Welcome and thanks for giving this a try. I hope you'll like it.
This is just another Rin & Yukio brotherly fluff with no particular time setting or actual reference to canon. I tried to keep them in character, but expect OOC-ness here and there.
I have an art made for this story, which you can find on the cover of this story (or my tumblr at papan-talenan under 'fanfic stuff' tag)
Enjoy.
Cold Air, Warm Heart
"Nii-san!" The angry voice carries through the empty hallway of the old dorm, thumping footsteps make the rickety wooden floor creak.
Rin immediately sat upright. He carelessly threw the weekly manga magazine back to a shelf above his desk. He shuffled the stack of homework and note sheets on his table to make it look like he was working on something. Rin grabbed the nearest notebook, opened a random page, striking his best thinking pose (one hand supporting his chin and the other fiddling with a pencil) just as the door behind him slammed open.
"What the hell, Yukio? That old door is going fly off its hinges, you don't have to be so loud!" Rin turned to look at his brother. Truthfully he was glad. Usually Yukio is as quiet as a shadow. Overtime Rin developed some kind of paranoia where he will constantly check his back for every little sign of movement, in fear of a 'Nii-san why aren't you working on your homework?' suddenly whispered in his ear.
Yukio's hair is wet, he wear a white undershirt that sticks to his skin because of water and his black boxer shorts. His glasses is nowhere to be seen and he is 100% pissed. "What do I say about hot water?" He snapped.
"D-don't take long shower?" Rin sounds unsure and picked his words carefully, not wanting to anger his little brother even more.
"Exactly."
They are in the middle of winter. Like any other old building, their dorm is poorly insulated and doesn't have a central heating system. Their only source of warmth is the old electric space heater which Rin carries wherever he go, to the kitchen, the dining room, even the toilet if Yukio didn't give him a lecture that electric devices doesn't sit well with wet environment. Sometime he wanted to take it to the kitchen with him while Yukio is working on his table. The twin quarreled about it many times. Yukio even told Rin to just use his fire to warm up once, that's how cold they are. If Rin insisted on carrying the heater with him Yukio will settle with an electric blanked they brought from home.
Another thing that troubled them in winter is hot water. The headmaster said that the dorm have an active water heater system, but they shouldn't get their hopes up because the pipes often froze. On some days they have it running just fine, most of the time it only have a few minute worth of hot water though. Today is one of these day.
Earlier, Yukio went straight to the bathroom when he arrived. Upon turning up the shower he was greeted by ice cold water. It was -3℃ outside. He immediately put his clothes back on sloppily and stomped over to their shared room.
"I only there for like 10 minutes…" Rin said, getting up and reached for a towel, tossing it to his shivering brother. "That clown should really fix this damn place. Dry yourself. Just shower tomorrow morning."
"Can't." Yukio tossed the towel back at Rin. "Just got back from mission. I'm covered in dirt and blood." He sighed, crouching in front of their heater, showing his back to Rin.
"What? You get hurt?" Rin frowned, lifting Yukio's shirt up to check.
"Nah. It's someone else. I carried him on my back. We are just investigating a construction site when a mid-level ghoul caught us by surprise because they didn't scan the area thoroughly." Yukio rarely complained, but he is tired, cold, and in a bad mood.
"Geez. You've got to be more careful, don't you dare dying before I do." Rin checked the time, it's a quarter past one A.M. "If it wasn't so late I'd send you over to Bon's dorm. I showered there a few times…"
"I'd rather shower at the training facility…" Yukio doesn't know them as well as Rin do and he is uncomfortable with the thought. Being their teacher create a gap that he can't quite place, even if they are nice to him.
"Want me to boil some water and put it in a bucket for you?" Rin scratched his head, trying to find a solution.
"Yes, please."
"Alright, just take off that filthy shirt and dry yourself. It's okay if you dirtied that towel, I'll wash them." Rin threw the towel over his brother's head as he stepped outside.
Although it seems unlikely, Rin still 'take care' of Yukio from time to time, especially when Yukio's mood is bad. He is the older brother, after all.
"Uh, Yukio." Rin was back after a minute or two.
"What? That was quick."
"The gas is not running. No hot water." Rin looked down, feeling guilty because he spent few extra minutes in the shower earlier.
"Oh, fuck." Yukio mutters under his breath, contrary to his image, he actually swears a lot when there are no one around. "I'll just take a cold one." He walked out carrying his dirty shirt and towel to put in the laundry basket.
"Sorry!" Rin called out after his brother.
Rin walked back to his table, gathering the papers and pens to put them back (or at least all in one place) because he is only waiting for Yukio to come back earlier. He also plugged in the electric blanket and spread it over Yukio's bed to warm it up. He placed the space heater closer to Yukio's side of the room. He took an ice cold shower once and he is freezing, even though his cold tolerance is quite high, thanks to his flames he thought.
"Nii-san." Yukio suddenly opened the door and stepped inside, quickly shutting the door because he didn't want to let the heat out.
"That was quick. What's wrong with you?" Yukio only have a towel wrapped around his waist.
"I'm done. Forgot my clothes. Turn around for a sec." Yukio said between his loud clattering teeth. He rummaged through his wardrobe, dressing with his standard pajama, then throwing a knitted sweater on top of it. "I'm done, lend me a pair of sock." Yukio turned around and sat on his bed.
Rin opened his wardrobe, grabbed the first two sock from his drawer, a long grey sock and a med-length rainbow colored sock, passing them to Yukio.
He squinted his eyes at his brother's questionable choice of socks, normally he would lecture him to keep his drawers and clothing organized, but that can wait till next morning. Yukio slipped under the blanket and wore them. "Anyway, why you didn't finish the work I gave you?" His voice is a lot calmer now under the comfy warmth.
"I was working on it before you arrive, I'm tired now, can't I sleep?" Rin hide under his own blanket, tried to avoid making eye contact with Yukio because his brother is like a lie detector machine when it comes to this stuff.
"I'll probably believe you if you have notes about my class instead of general math. Try harder next time." Yukio actually checked Rin's table when he was out to boil water for him. He knew that his brother is trying to avoid the topic by pretending to sleep. "Aren't you cold? Want to scoot over?"
"No thanks, I'm warm enough, besides this bed is too narrow, you're going to knock me over in your sleep anyway…" Rin once suggested that they share the electric blanket by sleeping side by side. At around 3 A.M. Yukio turned in his sleep and accidentally push away, Rin hit the floor face first. They are already too big for one bed anyway. Rin refuse to sleep beside Yukio except on futon from then on.
"I'm just trying to get you out of your bed so you can turn off the light on your way here…" Another thing that they always argue about is who will turn off the light. Once they are under their blanket, warm and cozy, they refuse to get up and step on the cold floor.
"Heh, I know you're going to say that! That's why I bought this!" Rin smirked, reaching to a basket under his bed and pulled a bright orange plastic revolver. "This will solve our problem for once and all." He boasted as he loaded the ammunition, tubes of orange plastic with rubber tips.
Rin held the toy gun with his right hand, extending his arm until it is as straight as a board, closing one of his eyes to aim, then pulled the trigger. POP. It hit the wall beside the light switch and dropped to the ground. Rin pulled the trigger again. POP. Still hitting the wall. Rin sat up, holding the gun with both of his hand, aimed, shot. POP. It hit the plastic rectangle around the actual switch, sticking there. POP. POP.
"ARGH." He shoved his blanket away, about to get up and turn the damn switch off himself.
"Please, Nii-san. Let the professional handle it." Yukio also sat up, clutching the blanket up to his chest, smirking as he asked for the gun.
"Don't get so full of yourself, Four-Eyes. You didn't even have your glasses." Rin threw the toy gun to the other side of their room, watching as Yukio caught it.
"You are underestimating me." Yukio checked the gun, one bullet left. "I didn't spent all those years training for nothing." With one swift move he lifted the gun and pulled its trigger. POP. Everything went dark.
"Smug bastard. Just you wait, I'll make it in one shot tomorrow." Rin crossed his arms, not that Yukio can see it.
"G'night, Nii-san." Yukio is still smirking, he placed the toy gun under his bed and lay down.
"Hmp." That's the only reply coming from his sulking brother.
"…o…"
"...kio…"
"Yukio…"
"YUKIO!" Rin yelled beside his brother's ear, trying to shake him awake.
Yukio's eyes snapped open, he grabbed Rin's arm with an alerted look. It took him a few second to realize that it's just Rin. "N-Nii-san. What's wrong?" He tried to sat up, but his limb feels like noodles and his head is heavy. "What time is it?"
"It's seven thirty, you idiot." Rin sighed, scratching his head. Usually Yukio wake up way earlier than him, so he didn't check under the blanket. When he returned to his room after breakfast he noticed that his brother is still sleeping there with a deep red flushed face and heavy breathing. Rin immediately woke him up.
"What's wrong with me?" Yukio tried to shove the blanket away, his eyes is unfocused and he is in a sort of a dazed state. Rin pulled it off his sweating body and help to prop him up against the headrest.
"You're sick. Isn't that obvious?" Rin placed his palm on Yukio's head, then resting his own on the other side to compare their temperature. "Damn, your forehead is burning. I'll call in sick for you."
"I feel horrible ugh… What do I do?" Yukio mumbled, letting his head drops, massaging the bridge of his nose.
"You're the doctor, mister. Tell me what to do." Rin folded the electric blanket away, then trying to take off Yukio's thick sweater to give him some room to breathe.
"Do we have any cold pills?" Yukio lifted both of his arm to ease his brother's failing attempt on taking his sweater off.
"Not that I know of. Want me to run and get it real quick?" Between the two of them Yukio is the one who get sick more often, so Rin have some 'experience' through watching their father cares for him. But he is unsure on what to give him.
"No… There is some white willow bark and ginger root… on my table. Boil them in hot water…" Yukio pointed at his table, holding his head with one hand.
"…White what bark?" Rin looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, what Yukio said might as well be another language because he can't understand what it meant.
Yukio threw a sharp glare at him, "I'm going to give you a D for Anti-Demon Pharmaceuticals class." He sighed when he saw his brother gulping, clearly have no clues of what to look for even though Yukio talked about these plants with the class last week.
"There is a transparent case with many slots filled with herbs on top of my table," Yukio explained, "Just bring everything here, I'll show you."
Rin obediently took the said case, sat on the bed edge with the case on his lap, presenting it to Yukio, "You already get a little better because you're angry with me…"
"Shut up, Nii-san. This one and this one. Take that bowl over there." He pointed at a white ceramic bowl on his shelf. He took the said ingredient and placed in in the bowl. "Boil these in two cup of water, turn it off when there is only about one cup left, take the water and you can discard the rest of it. Understand?"
"Easy. Let's just hope that the gas is running." Rin exited the room, with the bowl in his hand.
Yukio dropped his head back to his pillow, sighing. He still have a report to write, a meeting to attend, a test to correct, and a class to teach today. Thinking about how to catch up later as new tasks hit him like a stream makes his head hurts even more.
About ten minutes later Rin came back with a steaming cup.
Yukio sat up again, this time much easier compared to when he just wake up. "There should be a small bottle of honey in my shelves. Add one spoonful and stir it in." He watched as his brother followed his instruction, then handing the cup to him, telling him to be careful because it's hot.
Yukio took a small sip to test the temperature, then after deciding that it is not that hot the sips turns into gulps. After drinking half of it he stopped, looking up to his brother, "You know, Father used to make this for me whenever I get sick. But I never make one that taste similar to his brew. Either too bitter or too sweet because I added too much honey. Yours taste just like Father's." He looked down at his cup now.
"Really? He never make anything for me." Rin shrugged.
"That's because you are practically invincible. You know what he always says when you ask about it…"
"Idiots don't catch colds." They said in unison. Of course both of them know that it was probably caused by Rin's half-demon nature, which also explains why he heals up ridiculously quick from wounds, even back then.
"I take a cold shower in the middle of a winter night once hoping that I'll be sick so I can skip morning duty…" Rin said with a small laugh, "Let me taste that." He pointed at the cup.
Rin received the cup, smelling it, then take a small sip. He frowned, "7 years me probably won't like this anyway…" He passed it back to his brother. "I know why you never make it taste right while mine taste just like what he make in first try." Rin grinned.
"What? Tell me." Yukio spent a long time trying to add various ingredients to it, but it never work.
"All it takes is one special secret ingredients…" Rin grinned even wider, standing up.
"Come on, Nii-san, tell me. I have to know."
"It is useless, even if I tell you. You won't be able to make it…" Rin shook his head slowly and shrugged. "The secret ingredient is…" He bent down to whisper, "L-O-V-E."
THUD. Yukio flicked his finger hard at his brother's forehead.
"What was that for you four-eyes?" Rin rubbed the red spot with his palm.
"Just tell me what you add, Nii-san." Yukio said, almost with a whining tone.
"Not with that attitude." Rin crossed his arm.
"Please?" Yukio said, "Or I'll have you write a summary for two new chapter that we will learn about next month, Okumura-kun."
"See? See? That's why you'll never make it, you heartless bastard." Rin tried to walk away, but Yukio grabbed his arm.
"Please tell me, Nii-san. Please? You don't know how many times I tried to make this and fail…" He is 100% whining now.
Rin smirked, "I told you, not with that attitude, little brother." He walked away, smiling to himself. Yukio will never find out that the so called 'secret ingredient' is none other than a pinch of table salt.
Rin opened Yukio's wardrobe and threw a set of fresh clothes to the bed, "Change into those, your clothes are soaked with sweat. You can sleep in my bed, because your sheet is wet."
"These are your clothes…" Yukio looked at the purple t-shirt on top of the stack. "Did you even wash this?" He took it and try to smell it with suspicious expression.
"Hey, unlike you I do my laundry every two day. You don't even have anything aside button up white shirt and coat in there. At least the underwear is yours. I'm not lending you mine, gross." Rin rolled his eyes, Yukio usually only have time to do his laundry on weekend, and he didn't have that much casual clothing. "I'll help to do your laundry if you help me with my homework, alright?"
"As if I don't help you enough already…" Yukio muttered under his breath, changing into the fresh clothes.
"I took that as a yes." Rin turned around and walked to the door, still with a grin plastered on his face. "I'll be making something for you to eat, alright?"
"I want a chi—" Rin already shut the door with a quick 'GOT IT!' before Yukio can finish his sentence.
"Chicken noodle soup…" Yukio groaned, dropping back to his bed. His brother never listens. But he probably got that right, that's the only thing Yukio eat when he is sick, after all.
END OF CHAPTER 1
Hey, you made it till the end! If you like what you read I have other like this on this series, check that out.
There will be a second chapter to this, a new story with the same setting of time, think of it as what happened afterwards. It should be up before the end of August. But I'm considering to put it up as a new title instead of a second chapter.
If you have anything in mind about these adorable twins, plot, ideas, scenarios, that takes place in winter and no one already write about it, tell me. I'll write something for you. You can contact me through PM here or send a quick message on tumblr (papan-talenan)
As always, thanks for reading!