"And don't come back until you find the good ice, hear me?"
Jake chuckles, one hand on his hips as he waves after Finn. His third hand, the one still pressed up against Jermaine's mouth, exerts a little more pressure as their kid brother leaves the room. It's only as the door slams shut that Jake relieves the pressure. Coughing, Jermaine wipes a hand over his mouth, glaring at his brother in naked confusion and frustration.
"What the hell are you doing!?"
"Hm?" Jake pointed towards the door, a dumb look on his face. "Finn's gonna go get some ice."
Jermaine growled, stepping closer to him with a finger raised up just under Jake's nose. "Don't handle me right now, bro. I'm not sixteen."
That dumb look recedes into something a little more exhausted, staring evenly at Jermaine from the close proximity he'd placed himself. With a quick little shove, Jake extends the distance between them. There wasn't any hostility in the gesture, but Jake also didn't seem interested in entertaining Jermaine's intimidation check.
"What the hell happened, man?" He asks, lids drawn down in frustration. "I leave you two alone for half an hour and you give Finn a panic attack?"
It wasn't a kind thing to say, and both brothers seem to realize it in the same moment. Jermaine draws back as if stung, Jake's face falling almost immediately.
"That's not--"
"No, you're right." Jermaine says, eyes squeezed shut. "It's not your fault, Jake, it's mine. I can't believe I've let you do this for years."
Jake had been poised to reassure Jermaine, to tell him how he didn't mean what he said. How Finn was a tough kid and sometimes that meant you couldn't get through to him right away, how all this was still kind of new for them, whatever he had to say to smooth over Jermaine's crisis of confidence and get things back on track.
Only then Jermaine said that, and Jake found himself suddenly at a loss for words.
"I can't so much as ask about what happened without Finn completely blowing up! He's locked up tighter than a freakin' safe and you just... enable it!" Jermaine pushed his finger up against Jake's chest; not noticing that Jake was suddenly a few inches shorter than before. "C'mon, bro, ice!?"
"For his knee," Jake offers lamely, shrinking back a bit. Jermaine just laughs, a sharp bark that sounded neither happy nor amused. He breaks the stare between them, pacing around the room.
"I let you do it for years. Trusted in our parents wishes like a good dog, again, while you turned Finn into... into Dad!"
"Hey, Dad was awesome--" Jake begins, in an almost reflexive response, his own hackles rising a little at the direction this conversation was going. Jermaine didn't let him get very far, completely unaware of the mirrored picture the pair of them were painting as he continued to pace.
"Dad never let anyone in, probably not even Mom! Is that what you want for Finn?"
"No," Jake said, emphatically, raising himself up to a larger height. "Finn knows I'm here for him."
"Just so long as he never talks about anything too serious, right? Who's that remind me of?"
"You're way off, Jermaine. And way outta line. I don't know what the hell that demon's got you believing--"
The teapot broke when Jermaine lunged, the sounds of barking and growling filling the room and carrying out into the hall. It wasn't the first tie they'd fought like this, though it was perhaps one of the worse ones. They weren't on the same page, they were hardly even in the same book. A table breaks next, both dogs barking angrily in each other's faces, each brother trying to pin the other.
Outside, a housekeeper presses an ear to the door and quickly decides to skip to the next room down the hall.
no subject
Jake chuckles, one hand on his hips as he waves after Finn. His third hand, the one still pressed up against Jermaine's mouth, exerts a little more pressure as their kid brother leaves the room. It's only as the door slams shut that Jake relieves the pressure. Coughing, Jermaine wipes a hand over his mouth, glaring at his brother in naked confusion and frustration.
"What the hell are you doing!?"
"Hm?" Jake pointed towards the door, a dumb look on his face. "Finn's gonna go get some ice."
Jermaine growled, stepping closer to him with a finger raised up just under Jake's nose. "Don't handle me right now, bro. I'm not sixteen."
That dumb look recedes into something a little more exhausted, staring evenly at Jermaine from the close proximity he'd placed himself. With a quick little shove, Jake extends the distance between them. There wasn't any hostility in the gesture, but Jake also didn't seem interested in entertaining Jermaine's intimidation check.
"What the hell happened, man?" He asks, lids drawn down in frustration. "I leave you two alone for half an hour and you give Finn a panic attack?"
It wasn't a kind thing to say, and both brothers seem to realize it in the same moment. Jermaine draws back as if stung, Jake's face falling almost immediately.
"That's not--"
"No, you're right." Jermaine says, eyes squeezed shut. "It's not your fault, Jake, it's mine. I can't believe I've let you do this for years."
Jake had been poised to reassure Jermaine, to tell him how he didn't mean what he said. How Finn was a tough kid and sometimes that meant you couldn't get through to him right away, how all this was still kind of new for them, whatever he had to say to smooth over Jermaine's crisis of confidence and get things back on track.
Only then Jermaine said that, and Jake found himself suddenly at a loss for words.
"I can't so much as ask about what happened without Finn completely blowing up! He's locked up tighter than a freakin' safe and you just... enable it!" Jermaine pushed his finger up against Jake's chest; not noticing that Jake was suddenly a few inches shorter than before. "C'mon, bro, ice!?"
"For his knee," Jake offers lamely, shrinking back a bit. Jermaine just laughs, a sharp bark that sounded neither happy nor amused. He breaks the stare between them, pacing around the room.
"I let you do it for years. Trusted in our parents wishes like a good dog, again, while you turned Finn into... into Dad!"
"Hey, Dad was awesome--" Jake begins, in an almost reflexive response, his own hackles rising a little at the direction this conversation was going. Jermaine didn't let him get very far, completely unaware of the mirrored picture the pair of them were painting as he continued to pace.
"Dad never let anyone in, probably not even Mom! Is that what you want for Finn?"
"No," Jake said, emphatically, raising himself up to a larger height. "Finn knows I'm here for him."
"Just so long as he never talks about anything too serious, right? Who's that remind me of?"
"You're way off, Jermaine. And way outta line. I don't know what the hell that demon's got you believing--"
The teapot broke when Jermaine lunged, the sounds of barking and growling filling the room and carrying out into the hall. It wasn't the first tie they'd fought like this, though it was perhaps one of the worse ones. They weren't on the same page, they were hardly even in the same book. A table breaks next, both dogs barking angrily in each other's faces, each brother trying to pin the other.
Outside, a housekeeper presses an ear to the door and quickly decides to skip to the next room down the hall.