Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, I am only borrow them for a time
Ayame Shoma looked out at the frozen landscape. It looked cold as hell out there! He watched the thickly falling snow going past his window and sighed. He was going to go out in all that mess to. He took another swallow from his coffee cup before throwing himself on his sofa. He had to do this; if he disappointed Yuki again he was sure his younger brother would never forgive him. He grabbed up the sheet of paper from his coffee table to make sure he got the date right. He was right, December 12. He then checked his phone and the computer to insure that he had today's date right. Today was December 12. He was to be at Yuki's school at 7 o'clock tonight. As he stared at the paper in his clutches he thought back to the day in the kitchen Yuki had given him an invite.
Ayame looked up from the game of chess he was losing to Hatori when Yuki walked in. He had immediately leapt up to hug Yuki however he fell short because Hatori had grabbed the back of his shirt. So rather than landing on Yuki he just fell to the ground and hit the table; when he got up Yuki noted that Ayame was bleeding, a fact that had missed him. While Hatori gave him a bandage he explained that he was over so he could visit Yuki. That was when Yuki pulled out the sheet of paper. It was for school production that Yuki was helping with. Yuki had looked at Ayame and casually said that the teacher said ask any family they had to come. Had it not been for Hatori's hand on his should Ayame would have leapt and tackled him to the ground again. Yuki was always very reluctant to admit that they were bothers and now he was being invited to a play as a family member! Ayame of course said that he was coming and that he was really excited about it. He would have shown him to, but he swore Hatori had to be the slowest doctor in the history of medicine. Since the man was still dressing the small cut on his head and had his hands firmly on his shoulders.
Now on his sofa Ayame was regretting his over enthusiasm. He should have looked at the date before he took the invitation; when he done it he hadn't thought a worry about their being a schedule conflict. Everyone who knew him knew that he canceled often, mostly because he accidently accepted more than one invitation at the same time. If he was doing something else he would cancel that was simple enough. No, he should have been worried about how cold it was. When Yuki gave him this invitation it had been early November it was cool, but warm enough that he would be okay going out at night if he made sure to be careful. Now it was December and snowing heavily. He usually spent times like these hiding inside. Everyone who knew him well knew that. Yuki however couldn't be expected to understand things like that; he was a teenager after all. Ayame could still remember how well that would have sat with him when he was that age. He would have still been very upset no matter the reason the person gave.
Ayame crossed the room and looked at the bags of premade food Hatori had brought by for him this morning. Hatori knew that he should be staying indoors this time of year, and that his fridge was empty. He sighed he was sure without his good friend he would be dead by now. He took one more look out at the unpleasant weather and then at the paper. He had to go out there no matter how scary it looked. He couldn't be a disappointment, not again. He grabbed his coats and headed for the door. When he opened the door the icy wind cut through him like a knife and he thought he was going to drop right there on the door step. He slammed the door shut and went back inside to grab more clothes. After about three more layers of clothes he was finally able to retain enough heat that he didn't feel like he was going to faint on the way to his car. When he finally got to the car he shivered as he waited for the damn thing to heat up. After what seemed like eternity the damn thing finally started to blow warm air. Ayame sighed and started the engine. This was going to be the longest 24 minutes of his life. He turned on the radio and tried to focus on driving and getting there. He wanted to be on time, so he left early. He knew that he had a habit of getting lost and having other unfortunate things happen to him. He was going to make sure that didn't happen to him this time.
A few minutes later Ayame was driving and trying not to fall asleep; which was proving to be difficult. He snapped his head up for what seemed like the thousandth time and rubbed his blurring eyes. When he looked up again it was too late. Neither he, nor the pole were going to avoid this collision, panicking he tried to turn the car. This caused him to skid. Ayame felt the side of the car slam into the pole and heard the whine of twisting metal. He was thrown foreword his breath knocked out by the safety restraint. When he looked up again he gasped at the pain in his left leg. The crushed in door had his leg trapped next to the chair. After guessing that he was okay other than a few minor cuts and leg Ayame decided to get to the business of getting himself out of the car. He figured he should at least try since if he didn't get out the cold was going to make him something without legs soon enough anyway. He discovered after about 10 minutes that he could free himself and he climbed out the wreckage. He got out and surveyed the damage. His car was totaled. The side where he had hit was wrapped around the pole. The glass was all broken in and Ayame realized that if someone had been in his back seat they would now be dead. He took a deep breath and looked up and down the road. He had two options, call the police and wait for a tow truck and a ride home, or try and get to this play on foot.
Ayame sighed again and started down the road the wind made his hair flog him in the face and its cold fingers were ripping at his flesh. He tried to ignore the pain shooting from his numb limbs, he actually was amazed that something that was numb could cause you pain, but they seemed to not have a problem with this paradox. His breath came in ragged gasps as the snow started to seep under his clothes making him wet. He fell to the ground numb with pain and started to crawl. He couldn't do this not again; he wouldn't disappoint and spurn his brother. After a few more moments even that failed. His numb body refused to carry him even an inch further. He looked at the snow he had fallen in and wondered if this is what it felt like to die. If so it wasn't so bad then, he was so numb other than being upset about his brother he couldn't really think of much anymore and he was so cold and numb he didn't really anything anymore, not even the cold. A tear dripped down his cheek as he thought about how upset Yuki was going to be with him.
~Yuki's POV~
Yuki closed his phone after getting Ayame's voice mail again; he was sitting in the passenger seat next to Hatori. He hated being a burden and dragging him out during this terrible storm, but he really was worried about his brother. Ayame didn't always think things through so well, he didn't want to think about the poor guy sitting out in the parking lot because school was closed for the storm. He shook his head he was being stupid and dragging Hatori along for the ride. Ayame wouldn't venture out in a storm like this; people that foolish didn't live to be his age.
He saw Hatori look over at him again with pity. Yuki had sworn that he was just going to the school to make sure that he wasn't waiting in the parking lot. When they got there however, he had asked him to drive him over to Ayame's place, just to make sure. Now that they were going he was regretting it, but he couldn't stop the nagging feeling that he needed to check on him. Once they got there and he had been thoroughly embarrassed by his brother he could go back peacefully. Yuki turned his head to avoid looking at Hatori and saw a plume of white smoke sudden come from the side of the road. It couldn't be he thought, not even he would be that stupid. Looking back frantically the red coat confirmed it. He grabbed Hatori's arm when Hatori looked at where he was pointing he jerked the car off the road. They both sprinted up the road to the pile of clothes. Yuki dug through the pile and pulled out the white snake. He thought he was going to throw up. The small thin animal had its eyes closed and was totally limp in his hands. Without really thinking he shoved him under his shirt and shivered as he felt the ice cold creature touch his stomach. He said a silent prayer that he wasn't holding a dead snake. Once they were in the warmth of the car Hatori told Yuki to take the snake out.
After a few minutes of searching he sighed with relief. He looked up and said he had a pulse. Yuki smiled to and tucked his brother back under his shirt. If he was going to ever get out of being a snake he was going to need to be stronger than just having a pulse. Yuki knew that when he changed during one if his attacks he could sometimes spend a couple days as a rat. He hoped his brother didn't do that. It was always so hard on Hatori to treat them when they weren't in a human shape. He stroked the snake under his shirt and tried to shift it to make him more comfortable.
He often didn't admit it, but he didn't actually hate his brother. His brother was loud, strange, and annoying; and half the time he was with him he wished that the man would just go away, but he didn't hate him. In fact since his appearance in his life just a year ago, he had come to like things about that man, not the things Ayame would point out, but other things. He tried to send encouraging thoughts towards his brother not only because he desired him not to die, but because he really didn't want him to die while he was still in his shirt. After what seemed like forever they finally got to Hatori's house. Hatori gingerly lifted the snake from Yuki's shirt and placed him under what looked heat lamp. He then looked at the worrying brother him and smiled "Don't worry too much about him. The heat lamp should warm him up and if nothing else he has never has been one to do things quietly. I think dying quietly would be far too usual for him." Hatori then left the room. Yuki started down at the pale snake lying still under the lamps. He hoped Haotri was right and Ayame didn't surprise them all. After all this would have to be one of the stupidest things in the world to die for.
~Ayame's POV~
Ayame felt very small. He looked up and noticed a bright light above him. Then the foggy memories of lying in the snow came back to him. Was he in heaven? He slithered over the edge of the circle of light. He hissed as he realized that the ground beyond the light was much colder then the nice warm spot he was on. He looked out and saw his brother asleep in a chair; his soft grey hair making a curtain over his eyes as his head bowed in sleep. He wasn't in heaven after all. He was most likely under Hatori's heat lamp. The snake curled up and sighed, he was going to have a lot of explaining to do. With that he drifted off to sleep.
When Ayame woke up again he didn't feel small anymore. He got hit with a shirt as his brother desperately threw his clothes at him. He dressed and then turned around again. He was face to face with a very unhappy looking Hatori. When Hatori spoke it was in clipped tones that made Ayame wish the he really had just died on the road, it would been easier.
"What on earth made you think that driving anywhere in a storm like this was a good idea? You have a phone you could have just called him and told him that you couldn't make it because it was too cold for it to be safe. You could have killed yourself or someone else, you were just lucky that it was a pole and not another person that you wrapped your car around. How would it have made Yuki fell if you had died? I can't believe that rather than waiting by the wreckage or calling someone you thought you could walk through a snow storm. All of this was for, by the way, a play that was canceled on account of how bad the weather was. Something someone could have told you had you answered your phone, but you were too busy trying to kill yourself on the side of the road. What you did was foolish and irresponsible." Hatori took a deep breath after this and Ayame could just feel him waiting for him to say something about his lecture.
Ayame took a deep breath and decided there was no time like the present to try and not make an ass out of yourself; "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone out I was being foolish. I just didn't want to disappoint Yuki again. I guess by the time I got in the car wreck I wasn't really thinking. I was just so cold and I knew where I was meaning to go and I just started heading there." He looked down in shame, this was humiliating. "I'm very sorry for scaring both of you."
Ayame was shocked when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He looked down to see his usually reserved little brother hugging him. After a moment the boy stepped back and looked at him laughing "I'm just glad that you didn't die in my shirt. I wouldn't want you dead even if you are an idiot. However when the play is rescheduled I think it would be for the best if Hatori drives." Ayame laughed at this. He would never truly understand his brother, but after today he would never again think the boy hated him.
AN: Please review, it's that nice little button over there.