"Happy birthday!" they all shouted. Rin and Len smiled and looked at everyone.

"Arigato minna," Rin said. She laughed a little. "We weren't expecting a surprise party like this!" Len nodded in agreement. Their mom smiled and ruffled their hair. Len protested and fixed his hair afterwards, making his mom chuckle. She led them both over to a large table with present, a large two tiered vanilla cake, and two smaller, personalized cakes sitting on top of it. One of them was a fluffy orange carrot cake with orange frosting and little hard candies all around it shaped like oranges. The other was a yellow ice cream cake, Kaito's suggestion, with vanilla cake layered with bananas foster ice cream drenched in chocolate sauce and frosted with vanilla cream cheese frosting. Two candles topped each cake, both lit and spelling out the number 14. The guests of the twin's 14th birthday party all began singing "Happy Birthday" and when they finished both Rin and Len made a wish, not telling anyone what it was, and then blew out their candles.

The party commenced after everyone ate their cake, the guests taking slices from the large double tiered cake, and Rin and Len ate their personal cakes.

"I never knew how much I loved ice cream cakes until now," Len said, smiling to his sister. She laughed and replied, "I never knew how much I loved oranges until now!" They both laughed and ate their cakes, neither one quite able to finish the whole thing. Their mom put the leftover cakes in the fridge before announcing it was time to open presents. There was a whole mound to go through, after all.

After all the presents had been opened, Rin and Len decided it was time to start dancing. Rin plugged in her new stereo she got for her birthday and put on a Green Day CD Len got. She skipped to "American Idiot" and there was no problem dancing for anyone. Everyone had a lot of fun, staying way late through the night, partying and just having a good time.

Eventually it was time for everyone to go home, the twins were beat and their mom didn't want them to be too much of a pain in the morning. It was around one o'clock before everyone was cleared out. Rin and Len made sure to say goodbye to everyone.

Rin shut the door to their room, cluttered with boxes and wrapping paper, and proceeded to collapse on her bed in exhaustion.

"That was fun," she muttered into her pillow. She laughed a bit and turned over, closing her eyes. "Let's do it again." Her brother smiled at her and laid down on his bed, tired as well. He closed his eyes and relaxed, ready for bed. His breathing slowed and he rested his hands on his belly to feel his abdominal cavity expand and contract with each breath. He felt it expand more and more the deeper each breath was. He felt so relaxed...

"*Hiccup!*"

Rin jumped, her eyes flying open. She sat up and looked at her brother who had his hand covering his mouth, but an apparent smile underneath was very visible. She smiled back and threw a pillow at him lightly.

"You jerk, you scared the life out of me!" Len laughed at her and hiccuped again, finding it funny how she jumped like that.

"S-sor-*hiccup!*" He laughed and hiccuped again, unable to control himself. Rin laughed too, catching the infectious disease of laughter.

Their door opened and they both looked to see who it was. It was their mom.

"What's going on in here?" she asked.

Len hiccuped again and tried to explain. "W-*hiccup !*-We were just talking about something funny." Their mom nodded.

"Okay, you can talk more tomorrow, it's time for bed now. Come on, lights out." Rin pulled her jeans off, wearing just a pair of spandex underneath and shrugged off her shirt, preferring to sleep in her tank top. Len stripped down to his boxers as usual. He was always comfortable being this exposed around his sister. Both of them climbed into bed, finding it much easier to get comfortable tonight than other nights, likely because they're so exhaused.

Their mom flipped the light switch, watching them in the dark momentarily. Len hiccuped again and Rin turned over to face away from him, pulling the blanket up to her shoulders. Their mom figured she'd never get any sleep if he kept making noise like that. She walked over to him and put her hand on his bare back to get his attention. He looked up at her curiously, hiccuping again.

"You can come with me and get some water before you go to bed, help get rid of those hiccups," she offered. Len nodded and pulled the blanket down, getting out of bed and following her into the kitchen. She poured him a glass of water and held his nose while he drank it, almost making him spit it out from laughing. She laughed too, then let go and rubbed his back. His muscles were strong and tight, she could tell he was really working hard to get fit for track.

His hiccups were gone after he finished the glass and he handed it back to his mom, who put it in the sink to be washed later. Len started to walk away, but she called out to him.

"Hey," she said. He turned back around.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Come back here and give me a hug," she smiled. He smiled back and hugged her tightly.

"Goodnight Mom," he mumbled into her shoulder.

"Goodnight Baby," she said, kissing the top of his head.

Len went back to his room, opening the door as quietly as he could so he didn't accidentally wake his sister. He climbed back into bed and closed his eyes, calming down again and relaxing so he could sleep. His breathing slowed once more, but this time he was able to fall asleep peacefully.

A few days passed and nothing happened. The twin's played with their new stuff they got for their birthday, and Len often played pranks on his sister, one getting him in a bit of trouble (apparently you're not allowed to put plastic wrap on the toilet).

But finally New Years passed, and resolutions were made (but never kept) and January went on quite uneventfully.

One day Rin decided to get back at Len for his prank. And she wasn't going to be nice about it.

"Okay kids, time for bed!"

Rin and Len both heard their mom call from downstairs. They both quietly got ready for bed. Rin tried to start up a conversation with Len, be casual to not make him suspicious, but he didn't seem to want to talk. Rin began to wonder if he already knew about her prank...

Lights out, time for bed. Both twins lay down in their beds, neither one asleep. Rin was too excited to see his reaction when he found it. Pay back, son. She silently laughed.

Suddenly, she heard a noise. He was getting up. She smiled and almost sat up to watch, but decided that it might not be a pretty sight. Plastic wrapping a toilet is kinda mean, yeah, but he did it first. Then again, she could actually see it has plastic wrap on it since it was light out. All that really happened is she almost wet herself from having to take the time to remove it. He won't be able to see it in the dark. She was starting to regret doing it. She sat up to get out of bed, deciding to take it off before a mess was made, but stopped when she saw Len sitting on the edge of her bed.

She poked him. "What's up?" she asked. He breathed in a shaky breath and ran his fingers through his hair. Something was wrong. "What's the matter?" She was worried now.

Len looked at her, his eyes shiny, probably from tears threatening to spill over. Rin furrowed her brow in concern.

"I have a headache..." he mumbled. "And...my stomach hurts." he put his hand on his stomach as if to emphasize his pain. Rin put her hand on his back.

"Are you sick?" she asked. Len shrugged. Rin touched his forehead. Warm.

"Hang on a second, I'm gonna go get Mom, okay?" Len nodded and held his tummy. Rin got out of bed and watched him carefully as she walked out. She made her way down the hallway to their parent's room. She tapped on her mother's shoulder to get her attention. She looked up at her daughter.

"Hn? What is it, Sweetie?" she mumbled, her eyes heavy from sleep.

"Len isn't feeling very good," she stated. Her mom perked up a bit. "he's got a fever." Her mom quickly got out of bed and went into the twin's room. Len had lied down on Rin's bed in a fetal position, holding his stomach. He rubbed at it a little, trying to soothe the pain. Their mom put her hand on his forehead, surprising him. He closed his eyes, thinking it was Rin who came back.

"Rinny, my belly really hurts," he said in a pained voice, using his nickname for his sister that he used when they were really little. "I think..." He let out a sick burp and groaned. "Ohhh...excuse me. I think I might be sick."

Their mom became worried and sat down next to him, pulling him into her lap. He finally realized it was his mom he was talking to and not his sister and flushed red in embarrassment. He didn't like speaking to his mother about stuff like this, he felt much more comfortable around his sister. For everything, really.

"Hey baby," she said softly. She rocked him back and forth in her lap. "What hurts, honey? Tell me everything." Len let out another burp, saying excuse me.

"My belly hurts, I feel kinda queasy, and my head hurts..." He paused, rubbing his belly. It gurgled loudly and he put his hand over his mouth. He jumped out of his mother's arms and ran to the bathroom. Rin widened her eyes and quickly followed him. There was still plastic wrap on the toilet.

She saw him hunched over the toilet, but his hand was still over his mouth. She yanked him up into a standing position, making him wretch once, nothing coming up yet. She helped him lean over the sink and rubbed his back a few times.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll fix it, but for now you have to use the sink, okay? I'm so sorry..." Rin repeatedly apologized for making things that much tougher on her brother. He seemed to understand, as he moved his hand off his stomach to hold her hand. She squeezed it tight to offer him comfort. He moved his other hand off his mouth and put it on his stomach. He wretched again, but nothing came up again. He belched a long, loud, sick belch. He breathed heavily, heaving as hard as he could, trying to force out everything in his stomach.

Their mom peeked her head in the bathroom to see how he was doing. She frowned and rubbed his back.

"Come on, baby, you can do it," she encouraged him. Len tried again, this time brining up a bit of bile. Rin pushed on his belly a little, making him push out some of his dinner. He wretched again and brought up more. He breathed for a while, then belched again. He moaned and whimpered, his knees starting to buckle. He tried to say excuse me, but was interrupted by another bought of vomit. He panted and tried to say it again, but belched once more. He whimpered, his knees giving out, and his mom holding him up and helping him stand.

"Don't worry about it, Honey, we know you can't help it. Just let it all out."

He ripped another loud belch and more vomit came out as he did it. He puked for a few more minutes before he was finally done. He collapsed on the floor next to the sink and held his stomach. His mom picked him up and carried him back to the twin's room. She set him down on his bed and went off in search of the thermometer. Rin stayed in the bathroom and started taking the plastic wrap off the toilet paper.

Len lied down on the bed, feeling disoriented. He was dizzy and felt weak. It took all his energy to rub his stomach and bring a few burps up. He always burped when he was queasy. His doctor mentioned something about the stomach acid, something to do with that.

He turned onto his side and curled up into a ball. A ball of misery. He felt awful, truly awful. He felt like he was dying.

His headache acted up and made things even worse. He always hated headaches. There's almost nothing you can do for them without medicine. With a stomach ache you can at least rub your belly and that usually helps, but rubbing his head or using heat/ice packs never helped him once. He moaned, feeling tears in his eyes. He sniffed and tried not to cry. But it hurt so bad...

Suddenly, he felt a warm object behind him. He craned his neck to look over his shoulder to see what it was that was behind him, hurting his head more. It was Rin, spooning him. She snuggled up close and wrapped her arms around him, her arms covering his belly. She rubbed it gently to help him feel a bit better. Len relaxed and closed his eyes, melting into her soothing touch. He rested his hand on top of her's. Rin smiled at this action and rubbed small circles just beneath his belly button. Rubbing there helps with gas, so she figured she might try it to maybe help his poor digestive system out. With all that gurgling earlier and then him puking, it seems like it's in a bit of trouble there.

Len opened his mouth and breathed through it for a while, almost falling asleep from being so comfortable when suddenly something dropped in his stomach. He widened his eyes and gasped, Rin's fingers feeling like knives in his gut. He quickly pulled her hands away and sat up, clutching his belly and panting. Rin immediately sat up and put her hand on his back.

"What's the matter? Are you alright?"

Len's stomach gurgled loudly and he looked up at Rin.

"I think I need to use the bathroom," he replied quietly. Rin nodded in understanding and helped him up then led him to the bathroom.

"Do you need any help?" she asked, wanting to make sure he wouldn't make a mess. Len shook his head no and shooed her out. She closed the door, but didn't latch it, just in case she needed to get in there fast. She only had to push on the door to open it rather than turn the handle. She winced when she heard the sounds of his intestines trying their hardest to flood his system. He really must be feeling terrible, she thought to herself. I wonder what's wrong. Stomach flu? She guessed. She concluded that must be it, think into herself what she was gonna do to make him feel better while waiting for him to finish relieving himself.

About ten minutes had passed and he still wasn't out. Rin had sat down next to the door and waited. She never left, just in case he needed her. She wasn't worried either, because she could still hear him, so she knew nothing had happened.

Their mom saw Rin sitting next to the bathroom and sat down next to her. She pulled something out of her pocket.

"Finally found the thermometer," she said, giving her a tired smile. Rin returned it and they both waited for Len to finish.

It was maybe half an hour total before he was done. He exited the bathroom and both girls stood, glad to see he was done. Rin led him back to their room.

"Feel better?" she asked. Len nodded yes and did not put his hand on his stomach as he walked this time. Rin smiled at him. "That's great! I'm glad you're getting better Lenny." Len gave her a hopeful smile.

Once Len was back in bed, their mom stuck the thermometer in his mouth and they all waited to see what it read. A few minutes later it beeped and she took it out. Her face fell when she saw it and she stroked his arm lovingly.

"Oh, Honey," she said, frowning and kissing his cheek. "102°. You're really sick, Baby." Len's stomach gurgled and he grabbed his mother's hand and held it on his belly, closing his eyes. She frowned and rubbed his belly a bit. Len relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. It felt so good when someone rubbed his belly. Of course, he was still queasy and felt sick to his stomach, but a belly rub always make him relax, sick or not. It's just a little more enjoyable when he wasn't sick...

He involuntarily let out another burp, surprising himself and his sister. It was so calm until then. He made a small noise of strain, attempting to speak, but failing at first. "I'm sorry," he finally said. "I didn't mean to. I can't help it. Excuse me."

"It's okay, Baby, we know you can't help it. Don't worry about it. If it makes you feel better, just let it out."

Len nodded and allowed a string of burps to come out, not all of them loud but all of them definitely sick. He put a hand on his belly. Rin noticed it puffed out a little, which is unlike him, since his belly is usually flat.

"I have to use the restroom again," he said in a soft voice. The nodded and helped him up, taking him there. They waited yet again for him to finish, this time taking 23 minutes before he was done. His mom went downstairs to get some sleeping pills for him so he'd sleep tonight and rest up a bit. Rin took him back to their room by herself and laid down next to him, spooning him again while he burped and rubbed his belly.

"Hey Len?" she asked.

"Hm?

"How come you keep burping? I don't think you burp when you have the stomach flu normally."

Len hesitated before answering. "I always burp when I'm queasy. I don't mean to do it, it just sorta happens." he explained, then frowned. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, I was just curious is all." She hugged him tight and pulled him close. "Just do whatever makes you feel better." Len smiled and closed his eyes.

"Medicine time," their mom said. She handed Len two pills for sleeping and a small glass of water. He took the pills with the water and handed the cup back to her. She gave him a bottle of peptobismol next. He took a swig from it, knowing he'd likely use the entire bottle by himself if he kept hurting like this.

Their mom felt his forehead with her hand again, pushing his hair up off his face and then trailed her hand down the side of his cheek before it came to rest on his chin.

"Sleep tight, okay Sweetheart?" She kissed his cheek and gave him a quick hug. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mom," he replied, hugging her back. "Goodnight." They both let go.

"Goodnight," she said. She turned to Rin and did the same, then turned the lights out and left. Rin and Len slept next to each other in the same bed, just like they did when they were little. Rin kept Len warm in the night and he kept her safe. The hugged the whole night.

Until Len woke up at three am...