Almost, Fanfiction

Rob and Eric p1

Everyone seemed to have their whole lives together, or at least that's what Rob thought when he saw the world. Everyone seemed to be falling in love, or getting married, or making big decisions, and here he was: doing odd jobs to make ends meet, taking care of a brother he never even wanted... Why couldn't he have his shit together?

For as long as he could remember, Rob had been looking after his younger brother, Steve. Steve had taken their mothers death ... differently than Rob had, and, to be fair, they were young when it happened. She passed suddenly, and, as the only remaining adult around, Rob took over parenting his brother. Steve started acting strangely after his mom passed, saying weird things like that he "Couldn't feel pain," and that things "Don't hurt anymore."

Rob initially called his brother out for saying these odd things, but after some tests, he realized Steve's mind truly made it so he couldn't process the feeling of pain. That put a ton of extra weight on Rob's shoulders, having to teach his brother things that any person knows from birth, just so he didn't accidentally kill himself while taking a walk or something. So he read up on other cases of the same kind and began teaching Steve what hurts and what doesn't hurt, what to be afraid of and what not to be afraid of, et cetera.

Unfortunately, the money from their mothers will ran out quickly, so Rob moved them to a boarding home called "Ma Dudley's," a place where "people could get their feet back on the ground." In Rob's opinion, the brother duo had been trying to get their feet back on the ground their whole lives. Steve's illness took over Robs life and he could never keep a steady job without worrying for his brother. He stuck to plowing snow, and doing odd jobs when there wasn't any snow to plow. He made decent enough money, just the right amount to provide basic needs and the occasional night out. 

Recently, Steve had begun gushing to Rob about a girl he'd met: Marvalyn. First off, what kind of a name is Marvalyn? It's like her parents couldn't decide between Mary and Caroline and so they met in the middle. Secondly, how could Steve, this kid barely wise enough to tell his hands from his feet begin to fall for someone before Rob had even had his first kiss? It wasn't fair. It didn't make sense. Rob did so much for Steve, how could Steve just up and start something beautiful with someone new? 

"Fuck it," Rob said to himself. "Moose Paddy it is." 

The Moose Paddy was the towns most popular bar and restaurant, always full of drunkards and lonely faces. Rob had set aside some cash for a night at the bar, but he'd spent it already. However, this was a special occasion: a really fucking bad day. So he pulled on his coat and boots that were a size too small and trekked downtown.