Day 154

[individuating]

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.

Comments

[individuating]

[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.]

[individuates]

[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?

[individuating]

[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.]

[individuates]

[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.]

[individuating]

[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.]

[individuates]

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.]

[individuating]

[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.]

[individuates]

[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.

[individuating]

[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.]

[individuates]

[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...

[individuating]

[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?

[individuates]

[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]

[individuating]

[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.]

[hellpyre]

[Okay. This was. ... awkward.

Yup. That was really the only way to describe it, at least from an outside perspective. Rin, bless her, actually manages to keep respectfully quiet through it all, though, even the drink spilling. She just stares at her own drink quietly, but eventually she does speak up.]

... your arm is broken. 'least I'm pretty sure that's a break.

[Just... contradicting that whole "I'm okay" statement he keeps making.]

[individuates]

You're here. You're here. You're alive and you're here…

[muffled against Hikaru's good shoulder like he can't believe it - like he's trying to make himself believe it - between sobs.

…god he smells like home... it had been so long he'd forgotten that scent and he breathes it in shakily, trying to calm down. It was all right. It was going to be all right. They might never be able to go home but at least Hikaru was here. That's good. Really good. A really good thing]

[individuating]

[Oh crap he didn't realize Rin was even around. Hikaru ceases all function as soon as she talks, but resumes stroking Kaoru's hair again shortly. Aside from that, he doesn't change position at all. He's not going to let any old stranger see he's been crying, even if she did save his life and bring him to Kaoru and, if he really thought about it, probably would have seen tears on his face at least once during their short but exciting journey together.]

You're still here? [That's directed at Rin, bluntly. He shifts his body around slightly, as if to block Kaoru from her, but stops pretty immediately as every part of him protests it. Hikaru's not sure how comfortable Kaoru is with Rin, but if it were him, the answer would be 'not comfortable enough to be crying in front of her'.

But then Kaoru talks, and his attention is back on his brother. Screw Rin, he'll deal with her weird voyeurism later.]

I'm here, Kaoru. [He agrees, voice quiet but firm. He squeezes him a little to reinforce his words.]

[individuates]

[takes a shaky breath and straightens up, leaning his forehead against Hikaru's temple and nods slightly, shutting his eyes.]

I just… I'm just afraid you'll get taken away again.

[he doesn't particularly mind either way, whether or not Rin sees his tears or not. He's cried on Rin. She's cried on him. Through all these tears they have cemented their friendship - that and intimate knowledge of what the other was going through, both of them missing their twins, both of them being the leftover odd half of their pairs.]

[Another little sniffle and he swallows, trying to clear his throat a little]

Don't move like that if it hurts you.

And don't be grumpy with Rin-chan. She's only trying to help.

[individuating]

[He turns his head to kiss Kaoru's cheek, closing his own eyes and breathing out harshly in annoyance at the temporary dizziness that accompanies the movement. He's starting to get really sick of that.

'Taken away again'? What? Does Kaoru think he's going to go and make a habit of driving horse carriages five times too fast to be safe? He's learned his lesson on that one, don't worry.]

I'm not going anywhere. [Especially not 'again'. Once was enough, thanks.

He hesitates, then - quietly, so that only Kaoru can hear;]

It's nothing, compared. [Seriously, Kaoru, you should know this by now. He could be burning alive and he'd still feel that seeing you upset was the more painful thing.

...but he won't be moving again soon anyway. It really did hurt.

And even quieter, barely moving his mouth to say it;]

She's being a creepy voyeur. Is she one of our type? [If she's a fan of the 'Brotherly Love', that would explain so much.

At least he's become lucid enough to start with the insults?]

[individuates]

[lucidity does not exempt Hikaru from medical attention, sorry. Pressing the heel of his hand against one eye, then the other, trying to pull himself together and not do that hiccuppy-sobby thing. Though he may do some more crying later, when this whole story comes out.]

[Not entirely sure how good Rin-chan's hearing is with those ears, but he refrains from repeating Hikaru's exact words-[ I asked her to stay, Hikaru, so she's neither of those things. [or… not how Hikaru thinks. Rin kind of is the same "type" as them but not in terms of Host Club Categorisation, anyway.] Try to be nice.

[lifting his hand to brush Hikaru's hair back again and look into his eyes, giving a smile that is almost as shaky as his hands. Hikaru certainly has a little colour back. That's good.]

[individuating]

I'm always nice. [He says flippantly, blatantly and knowingly lying. He checks Kaoru's eyes carefully, looking for any signs of--well, anything concerning. He can tell that they're not done with this, but he'll follow Kaoru's lead on it and not push until they're actually alone.

He moves to mimic Kaoru automatically, brushing Kaoru's hair back as well. He continues on, tucking whatever is long enough behind Kaoru's ear. And then down more. And more. He stops and, confused, looks at his fingers. They're still in hair. After the point where it should have stopped.]

...Kaoru?

[Uh.

He's gonna

stare

for a while

because that really doesn't make much sense. Did Kaoru put in extensions while he was gone...? But he didn't feel any. Is he hallucinating? Maybe he actually passed out a while ago, and this is a dream. He's pretty sure they're not supposed to be due for haircuts just yet, but then hey, he's the one with the concussion - maybe he just forgot?

...maybe he should go to the hospital.]

[individuates]

[he missed this, this kind of touching just because. Not that he didn't have it with Seimei - Kaoru was the type to thrive off touch in his close relationships. But it was different because it was Hikaru. Because of their sixteen years of shared This. Because of his three months spent without. And he is content with the touch until Hikaru inexplicably stops.]

[…why did he stop? Looks back at him questioningly, until he realises where Hikaru's hand is. Offers a sheepish smile, despite knowing full well that it's not going to cut it]

Ah. Mmm. There's uh… there's a lot to explain.

[Please, Hikaru. Please. Can they just… can they just get you fixed before Kaoru has to start worrying about the awkward questions]

[individuating]

[So he's not hallucinating it, then? His mouth opens and closes, wanting to ask but not sure of what his question actually is. He winds up closing it firmly with a frown, still staring at the hair in his fingers.

You should probably start explaining, Kaoru. Hikaru gives a sideways glance to his twin, confusion clear in his expression.]

Did we miss an appointment...?

[It would've been better to try and convince him it wasn't real.]

[yinyangfox]

[ He had watched and listened the entire time from overhead, just out of view on the second floor. The shouting and happy cries and pain, all of it so easy to hear. He didn't know what the best course of action was, which unsettled him since he'd only recently decided to accept that Kaoru made his life more complicated in a good way. It was a lot to do that much, but now his wish for the boy was granted and he was afraid. Afraid it would change everything? Afraid his wish for Kaoru's happiness would come at the cost of his own?

It didn't matter. Kaoru would be happy. That was all that mattered.

The soft, barely audible creak of weight on the wood floor above them was the only indication that anyone was there, Seimei tapping a finger lightly three times on the railing before sighing and turning away. The quiet whisper and click of the paper doors to his room closing behind him told Kaoru that the onmyoji had chosen to give them space. They were already deciding on the hospital as a viable route and according to what he heard from Rin, it was simply broken bones in the arm. Nothing fatal or life-threatening.

If the redhead thought Seimei was abandoning him, however, that concern was brushed aside when footsteps decided the stairs to the side, Taisan's beaming face, dazzling hair and too-blue eyes brightened the hall. ]

Hey hey hey! Look what the hellcat dragged in! I do believe I'm seein' double-double! [ The shikigami grinned ear to ear, shooting finger guns at Rin before doing a quick circle around the twins. ]

Nice. Twice the talent at half the price. Anyways, the master of the house extends his greetings but regrets that he cannot entertain guests. He wishes you the very best in your road to recover and asks that you call on him in the event that you need anything. In the meanwhile, he's sent me along to help out.

[ He gave barely perceptible smile to Kaoru, the boy knowing that anything said or done around Taisan would be known to Seimei as well, so by extension, Seimei was there to help, he just wasn't using his own two hands in order to give the twins necessary space. ]

So! [ He clapped his hands together once with another face-splitting smile. ] Anyone need to be carried or anything? I'm totally down for a bridal carry. I'd make a cute heroic knightly husbandy type, yeah? I promise no groping, too.

[individuates]

You didn't. [it's not supposed to be cryptic, but it kind of is, and he sighs apologetically, stroking Hikaru's cheek]

…I will explain it all. I promise, I will.

[glances up to the ceiling for a moment. As happy as he is to see Taisan - good to know that Seimei is near, if not exactly right here - when he speaks, is that a slight hint of waspish annoyance in his voice? Of course it's too much to ask that Taisan not… be like that. Of course he has to jump in and overturn everything. He holds Hikaru a little bit protectively with something like a pout.]

It may or may not be needed. [it's Hikaru's choice, really. If he's okay with the bridal carrying then that's fine with Kaoru, too. Not that Hikaru is heavy, it's just that the hospital is far] If it is, it's only happening if you promise to be gentle.

And if you do try anything, I'm telling.

[hellpyre]

[Well that sure was a thing.

It took every ounce of will power Rin had to not verbally tear in to Hikaru for what he said, and it was only out of respect for both of them (because she respected Kaoru and therefore respected Hikaru by proxy) that she managed to keep her damn mouth shut.

But she was pouting. Hard. Head turned away, chin on her hand, elbow on her knee with her tea still being held in the other hand, tail lashing behind her back angrily.

And then Taisan came in to the room, and for once she was actually happy to see him there. Some of her irritation faded as he brought up what she had been trying to say all along, and she sat up a little, putting her tea aside.

She even let the 'hellcat' comment go because really she just wanted some one to do something about the situation that didn't end in her yelling and swearing like a sailor just to get their attention on more important matters. Like getting Hikaru's arm set before he made the injury worse.]

I'll make sure he doesn't do anythin', Kao-chan.