Fic: Brothers - Rimmer/Lister - PG
Stop? Me? Never!
Title: Brothers
Pairing: Rimmer/Lister (implied)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Red Dwarf. Well, I own a copy of Series I, IV, V and VI, but I doubt that counts. And that cost money rather than gave it to me.
Notes: Written as part of the fanfic100 challenge - my table is here.
Brothers. They were brothers. Well, it didn’t matter anyway, did it? Brothers didn’t have to like each other. Peterson had a brother, he’d told Lister, who once stole his credit-card and nearly emptied his account with a night of binge-drinking. Which was fine, because meanwhile, Peterson had accidentally burned his brother’s apartment down, after a tragic accident involving a keg of vodka, two Swedish stewardesses and a packet of self-lighting cigars. Although, he reflected, the problem here was that he didn’t know how he should feel towards Rim… William.
William just stood there looking at him, with that ridiculous haircut, his eyes not wanting to meet - well - Sebastian. The name didn’t feel right, but then, neither did any of this. They’d said that was common, though. It’d probably come back to him in time. Lister hadn’t had any brothers, but Rimmer had. What was William thinking now? What sort of a person did he imagine Sebastian was? Come to that, he didn’t look all that well.
“You alright, man?” he asked, reaching out to touch his brother’s shoulder, but William flinched, and turned away.
“Don’t touch me,” he whispered. “Please, for God’s sake, don’t touch me.”
“Alright, alright,” Sebastian said, leaning in, making sure none of the others overheard their conversation. “What’s the matter?”
William half turned, and suddenly looked him straight in the eyes. “You bastard!” he whispered desperately. “Were you in on this? Did you know?”
Sebastian frowned. Was it the shock of emerging from the game? “Know what? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
William’s face turned white, or whiter anyway, and he sat down slowly. The others were busy discussing possible reasons why they would have wanted to spend years in an AR game, and took no notice of the siblings. “So it was just me then,” he said quietly. “I wonder how I got you to agree to join me. What kind of a sick, depraved person am I?”
He was shaking, his lips were trembling, and Sebastian could see he was about to loose control. “Ease up, ease up! It’s alright!” He didn’t dare lean in any closer, given William’s earlier reaction, but he tried to sound as calm and reassuring as possible. “It was just a game, man, just a game. It doesn’t matter.”
William looked up at him with glossy eyes, his gaze seeming hollow. “A game. Yes. I suppose you’re right.”
They sat there for a while, not exactly touching, composing themselves for whatever would come next.
Later, much later, when they’d gotten out, he asked Rimmer what he had been on about. The hologram just laughed it off, saying he’d been out of his mind, and hadn’t known what he was saying. And of course, that was all it was. Because brothers or not, they still hated each other’s guts, so what did it matter?
It didn’t matter, did it?
Did it?
Title: Brothers
Pairing: Rimmer/Lister (implied)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Red Dwarf. Well, I own a copy of Series I, IV, V and VI, but I doubt that counts. And that cost money rather than gave it to me.
Notes: Written as part of the fanfic100 challenge - my table is here.
Brothers. They were brothers. Well, it didn’t matter anyway, did it? Brothers didn’t have to like each other. Peterson had a brother, he’d told Lister, who once stole his credit-card and nearly emptied his account with a night of binge-drinking. Which was fine, because meanwhile, Peterson had accidentally burned his brother’s apartment down, after a tragic accident involving a keg of vodka, two Swedish stewardesses and a packet of self-lighting cigars. Although, he reflected, the problem here was that he didn’t know how he should feel towards Rim… William.
William just stood there looking at him, with that ridiculous haircut, his eyes not wanting to meet - well - Sebastian. The name didn’t feel right, but then, neither did any of this. They’d said that was common, though. It’d probably come back to him in time. Lister hadn’t had any brothers, but Rimmer had. What was William thinking now? What sort of a person did he imagine Sebastian was? Come to that, he didn’t look all that well.
“You alright, man?” he asked, reaching out to touch his brother’s shoulder, but William flinched, and turned away.
“Don’t touch me,” he whispered. “Please, for God’s sake, don’t touch me.”
“Alright, alright,” Sebastian said, leaning in, making sure none of the others overheard their conversation. “What’s the matter?”
William half turned, and suddenly looked him straight in the eyes. “You bastard!” he whispered desperately. “Were you in on this? Did you know?”
Sebastian frowned. Was it the shock of emerging from the game? “Know what? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
William’s face turned white, or whiter anyway, and he sat down slowly. The others were busy discussing possible reasons why they would have wanted to spend years in an AR game, and took no notice of the siblings. “So it was just me then,” he said quietly. “I wonder how I got you to agree to join me. What kind of a sick, depraved person am I?”
He was shaking, his lips were trembling, and Sebastian could see he was about to loose control. “Ease up, ease up! It’s alright!” He didn’t dare lean in any closer, given William’s earlier reaction, but he tried to sound as calm and reassuring as possible. “It was just a game, man, just a game. It doesn’t matter.”
William looked up at him with glossy eyes, his gaze seeming hollow. “A game. Yes. I suppose you’re right.”
They sat there for a while, not exactly touching, composing themselves for whatever would come next.
Later, much later, when they’d gotten out, he asked Rimmer what he had been on about. The hologram just laughed it off, saying he’d been out of his mind, and hadn’t known what he was saying. And of course, that was all it was. Because brothers or not, they still hated each other’s guts, so what did it matter?
It didn’t matter, did it?
Did it?