AN: A prequel one-shot for an upcoming story that wouldn't leave me alone. I blame a wonderful story named "Redemption", and its authoress HarunaRei for putting my brain into a fluffy, family mood… then again, it's usually like that. Still, if you like gen stories you should read hers (and Midnyght Saber's the co-author). This was completed and edited in an hour, written mostly by Kindle Fire.
Beware the fluff...
By Degrees
When you sleep, body temperature drops by one degree, and causes you to chill easily upon waking. Blues is not pleased to be woken, chilly: Even if it is for his baby brother.
XBLUESX
Someone was speaking to him: Loudly.
When Blues' eyes came into focus, they were fixed on the window. There was no reason for him to be staring at the window, other than that he had been asleep, someone had roused him, and he was only just now truly awake.
Blues was chilly, and flustered. Who knew what foolish things he'd done and said while under the influence of sleep?
Even so, Blues turned his head on his pillow, to look at the intruder...With one eye, at least; he couldn't seem to lift the left side of his face from the dent it had formed in the cushion. But, half-blind or not, he could recognize the short, nervous figure standing there, though he was half in, half out of a puddle of moonlight: The habit the boy had- of steepling his fingers when upset -was a dead give away to anyone who knew him.
"X?" Blues called out to him groggily."X, I told you not to worry."
Rock told you not to worry, and you listen to him.
"I know." X moaned, sounding fourteen and absolutely miserable: Which he was, Blues reminded himself. Just because Xander was quiet and smart didn't mean he wasn't the baby- and going off to work at a research facility tomorrow, where he'd be away from the family for a whole twelve hours; working around Wily... and Wily the Youngest. And Dad wouldn't even be able to be there to soften the blow (Or the Wilys' terrible influence).
Blues sighed and lifted as much of his precious blanket his right arm could. "Come here, you genius child."
He found himself with an arm and blanket (and blanket) full of little brother in the time it took the little brat to fling himself across the gap between floor and bed. X showed the same concern for not pressing on sensitive stomachs and respecting those larger than you are, as the family cat did, wallowing and kicking until he had snuggled down with his arms hugging Blues' torso and his little head was tucked under Blues' chin.
He seemed content to merely fall asleep, but Blues felt compelled to murmur over the boy's hair. "You'll be fine, X. You're a smart kid. Most people fall in love at the sight of you; all those old guys at the lab like you... And... that...kid you like-"
"Zero," Sounded a tolerant reply, tickling against his neck. Apparently he pretended not to know Wily the Youngest's name more than he thought.
"Right, Zero. He's been working there for a few days. He's on the force, but you'll see him when screws up and comes running to you to make fix him." Much as he disliked it, the two considered each other family. Maybe it was jealousy, because X looked to Zero as though he was an elder brother. But X was here now. Here, and soundly asleep.
Blues stared over his brother's brunet hair, at the sunglasses sitting on his bedstand, reflection blue light from his digital alarm clock. His head was tilted at an awkward angle; his arms were full of brother, and X was lying across his left knee, but at least, the kid kept him warm.
