Notes: IN TONIGHT'S EPISODE:

...

Nothing really happens to be honest. I mean, nothing too interesting. Except for Bro and Dave taking pictures.

Chapter 6: Clothes Do Not Make a Man, But You'll Look Adorable In Those

The following two weeks were supposed to go by smoothly, since Bro's plan was to use the pictures he had stored from the very first photoshoot he did with Dave.

Although, he soon found out his crowd was a little bit harder to please – or better yet, "trick" - than he first imagined.

The influx of messages on the inbox declined violently, with even a few complaints as to how the photos he had posted were too similar to the ones from before. The scenario is the same, He's wearing the same outfit, This already got old were one of the few messages Bro got, and he honestly hated the fact he wasn't going to be able to give his younger brother the break he promised. He told the boy he wouldn't have to worry about taking pictures and the like for two weeks or so, and he seemed quite relieved.

How was he supposed to expose such bad news to Dave and tell him they had to take more pictures, because he underestimated his audience?

It was already Thursday when Bro finally decided to tell Dave what was going down. And the boy was far from happy to hear that.

"Look, it was a little miscalculation. Listen, we can take a whole bunch of varied pics this weekend and then you can really forget about it for a while, OK?" Bro tried to sound as apologetic as he could, even though he wasn't very good at that.

"You sure know a lot about the people who go to your site, hm?" Dave teased, arms crossed in front of his chest as he stayed put on the couch, the X-Box controller sitting on his lap.

"I'm sorry if I don't survey every fucker which goes there to cater to their tastes!" If Dave thought that situation was only bad for him, he was severely wrong. Last thing Bro wanted was complaints and a bad reputation for the site. If they didn't play their cards right, that whole scheme would result in both. "And we are just starting. You can't hope to get it everything perfect right off the bat."

"Fine, then let's take those stupid pictures this weekend then…" Dave let out a sigh, resuming his game.

"The only problem is, I have no idea what the fuck to do." Bro hated to do that, had to admit he was short on ideas. There was just so much he could with Dave for those pictures. He wasn't some random model he found wherever and which he could do whatever he wanted with. He was his younger brother and like hell he would expose him even more. Those people on the other side of the screen certainly weren't deserving of that.

"Can't help you with that." Dave said flatly.

"Wow, thanks for the support." Bro's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"What? Do you want me to magically pull a solution out of my ass?" Dave asked, eyes fixed on the TV screen s he played.

"That's not what I mea-" Bro's speech was cut instantly, when he saw a familiar white-gloved hand sticking out from under his younger brother.

"Why did you stop talking?" Dave asked, completely unaware of the angry look his brother was giving him.

"You… are sitting on him." Bro said between his teeth, and Dave paused the game, finally looking up to see his older brother staring at him, eyes narrow behind his shades.

"What…" Dave mumbled, looking at the couch, to finally realize he was sitting on Lil' Cal's arms.

With no warning whatsoever, Bro just picked up Cal and pulled him from under Dave, almost causing the boy to fall to the floor.

"Hey now! What happened to the 'you are a crown jewel' talk?" Dave snapped at Bro, watching him cradle the puppet in his arms.

"You are a jewel as long as you aren't sitting on the C-Man." Bro took a long look at Cal to see if there was any damage, and then gently slumped him over his shoulder. Then, something clicked inside Bro's mind. He almost felt guilty for not having such an idea before.

Dave was ready to restart his game when Bro grabbed him by the shoulders, which genuinely startled him for a minute, even if he was able to keep a straight face.

"What?" Dave asked as his brother stared right into his eyes.

"I had the fucking greatest idea." Bro's lips curved into a smile as he spoke, and his younger brother wondered what that was all about. It was almost like he had discovered a new planet or something similar, judging by the gleam in his eyes.

"And what exactly is it?" Dave asked, not sure if he wanted to hear it. Usually, his brother's great ideas were usually only great to him and no one else.

"First, I'm off to buy some clothes for you. And no skirts this time, don't worry." Bro said when he saw Dave's mouth open. "And second, this will be your new modeling companion." He pointed at the lanky doll on his shoulder.

Dave's eyes widened like saucers behind his shades.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me if you think I'm going to pose around with your creepy doll!" Dave's voice rose in volume as he spoke, and his body almost involuntarily pressed against the couch.

"Watch what you're saying. You're going to hurt his feelings." Bro lashed out, genuinely offended by Dave's remark. Cal was part of their family as much as the both of them, and he had to be treated like such.

Rolling his eyes, Dave let out a sigh, knowing that trying to talk any manner of sense into his older brother about the subject would be a colossal waste of time. Sometimes he wondered just why Bro was so attached to Cal, or why he treated him as if he was a living, breathing thing, but he never really asked about it, because that wasn't the kind of exchange they usually had.

"And don't give me that look." Bro narrowed his eyes, carefully picking Cal and placing it sitting up on the couch. "I'm out to buy those clothes."

"Just stay away from the girl's section." Dave said between his teeth, looking at the doll sitting by his side from the corner of his eye.

"Promise." Bro said as he waved at his younger brother, leaving the room to go out.

Dave's shoulders slumped forward, and he turned to look at Cal. God, he was so unsettling… Wasn't that thing going to ward off visitors instead of attracting them? Was his brother serious about including him?

Why, of course he was serious. His most absurd ideas were always serious, why would this one be any different?

It took Bro almost three hours to come back, and when he did, he had something around ten bags hanging from his arms as he unceremoniously entered his younger brother's bedroom, finding him there sitting at the computer. Dave watched him walk towards the bed, dumping everything on it.

"Did you leave anything back in the store for the other costumers?" Dave asked, hopping from his chair and walking to the pile of bags occupying his bed.

"You know, you could at least 'thank me' for going out and buying you these." Bro let out a groan. He kind of got a little bit carried away, that much he had to admit, but the more they bought now, the less they would need to worry about "costumes" in the near future. He was pretty glad when Dave started to peek inside the bags by his own free will though.

"What did you buy anyway?" Dave started to dig through the pile of stuff on his bed, not really sure what to expect.

"Just some fancier clothes. If those assholes want better costumes, we are going to deliver them some Shakespearean grade shit." Bro sat on the edge of Dave's bed, watching him pull things from the bags.

For something about twenty minutes, Dave dug through a multitude of shirts, pants, shorts and other pieces of clothing, with some of them with almost too much lace and too many frills to even be considered male clothing. But the tags on them told him otherwise, so Dave couldn't really say his brother had broken his promise of not buying girl's clothes again.

"So, what do you think?" Bro asked, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"It's… different." Dave tried not to look as disgruntled as he really was, because he knew, deep down, that his brother had good intentions with those, even if it was hard to believe.

That was all the reassurance Bro really needed. Not that Dave saying he didn't like those would change anything. He was going to wear those garments like it or not. The kid had to learn how to please the crowd, and sometimes that didn't entail doing things you really want to.

"OK then, so Saturday, we start shooting. And I'm going to make sure to make those pictures as varied as possible, so then there's no way those assholes can complain." Bro's voice had a tone of annoyance to it. He wasn't exactly pumped to do that. He just wanted to enjoy a photo-free weekend. But he knew he had brought that upon himself, by underestimating his audience.

"Hm… OK." There wasn't much Dave could say in response. He started to stuff everything back into the bags, and watched his brother pick them up.

"I'm going to put together some nice outfits for you. And I promise they won't be embarrassing." Bro couldn't help but allow a small smile to appear on his lips.

I can't be more embarrassed than I already am… Dave thought, but didn't say a word. He just nodded so his brother knew he heard it.

He watched as Bro walked out of the room, and when he was gone, Dave sighed, not sure what to expect from that next weekend. His sole consolation was that the next photoshoot was probably the only one he would do in a while.

TG: remember what we said about me dressing fancy on the next update
TT: I recall such a conversation.
TT: Why?
TG: well it looks like bro raided marie antoinettes closet this afternoon and hes going to make me wear those for the pictures
TT: That's a really tasteful thing to do.
TT: Considering it's a porn site.
TG: you bet hes going to be able to turn those into less than classy clothes
TG: he has a way of doing that
TG: we talking about a guy who can make puppets have a sexual connotation to them
TT: That's true.
TT: Still, I'm on the edge of my seat.
TT: Can't wait to see how you pull off fashion from the 1700's.
TG: i will wait for your judgment with bated breath
TG: like your critic is the only one that will matter
TT: I'm happy I'll be given top priority.
TT: May I ask what kind of competition I'm going up against in this situation?
TG: mostly just a bunch of pervs
TG: i would send you an example of what kind of messages ive been getting
TG: but i wont
TG: for your own good
TT: Are you trying to keep my thoughts pure and untainted by the evils of the world?
TT: That's really considerate of you Dave.
TG: told you i was a gentleman
TT: Can't say I never tried to imagine what's under that towel though.
TG: for all thats holy
TG: stop that shit

Saturday came by a whole lot faster than Dave wanted it to. If he could, he would have delayed the weekend as much as humanly possible.

It was past noon, Dave had just returned from going out with Bro to have lunch, and he found himself yet again sitting on the couch, nervously fidgeting with his fingers as his brother dug through one of the cabinets to get the clothes he had sorted for the day.

"Do we really need to do it so early?" Dave asked, letting out quiet groan.

"How many times do I have to tell you, the sooner we get this done with, the sooner we can stop worrying about it?" Bro closed the cabinet door, with a small bundle of clothes in hand, and walked to the couch. "Now stop whining and put these on."

Dave eyed the clothes that were dropped on his lap, and he thought about saying something, but just limited himself to pick those up and walk to the bathroom to change. He didn't really ask his brother what kind of outfits he picked. He only knew that was the first one of the three or four he had planned.

The changing process was quick enough, but it took Dave a while to actually leave the bathroom, as he just stared at himself in the mirror, trying to think if that was his brother's idea of a "joke".

The pair of white socks he was wearing was the only OK part of the entire outfit. The other two pieces were a pair of puffy, royal blue shorts which looked more like a pair of bloomers than anything, and suspenders of the same color. No shirt or anything.

I look like I'm five. Dave thought, and suddenly a minor shiver ran down his spine. The idea of him looking so ridiculously young just before doing what he was about to was sick. But, that was probably his brother's intention. Dave was pretty sure he wouldn't pass up the opportunity of such "shock value".

And judging by the nature of the people who visited the site, he was pretty sure they would get off on that.

The world sure was full of fucked up people.

Trying to resign himself the best way he could, Dave stepped out of the bathroom and walked to room where Bro was waiting for him. When he entered, he could clearly hear his older brother stifling a laugh.

"Looking pretty cute there, lil' man." Bro said in the usual joking tone he used when trying to get under his younger brother's skin. And it worked every time.

"Fuck you." Dave bared his teeth as he took off his shades and placed them on the computer table. He knew his brother was going to ask him to take them off sooner or later anyway.

"No bitter thoughts or frowny faces now. You have to look precious and smile for the camera, in case you forgot." Bro cooed, prepping the shooting area by placing smuppets in their proper places and tidying up the room a bit.

Dave stood around, not sure of what he should do, when he was suddenly given Lil' Cal to hold.

"Here. And be careful not to damage him." Bro's eyes narrowed behind his shades, and Dave just nodded a bit nervously in response.

The minutes Dave spent there just observing his brother go from one side to the other of the room setting up everything were almost torturous. He felt so terribly out of place while just standing there with Cal on his arms while in those dubious clothes. What would happen if he just told Bro he didn't want to do this anymore? Would he be mad? Or would he just let it go and they would keep on living their lives like nothing happened?

After all, he wasn't sure if Bro was genuinely fired up about it or not. Sometimes he didn't really seem all that willing. It was hard as balls to read any kind of emotion coming from Bro which didn't involve irony, sarcasm or anger, but Dave could swear that whole thing was bothering him a bit, and he just kept going because that was putting food on the table.

"There, perfect." Bro's words cut through Dave's thoughts, and he finally paid proper attention to whatever his brother was doing.

There were colorful puppets everywhere, sitting on the furniture, lying on the floor and hanging from the ceiling, all of them in rather compromising positions. He had really gone all out this time.

"This looks like a circus." Dave said almost under his breath.

"Remember; it's your circus." Bro picked up the camera that was lying on the kitchen counter. "Ready?"

"Will it make a difference if I say 'no'?" Dave's eyebrows knitted, as he already knew the answer.

"Not at all." Was Bro's straight answer. "Now go sit on the counter."

Looking at the counter for a moment, Dave didn't even bother questioning his brother. That whole scenario was far too surreal for him to question anything. When he was properly sitting on the edge of the counter, legs hanging on the air and with Cal on his lap, Bro stared at him for a few seconds.

He tried to find some funny remark to make about the situation, but found nothing.

"Alright, now, just do as I say." Bro tried to give Dave a reassuring smile as he spoke, leveling the camera in front of his face. "Want me to close my eyes like last time?"

"Nah…" Dave said as he tried to shift his unimpressed and annoyed facial expression to a more agreeable one. It was enough having Cal on the picture to scare people off. He didn't need to look pissed to make things worse.

"You sure? Aren't you going to feel more comfortable without me staring at you?" Bro lowered the camera, his facial expression growing serious again.

"Yeah… I'm cool." Dave knew he wasn't being completely sincere about that. He was still pretty damn nervous and having his brother close his eyes would make things easier, but then again he had no idea for how long they would be carrying out that plan, and he couldn't ask his brother to forever close his eyes and take photos solely based on luck.

Bro could clearly see through Dave's words and how insecure he still was about the whole situation, but at the same time he was a bit proud of the fact he was willing to get over it on his own. And so soon.

Talk about an impressive kid.

"If you say so," Bro shrugged, and was about to raise the camera again, when he remembered something. "Oh yeah… Here."

Dave tilted his head to the side as his brother approached him, propping Cal more appropriately on his lap, slouching an arm around the boy's shoulder and straddling its legs on his thigh.

"Now we can start." Bro smiled proudly, as if what he just did was a masterpiece. Dave just felt his cheeks burning red in embarrassment. He couldn't believe that image would be floating on the Internet in a few hours from now. Luckily, Rose was the only person close to him who knew about it, but he wasn't sure just how "better" a situation that was, either.

The photoshoot with that set of clothes went by pretty much like the first one, with the exception of them moving around the room to change the scenery and Bro occasionally moving towards Dave to place Cal's arms and legs where they were supposed to be. Not that he didn't trust Dave to do it, but he was sure the boy wouldn't be able to place those limbs as accurately as he wanted them to be.

The first batch of pictures – something around ten or fifteen – was strange, and Dave felt utterly ashamed for doing that, specially hugged with Cal during it.

Although, as more pictures were taken and more minutes passed, he felt a little bit more at ease, and even being in such close proximity with Cal wasn't such a chore. In fact, he was starting to feel rather comfortable with him. He never really noticed just how soft those lanky legs and arms were, and the feeling of felt against his skin wasn't something he could honestly complain about.

As Bro watched Dave through the lens of the camera, he noticed a few things which showed him how progressively more relaxed his younger brother looked with each new shot. The way his shoulders dropped a bit, the softening of his facial expression, the dissolving of the red tint of his cheeks and ears… Maybe he was underestimating his little brother too. Maybe he could take on such a task just fine.

When they reached around fifty pictures, Bro paused the shoot, a satisfied smile planted on his lips.

"Great job lil' man. I think you deserve a break." He said, putting the camera down. There were still two outfits to go, and he sure enough didn't want to wear out Dave so soon.

"I am kinda hungry…" Dave said, still sitting on the couch with Cal pressed against his chest.

"Want to go downstairs and grab some ice-cream?" Bro suggested, gathering the smuppets from around the room. He would have to re-arrange those for the next session.

"Fuck yeah!" Dave said, more excitedly than he really intended to.

"So go change into something else… Unless you want to go out like that." Bro chuckled, but his laughter was cut short when Cal was thrown right into his face. Bro grit his teeth, and was about to scold Dave, but the kid was nowhere to be seen. He had most definitely flash-stepped out of the room, the little rascal.

Still, Bro couldn't fight the smile that appeared on his lips. Dave never really failed to amaze him by how fast he learned things.