Heart to Heart
He glared at the ground in front of his handlebars as though it were in his way. Revving the motor harshly, he rocketed down the track. He landed the first few jumps with ease, gunning the engine again as he leaned hard into the next turn.
The abuse was too much for the poor bike. It went spinning, crashing into the hay bales on the side of the track and knocking him flying over the front. Thanks to Ninja reflexes, he was able to twist around to keep from landing on his head. Instead, he landed hard on his butt. He sat still for a moment as pain flared in his lower back, trying to breath again. Once he'd calmed down a bit, he kicked at the ground in frustration. "Go-sh freakin' darnit!" he snarled. He wasn't sure what he was mad at anymore, but being unable to swear sure wasn't helping anything. Whoever came up with the censoring their language with their Powers thing should be shot.
"You know there's a lot of people who'll be really pissed at you if you get hurt because you're riding like a moron."
He closed his eyes, shoving back his anger. "What do you want, Vinnie?" he sighed.
"Since when does it matter what I want?"
He opened an eye warily. She'd crouched down in front of him, seeming mildly amused. "Dude, what's that's supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what I said." she retorted. "What does it matter what I want? You're too busy worrying about what everyone else thinks to decide what you want."
He raised an eyebrow skeptically as the other eye opened. "What makes you think I'm going to take advice from my little sister?"
"Who else are you going to talk to? Mom? Shane?" she scoffed. "I'm younger than you, Dustin. Not stupid. Ras is the baby, remember?"
"Don't make fun of him." he replied automatically, shifting to get up. He winced, holding back a groan.
"Moron." she muttered, grabbing his arm and carefully slinging it over her shoulder. Slowly she helped him to his feet, moving him over to sit on the nearest bale of hay. "What hurts the most?"
"Toss up between my butt and my right ankle." he moaned.
She reached down and untied his shoe, easing it off as gently as she could. Her fingers probed gently for a few moments as he tried not to whimper. "It's not broken. You were lucky this time. Probably just tweaked it. Most likely bruised your tailbone, too. I'm not touching your butt to find out."
He gave her a dirty look. "Thanks, Vinnie."
"Whatever." she dismissed, sitting down beside him. It was ironic, really. Out of all of them, Vinnie was the only one of his sibs with straight hair. She didn't dress to impress the guys like May and Emi, and she wasn't into comics or music like him and Ras. She liked movies, spending most of her time with a camcorder in hand. She was probably the most independent one of them all. And yet she stood out almost as badly as he did. He'd always felt a little closer to her than the others because of that.
"What did you mean?" he asked finally. "Before."
She glanced at him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "About deciding what you want? Or not touching your butt?"
He rolled his eyes. She was the most irritating of all of them, too. "Deciding what I want."
She shrugged. "You're always thinking about everyone else. You don't want to upset Mom by moving back home. You don't want to upset Shane after everything that's happened to him. You don't want to upset the rest of us by flaunting that you're gay. You don't want to get your friends in trouble with Satan. When do you start thinking about what you want?"
He stared at her. "How do you know all that?"
A smirk drifted across her face. "I'm a middle child. No one tells us anything, so we snoop to find out."
"Technically I'm the middle child." he pointed out, then paused. "What do you mean 'snoop'?"
She snorted. "May and Emi are practically one person for all that they're attached at the hip. You're Mom's favorite and the oldest boy, which technically means you're the heir. If I want to know anything, I have to find out by eavesdropping on everyone else's conversations, reading diaries, and stuff like that."
"I'm so not Mom's favorite!" he protested. Then he paused again, blinking. "You read through everyone's stuff?"
"Yup. Ever wonder why Emi's so freaked about you being gay?"
He hesitated. He really shouldn't... "Well, duh."
"Remember that guy, three boyfriends ago? The Ken doll?"
He tried not to grin. The guy had about that much personality. Same shiny hair, too. "Phillip?"
She nodded. "Phillip is apparently seeing Nick now."
His eyes widened. "Her boyfriend dumped her and turned gay?"
"Actually, he started dating him while he was still with Emi. I'm not exactly positive how she found out, but I'm pretty sure it was the hard way."
He choked. "You're kidding me."
"Nope. So she's got that whole 'oh-my-god-I-turned-my-boyfriend-gay thing going on. And then there's the thing with Shane..."
He straightened, staring at her. "What about Shane?" he demanded.
She smirked. "Emi's been crushing on Shane for years. She was waiting for him to 'grow up a little' first. She thought skateboarding and Storm Chargers were just a phase, and he'd be datable once he got over it. And now she finds out her little brother is dating the guy she was eying?" She clucked her tongue disapprovingly.
His mind reeled, only to be nearly overcome by the sudden flare of jealousy and possessiveness. Shane was his. "She's not still looking is she?" he asked warily.
She burst out laughing. "Man, have you got it bad!" She subsided a bit as his glare. "She's upset, but it's more over the idea that she keeps falling for the gay guys. May's playing sympathetic twin, plus I guess she thought she could read you or something and didn't see it coming. She was with 90% of the household in thinking you were into Tori."
"Shane's not gay; he's bi." he muttered. "And I don't like Tori like that. Besides, she's into Blake."
"Damn." she sighed. "There goes the only straight guy friend you had. And he was cute, too."
"And four years older than you!" he snapped, big brother instincts surging. He paused. "How did you know all my friends were gay?"
"You and Shane? Please. Saw it coming a mile away. Hunter has fashion sense. You got any idea how rare that is in a straight guy? Your Sensei's son I wasn't too sure on, but you just confirmed it."
He rubbed his head. "So I'm guessing you're like, okay with all this?"
She smirked again. "Didn't I ever tell you my favorite movies are Jeffrey and Get Real?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Uh, no. Why?"
The smirk widened. "I'll lend 'em to you sometime. You feeling any better?"
Cautious shifting. "Ankle's still sore, but I should be able to walk." he admitted.
She stood up. "I'll help you get your bike to Storm Chargers." she offered. "After that you're on your own, though. You'll have to figure out what to do for yourself."
He smiled wryly. "Gee, thanks Sis." He was a little surprised to realize he meant it.
So what did he want, anyway?
He glared at the ground in front of his handlebars as though it were in his way. Revving the motor harshly, he rocketed down the track. He landed the first few jumps with ease, gunning the engine again as he leaned hard into the next turn.
The abuse was too much for the poor bike. It went spinning, crashing into the hay bales on the side of the track and knocking him flying over the front. Thanks to Ninja reflexes, he was able to twist around to keep from landing on his head. Instead, he landed hard on his butt. He sat still for a moment as pain flared in his lower back, trying to breath again. Once he'd calmed down a bit, he kicked at the ground in frustration. "Go-sh freakin' darnit!" he snarled. He wasn't sure what he was mad at anymore, but being unable to swear sure wasn't helping anything. Whoever came up with the censoring their language with their Powers thing should be shot.
"You know there's a lot of people who'll be really pissed at you if you get hurt because you're riding like a moron."
He closed his eyes, shoving back his anger. "What do you want, Vinnie?" he sighed.
"Since when does it matter what I want?"
He opened an eye warily. She'd crouched down in front of him, seeming mildly amused. "Dude, what's that's supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what I said." she retorted. "What does it matter what I want? You're too busy worrying about what everyone else thinks to decide what you want."
He raised an eyebrow skeptically as the other eye opened. "What makes you think I'm going to take advice from my little sister?"
"Who else are you going to talk to? Mom? Shane?" she scoffed. "I'm younger than you, Dustin. Not stupid. Ras is the baby, remember?"
"Don't make fun of him." he replied automatically, shifting to get up. He winced, holding back a groan.
"Moron." she muttered, grabbing his arm and carefully slinging it over her shoulder. Slowly she helped him to his feet, moving him over to sit on the nearest bale of hay. "What hurts the most?"
"Toss up between my butt and my right ankle." he moaned.
She reached down and untied his shoe, easing it off as gently as she could. Her fingers probed gently for a few moments as he tried not to whimper. "It's not broken. You were lucky this time. Probably just tweaked it. Most likely bruised your tailbone, too. I'm not touching your butt to find out."
He gave her a dirty look. "Thanks, Vinnie."
"Whatever." she dismissed, sitting down beside him. It was ironic, really. Out of all of them, Vinnie was the only one of his sibs with straight hair. She didn't dress to impress the guys like May and Emi, and she wasn't into comics or music like him and Ras. She liked movies, spending most of her time with a camcorder in hand. She was probably the most independent one of them all. And yet she stood out almost as badly as he did. He'd always felt a little closer to her than the others because of that.
"What did you mean?" he asked finally. "Before."
She glanced at him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "About deciding what you want? Or not touching your butt?"
He rolled his eyes. She was the most irritating of all of them, too. "Deciding what I want."
She shrugged. "You're always thinking about everyone else. You don't want to upset Mom by moving back home. You don't want to upset Shane after everything that's happened to him. You don't want to upset the rest of us by flaunting that you're gay. You don't want to get your friends in trouble with Satan. When do you start thinking about what you want?"
He stared at her. "How do you know all that?"
A smirk drifted across her face. "I'm a middle child. No one tells us anything, so we snoop to find out."
"Technically I'm the middle child." he pointed out, then paused. "What do you mean 'snoop'?"
She snorted. "May and Emi are practically one person for all that they're attached at the hip. You're Mom's favorite and the oldest boy, which technically means you're the heir. If I want to know anything, I have to find out by eavesdropping on everyone else's conversations, reading diaries, and stuff like that."
"I'm so not Mom's favorite!" he protested. Then he paused again, blinking. "You read through everyone's stuff?"
"Yup. Ever wonder why Emi's so freaked about you being gay?"
He hesitated. He really shouldn't... "Well, duh."
"Remember that guy, three boyfriends ago? The Ken doll?"
He tried not to grin. The guy had about that much personality. Same shiny hair, too. "Phillip?"
She nodded. "Phillip is apparently seeing Nick now."
His eyes widened. "Her boyfriend dumped her and turned gay?"
"Actually, he started dating him while he was still with Emi. I'm not exactly positive how she found out, but I'm pretty sure it was the hard way."
He choked. "You're kidding me."
"Nope. So she's got that whole 'oh-my-god-I-turned-my-boyfriend-gay thing going on. And then there's the thing with Shane..."
He straightened, staring at her. "What about Shane?" he demanded.
She smirked. "Emi's been crushing on Shane for years. She was waiting for him to 'grow up a little' first. She thought skateboarding and Storm Chargers were just a phase, and he'd be datable once he got over it. And now she finds out her little brother is dating the guy she was eying?" She clucked her tongue disapprovingly.
His mind reeled, only to be nearly overcome by the sudden flare of jealousy and possessiveness. Shane was his. "She's not still looking is she?" he asked warily.
She burst out laughing. "Man, have you got it bad!" She subsided a bit as his glare. "She's upset, but it's more over the idea that she keeps falling for the gay guys. May's playing sympathetic twin, plus I guess she thought she could read you or something and didn't see it coming. She was with 90% of the household in thinking you were into Tori."
"Shane's not gay; he's bi." he muttered. "And I don't like Tori like that. Besides, she's into Blake."
"Damn." she sighed. "There goes the only straight guy friend you had. And he was cute, too."
"And four years older than you!" he snapped, big brother instincts surging. He paused. "How did you know all my friends were gay?"
"You and Shane? Please. Saw it coming a mile away. Hunter has fashion sense. You got any idea how rare that is in a straight guy? Your Sensei's son I wasn't too sure on, but you just confirmed it."
He rubbed his head. "So I'm guessing you're like, okay with all this?"
She smirked again. "Didn't I ever tell you my favorite movies are Jeffrey and Get Real?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Uh, no. Why?"
The smirk widened. "I'll lend 'em to you sometime. You feeling any better?"
Cautious shifting. "Ankle's still sore, but I should be able to walk." he admitted.
She stood up. "I'll help you get your bike to Storm Chargers." she offered. "After that you're on your own, though. You'll have to figure out what to do for yourself."
He smiled wryly. "Gee, thanks Sis." He was a little surprised to realize he meant it.
So what did he want, anyway?