Not Fine (OHSHC - Twins)

[Not_Telling]

I'm baaaack!!! And I bring you another oneshot!

Less humor in this one, more deep feels-y stuff Here ya go! Also tell me what you think~

***

From the moment he woke up that morning, Hikaru knew something was wrong.

Maybe it was the soft snoring coming from the other side of the bed. Or perhaps it was the untouched food on the plate next to his. It could have been the abnormal lack of conversation, or the occasional sound of a muffled cough, suppressed sniffle, harsh swallow, perhaps.

Or maybe...maybe it was the twitching of the nose. Then the hurried duck of the head into the shoulder, followed by a brief spasm of some sort, and after the final release of tension, a soft, short sigh. That’s what bothered Hikaru the most. If it was anyone else, it probably wouldn’t matter. He probably wouldn’t care. But this was different, for the source of this atypical activity was none other than his own brother, Kaoru. Kaoru Hitachiin.

Sure, Hikaru could be oblivious. But he wasn’t like, Tamaki-grade oblivious, especially when it came to Kaoru. Something was up, and he had a pretty good idea of what that something was.

They sat side-by-side on the sofa in the abandoned Music Room. The other hosts were immersed in preparing for the afternoon’s club activities. There was still an hour before the club opened, so the twins had some time to talk, practice their brotherly love act, tease Kyoya perhaps. But today...they did nothing more than sit.

A quiet, liquid sniffle beside him, Hikaru turned to face his brother. Kaoru stared straight ahead, his eyes tired and glassed over. His face was pale as a sheet. He looked so miserable; it pained Hikaru to see him that way. The older twin decided to go ahead and ask.

“Kaoru…”

The younger twin didn’t respond, but merely ducked his head into his shoulder like he’d been doing all day. His body began convulsing in repetitive spasms. It seemed he was in a fit of some sort. Hikaru was only sure of it when a small noise leaked out.

“Ktch!”

Then another. “Ktchi!”

Hikaru placed a hand on Kaoru’s back and rubbed in deep circles.

“H’ktchi! H’ktchi!...Ktch! Hiktchu! Hiktch! Ktchu!....Ktchu!”

They were barely audible, so much that Hikaru wouldn’t have heard them if he hadn’t been sitting that close. Finally, Kaoru took a shaky breath and looked at Hikaru through watery eyes as the older twin gave him a sympathetic grimace.

“Bless you.”

Kaoru hesitated. “S-Sorry-” He rushed a hand up to his mouth to cover a sudden flurry of crackling coughs. Hikaru resumed rubbing his back, disappointed that he couldn’t do more to help. When the fit subsided, Kaoru closed his eyes, giving a small groan of discomfort.

“Jeez, Kaoru.”

Kaoru glanced over his shoulder at his brother.

“I was gonna ask if you were feeling okay, but I guess I don’t have to.” Hikaru sighed. “You’re really sick, aren’t you?”

“What…” Kaoru cleared his throat. “What are you talking about?”

“Aw, come on, Kaoru. It’s pretty obvious.”

“I feel fine. No, I feel great.”

The younger twin stood up quickly, perhaps too quickly, for he had to hurriedly grasp onto the edge of the sofa to keep from falling over when he was struck by a sudden wave of dizziness. The elder was soon at his side, supporting him. “Don’t push yourself.”

“I’m fine, Hikaru. Stop worrying.”

Hikaru’s eyes began to fill with tears. “You’re my brother, for host’s sake! Of course I’m going to worry, especially when it’s obvious that you’re not fine!”

“BUT I AM FINE!” The outburst sent the redhead into another bout of coughing. He gasped for air in between breaths, leaving Hikaru to grow more and more worried by the second. He wrapped his arms around Kaoru’s shoulders.

“Kaoru…”

“Stop it, Hikaru!”

Kaoru wrenched himself away from Hikaru’s grasp. “You might be older than me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t take care of myself! If you ever want to be told apart, you can’t expect me to be dependent on you all the time!”

Hikaru told himself that Kaoru was only acting this way because he didn’t feel well and was grouchy. Though even as he tried to reassure himself, he could feel the lump in his throat dwell deeper at his brother’s harsh remarks, and couldn’t keep himself from needily stepping closer. Kaoru stumbled backwards. “GET AWAY FROM ME, I’M FINE!”

At that moment, Hikaru’s heart dropped down in his chest, leaving him unprepared for when Kaoru dropped along with it. The younger twin slumped forward into Hikaru’s arms, his body limp and overheated with fever. Hikaru completely forgot about the hurt Kaoru had caused as it was replaced with the fear of his horribly ill brother who now lay unconscious in his arms.

“Kaoru!” Hikaru shouted, more scared than he’d ever been in his life. “This isn’t funny, Kaoru. Come on, wake up!” He choked back a sob, calling the attention of the other hosts. It didn’t take long for them to figure out what was going on. Hikaru clutched Kaoru in his arms, his whole body shaking with the fear.

“How did it get so bad…” Hikaru mumbled incoherently to himself. “Kaoru...it hurts...it hurts so much…” He sobbed uncontrollably and sunk to his knees, still holding his brother.

“Don’t worry.” A voice behind him made him turn around. “I’ve already got a doctor on the way.” Kyoya, the owner of the voice, pushed up his glasses calmly.

“Don’t tell me not to worry.” Hikaru ran his fingers through his twin’s hair. “This is my fault. I should have done something. He’s not fine.” He hugged Kaoru tightly, whispering to himself. “I’m not fine.”

[Kushami Suki Da!]

Oh my god These feels! This was soooo cute! (The whole 'I'm fine' thing when they really are not fine reminds me a bit of Apollo Justice lol)

[VividBubbles!]

AWWWWWWWWW!!!! Hikaru's concern for Kaoru and how they are so attached to eachother but want to be seperate entities at the same time is spot on. And freakin' adorable. Great job, N_T! Can't wait for the next one!

[Zuki]

aww kaoru <3 Hikaru <3

The feels, man, can't handle it.

You write them so well and I can never say no to a Hitachiin twins fic.

[Cocobalt]

My feels explode for the twins. The feels are strong with this one! Your portrayal of their relationship is really sweet. It's great!

[KazeNoUirusu]

At that moment, Hikaru’s heart dropped down in his chest, leaving him unprepared for when Kaoru dropped along with it.

THIS SENTENCE THOUGH. That was so clever and creative, yet still straightforward. That is good writing oh man. This is precious, and I've gotta ask if it'll be continued. ^^;

[Flufferdust]

This was so wonderfully written! You did an amazing job, and if you're up to it, I'd love to see a continuation as well!

[Pyrus_Fangmon]

Oh sweet cupcakes! The feels in this one...

Marvelous!

[Not_Telling]

Oh my god These feels! This was soooo cute! (The whole 'I'm fine' thing when they really are not fine reminds me a bit of Apollo Justice lol)

Heehee I don't really know what that is but thank you anyway! <3

AWWWWWWWWW!!!! Hikaru's concern for Kaoru and how they are so attached to eachother but want to be seperate entities at the same time is spot on. And freakin' adorable. Great job, N_T! Can't wait for the next one!

I KNOW RIGHT, ISN'T IT LIKE THE CUTEST THING EVER?! Also thank you so much!!! Jeez, why are you so freakin' nice all the time, VB?

aww kaoru <3 Hikaru <3

The feels, man, can't handle it.

You write them so well and I can never say no to a Hitachiin twins fic.

Thanks! I love the twins too, though I have to say I think Mori's my favorite. And Kyoya's second. And Tamaki and the twins kinda switch off between third and fourth, depending on my mood. It's a conundrum, I don't wanna put any of them below second!

My feels explode for the twins. The feels are strong with this one! Your portrayal of their relationship is really sweet. It's great!

Thank you, and may the feels be with you as well. USE THE FEELS, PYRO.

At that moment, Hikaru’s heart dropped down in his chest, leaving him unprepared for when Kaoru dropped along with it.

THIS SENTENCE THOUGH. That was so clever and creative, yet still straightforward. That is good writing oh man. This is precious, and I've gotta ask if it'll be continued. ^^;

Oh my gosh, I literally grinned a huge smile when I read this. THANK YOU! I should definitely be able to continue, but probably not for a little while, since I'm super-duper busy at the moment.

This was so wonderfully written! You did an amazing job, and if you're up to it, I'd love to see a continuation as well!

Thanks, emichan! Like I said above, it'd probably be awhile before I can get to the continuation, but I should be able to at some point!

Oh sweet cupcakes! The feels in this one...

Marvelous!

I want some of those cupcakes...but thanks again, fang!