(1938-01-12) To Know My Brother
Details for To Know My Brother
Summary: Victor tries to pound his brotherly love into Lucian's head…literally.
Date: January 12, 1938
Location: Courtyard
Related:
Characters
LucianVictor

A light sprinkling of snow flurries around the open entry courtyard of Hogwarts. Flakes land unnoticed in the hair and on the robes of the sole occupant. Lucian sits back on one of the stone benches, tearing off small pieces of bread and tossing them into the air for his pet raven, Odin, to launch after and catch. For once, Lucian looks satisfied, and there is even a light smile on his lips as he watches the bird's antics.

Another has made his way outside to look at the magic that is just in the world. He comes out into the courtyard and looks about for a bit before he leans in the doorway to watch his brother. His lips purse a little and be begins to speak before he just decides to let his brother have the moment he is having.

"This one's going long, Odin. Don't look at me like that, you lazy bum." Lucian smirks, and flings the rolled up bit of bread across the courtyard. The raven flaps after it, cawing indignance. Lucian laughs softly, holding out his arm for the bird to soar back to. Odin gives his wrist an irritated peck, but it just earn another chuckle and a pet of his wings from the boy.

Victor watches still, quiet as his eyes follow the raven out and back. The smile that comes over his face is one of happiness at actually seeing his brother smile as well. He's still quiet for now, watching in silence and enjoying the moment with his brother.

Lucian doesn't notice Victor, so much as he gets that sensation one gets of being watched. Maybe he's just responding to Odin, who perhaps spotted the other Proudmore more. But finally Lucian glances around, and catches sight of Victor. The smile fades, and he sighs visibly, white mist forming where his breath touches the chill air. "What." It isn't go much a question, as a demand for explanation.

Victor shrugs, "I didn't want to interrupt you with Odin." He smiles a bit still, "And you were smiling. I don't get to share that with you very much." As he pushes his hands into his robes and walks out. "Sorry if I interrupted."

"Maybe because I don't want to share it with you," Lucian grumbles. "What do you want, Victor? Come to give me hell for not coming 'home' over the holiday?"

Victor looks to his brother and shakes his head to him. "No. I didn't come to find you for that. I did, however, want to give you your present." As he steps out and holds a small ornate box out to his brother. "Happy Christmas, Lucian."

Lucian glowers at Victor. That's an appropriate response to a gift, right? "I told you I don't want your charity, Victor. I'm not your pity case." He flings another chunk of bread, but the smile is gone, replaced but an angry scowl.

Victor looks to Lucian and shakes his head as he still holds the box out, "Dammit, Lucian. Take the present!" As he thrusts it into the air between them. "It's not charity. It's a Christmas present for my brother. So shut up and take it." Yeah. That is the way to endear yourself.

Barely looking at the box or Victor, Lucian snatches it and sets it on the bench beside him. He flips over the lid and stares down at the contents: a wide, silver- and gold-plated men's bracelet. "Jewelry. You got me jewelry. Wow, Vic. This is just swell." He lifts his scowl to Victor's eyes and it turns to an outright glare. "You are so bloody clueless it's a miracle you can tie your own shoes. Or did Father send a servant to handle that for you? Take it back. I'm not going to parade around wearing that gaudy thing."

Victor looks down at the box and sighs a little bit and shakes his head, "No. I picked it out myself. I kinda thought the symbolism of it would be nice." He shakes his head and just turns away, "Just… Give it to someone else. I don't want to see it ever again." And Vic looks the most hurt by anything he's ever been hurt by as he begins to walk back into Hogwarts.

Lucian rolls his eyes. "Symbolism? A nice golden chain for the Proudmores' favorite slave to wear? Brilliant, Vic. Top choice, there." He sneers. This is cruel even for Lucian.

Victor stops, "It's gold on the edges and silver in the middle. A little bit of a Gryffindor with his Slytherin brother." He says to the ground and chokes a bit on the words. Softly, "You know I don't think of you that way at all." He takes in a deep breath and blows it out, "I don't understand you, Lucian. I never have. I try… tried so many times and you always just push it away. Why is it so hard to believe that someone in the family cares?"

Lucian refuses to look at Victor now, just staring angrily out at where Odin is nibbling on bread. "You try shoveling shit and living in the servants' quarters instead of your posh bedroom for sixteen years, then ask me that question."

Victor reels around on his brother and looks at him, "Did I put you there? Did I? Have I ever done a single thing to make you below me? No. Never. For most of my life I have tried to find ways to make your life better and what thanks do I get? None. Do I ever get to talk to you without a scowl? Without some kind of despise for me? Do I EVER get my brother any more than the bitter old man I already see before me? No. Try being the one on the other side who wants to help and is totally thrown away. Try that some time you asshole." All the while as all of his feelings come out, he gets closer. At the last of it all he's right in his brother's face. "Or is it too easy to push everyone away than to know someone cares??"

Lucian rises to meet Victor's approach head-on, and there is that trademark scowl. "Fruit baskets and hand-me-down mattresses! I'm supposed to be grateful for that? I get some nummies and your castoffs?" His voice rises with a sudden burst of rage — there's that Proudmore blood. "I HATED always being second to you!"

Victor is just as raging as his brother. "I DIDN'T DO IT TO YOU!" And his fists are balled up and he finally can't take it anymore as he throws a punch at his brother's nose.

Lucian is tensed, every instinct of that predator within ready for a fight. So when the punch comes, he simply reacts without thought, proving he can fight with or without a wand. He ducks right under Victor's swing, and takes that moment of imbalance to throw himself into Victor to tackle him hard to the ground.

Victor goes down with a hand OOMF as he hits the ground under his brother. It knocks the breath out of him for a good bit but he keeps punching with his fists to try and get some kind of purchase on his brother, get all that hurt out and into Lucian somehow.

Lucian fends off his brother's attacks with little difficulty. Years working in a stable and suffering the abuses of those looking down on him have given Lucian an edge in personal combat. He delivers a solid punch to Victor's cheek, hoping to stun him enough to end the fight and take his victory. "Just STOP, you idiot!" he roars.

Victor takes the punch and his eye water up totally with the pain of it. He just keeps flailing on his brother, getting all that anger out. His gaze is red with rage and he's not stopping just yet as that pain eggs him on. He just wants to land one good punch, dammit.

Lucian bats away the continued onslaught, growling in frustration as much as anger. But after several attempts, he manages to get a grip on Victor's wrists, and throws his weight in to pin them to the snow-covered ground. "I said STOP! Bloody HELL!"

Victor is pinned down for sure. His brother is more fit and able for something like this and Victor fights against it for a bit before he realizes he's beat. His face is a total wash of hurt and his cheeks are red from the cold and the exertion. He stares at his brother and lays there.

Lucian breathes heavily, glaring at Victor, still holding him down lest his half-brother go wild on him again. "Hades, Victor!" He growls through clenched teeth. "I could have hurt you! What were you thinking?!"

Victor looks to Lucian and just shakes his head. He looks to Lucian and begins to speak but turns his head to look away, "You wouldn't understand. Never listen to me. You just chalk me off as an idiot."

"You are an idiot for trying to fight me." Finally, Lucian gets up, giving Victor a warning look as he climbs off of him. But once he's risen, he offers a hand to Victor to help him up.

Victor looks to that hand and then up to his brother. The side of his cheek is reddening and swelling a little from the punch. He reaches up to take that hand and allow Lucian to help him to his feet.

Lucian sighs in exasperation. "You want to hit me? Make it even? Just do it. Get it over with." He spreads his hands, leaving himself wide open.

Victor stands there for a little bit and then just shakes his head. "I don't really want to hit you… I just…" He pauses for a bit and shakes his head, "I just wish you would listen. Hear me. Believe me. I feel like talking to you is like talking to a brick wall and if I could punch you… Well, that you might respect me more." He rolls his own eyes at how stupid that sounds coming from his mouth. "Just… Nevermind. I'm sorry I didn't get you a good present. I'm sorry I am a horrible brother. I am just… I'm just damn sorry."

Lucian drops his arms to his sides. "Don't you get it? I don't even know you, Victor. We're half-brothers, and worlds apart. You've spent all this time at Hogwarts showing off and trying to compete with me. But suddenly you want me to just open my arms and soak up the brotherly love. That's not who we are."

Victor looks to Lucian, "I have to, Lucian. I have to show you I am good enough." He blurts it out rather quickly and then regrets it immediately. he shakes his head and then turns away again, "Doesn't matter." he then turns back and speaks, "We are only worlds apart because you put the world in front of us. Maybe I show off to try and get you to just notice me? Could that be it? All I have in that house is… What you don't have. You are out there in the world. Free. Doing whatever you care to do. The animals and all." He sighs, "I can't do anything like that because Father is always there and on my case about doing well in school and making a fine example of myself. Look. I figured this year… For Christmas, I'd really give it a shot to know my brother. Sorry if it wasn't the right present for you. Just trying to give you someone you can depend on."

"I put the world in front of us?" Lucian scoffs indignantly. "It's Father that put me where I am. I never had a choice, Victor. I prefer the beasts because they don't judge me. But even if I had wanted to work in the stable, I was never given the bloody choice. It was forced on me, because I'm the dirty little secret everyone knows about. Don't act like it's some glamorous life of adventure."

"FATHER put it on you." Victor repeats the words, "Not me, Lucian. Maybe the brother you have wants to know the brother he has. No bloody half or any of that shite. Brother."

"Don't," Lucian warns. "You don't get to force your way into my life just because we share the same sire. Blood is meaningless. It's just gilded shit."

Victor looks to Lucian, "Sick and tired of being blamed for something I did not do. You can push me away Lucian. Do it all the rest of your life." He gets up in the boy's face, "I didn't choose you as my family… But you are. Some day you will need me and I may not be there for you. I put out my hand as a brother and you can't seem to understand why I would. Maybe some day you will." His words are calm and soft as he speaks, "I'm not forcing, Lucian. I am offering a laurel wreath." As his hand goes out, "One last try, Lucian…"

Lucian eyes the hand warily. "Why. Why do you want it so badly? And don't say because we're brothers. That's nothing but chance of birth. If I'm so awful to you, why should you even care?"

"That's just it. You aren't awful to me and I want you to see that." Vic speaks genuinely. "To me, you are my brother and I would really like to know you more. Because… maybe if I can break that wall that Father has put between us… Maybe… I can get him to see you as family."

Lucian shakes his head, setting his jaw. "I want nothing from him. He can rot in Hell for all I care."

"Then what about me?" Victor says, his hand still out there.

Lucian is torn, and it shows. He looks at Victor and sees all of the things he loathes: Proudmore, Gryffindor, rich boy. But for a moment he can't help but notice the resemblance in their features; those lion-like qualities they both inherited from their father. Would Lucian have been any different if he had be raised in the house with the silver spoons? "Just…stop trying so hard," he says quietly. "We'll see."

"Shake my hand, Lucian." Vic says, hand still out, "Show me you have something in there other than contempt. I'm not trying hard. I am just doing what I know. The bracelet… It's Gryffindor gold and Slytherin silver. There's more silver than gold in it. It means to be proud of who you are but don't forget who is behind you and cheering for you." He speaks with a bit of conviction, "Even if you don't know they are standing behind you."

Lucian grumbles. "Stop pushing. I helped you up. What more do you want?" He lifts his arm, whistling at Odin, who flaps up to land and climb up to Lucian's shoulder. "I said we'll see." Shoving his hands into his pockets, Lucian marches toward the front doors of the castle.

Victor watches Lucian move away from him and he chuckles lightly to himself. After a bit he whispers a little to himself, "Finally."

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