The sound of steady beeping filled the room and the sole conscious occupant stared into his elder brother's face, any emotions masked behind an apathetic frown. Inwardly, he was facing a whirlwind of various emotions, so much so that he was outwardly trembling. He didn't notice that he was shaking, however, too focused on his churning thoughts. Staring into his brother's face, he couldn't help but feel it was his fault. He knew it was stupid to blame himself, and he wasn't one to let go of his emotions, but he couldn't help it. He recalled the argument he had with his brother a few years ago. They had never really talked to each other properly after that, and when they did, Kiku hardly said anything and Yao had always been too busy to talk long; always on one trip or another.
As their previous argument sprung to mind, Kiku felt a flash of guilt. His brother had always been there for him, always helped him and looked out for the family, but he went away a lot too. He remembered how hurt Yao looked when he had told him as much, and he could remember Meimei crying against Michael in the background. At these horrible memories, he squeezed Yao's hand for comfort.
Kiku swallowed thickly, choking on a sob. He didn't bother wiping his eyes but sat there and continued staring at his silent brother's pale face. Opening his trembling lips, he whispered, "I'm so sorry, aniki... This is all my fault..." If he weren't so good at controlling his emotions, he would have buried his head in the bed sheets and cried. He knew not to, however, and so he just continued staring blankly as tears cascaded down his face. "I... have never been good at... discussing personal things. And I know I hurt you, aniki, but... I just hope you know that... you mean a lot to me." He flushed slightly, a bit embarrassed and divulging that, but was rewarded with a small squeeze back. His eyes darted to his and his brother's intertwined hands to see Yao's fingers twitching slightly. "Aniki..." he said softly with a tearful smile. "Please rest. I will be right here when you wake up."
He felt rather excited when Yao shifted slightly and then seemed to fall deeply into slumber. Heaving another sob, he realised that Yao must have forgiven him. Smilinlg through his tears, he whispered, "Thank you, aniki."
He jerked suddenly when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Blinking down at the keychain-covered phone, he noticed the name of the person calling and rushed to click 'answer'. "H-Heracles-san," he murmured quietly.
"Kiku... you sound upset. Has something happened?" the Greek man asked instantly, getting straight to the point.
The dark-haired man smiled softly. "I'm okay now, Heracles-san," he replied. "But thank you for your concern."
There was a pause, and then, "Where are you?"
"What...?" Kiku blinked. "I'm... at the hospital. But I'm all right," he assurred him hastily before he could jump to conclusions. "My brother... He was injured in a car collision the other day..."
"Why didn't you call me?" Heracles demanded, and Japan winced at the anger in his voice. Heracles usually sounded dreamy. He was only angry when someone mentioned Sadiq.
"I'm... I'm sorry," Kiku mumbled, trying to hide his nervousness. "I just... thought it was unimportant..."
"Kiku." The addressed man cringed at the seriousness in his friend's voice. "You're my best friend. Nothing that happens to you is unimportant. No matter what, you can and should always call me. Friends are meant to be there for each other."
The Japanese man felt a smile tugging at his lips for the first time in so long. "Thank you."
"You don't thank people for friendship," Heracles replied fondly. "Now, where are you? I'll head there now."
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
This was another reason Arthur had wanted to go home - awkward silence.
He and Matthew were sitting in the living room with a can of pop and a cup of now-cold tea in front of them. They were staring at the television but not really taking anything in. A buzzing sound erupted from near the door and Matthew murmured, "Doorbell," and stood up to answer. As they were in flats, Matthew had to unlock the front door. He seemed to be talking frantically into the box, but Arthur wasn't listening. When he had noticed the news had come on, he started paying attention to the television.
"Good evening. This is the news at ten o'clock. We have reports of a car accident yesterday at precisely eight o'clock in the evening. The man driving the car has been reported dead with severe head injuries, and various fractures and broken bones. Oddly enough, the paramedics, when checking him over, found a multitude of scars, many of which deep. The auhorities are currently studying this man, and trying to locate his identity.
"The car he was driving was GAZ-3106 Ataman-2 concept SUV. There was no license plate and so the authorities, thus far, remain utterly stumped. However, the victim of the accident is one Wang Yao..."
At this, Arthur jumped. He recalled Kiku mentioning his brother being in an accident. He instantly felt his heart lurch as he remembered how distraught Kiku was. Swallowing, he tried to focus on the television. He didn't hear the door slam.
"He is currently reported as stabilised and in hospital, but there has been no word of which hospital he is currently staying at. It seems the only way for the police to find out about this case is to interview Wang Yao. However, they cannot do that until they find out where he is residing. If you have any information, please contact..."
There, Arthur tuned out, staring blankly at the telly as he absorbed the given information. He fisted his trousers as he thought of Kiku crying. He hated when his friends were hurting and, even though he tried, he knew he didn't make Kiku feel better. He was never good at comforting people, which was odd considering he was a therapist. Sure, he could cure them, but he didn't do it with empty promises of, "It's going to be all right," because he knew nothing was ever okay; no one ever got a happy ending.
He was pulled out of his reverie when he heard shouting, and looked up to see Matthew and Alfred making animated gestures at one another. The volume then set in and he winced when he heard their shouts.
"You're drunk! Alfred, what the fuck? You... you swore you'd never drink! You said you wouldn't be like him--"
Arthur's eyes widened in surprise when Alfred threw a punch at his brother, and at that point he jumped up and grabbed the elder brother's fist before he could land another punch. Matthew had stumbled back, grasping his nose and looking horrified. Silence ensued for a moment before Matthew's eyes filled with tears, he yanked open the door and dashed out of the apartment before anyone could say anything. Alfred and Arthur were left standing there, one still clutching onto the other's arm as he stared out of the door.
Alred recovered first and yanked his arm out of Arthur's grip. He then turned to walk away but the Englishman grabbed his arm again. If Arthur was phased by the threatening glare he got, he didn't show it.
"Let go of me," Alfred muttered, and Arthur now heard the slurred tone in his voice. He wouldn't lecture the brat about alcohol; he got drunk often enough to think Andrew Lloyd Webber was a hot chick in Vegas or something.
"No," Arthur said, his voice hard. "Do you not even care that you just hurt your brother? I know there was something there, he said you were acting like 'him'." Arthur noticed that Alfred flinched and stored that away for future reference. "You obviously hurt him..."
"Shut the hell up!" the American shouted, eyes burning. He yanked his arm out of Arthur's grasp again and shoved him against the wall. The Englishman winced; he didn't realise Alfred was so strong - he was sure his back would bruise. "You don't know anything about me!"
"You're right," Arthur lamented, scowling. "But, whether you like it or not, I'm going to get to know you, and I'm going to make you get over your teenage angst--" He winced when Alfred shoved him against the wall again, and blinked the stars out of his vision when he hit his head.
"Just stay out of my life," the American whispered threateningly, his eyes glinting...
And then he shoved his lips against Arthur's.
O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O
Characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya.
Sorry this one is so short! I just thought it would be an appropriate place to end this chapter. Next: More GuriPan, some SuFin, USxUK, and Franada! I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it--
*coughs* D-do excuse me... whilst I wallow in shame...
And still, guys, come on, I need more votes for the pairings! RussiaxChina, RussiaxPrussia, RussiaxLiet, etcetera... Go on the previous chapter to view all.
Please review. Thank you all.
