Note: Righto! Tally-ho! Other fake-ish words that end in O!
I'm banging my head against a wall trying to write an essay for my history class and it's just not making anything better. "Do you know what the best part about slamming your head against a wall is? Stopping." It's not that the essay is hard, it's that it's too easy and I'd rather try to work out an argument for how the rights of the Nazi's might have been infringed upon ( xD ) then ramble about peoples rights ACTUALLY being infringed upon.
So anyway...I decided to ease myself into writing and out of sanity by continuing with my Flussell series.
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Russell was beginning to wonder if maybe there was something wrong with his little brother.
Fletcher was obviously a smart boy. And he seemed to be growing up normally, even if he was a bit small for his age. He was creative and kind and he didn't seem crazy in the least.
And yet he kept looking at Russell that way.
Russell could tell it was that way because he had given that look to people before as well.
Fletcher was becoming a teenager now and Russell knew he had to accept the fact that his little brother would start to become interested in doing...certain things with...certain people.
Of course he had never really expected Fletcher to like boys, but once he figured it out he was fine with it. Nothing wrong with that, right?
But boys that were older...and also his BROTHER...?
That couldn't possibly be healthy.
He didn't bother confronting Fletcher about his suspicions, knowing that the younger boy would simply create some kind of ridiculous logic that would justify everything.
And then they'd end up kissing again...
The last time that had happened, about a week and a half ago, there wasn't just a kiss, but a kiss. A real kiss with lips and tongues and hands moving in directions that they really should have been much more embarrassed about moving in.
Russell wouldn't let that happen again.
He couldn't slip up.
He wouldn't let himself ruin Fletcher like that.
Unfortunately with each of those looks it was getting harder and harder not to mess up.
oOo
"And it doesn't help that he's going through puberty, damn it!"
Belsio nodded as if he was actually listening and moved about the greenhouse they had built last fall, attending to his tomato plants.
"Hm...it's a load of fun, isn't it?"
Russell rolled his eyes as he lugged a pail of water over to the man, dropping it unceremoniously on the ground so that it sloshed over a little.
"It sucks, quite honestly! It's bad enough that he has to go through it, but does he have to drag me along? I've already been through this crap and I don't need to deal with it again!"
Belsio glanced up at him then, giving him one of those looks that made him feel suddenly very, very guilty.
"I mean...if he wants to talk to me about anything, that's okay...He usually wants to tell me everything. But all of a sudden he won't open his mouth around me!"
Belsio 'hmmed' and nodded again, turning back to his tomatoes.
"I find out practically everything anyway...sharing a room with him..."
Russell was mostly muttering to himself by now. But part of him wished that Belsio would actually hear and ask him to speak up so he could spill everything and it wouldn't be like it was his own fault.
Belsio, the bastard, ignored him.
"Dreams..." Russell continued in a whisper, folding his arms as he chose a wooden beam to lean against.
"Ah...those are the worst." Belsio said with a knowing smirk.
"He says my name!" the blonde blurted out, "How completely twisted is that?"
That got an honestly surprised glance out of Belsio.
A few moments of awkward silence followed in which Belsio continued to stare and Russell began to blush.
Why had he even said anything?
He was going to get thrown in jail for corrupting his little brother and Fletcher would be tossed in an orphanage or maybe he'd just get left to wander the streets and he'd have to survive on bread crusts and would eventually end up selling himself and he'd get beaten up and raped by some sleazy jerks and-
"Figures."
Russell's eyes went wide and his blush faded to be replaced by a paper-white paleness.
"Wh-what? What do you mean 'figures!' I'm being serious here!"
Belsio smirked at him and made his way to the greenhouse door, Russell following after him like an angry mother hen after the one who nearly stepped on her chicks.
"So am I. It makes sense that he should say your name during a wet dream. Seeing as he likes you in that way."
Color came flooding back into Russell's cheeks and he hissed at the man.
"Shhh! Don't say it so loud! Someone'll hear!"
Belsio merely chuckled and picked up a basket of fruit to bring inside.
"Someone like who? The squirrels?"
Russell glanced around all the same, making sure that no one had heard anything. There was, of course, no one around but a sparrow who looked interested in the bird seed Fletcher had thrown outside earlier.
They went back inside and Russell felt a little less paranoid about someone hearing. After all, Fletcher had gone into town to meet up with Elisa and run some errands.
He had sort of always hoped that those two would get together...
And yet at the same time he hadn't. The idea of letting his little brother go to anyone, even just a girlfriend, seemed...much too strange.
"I don't see why you're so bothered by this all..." Belsio muttered as he set about washing off all the fruit he had just brought inside.
Russell rolled his eyes, flopping into a seat at the kitchen table.
"You don't know why I'm bothered by it? Oh, I don't know...maybe it's because there's something seriously wrong with my little brother and it's my fault that he's turning out this way!"
Belsio seemed unimpressed by his display of guilt and angst and didn't even bother looking back at the young man as he scrubbed some dust off an orange.
"I'm not talking about all that...What I'm asking is why you're not just giving in to what you want to do. It's obvious that your brother likes you in a certain way and you feel the same way, so why not just go with it?"
Russell was horrified.
Or at least he pretended to be.
"I do not think about Fletcher that way! And he only thinks of me like that because he's confused! I just need to talk to him about it and maybe then he can get a girlfriend-"
Belsio's quiet snort cut him off.
"What...?"
The man shrugged again, toweling off the oranges he had washed.
"He doesn't like girls. We all know that. And neither do you."
Russell was quiet for a moment before managing a snap of, "I like girls."
Belsio snickered.
"Whatever you say, kid...But the last time I checked you had a crush on a certain 'Hero of the People' Elric."
There was that damn blush again...
"That's completely unrelated! Stop changing the subject!"
Belsio's snickering continued, almost unheard.
"Besides..." Russell continued in a small voice, "He kind of looked like a girl anyway..."
Belsio's laughter became much louder for a moment, then died down.
The man sighed, turning around to look Russell in the eyes.
"Do whatever you think is right. I can't tell you what's good for you. Just make sure that whatever you do, you and your brother are both happy."
Belsio was always good for advice. Or at least for something to make Russell feel a little better.
Even if he hated having to put up with the jackass comments first.
oOo
Fletcher asked Russell to kiss him that night.
And Russell, after a lot of protesting and excuse-making, complied.
They sat on Russell's bed, lips locked together and tongues not so much fighting, but coordinating.
Fletcher had climbed into Russell's lap at some point during the kiss and was still there when they broke apart and stared at each other.
"Brother...do you...I..."
The younger boy was flushed and panting quietly, looking both pleased and extremely embarrassed.
"I know you don't like it..." he murmured, bringing his arms up to wrap around Russell, "But I love you...and I like touching you like this..."
Russell had to think about that for a few minutes.
He didn't dislike Fletcher's love...
He loved Fletcher just the same way.
They loved each other, damn it.
Once he put aside the raging argument inside his head, he could only focus on Fletcher.
"I like touching you like this, too." he said decisively, and pulled the smaller blonde closer to him.
Screw the world.
"And I love you, too."
And screw Belsio, because even if he wasn't outside in the hallway at that particular moment, he'd probably say something to Russell days later about hearing the rest of his and Fletcher's night together all the way over in his bedroom.
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There!
I think...this might be done. Totally now.
I had some fun with it, but I have to focus on two other fanfics at the moment!
And...my essays...blargh.
And life size Alphonse!
-dances and quickly tires out-
nyah...