M'kay. Haven't been writing in a while so keep your shorts on for a bit. I apologize for not being…on for a while, so yeah. I've been reviewing though, so make sure you return the favor. These are awful short, too. Ficlets.

Chapter 1

Brother's Keeper

Manfred Bloor was an only child, and he liked it. He had enough responsibility taking care of his grandfather, father, and the rest of them. He had enough responsibility doing their bidding.

However, he liked the responsibility that was taking care of two exceptionally gifted young men in Bloor's Academy. Their names were Dagbert Endless and Joshua Tilpin. He liked helping them with their homework. He liked teaching them hand-to-hand combat, and occasionally he'd take out his ancient Japanese katana to show them. At first, this was just to humor them because he knew that they had work to do. But after his incident with the Flames, he realized something.

These boys hung out with him not out of pity, not out of fear, and not out of incentive. They hung around because they admired him. As an older brother, kind of. So in a way, Manfred was not an only child anymore. Not that he was a child, anyway.

Of course, there are times where he likes that he's not their real older brother. Like this, for example.

"Manfred?" Joshua had detention for, of course, talking in the hall. The two young men were up in the attic getting rid of some of the family's old magazines. Joshua was over in a corner with Manfred's box.

"Hn?" Manfred busied himself reading a 15-year-old newsmagazine. Joshua was having trouble suppressing giggles as he pulled about 4 men's magazines out of the box. With half-naked ladies on the cover.

"You want these?" Finally the giggling could not be stopped and became Joshua on the floor laughing. Manfred turned around and immediately blushed.

"Um, no. Put those in the bin!" He quickly snatched them from Joshua's hands, which were shaking with laughter. The laughing stopped and the work resumed. But 5 minutes later…

"Manfred?"

"What is it, Joshua?" Manfred said with a sigh.

"Have you ever gotten laid?" Manfred choked and almost fell.

"WHAT THE HELL KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT?" He bellowed.

"That's exactly what I expected. Not once? In your life?" Joshua had a small trace of the giggles in his face again.

What was he supposed to say to this? Should he lie and make himself look cool? Should he tell the truth, which would be the responsible thing? Or what? Stay silent? No, that would just confirm Joshua's very real suspicions that Manfred was indeed a virgin.

"Well?" Joshua's voice snapped Manfred out of his thought process.

"…no. I'm a virgin." He winced horribly as Joshua started laughing again.

"I'll be sure to ask Zelda to give you some next we all go visit her." Manfred smirked.

"Water conducts electricity, you know." Joshua nodded.

"I'll say that you asked. Well, it's about time I left. Toodles!" Joshua hopped out of the attic, leaving Manfred alone.

The young man sighed. It was times like these that he wished he was Joshua's older brother for real. Then he would have the right to beat the living hell out of him.

OK, that didn't come out like it was supposed to…Dagbert was the one in the attic originally, and it came out as humor. Well, the rest of them will be more angsty and dramatic. I'm glad it came out shorter though. 580 words.