A/N: Lyrics taken from "The Traveller's Song" By The Pubcrawlers
An Unfair Life
"I sit here on the rocky shores of Ogunquit Beach, and if I listen close enough-"
With a heavy sigh, Joseph Sullivan threw the small sum of money back onto the table and swung his legs down to stand. He stretched, back cracking, ran a hand through his thinning hair, then set off through the carnival towards the tuneless sound of his brother's voice. This was the third time this week his brother had decided to drink himself to oblivion. It was only Wednesday.
It was after hours at the carnival, and so he passed many of his fellow carnies on the way- some grinned in amusement at the dissonant singing, others gave him somewhat sympathetic looks as he passed.
"Grab a pint and sing along. Dance all night to the traveller's song. Hey!"
Passing a discreetly snickering Caleb, he stepped into a small patch of open space between the trailers where-in was a fire, Edgar and Lydia on a small log beside it, and dark shape lying on the floor. Joseph frowned down at his younger brother, spread-eagle on his back with a beer in hand and a foolish grin plastered onto his face as his eyes roamed the sky. Well, at least he isn't singing anymore. Joseph sighed again, turning his attention to the two on the log.
"How much has he had?" He asked them, and Samuel seemed to punctuate the question by taking another swig.
"Too many" Edgar replied with a small quirk of his lips, "There was no stopping him once he'd started."
Grimly, Joseph shook his head to himself as he strolled over to his softly humming brother and squatted down beside him. His brother's hazy gaze flickered over to him and his grin widened.
"Hullo, Joseph." Samuel chirped, gruff brogue hoarse and garbled, breath hot with alcohol.
"You drink too much, brother." Joseph told his brother before standing, "Come on."
Samuel pushed himself sluggishly upright, managing not to spill his drink, before taking another swig as Joseph patiently waited.
"I prefer saying that… I drink… more than anyone else has the, erm, capacity to." He slurred, smiling sloppily as Joseph took his arm and hauled him to his feet, almost falling the moment he was on two feet.
Unperturbed, Joseph pulled him back up, throwing Samuel's arm around his shoulder and wrapping his own around his brother's waist, pulling him closer before his swaying could make them both dizzy. He then nodded goodnight to the pair on the log and turned with Samuel in tow, pulling him towards their trailer. Samuel began to hum again, dark head bowed as he stared at the ground, half-staggering half-walking.
"You shouldn't look at the ground while walking, Samuel. It'll make you dizzy."
" 'M already dizzy." Samuel grunted back, almost walking into a chair before being guided away from it.
Joseph rolled his eyes, and then smiled gratefully at Arnold as the time-traveller opened the trailer door for him to lug the younger man inside. Carefully, he manoeuvred Samuel towards the bed and pushed him down to sit, as Samuel took another swig from his bottle, humming and staring out of the window as his elder brother turned off the lights.
"That's enough of that." Joseph pulled the bottle from Samuel's resisting fingers as he protested.
Ignoring his brother's grumbles, Joseph pushed him down by the shoulders to lie on the bed, before putting his hands under Samuel's knees and swinging them up after him.
Samuel yawned, closing his eyes as Joseph lent over and pulled off his boots, and threw a tatty old blanket over him. By the time the carnival proprietor stood back to admire his handiwork his younger brother was already fast asleep, lips slightly parted. And so Joseph watched the steady rise and fall of his chest, gazing down silently at his brother's peaceful face.
Why did he look so innocent? Why him? Why was it that he had to protect the world from the one he loved most?
Why was life unfair?
But there were no answers to such questions. So he merely stood for a while. Watching. Contemplating.
And in the morning it was he who nursed his brother's headache.