[PRP] Someone To Count On (BC & FP) [Loyalty] [Finished]

[Hopelessly Pretty]

Today was another beautiful and sunny day, which Fruit Punch was incredibly thankful for. He had decided to give himself today off from work (because working nearly every night, no matter how much fun it is, gets exhausting) and was going to spend his time relaxing at his own place on the couch in front of the tv. His plans were going a little differently however, when he had spontaneously decided to invite his little sister Banana Creme over to hangout. The filly was just as mature as any adult phony he knew, but sometimes he thought she got a little lonely, and today he wanted to remedy that.

He stepped inside his house after his walk to collect Banana Creme from their Mama Lemon's place, holding the door open for his sister to come in behind him. Only after she had entered did he shut and lock it behind them both, then walked into the kitchen. "Yo Creme, do you want anything to drink or some snacks? You can help yourself to anything I've got." Without even thinking about it he offered her food and beverages, just a habit from working in the bar industry.  

[shortcutt]

It was one of the few things that gave her the sense of joy-- Being around her brother, that is. Creme had followed her brother back to his place, feeling so utterly small and feeble next to her tall sibling, though she said nothing about the way it made her feel. She knew better than to dwell on the thought, but... There she was, realizing as she stepped into her brother's home that she was much, much less accomplished than Fruit Punch. She was just as old as him, and yet, here he was with his own place, a successful business, a ton of friends, and... Well. She gave a pointed glance toward her brother's cutie mark, her expression falling as she felt the burning sensation of bareness on her own hind flank.

She had watched FP move into the kitchen, and she hadn't moved from her stilled spot in the living room where she had been staring so lost at where her brother had been. He had so many other things to be doing right now than to be hanging out with his "little" sister. He probably turned down a date on his day off just to hang out with her, and the thought made her stomach churn with the idea that Fruit Punch could have felt... Obligated to spend time with his lesser sister. Had their mother put him up to this? He probably would have forgotten Creme altogether if Lemon Lime hadn't given him a call or something...

BC missed her brother's question altogether, still glued to her position in the living room, her ears twisting back with her inner turmoil. When she did speak, her voice was tinged with a hurt that she didn't quite feel like hiding. "...What? Sorry... I wasn't listening."  

[Hopelessly Pretty]

At first, FP mistook his sister's silence as consideration of what she might possibly want. He realized it had been a little while since the last time she'd come over, so honestly she would have no idea what was in his pantry or refrigerator. He quickly spoke up while he got himself a glass of water, throat a little dry from spending time outside. "Oh, my bad. I didn't even say what I have. There's orange and apple juice, then I've got some sodas. For snacks I have cookies, pretzels, and pretty much every other junk food that you can imagine." He thought that description was suitable enough, but as he took a slow drink from his glass he realized that Banana Creme was nowhere near the kitchen, and was still in the living room after all. He started to walk toward her to make sure everything was okay, and that's when the earth phony had said she wasn't listening.

Like any good big brother, he recognized the hurt in his sister's voice and immediately wanted to know what was the source so he could obliterate it. Nothing and nobody hurt his sisters. He was fiercely protective of them, and was known to throw death glares at or even make pretty nasty drinks for any guys who came into Cloud Nine and hit on Pink Lemonade (save for Midnight Snack, because he already had the approval stamp to date her). "You've got something else on your mind other than sugary stuff, huh? C'mere, Creme. You know I'll listen to anything you've got to say." He beckoned her to follow him over to the couch, where he sat down and waited for her to join him.  

[shortcutt]

Banana Creme watched her brother cross to the couch, and a swell of emotions she hadn't known she was harbouring rose to her throat, threatening to choke her to death. Even though her brother had called her over, she stood still, her small stature quivering every so often when her body would tense to the point of cracking. "... Don't you have something better to do..? I... I don't need to be babysat, you know. I'm just as old as you, Fruit Punch..."

That was when her locked muscles finally allowed her to move, but she did not react in the way that she was aiming for. Instead of appearing calm and level-headed, her shoulders slumped and she moved over to stand in front of her brother, her eyes narrowing with hurt. "I know this can't be your first choice, FP. Hanging out with me, of all people? I know you'd rather be off with someone with the same status as you..." She paused, her heart clenching in her chest before her voice raised, her tone peaking with bitterness as she let her feelings get the best of her. "Did Mom put you up to this? What did she tell you? That little Banana Creme's been locking herself in her room all day? ...S-So what if I am? Just because I'm miserable, doesn't mean everyone else has to deal with it too. I know you guys would rather be doing something else than watching over me-- So let me just tell you something! I don't need any watching over! I know you're just going to keep moving forward and enjoying yourself so I don't want to get in the way of that-- So just... Just don't... Bother trying to... To..."

It was more than she'd spoken in one go in months. And she was hiccuping with tears by the end of it. Great. Way to go, Banana Creme, making yourself look like even more of a baby in front of your brother. This is exactly what you wanted.  

[Hopelessly Pretty]

Woah, woah, woah. Whaaat? The older of the two siblings openly looked shocked when Banana Creme began to admit some of her true feelings. Not only had he not expected this, but he really just couldn't believe it. How could she think that he wouldn't want to spend time with her? It made his heart clutch painfully in his chest to know that a phony so special to him thought he was just obligated to spend time with her. "Banana Creme, listen to me. Nobody asked me to hangout with you today. I came to Mama Lemon's house because I genuinely wanted to see you. You're my sister, so of course I want to be around you. You're just as much fun to be around as all my other friends, I promise. Sure, there are some things we still can't do together yet but that doesn't mean anything to me at all."

He moved from the couch to join Banana Creme on the floor, putting a foreleg around his sibling to comfort her. "You don't have to worry about growing up, or the things that you're still unable to do just yet. Wanna know why? Because I'm your brother and no matter what, I love you. I will always want to see you and spend time with you, because you're my sister and that's all that it takes to make me want to be around you. So don't cry, Creme. You came to have a good time with me, right? Let's hop to it, then." He smiled down at her, really hoping that he could cheer up his little sister.  

[shortcutt]

"Wh...What..?" Was he being serious? Banana Creme's eyes widened with amazement at her brother's words, her chest warming with the love and gentleness that radiated from Fruit Punch. This was the truth-- He loved her wholly and truly, and blood, as it turned out, was thicker than water. What she couldn't do just yet didn't matter to him. FP was still her brother and still genuinely wanted to be around her, because despite her temporary shortcomings, he was going to love her forever. "A...Ah..." Leaning into her sibling's chest, she buried her face against his shoulder and sighed, feeling a large weight being lifted from her shoulders.

"I-I'm sorry, FP..! I love you too. I just... Didn't want to be a burden...!" Stepping back a bit, she raised her leg to wipe her tears away with her forelock, a bit of a determined look on her face when she looked back up at her brother. "I shouldn't have thought anything like that... You're my brother, and I'm your sister, and... We're together no matter what, right? No matter what."  

[Hopelessly Pretty]

"That's right, Creme. We're in this one together, through the good and the bad. I'll always be here for you." He leaned down to affectionately nuzzle her ear, glad that he had helped to improve her spirits. It had broken his heart to see his little sister so sad, but he had thankfully made her feel like she wasn't all alone in the world. He could understand that she'd be upset after not having found her life's purpose after all this time, but he'd make sure to take that off her mind. Feeling his own mood lifted as well, he decided to spend the rest of their day together doing whatever Banana Creme wanted, so that she could smile and laugh as much as possible. It was going to be a very, very good day for the two of them.