thebastion | Day 154

Entry tags:

Day 154

Who: Hikaru Hitachiin and anyone willing to help out
Open: Open
When: Day 154
Where: Open Plains
What: A rough landing, and a new arrival.
Format: I'll match whatever
Warnings: Someone's had a very unfortunate landing, and may end up quite antagonistic. Also, drama.

When Hikaru wakes, it's not to the sound of an alarm or the smell of breakfast being delivered. He's not surrounded by perfectly plush pillows, and he's not laying on top of the best mattress money can buy.

When Hikaru wakes, it's to a horrible, sharp aching pain in his arm. He fails to notice anything else - not the grass he's on, the clear and open sky, or the very distinct lack of the luxuries he's used to. Just the incredible pain, which immediately brings tears to his eyes and sets his body to gasping for breath. On instinct, he rolls onto his right shoulder to curl around his arm - broken, a perfect fracture of both the radius and ulna. He doesn't know that; all he knows right now is that something is terribly, terribly wrong and he's starting to panic.

"Kao--", he gasps out, his first conscious reaction being to call for his twin. "Kaoru!" Where was he? They were never far from each-other. He grits his teeth, trying to work past the pain. What was going on--?

And with a sudden burst, he remembers. They were chasing after Tamaki - he'd been driving the horse carriage. Kaoru had told him he was going recklessly fast, but they had to or they wouldn't be able to catch up. Then... he doesn't know what happened, but he remembers being thrown from his seat. Did the carriage hit something? Was Kaoru okay?!

With great effort, he heaves himself up with his left arm, panic for his twin overriding his own pain. His eyes quickly scan the land before him, searching for any sign of Kaoru. There are no roads in sight; he must have been thrown really far. Panicking, he quickly gets to his feet, stumbling but ignoring his dizziness and clutching his right elbow in a lame attempt to stop his arm from being jostled. He blinks rapidly, trying to clear the tears from his eyes, and looks around hopelessly - Kaoru could be anywhere.

His first few steps are hard to take; his entire body aches, and it's hard to keep himself moving when every step sends a shooting pain through his legs. He's scared, he's worried, and he needs to find Kaoru - these are the only things that keep him going.

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Sweet tea? [with apologetic, raised eyebrows, just in case the request is too subtle. He knows Rin is familiar enough with the house to take care of things while he takes Hikaru through to the tea room - there is a bigger fire in there and plenty of cushions and blankets.]

[an ever so slightly despairing sigh. Gdit Hikaru.] No, you're not. We're going, once you're calmer. [and he'll be walking Hikaru towards the tea room, half-guiding, half-dragging him with little shuffling steps.]

Edited 2014-02-05 01:31 (UTC)

Alright.

[Rin gets it, but her focus is more on Hikaru and his current state. He's not really calming down, and almost seems to be getting worse. She's not 100% sure on all the symptoms, she would need Yuki for that, but it's clear he's not okay regardless of how much he insists.

But... she'll go make tea for both of them without argument. If something goes wrong, she can at least hear them regardless of where she winds up in the house...]

[No Kaoru, he really doesn't want to move. That hurts. He bears with it, though, wincing with the shuffling and tightening the arm around him. Can't they just continue standing still? That was much better. His legs are wobbly and they hurt to move; he has to clench his mouth shut to deal with it. He would really just prefer standing still.

Tea might be good though. Once he's grudgingly settled near the fire, he'll be glad to have some; though it may be difficult for him to hold anything without spilling it right now.]

[oh, he's carrying Hikaru there as soon as he can. He would take him right now by he knows we're the positions reversed, he wouldn't want to be dragged from place to place to place without a reprieve.]

[he gently settled Hikaru down by the fire, pulling a blanket close with one hand and tugging it over]

...talk to me about it?

[it's bad to sleep in this state, right? Hikaru's silence is particularly worrying... Kaoru hopes he can at least get an idea of how he is faring, of only he would talk about it.]

Edited 2014-02-05 04:02 (UTC)

[Rin does keep an ear out for any sounds of distress, but nothing reaches her that's particularly concerning. She makes the tea as quickly as water will boil, bringing it and cups on a tray in to the other room.

She wanted to say something about taking him to the hospital, but...]

[Sitting is in no way comfortable, and he continues to lean heavily against Kaoru, putting more weight on his left side to avoid the right. His brain isn't functioning entirely properly right now; it's hard to focus on what to say. He likes the blanket, though.]

...I drove the carriage too fast. [He mumbles after a long pause. Talking is a little awkward with his still barely-controlled breathing, but he'll give it a shot.] You were right. [Next time he'll listen instead of just going full speed ahead.] I should've slowed down.

[He doesn't really know how to mention the... absolutely everything else. He's still coming to grips with it. He's also not taken notice of anything in the room, which is entirely unusual for him - a big sign that he's very out of it right now.]

Edited 2014-02-05 04:23 (UTC)

It's all right, it's not your fault. [his hands rub gentle circles on Hikaru's back as he holds him, placing a gentle kiss on Hikaru's brow - he may not be able to feel Kaoru's tremors through his own, but he is shaking, for entirely different reasons]

What else? What hurts, aside from your arm?

Edited (What is formatting?) 2014-02-05 04:30 (UTC)

[Rin had no medical training at all, that was all her sister, but she'd been here long enough to know that she needed to drag out what memories she could from Yuki's long winded lectures about her own personal health and safety that were given after so many scraps, and all those times Rin asked a question and immediately regretted the lengthy answer she barely listened to.

It wasn't much, but she could at least watch Hikaru enough to know that the signs he was giving off weren't good ones, and listen to what he might say about any further injuries. It was rare to have her so quiet, but right then it was needed.]

Everything? [Is his immediate response. The kiss prompts more, though; it gets him to actually focus on his body, though doing so seems to make the pain worse. He can't help but wince - now that he's thinking about it, he can't stop.]

...my back. [Seems to be one of the key places.] I think I landed on it. Are you--[he has to swallow, take a deep shuddering breath, and march on]--are you okay? [Because if he got hurt at all from the carriage throw, then that's Hikaru's fault. He needs to know, and he's not going to continue discussing his own state until he's got confirmation one way or another.]

I'm fine, Hikaru. [meeting and holding Rin's gaze as he reaches for the teacup. If something sounds amiss, be sure to tell him, Rin-chan, okay. In the meantime Tama-chan quietly settles on her lap. What is going on, why are there two Kaorus?]

Drink. [softly urged as he holds the cup to Hikaru's lips. Hopefully it will help bring him out of it a little] ...what else?

[Thank god for that. A lot of the tension leaves him, and he slumps a bit against Kaoru in relief. Then the tea... Did he ask for tea? He can't remember. He takes a sip anyway, raising his hand to hold the cup along with Kaoru. This actually makes him aware of his own shaking, and he's surprised at it. He... hadn't actually realized he was doing that. He blinks, staring at the cup.]

I, uh... [What was the question? He blinks rapidly, having been distracted by his realization. What hurts? A better question would be what doesn't.] Shoulder. Legs. [...a pause.] Kaoru... where are we? [He's starting to come to his senses, but his thoughts are still incredibly jumbled and confused. At least his brain is slowly starting to work again.]

[hesitates, worrying his lip between his teeth for a moment. How much should he say? And - a perfidious little voice inside his head wonders - how much will Hikaru actually believe, if he does?]

It's safe.

[And he is careful to sound Absolutely Sure - if he's lucky, Hikaru won't question him and he'll be able to explain it later.

Disorientation… that was a sign of shock, wasn't it? Or concussion? Or both? His hand runs soothingly through Hikaru's hair, surreptitiously checking for a wound.]

What school do we attend, Hikaru? What club?

[If he were more aware of the world around him, he wouldn't accept that artful dodging of his question. In fact, he'd be irritated by it. He's in a pretty malleable state right now though, and he trusts Kaoru. He'll believe anything he says, though he won't actually absorb any of it. Hope you like repeating yourself, Kaoru, because he's going to have the same questions again later.

He'll find a sizeable bump on the back of Hikaru's head. It's not too big - his arm absorbed most of the impact - but it's definitely there, and definitely painful. If he touches it, Hikaru will hiss in pain and automatically try to pull his head away. But it's nowhere near as bad as it would have been if he hadn't landed on his arm, then shoulders, then head.

It takes him a long moment to get his brain to think, but he's got the answers.]

Ouran, Host Club. Why? [You crazy, Kaoru?] I'm not an alien or anything. [Just in case that's what he's checking. His voice is still softer than normal, and the shakiness is still evident, but it's getting a bit stronger. He'll take a few more sips of tea, as well; some part of him has recognised it as being helpful in some way. It's giving him something firm and tangible to anchor his focus on, so please don't take that cup away or he'll get get disoriented again.]

[his mouth twitches into a frown, as his fingers find that bump and skim over - he does not like it. But at least it was a good answer, even if it took a little while. Quiet time and tea seem to be helping. That's good.]

Checking. You're alien enough.

[he switches the hands supporting the mug, carefully loosening Hikaru's cravat without even pulling away. This stupid medieval get-up - it had entirely more layers than strictly necessary, but hopefully getting rid of the cravat will let him get a peek down the back of Hikaru's shirt, see how bad the bruising is.]

But you hit your head pretty hard, huh?

[He frowns once the alien remark registers. He is not 'alien enough', thank you. But he's distracted by the hands switching the cup, which is still his point of focus. Damn you and your crafty ways, Karou, he doesn't even notice the cravat coming off. Down his shirt is really not pretty; the top-back of his right shoulder is a dark purple bruise, and it extends out from there and spreads out around his lower back. The left side isn't so bad; it's bruised, but nothing compared to the right. It's really, really obvious how he landed. Right forearm first, flipped with the momentum, right shoulder, left shoulder, head and back. Luckily the thick costume protected him from scrapes, or it would have been much messier.]

Sure? [Having hit his head is news to him, but whatever you say, Kaoru.]

[tries very hard not to suck in a breath or make any comment at all in reference to the injuries, but oh, Hikaru. His eyes flick over to Rin for a moment - just to make sure she's seeing this, too - before he releases Hikaru's collar and cradles him gently closer again.]

Sure. We definitely need to get you checked out. Make sure you didn't break anything else. But at least you didn't leave anything out there.

[Yes, yes, at least he got back in one piece. Thank heaven for small mercies.]

[There's a reason why he was so concerned that you got hurt from the carriage fall too, Kaoru. He knows he's not in incredible shape right now; he couldn't bear if you were hurt this bad too.

He also still really doesn't want to go to the hospital. That means moving. He's out of it, but not so much that he doesn't remember how much it hurts to do anything. If Kaoru insists, he'll go, but not without hating every second.

He sips the tea again, using it as a cover for how sluggish his thinking is.]

Can we do that later?

[He knows at least that he needs to have his arm looked at, but he really, really, really does not want to move.]

I'm very worried about you, you know.

[has been, always, every day he has been here. He pulls back just enough to brush Hikaru's fringe aside - gosh, his hair really used to be this short, didn't it? - making sure there aren't any more bumps and bruises hiding under there.]

You can't keep hiding from the hospital forever - I'll carry you there if necessary. [but what goes unspoken is that no, Hikaru doesn't have to go right now. But soon, though, yes.]

[No bumps, bruises, or marks on his face. There's a bit of dirt, but he's done a pretty good job of keeping all of the damage on his back. His tears his eyes away from his cup to meet Kaoru's, ignoring the sudden room-tilting sensation that causes, and makes them his new focusing point. After taking time to readjust and fight away the fog that's trying to cloud his mind again, he'll try to convey an apology with them. It's a sincere one, and he doesn't feel there's any point in using words for it; he's sorry for causing the worry.]

I'm not hiding. [Grumpily.] It's just better here. [Really, it is. He's breathing normally, his voice has improved, his trembling... hasn't stopped, but it's definitely downgraded from the shaking! See, Kaoru, he's fine.]

[tugs down his sleeve on one hand, wetting it with his tongue to clean away some of the dirt smudges on Hikaru's cheek, then kissing it. Not that it being clean was a prerequisite or anything.]

That's it, focus on me. [is that Kaoru's voice trembling, now they're face to face? He fights not to break the eye contact, even though it's building up inside him again, all the emotions, the overwhelming relief-dread-comfort that Hikaru was finally here, that they could keep each other safe now]

I'm not going anywhere, I promise.

[The tremble in his brother's voice is about the first thing he's picked up on immediately so far. Automatically, he leans his head forward to rest his forehead against Kaoru's. The movement tugs at his shoulder and causes the ache to rise, but it's still nothing compared to his arm. Even if it was bad, it wouldn't have stopped him.

He's not going anywhere either, Kaoru, and he's safe. They're both safe. He would squeeze his brother's hand in reassurance if there weren't currently a cup in one of his, or if the other were usable.]

I'm okay, you know. [He says instead, softly and gently. True, he's in a lot of pain and discomfort, and thinking about it he realizes he probably has a concussion - that'd be why Kaoru was talking about hitting his head, and it would explain why it's so hard to think - but they're together now, so everything is alright. He's had his freak out, and now he's ready for if Kaoru has one too. Come take your comfort and reassurance, Kaoru; he's offering it freely to you by the boatload.]

[he swallows and gives a small sniff, pressing against him a little bit. He doesn't contest him - even though he knows Hikaru is wrong, because seriously, having his arm in a sling like that, not to mention all that bruising, does not exactly scream "okay".

His next sniff is chased by a definite sob, that surprises and slightly mortifies him, because he thought he had this under control, and he is not the one having the bad day here, his day is actually going remarkably well, as it happens. Yet here he is, right on the verge of crying like a baby, and all he can do is tuck his head under his brother's chin on his good side, one arm steadying himself to keep Hikaru from having to take his weight.]

I was so scared...

[Cup is going down; Hikaru doesn't even care if it ends up spilling tea all over the floor. ~~Sorry, owner of wherever the hell they are.~~ He immediately wraps his arm around Kaoru, pulling him tight against him and ignoring how much physical pain that causes. He's not going to just sit there and watch his twin cry.

He can't help himself, either; if Kaoru starts crying in earnest, he's going to end up joining in. Almost like they were kids again. As it is, he drops a kiss onto the part of Kaoru's head he can reach, and keeps him held tight.]

It's okay, Kaoru. [He murmurs, dropping another kiss.] We're together now, right?

[not to worry, it's wood under the cushions, and Kaoru can replace the them. He would let Hikaru trash the house and then take the blame himself afterwards, if he needed. But right now, he just needs his brother; it's been too long that he's gone without and now he's right here

He nods, but the reassurance actually has the opposite effect, triggering a couple more racking sobs as he presses in, sniffling like a child. He knows he's not helping, but screw holding it in - he can't any more, and he was always going to bawl if he saw Hikaru again anyway]

[The point is for him to let it all go, anyway. Hikaru has no interest in watching Kaoru bottle up his feelings; that's just not something that they do with each-other. He has to sniff himself now, with a few tears dropping from his eyes. He may have already had his freak out, but he knows intimately how Kaoru feels and - dammit, he's never been able to not cry when Kaoru is. Especially not after such a rough day.

He swallows hard and presses his face against Kaoru's head, his hand coming up to brush through his hair. There's something a bit... off about it, but he's got other things on his plate right now and it's still hard to focus, besides.

He keeps up a steady stream of murmured assurances, just for an extra layer of comfort. If he were to be asked later what he was saying, he would genuinely have no idea - in his view, it's not the words that are important; it's his voice.]

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