Brother of Mine, Tom/Bill, pg
Season's Greetings to cookieduck90 from your Secret Santa
Title: Brother of Mine
Author: lynnchan
Pairing(s): Tom/Bill
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Didn’t happen.
Warnings: None
Summary: A timeline as Tom and Bill slowly uncover their feelings for each other.
Recipient: cookieduck90
Author's notes: The ending may seem a bit abrupt, but this is actually going to become a chaptered fic, though this story can be read as either a one-shot or chapter one of that fic.
Tom’s favorite person was most definitely, most undeniably, Bill.
It was perhaps some form of narcissism, as they both had the same straw-blond hair and the same honey-colored eyes, but if Tom were to pick anyone in the entire world he could spend the rest of his life with, it would be Bill. In fact, he was determined to spend the rest of his life with his little brother.
In elementary school, when an older kid made fun of Bill’s shoes, Tom whipped it out and nearly pissed on the bully’s shoes until a teacher, outraged, dragged him to the principal’s office.
In middle school, when Tom had his first girlfriend, Denise, and she told him that Bill talked like a chick, he dumped her on the spot and spent the rest of the semester telling every other boy in their grade that Denise only showered once a month and was a terrible kisser.
When they were thirteen and Bill lost Star Search, Tom coaxed him out of the bathroom by convincing him that the Oliver, the boy who beat him, smelled funny and would probably end up with a career in scraping squirrel carcasses off the road.
When they were fifteen and Bill got laughed at for his new look-trying on dark eye makeup and dying his hair black-Tom found the kids who had made fun of his baby brother and punched the ringleader in the nose. Needless to say, after he came home with a split lip and a black eye, Bill dyed his hair back to blond and stopped his eccentricities.
Just a month later, Tom convinced him to dye his hair black again.
When they were seventeen and Bill found his first serious girlfriend, Tom felt an odd ache every time she came over, almost mistaking it for jealousy. He always waved off that feeling-he wasn’t jealous of Bill, he didn’t want to get serious with anyone yet. And he definitely wasn’t jealous of Bill’s girlfriend.
But he was inexplicitly happy when she and Bill broke up a few months later.
When they were taking entrance exams, Bill, always the more well-read twin soaked his hair in color-stripper and took the test for Tom, saving him weeks of studying and stress.
They were going to different colleges, and the semester was going to start in just a few weeks. The twins spent the last precious days not ten feet away from each other.
Bill had always been too delicate, too high-maintenance, and he hated nature, but Tom managed to convince him to camp on their last night together. It wasn’t really camping, as they were in their backyard, confined in between the white picket fence that separated their house from the neighbor’s.
Tom had insisted that the thick blue sleeping bag kept him safe from the bugs, but Bill had refused to sleep outside without a proper bed. He was using their old mattress, the one they’d shared when they were six years old. He looked ridiculous-his lanky figure was half hanging off the mattress and, in the end, he was touching more nature than Tom was.
"Stop being stupid," Tom mumbled, punching his sleeping bag under it molded into a comfortable pillow. "Just get a sleeping bag, like me."
"I like this better." Bill had always been so stubborn.
"You know you used to wet the bed."
"Excuse me? That was you, Tomi."
"Nope. I remember because I used to stick your fingers in warm water when we were kids."
"You dick! That’s what it was!" Bill kicked at Tom, his foot skimming over his brother’s knee.
Tom rolled away laughing and faced the house, away from Bill. He smiled sadly. The colleges were only an hour apart in driving distance, but his heart wrenched every time he realized that, for the first time in his life, Bill wouldn’t be a room away.
His thoughts were interrupted as a foot was shoved into his sleeping bag.
"Hey! What are you doing?" He groaned as Bill wriggled in next to him. It was a cool summer night, but they’d sweat to death with both bodies wedged into the thick blanket.
"I decided that sleeping in the bed was stupid."
"Gee, where’d you get that idea?" Tom rolled his eyes. "Get your own. Out." He poked Bill in the ribs, smirking as Bill squeaked and smacked at him.
"I’m too sleepy. Besides, I just realized that this is our last opportunity to sleep together. You know, literally."
It was the twin thing-Bill had just spoken exactly what Tom had been thinking about.
"When we were little, after we stopped sharing that bed, you still came to my bed a lot. When you had nightmares or whatever."
Bill’s shoulders moved up and down against Tom’s chest as he shrugged.
A few minutes passed in silence and Tom thought that Bill had fallen asleep. He sighed, slightly disappointed, and shifted onto his side so he could get more comfortable. Moments later he heard Bill’s voice.
"It was after Dad left. That’s when I started having nightmares."
Tom poked his head up. "Really?" He frowned. "You never told me that before."
It was too dark to see Bill’s face, but he could tell that his twin was frowning too.
"But I know everything about you," Tom insisted, poking Bill again. Bill rolled so he was lying on his back and put his arms under his head, licking his lips as he stared at the night sky. When he got no response, Tom laid down as well, face-up, and looked at the stars, just like Bill was, and tried to see whatever it was that Bill was staring at so intently.
"Tell me something."
"Like what?" Tom scoffed.
"Tell me something I don’t know about you." Bill tried to kick Tom again, but Tom trapped his ankle in between his calves. Bill shot him a look and added, "It’s only fair."
"I don’t know. You know everything about me."
"There has to be something. Give me something surprising, something to think about. Something to remember you by."
"So the past eighteen years aren’t going to be remembered? Thanks, Bill." Tom chuckled as Bill tried to pull his foot free and failed.
"Tom."
"Euchh. Fine." Tom rolled his eyes dramatically, finally letting go of Bill’s ankle, and pushed himself up on his elbows. Now he needed to think up some bullshit to satisfy him.
"And no lying," Bill whispered, closing his eyes. He didn’t allow himself to fall asleep, just waited patiently, his arms curled under his head, his chin resting on his forearm.
"I hated seeing you with that girl," Tom said finally, feeling horrible.
"I knew that." Bill sounded unimpressed. He cracked one eye open. "That’s your big secret? Lame."
Tom’s mouth fell open. "...How?"
"Why did you think I broke up with her?"
The older twin swallowed deeply, feeling a heavy weight rise off his chest. Bill was watching him thoughtfully.
"Anything else?"
"Yeah." Tom made a face. "But it’s kind of weird."
"You know you can tell me."
Tom didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he told Bill what he’d found out years and years ago. "If you weren’t my brother, I’d marry you."
To his surprise, Bill laughed. The laugh wasn’t cruel or mocking. It was a laugh of amusement and affection. Bill let out one last giggle and lay on his side, poking a finger into Tom’s bicep.
"What made you decide that?"
Tom groaned, flushing. "Well, I dunno. I guess you’re supposed to marry someone you can spend the rest of your life with, someone you can’t wait to see everyday when you come home."
"And that’s me?" Bill asked, his breath hot on Tom’s cheek.
"Only when you’re not annoying," Tom grumbled, flipping so his back was to Bill. He heard Bill huff behind him before a pair of arms wrapped around his waist. Bill put his chin on Tom’s shoulder and held him close.
Minutes later Bill was breathing softly by Tom’s ear, his chest pushing against Tom’s back every time he breathed in and out. He kept his arms tightly around his older brother, occasionally moaning and nuzzling his face into Tom’s neck. Tom sighed and clasped his hand around Bill’s, rubbing his thumb over the knuckles until Bill stopped moaning. He let out a soft sigh and nudged his leg in between both of Tom’s.
The older twin sighed and turned his head up carefully, making sure not to disturb Bill’s sleep. At that moment he could’ve sworn he saw a shooting star dash across the night sky.
He was too tired to think back to science class and remember what a shooting star really was-something about meteors. Rather, he remembered all the stories and fairytales he and Bill would read when they were seven; late after midnight, Bill would always come to Tom’s bed and Tom would pull the flashlight out from under his pillow while Bill snuck a skinny book out from under the mattress before he crawled under the covers with his big brother. They would read and read until they fell asleep. One story had been about a shooting star, and a girl who had made a wish when she saw one. Her wish had come true.
So, right as he was falling asleep, Tom squinted at the night sky one last time and made a wish.
Title: Brother of Mine
Author: lynnchan
Pairing(s): Tom/Bill
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Didn’t happen.
Warnings: None
Summary: A timeline as Tom and Bill slowly uncover their feelings for each other.
Recipient: cookieduck90
Author's notes: The ending may seem a bit abrupt, but this is actually going to become a chaptered fic, though this story can be read as either a one-shot or chapter one of that fic.
Tom’s favorite person was most definitely, most undeniably, Bill.
It was perhaps some form of narcissism, as they both had the same straw-blond hair and the same honey-colored eyes, but if Tom were to pick anyone in the entire world he could spend the rest of his life with, it would be Bill. In fact, he was determined to spend the rest of his life with his little brother.
In elementary school, when an older kid made fun of Bill’s shoes, Tom whipped it out and nearly pissed on the bully’s shoes until a teacher, outraged, dragged him to the principal’s office.
In middle school, when Tom had his first girlfriend, Denise, and she told him that Bill talked like a chick, he dumped her on the spot and spent the rest of the semester telling every other boy in their grade that Denise only showered once a month and was a terrible kisser.
When they were thirteen and Bill lost Star Search, Tom coaxed him out of the bathroom by convincing him that the Oliver, the boy who beat him, smelled funny and would probably end up with a career in scraping squirrel carcasses off the road.
When they were fifteen and Bill got laughed at for his new look-trying on dark eye makeup and dying his hair black-Tom found the kids who had made fun of his baby brother and punched the ringleader in the nose. Needless to say, after he came home with a split lip and a black eye, Bill dyed his hair back to blond and stopped his eccentricities.
Just a month later, Tom convinced him to dye his hair black again.
When they were seventeen and Bill found his first serious girlfriend, Tom felt an odd ache every time she came over, almost mistaking it for jealousy. He always waved off that feeling-he wasn’t jealous of Bill, he didn’t want to get serious with anyone yet. And he definitely wasn’t jealous of Bill’s girlfriend.
But he was inexplicitly happy when she and Bill broke up a few months later.
When they were taking entrance exams, Bill, always the more well-read twin soaked his hair in color-stripper and took the test for Tom, saving him weeks of studying and stress.
They were going to different colleges, and the semester was going to start in just a few weeks. The twins spent the last precious days not ten feet away from each other.
Bill had always been too delicate, too high-maintenance, and he hated nature, but Tom managed to convince him to camp on their last night together. It wasn’t really camping, as they were in their backyard, confined in between the white picket fence that separated their house from the neighbor’s.
Tom had insisted that the thick blue sleeping bag kept him safe from the bugs, but Bill had refused to sleep outside without a proper bed. He was using their old mattress, the one they’d shared when they were six years old. He looked ridiculous-his lanky figure was half hanging off the mattress and, in the end, he was touching more nature than Tom was.
"Stop being stupid," Tom mumbled, punching his sleeping bag under it molded into a comfortable pillow. "Just get a sleeping bag, like me."
"I like this better." Bill had always been so stubborn.
"You know you used to wet the bed."
"Excuse me? That was you, Tomi."
"Nope. I remember because I used to stick your fingers in warm water when we were kids."
"You dick! That’s what it was!" Bill kicked at Tom, his foot skimming over his brother’s knee.
Tom rolled away laughing and faced the house, away from Bill. He smiled sadly. The colleges were only an hour apart in driving distance, but his heart wrenched every time he realized that, for the first time in his life, Bill wouldn’t be a room away.
His thoughts were interrupted as a foot was shoved into his sleeping bag.
"Hey! What are you doing?" He groaned as Bill wriggled in next to him. It was a cool summer night, but they’d sweat to death with both bodies wedged into the thick blanket.
"I decided that sleeping in the bed was stupid."
"Gee, where’d you get that idea?" Tom rolled his eyes. "Get your own. Out." He poked Bill in the ribs, smirking as Bill squeaked and smacked at him.
"I’m too sleepy. Besides, I just realized that this is our last opportunity to sleep together. You know, literally."
It was the twin thing-Bill had just spoken exactly what Tom had been thinking about.
"When we were little, after we stopped sharing that bed, you still came to my bed a lot. When you had nightmares or whatever."
Bill’s shoulders moved up and down against Tom’s chest as he shrugged.
A few minutes passed in silence and Tom thought that Bill had fallen asleep. He sighed, slightly disappointed, and shifted onto his side so he could get more comfortable. Moments later he heard Bill’s voice.
"It was after Dad left. That’s when I started having nightmares."
Tom poked his head up. "Really?" He frowned. "You never told me that before."
It was too dark to see Bill’s face, but he could tell that his twin was frowning too.
"But I know everything about you," Tom insisted, poking Bill again. Bill rolled so he was lying on his back and put his arms under his head, licking his lips as he stared at the night sky. When he got no response, Tom laid down as well, face-up, and looked at the stars, just like Bill was, and tried to see whatever it was that Bill was staring at so intently.
"Tell me something."
"Like what?" Tom scoffed.
"Tell me something I don’t know about you." Bill tried to kick Tom again, but Tom trapped his ankle in between his calves. Bill shot him a look and added, "It’s only fair."
"I don’t know. You know everything about me."
"There has to be something. Give me something surprising, something to think about. Something to remember you by."
"So the past eighteen years aren’t going to be remembered? Thanks, Bill." Tom chuckled as Bill tried to pull his foot free and failed.
"Tom."
"Euchh. Fine." Tom rolled his eyes dramatically, finally letting go of Bill’s ankle, and pushed himself up on his elbows. Now he needed to think up some bullshit to satisfy him.
"And no lying," Bill whispered, closing his eyes. He didn’t allow himself to fall asleep, just waited patiently, his arms curled under his head, his chin resting on his forearm.
"I hated seeing you with that girl," Tom said finally, feeling horrible.
"I knew that." Bill sounded unimpressed. He cracked one eye open. "That’s your big secret? Lame."
Tom’s mouth fell open. "...How?"
"Why did you think I broke up with her?"
The older twin swallowed deeply, feeling a heavy weight rise off his chest. Bill was watching him thoughtfully.
"Anything else?"
"Yeah." Tom made a face. "But it’s kind of weird."
"You know you can tell me."
Tom didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he told Bill what he’d found out years and years ago. "If you weren’t my brother, I’d marry you."
To his surprise, Bill laughed. The laugh wasn’t cruel or mocking. It was a laugh of amusement and affection. Bill let out one last giggle and lay on his side, poking a finger into Tom’s bicep.
"What made you decide that?"
Tom groaned, flushing. "Well, I dunno. I guess you’re supposed to marry someone you can spend the rest of your life with, someone you can’t wait to see everyday when you come home."
"And that’s me?" Bill asked, his breath hot on Tom’s cheek.
"Only when you’re not annoying," Tom grumbled, flipping so his back was to Bill. He heard Bill huff behind him before a pair of arms wrapped around his waist. Bill put his chin on Tom’s shoulder and held him close.
Minutes later Bill was breathing softly by Tom’s ear, his chest pushing against Tom’s back every time he breathed in and out. He kept his arms tightly around his older brother, occasionally moaning and nuzzling his face into Tom’s neck. Tom sighed and clasped his hand around Bill’s, rubbing his thumb over the knuckles until Bill stopped moaning. He let out a soft sigh and nudged his leg in between both of Tom’s.
The older twin sighed and turned his head up carefully, making sure not to disturb Bill’s sleep. At that moment he could’ve sworn he saw a shooting star dash across the night sky.
He was too tired to think back to science class and remember what a shooting star really was-something about meteors. Rather, he remembered all the stories and fairytales he and Bill would read when they were seven; late after midnight, Bill would always come to Tom’s bed and Tom would pull the flashlight out from under his pillow while Bill snuck a skinny book out from under the mattress before he crawled under the covers with his big brother. They would read and read until they fell asleep. One story had been about a shooting star, and a girl who had made a wish when she saw one. Her wish had come true.
So, right as he was falling asleep, Tom squinted at the night sky one last time and made a wish.