That was uncalled for (Bella, Sherlock)

[sherlock-spice.livejournal.com]

"Bella, will you just...stop dancing around my living room and repeat that!?" Sherlock was standing in the middle of the room while his sixteen-year-old sister danced in circles around him. The thing about Bella was that she had no rhythm, but she thought she was the best dancer on the planet, so her jerky, celebratory movements just made her look like she had a hot coal down her shirt and it was burning her skin, and she was pleased about it for some reason. "Bella!"

"I said I have a boyfriend!" Bella repeated, continuing her dancing around Sherlock.

"Like hell you do!" Sherlock reached out and he took gentle hold of Bella because she honestly looked like if she kept celebrating, she was going to brake something, most likely herself. "Now," he said, when she had stilled, though she was still grinning at him radiantly, "who is this 'boy' then?"

"My boyfriend's name is Chad and he LOVES me and we have a date this weekend and I am so excited eeeiiiiii!"

Sherlock closed his eyes as she squealed in his face and then he crossed his arms. "Bella, you can't go on a date with some...jerkoff."

Bella's grin faded and was instantly replaced by her battle-face. "He is not a jerkoff, you're a...jerkoff!"

"Bells-"

"And I am going out with him and you can't stop me!"

Sherlock felt torn in two directions. Bella was sixteen. If Gina had dated at sixteen, he wouldn't have minded, but Gina's sixteen was much different than Bella's sixteen. Bella was niaeve and though she was sweet, he was terrified she would be a push over and then one Stanford child who hadn't suffered assault would fall victim to it. He wanted to stop her, but he couldn't stop her forever. And if he tried, she would leave. Bella didn't always make the right choices, but she was nothing if not pushy. "Look, I don't know this guy-"

"So?! He's not dating you! I know him and I'm going!"

"Bells, I'm just a little worried-"

Bella stamped her feet and Sherlock took a deep breath to calm herself. Teenagers were so hard. "It's not my fault bad shit happened to you so you're too afraid to date anyone! Bad shit didn't happen to me and I'm in love and you don't even care about me it's always about you and I HATE you!" Bella flounced away from him, no doubt to cry into her pink pillow about how unfair the world was just because her brother cared about her.

Sherlock waited until he heard her drop her things on her floor in anger and then he leaned against the wall and he closed his eyes. It was never pleasant to remember the terrible things you had been through, but to have them thrown in your face by someone you love, hurt even more. And maybe Bella was partly right, if you waded through all the teenage tantrum. Maybe he was too afraid to date because of the things that had happened to him. Maybe he told himself he didn't have time because it was easier than dealing.

Sherlock sighed and when he opened his eyes again, he rubbed his temples before going off in search of a cigarette so he could smoke away his troubles.