Status: One-shot (complete).

Rating: K (G).

Characters: Gus, Shawn, Gus' Brother.

Genre: Friendship, family, general (POV).

Beta: Nop. English isn't my first language, so comments are more than welcome.

Disclaimer: Psych doesn't belong to me. But I do have this cute pineapple shaped eraser!

Notes: Before you said "WTF Gus has a sister!", let me explain. Before knowing about Joy, according to Gus' blog one the official web, he had a brother. When Joy appeared, the producer named her as "one of his siblings". So, Gus is the youngest of three. Got it? Good. Now read and enjoy. ;D

Like Brothers

"Los hermanos sean unidos, ("Brothers must be close,)

Esaes la ley primera. (...) (That's the most important law. (...) )

Ya que si entre ellos pelean, (Because if they fight against each other,)

Los devoran los de afuera." (Outsiders will devour them.")

-"MartínFierro" by José Hernández.

All the prepared apologies for arriving late at the special dinner were forgotten the minute Gus entered his parents' home and was received with a suffocating hug.

After the usual questions ("Still no wife and kids? My children want cousins to visit, you know! ...Still stuck doing the same dull job?"), the topic changed to the unique piece of gossip that kept the family talking for months.

"So, bro', mom and dad told me you're playing detectives with good ol' Shawn."

"Well, you could say so. In fact, we..." Once more, Gus was silenced by his older brother, this time with his resonant laugh.

"I knew it! You're working together! And they believed you'd grow apart by the end of high school." He finished his sentence with a snort and an eye roll. "Please. You and the freckled pipsqueak have always been like brothers."

Gus tried not to look very shocked after hearing those words. Has his own sibling just used that term?

Like brothers.

He doesn't like the expression. He never did.

He never understood where it came from, either. Oh, the meaning was clear, all right: it talked about bonds, closeness, understanding, comradeship... but between brothers? Where did literature and TV shows take that from?

Gus remembered the talks with his friends from school pretty well. All the children with siblings wanted to be the only son/daughter... and the ones who didn't have brothers and sisters wanted one. But they didn't know what they were talking about.

He was like everyone else: a child who didn't mind his brother, but that didn't idolize him, either. They would play together once in a while. They would blame each other for anything broken in the house. Gus would help him with his homework if he, in return, trained him a bit for Gym class. They would fight for the remote, the last ice-cream, the front seat of the car...

But they didn't cover each other's backs. Gus didn't go to him when he wasn't feeling well.

That was what he had Shawn for.

Shawn was the one who lied with him, for him. The one who would lend his ear, even if crying over his first B wasn't something his best friend thought it was worth. Shawn was the one who cared when he didn't pass the admission exam to genius-school. The one who didn't laugh at his quirks, but helped him to look cool.

Shawn was the one who Gus shared the real bonds with.

So every time an adult told the two kids "You two are like brothers!", Gus would feel internally split. On one hand, he felt flattered: people could see how strong their friendship was. On the other hand, he felt insulted: his relationship with Shawn could not be compared with the relationship he had with his older brother. But instead of saying anything, Gus would just nod politely, following the good manners his mother granted him.

And now, his beloved brother (because please, don't get confuse: despite the lack of comradeship, Gus loved his brother), his own blood, was using the expression. How was Gus supposed to feel about it?

....Surprisingly warm. The hand patting his back and the ear-to-ear smile, made Gus see that his brother was happy for him.

All that time... he understood. He wouldn't leave Gus in Shawn's hands to escape from the house and his responsibilities. He did it because he knew it was the best for him. He knew -just as Gus knew but never said aloud- that they loved each other, but they weren't the ones needed by their sides. And he was happy because he came home for a visit and found out his "little bro'" was ok and still in the best of cares.

The side of Gus that used to feel insulted suddenly disappeared.

His brother looked at him, waiting for some kind of answer. Gus smiled back and finally spoke.

"Yes, we always have."

-The end-

I hope this is IC enough. I still feel as if I put my own thoughts in Gus' head.