dumb brothers

[wild_magic]

who: these assholes again
where: a phone to leave the matrix
when: after susan's failed attempt at matchmaking
what: susan finally heads back to the carnival, but his brother is waiting for him

Susan didn't really have anywhere to storm off to here, like he does back home or even at the Carnival, but that didn't stop him from running off when he was angry at Lauren. He would go back, but it would be so much easier for Lauren to find him at the Carnival than it is here, and he doesn't want to talk to him yet. Not until he stopped being mad. Not until Lauren was done being mad, too, and wouldn't yell about how Susan did something wrong when he was only trying to help.

Without anywhere specific to go, Susan ends up wandering for quite a while before finally giving in and deciding to head back.

...But before he can even get there, he sees his stupid brother, and he stops for a moment before continuing to walk forward, not saying anything to him. He knows Lauren's going to still be mad, and he doesn't want to hear it right now.

Comments

[mylastchance]

He nods, moving over to the phone. It's weird that this is how they have to travel here and back again. He doesn't understand how some small object can teleport them just by being near their ears. He assumes it must be magic.

It's better if they go back to their temporary home first. That way maybe if Susan runs off again at least Lauren will feel like he's safe.

[wild_magic]

Susan follows after Lauren, heading for their trailer once they get back to the Carnival. He doesn't want to talk about this, not really, because it's just going to be Lauren not understanding and getting angry at him, but he knows that he has to anyway.

[mylastchance]

It's hard not to get angry again when as soon as they arrive at the carnival Susan immediately begins stalking off. He recognizes avoidant behavior when he sees it, but he also knows if their positions were reversed he'd be acting the same. They get to their trailer and actually go inside. Lauren closes the door behind them. It's stupid, but some small part of him is still worried that Susan will try and run off again.

[wild_magic]

Even when they get to the trailer, Susan still doesn't say anything, just heading to the bed to pet his familiar instead. He isn't planning on starting this argument if he can avoid it. If Lauren has something to say he can do it himself.

[mylastchance]

He leans against the door. He hates this. He shouldn't even have to do this. His mother and father should have been the ones telling Susan what was right and wrong, not him. Well, life didn't always go the way it was supposed to, did it? His head hits the metal of the door with a dull thunk as he leans back to look up at the ceiling.

"We have to talk."

[wild_magic]

"We don't have to." Not that he's going to stop him. If they do talk about it then things will be better afterwards, they always are, but that doesn't mean he wants to do it.

[mylastchance]

He sighs.

"We should."

If they don't, things will just happen again. Repeating drama is pointless, he doesn't like it. Did anyone?

"We need to."

[wild_magic]

He just sits there hugging Fluff to himself and pouting. He doesn't want to, but finally he nods.

"Fine."

[mylastchance]

Okay, they were doing this, they were making this happen.

"I think you need to apologize to Carly."

[wild_magic]

"Fine!" If that's what Lauren wants, he'll do it. He's not sorry he did it, but he's sorry for dragging Carly into it, so even though he doesn't want to, he'll do it.

"I just wanted you to be happy."

[mylastchance]

Lauren sighs again. It's a special talent of his, sighing.

"I know. But after you left she started to cry. She thinks it's her fault that you stormed out!"

[wild_magic]

"...It's not her fault." But it's not his fault either. That doesn't stop him from feeling bad that he made her cry by leaving.

[mylastchance]

"I know. And I told her that. But if you just wanted to make me happy why didn't you at least tell her the truth?"

[wild_magic]

"I didn't think she would come if it was me asking. I didn't even know if she would come if it was you!"

[mylastchance]

"But don't you think whether she comes or not should be up to her to decide? You can't just make people do what you want. You have to treat them as equals."

[wild_magic]

"I didn't make her do it!" Now he's getting mad again.

[mylastchance]

He doesn't want Susan to get mad. He can't talk to Susan when he's mad.

"I know you didn't." He says it calmly, hoping it will somehow dissuade Susan from shouting.

[wild_magic]

He just goes back to glaring at the bed and hugging Fluff tight. The cat of course isn't happy with that, but she doesn't stop him.

[mylastchance]

"But, it's wrong to lie to someone, especially if it's because you think misleading them will benefit you. If you want someone to do something you have to ask them outright."

Not try and trick them.

[wild_magic]

"I don't have to do anything." He knows lying and tricking is wrong, but if it gets the right result he doesn't see anything wrong with it. Especially if Lauren says he shouldn't; right now, that's more reason to want to do it.

[mylastchance]

"Susan, it's wrong. Don't you get that! It's totally and completely wrong to treat people like that!"

People aren't just toys you can play with however you see fit. A good result is meaningless if it's only achieved by hurting others along the way. He thought of all people, Susan would understand that.

[wild_magic]

"To treat people like what, all I did was try and get her to eat dinner with you! She wouldn't go if I said it 'cause I'm just a kid and no one ever does what I say, so I had to do it!"

[mylastchance]

"How do you know she wouldn't have done it? You didn't even give her a chance to do otherwise, you just assumed she would dismiss you when all she's ever done is helped us in the past."

[wild_magic]

"It doesn't matter, it was just a stupid letter! That's all I did was write a letter!"

[mylastchance]

"It was a lie. You wrote a lie to trick someone into doing something for you. You made a good honest person feel like a fool."

If Susan can't understand why that's bad, Lauren has no idea how else to explain it.