Original: A Relative Jumble
Title: A Relative Jumble [ INDEX]
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Max and some Academy classmates (mention of Dree, El, Massey, and the Cain kids)
Rating: G
Summary: To him, they're just brothers and sisters. To everyone else, it's just confusing...
Warning: a while before Love-Hate *Written for Weekly Quick Fic #6 at writerverse. Prompt: Adopted Brother and Phone
Disclaimer: The original characters of The Wizard of Oz belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters of Tin Man belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The Disney characters belong to Disney, their authors, and their respective actors. The OCs are mine and bizarra's. And, now gatechic's, by default. Garrett Cain belongs to gatechic and is, as always, used and abused with love. ♥
Max was sitting in the dining hall with the other new students at the Council Academy. The first few days had been fairly relaxed - lots of meeting the instructors and going over the expectations of the students and what they would be learning paired with getting settled in their new living arrangements.
There were distinct groups starting to form - mixes of classmates, bunkmates, and students who knew each other from home - and the group Max was with was a mix of all three. Max knew none of them, outside the first two categories, of course, but he didn't mind.
He actually secretly loved that no one knew him yet. Back home, everyone knew who he was, and who he was related to.
And what rank he actually held.
"What about you?" one of his bunkmates friends from home asked. Max blinked, realizing they were looking at him.
"Sorry?" he asked, making a quick motion to indicate he hadn't heard the question.
"You oldest or youngest?" the young man asked.
"Oh, uh," Max started, then glanced at the table and frowned slightly. "Well... technically... Yes." At the looks on the other faces, he shrugged slightly. "My family is pretty mixed."
"Mixed how?" one of the girls asked, genuinely interested that someone else at the table might have a non-traditional family like hers.
"Well," Max sighed, "I've got four half-siblings who are younger. Three step-siblings, who are older," he nodded. "But, for my mom, I'm oldest. Unless you count my older brother, who's adopted. Then I'd be middle."
"How much older?" the girl asked, as she had adopted siblings, as well.
"Oh, well..." Max started, then let out a breath as he worked out the math. "He's older than Mom so..." he mumbled.
"Wait," another boy said, holding up a hand "Your adopted brother is older than your mom?" He gave Max a look and shook his head, wondering if Max understood what sounded wrong, there.
"Yeah," Max nodded, straight-faced. "My mom adopted him when he was about our age." He motioned to the group and leaned back in his chair. "My mom," he nodded, "is about the same age." At the looks of bafflement on their faces, Max reached for the device in his pocket -- since meals were considered personal time, he could have it on his person -- and tapped the screen a few times.
Ignoring three messages from his little brother, for now, Max opened a file and swiped a few times before turning the screen and showing it to the group. "Mom," he explained, pointing to the blonde woman he clearly favored, then to the brunette woman sticking her tongue out at the camera, "and younger mom."
Flipping the screen back for a second, he swiped a few more times and found the photo he had been thinking of. Turning it back, he pointed to the very large man standing between both women. "Mom, Mass, Mom." Noting the look on one of the faces, Max pulled his hand back and frowned. "Don't look at my mom like that."
Two of the boys laughed as the other blushed. "He looks at everyone's mom like that."
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Max and some Academy classmates (mention of Dree, El, Massey, and the Cain kids)
Rating: G
Summary: To him, they're just brothers and sisters. To everyone else, it's just confusing...
Warning: a while before Love-Hate *Written for Weekly Quick Fic #6 at writerverse. Prompt: Adopted Brother and Phone
Disclaimer: The original characters of The Wizard of Oz belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters of Tin Man belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The Disney characters belong to Disney, their authors, and their respective actors. The OCs are mine and bizarra's. And, now gatechic's, by default. Garrett Cain belongs to gatechic and is, as always, used and abused with love. ♥
Max was sitting in the dining hall with the other new students at the Council Academy. The first few days had been fairly relaxed - lots of meeting the instructors and going over the expectations of the students and what they would be learning paired with getting settled in their new living arrangements.
There were distinct groups starting to form - mixes of classmates, bunkmates, and students who knew each other from home - and the group Max was with was a mix of all three. Max knew none of them, outside the first two categories, of course, but he didn't mind.
He actually secretly loved that no one knew him yet. Back home, everyone knew who he was, and who he was related to.
And what rank he actually held.
"What about you?" one of his bunkmates friends from home asked. Max blinked, realizing they were looking at him.
"Sorry?" he asked, making a quick motion to indicate he hadn't heard the question.
"You oldest or youngest?" the young man asked.
"Oh, uh," Max started, then glanced at the table and frowned slightly. "Well... technically... Yes." At the looks on the other faces, he shrugged slightly. "My family is pretty mixed."
"Mixed how?" one of the girls asked, genuinely interested that someone else at the table might have a non-traditional family like hers.
"Well," Max sighed, "I've got four half-siblings who are younger. Three step-siblings, who are older," he nodded. "But, for my mom, I'm oldest. Unless you count my older brother, who's adopted. Then I'd be middle."
"How much older?" the girl asked, as she had adopted siblings, as well.
"Oh, well..." Max started, then let out a breath as he worked out the math. "He's older than Mom so..." he mumbled.
"Wait," another boy said, holding up a hand "Your adopted brother is older than your mom?" He gave Max a look and shook his head, wondering if Max understood what sounded wrong, there.
"Yeah," Max nodded, straight-faced. "My mom adopted him when he was about our age." He motioned to the group and leaned back in his chair. "My mom," he nodded, "is about the same age." At the looks of bafflement on their faces, Max reached for the device in his pocket -- since meals were considered personal time, he could have it on his person -- and tapped the screen a few times.
Ignoring three messages from his little brother, for now, Max opened a file and swiped a few times before turning the screen and showing it to the group. "Mom," he explained, pointing to the blonde woman he clearly favored, then to the brunette woman sticking her tongue out at the camera, "and younger mom."
Flipping the screen back for a second, he swiped a few more times and found the photo he had been thinking of. Turning it back, he pointed to the very large man standing between both women. "Mom, Mass, Mom." Noting the look on one of the faces, Max pulled his hand back and frowned. "Don't look at my mom like that."
Two of the boys laughed as the other blushed. "He looks at everyone's mom like that."