.
                  “Yeah, it was me,” he choked, trying to pull himself up using
Bro’s arm as an anchor. He was choking slightly on the collar of his shirt.
Good.  “What the fuck are you going to do about it?”
                  Bro wasted no time after that confession. His free fist
slammed into the kid’s face. He released Backpack’s shirt at the same time,
letting him fall to the ground and skid across pavement on his side. Specks of
blood pricked from the side of his face that was grated, and when he lifted
himself up from the ground, his eyelids were drooping.
                  Bro grabbed the back of Skateboard’s shirt as he tried to
make a run for it, effectively using the fabric to turn him around. He got
clocked in the face, too, though a few more times than the other kid. His face
was already swelling up.  Bro could feel it under his knuckles.
                  “Don’t run from your responsibility, you shit. Take ownership
for what you did and don’t be a fucking coward.”
                  Skateboard pleaded and apologized, but Bro was far from
finished with him. He got an uppercut punch up the jaw, and Bro listened to the
satisfying crack that came of it. Skateboard’s lip split open and he was
dropped, stumbling back and tripping over his board. He landed on his ass on
the pavement, tears pricking his eyes like a pathetic shit and it made Bro’s
eyes roll behind his glasses.
                  He noticed Backpack coming at him from the side, and he
flashstepped behind him. He grabbed the kid’s tiny arm and twisted it behind
his back. It earned a loud groan, and with a kick to the lower back Bro
released him again. He fell back into the pavement face first and when he
lifted his head his nose was bleeding.
                  “Got any more fight left? Huh? Or are you going to leave my
little brother the fuck alone and stay the fuck away from him?” Bro waited for
the response, his arms folding over his chest again. He felt himself grinning.
His heart was racing from the adrenaline. He knew what he was doing was wrong
but it felt great to do anyway. Now Dave would be okay at school and not have
to feel like shit anymore.
                  “I won’t touch him!” Skateboard promised, his face drenched
in tears. Fucking kid. “I promise I’ll never even talk to him ever again!” He
ended up choking out sobs, an inch away from curling into the fetal position.
He was heaving for breath, trying to get through the pain. He had licked his
lips, spreading blood across his chin and teeth.
                  “And you?” Bro turned to Backpack, his face covered in blood
from his collective faceplants. He certainly wasn’t looking so fearless
anymore. That façade had shattered along with his cheekbone.
                  “Me neither, okay. I’m not going to go near him. I’m done.”
His tone was dismissive. He was eating his fucking words from the beginning of
this whole thing. Good thing, too. Bro’s knuckles were about finished.
                  “And tell your third pal to smarten the fuck up, too. Or
he’ll be next. Now what are you going to tell your parents, let me hear it.” It
would be music to his fucking ears, that was for sure.
                  “Skateboard accident,” Skateboard stuttered, not missing a
beat. There was a tremble in his voice that gave Bro a satisfied bubble in his
stomach. Damn, he was getting some sick pleasure out of beating up these kids.
That was probably a bad sign. Oh well. He could deal with it later.
                  “Skateboard accident,” Backpack echoed.
                  “Good. Don’t think I won’t be back if you cross my brother
again, you got it?”
                  They both started nodding frantically, and, satisfied with
his job, Bro turned around and headed back for his truck. His knuckles were a
bit sore, but he was just fine. He could hear the footsteps behind him as the
kids took off.
He’d pick up some Taco Bell for him and Dave and send an e-mail to him to get
everything sorted and finalized. No more brats picking on his brother, no more
worrying about Dave being careless on the net.
                  Back to normal. Good.
 
                  He returned to the apartment less than an hour later, take
out bags in hand. Dave was now on his 3DS, still hanging off the edge of the
futon in his boxers. At least he seemed to be feeling a lot better. He must
have really been trusting those emails he was receiving from “DS.” Even if Bro
did use one of his emails Dave didn’t know, part of him was surprised the
initials didn’t tip his brother off.
                  “You couldn’t have done a bit of tidying today at all?” Bro
asked, dropping the bags and his keys on the table. Not that there was much of
a mess anyway. Aside from Dave’s dishes from a day of being home and the futon
remaining open instead of locked back up in the couch position, it wasn’t much
messier than it usually was. After all, all the things they owned were
electronics and smuppets and both of those were always carelessly thrown about
the floor.
Dave put his DS aside before he lifted his legs from the bed, above and over
his head. His hips bent like a contortionist as his feet hit the floor, and he
stood up. It was almost gross how flexible he was, but Bro still found himself
proud of the kid for it.
                  “Sorry, I lost track of time. But hey you brought dinner.
Cool.”
                  “Sure did,” Bro grinned, sliding one of the bags over to
Dave. He pulled it in front of him and started digging through. He was so
casual. Good. Maybe all this casual behavior meant he was feeling better. “And
hey.”
                  Dave looked up, already having pulled out one of the tacos
inside. He paused attentively as he waited, his eyes peeking out from above his
shades.
                  “It’s gonna get better, okay. I’m not going to let anything
bad happen to you, alright?”
                  Bro felt proud of himself. He as a good parent, wasn’t he?
And an even better brother. Dave looked confused to say the least. Probably
trying to not make it too obvious. Bro just smiled, and Dave attempted to make
one back, though it was weak.
                  “Uh. Thanks?”
                  Bro shook his head with a smirk, returning to his own meal.
It wasn’t until he had finished that he moved back to his computer, pulling up
the short and sweet email response from Dave that he had missed before.
 
                  good luck.
 
                 Bro hit the reply button, quickly typing up his response.
 
                  Your little friends are nada, Kid. Gave them both lots of
bloody spots. The blond was missing but I have a feeling he’ll learn his lesson
through the grape vine. Let me know if school goes any better tomorrow a’ight.
Else I’ll head back there for round two.
                  -DS
                 
Bro actually felt reallyproud of himself. He was just swelling with it. Sure
there was that nagging in the back of his head telling him he was wrong for
trying to fix all of Dave’s problems for him, but he couldn’t help himself. He
helped out his brother and he did it in a way that left him none the wiser.
Like a guardian angel. Seemed good enough for him.
His response came almost instantly. He looked over his shoulder where Dave was
just putting away his phone. It really was him. He really was doing better. He
couldn’t believe how well this had all worked out. Screw feeling bad about
fixing Dave’s problems for him. Dave wouldn’t even know. Nobody would.
 
i will! wow thanks so much school is going to be a lot better! and no i’m not
worried about the third guy he’ll take the hint hehehe. i really appreciate you
doing this for me! you’re a good person! if i can do anything to repay you just
let me know! i don’t really have any money or anything but i could clean your
house or something? just say the word! thanks again!
-        john
 
John. Who the hell was John? Was Dave using a fake name? That would have been
comforting had he not also just offered to go to a strangers house alone.
Clearly Dave still needed a talking to about using the internet properly. Maybe
a talking to wasn’t enough. Was he crazy? It was bad enough that he had told a
stranger where he went to school. This was just way past the line of
acceptable. Dave knew better than this. Of course he knew better than this. Bro
had been teaching him better than this since he taught the kid how to use a
computer. He needed a big lesson this time. One that really dug the importance
of this in to his skull.
 
Well, if you’re offering, sure. The place could always use some tidying up.
I’ll pick you up at the cafe down from your school. Third table from the front.
Tomorrow after you get out.
                  -DS
 
                  That would teach him. Dave would see Bro in that booth and
get humiliated over being so careless. Lesson learned. Sure, Bro would feel a
little bad about tricking him, and it was risky to openly admit he was the one
that beat the guys up like that. It would probably take a strife to fix it all.
Not that he minded that. Strifing was the best bonding they did. This simply
wasn’t something that keeping secrets was worth. This was serious. It was
fucking lucky Dave had stumbled across someone trustworthy. Bro had to make
sure it didn’t happen again, regardless of what he was giving up to do so.
Dave’s safety was number one.
                  His email binged again.
 
                  i’ll be there.
-        john
 
Dave went back to school that day. Not that that surprised Bro in the least. He
spent the first few hours home getting his work done from where he had fallen
behind with his escapade yesterday. A few new videos to pull off of his
cameras, a bit of formatting on the site, a few quick emails. Normal stuff. A
new video game had arrived in the mail- StonerDash 2 the Quest for Cheetos.
Looked like an amazing work of Xbox art. In a strictly ironic way, of course.
After work and meal time it was closing in on 2 PM. Time to leave. He’d have to
get to that café and wait for Dave to prance his dumb ass through the door and
get the loudest scolding he’s ever received. How stupid could he have raised
this kid to willingly meet up with a stranger he met over the net? He knew
better. Sure, it was good Dave didn’t give his real name or his address or
anything, but knowing where he went to school was still a big red flag for any
sort of fucking predator.  
When Bro arrived at the shop he slid right to the table he said he was going
to. A pretty waitress in a pony tail brought him a coffee and he was happy to
take a drink of it. Anything to calm his nerves before the huge scolding he was
about to lay down. He wasn’t going to wait until they got home, either. He was
going to humiliate Dave, and he was going to humiliate himself in the process.
Glancing at his watch, Dave would be arriving any minute.
A couple school kids walked by, but not Dave. A few came inside, but not Dave.
Bro was beginning to get frustrated. Did he have detention again and not
mention it? Damn kid.
He took another sip of his drink as a few more school kids came in. The bells
above the door jingled as it opened and closed. He brought down his cup which
was now almost empty, his eyes closed behind his glasses.
“Um, excuse me?”
Bro opened his eyes, expecting to see the waitress. But it wasn’t her. It was a
kid. A boy. With messy black hair and thick rimmed glasses and a horrible
fucking overbite. He was wearing a teeshirt and cargo shorts. Not even in the
cool way, either. What did this kid want?
“Yeah?”
The kid gnawed his lip for a second, glancing over his shoulder. After that he
slid into the seat across from Bro. The floor squeaked with his pivot and the
seat sighed under his weight. Did this guy seriously just sit right down
without even asking? Who the fuck? Bro felt those juvenile sneakers brush
against his shins. It made him inhale, sitting upward to straighten his back.
“You’re uh. DS right?”
Oh no.
Oh hell fucking no.
“I’m John.”
 
***** Chapter 4 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
            “You’re John.”
            Bro couldn’t believe what he was seeing. No fucking way. He risked
going to jail to bail out some kid he didn’t even know from getting his ass
kicked? Looking at his face he probably deserved it. Bro could read the smart-
ass dickweed in his smile. Not to mention the way he waltzed in and sat down
like he owned the place. Bro could go to fucking jail for assaulting a minor
and it was for this nerd.
            That just pissed Bro off. Never mind the fact that now he was back
to square one as to why Dave was getting into fights or getting detention or
why he decided to stay home from school yesterday. Now he had more questions
than answers. It was inconvenient, and he was pissed. Pissed that he had to
feel so many conflicting emotions which he was so fucking above feeling and
pissed that he had wasted so much time.
            “Yeah! Egbert. John Egbert. I’m the guy who posted the ad. I really
appreciate you doing that for me, I mean wow!”
            Bro signaled for the check. Anything to keep his hands busy so he
didn’t sock this fucker in the face.  “Anytime.”
            “I mean, I don’t really care if guys want to hate me or whatever.
But coming home with bruises was a bit inconvenient to have to explain to my
dad. The guys all got detention for beating me up sure, but that doesn’t mean
they would have stopped.”
            Bro’s foot began to tap impatiently against the floor. This kid was
just running his fucking mouth. Bro’s check was slid onto the table, and he
reached into his back pocket to pull out a few bills. He had had just about
enough of this kid. His head was spinning. His mind was racing. He risked
fucking everything because he jumped to conclusions like that. What a fucking
idiot was he
            “But man, I saw them today in school and they were a mess! All
bruised up and cut. Everyone asked what happened to them but they didn’t say
anything. Even the third guy you missed out on avoided me like the plague. It
was awesome. Now I can just go back to doing my school work and stuff which is-
Hey, where are you going?”
            Bro had slapped down his money and was already on his way out the
door without a word. He could hear the squish of the booth seat where John had
stood up, and the swing of his backpack as he threw it back over his shoulders.
            “Wait up!”
            As soon as they were well down the street, Bro turned around to
stare John in the face.
            “Look, Kid. I did your shit for you. Just hop off my dick,
alright.”
            John seemed shocked, to say the least. He shut his mouth. Bro
should be walking away. But instead he didn’t. He just stared until John spoke
again.
            “I know… I thought you wanted me to thank you for it,” he admitted,
a bashful glaze in his eyes. “I mean, you seemed really cool from your emails.
I thought it would be cool to hang out or something, too. Learn about you and
stuff.”
            Great, this kid was a fanboy now. A pathetic one.
            “It was just super nice of you to do that for me and-”
            Bro lifted a hand, shushing John midsentence. Anger and regret were
swirling around in his stomach. He was mad at John for tricking him, even
though John didn’t even fucking trick him. He was just stupid enough to build a
story around a sentence and he was pushing the blame on John to feel like less
of an idiot. Goddamn it.
            “I only helped because I thought the person who wrote that ad was
my little brother.”
            That shut John up. He started chewing on his bottom lip. Probably
mulling a response. Damn, Bro probably just crushed his fan boy dreams. He
probably thought he had a fated guardian or something and now he had to find
out it was just a mistake. Shit. Okay, he could take a bit of pity on the kid.
            “Look,” Bro started, putting his hands back to his sides. John’s
head lifted, with a bit of hope still painted on his features. “I’m an asshole,
it’s kind of my thing. If you don’t mind dealing with that once in awhile then.
Yeah, sure. Come over and hang out for a bit. I could always use someone to
clean the counters under my weapons.”
            John’s face broke into another goofy grin, his eyes calm in an
almost overly-mature way. Looking at him like this the only thing that really
gave away the fact that he was only fourteen was his height. And the tiny crack
in his voice, of course. Dave was an early bloomer when it came to his voice
lowering, so it was odd to hear one so young again.
            “You have weapons? Oh man, did you use them against Terry and
Mike?”
            Bro smirked before he turned around again, leading John back to his
truck. The kid was eager as he followed, his steps wide as his hands gripped to
his backpack straps.
            “Of course not. My weapons stay stored. I have one sword I fight
with, sure, but I’m not going to pull it on any untrained kids.”
            The truck unlocked and John hopped up into the passengers seat
before Bro could even extend the invitation. Bro didn’t bother saying anything
about it. Just climbed in behind the wheel and pulled his seatbelt on. John
ignored his. Dumb kid.
            “Who do you pull it on? Are you some super vigilante? Like… Like
the Comedian? He was an asshole, too. And a rapist. But he was also her Dad and
stuff and he actually wanted to see her even if he wasn’t allowed to which I
kind of get even if it was kind of sad for him.”
            Man, this kid was a fucking nerd.
            “No I’m not some Japanese Batman I just train for the fun of
training. Who knows, maybe it will come in handy one day, by some crazy
circumstance.”
            “Like when Cameron Poe’s military training came in handy even when
he finished serving because he used it to kill his wife’s attacker! Except that
landed him in jail.”
            “Implying that beating up your bullies wouldn’t land me in jail.”
            Bro pulled away from the curb after shoulder checking, heading past
the school and around the block to get back to his apartment.
            “Oh man, I didn’t even think about that. You aren’t actually going
to get arrested, right?”
            Okay, maybe this kid wasn’t as bad as Bro first thought. Sure he
was a little timid and ridiculously obnoxious, but he was just a kid. Bro had
to wonder why this kid’s dad didn’t teach him better about his internet usage.
But the last thing Bro needed was to get involved trying to raise someone
else’s kid when he could barely raise his own.
            “I’ll be fine, Kid. It’s not the first time I’ve done something
illegal.”
            That caught John’s attention, and he shifted in his seat to face
Bro a bit better.
            “It isn’t? What did you do? Get into a bar fight? Steal jewelry?
Break into a museum? Did you kill a guy?”
            Bro chuckled at that, taking another turn and resting his wrist on
the top of the steering wheel.
            “Tone down the imagination there, kid. I did something that would
land me in jail, not land me in Satan’s playroom.” Not that Bro had really read
the bible to know what was a sin and what wasn’t. “I just do drugs sometimes.”
            “That’s not that impressive,” John mused, sitting back in his seat
and crossing his arms. Bro scoffed, flipping his signal to pull into the
apartment parking complex. AKA half the price of the place. He parked on the
top level to save some time since they still had a lot of ascending to go.
            “You saying I need to kill a dude before you’ll think I’m cool?”
            John shrugged as he hopped out of the car. He was still holding
onto his backpack straps. “Well yeah I guess.”
            “Tough crowd.”
            Bro smirked as he headed for the entrance to the floor. John
followed closely behind, nattering away the entire walk. Through the halls, in
the elevator, even as they were approaching the apartment door.
            “I’m not saying that I want you to kill a dude. I mean that’s
fucking crazy. But I mean could you imagine what it would be like to meet some
guy on the internet and find out he was actually a murderer? That would be like
going on a blind date and finding out you were set up with Jack the Ripper.
Like. You’d be scared, right? But what if you were into that? Like you got off
on being terrified. Then Jack the Ripper might be a good match for you.”
            “You saying you put personal information on the internet and agreed
to go to a stranger’s home because you get off on being stupid?”
            “No!”
            Bro just laughed, pushing open his apartment door and heading
inside. He tossed his keys on the table. It wasn’t even four o’clock. Dave
wasn’t home, either, so he must be in detention again. Bro would actually have
to ask him what happened now, wouldn’t he? He said he got in a fight. Who was
he fighting with? Of course it was still possible it was a bully problem,  just
not this particular one. Bro was surprised that Dave was even keeping secrets.
He must have felt shitty over whatever it was.
            John was still talking, but Bro hadn’t been listening until he
heard the words “they’re so gross.”
            He turned around where John had grabbed one of his prized smuppets
and held it up to his face by the nose.
            “Like, is this supposed to be its dick or something? That’s nasty,
man. And there’s so many of them! How lame.”
            Fucking brat.
            “They’re my source of income, so I really don’t give a shit what
some 14 year old kid thinks about them. Either way, get used to it, because if
you’re here to tidy up after me I expect all of them put away.”
            “Put away where?” John asked. He tossed his backpack on one of the
kitchen chairs, still looking around the apartment. Bro had leaned himself
against the counter as he observed. “In that chest behind the couch?”
            “Hell no,” Bro corrected, pushing up from his resting place and
moving over the chest in question. He got to his knees next to it, pulling open
the top. There wasn’t much inside but an imprint and a few props. John leaned
over Bro’s shoulder to look inside. “This place is for Cal. He hangs out in
here while I travel to different gigs so he doesn’t get all mucked up by the
seatbelt.”
            Bro grinned as he examined the home he had made for Cal in that
box. It was roomy and carved to his exact shape including little holes for his
feet and hands. Cal was resting on the couch where Bro had left him an hour
prior. Good man, holding down the fort.
            He could hear John scoff from behind him, standing up straight
again. “You’re worried about keeping a doll safe? Man, and here I was thinking
you were cool all that time.” Bro shot him a silent glare, but otherwise said
nothing. No use getting into it with the brat he wouldn’t be around for long.
            Hopefully.
            John had wandered around the living room more, picking up more
smuppets. He tossed them into a neat pile behind one of the speakers that was
closed off by the television stand. Bro supposed that would work. Bro moved
back to the table as John finished that off, picking up Dave’s dishes from
yesterday and bringing them into the kitchen. He rinsed them off in the sink
before looking at Bro, who was now examining bills.
            “Do you have dishsoap?” He asked, shaking the dishes dry at the
sink but not much else.
            “Nah. They’re fine like that. Just throw them up in the cupboard.”
            John did as he was told, (Not without making a crack about how
unhygienic that was) but that still only took him a few seconds. The apartment
was pretty much already clean. Bro supposed next he could get a scrub down in
the shower. That definitely didn’t get done enough. And the counters, of
course.
            John thumbed at a Shuriken as he hesitated.
            “So,” he said quietly. Bro tossed his pile of envelopes back to the
table before crossing his arms. “I mean I guess I can do floors and cupboards
and stuff which is cool but… Where’s your bedroom? A guy like you probably
doesn’t make his bed.”
            Bro just watched him before turning away, moving toward his
computer.
            “It’s a one bedroom apartment, kid. The only room belongs to my
brother. I sleep out here.” He sat down at his desk, quickly typing up his
password. Better pay these bills and be done with it before he forgot. “Vacuum
this main room and the hallway, sweep and wash the kitchen floor. You can come
back tomorrow and wipe down the cupboards the counter and the table, then come
dust the living room. Clean up the bathroom Friday and then you’re done.”
            John didn’t say anything for a long time. He just swept the kitchen
floor and washed it up. Put the supplies away and dug out the vacuum. It wasn’t
until he had rolled it into the middle of the living room and started pulling
the cord off that he finally stopped to chat again. Bro was almost finished
with his work by then.
            “Don’t you get sore sleeping on the couch every night?” He asked,
his voice small compared to the obnoxious tone he was using earlier. Bro sat
back for a moment before he turned around, facing John head on with his arms
resting on his chair.
            “You get used to it. Making sure my brother grows up with proper
privacy privileges is more important than having some flawless sleep like they
do in mattress commercials. And besides. It’s a futon, not a couch. It folds
out. I have room.”
            John stared at the futon for a bit, his eyes wandering along it and
the pillow and the blanket and even Cal before he turned back. He was putting
together puzzle pieces, that was for sure.
            “What are you even worried about me for, Kid,” Bro grunted,
uncrossing his legs and putting them flat on the floor. “Come this weekend you
aren’t even going to see me again so what gives.”
            It was only a few moment later that John was on his way over, his
vacuum abandoned. His knee lifted and pressed into the chair next to Bro’s hip.
He pushed up from the floor and slid his other knee in place. He straddled Bro.
He pressed himself up against Bro. He held him. Fearlessly. It was a hug.
Something Bro hadn’t received in years. Aside from shoulder arms.
            He was shocked to say the least. Some kid in cargo shorts  pressed
against him and those scrawny arms wrapped around his neck. He wanted to ask
John what the fuck he was doing, but no words came out. Not out of him, at
least.
            “You’re an amazing brother,” John whispered, his breath ghosting
over Bro’s neck. He held back a shiver. He tried to pull his hips away to save
John from feeling that uncontrollable throb that shot through his crotch.
Eventually John pulled his head back, a snarky grin on his face. “For a loser
who likes porn puppets and thinks weed is some amazing crime.”
            Bro wanted to smirk. He really did. But he couldn’t bring himself
to. His mouth was just agape with this whole thing. Sure, it was nice to get
recognition for how hard he was busting his ass for Dave, but how could it be
coming so well from a 14-year-old kid who was so stupid he came into a
stranger’s home and told text on the internet where he went to school? John was
effectively the wisest moron Bro had ever met. And he was doing it all by
accident.
            John hopped off Bro’s lap, moving back to the vacuum to plug it in.
He didn’t talk much for the last half hour he was there. He vacuumed the carpet
in the living room and into the hall, but didn’t open the bathroom or Dave’s
door. He whistled as he worked, and he finished his work just as Bro was
finishing his. He had just started to pull something out of the fridge for
dinner when John approached the kitchen table, the vacuum put away and his
backpack over his shoulders again.
            “I should get back home before my dad gets home from work,” he
mused, hands on the straps of his backpack again. He sure was protective of
that thing. Bro couldn’t help but wonder if there was something inside of it.
Probably just his school work. Bet this was the guy who’s math notebook always
got flushed down the toilet. Classic. “I can walk, but you’ll pick me up
tomorrow, right? I mean those counters will probably take forever and they
probably need a good scrub when you can’t clean under them.”
            Bro finally found it in him to smirk, glancing at the Shuriken
littering the countertops. Walking home, huh? At least he wasn’t stupid enough
to bring a stranger to his home.
            “Yeah, I’ll be there. Don’t worry about it, Kid.”
            John’s smile turned right into a pout as he cocked an eyebrow. “Are
you going to call me Kid forever? My name is John, remember?”
            This fucking kid.
            “Okay, sorry, don’t worry about it, John.”
            That pleased him, and he started his wide steps toward the door.
All while loudly proclaiming, “Maybe tomorrow I’ll get lucky enough that you’ll
tell me your name, too.”
            Bro rolled his eyes, examining the back of the Hamburger Helper
box. “Keep dreaming.”
            The door was closed before Bro had even realized it opened. He
lifted his gaze to look at it, his eyebrows knitting together.
            That kid wasn’t half bad. Even if it was painfully obvious why
punks would want to pick on him. At least those days were over with.
Chapter End Notes
     sorry for the suddenly doubling of chapter size. i finally found my
     tongue with this fic (thank god) so the writing might actually be
     decent from here on out. expect more words in the second half of the
     fic too! and thank you so much for all your comments they mean the
     world!
***** Chapter 5 *****
            It barely felt like 10 minutes later when Dave came through the
door. His backpack was slung over one shoulder and he carelessly threw it over
the couch.
            “Detention again?” Bro asked him, unimpressed as he threw the lid
on his meal. Now that he knew Dave wasn’t responsible for that ad, it was time
to get to the bottom of why Dave got in the fight that he did. Or hell, maybe
the fight itself was a lie. Maybe Dave actually just cheated on a math test or
something. Either way, he needed to find out somehow.
            “No shit,” Dave muttered, flopping back on the futon. He picked up
the half-packaged video game, pulling it out completely and tearing the wrapper
off with his teeth.
            “Watch the attitude, Dave,” Bro responded, pulling the parental
tone he’d read about and heard on countless television shows. He took one last
glance at the sauce pan before abandoning it, moving to sit next to Dave. He
pulled the Xbox case right out of his brother’s hand, forcefully demanding
attention.
            “What gives,” Dave groaned, lifting his feet onto the couch and
turning away. Something was really bugging him and it was only getting more
obvious. This wasn’t just Dave getting shit on by a bully, this was Dave
feeling bad about himself. This wasn’t him getting inconvenienced by dudes who
wouldn’t lay off. This was him believing what he was being told by kids who
didn’t know what they were talking about.
            “Tell me what happened,” Bro pressed, done beating around the bush.
He’d messed up enough taking that route. “Who did you get in a fight with and
why?”
            Dave was still avoidant, to say the least. Not that Bro found that
surprising. He was probably ashamed of himself. He shouldn’t be, because he
shouldn’t be made to feel like shit. Because he shouldn’t be getting picked on
in the first place. Bro should have raised him so he didn’t. Yeah, he blamed
himself. He should be blaming himself.
            “It doesn’t matter,” Dave finally said, moving his arms around his
knees and dropping his face in them. “I’m over it, okay. It wasn’t my fault.”
            “Of course it wasn’t your fault,” Bro encouraged, moving a strong
hand to the back of Dave’s neck and giving it a squeeze. Damn he just wanted to
fix this and he had no idea how. John was doing just fine getting picked on.
Maybe they should meet. They went to the same school anyway. Maybe John’s
disgusting optimism could make him feel better about himself.
            “Then can we just not talk about it?” Dave asked, his voice small.
He was pleading. Not directly, but Bro could hear it in his tone. “I’m fine. It
was nothing and it’s not going to happen again. I promise, really.”
            Bro was hesitant, but there really wasn’t anything he could do. If
Dave wouldn’t talk, he couldn’t get involved to help. At least not directly.
Maybe at the very least he can lift his brother’s spirits enough that he
wouldn’t sit here and shit on himself for days.
            “You know I love you, little bro. You’re a good smart kid with a
nice looking set of priorities. You shouldn’t be putting yourself down.”
            Dave turned upward, his eyebrows curled sadly despite the smirk on
his face. He didn’t believe any of that, did he. He was still down in the
shits. Well, Bro guessed that mean he would just have to work twice as hard
until Dave’s self-esteem was back where he was building it since Dave was just
a baby.
            “Yeah, thanks, Hallmark,” Dave snuffed, trying to shrug off Bro’s
hand. But Bro only squeezed harder, his face breaking into a grin as he folded
his brother in half and listened to the symphony of “ow ow ow!” But even
through the ows Dave was laughing. And it was spirited. Good. It was about time
Bro saw a genuine smile out of the brat this week.
            “Come eat,” Bro started, releasing his brother and heading back
into the kitchen. “Sorry it’s not much. I had someone over earlier.” John.
Could that kid even be constituted as normal company?
            Dave came over as he was told, sliding into his seat and digging
without question into the plate Bro gave him. He was in a better mood all
through the meal and even after they finished eating they dove right into the
new video game. Bro tried to pay attention to write a review as he played, but
he was distracted by Dave being in such a good mood. He knew the article he had
started to write was shit, but he didn’t really care. All of his articles were
shit. That’s why people read them. He kept typing anyway, Dave having long
since switched the television back over to cable. Hours had past before he
finally turned it off, heading back into his room for the night. Good timing.
Bro was ready to have the television to himself.
            He half expected another email from John, but one never came. He
flopped back on the futon, stuffing a hand behind his head. He was a good
brother, wasn’t he? He busted his ass to keep Dave safe, he encouraged him when
he needed encouragement, he raised him with self-confidence as the primary
goal. And it was working up until now, right? Bro smirked to himself,
remembering the way John had whispered that praise right into his ear, his bony
little thighs pressed so tightly against Bro’s.
            He glanced at Cal as he removed his gloves and glasses, tossing
them to the floor. He got to his feet only to unfold the futon and discard his
pants. He laid back down and pulled Cal against him. He covered them both in
his blanket, grabbing Cal’s soft hand and pulling it into his boxers. A soft,
flimsy arm tightened around him. He gnawed on his lip as his throat cracked to
silence him.
            John.
 
            He slept in that morning. When he woke up, Dave had already left
for school. Cal had fallen out of bed during the night, but Bro was still
protectively holding his hand. Bro pulled him back up onto the mattress,
slinging the floppy arm across his chest and thumbing at the wrist of his
glove. Amber eyes stared at the ceiling for a long time before he finally
inhaled.
            “I actually did that last night didn’t I.”
            He looked to Cal for reassurance and got the same blank expression
he always got.
            “Well, there’s no use denying it,” he continued, toes curling under
his blanket. “You know you’re still number one, but I mean. I gotta seduce the
kid, Dude. Is that crazy?”
            No response.
            “Yeah. You’re right. It isn’t at all. He was the one stupid enough
to come into a stranger’s home. He deserves it. I mean, I’m not going to
fucking force him if he says no but. I can coax him. Get him to the point where
he can’t bring himself to say no no matter what. That’s okay.”
            It wasn’t okay. And he was well aware of it. But how could he help
himself? He had gone from hating John to wanting to fuck John all because the
kid gave him a bit of praise about his parenting. Bro was immature. Getting his
self confidence from a kid and taking advantage of him as thanks.
            But he deserved it. He was an idiot. A stupid kid.
            “Fuck, I’m thinking too much about this.”
            Bro just chuckled to himself, sitting up and fixing up the futon.
He tossed the blanket over the back and wrapped Cal around his shoulders. He
was just going to stop thinking and start doing. Have his shower, get his work
done, then pick the kid up when school let out. Dave had detention again, or so
he said, so he’d be free to strike up some boners.
            He had to resist rubbing another one out in the shower as he
carefully scrubbed every inch of his body (for at least 10 circles per area,
each set properly counted and done in a counter-clockwise motion). He figured
he could do it tomorrow- the day John would be cleaning it. Muck it up extra
for him as a goodbye gift.
            He took care of PlushRump business before taking a casual scroll
through the rest of his open sites. Nothing new. It took him less than an hour
to edit up his article and submit it to the publisher. And he still had hours
left to waste.
            He glanced over his shoulder at the kitchen. John was coming to
clean the counters, cupboards, and dust the living room today. That was a
pretty fucking big job, especially considering the amount of weaponry Bro had
spread about the kitchen. He started to worry. If John did all that cleaning,
would he have enough time for some quality time?
            It took him a few minutes of contemplating, but he went ahead and
did it.  He cleaned every weapon and all the space underneath them. He
organized them back into rows. He tidied up his firecrackers and put them back
in the cupboard. He even pulled up his pant legs and got on his knees,
scrubbing the cupboard doors. He didn’t stop until the kitchen was immaculate.
And by then, it was almost time to leave.
            Now all John had to do was dust the living room. Which would have
been a bonus for Bro anyway. He could see it in his head. John on his tip toes
reaching up with his little Swiffer duster to get the top of the television.
Getting down on his hands and knees to get between gaming systems, his ass
skyward as it swayed side to side. Yeah, that sounded amazing.
            If only Bro had a way of squeezing him into a maid’s costume. Too
bad he didn’t own one. He could probably make one, but who knows how long John
would actually be around for. Realistically Bro probably shouldn’t even see him
again after Friday. Kind of a sad thought, but hopefully he will have been
satisfied with John by then. After all it wasn’t like this was an actual
romantic attraction. It was just lust brought on by that stupid bit of praise
he got from the kid. That was it.
            Bro washed up his hands and dusted off his jeans before he grabbed
his keys off the hook. This was it. This was crunch time. He was going to
seduce John no problem. It might just take a bit of inconveniences to make it
seem unplanned, though. Thankfully getting stuff around was one of the things
Bro did best.
            His hands gripped to his steering wheel the entire drive, knuckles
white with anticipation. His grand plan was running through his head over and
over again. He missed a stop sign and barely even heard the loud honking that
came of it. He pulled to the curb when he got to the school. Three PM. Ten more
minutes and John would be headed out and would hop right up into his truck just
like he did the day before.
            He closed his eyes as he started drumming on his steering wheel.
His beat was sloppy and his feet tapped along impatiently. It was the longest
10 minutes of his life. He eventually rested his forehead against the top of
the wheel in exhaustion, and when his passenger door squeaked open, he inhaled
sharply to avoid looking too eager. He kept his head down.
            “Are you alive?”
            He turned his head. John was practically right in his face, a small
finger prodding his shoulder. Bro grinned as he sat up, stretching his legs and
his back before turning his car back on.
            “Yeah I’m alive. How’s it going, kid.”
            John sat back as Bro pulled out onto the street again, avoiding
parents coming through to get their own kids. John still wasn’t wearing a
seatbelt. Was he just trying to test Bro, or was he actually that stupid?
            “Not bad. Took a math test, that was good. None of those guys are
coming near me. I think they might have had a fight, too. Terry and Mark aren’t
even talking to the other guy. Or maybe he’s not talking to them. I dunno.”
            Bro smirked, his head knocking back ever so slightly. He turned
around the same corner he did yesterday, following the exact same route to get
back to his apartment.
            “Serves them right. Kids like that don’t deserve friends as far as
I’m concerned. That kid I missed better get what’s coming to him.”
            John shrugged his shoulders, turning away from Bro and instead
glancing out the window. He took a moment to roll it down and Bro watched as
the breeze caught his hair.
            “I dunno. He’s not so bad. He looked more like he was getting
pressured by Mike and Terry to be mean to me when he didn’t really want to. I
think he’s just a kid who’s too busy trying to fit in instead of just being
himself.”
            John grinned back at Bro in a way that read “I’m a fucking smart
ass and I am absolutely right about this so don’t even try and argue.” He
didn’t.
            “As long as you’re doing alright, Kid, I couldn’t give a shit.”
            “It’s John,” he corrected again, “And you’re supposed to tell me
your name today, too.”
            “Sorry John,” Bro sneered, with extra emphasis on the name, “If you
want to know my name you’ll have to go digging for it.”
            Like digging a hand right into his boxers.
            “You’re no fun,” John whined, playing up a pout and resting his
head on his arms as he looked out the window. His feet were kicking like a
seven year old against the seat’s cushion. He didn’t know shit about sitting
safe in the car, did he?
            “Would you put your fucking seat belt on?”
            John looked over his shoulder. Slowly he turned his waist, turning
his body to face forward. He was moving at a snail’s pace, and Bro knew he was
doing it on purpose. What a fucking smart ass. John’s legs slowly moved out
from under his hips. He placed his feet flat on the floor. His hands pressed
into the seat, and he used the weight to push himself back against the back
wall of the seat.
            It wasn’t until Bro was pulling into the parking complex that
John’s hand had finally made its journey to the seat belt hanging next to him.
And the buckle didn’t click until the very moment Bro put the gear shift into
park.
            John conveniently found his speed, unbuckling his seatbelt and
hopping out of the car in seconds. Bro rolled his eyes in the most exaggerated
way he ever had. It was almost painful to do. Never the less he hopped out
after him. A swift hand smacked into the back of John’s head.
            It only started the kid laughing. He was well aware of the fact
that he was huge smartass. Good. Bro smirked, too, only half leading the kid
inside this time. They were relatively silent in the elevator, and John didn’t
speak until they reached the right floor.
            “So I’m doing under the weapons today, right? And the cupboards?”
            Bro shook his keys in his hand, turning his head away from John to
hide his face.
            “Nah,” he said nonchalantly, pushing his key into the lock and
opening the door. John walked right in under his arm. He was less protective of
his backpack today. Maybe the way he held that thing was the way to gauge how
comfortable he was. “I did the kitchen myself. Wanted to clean up the blades
anyway. All you’ve got today is dusting the living room.”
            “Even better,” John mused, tossing his backpack down on the same
chair as yesterday. He moved over the counters, admiring the job Bro had done
cleaning it and all his weaponry. “Wooow.”
            “Yeah, it’s pretty great. Swiffer’s in that cupboard.”
            He pointed to the supply closet, and after a moment of
consideration, John walked over to it and opened it up. He pulled out the
duster, giving it a shake with an approving smile. Clearly he was contemplating
something. But Bro had no clue what. And he didn’t have time to consider it,
either.
            He took his seat right in the middle of the futon. He turned on the
television, not really caring what was on. He wasn’t going to be watching
anyway.
            John’s dusting was shy and rather modest at first, swiping back and
forth over Bro’s computer desk. He reached upward to dust above the speaker. He
reached behind it to get above the plugs before moving over to the
entertainment system. He moved down to his knees, opening the doors of the
entertainment system and dusting between and on top of all of  Bro’s systems.
            Bro’s eyes were glued to John’s rear as he crawled from door to
door. He finished the table top, got back to his feet, and started the speakers
on the other side. He then gestured to the television, and Bro nodded.
            Showtime.
            John stood on his toes, reaching with his full height to dust off
the top of the television. He wobbled a bit with his unstabbly distributed
weight. That was Bro’s cue. He flashstepped behind the couch, picking Cal up.
He moved back and flopped down on the cushion, carelessly tossing Cal to the
floor behind John’s foot.
            John lost his balance finally, tumbling backward slightly. His heel
pressed into Cal’s stomach.
            “Woah!”
            The unusual terrain sent him stumbling even further in an attempt
to avoid it. He finally landed, finding himself seated between Bro’s spread and
prepared legs. His head bounced against Bro’s shoulder. He was nestled close,
and before he head a chance to sit up, Bro’s hand slid to the side of his
waist. The other reached for the remote, quietly turning off the television and
leaving a black screen free for reflection. He could see John's face on it.
Like watching himself on television. Like watching them together on television.
He dropped the remote, gripping John's other side and pressing rough fingers
into the chub on his stomach.
            “Careful,” Bro said lowly, sliding his head forward and resting it
on John’s shoulder. “Cal’s the type to hold a grudge.”
            John’s heart had started racing. Bro could hear it. John swallowed
before he spoke. His legs were spreading. The outsides of his thighs pressed
against the inside of Bro’s.
            “I didn’t mean to,” he breathed, bringing his hands back to his
sides. They rested against the couch. He released the duster, fingers
threatening to grip the cushion. “I don’t remember him being there when I
started. I’m sorry.”
            He wasn’t moving away. But was it an invitation or was it just
fear? Whatever it was, Bro wasn’t planning on letting it stop him. His hands
slid further over John’s stomach. His dick was already throbbing. Soon he’d be
able to tell if John’s was, too. Or make it start.
            “I’ll talk to him,” Bro reassured, his fingers creeping lower down
John’s torso. John’s body was ever so slightly stiffening, rejecting the
touches silently. That wouldn’t last. “But hey, you’re done now anyway.”
 
            “I should go home,” John whispered. But he still didn’t pull away.
Bro pulled the kid closer to him, nestling him even tighter between his legs.
If John didn’t feel that cock on his back now, it would be a miracle.
 
            “You should stay,” Bro offered, his voice hushing itself to a
whisper in John’s ear. His body was still tense under Bro’s hands, but Bro
pushed on regardless. Fingers crawled further toward John’s crotch. A fingertip
tease at the button on his shorts before four fingers slid between John’s
thighs. He gave the crotch a squeeze in his hand. John’s back curled. His
fingernails dug into his palms. A whimper cracked in his throat. Bro shushed
him.
            “I finished my work,” he muttered, eyes closed. He jutted his hips,
but still didn’t attempt to move away. Bro’s hands pressed against him.
            “But I did half of it,” Bro reminded him, doing his best not to
grin as he pressed his lips against the tip of John’s ear. The more he
squirmed, the tighter Bro held him down. “So you owe me, don’t you?”
            “But I didn’t ask you t-”
            Bro’s hand grabbed roughly at John’s crotch again. John went silent
aside from a breaking moan, pressing himself into that hand. He was giving in.
Slowly but surely. Of course he was. A hormonal teenager couldn’t say no. A
hormonal teenager didn’t want to say no.
            His hand started stroking John through his shorts. He could feel
that tiny cock of his getting harder. Those cargo shorts were getting tighter.
One of John’s hands moved to Bro’s thigh, small fingers gripping into the
denim. He was giving in at this point. Good.
            Bro removed his hand, earning a small whimper from John. He smirked
as he brought the hand to his mouth. He bit into the strap of his glove,
pulling the Velcro undone before pulling it off his hand with his teeth. Now
with bare skin his hand dove back down, only giving one squeeze to that forming
erection before working open the shorts and sliding his hand under the waist of
John’s boxers.
            John was getting less shy now, properly letting out a moan this
time as opposed to holding it back. Warm fingers slid through and past that
small patch of pubic hair and wrapped around John’s dick and started pulling
and rubbing. Starting slow and working toward a quick and stable thrust.
            It was obvious this was John’s first time with someone else,
judging by how little time and stimulation it took him. He had thankfully
opened up enough for impressive moans, not biting back until he came hot in
Bro’s hand. His back was so curled he was barely touching Bro with it anymore.
Elbows locked as he bent upward. It wasn’t until Bro took his hand back that
John settled back into place, shoulders heaving as he struggled to catch his
breath.
            Bro wiped his hand on his shirt before turning John in his lap,
holding him closer and cradling him protectively with a satisfied smirk. Today,
he got John. Tomorrow, John would get him.
            “I’ve… Never done something like that before,” he breathed, blue
eyes straining to look upward at Bro’s face. A bit of a smirk on his own face,
he turned back down to rebutton his shorts. For now Bro would allow it. But
tomorrow John wasn’t going to be done until he said so.
            “I can tell,” Bro teased, before lifting John’s face toward him
again. Bro kissed him, rather roughly considering the erection in his pants and
how desperate it was making him feel.  John did his best to keep up, moving to
straddle Bro’s lap again and pressing his hands against his chest. Tongue slid
against tongue and Bro’s hips were struggling to keep still. He wanted to whip
out his dick and shove it in John's ass right now. But he knew better. There
would be plenty of time for that tomorrow.
            “You should leave,” he breathed, fingers digging into John’s hips.
“I need to take care of this before my brother gets home. He won’t be long
either.”
            John nodded with a gaping mouth, sliding backward on the futon and
getting to his feet. A moment of awkward staring was the last Bro saw of him.
He took off toward the kitchen, feet slapping against tile and chairs sliding
loudly across the floor as he freed his backpack and tossed it over his
shoulder. He was nervous. He might even regret doing that tomorrow. He might
not want to do more.
            Oh well. All it would take was a bit more coaxing.
            Bro stood to grab Cal, dusting him off and giving him an apology
kiss to the forehead and a fist bump. Didn’t want to let the guy feel used.
They were a team, after all. With an inviting grin Bro sat back, finally
freeing his erection and wrapping Cal’s arm around it again. Tomorrow would be
different. For now, he needed to finish and change before Dave got home for the
evening.
            Tomorrow was the last day. And after tomorrow, all of this would be
over.
***** Chapter 6 *****
Chapter Notes
     BEFORE YOU READ THIS CHAPTER, I WANT YOU TO KNOW IN CASE YOU DON'T
     FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR:
     I rewrote the first three chapters of this fic to try and help the
     flow and style consistency. Not much of value was added, but if
     you're interested in reading them, I suggest going back and doing so
     before this chapter especially!!!!
            Semen splattered against tile. Bro cleaned it up himself. Bro
cleaned the entire bathroom himself. He didn’t stop until it was spotless. He
forgot to make Dave dinner. He watched television for hours. Ignored Dave when
he tried to talk to Bro over the back of the couch. He kept Cal held to his
chest.
            All it took was that taste of John for him to forget about
everything else. He stopped worrying about Dave having detention. Cal was left
unsatisfied. Bro wanted the heat of any of John’s orifices around him. That
tiny mouth barely able to suck the head of his dick. Breaking and pulling at
the tightness of his virginity. He wanted his tongue inside John and he wanted
his dick inside John.
            He was losing it.
            He fell asleep with the television on, and the futon still in its
upright position. He had another nightmare about dying. Murdered by a monster.
Cal was taken. Dave escaped.
            Bro stayed in bed late that morning. His eyes stayed shut. Cal laid
alone on the floor abandoned. He could hear Dave getting ready for school
behind him. But he didn’t care. He just wanted this day to end so he could pick
John up. He gripped tighter to his blanket- had Dave put one on him in the
middle of the night?- cracking his eyes open for only a second. It was darker
out the window than he hoped it was going to be.
            The room smelled like toast, now that he was acknowledging it.
            “Hey,” Dave finally said from the kitchen, muffled around his
breakfast. Bro heard his shoes begin to tap as he kicked them on without
untying them. Lazy shit. “It’s my last day of detention so I’ll be back closer
to 4. Last days let you out early so.”
            Bro didn’t respond. He was hardly listening. Just leave, Dave. Go
to school. Don’t come back. Go to a friend’s house for a sleep over. Anything.
            “Are you actually going to make supper tonight?”
            There was a long pause. Dave was waiting for a response. Bro’s gaze
moved to the floor behind his eyes. Guilt was threatening to bubble up. But he
wasn’t going to let it. He stayed silent, and eventually, Dave heaved out a
sigh.
            “Alright… I’ll see you tonight then,” he muttered. A few footsteps
later the latch on the door was sliding shut. Bro only waited a few seconds
before he sat up on the futon.
            His eyes wandered over to the computer. He wondered briefly if John
had sent him an email after he left last night. Thanking him again for his help
or thanking him for the hand job. Hopefully the latter. The kid had to have
said something, right? He was way too mouthy and talkative to have said nothing
in response to what happened.
            Bro stood up. Blood rushed from his head, and he wobbled for a
moment before working his way to his desk. He felt Cal’s hand plush under his
foot. Bro ignored him. He sat down at his desk, logging into his computer. He
bypassed all the sites in CompleteBullshit. Notifications from Facebook and
PlushRump demanded his attention. It could be serious business issues, but he
didn’t check them. His entire website could be down and he could be losing
money with every passing second.
            He opened up his email inbox.
            Three emails regarding his business. Two emails from the GameBro
Editor. One marked with “Urgent.” Dave had updated Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff
last night, and there was an email notifying him to read it.
            His mouse moved to the new email from John and opened it up.
 
 
            uh. hey. it’s me again. i guess i wanted to thank you again for
your help and stuff. i really appreciate it and i know school is a lot better
and stuff already but uh. i mean. i don’t really get what happened yesterday?
like i mean it’s cool if you like me like that or something but you’re a bit
old for me aren’t you? i guess i technically don’t even know how old you are
but. well. i’m not really into guys anyway i don’t think? it’s cool if you are!
but i’m not. sorry.
            i don’t really think i should come over today. i know you still
wanted me to do the bathroom but i don’t feel all that comfortable going back
over to be honest. i hope you understand. i don’t even know your name after
all.
            so yeah. thanks. and i’ll see you around or something maybe.
-       john
 
 
            Bro was trying really hard not to frown. At first his smirk was
natural. The innocent ignorance was amusing to him. But the more he read, the
more his emotions swirled. Who did this kid think he was? Bro risked going to
jail for him, and he couldn’t even finish up his repayment? What, did he think
everything on the world came free? First the carelessness on the internet,
second the seatbelt thing, now this. He must have been raised by a fucking
moron.
            Bro was pissed. His expression weighed down his face. He loudly
smacked down on the reply button. He could see red in his vision as he typed.
John wasn’t going to get away with this. Just getting what he wanted from Bro
willy-fucking-nilly then getting away with it after contributing nothing
himself. Luckily Bro had prepared for this. He knew there was a chance that
John would have gotten frightened by his advancements last night. Luckily for
him, John was stupid. And he was just a kid.
 
 
            That’s not really an option here, Kid. You’re coming over until the
job is done. I didn’t risk going to jail to save your cowardly ass for you to
cop out on me halfway through payment. I’ll be there to pick you up after
school. If you don’t show up at my truck, I’ll be showing up your house. An
easy reveal since you gave me your IP address on a golden fucking platter.
            And trust me when I say it, John. You bet your ass I’ll be showing
up well after your dad is home. And I’ll tell him all about what you’ve been
getting up to. If that’s what you’d rather happen then go ahead and play
hookey. You want to keep the charade going? I’ll see you in my shower at 3:30
scrubbing the tiles.
 
            -Dirk
 
           
           No way John was going to say no to that. He should be thanking Bro
for being so damn generous. Bro didn’t expect money for his troubles or
compensation for the risk besides a few fucking chores. Then not only did he do
the fucking chores before John even got there, he gave the kid a free hand job,
too. At least Bro had raised Dave not to be an unappreciative little bastard
like this kid. That was a bit comforting. Dave was a good kid. He was…
            Who the hell cared.
            Bro stood only when his stomach growled loudly. He picked up the
remote to his stereo from his desk, turning his music up to a reasonable volume
before moving into the kitchen. He pulled his shirt over his head and discarded
it. Two minutes of microwaving later and he was blowing steam from a burrito,
using a hand towel as an oven mitt and bringing the plate back to his computer.
            There was still no response from John.
            Reluctantly, he went back through his tabs to do his work. Answered
his Facebook messages, dealt with the matters that needed his attention on
PlushRump. That didn’t stop him from checking for a new message every few
minutes, though. His phone buzzed a few times. Texts from Dave. He didn’t
bother reading them past the preview line. Just stupid things Dave thought was
funny and wanted to share. 90% of the time they weren’t funny at all, but he
would still laugh for him. If only to make Dave feel good.
            All that self esteem buffering. He had been doing it since Dave was
a baby. For a moment he remembered Dave’s bullying problem from this week. For
a second he remembered to worry about how that self esteem he had built might
be shattering right in front of his eyes.
            His email notification went off.
            John had replied.
 
 
            you are such a despicable piece of shit.
 
            i’ll be there.
-       john
 
 
Of course he would be. He didn’t have a choice. Bro didn’t give him a choice.
 
I know.
-       Dirk
 
 
 
            Bro was near silent when his passenger door opened. He didn’t turn
to greet John. John didn’t greet him, either. He took a seat and he pressed his
feet flat against the floor. Bro put the car into gear, and as he pulled away
from the curb- sharply this time- he finally spoke.
            “Put your seatbelt on.”
            John did as he was told. Not in a smartass way this time. He got it
done. The buckle clicked closed and he rested back tighter against his seat.
Bro was a bit more careless as he drove this time, wanting to hurry home and
get this over with. Something in his head was fighting itself. He had better
things to worry about than this kid. But he couldn’t get him out of his head
until he had him.
            “I’ve got good news for you,” Bro said, parking his truck in the
complex and pulling his keys from the ignition. John looked up in silence as he
waited for the rest, unbuckling his seat belt. His hands were gripped tighter
to that backpack than Bro had seen so far. He was nervous. Even more nervous
than the first day. 
            “I already cleaned the bathroom, so we’ve got the afternoon to
ourselves.”
            “What?”
            John didn’t like that at all, apparently. His body was leaning away
from Bro, shoulder pressed against the truck door.
            “You heard me,” Bro snapped, jerking his arm and pointing his key
upward. “Now get upstairs. Or I’ll take you back home and we’ll have a talk
with your dad.”
            “I hate you,” John growled, pushing open his door and shaking his
head. Bro only smirked, locking his doors once John’s was closed.
            “Quit with the hostilities, Kid. Soon you’ll be creaming yourself
again and you’ll regret being such a dick.” Bro could have sworn there was the
smallest of smirks on John’s face. Not that he had that long of a chance to see
it.
            “I’m not having sex with you,” John muttered, waiting until after
the elevator doors had closed. Bro leaned against the back wall, shrugging his
shoulders.
            “That’s fine. I mean sure, getting my dick in you would be fucking
great. But I’m not about to rape you to get it.”
            Except this morning he would have. Last night he would have. He was
so much more irritated after John left the day before. And already he felt less
angry. Less desperate. Less betrayed. He was actually feeling a smile tug his
lips. Was he on some sort of John withdrawal? Why the hell would he have been
so into him that fast? Why did John deserve that much of his attention? It was
almost angering.
            It was just sexual frustration. It had to be.
            “Maybe not,” John said finally, heaving a sigh as the door opened
on the correct floor. “But you’ll still do that crazy coaxing shit and convince
me.”
            “That crazy coaxing shit wouldn’t work if you didn’t inherently
want it,” Bro reminded up, pushing open his apartment door. “Go have a seat on
the couch.” He lifted his hand, pointing his keys into the living room. John
looked, cocking an eyebrow.
            “No way. That’s just asking for it.”
            “Get on the couch or I’ll just fuck you over the kitchen table
instead. I would at least like you to be comfortable when I do you.”
            “You’re not going to do me,” John insisted, though this time Bro
saw that smirk on his face for sure. And he headed over to the couch without
question.
            John was feeling more at ease, too. He discarded his backpack on
the floor, thought much closer to where he was going to be this time. Bro was
thankful for that. Meant the feeling was mutual. Meant he had as much power
over John as John had over him.
            Bro wasted no time cutting to the chase. He discarded his hat and
gloves on the kitchen counter, moved into the living room, and took a seat next
to John on the futon. John glanced up at him without turning his head. Bro
rested an elbow against the back of the couch, propping up his head. His other
hand eased its way into John’s lap, palming at his crotch and thumbing down the
length in his shorts.
            “Quit it,” John groaned, slowly sliding closer. His eyes were
closing. He wasn’t even trying to fight this time. He was probably only saying
no so he could tell everyone that he did. Get off easy. Cheeky bastard.
            Bro wasted no time pulling open his shorts, shoving his hand inside
and pulling out John’s cock. Wasn’t quite hard yet, but he knew how to handle
that.
            “Sit on my face,” he commanded, leaning back away from John and
resting on his back. He trapped John under his legs momentarily, propping his
head up with a cocky smirk.
            “What the fuck would I do that for?” John argued, roughly shoving
Bro’s legs from his lap. Dirk exaggerated the motion as his feet fell to the
floor, stomping loudly.
            “Just trust me. Take off your pants and get on your knees so your
hips are over my face. Hurry up with it, too.”
            He had to choke back a laugh listening to John monologue as he
undressed. He kicked his shorts and boxers away from him, sending them flying
off toward the corner of the room.
            “Hey, why is your creepy doll on the floor?”
            Bro’s smile faded as he glanced over. John was now holding Cal by
the waist, his arms and legs limp as they hung toward the floor. Bro had left
him on the floor. Bro never treated Cal that way. He would have to apologize in
a big way if he was going to get past this. John propped Cal up against the
television before moving back over to the couch.
            “Could you at least close your eyes if my ass is going to be in
your face,” he muttered, throwing a leg over Bro’s chest. He dropped his head,
staring at Bro through the space between them. “I mean it’s kind of gross.”
            “Just shut up,” Bro responded. His hands pushed upward against
John’s hips. He lifted the small body and bent it as he wanted to. John had a
quiet yelp to make, but Bro didn’t bother acknowledging it. His hands moved to
John’s backside, thumbs spreading the flesh and revealing the prize he was
looking for. “I’d suggest muffling yourself on my dick. Wouldn’t want to alert
the neighbors.”
            “Don’t get so cocky,” John sniggered, lifting his head to glance
over his shoulder. “As if you could actually make m- oh fuck.”
            His head dropped back down as Bro’s tongue pressed against him. It
pushed and prodded against his anus and Bro wasn’t surprised at all when he
felt John’s face press against his crotch. John’s mouth was wide as hot breath
clouded out of him. Impatient fingers began desperately scurrying around Bro’s
belt as his tongue started pushing inside of him.
            Bro moved lower as he felt the heat of John’s mouth around his
head. Finally. And it was just as amazing as he imagined it would be.
Inexperienced and sloppy, the first thing John did was take in too much and
choke himself. Bro did his best not to laugh, just jerking John’s hips up
again. He widened his mouth, lifted his head, and let one of John’s balls fall
into his mouth.
            Another loud whimper came from the other end of the couch. The
suction on his dick increased as John worked. His small hands gripped at the
base of Bro’s dick. A bit tighter than Bro would have liked, but he wasn’t
about to complain. It was still John after-all. And he wasn’t doing too bad
anyway.
            Bro could get off on this. Of course he could.
            He dropped his head back against the couch, and watched easily as
John’s hips jutted backward and thrusted forward again. He was still desperate
to be touched. So close and yet so far.
            “Are you going to ask nicely?” Bro teased, tracing his fingertips
along John’s hips in an agonizingly slow way. John’s mouth pulled up hard from
Bro’s cock.
            “Hell no!” It was a rather loud exclamation, but he didn’t seem to
mind. He went back to licking around the head of Bro’s cock, taking it in
again. He started to bob his head, moving his hands along in time with it.
Certainly wouldn’t be long now if John kept that up.
            Bro hoisted him up again, letting his much smaller- but way harder
than before- cock drop down into his throat. John picked up his speed, a bit
more open to this whole ordeal now. Unlike John, Bro was fully capable of
bringing John’s dick all the way into his throat, closing his mouth around it.
It earned him a strained whimper, and once again John was lifting his head up
from his work for a loud-mouthed play by play.
            “How do you… Fuck… Even do that… I can’t seem to.”
            Bro took the time to hum, and John’s head shot up as the vibration
stalked up his spine. He went back to his greedily suckling, no doubt getting a
mouth full of precum at this point. Bro was surprised he wasn’t whining about
that, the way this kid felt the need to always be talking. Bro lifted John off
of him, letting his precum drizzle over his lips. He licked it off before
giving John’s slit a quick lap.
            “If you haven’t noticed, your dick is about the size of my thumb.
Where as you’re basically devouring your fucking forearm.”
            “It is not the size of your thuuuoooh fuck.”
            Bro once again rolled one of John’s balls in his mouth, taking care
as he switched to the other one. Gentle prods with his tongue was all it really
needed, after all.  He pulled off and went back to John’s cock, swollen to its
peak. He’d be bursting any minute and Bro would lap it up.
            John’s hands picked up their pace, in time with a quicker bob in
his head. He was determined to get this job done for someone who’s not really
into guys, wasn’t he? Still, the pressure from his grip and the heat of his
mouth felt great, as amateurish as it was. Bro’s hips even jerked up once or
twice, earning a protesting moan from John and about nothing else.
            Bro held back his work just long enough for him to spill over. Hot
cum splattered against the inside of John’s mouth, and he pulled back on
instinct. The last of it ended up hitting his face, and a loud yell came of it.
It just made Bro grin.
            “Come on!” John yelled, putting his weight on one elbow to wipe his
face. “Can’t you warn a guy? I got that in my mouth!”
            He continued monologue, not shutting up until Bro shoved John’s
dick down his throat again. He was silenced with another moan, and Bro could
have sworn he saw John’s legs attempting to spread to get lower. That brat
wanted to fuck his mouth, didn’t he? Bro met him half way, giving up on the
deep throating and instead jerking his head upward to thrust nicely.
            John’s teeth dug down into Bro’s jeans as he came, whimpers
silenced and cracking in his throat. Bro swallowed it down as promised, letting
go of John’s hips and letting the kid collapse on him. All that could be heard
for a long time was John panting. Eventually though he lifted up on his arms,
and spun around. He rested his head on Bro’s chest. Bro tugged the blanket down
from the back of the couch and laid it on them. He even went as far as to
finger through John’s hair and leave a kiss on his forehead.
            “Sick, dude,” John whined, not as energetically as before. “Don’t
kiss me, were you not just paying attention to all the places your mouth just
was? Fucking gross.”
            “Just for that I’m going to get a sloppy one right on your lips.”
Bro grinned, closing his eyes. He felt John chuckle against his chest.
            “Haha! Ew!”
            John talked for a long time. He just kept talking. Bro was finding
himself drifting off to the sound of it. Hearing about school work and computer
games and Ghostbusters. None of it was really registering, but he was
listening. He would always listen to John. Even if John said no.
            Letting his head clear out was like vacuuming out a thick haze. All
the uptightness from the morning was gone. He was remembering he forgot to
answer his publisher’s emails. He remembered he still needed to get Dave to
talk about his fight problem. Just because his detention was ending doesn’t
mean the issue was going to end. Like John said. Detention doesn’t stop bullies
for good.
            John should come over when Dave was here. They should be friends.
John could teach Dave a thing or two about not giving a shit what assholes were
saying about them. They could be friends. Bro knew that Dave already had
friends, but who knew if John did or not? They could be helping eachother. Not
to mention that would give John a reason to be around more.
            Bro didn’t think that he would need anything more sexually from
John, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t take some if it was offered. Wouldn’t
want to let that go to waste, right?
 
            Bro hadn’t even realized he had fallen asleep until he woke up,
when he found himself winded by small hands slamming down into his chest. He
was still half asleep, and aside from knowing John was doing some fucking
downward facing dog yoga pose on top of him, he had no clue what was going on.
            “What the hell are you doing here?”                    
            Was that Dave? He sounded so hostile. Okay, Bro, time to wake up.
You need to start explaining and fast. Get up. He tried to sit up, but John was
still on top of him, weighing him down with his scrawny little arms and all his
weight being put on them.
            “Dave!! You’re… You’re Dirk’s brother?”
            Finally the weight was lifted when John hopped off the couch,
taking the blanket with him. He clutched it tightly around his naked waist. Bro
tiredly stared at him before managing to sit up.
            “Good,” he started groggily, pushing his hand back through his hair
to get it out of his face. He turned to look at Dave over the back of the
futon. What was he doing home so early anyway? “I wanted to introduce you two.
Looks like you already know eachother.”
            “Dirk!” John shouted suddenly, causing Bro to turn to him instead.
His face was scrunched worriedly and he looked as if he was going to start
crying. Bro just cocked an eyebrow. What was the problem here? He was about to
ask, but John didn’t need the prompt.
            “Of course I know Dave!” John shouted, knuckles white as he gripped
even tighter to the blanket around him, desperately holding it up. He was
holding it like he would have been holding his backpack if it were within arms
reach. He wasn't just nervous. He was scared.
            “He’s the third guy who beat me up!”
***** Chapter 7 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Bro was speechless.
            At first, he wanted to lash out at John. How fucking dare he accuse
his little brother of being a fucking bully? Dave wasn’t a fucking bully, and
this kid was full of shit. But Bro wasn’t stupid. He could see the sincerity in
John’s eyes, and he could see the shame in the way Dave was clenching jaw.
            John was telling the truth. Dave had beaten someone up just to be
an antagonist.
            “John,” Bro started sternly, fixing his pants before getting to his
feet. “Why don’t you go into the bathroom and wash up. Get dressed. There’s a
spare tooth brush in the cabinet still packaged if you need it. I need to talk
alone with my brother.”
            Dave’s gulping was audible.
            John looked up at Bro with a slightly open mouth, his eyes
practically begging for security. The way the color had drained from them spoke
volumes. His entire expression was screaming for protection. So John wasn’t as
impervious to this bullying thing as he said he was, was he? It effected him a
lot if he was this scared. He was just putting up a front.
            Bro put a hand on his shoulder, easing him in the direction of the
bathroom. John picked up his shorts on the way, making a run for it. The
hallway door slammed shut. Bro inhaled before turning around.
            “I can explain,” Dave started quickly, already defensively lifting
up his hands. Bro could see the peak of his eyebrows above his glasses where
they were curling upward. If Dave thought he was upset now, he was going to be
fucking surprised when he found out how upset he was going to be after Bro was
through with him.
            “Yeah, and you fucking better,” Bro snapped, gripping his fists.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Do you think I train you like this so
you can pick on innocent fucking kids? You think just because you have some
monster self-esteem you can make others feel like shit for not being you? Guess
what Dave, that isn’t self-esteem that’s a fucking ego. That’s not fucking
cool, that’s bullying.”
            “It’s not my fault!” Dave shouted back, his voice was raising
volume and there was a squeak in his throat where it cracked over the new
octave. At least he seemed to understand that he fucked up. Still doesn’t
explain why he would do something like this, mind you. “I didn’t want to hit
anybody!”
            “Then why the fuck did you.” Bro was practically growling now,
taking a step closer as Dave had begun to retreat. “Did your fist accidentally
fly forward? Did you trip and accidentally kick him in the stomach? For fuck’s
sakes, it’s John. He couldn’t have fought back and you still beat the shit out
of him. For what? Why? What force was too strong for you to overcome?”
            “How the hell do you even know him?” Dave was screaming louder now,
his volume beginning to overtake Bro’s. His body was flung all the way forward,
a finger pointing angrily at the door where John had disappeared. That pissed
Bro off. How could this brat turn anything off of himself right now after what
he did? Was getting what was coming to him too much of a punishment so now he
was a victim? Bro would have started the scolding again, but Dave’s mouth
seemed to drop knowingly before he stood up straighter. “Oh my God. You were
the one who did it, didn’t you. I should have fucking known.”
            “Did what,” Bro asked, a frown starting to form on his face. His
eyes narrowed behind his glasses. What the hell was Dave playing at now. He was
letting Dave get them off subject. Great. No, that wasn’t happening. He would
get it back on track. He wasn’t going to be made the bad guy talking to someone
who had just beaten a kid up in school.
            “You’re the one that beat the ever loving shit out of my friends so
they stopped fucking talking to me. They thought I had something to do with it
since I just so happened to be away the day it happened. Thanks a fucking lot,
Bro! Way to set a goddamn example! What, it’s okay for you to beat people up
half your fucking age, but if I do it it’s suddenly a huge crime?!”
            Dave was heaving, his face red from the screaming. He started to
storm past Bro, but Bro’s hand was on his wrist before he even had a chance.
His grip was tight to keep him in the kitchen. Dave protested and fought
against the grip, but he wasn’t going anywhere. Bro started yelling just as
loud, jerking Dave roughly closer to him.
            “I hit them because I thought they were beating the fucking shit
out of youyou ungrateful little shit. I did it to save your goddamn ass because
I thought I knew you better than you being a fucking bully. I was stupid enough
to think that you were the one getting picked on. I guess I fall for your
stupid façade just like everyone else does, don’t I!”
            That visibly stung Dave, and Bro could tell. His mouth had
stretched across his jaw and his head dropped slightly. Bro made a note to
apologize for that one later. But for now, he wasn’t quite finished. He brought
down his tone just slightly, nudging Dave’s face back up.
            “And what the fuck are you doing being friends with guys like that
anyway. One of them’s a fucking sociopath and the other is a goddamn coward. I
raised you better than that, Dave. You have better friends than them so why
would you ever give those assholes the time of fucking day. They deserved to
get what was fucking coming to them.”
            Bro expected Dave to start screaming right away out of defense, but
for a moment he seemed to calm down. His expression softened into a playful
smile, and he brought a hand up to laugh into. It wasn’t long until it was all
gone though, and he turned his head towards the floor. Bro barely caught his
whisper.
            “I don’t have any friends.”
            He let go of Dave’s wrist. Dave didn’t move away. He just stood
there with his head down, solemnly staring at his feet. Bro couldn’t believe
what he just heard. He didn’t believe it. How could Dave not have friends? He
had a flawless self-esteem, he was cool as all shit, and hell, he was even good
looking. What could have possibly gone wrong?
            “Bullshit,” Bro said, folding his arms across his chest. “You talk
about that Rose girl all the time. Isn’t she your friend?” There’s no way there
weren’t others. “You were texting someone all day on Tuesday. I barely saw you
without your phone in your hand. Was whoever that was not your friend?”
            Dave just scoffed. His hands were stuffed away in his armpits and
his gaze was still downcast. The poor kid was fucking humiliated admitting all
of this. Bro didn’t really blame him, even if he didn’t understand how it was
happening.
            “The person I was texting was Rose,” he muttered, before finally
lifting his head. Suddenly his tone was back full force. Hostile and angry, as
if Bro should have known all of this from the get go. Maybe Bro should have.
Maybe he was an idiot for not realizing any of this sooner. He didn’t even
bother to ask. “And wouldn’t you fucking know it, she lives thousands of miles
away and is the only goddamn person who gives me the time of day! Go fucking
figure!”
            A hand balled and pushed upward. Dave’s glasses were knocked off
kilter as he started rubbing at his eyes, his jaw clenched. Bro could feel what
he did just by looking at him. That dry, burning throat, the sting in his eyes,
the heavy weight of his cheeks. Bro got on his knees, taking Dave’s glasses off
his face to look him in the eyes.
            “So why did this turn into you beating someone up.”
            Dave stared at his brother for a minute, his eyes glossy. He
dropped his head, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. He then shrugged, taking
a look over his shoulder. He wanted to make this casual. It really wasn’t.
            “They said I could hang out with them if I did it. I just. I wanted
to fit in somewhere. Everybody hates me, Bro. They think that Ithink I’m too
good for them. They think I think I’m too cool for them. But I’m just trying to
act as confident as you are. I thought that’s what I was supposed to do.”
            Now everything was just crashing down. All this time Bro thought he
had given Dave the perfect life, raised him to be the epitome of self-
confidence so he could achieve anything he wanted to. But here Dave was, alone
and alienated by the very lessons he was taught would bring him success. If Bro
didn’t think he was blaming himself on Monday night, he was sure as hell
blaming himself now.
            “I didn’t want to hurt him,” Dave said quietly, staring at his
sunglasses in Bro’s hand. “I just wanted them to like me. And then we got
caught and they blamed me for it. I skipped school on Tuesday because I thought
they were going to beat me up next. On Wednesday they just wouldn’t talk to me.
But everyone knew they got beat up by someone. They just refused to say who.”
            Bro dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing
his eyes tightly. The throb in his temple was getting strong. How could he have
been so fucking wrong? And for so fucking long, too?
            “Well,” he breathed, managing a smile in Dave’s direction. “I’m
glad you at least realize what you did was wrong. Good on you, kid.”
            Dave had the faintest of smiles, too, hearing that.
            “You should apologize to him, though. First thing. Got it?”
            Dave nodded, and Bro handed him back his sunglasses. Dave was quick
to throw them back on, probably already way too over exposed after this whole
ordeal. Bro knew how Dave liked to keep contained.
            “But hey. I’m sorry too, alright.”
            Dave looked upward, a questioning gape on his face. Clearly he
didn’t blame Bro for this. But of course he didn’t. Dave was just a kid. Kids
never understood what was happening around them. But Bro had it all figured
out, and he knew exactly why this was happening. He just wasn’t that great of a
father figure after all.
            “I didn’t mean to fuck up your chance at making friends. I just
wanted you to never doubt yourself.” At least Bro meant that. But he was still
stupid for jumping to assumptions and beating the shit out of kids without
knowing what was even going on. Not that those kids didn’t deserve it. And it
was probably best that Dave wasn’t friends with those guys anyway.
            “I doubt myself all the time,” Dave admitted, his body stiff as his
arms crossed over his chest again. “I just act like I’m some hot shot because
that’s what I want to be.” He sighed quietly, one of his feet lifting to
scratch the back of his ankle with his toes. God the way this kid could move
was creepy.
            Bro smiled, pushing Dave’s hair from in front of his glasses and
tucking it behind his ear. He gave Dave’s cheek a few gentle smacks, and Dave
broke out into a smile.
            “You’ll be whatever you want to be in time, Kid,” Bro assured him, 
pushing up his chin again. “But sometimes you gotta have the guts to make the
first move. Not every friend comes to you first.”
            Dave nodded his head, and Bro could see the color swelling in his
cheeks as he fought off a bigger smile.
            “Yeah,” he muttered, “I was the first to talk to Rose, too. She’s…
Pretty great.”
            Bro smiled widely and nudged his shoulder before getting distracted
by the squeak of the hallway door. He stood as John bashfully peered through
the crack. Bro attempted to give him an inviting smile. He took a few steps
into the room, scratching at the back of his head.
            “I uh. I kind of knew that you weren’t really into the whole
beating me up thing,” John said, keeping his eyes to the far wall and out of
direct-gaze. “It was obvious you didn’t want to. So I mean. I forgive you and
stuff. I was never really all that mad at you, really.”
            Dave looked over his shoulder for a minute before turning back. Bro
could tell from that look on his face that it didn’t really matter if John
forgave him. He needed to forgive himself. But Dave was shy and contained and
he really needed that push to open up. Maybe John could give that to him.
            Maybe this wasn’t in vain after all.
            “But I mean,” John continued, finally turning his face towards the
Striders and offering up a smile. Damn this kid was easy going. “I don’t have
any friends either. Aside from a girl online, at least. And I guess if you
wanted to, we could be friends. I always did think you were sort of cool. Just
not really in the same way that you think you’re cool.”
            Dave didn’t turn around yet. His lips were pursing and wriggling as
he mulled over a response. If Bro didn’t know any better, he would say Dave was
building that façade back up. Alright, whatever worked for him. Bro wasn’t
about to interfere. Not anymore. He had done enough. Instead he moved to the
fridge, pulling open the door (easily holding back the swords compared to the
mess Dave always made with them) and pulled out a beer. He moved against the
counter and opened it up, taking a quick refreshing drink of it.
            “Yeah, sure, I guess,” he finally said, turning around with his
hands in his pockets. He shrugged his shoulders, but apparently that was enough
for John to break out a smile. “It’d be pretty cool to be friends with you.
You’re alright.”
            John had the same mature and calm eyes he had when he smiled for
Bro. The ones filled with admiration.
            “Well cool!” John exclaimed happily, getting a bit closer now. At
least he didn’t seem as afraid as he was before. Apparently listening in on all
of Dave’s vulnerabilities and insecurities was enough to calm him down. “Do you
want to stay the night at my place? I mean, I don’t have as many cool game
consoles as you do, but I do have my 3DS and an awesome movie collection. I’m
sure my dad wouldn’t mind or anything! He’s pretty cool with that stuff.”
            Dave silently looked for approval. Bro silently handed it over.
John kept talking.
            “And maybe I can introduce you to Jade! And you can introduce me to
Rose was it? Maybe even they can be friends! We could be a team. Like the power
rangers except we’d probably just be fighting adolescence instead of lame
puppet super villains.”
            Dave seemed happy with that. More than, actually. He actually
cracked a smile. Bro knew not everyone got one of those.
            “Well alright let me throw some clothes in a bag and we can head
over to your place then. You’ve got a 3DS right? I’ll pack mine and we can
trade our shit.”
            “Hell yeah,” John exclaimed, stepping aside as Dave walked past him
towards the hallway. He followed close behind, and soon both of them had
disappeared behind the door. Bro rested against the counter, inhaling through
his nose as he drank and heaving a sigh. What a fucking week. It would be nice
to have a night alone.
            He was glad that Dave turned out not to be getting picked on, sure,
but finding out he was succumbing to peer pressure just to make friends was
still a pretty fucking huge worry. He counted his blessings that this time
around it was just hitting a kid who couldn’t hold a grudge. The further he got
in high school, he’d be facing offers for alcohol and drugs and that thought
was giving Bro a headache. Especially knowing he would have to rethink his
parenting strategy to try and get Dave through it all.
            But hey. At least he wasn’t getting through it by himself anymore.
            Bro had already finished one can by the time John and Dave came
back out. Dave’s backpack was hanging off his shoulder, and John ran ahead to
grab his from beside the futon. Bro cracked another can, one hand gripping to
the counter as he leaned against it.
            “Do you want a ride?” he offered, watching them take off across the
living room and start putting on their shoes. Dave untied his. John still just
jammed his foot inside and stomped on his toes until it was adjusted.
            “Nope,” John responded, without missing a beat. When he turned to
look at Bro, they just exchanged a mutual knowing smirk. Yup, the kid was still
smart. Well, part of him at least.
            “Later Bro,” Dave offered, John having already stepped out of the
doorway. He had a hand on his backpack and he was standing so awkwardly in the
doorway, facing the wrong direction. “And uh.”
            Bro cocked an eyebrow, only growing more confused as Dave stepped
back into the kitchen.
            Warm arms wrapped around Bro’s torso and a small head pressed
against his chest. He was caught completely off guard, but managed to slide an
arm around Dave’s shoulders before he pulled away. The second hug he had
received in years. The first hug from Dave he had received in years.
            “Thanks.”
            Dave took off when John started whining in his impatience. Bro felt
a twang of disdain toward John for that, but shook it out of his head. He
didn’t have time to waste any more thoughts on John. He’d gotten what he
wanted. Sure, that wasn’t going to stop him from trying to get some more, but
for now he was feeling pretty decent.
 
            There was just one more matter of business to take care of, and
then everything could go back to normal.
Chapter End Notes
     only one more chapter gosh it's been fun....... thank u for reading
     this far and thank you so much for all your comments they meant a LOT
     TO ME GOSH GOSH GOSH. <33333333 i will have to write more brojohn in
     the future for u lovely people
***** Chapter 8 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
The apartment was quiet besides the low hum of the computer tower, which
quickly faded away as the entire system was shut down. Bro had finished with
all the business he had left to do, including the emails, article edits, and
leaving Dave a comment on his newest comic.
            Dave was going to be at John’s until tomorrow afternoon. He had the
place to himself for 12 hours.
            He had already made, eaten, and cleaned up dinner. The blanket from
the living room was back over the futon. Everything was in order besides the
one last thing he needed to fix from this whole ordeal.
            The muted television was turned off. A tight, toned ass was
revealed as he shimmied his way out of his pants, throwing them over one of the
living room speakers. His hat and sunglasses were place gingerly on top, along
with his gloves. After tossing away his shirt, he broke into a grin.
            “I’m sorry I’ve been so awful to you, babe,” he soothed quietly,
gliding toward the entertainment system. He was down on one knee in an instant,
and carefully, like a proper gentleman, his hand slid underneath the fuzzy
white tuff of Cal’s. “But I’m gonna make it up to you, and we’re gonna get back
on track with this crazy love train.”
            He waited eagerly, eyes glittering the moment Cal forgave him.
Thank God he hadn’t messed things up forever with that stupid John stunt.
            “From now on, it’s just you and me. Not splitting up anything ever
again.”
            He pulled the puppet against him, holding one hand in his while he
pressed the other against his shoulder. They waltzed for a long while, and just
as Bro was manning up and leaning in for a kiss, he heard the buzz of
vibrations coming from his pants pocket on the speaker. Someone had texted him.
            Tossing Cal over his shoulder to observe he wandered over, reaching
into the pocket and pulling out his phone.
            New Multimedia Message from Dave.
            What the hell could it be?
            He opened the message, reading the caption that came first.
 
            “got you a present. dunno how you met him but i figure the least i
could do would be supportive”
 
            Scrolling down, Bro saw it. The small thumbnail. It wasn’t. Dave
didn’t. He enlarged the photo.
            On a backdrop of blank white wall and the corner of a Ghostbusters
movie poster was John. But not just John. John’s ass. Clothed as it may be, was
still round and plush as it was earlier on. Bro could even see the teaniest bit
up the leg of it to his boxers.
            He grinned, then turned his head to get Cal’s opinion. Apparently
Cal didn’t mind too much.
            “You don’t mind if I make once exception, right?”
            He discarded the phone, and pulled Cal around to his front again.
After collapsing the futon he gingerly laid Cal down, climbing and hovering
over his tiny body and pulling the blanket over both of them.
            “Nah, I didn’t think you would.”
Chapter End Notes
     what are you hooligans still doing on my lawn get out
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