Chapter Title: Bothered

Pairing: Hikaru x Kaoru

Prompt: Moufu or Blanket

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Family

Summary: Hikaru knew when something was bothering Kaoru...even if he didn't say anything.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Ouran characters, it's sad but then again I wouldn't share the twins if I owned them.

Note: This is a Prompt - Genre Challenge from a forum called SHINE owned by Demi-kun and Literate.


Kaoru was quiet.

Most probably he was asleep. It was past midnight, as the clock on Hikaru's beside table indicated.

Hikaru didn't think so though.

He didn't know why he felt that Kaoru was awake. He just knew. Hikaru chalked it up to them being twins, in his—their eight years of life Hikaru had given them being twins most of the credit for knowing things about each other without actually knowing how they knew.

"Kaoru…?"

No response came back. Hikaru wondered if he was just imagining the feeling. Nit giving up, Hikaru turned to his side and was met by Kaoru's blanket covered back. Their blanket was pulled over to cover almost half of Kaoru's head and was curled up away from him.

Hikaru frowned; they usually slept facing each other. He said his brother's name again. When the younger twin didn't respond Hikaru felt a little annoyed. Kaoru had never ignored him intentionally…until tonight.

Well, it was possible that Kaoru was asleep.

Hikaru doubted that though.

So he poked Kaoru's back. And did so again when the first time didn't give Hikaru what he wanted.

He was about to poke Kaoru for the third time when he was stopped by his brother's voice.

"Stop it!"

Hikaru sat up and stared at the lump that was his brother. "So you're awake, eh?" Hikaru poked when Kaoru didn't respond immediately.

"Stop it…go to sleep!" One hand flailed at him, Kaoru was still turned away but Hikaru heard the annoyance in the younger twin's voice. He also heard the cracking in it.

"Kaoru what's wrong?"

Silence greeted Hikaru's question.

"Nothing…" Kaoru finally replied, it was laced with slight frustration. Hikaru didn't believe his brother one bit because if it was nothing then Hikaru would probably be in dreamland right now instead being up at (Hikaru glanced at the clock on the bedside table) one o'clock trying to find out what was wrong with his (decidedly uncooperative) brother.

"It's not nothing." Hikaru stubbornly insisted as he pulled on the blanket they were using away from Kaoru. "Get. Up. And. Tell. Me." Hikaru emphasized each word with a tug on the blanket.

Kaoru pulled it back to him but then Hikaru had more leverage thanks to being seated so he successfully deprived his twin the use of the blanket.

Hikaru heard his eight-year old mirror image grumble and curl up on his side into an even smaller ball.

"Kaoru, what's wrong?"

"Go to sleep…"

"Kaoru…"

"It's nothing Hikaru…go to sle—AUGH!!!"

Hikaru had pounced on his twin. Hikaru's tone should have been warning enough. But then whatever was bothering Kaoru obviously clouded his perception.

"Get off me!!!" Kaoru flailed at Hikaru but that didn't do any good, Hikaru just dodged whatever hit he could and endured what he couldn't. His hands were wrapped around Kaoru's torso while his body was on top of the younger twin, effectively pinning him down. "Get off Hikaru! Get off!" Kaoru continued to flail and squirm and kick his brother off him but Hikaru proved to be stubborn. Hikaru had managed to move and was now sitting on his brother, Kaoru's hands trapped beneath Hikaru's.

"No! Not until you tell me what's wrong with you!"

"Nothing is—"

"Liar!"

Kaoru stopped at that.

It wasn't as if they hadn't been accused of something like that before (they had been accused of liar, monsters, devils in disguise as angels…etc. etc.) but they had never, never accused of one another as such.

So Kaoru stared.

And Hikaru noticed that the younger twin had glossy red eyes. His hand automatically went to brush away any stray tear, Hikaru found none.

"You've been crying."

"So?" Kaoru stared at him defiantly with something almost like a glare.

"Why?" Kaoru continued with his 'not-quite-a-glare' stare, his lips pinched.

"Get off me first…"

"Kaoru…"

"You're heavy." Hikaru blushed at that and promptly got off Kaoru. Kaoru sat up and stared at the bedcovers, his figure slumped.

"It doesn't...I don't know…I don't know why I suddenly cried. It's not like anyone has ever—it's not like it hasn't happened before…but I just felt like crying tonight. I didn't want to." Kaoru finally glanced up at Hikaru. Hikaru noticed that Kaoru's eyes were now shiny, brimming with unshed tears maybe? He knew what Kaoru was talking about, they had this intangible understanding that came from being twins, or so Hikaru thought. Whatever it was, Hikaru knew what Kaoru meant.

It bothered him too that their own mother couldn't tell them apart. She was the one who gave them names, so shouldn't she be able to tell them apart? It was the logical thing. And the twins couldn't really say that their mother was stupid like other people because she wasn't, they knew, she just couldn't tell them apart. Hikaru's gaze went over Kaoru's. He was bothered but he had never cried about it.

"I didn't want to cry but I did. I was quiet about it. Why did you have to wake up…"Kaoru mumbled the last one in a low voice. He didn't expect Hikaru to hear it, much less answer it. But Hikaru was Hikaru and he did answer.

"Something was wrong, I felt it."

"Ah." Kaoru's gaze slid away from Hikaru. "Well, we should go to sleep…" Kaoru said hurriedly as he went around Hikaru to reach for their blanket. He was really sleepy after he cried and he could feel that same urge that he felt earlier so maybe it was best if he just went to sleep now.

Hikaru did it on impulse. Really. He hadn't planned it one bit.

He pulled Kaoru close, wrapped his arm around the younger twin's shoulders and kissed Kaoru's forehead. When he let go Kaoru was staring at him as if he had grown another head.

"It's fine…you can cry about it. It's not wrong. It's been bothering me too. She should be able to tell us apart. She's our mother…" Hikaru said rather gruffly as he flushed in embarrassment at Kaoru's stare.

"Oh…alright then." Kaoru still felt a little startled but he was slowly grinning now, he reached for their blanket that was bunched up behind Hikaru. In a few moments the twins had snuggled together in their bed with Kaoru wrapping them up in their blanket.

They were facing each other with only a few inches of space in between their faces. Kaoru and Hikaru yawned simultaneously. Kaoru's hand rubbed at his eyes, crying made him very sleepy. He was about to trot of to dreamland when he heard Hikaru.

"When something's bothering you…you have to tell me."

Kaoru blinked sleepily. "Why so?"

"Because I'm your big brother and I'll do anything to make it better." Kaoru almost laughed but resisted since Hikaru looked so serious and determined. And he did make it better, Kaoru thought.

"Thank you."

"For what."

"For making everything better, silly. G'night." Kaoru mumbled as he lost the fight with keeping his lids open. Hikaru joined him a few seconds later.

Under the cover of the blanket, in between the bodies of the twins were two hand holding on to each other.


A/N: I don't know but I like writing about the twin's childhood. There's something about their childhood that calls to me. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this fic and that you'll read the next ones...also if you would review, please?