Tender
(Word 57)
Tastu always called it "raccoon sleeping", the way Tetsu crawls into his lap sometimes and cried out all his troubles. Lately, it had been far more often, and Tatsu hardly needed to ask the reason: Okita's illness was a debilitating blow, and even Tetsu's strong spirit buckled and threatened to break under it.
Always, Tatsu would gather his brother into his arms and rub his back, muttering soothing words until muffled sobs turned into the shaky sighs of fitful sleep. Gently, Tatsu ran his hands through Tetsu's hair, as though afraid that if he woke him, something terrible would happen. "I wanted to protect you," he whispers, the red mop tickling his face as he rests his head on top of his brother's hair. "How could I let your heart break like this?"
He had always known Tetsu would get hurt. He just hadn't expected not to be able to offer any words of comfort. This wasn't like the pain a woman could inflict; it was more like the pain Tetsu had known once when their parents were killed. Then, though, Tatsu had shared the burden: now he had no idea what the boy in his arms was feeling as he cried and forgot about being strong and even when Tatsu should have been sad for him, he couldn't stop the thought that it might be a blessing in disguise, this tragedy that reminded him that he couldn't control everything, and that all he could ever really do is to help Tetsu cope, when the tears came.
"Tatsu-nii..." Soft, hesitant.
"Shh, Tetsu."
"Tatsu-nii, do you love me?"
Pause. Sniffle. "Yes, Tetsu. I love you so much..."