that's just the way we roll.
Sometimes it felt like nature would do anything to prevent Joseph and Nicholas Lucas from 'keeping things real', and today's story is no exception to that. Some people just don't know when to quit with things, either, because every week they spent humbly at the Firehouse, the two JONAS heartthrobs made sure to set aside time to embark on a new 'adventure' together. Mother Nature could try and break them, but their biological mother was the driving force behind the fire in their hearts. All right, so there was no denying they cherished the quality time they shared with one another ( or at least, Joe really loved it ), but their mother positively gushed with pride whenever she saw her two middle boys attempt to live like normal teenagers. What eager son didn't want to please their mom? The Lucas family was about closeness, after all.
Though, I'm going to go right ahead and confess that their definition of adventure was ... quite obscure. Chores were the 'dangerous' kind of adventures. Like, taking out the trash or raking up some leaves off the ground - any man strong enough to make it out alive and fully clothed was awarded a medal and had his picture posted on the 'Wall of Fame' ( so far said wall is empty ). Then there were the slightly-less dangerous but still pretty scary adventures, like cloud watching in an open field ( sneak attacks often occurred whenever guards were let down ), or kite-flying, and let me tell you, running away from adoring girls with a kite on hand was harder than it looked. But this week, the two rock stars decided they would set off on a more recreational adventure, like bike riding. They decided that on a pair of wheels, they could out-ride even the track-star fangirls and still have loads of fun doing something ... normal. And this time was seriously normal, because if you think about it, what teenage boy REALLY takes out the garbage?
----
"For the last time, Joe -- there's no way around 'helmet hair', so just hurry up and get on your bike! We really need to get back before 5. You know this is the only day I have to use the studio, and unless you don't want another tour, I suggest you kick it into high-gear."
Enter Nicholas - the rational ( and youngest ) JONAS who was way less enthusiastic about this bike trip than he was an hour ago. He had been dressed and in his protective gear for, like, forty-five minutes, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand leaning against the wall outside the bathroom for his embarrassment of a brother to emerge. Every now and then he would pound against the door and send out harsh reminders of their deadline, only to receive the vain response that Joe's hair-crisis was pretty much more urgent than the band. Typical. "Oh, finally. It's about TIME --"
Cue Joseph - hottie of the year, and not about to let that title slip through his fingertips. Adventures were dangerous, and he owed it to his fans to look great even while he participated in life-threatening situations like these. It may have taken him well over an hour to figure out what combination of hair-product prevented hair from flattening under the suffocation of a helmet, but he was confident he made a ground-breaking discovery. So when he emerged from the restroom he had been locked in, he strutted toward Nick and anxiously waited for compliments.
And, as predicted, Nick was totally staring at him.
"... Er. What are you wearing?"
"A helmet. So if I crash, I don't die?" Joe replied stupidly as he rapped his knuckles against the headgear for good measure. Nick let out a frustrated sigh as his eyes narrowed with annoyance. "What?" Joe asked innocently in response to 'that look', his hands lifting up from his sides. Nick pointed at his own helmet, then said, "This, Joseph, is how you keep it real." He paused, then waved his hand toward his older brother and raised his voice just slightly. "THAT is how you draw attention to yourself. Bright pink, Joe? Really? And are those HEARTS? We're supposed to be normal teenage boys, not five year old girls." It really wasn't fair that he was the youngest of the rock-trio. It didn't take a two-point-shy genius to know a practically grown-man wearing something that ridiculous was going to be the talk of the day in their town. All Nick wanted to do was take a quick stroll downtown, do some window shopping, then go home. Was that really an unreasonable demand?
"Dude, I don't care what you think. This is stylish. I make it look cool! You're just jealous that you picked out the boring black helmet. But I will say, you match really well for once. Boring on boring never looked so boring~"
"Yeah. Was that supposed to make me feel bad? Because that didn't even make sense."
"Not to someone as unfashionable as you, Nicky."
Nick closed his eyes and shook his head. "Can we just go?"
----
Nick forced his better judgment to get over the fact that Joe was the last person he wanted to be seen with that day. He knew if the frontman finally caved in and agreed to change, that would only result in another hour's worth of waiting in the hall, and he was not going to allow that to happen again. So when they finally got on their bikes and headed off, Nick was certain to keep the lead so he wouldn't be forced to look at the distracting pink on Joe's head. He'd probably lose control of his bicycle if that happened, since it was just so aggravating how simple-minded and selfish Joe could be sometimes. Though pink-crisis aside, Nick was actually feeling pretty good about getting some fresh-air for once. Everything was going smoothly - man, he was even smiling as soon as he got into the groove, and decided that it couldn't hurt to take the long route downtown and prolong the experience a little.
Enter Mother Nature - or, whatever it is you call the method to the madness the Lucas brothers called 'life'. Nick realized that as soon as he turned right into the arms cradling a 'longer afternoon out with Joe', his bike was getting harder to pedal. Joe had even caught up to him at one point and was riding along his side, making dumb comments about Nick being out of shape that were probably better left ignored. Joe was noticeably slowing down his pace just to keep next to him, too, which was embarrassing. The whole afternoon went from bearable to just obnoxious, and regrettably, Nick found himself unable to trudge forward without losing temporary control.
"NICHOLAS. LOOK OUT!"
"You don't need to be so dramatic! Save it for the school play, Joe. I barely even lost my balance," Nick muttered as he swung his leg off the bike and let it fall to the ground. Joe soon followed the example and got off his own cycle, and after propping it up against a building, he said, "still. I saw your entire life flash before my eyes - you were going down, man. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Nick snorted as he crouched down next to his fallen bike. He quickly realized he had a flat tire. Great. Walking back would take forever, and he knew Joe would do nothing more than complain about having to walk his bike when he could be riding it. They couldn't call their mom, either, because that totally wasn't keeping anything real. Nick's eyelids fluttered closed as he tried to calmly go over his options, but it was REALLY hard to concentrate once he felt Joe's breath against the back of his neck. His brother was leaning over him, and while he knew he was trying to be helpful, Nick was still thoroughly annoyed. "Oh, dude, you have a busted tire!"
"I know."
"What did you run over, huh, buddy?"
"Frankie," Nick said coldly, before glancing up at Joe, who had knitted brows and a horrified expression plastered on his handsome face. "... Nicholas ... I ..."
"What? ... Oh, God, Joe! ... No, you idiot! Frankie popped my tire!"
"Dude, being biased against your little brother much? He's just a kid. I don't blame you for everything that goes wrong! ... Or, most ... of the things that go wrong, I don't blame you for ..."
"No, man. He really did do this. He even pinned his picture next to the puncture mark in my tire," Nick said defensively as he pointed to the scene of the crime. "You're an amateur detective, Nick, so step aside and let the professional do his job. You're lucky I always keep a pair of sunglasses in my jacket-pocket in case sketchy situations like these arise. Gotta be prepared to work a crime!" Joe whipped his sunglasses out and suavely put them on, which Nick had to admit, was slightly humorous since he was still in his helmet. Well, it was until Joe further invaded his space by crawling over his shoulder in order to get a good look at the alleged photograph.
Then, when Joe's laughter erupted in Nick's ear and he thought he was going to lose any lingering grip on his composure he had. "Did he write 'HAHA' on it? Awww. Look! He's even winking in the picture! I taught him well, didn't I? He's such a good little prankster. One day, he may even surpass me ..."
"I know you're about to start reflecting on your past pranks, and while I admit you've even managed to fool me a few times, can we skip the nostalgia and focus on how we're going to get home?"
Joe curled up his lip and stood back up, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down at Nick was an unamused expression. "I totally solved the crime for you, and you repay me with attitude? Thanks, but no thanks! I don't work for free!"
"Joe, I was the one who found the picture. All you did was put on some sunglasses and laugh in my ear."
"Do you know how much these sunglasses cost? A lot of money went into resources, here!"
"Fine. Thank you for helping me, Detective Lucas. Now can you please figure out how we're going to get home with four legs and only three wheels?"
Though, I'm going to go right ahead and confess that their definition of adventure was ... quite obscure. Chores were the 'dangerous' kind of adventures. Like, taking out the trash or raking up some leaves off the ground - any man strong enough to make it out alive and fully clothed was awarded a medal and had his picture posted on the 'Wall of Fame' ( so far said wall is empty ). Then there were the slightly-less dangerous but still pretty scary adventures, like cloud watching in an open field ( sneak attacks often occurred whenever guards were let down ), or kite-flying, and let me tell you, running away from adoring girls with a kite on hand was harder than it looked. But this week, the two rock stars decided they would set off on a more recreational adventure, like bike riding. They decided that on a pair of wheels, they could out-ride even the track-star fangirls and still have loads of fun doing something ... normal. And this time was seriously normal, because if you think about it, what teenage boy REALLY takes out the garbage?
----
"For the last time, Joe -- there's no way around 'helmet hair', so just hurry up and get on your bike! We really need to get back before 5. You know this is the only day I have to use the studio, and unless you don't want another tour, I suggest you kick it into high-gear."
Enter Nicholas - the rational ( and youngest ) JONAS who was way less enthusiastic about this bike trip than he was an hour ago. He had been dressed and in his protective gear for, like, forty-five minutes, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand leaning against the wall outside the bathroom for his embarrassment of a brother to emerge. Every now and then he would pound against the door and send out harsh reminders of their deadline, only to receive the vain response that Joe's hair-crisis was pretty much more urgent than the band. Typical. "Oh, finally. It's about TIME --"
Cue Joseph - hottie of the year, and not about to let that title slip through his fingertips. Adventures were dangerous, and he owed it to his fans to look great even while he participated in life-threatening situations like these. It may have taken him well over an hour to figure out what combination of hair-product prevented hair from flattening under the suffocation of a helmet, but he was confident he made a ground-breaking discovery. So when he emerged from the restroom he had been locked in, he strutted toward Nick and anxiously waited for compliments.
And, as predicted, Nick was totally staring at him.
"... Er. What are you wearing?"
"A helmet. So if I crash, I don't die?" Joe replied stupidly as he rapped his knuckles against the headgear for good measure. Nick let out a frustrated sigh as his eyes narrowed with annoyance. "What?" Joe asked innocently in response to 'that look', his hands lifting up from his sides. Nick pointed at his own helmet, then said, "This, Joseph, is how you keep it real." He paused, then waved his hand toward his older brother and raised his voice just slightly. "THAT is how you draw attention to yourself. Bright pink, Joe? Really? And are those HEARTS? We're supposed to be normal teenage boys, not five year old girls." It really wasn't fair that he was the youngest of the rock-trio. It didn't take a two-point-shy genius to know a practically grown-man wearing something that ridiculous was going to be the talk of the day in their town. All Nick wanted to do was take a quick stroll downtown, do some window shopping, then go home. Was that really an unreasonable demand?
"Dude, I don't care what you think. This is stylish. I make it look cool! You're just jealous that you picked out the boring black helmet. But I will say, you match really well for once. Boring on boring never looked so boring~"
"Yeah. Was that supposed to make me feel bad? Because that didn't even make sense."
"Not to someone as unfashionable as you, Nicky."
Nick closed his eyes and shook his head. "Can we just go?"
----
Nick forced his better judgment to get over the fact that Joe was the last person he wanted to be seen with that day. He knew if the frontman finally caved in and agreed to change, that would only result in another hour's worth of waiting in the hall, and he was not going to allow that to happen again. So when they finally got on their bikes and headed off, Nick was certain to keep the lead so he wouldn't be forced to look at the distracting pink on Joe's head. He'd probably lose control of his bicycle if that happened, since it was just so aggravating how simple-minded and selfish Joe could be sometimes. Though pink-crisis aside, Nick was actually feeling pretty good about getting some fresh-air for once. Everything was going smoothly - man, he was even smiling as soon as he got into the groove, and decided that it couldn't hurt to take the long route downtown and prolong the experience a little.
Enter Mother Nature - or, whatever it is you call the method to the madness the Lucas brothers called 'life'. Nick realized that as soon as he turned right into the arms cradling a 'longer afternoon out with Joe', his bike was getting harder to pedal. Joe had even caught up to him at one point and was riding along his side, making dumb comments about Nick being out of shape that were probably better left ignored. Joe was noticeably slowing down his pace just to keep next to him, too, which was embarrassing. The whole afternoon went from bearable to just obnoxious, and regrettably, Nick found himself unable to trudge forward without losing temporary control.
"NICHOLAS. LOOK OUT!"
"You don't need to be so dramatic! Save it for the school play, Joe. I barely even lost my balance," Nick muttered as he swung his leg off the bike and let it fall to the ground. Joe soon followed the example and got off his own cycle, and after propping it up against a building, he said, "still. I saw your entire life flash before my eyes - you were going down, man. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Nick snorted as he crouched down next to his fallen bike. He quickly realized he had a flat tire. Great. Walking back would take forever, and he knew Joe would do nothing more than complain about having to walk his bike when he could be riding it. They couldn't call their mom, either, because that totally wasn't keeping anything real. Nick's eyelids fluttered closed as he tried to calmly go over his options, but it was REALLY hard to concentrate once he felt Joe's breath against the back of his neck. His brother was leaning over him, and while he knew he was trying to be helpful, Nick was still thoroughly annoyed. "Oh, dude, you have a busted tire!"
"I know."
"What did you run over, huh, buddy?"
"Frankie," Nick said coldly, before glancing up at Joe, who had knitted brows and a horrified expression plastered on his handsome face. "... Nicholas ... I ..."
"What? ... Oh, God, Joe! ... No, you idiot! Frankie popped my tire!"
"Dude, being biased against your little brother much? He's just a kid. I don't blame you for everything that goes wrong! ... Or, most ... of the things that go wrong, I don't blame you for ..."
"No, man. He really did do this. He even pinned his picture next to the puncture mark in my tire," Nick said defensively as he pointed to the scene of the crime. "You're an amateur detective, Nick, so step aside and let the professional do his job. You're lucky I always keep a pair of sunglasses in my jacket-pocket in case sketchy situations like these arise. Gotta be prepared to work a crime!" Joe whipped his sunglasses out and suavely put them on, which Nick had to admit, was slightly humorous since he was still in his helmet. Well, it was until Joe further invaded his space by crawling over his shoulder in order to get a good look at the alleged photograph.
Then, when Joe's laughter erupted in Nick's ear and he thought he was going to lose any lingering grip on his composure he had. "Did he write 'HAHA' on it? Awww. Look! He's even winking in the picture! I taught him well, didn't I? He's such a good little prankster. One day, he may even surpass me ..."
"I know you're about to start reflecting on your past pranks, and while I admit you've even managed to fool me a few times, can we skip the nostalgia and focus on how we're going to get home?"
Joe curled up his lip and stood back up, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down at Nick was an unamused expression. "I totally solved the crime for you, and you repay me with attitude? Thanks, but no thanks! I don't work for free!"
"Joe, I was the one who found the picture. All you did was put on some sunglasses and laugh in my ear."
"Do you know how much these sunglasses cost? A lot of money went into resources, here!"
"Fine. Thank you for helping me, Detective Lucas. Now can you please figure out how we're going to get home with four legs and only three wheels?"