sibling rivalry -spenser-

When Axel and his mom had first moved to Ughdarras two years ago, Axel had absolutely hated it. Their apartment was tiny and depressing compared to Aunt Pia's cozy cottage, it was always either overcast or foggy when it wasn't outright raining, and they lived in the shipping district, which was gray and industrial compared to the bright suburbs of Martha's Vineyard.

However, over the past two years Axel had actually come to like it here. He wished his aunt lived closer, but otherwise he had few complaints. The industrial shipping district turned out to be way more interesting to explore than his old boring neighborhood. The canals were cool, and the clio who lived here even more so. Unlike the townies back at MV, who had always turned their noses up at Axel and his mom, the denizens here treated them like real neighbors. There was Mrs. Vo in the apartment above theirs, who was always drunk and telling funny stories, or Davies, his mom's coworker who would sometimes give Axel a cigarette. Overall they fit in much better here than they had on MV.

His mom was working all day today, so there had been no one home in the morning to make him go to school. Instead, he was hanging out at the abandoned shipyard, which apparently hadn't been active in decades. Everything was covered in rust and graffiti. It was a pretty awesome place to hang out. He walked along the concrete walkway, absent-mindedly kicking an empty beer can along.

Spenser and his father were in town today, on a "business trip." While Cillian was taking care of business, Spenser decided to wander off. He knew that his stupid brother Axel lived around here somewhere, and he was actually hoping that maybe he could run into him.

Eventually he found himself in the same abandoned shipyard that his brother was in, though he didn't know that yet. This seemed like his kind of place, graffiti everywhere, large, weathered buildings, stained with rust. He imagined himself being a boy king of wayward youths, getting into trouble, exploring the empty buildings, smoking and beating up anybody who crossed their path, when he finally noticed another boy walking toward him. He grinned mischievously when he recognized his brother from far away. Just what he had been hoping for!

"Axel!" He called, before starting to jog at a slow pace toward him. "Yo, Axel!"

Axel looked up sharply when he heard a familiar voice call out his name. "Spenser?" he asked in utter confusion as his half-brother ran up to him. Spenser didn't even live in Ughdarras, which was yet another reason Axel liked it here. "What are you doing here?"

He looked around nervously. If Spenser was here, then... "Is Dad with you?" he asked. Gods he hoped not. Any time his dad showed up in his life, which wasn't often, he basically just treated Axel like crap.  The last time he'd been around, he had pitted Axel and Spenser against each other and made them fight to "see which one of them was tougher." Axel lost and Spenser got to keep his status as the "worthy" son. Axel wished they would both just stay out of his life for good. They didn't even care about him, so why did they keep showing up?

Spenser punched Axel in the arm, playfully, but too hard. "We're here on a business trip," he told him. "Don't worry, he's not around...yet."

Their father had always favored Spenser over Axel, and it was something that Spenser would always hold over Axel's head. The empty beer can that Axel had been kicking around was still at his feet, and Spenser kicked it away.

"What are you up to, punk?" He asked.

Axel glared at Spenser when he punched his arm too hard to be considered playful. Spenser was such a dick, but Axel was at least relieved to hear that their dad wasn't around. He was less relieved to hear that they were here on a "business trip", though. Axel wasn't stupid, he knew what kind of "business" they ran.

"What do you care?" he asked standofflishly when Spenser asked what he was up to. Nothing that he did was any of Spenser's business, despite Spenser's constant efforts to mess with his life. "Why don't you just go do whatever 'business' you have and leave me the hell alone." He turned around, intending to walk away and ignore anything else his half-brother said to him.

Spenser grinned and followed after his brother, trotting slightly to catch up to him. "Dad's work is boring," he complained, once he was next to Axel. "Takes too long."

He kept the pace up to match Axel's. He could tell his brother didn't want him around, but that only fueled the flame.

"Besides," he added. "It's much more fun playing with you."

Axel shoved his hands in his pockets and glared at Spenser out of the corners of his eyes. "Why can't you just leave me alone?" he demanded. He wished he were stronger, if he could just beat the crap out of Spenser he'd never come bother him again. And then Spenser would know what it was like to be the weak and worthless son.

"You don't even like me, so why don't you just get the hell out of my life?" And their dad, too. Both of them could just leave and go die somewhere and Axel would be happy. His mom, aunt and grandma were his real family. He didn't need a dad or a brother. He didn't want them.

"We're brothers," Spenser replied, all matter-of-factly. "We'll be brothers for the rest of our lives, you're never getting rid of me."

Spenser shoved his own hands into the pockets of his leather jacket, grinning teasingly at his brother. He loved messing with Axel, their whole lives he always bothered him. It was so perfect that he ran into him today.

"What kind of shit you get into around here?" He asked, ignoring the fact that Axel didn't want to talk to him at all.

Axel ignored Spenser and kept walking as if he weren't there. If a reaction was what Spenser wanted, then he wasn't getting one. Sure, they were brothers--half-brothers--but that meant nothing to Axel. He wasn't obligated to talk to Spenser just because they shared the same douchebag father.

He abruptly turned a sharp corner down a walkway that he knew would lead back to the main streets of Ughdarras. Spenser had ruined this spot with his presence, so Axel wasn't gonna stick around. Besides, it might be easier to get rid of him in a more public place where he couldn't try to pull any stupid stunts.

Of course, Spenser followed his half brother. Axel couldn’t get rid of him that easily. He was however, a little disappointed that Axel was heading to a more public area. He wouldn’t be able to mess with him as much as he wanted to.

“Trying to get rid of me?” Spenser asked from behind his brother. “You’ll have to try harder than this!”

The walkway that Axel took was a little narrow. Wide enough for the two boys to walk through comfortably without bumping their shoulders, but too narrow to walk next to each other. Spenser noted how the buildings looked throughout their walk. Rusty and crumbling.

He decided to pick up the pace until he was close enough to annoyingly step on the backs of Axel’s shoes, trying to provoke him.

When Axel finally got fed up enough with Spenser bothering him, he did something impulsive that he knew was a bad idea, but in the moment he no longer cared. He halted abruptly enough that Spenser bumped into him, then drove his arm back and elbowed Spenser as hard as he possibly could in the stomach.

Then he took off running. He didn't know how long it would take Spenser to recover and come after him, but he knew what would happen if he caught him. Luckily he knew these back streets and alleys like the back of his hand, giving him an advantage.

Blue ran beside him in the form of a greyhound. That was stupid, she told him.

I don't care! he said as they turned a sharp corner. He deserved it.

Spenser let out an oof as Axel's elbow met his stomach. He stood there bent over and holding his abdomen for short moment, fuming. He looked up and saw the tail end of Axel as he turned a corner.

"That little shit," he spat. "I'm going to beat his ass!"

Senua shifted her form into a cougar, then the two of them took off running. Spenser's plan was to just have his daemon get Axel's. It would slow the both of them down, and it would give Spenser more time to catch up. He turned the same corner that Axel took. His brother was already a good ways away, but as long as Spenser didn't lose sight of him, he wasn't going to lose him. Spenser picked up the pace, his shoes hitting the pavement hard. He was breathing heavily, but his endurance was built up from vigorous exercises his father trained him through.

Once they were closer to Axel and his daemon, Spenser nodded to Senua, and with a burst of new energy, she ran closer to her clio's brother and his daemon. She opened her jaws wide, and bit down on one of Blue's legs.

Axel risked a look over his shoulder just in time to see a giant freaking cougar lunge at Blue. Shit! He felt a searing pain in his own leg as Senua bit down on his daemon, making her yelp and him stumble. He whipped around and kicked somewhat feebly at Senua. "Get off her!"

He looked up and saw Spenser rapidly closing the distance between them. Shit shit shit--

Blue managed to pull herself together, transforming into a porcupine while still in Senua's mouth. The cougar snarled in pain and released her. Blue backed up to stand with her clio, who was now face-to-face with the brother he'd been trying to escape from, who was presumably even more pissed off due to his daemon getting porcupined in the face.

"I don't wanna fight you," Axel said, fists clenched at his sides. It wasn't just because he'd probably lose. As much as he hated Spenser, he genuinely didn't want to fight with him, even if he thought he could win. He didn't want to fight with anyone.

As Axel's daemon changed her form into a porcupine, the pain in Senua and Spenser's face/mouth was sharp and hot. Senua, still a cougar, rubbed at her face furiously with a giant paw, while Spenser did the same with the back of his hand, then spit.

Axel wrote:"I don't wanna fight you,"

Spenser smirked, "Funny," he replied. "You have an awful way of showing it."

He took a step forward, spitting again. "Should I let you hit me first? Or should I just start wailing on you now?"

Axel stepped back when Spenser stepped forward. "I was just trying to get away from you!" he argued, despite knowing that Spenser didn't care what he had to say at this point (not that he had at any point, ever.) "Why can't you just leave. Me. Alone!" He was honestly more angry than scared, in spite of Spenser's threats.

Spenser smirked while cracking his knuckles and said, "Because big brother, I love to bother you!"

He made a fist out of his small, 12-year-old hand, pulled back and threw a punch right into Axel's gut. When his brother was bent over, holding his stomach in pain, Spenser swung again, aiming for his brother's head this time.

Spenser's plan wasn't to beat the shit out of Axel, but he wanted to get the point across that he was better, and that he'd always be better.