Disclaimer: I do not own SRMTHFG!, though I do own a few OC's.
Author's Note: This is sort of a gift for grungekitty. A partnered tale to her story "To Battle One's Self", and an attempt to see what kind of brotherly bond Sparx and Gibson could really have when no-one else seems to be looking (since she wrote that story from Sparx's point-of-view, I thought it best this story tells it from Gibson's). I had titled this after a YouTube video I seen that holds a similar theme around the Red and Blue monkeys.
Brother, My Brother
From the moment this Skeleton King War started, it has become increasingly difficult to focus on my research for it's own sake. It seems that the entire team had barely been themselves due to constant struggle, for regardless how many battles we've won, the war itself seems to be a lost cause... even the time we spent on Planet Earth to gather necessary data on the enemy is of little help (though it did allow me to meet my possible soul-mate Cassia Capuchin). However, out of all of us, none of us seems to be suffering more then my twin brother, Sparx, who still blames himself for this whole mess.
It was only recently that the lot of us found out that Sparx and I are twins... why, I for one and still in disbelief over the discovery, and not just because the Alchemist's early experimentation gave us different fur coloration! It's the fact I should have seen all the signs before we found out we are related that got my tail in a bunch: the way we fight and teased each other, our reactions to one another that borders on telepathy despite our separate interests and opinions... everything! The worst part is that part of this long-hidden secret of our past revealed that he is the elder twin, even though I've spent most of our lives acting like I'm the responsible adult in comparison... yet, I wasn't mature enough to reason properly when he yelled at me in my failure to keep that dreadful Ice Crystal of Vengeance away from Valeena.
I often thought that, perhaps, this disaster is every bit my own fault as it is his.
Had gotten at least half the information we needed, Chiro had thankfully decided we needed a short break to recuperate from our constant fighting... we're taking a holiday of sorts in a town near Mt. Rushmore, and I for one am unable to get any sleep. Fittingly enough, I wasn't the only one nearing insomnia.
With the Super Robot in vehicle mode during this outing, we had to take up guest rooms at a motel, and several of us had to share a room. Normally, in situations like this, Sparx would beg Nova to be his roommate for the night only for her to slap him on the face with her tail in refusal (reasonable, for as much as those to love each other, all females, even Nova, have a demand for privacy), resulting in another member of the team, usually Chiro or Otto (or Antauri on occasion) taking that mischievous redhead under their wing. Not this time, though. This time, Sparx insisted that I should share a room with him... to put it bluntly, I was too confused by his offer to refuse it.
At this hour of night, however, what he insisted is starting to make sense, as I heard him moan in his sleep, and a moment or two after that, I watched him toss-and-turn in the top bunk before he jolted awake. He was having that nightmare yet again: the one where the Fires of Hate were making an attempt to overshadow his soul once more. The frequency of that vision had been increasing and decreasing several times since we got that demonic flame out of his system, though it does happen, more-often-then-not, all the same!
"Ugh! Not again!" my red-furred sibling moaned, "Sorry if I woke you up, Gibs."
"(Sigh!) I was awake anyhow, Sparx," I confess, climbing up into his bed... the groaning sound the top bunk of the bunk-bed made under both our weight made me question if my actions was the rational thing to do, but my emotions were too focused on my brother's suffering for me to care, "I was wondering whether or not I too am responsible for starting this war."
The look on Sparx's face was almost priceless... I almost wondered if I ever made a simular expression whenever he throws me off gaurd.
"What are you talking about, Brain-strain? I'm the one who let that stupid Fire of Hate take control of me, and because of that, I ended up helping Valeena get ahold of the Soul of Evil, which allowed her to bring the Skeleton King back from the dead! How could YOU think this mess is YOU'RE fault?! At least you were immune to that Ice Crystal! That thing never controlled you!"
Immune... what a strong word for what I've been through that day. True, I was able to keep that demonic artifact from influencing my behavior, but that doesn't mean that I'm completely immune to it, and it's high time he knew that.
"Sparx... the Ice Crystal of Vengeance... almost had controlled me."
"Say what?"
"I tried to explain before, but it probably came out wrong... mostly because science couldn't explain what happened to me. I ran through all the numbers and it still doesn't add up, but somehow I know I'm every bit in the wrong with this mess as you were."
"Well, that figures! Look, I know it isn't easy for you, but if you got something to tell me, keep it simple. Okay... lil' bro?"
For some reason, hearing him use that slang term for "little brother" caused me to blush. Probably because he only started using it recently, and it felt right compared to every other title he slapped onto me. To that end, I cleared my throat and attempted to nail the basics:
"I was barely a few inches away from touching the crystal, yet it somehow touched me in a manner similar to a gust of wind from an arctic storm. Preposterous as it sounds, I felt as though my heart was starting to turn frozen solid as memories of times I actually wanted revenge began to surface... most of them had you involved, alas. My head felt like it was lost in a flurry as I struggled to think straight."
"That kind of sounds like what happened to me," said Sparx, "only it was hot instead of cold... very hot! Even before I even saw the Fires of Hate, I felt like I was about to boil over! I was so sick and tired of fighting the Skeleton King all the time... I can't take it how nobody takes my 'conspiracy theories' seriously, especially you! What really burned me up was that I friend-zoned myself and Nova when I really wanted to be MORE then friends with her!"
"You have her now, do you not?"
"Well, yeah; didn't have her back then, though, and I was actually about to give up! The point is, Gibson, that I've been burned up several times in my life, but when I touched the Fires of Hate, all that came back to me ten-fold! Every fiber of my body was an inferno, my mind went up in smoke... it was like I was stuck inside of a volcano... or worse, I was the volcano, and no matter how often I blew my top, I just couldn't run myself empty!"
"And one little tear cooled all that off?"
"It wasn't just any tear... Nova shed that, just as she was saying that she loved me too much to lose me. That moment's still a haze, but... when I felt that she's actually crying... well, I guess words just can't explain THAT!"
"Huh. No, I suppose not."
"I still wish it happened differently, though... you know, me winning her over without nearly KILLING HER first. Seriously though, you did just say there were times you actually WANTED to get revenge, Gibson, especially on me... how'd you keep that evil block of ice from making it happen?!"
"The Ice Crystal of Vengeance? Hmm." I has to ponder this a short while... the memory of my escape from the crystal's influence was a haze to me, but I managed to restore the moment, "Honestly, I had almost lost track of the answer to that question, but I do know this: the advice of my old mentor, Pr. Nucleus, was one good memory that refused to be whited out."
"Advice? From your mentor?"
"Yes, Sparx. I can't believe I'm telling anyone this, let alone you, but during my student years at Cranius-Epsolon, I had thrown many a tantrum over getting a 'B-' on an assignment when I knew I've studied hard enough to deserve an 'A+'! However, absent minded as he was, the professor always paid enough attention to me to keep me from lashing out; used to take me aside and often told me: 'Gibson, there are times when we of science must learn to accept setbacks, be it in life or just in the lab'. You were often a major setback in both areas, Sparky, but I had always willed myself to accept you... to forgive you... before I ever do anything we'd both regret later on. Admittedly, I panicked as I broke free of that Ice Crystal's control, realizing how much damage I could have actually done!"
There was an awkward silence between us after my confession... well, that, and the fact I used that nickname we both know he doesn't like, but before I could face-palm myself for such an embarrassing choice of words, he spoke up: "You'd... forgive me? Seriously, Gibson?!"
I shrugged my shoulders, but I could not hide the smile on my face, or the honesty it held: "Seriously indeed."
"Oh."
Sparx smiled at me after that. It was his usual smirk of a grin, but it didn't have the usual cockiness behind it that he usually held the first few years that I knew him... to that end, I was relieved and disappointed all in the same moment. Are feelings such as that normal for those who have siblings and know who they are? Somehow, it seems it would take the remainder of my lifetime figuring THAT one out!
I was so lost in my thoughts over the moment I almost didn't notice when Sparx cleared his throat to get my attention... the odd thing was the way he done so imitates all the times I've done that to him whenever he pulled a practical joke on the team in the middle of one of my science lectures. I don't have a clue what to make of that, and I whispered so into his ear.
"You're over-thinking it, Gibson," he said, almost chuckling, "there's nothing to ponder. You've made up your mind to forgive me, that Ice Crystal barely had a chance at freezing your heart solid, but me, I lost my cool. Maybe there are some things you can teach me after all, and I don't mean that usual science gibber-jabber you usually do."
"Oh? You mean math and history?"
"No, you dunce-cap! I mean how to be a good brother."
At this point, I considered myself lucky we were both on the top bunk... if I were still in my own bed, I would've bumped my head hearing that. It almost sounded like a complement, though at the same time such a choice of words scared me out of my wits. Perhaps having mixed feelings is normal when you have a sibling... even an annoying-yet-well-meaning twin-brother like Sparx.
"Um, that might be closer to Otto's department, Sparx," I said, "for in all sincerity I'm still... (Yawn!) figuring it... out... myself."
"Aw, somebody's still a bit sleepy, huh? Me too."
"Well... it is... that... late."
I struggled to get up, aiming to move myself to the ladder and back to the lower bunk, but I could barely muster the energy in order to do so, especially as I felt Sparx place one of his hands upon my shoulder before he pulled me closer to his side... my head on his pillow.
"Tell yeah what," he whispered, "I'll let you sleep in the same bed with me, just for tonight. That way, you can get cozy, and I'd be less likely to have any more nightmares. All I ask is that we pretend this whole talk never happened, even if we get caught like this. Deal?"
"(Sigh!) Fine," I said, too tired to disagree at the time, "it's a deal. (Yawn!) Well, pleasant dreams, Sparx."
I believe a thought crossed his mind as he pulled the sheets over both of us... hard to say for sure as my own mind was beginning to haze in sweet, much-desired slumber... for he had something more to say:
"Hey, Gibs. You know that fight we had not long before I touched that stupid fire?"
"Hmm?" (At this point, I was too drowsy to speak, though I could still comprehend what's being said to me.)
"Let's try to pretend that never happened neither, okay?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Well, goodnight... Hal Gibson."
I vaguely recall it, but I smiled hearing that just before I finally fell asleep. On a subconscious level, I probably figured that having Sparx as an older brother, let alone a twin, wasn't as bad as I originally thought, for I was just in the middle of a dream where the two of us were small monkey-children again, playing tag in the tree-branches, when the sound of Nova's shouting jolted me back into reality:
"Hey! Wake up you idiots! Otto refueled the Super Robot! It's time to go!"
I sprang right up and rubbed my eyes, while Sparx just pulled the covers over his head... that's one of the initial details that made it hard to believe that the two of us are related: when Sparx sleeps he lays there like a log for longer then he probably should, where as I just roll out of bed in the mornings whether I want to or not. In times like this, I really regret it, as Nova isn't the only one who saw the two of us were sleeping together... my own girlfriend, Cassia, had caught us in the act as well! Acting out of embarrassment, I pulled the sheets right out of my brother's hands and shook his shoulders as hard as I could.
"Sparx!" I shouted, giving my behavior a bit more impact on his sleeping mind.
Ultimately, it worked well enough, as Sparx was quickly awakened enough for him to push me off his body and shout back: "What?!"
I cleared my throat and pointed to the edge of the bunk, revealing, to his shock as well as my own, that our girlfriends had caught us sleeping together!
"Aw! Nova! I was going to take a picture!" my beloved Cassia complained, pointing to the camera that hung around her neck, "That was practically the rarest... and dare I say, one of the CUTEST photo-opportunity that I ever seen, and you ruined it! Besides, we both know our vacation in this tristate area isn't over until tomorrow... or until some emergency in need of superhero attention turns up, whichever comes first."
"It was HIS idea!" Sparx and I both shouted, pointing to each other at the same time (it almost felt as though we were playing "Knights and Knaves")!
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Nova, "I know all that, but I also know that our boyfriends are already late for breakfast!"
Sparx and I had both glanced at the clock and realized how right she was... it's 9:48 A.M. and we had not yet eaten anything!
"Anyway," Nova continued, "everyone else is at that diner across the street already. We'll meet you guys there, okay? Come on Cassia! I'll race you there!"
"Oh! Bring it on, Nova!" said Cassia, as she started to run, "Bring it on!"
After that, our girlfriends were already out the door just as we got down from the ladder. Realizing how energetic I was that morning after Sparx's so-called "favor", I felt it fitting to give one of my own.
"Sparx, seeing that you like that sort of thing, how about we race too?"
"Oh! Big mistake there, Gibson! Even if I gave you a head start, I'd still beat you!"
Nothing more needed to be said after that, for I was already out the door, and five seconds after that, so was Sparx, and we were neck-and-neck by the time we got to the street while the traffic lights were still in our favor. To be honest, I didn't care which of us were going to win, just as long as that red-head was kept in a good mood today. Sparx may be annoying, impulsive, and at times completely irresponsible, but he's still a brother... my brother, and I wouldn't want him to suffer as he had ever again.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I hope everyone likes it, especially grungekitty. I'm still working on my novel "No Matter What", but this little one-shot was crying for attention and I needed a break. Please Read and Review.