Always Your Brother

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Grim Tales. If I did, this would be on the SNAFU website.

Summary: There was no question that Junior envied and despised his younger sister Minnie, but when her life is put in his hand, he shows just what he thinks of her. Oneshot, Pre-Down Below. May turn into a two shot or full story. Squint for JrXMinnie

Regular speak

Thoughts and Emotions talking to person outside mind

Demonic or Animalistic speak

Demonic or Animalistic Thoughts

Mandy sighed as she sat in her chair in front of the fire place. Junior was missing again. He did this a lot these days, usually after Nergal Junior showed up or Minnie had a big show. He would sneak off to some place in the castle where no one could find him. She had Grim confirm that he was still IN Castle Grim, but he couldn't tell where exactly. The young reaper had been all over the castle at one point or another and it made him harder to track to a precise location until his reaper powers fully came in.

Mandy sometimes wished she hadn't accepted Grim's offer of marrying him. Ohh, don't get her wrong! She loved her brats and Grim, even if you'd probably never hear her say it. However...she didn't hold herself as the best of mothers regarding situations like this. Junior had hated Minnie on some level for a few years now. Minnie was the prodigy of the family, the one everyone adored, and Junior knew it. To an nine year old boy, he felt as though he was being pushed aside by everyone in favor of his younger sister. She had no idea how to sooth the boy's mind and heart.

Why was she worried over this at all? Besides the fact that they are her kids, it was reminding her a lot of herself and her childhood enemy Mindy. While she would NEVER insult one of her brood by comparing them to Mindy, the situation was similar. Minnie was popular and got all the attention and almost anything she wanted. Junior was ordinary, in comparison, and had to watch as Minnie got everything while he himself never got praised for much of anything.

She really wanted to kick Nergal Junior's ass for that. Her son adored him and he continuously favored time with Minnie over Junior. Yes, Minnie was his daughter, but Junior was still his godson and surrogate nephew. That still should have counted for something to the idiot. Grim always made time for both Minnie and Junior, so the son of Nergal had no excuse. Mandy...well, like previously stated, she had no idea how to handle this. Her son wasn't born cold and hard as stone like she was, and neither was Minnie, so being harsh and telling him to suck it up didn't seem like the best idea at his current age.

However, what she was truly worried about was how much Junior really was like her. Because if this situation not only seemed like her relationship with Mindy, but played out similarly...than it wouldn't end well for Minnie if Junior was anything like his mother. If someone ever found what was left of Mindy, she would attest to that in detail if she could still speak.

"Any sign of him, Charles?" Mandy asked as she starred at the flames, even turning to her guard captain, Lord Pain.

"Apologies, Mistress, but the young Master continues to be an elusive being when he wants to be undisturbed," Pain said with a sigh. This was a usual thing for him. It was the one task he could never, ever accomplish; finding Junior when he wanted to be alone.

"Call off the search and tell me when he comes out of hiding," Mandy ordered, knowing they'd never find him until his brooding was done.

"Yes, Mistress. Will that be all?" He asked with a salute, getting a dismissive hand wave.

Mandy was very, very aware of the other presence in the room, hiding just outside the door way. Mini-Mandy still had a long way to go before she could out-stealth her mother, "What is it, Minnie?" She asked without the extra edge.

Minnie wasn't surprised at all at being found, "I...I beg pardon, Mother, but I came with the intent to beseech thee for mine brother's location...Is...Art these excursion of solitude truly as frequent as they sound?" She asked with concern in her voice. She had noticed Junior's increasing animosity, but had only recently taken notice of his extended disappearances. However, she usually just passed them off as him being with one of their parents or somewhere else in the castle. She had no idea he was actually hiding.

Mandy kept her tone the same neutral tone she gave most people, trying not to give away that Minnie was the reason he ran off, "Yes, Junior has these moments. I think it's a phase he's going through, going off to deal with something in secret. He'll stop when he's matured some," She explained. Not a bit of that was a lie. She did think it was a phase. He'd be able to hide it away one day and just let his aggression build.

"Oh...forgive the disturbance, Mother of mine, I will retire then," Minnie said, almost absently as her mother nodded. Mandy almost sighed again, knowing that Minnie was putting it together.

Meanwhile

Junior's hiding spot wasn't as hard to find as people might think. There were a few gargoyle statues on the castle. One of them somehow got broken up pretty bad. It's stance was as if it were watching attentively, sitting with its front legs straight. In between its legs and stomach was a big chunk missing from the statue and bottom. No one found it because Junior doubted anyone knew about the damaged statue. It looked perfectly fine honestly, until you climbed out and looked at it from the front. So, Junior just ignored when people came looking for him.

It made a nice place for a child to lay and rest, if they didn't have issues with heights. Junior actually enjoyed it a lot. A cozy spot with a usually gentle breeze and a great view. It was very relaxing for him when he need some place to mellow out and forget about the underworld, and his sister. The only thing that mattered when he was here was him, the view, and whatever he brought with him. Namely, this time, his leftover popcorn from the theater Minnie preformed at. He may not like his sister, but he could not deny that that place made great popcorn. Maybe it was the bicorn blood? 'The sweet taste of a corrupted unicorn's blood!' Junior thought with a grin as he devoured it. He may not be able to feel as much as a skeleton as a fleshy would, but magic taste buds still worked great!

"Brother?" A voice called, making him freeze in horror and sink as far against the hole as he could.

'No, no! Not her!' He thought desperately, not wanting to have this taken by her too, 'You've already taken enough from me!' He thought angrily.

"Brother?" Minnie called again, smelling him nearby. She had been sniffing him out since the talk with her mother. She reasoned that if this did happen frequently, her Nergal nose should be able to find his hiding spot. But the eight year old was having a bit of trouble. The scent got stronger but then started getting weaker, like she was going away from where he had gone. Then she figured it out while looking at the gargoyle. As nimbly as she could, she climbed on the edge and carefully walked along the protruding perch the statue sat on, grasping parts of the gargoyle to keep from falling.

'Dammit...' Junior thought in depression as he heard her shoes brush against the stone, 'Everything just has to go your way...'

"Brother-!" Minnie greeted as she poked her head around to see her sibling's hiding spot, and stopped at the sight of his sour demeanor, glaring at the sky while looking out through the other side of the statue, "Brother? What troubles thee so?" She asked softly, concern bleeding from her voice.

"You just had to find me, didn't you?" Junior asked in a harsh whisper, still not looking at her.

Minnie looked down at that. She had been trying to find a way to get her brother to like her again, but nothing ever worked, "I...I was worried for thou, O brother of mine. I hath heard that the occurrence of these disappearances are quite over-many," Minnie explained softly, "Tis...seems like a quaint place to relax," She added, putting on a small smile as she looked out at the view.

Junior rolled his nonexistence eyes before getting up, "Good, you can have it! Like everything else!" He snapped as he moved to climb back to the walkway.

"Wait, please!" Minnie called pleadingly as she grabbed his arm, almost flinching at the glare he gave her, "B-brother...why doth thou revile me so? What hast I done?" She asked, needing to know what had made him like this.

"What did you do? What did you do!?" Junior yelled as he turned to her fully, yelling in her face, "What you did is take everything from me! Because you were born so damn perfect, everyone loves you and forgets about me! 'Minnie is an amazing actor!' 'You're so lucky to have her as a sister!' Well, I'm sick of it! Even mom prefers you over me!" Junior yelled, several years of jealousy and anger venting as hard as they could.

The first part left Minnie in shock, but the part about their mother snapped her out of it, "Tis not true, Brother! Mother loves you as dear as me, if not more!" Minnie retorted. She knew Mandy loved them both, but...well, a few daughter-to-mother talks with her had showed that she was more worried about Junior than Minnie these days, even if it took a long time for Minnie to read through the lines between her mother's words.

"Yes it is! I see it every time we go to one of your stupid shows! She's so F-ing proud to have a talented brat like you and doesn't have to deal with you messing up all the time like me!" Junior continued. Before Minnie could retort, Junior let out a scream and punched the statue, "Why the heck don't they just make you the next Grim Reaper if you're so special!?"

Minnie's already swollen eyes went wide at that statement, "Brother...pirthee, tarry...I never sought to tallt you!" She protested as tears finally began to fall. Junior just stood there with his back to her, "I know nary what I can do to prove this, Brother...I swear, I shalt never speak of thine hideaway," She said weakly, hoping that would pacify him o.

"Just...just go away, Showoff," Junior said in a tired and defeated tone as he collapsed against the statue.

Minnie fought back a sob at that before getting to her feet to leave. Teary eyes and a broken heart do not make for the steadiest of hands and feet though. Junior's eyes went wide as he heard the blood-curdling scream of his sister. He looked along the ledge of the perch. Minnie wasn't there. He looked down and his boney body went numb. There was Minnie, grabbing onto the perch for dear life, her eyes wide in freight as she tried to catch her feet on part of the perch, to no avail.

Some say when people are about to die, they see their life flash before their eyes. Junior saw what his could be like if he let Minnie fall flash before his eyes. He saw his family grieving, but slowly getting better over time and he could have a Minnie-less life. He'd never have to deal to with everyone fawning over Minnie again, never have to watch as his Uncle played tea time with her. Seeing himself happy with his family and no MiniMandy in his life...the image made what he did next all the easier.

Minnie's tears still fell as she held on. She didn't know how to fly yet, and even if she did, she couldn't summon her Nergal powers yet without relaxing. And a fall like this would leave her horribly injured if not dead, and that was if nothing found her body when she fell. Her brother wouldn't help her...he hated her! 'I'm sorry brother...I never meant to make thee miserable...,' She thought as she felt her hands slipping...

She never fell. She blinked and opened her eyes again. Junior was holding her wrists, pulling her up with difficulty. She numbly helped him pull herself back into the gargoyle, sitting in the gap. The granddaughter of Nergal grasped onto her panting brother desperately, crying into his sweater, "Brother! I beg thee! Dost not hate me! I shall dost anything, but dost not hate me!" She begged, sobbing with her face against his chest.

The son of death sighed for a moment before he did something he never thought he'd do, especially to Minnie. The blonde girl was caught off guard when Junior pulled her into an embrace, panting all the while, "I don't hate you, Minnie, I never did," He assured while stroking her hair comfortingly. Seeing Minnie helpless with her life in his hands made everything else seem unimportant.

"B-brother...I dost not understand...," She said weakly, looking at him in shock.

"That's just it, I'm your big brother. I may not like you all the time, Minnie, but I'll always love you and...I am always your brother," He said softly as Minnie gaped at him, "And...I'm sorry about what I said," He added, shocking her further with a kiss on her forehead, making her blush.

"Brother...Thine words were true, in a sense," Minnie said weakly as he looked confused, "Thou termed me a 'showoff'...Tis true that I sought the attention, but not of the audience nor of our family," She explained softly.

"Minnie, you're not making sense here," He said gently.

"Brother...I only sought to make thee proud of your sister," She clarified to his utmost shock.

"Me? Why me? Why not Mom, or Dad, or even Miss Helga?" He asked, clearly not understanding. Why would she ever want to impress him?

She managed a small smile now with her tears dried up, "Because, Thou art mine brother."

Junior sat there for the longest time, starring at the angel that was his sister, "...I'm an idiot," He said, getting a small giggle out of his sister, "I'm sor-"

"Thou never need to apologize, Dearest Brother. I forgive ye eternally, no matter the offense, " She said, the bliss in her voice back. She had her brother back, and that was worth almost dying.

Junior shook his head in amusement. He had a lot of making up to do, "So...about you almost falling...," He brought up after a moment.

"I owe thee mine life for that," She said with a small blush.

"...I was actually going to ask if we could not mention that to Mom or Dad...ever?" Junior asked sheepishly.

Minnie went wide eyed at that thought. She was sure their parents would have one or both of their hides for that if they learned of it, probably Junior's if they got the full story. She nodded, having no intent of risking what repairs she had just made to her relationship with Junior for anything.

End of Chapter

There you go, one of my only oneshots and another added to the few Grim Tales fics here. I have no idea why I did this one, it just came to me and wouldn't leave me alone. I have plans for how to continue it though.

By the way, if Junior seems overly dramatic about Minnie- he's nine here, eleven in the comic, and jealous in both. Kids can hate each other for the smallest reasons and make each other as miserable as hell. I'm not surprised Junior hated Minnie in GT, but it was 'sibling/kid' hate. Is it Minnie's fault? No, but it's not really Junior's either. Nergal Junior was a bit unfair to Junior. We've all been or known kids like Grim Junior and many of them grew out of it. Like Mandy said- Give them time.

Also, on Minnie's speaking...I have no idea how good that is, but it's the best I could do. Consider this also my practice shot at her character.

This may be a oneshot, but since it may(probably will) continue, I'll leave you with a handful of questions to ponder- Is Junior completely over his jealousy now? Is he going to call in Minnie's 'life debt'? Will the events of Down Below still take place at all? What did you think of this as a oneshot? And how will this continue in chapter two?

Well, that's that. Hope you all enjoyed it. R&R fans!