Thanks so much for the reviews! I hope we can kick start this fandom and generate more love for our Axl and Sue! Sorry it took me awhile before updating; between work and not having new episodes of "The Middle" I haven't had the time or true inspiration to write anything.
On a side note: Who have seen/read the Hunger Games? I just watched the movie and have fallen completely in love with PeetaxKatniss! I might write a fanfic for them soon!
He comes home early that night, which causes his mother to question if she is hallucinating. Usually on nights like these, when there is a party, Frankie knew her son wouldn't be getting back home until midnight or later. Mike had quelled his wife's protests about a teenage boy being out that late with a slap on the back and a laugh filled with memories at their own teenage antics.
"Axl? What are you doing home so early? Did something happen at the party? Are you sick?" Fretting, she starts to walk towards her eldest son, her first born, but is swatted at before she can even get close.
"Geez Mom. Lay off! The party was lame is all. God. Must you ask me about everything? I don't ask you why you come home early from work do I?" throwing his hands in the air he walks down the tiny hallway that connects the bedrooms in the house, leaving Frankie to fend for herself as she tries to answer Mike's reprimanding look.
Once reaching his desired destination, Axl hesitates by the door, trying to think of what to say. He's in the middle of his fourth try when Sue opens the door in a hurry and runs straight into him.
"Ack!"
"Wha-Ow!"
The collision causes them to fall to the floor, entangled limbs and braces getting caught on fabric. The siblings, fussing, attempt to get up but only fail and fall back down.
"Sue! What is wrong with you? Can you not even walk properly? Or do you need glasses now too? Get off me!" Struggling unsuccessfully and admittedly, half-heartedly, Axl maneuvers to get Sue off from on top of him.
"Oh, Axl! I'm sorry! I was just in such a hurry- ow!" Sue places her hands on the floor to propel herself up but falls back down.
"Oh my God! Is your freaky headbrace thing stuck to my shirt? Get it off! Get if off now!"
"Axl, stay still for a second, I'm trying to get loose!" she scolds as she tries to tear her the top of her head brace from his new shirt. Axl pushes at her forehead with his hands, believing himself to be helping.
"Axllll…" she whines and he knows this isn't a good sign. "I think we need to get mom or dad to help, it's stuck really bad!" He looks up at her in horror, thoughts taken to the extreme of having to walk around with his dorky sister because he refuses to part with his favorite new shirt.
"No! Mom and Dad will just cut this shirt up or something because they are too lazy and I cannot lose this shirt! Here." Placing his hands on her waist, he starts positioning her from on top of him to beside him for his plan. In the process, he can't help but think that Sue's waist is thinner than he thought it would be for all the sweaters she wears.
"Axl, I'm sorry if you're favorite shirt gets ruined, I promise I'll save up allowance and buy you a new one." Her eyes remind him of kicked puppies and he realizes that he can never stay mad at Sue.
"Shut up. It'll be fine. You're talking to the Axe Man! I got this! Now, on the count of 3, we will get up together, okay?" Nodding, Sue agrees.
"1…" He grips her waist firmly, ensuring that she gets up exactly when he does to avoid too much ripping of the shirt.
"2…." Her hands find their way to his shoulders and firmly grip them. Her head is facing the floor as the top of her headgear is what's caught on his shirt and she fears moving her head.
"…3!" They both jump up and Axl exclaims at their success. Sue pumps her fist in the air with a little noise of celebration, still unable to move too much.
Surveying the situation, Axl idly notices that Sue is pretty tall for her age and almost reaches him. He would always scoff in disgust when he would see Sue kissing that poor excuse for a guy, Matt, thinking it wrong that a girl had to bend to kiss her boyfriend. He also always disliked a guy having to dip too low to kiss a short girl. He felt it too much work and would hurt his back after a while. Sue's height, he found, was the perfect height for him.
"Axl…?" Snapping him out of his thoughts, Sue's questioning voice made him think of his quickly thought up solution.
"Ok. So I remember someone telling me that hot water got gum off their shirt or something and so that should work for this too right?"
"Axl…I don't know how that makes any sense…"
"Just be quiet and follow my lead… walk backwards one step every time I take a step okay? We're going to the bathroom. It's not too far so you really can't possibly screw this up Sue!"
The TV is loud in the living room and Axl's bedroom door is closed, meaning Brick's reading and drowning out the world. Slowly, he takes a step forward and waits for Sue to do the same, they fall into a steady pattern before reaching the bathroom door.
"Ok, so you need to turn, a little, like this…" he moves her so she fits through the door effortlessly. "There. Ok, so let me just turn on the water…oh come on! You have got to be kidding me!"
"What? What's wrong Axl?"
"There's no hot water! Why is there no hot water?" hitting the back of the bathroom door with his fist, he scares Sue into jumping a little. "Sorry." He mutters, realizing his slip of teenage rage.
"Axl… you used up all the hot water when you came home! I tried to take a shower after you and it was warm for like, 2 minutes and then it was cold!"
Silent, Axl contemplates this and then frowns knowing this was probably true. "Well, okay! Fine! But now what are we going to do?"
"Let's just shout for mom and dad and…" Axl cuts her off with a snort before moving around awkwardly. "What's wrong now?"
"I… ugh, I have to use the bathroom."
"What? Ew! Why did you tell me that? You're going to have to wait until we get my head gear separated from your shirt!"
"Well we better figure something out real soon because I drank a lot of… juice, and I really have to go!"
"I'm not stupid Axl, I know what people really do at parties…"
"Yeah, sure." He scoffs and tries to place his hands in his pocket but gives up at the attempt as Sue's body is in the way.
"It's true! Dad drinks his beer during those grown-up parties and Brick has told me about the books he read about older kids! You know you shouldn't be drinking and driving A-Mmmm!" quickly placing his hands on her face, he shushes her and glares at the top of her head.
"Be quiet Sue! I don't drink and drive! Now, forget about all this, this shirt is a goner anyway, I'm just going to pull you apart, okay?" Frustrated and not waiting for her approval, Axl pushes and pulls his sister's death contraption away from him until he hears the undeniable ripping sound of his shirt being torn to shreds. Once freed, Sue steps back and examines the damage, wincing at her brother's next choice of words.
"Greeeeeat. There goes my shirt completely."
"I'm really, really sorry Axl." She reaches out and lightly touches the torn fabric before looking up at him. "I promise I'll buy you a new one…"
Sighing, he swats her hands away from his body. "No need. I'll live without it." He starts to turn away but then decides to do a backwards step and turn half-way around. "But! You could do my math homework for me!"
Nodding, Sue agrees quickly. In an almost uncharacteristic gesture, Axl flicks Sue's nose gently, muttering "loser" under his breath softly. Wrinkling her nose, she swats at him instinctively and he chuckles in response. He thinks back to the party for a mere moment and with eyes trained on Sue, he almost regrets lying to Sean, knowing that she deserves better, that she deserves honesty and someone to want to take her and all her quirks, to the dance.
Sue smiles at him due to their compromise. She's standing there a little awkwardly, as if she doesn't want to leave but has no reason to stay. It's then that Axl realizes that something is off about her appearance.
"Hey. Sue? Your head brace, it's all… sideways and stuff." Reaching out to try and readjust his sister's metal death trap, Axl's eyes widen when he realizes it's become unhinged and, to his eyes, completely broken. "Oh no…"
"What's wrong Axl?" Panicking, Sue's voice raises an octave.
"Nothing. Just, I think, your thing is a little broken…"
"What?"
"Geez! Don't scream! Just go to the dentist or something tomorrow! I'm sure they can, readjust it or whatever… now get out! I have to pee! Oh! And do my homework! My book bag is under my clothes from last week, I think."
Completely lost, Sue is forcibly pushed out the door while audibly protesting. When she hears him flip the seat of the toilet up, she rushes to her room to check her reflection. Upon seeing her head brace falling apart, she runs to the phone in the living room to call the emergency number for her doctor to make an appointment for tomorrow. Frankie and Mike merely tilt their head in her general direction, assume their daughter has whatever crisis she's going through under control, and turns back to watching the game in front of them.
This is a slow chapter, but I really want to get Sue's head brace off! So sorry for the filler like chapter, the next one should progress nicely!
Thanks for reading