Brother & Sister
Continuing from this; set for later in the day.
"Hannah, do you think I'm being a bad older brother?"
The question caused Hannah to turn to look at Michael oddly and confused. The car ride had been quiet for the most part, since she had been studying most of the car ride while Michael just drove, but the question managed to make her forget what she had been reading just a few seconds ago. "What? Where'd that come from?"
Michael shrugged, trying to make it look as casual as possible. "Just a question. How do you think I'm doing in this whole brother deal?"
"I don't know," Hannah responded awkwardly. "Okay, I guess..."
"That bad, huh?"
"I never said that!" She closed her notebook, knowing that it'd be pointless to even try to study anymore, and turned towards him so she could look at him better. "You are a good brother. You need to work on a few things, but you've always been a good brother. Even before you came to stay with us, with your whole addiction problem? I always thought you were a good brother." She was about to mention that DJ would have thought so too, but she wasn't sure just how much he wanted to hear about the brother he had lost four months earlier. "Why the sudden interest?"
Michael stopped at a red light and shrugged. He opened his mouth for a moment, about to mention the conversation he had had with Nicole, but he wasn't sure if that would spark an argument between Hannah and Nicole - he always seemed to be a reason for them to argue. If Nicole were to say something that Hannah considered as rude, she'd immediately come to his defense even if he didn't need it, and he didn't want to cause any more problems between his sisters. "I don't know. I mean... Lately I haven't been on my best behavior-"
"You're having a hard time with everything that's happened." Sighing, she shook her head. "I mean, with DJ, then the whole thing with heroin... I know that, Mom knows that, and we both know you just need time." She smiled then. "But you'll get there. We know you will."
"Who's 'we'?"
"Mom and I," she said, matter-of-factly. "She has a lot of faith in you. And I do, too."
That caused him to stay silent for a moment, and he didn't talk again until the light turned green again. "You know, just because I'm going through a hard time it doesn't excuse how I've been. I've been selfish. I always said I'd be a good brother-"
"And you are," she insisted, brow furrowed now. "I'm serious. You aren't perfect, and you know what? I think I like you better that way."
Michael turned to look at her for a moment, a small smile on his face, before he turned back towards the road. "Yeah?"
"Yeah!" Grinning playfully, Hannah responded, "Gives me more things to tease you about."
That caused Michael to laugh as he pulled into the driveway of Elise's house. He turned to look at Hannah now that the car was parked and smiled at her. If before he had a doubt about being lucky with the family he had ended up having, now he was definitely sure that he was very fortunate to have siblings like the ones he had. He and Nicole weren't exactly on the best terms, but he could only hope that would eventually change for the better. "Just promise you'll tell me if I'm doing something wrong, yeah?"
A nod. "Count on it," she responded with what Michael could swear was a devilish smile followed by a sudden innocent grin, which caused him to give her a look. "You know," she said after a moment, "who you should talk to is Mom."
"...why?"
Now it was her turn to give him a look. "I don't know, because she's your mother, too?"
"Hannah, we've gone through this..."
"I know, she just gave birth to you. That still makes her your mom, and she loves you even if you don't wanna see it. She lost a lot of time and wasn't there with you, but now you're here-"
"Hannah..."
"It's the truth! She didn't tell me to tell you all that, but...just talk to her, yeah? Please? You can't push her away forever."
"Wanna bet?" That earned him another look, which looked more like a glare, and Michael sighed. He really wasn't in the mood to argue about what made a woman a mother today.
"Just talk to her. Doesn't have to be now, but soon. Before you move out."
Michael pretended to think for a moment before he let out a sigh. "So I have a few weeks before the sale's finalized."
At that, Hannah used the notebook she was still holding to hit his arm playfully. Kind of. "Michael!"
Another sigh. "Fine, I'll talk to her. Eventually, before I move out." Shaking his head, he chuckled under his breath. "You're a pain in the ass, you know. You're lucky you're my little sister, if not I'd be mad at you for hitting me with that notebook of yours."
"I know." Smiling, Hannah grabbed her backpack from the backseat and kissed his cheek. "But I love you, so that makes it all better, yeah?"
"Yeah, yeah," he responded with fake annoyance before he smiled at her. "And I love you, too. Now get outta here before you talk me into doing something else that I don't want to do."
That caused Hannah to laugh, and she kissed his cheek again before she got out of the car so she could get inside the house. For a moment Michael contemplated on staying for a couple of hours, to talk to Elise, but... No, he'd do that later. Eventually.
"Hannah, do you think I'm being a bad older brother?"
The question caused Hannah to turn to look at Michael oddly and confused. The car ride had been quiet for the most part, since she had been studying most of the car ride while Michael just drove, but the question managed to make her forget what she had been reading just a few seconds ago. "What? Where'd that come from?"
Michael shrugged, trying to make it look as casual as possible. "Just a question. How do you think I'm doing in this whole brother deal?"
"I don't know," Hannah responded awkwardly. "Okay, I guess..."
"That bad, huh?"
"I never said that!" She closed her notebook, knowing that it'd be pointless to even try to study anymore, and turned towards him so she could look at him better. "You are a good brother. You need to work on a few things, but you've always been a good brother. Even before you came to stay with us, with your whole addiction problem? I always thought you were a good brother." She was about to mention that DJ would have thought so too, but she wasn't sure just how much he wanted to hear about the brother he had lost four months earlier. "Why the sudden interest?"
Michael stopped at a red light and shrugged. He opened his mouth for a moment, about to mention the conversation he had had with Nicole, but he wasn't sure if that would spark an argument between Hannah and Nicole - he always seemed to be a reason for them to argue. If Nicole were to say something that Hannah considered as rude, she'd immediately come to his defense even if he didn't need it, and he didn't want to cause any more problems between his sisters. "I don't know. I mean... Lately I haven't been on my best behavior-"
"You're having a hard time with everything that's happened." Sighing, she shook her head. "I mean, with DJ, then the whole thing with heroin... I know that, Mom knows that, and we both know you just need time." She smiled then. "But you'll get there. We know you will."
"Who's 'we'?"
"Mom and I," she said, matter-of-factly. "She has a lot of faith in you. And I do, too."
That caused him to stay silent for a moment, and he didn't talk again until the light turned green again. "You know, just because I'm going through a hard time it doesn't excuse how I've been. I've been selfish. I always said I'd be a good brother-"
"And you are," she insisted, brow furrowed now. "I'm serious. You aren't perfect, and you know what? I think I like you better that way."
Michael turned to look at her for a moment, a small smile on his face, before he turned back towards the road. "Yeah?"
"Yeah!" Grinning playfully, Hannah responded, "Gives me more things to tease you about."
That caused Michael to laugh as he pulled into the driveway of Elise's house. He turned to look at Hannah now that the car was parked and smiled at her. If before he had a doubt about being lucky with the family he had ended up having, now he was definitely sure that he was very fortunate to have siblings like the ones he had. He and Nicole weren't exactly on the best terms, but he could only hope that would eventually change for the better. "Just promise you'll tell me if I'm doing something wrong, yeah?"
A nod. "Count on it," she responded with what Michael could swear was a devilish smile followed by a sudden innocent grin, which caused him to give her a look. "You know," she said after a moment, "who you should talk to is Mom."
"...why?"
Now it was her turn to give him a look. "I don't know, because she's your mother, too?"
"Hannah, we've gone through this..."
"I know, she just gave birth to you. That still makes her your mom, and she loves you even if you don't wanna see it. She lost a lot of time and wasn't there with you, but now you're here-"
"Hannah..."
"It's the truth! She didn't tell me to tell you all that, but...just talk to her, yeah? Please? You can't push her away forever."
"Wanna bet?" That earned him another look, which looked more like a glare, and Michael sighed. He really wasn't in the mood to argue about what made a woman a mother today.
"Just talk to her. Doesn't have to be now, but soon. Before you move out."
Michael pretended to think for a moment before he let out a sigh. "So I have a few weeks before the sale's finalized."
At that, Hannah used the notebook she was still holding to hit his arm playfully. Kind of. "Michael!"
Another sigh. "Fine, I'll talk to her. Eventually, before I move out." Shaking his head, he chuckled under his breath. "You're a pain in the ass, you know. You're lucky you're my little sister, if not I'd be mad at you for hitting me with that notebook of yours."
"I know." Smiling, Hannah grabbed her backpack from the backseat and kissed his cheek. "But I love you, so that makes it all better, yeah?"
"Yeah, yeah," he responded with fake annoyance before he smiled at her. "And I love you, too. Now get outta here before you talk me into doing something else that I don't want to do."
That caused Hannah to laugh, and she kissed his cheek again before she got out of the car so she could get inside the house. For a moment Michael contemplated on staying for a couple of hours, to talk to Elise, but... No, he'd do that later. Eventually.