Sibling Bond

by technogeekmituna

Now he was different. Instead of acting like the adult he was he would throw childish outbursts at the toss of a dime. His moods would switch faster than your own, and it left you dizzy with how fast they would come and go. The worst thing though was when people would misjudge Mituna. They made him sound incompetent. Of course you knew better; he was your brother.

Coming out of your room for the first time in a few hours, you went to join your older brother on the couch. He was playing one of those skateboarding games his girlfriend had lent him. Whenever he went to grind on a railing, he would always crash and throw a mini-tantrum, stomping his feet on the floor and spitting out words even you really couldn't recognize.

You would offer to show him how to do it right, when to press the buttons so the stunt could be performed correctly. Mituna never said anything when you used to steal the controller from him, but you started to sense he didn't like it. So you refrained from helping him and slouched back on the couch, continuing to watch him go at the same stunt until he got frustrated enough to quit. You couldn't stop your brow from knitting in concern as he went into another fit.

He was different compared to you.

Of course he was your brother, and you both happened to share a bad case of mood swings. However, you were born with the issue while he was not. Like you, he shared your deep brunette hair color. He was skinny and tall, and you looked like a shorter version of him. As fair as genetics go, that's where the similarities end. You had always been the oddball sibling in the family with the mismatched eyes and bipolar disorder while he was just normal.

Now he was different. Instead of acting like the adult he was he would throw childish outbursts at the toss of a dime. His moods would switch faster than your own, and it left you dizzy with how fast they would come and go. The worst thing though was when people would misjudge Mituna. They made him sound incompetent, cooing at him insensitively like he was a baby, leading him on when he tried to hold a conversation with them. Of course you knew better; he was your brother.

When those incidents happen, you are the one who has to help him out of his plights. It pulled at your nerves when people murmured pity under their breath, underestimated his abilities because his appearance seemed like a liability. He was all you had. As his sibling, you had to correct the people that couldn't see past their own idiocy and obnoxious empathy. It was even worse when they tried showering sympathy on you, especially when you didn't need it.

You are not sure if you're okay with this situation though. In fact, the majority of the time it pisses you off. It irritates you and grinds your last nerve to the point where it wants to jump off the side of a cliff. You're only fifteen; you are not old enough for this kind of stress. It should not be your responsibility to defend him. It should be your brother who should take on the responsibility since he was almost twenty.

He seemed to notice what you were thinking because he wasn't throwing a needless tantrum anymore. No, now he was staring at you with an expression that resembled puzzlement and concern. Even behind your dual-toned shades you did not feel brave enough to stare him in the eyes. What kind of brother were you when you held contempt against your own sibling who had brain damage? You felt ashamed because your bitterness had no reasoning. Not even your bipolar disorder was a valid excuse.

You didn't have to say a word for him to understand what was wrong, and he slinked over to give you a hug. Like others, you over-estimated his ability to figure out what was going on, and that made you feel all the more terrible. Nevertheless, he's still your brother and you needed him as much as he needed you.