"Why me?"
It was a phrase that Ray seemed to use a lot in his life. Ever since he was little (and even as he got older he pretty much REMAINED little) bad things just always seemed to happen to him. He didn't grow much, he was terrible at sports, he was shy and awkward around people his own age, and nothing he ever tried seemed to improve his life. He had taken to keeping to himself, head almost always hanging, staring at the ground, only able to see the feet of people as they walked around him. On particularly dark days he sometimes imagined that it would be better if ended up UNDER someone's foot. Maybe that's where he actually belonged. But those days were few and far between. Usually Ray would just be frustrated and annoyed. It seemed that life had picked out a particularly depressing destiny for him...especially when considered next to his little brother.
Mike was Ray's opposite in almost every way. Cheerful and loud where Ray was quiet and withdrawn, tall and strong (for his age) while Ray was short and weak (also for his age), talented at every sport he tried while Ray habitually failed, able to eat like an elephant and only put on the right kind of weight, his metabolism burning away any excess fat, while Ray couldn't gain a pound of anything, muscle, fat, or otherwise. It was like Mike was a sponge, sucking away anything and everything that Ray might have otherwise had, leaving him with only the negative aspects. This was completely ridiculous of course but Ray couldn't help but feel that way sometimes. It didn't help that Mike liked to wake Ray up by pouncing on him, pinning him down to the bed with an infectious grin on his face, eager to start the day. Living in a small family, with parents that were almost always working, made for small living arrangements. Ray and Mike had shared a room as long as Mike had been alive. Ray knew the only way he was going to get his own room was when he moved out for college in a few years. This idea was one of the few things that could bring Mike down, but Ray couldn't wait. He loved his little brother more than anyone but he couldn't help but feel a bit resentful towards him, a feeling that he hoped would disappear once they spent some time apart.
For now though, they were stuck together. The morning sun rose bright and rosy as Ray snored lightly in his bed, his thin body covered by a large comforter. He always seemed to get cold at night, even when the weather was extremely warm. His peaceful dreams were interrupted as a large, heavy weight slammed down on top of him. His eyes flew open, immediately seeing the grinning face of his younger brother staring down at him. "Wake up Ray! It's Saturday!"
Ray groaned and tried to push Mike off, his arms unable to move under the comforter. Mike had him easily pinned down, his strong arms making sure to keep Ray's at his side. "I know Mikey...that's why I'm trying to sleep in."
"Sleep in?! Are you crazy?! Today's the start of spring break, remember? We have the whole week to ourselves, just us! No friends, no mom and dad, no one else!" Mike practically shouted, jumping up, his knees still clamped around Ray's waist. Now that he was sitting up, Ray was able to sit up himself, stretching slightly, letting out a loud yawn. He had completely forgotten. Their parents had decided to take a vacation, a kind of second honey moon, during this year's spring break. They had left early yesterday morning, right after seeing the kids off to school for their last day. It wouldn't be so bad, being alone with Mike for the whole week but taking care of him was going to be a handful. Just another thing to add on top of the already heavy burden of Ray's daily routine.
Mike jumped up off the bed and landed on the ground, sticking his bare feet out, his toes clenching and relaxing slightly, an expectant look on his face. Ray groaned and said, "Not today Mikey, it's the weekend..."
"Come ooooooon, you promised you'd do this with me at least once a week!" Mike said, pouting a little. "I wanna see if I'm growing!"
"You're only ten years old." Ray said, flipping his covers aside, his own bare feet hitting the floor, just barely. "Of course you're growing. You're probably going to keep growing until you're in your twenties. That's how things work."
Mike giggled and said, "Yeah, but you said it yourself before, I'm growing really fast for my age! It's so cool! I'm almost as tall as you now!"
Ray winced as he heard this proclamation. While true, it still stung....the fact that he wasn't getting any taller while his younger brother sprouted up like a weed. No doubt he would be left behind by the time Mike hit puberty and then the problem would only get worse! Ray got up and started walking to the door. He made it about halfway before he felt a strong hand grab the back of his shirt. "Nuh-uh! You're not getting out of it THIS time!" Mike said, his other hand grabbing Ray's butt, lifting the older male clear off the ground!
"M-Mikey! Put me down! I mean it!" Ray sputtered, struggling.
Mike set Ray firmly down on the ground and spread his legs for him, making sure they were just the right mount apart before taking up his own position in the same manner. He grinned and said, "Okay, let's measure!"
Ray thought about protesting, about getting up and leaving again, but it was useless. When Mike wanted something done, he did whatever it took to get it done. It would be over faster if he just went along with it. He watched in slight trepidation as Mike slowly, almost theatrically, extended his legs, bringing their feet closer together. He licked his lips, eyes wide, his soft soles pressing up against Ray's more narrow ones. "Woooooah~! Look, look! They're almost as big as yours little guy! I really am growing!"
He immediately leaped to his feet, jumping up and down and cheering, the white shirt he wore to bed rising up slightly with every jump, giving Ray a jealous glimpse at the developing abs hidden there. Just looking at Mike you could tell he was freakishly strong for his age, his arms containing more than just a hint of biceps while his shirts were always stretched slightly over his chest. Mike had at least some idea of the stir his body caused, the admiring glances it brought around, as he always wore shirts that were JUST a bit too small and tried to dress in shorts as much as possible, his strong legs jutting powerfully out from them. Ray got slowly to his own feet, clapping Mike on the shoulder before saying, "Just get dressed and come down to breakfast, okay?"
"Okay." He said sweetly, settling down a little, his little chest heaving proudly. "You said guys with big feet tend to get really tall right little bro?"
"Don't call me that. But yes, that's usually the case." Ray said, rubbing the back of his head as he made his way to the bedroom door.
"Then I'm gonna be a GIANT!" Mike said proudly, stomping his feet a little, making the room quiver. Ray sighed as he heard this proclamation. It was true, Mike had rather large feet for his age. Finding shoes was always a problem, prompting him to mostly wear sandals fore ease, though his toes always seemed to hang over the edge of them. If he kept up at the pace he was growing, he could very well crest a full seven feet tall, if not more! Ray quickly left the room, heading for the basement.
"I'm not going to be left behind." He thought to himself firmly, opening the door and practically running down the stairs. Whereas Mike had an affinity for sports, Ray had an affinity for academics. He had been working feverishly on a secret project for years now, combining gene study with human development study and even dabbling in more obscure sciences that weren't exactly widely practiced in the general community. He did this all for the sake of stimulating his own development, to give himself at least SOMETHING in the way of a normal body and normal strength, so that he wouldn't have to constantly be at the mercy of the world, especially his younger brother. Finally, the project as in its final stages. With a few more tweaks, he'd be able to test it out. He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he finished, looking with pride at his creation.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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