Otoutoshipping (Roba x Kyouto)
Esper Roba padded across the wooden floor as quietly as he could. It was nearly midnight. The heat had turned off, and now everything was icy. He shuffled in his socks to the thermostat to change it.
Soft sobs floated to his ears. He hesitated, fingers hovering over the thermostat controls. Had he heard that? It was rather faint, so maybe he imagined it. He keyed in the correct temperature, and the heat breathed back to life.
More sobs. He definitely wasn't imagining that. He slid across the floor to the door to Kyouto and Ryori's room. The door was only partially open, and soft blue light filtered through the crack from the nightlight. Roba heard a few tear-filled hiccups. He put his hand to the door and pushed it quietly open.
"Kyouto? Ryori?"
He saw Ryori's bed, shoved against the left wall. The boy was sprawled across his bed, head and one arm dangling off the edge. He was so asleep that Roba could hear a few snores. He peeked around the door to Kyouto's bed, pushed against the right wall.
Kyouto had curled himself up in the corner, hugging his knees and pressing his face in the cradle made by his arms. His shoulders trembled slightly.
"Kyouto?"
Kyouto glanced up through his arms. His tears glittered in the faint nightlight.
"Nii-chan," he mumbled, voice thick with tears.
Roba climbed onto the bed and crawled over to Kyouto, so that he could put his arm around the younger boy's shoulders. Kyouto snuggled into him, hiccuping a few more times. Roba hugged him close. He waited a few minutes as Kyouto trembled next to him before speaking.
"What's wrong?"
Kyouto sniffled.
"I had a bad dream."
"Why didn't you come and get me?"
Kyouto ducked his head.
"I had a d-dream that you d-disappeared," he said. "I d-didn't want t-to go to your room a-and find out that it was real."
"Oh, Kyouto...otouto-san..."
Roba hugged Kyouto a lot tighter.
"I'm right here," he said. "I'm not going to leave you. Not ever. You know that right?"
"M-mom said that a lot t-too."
"I'm not mom," Roba said, with a little more acid than necessary. He calmed himself down before he spoke again. "Kyouto, where do you think I would go, without you guys? I couldn't even begin to function."
Kyouto swallowed. Roba pressed on.
"I mean it. Without you guys, I don't have a reason to keep working. I don't have anything to come home to. You guys are the reason I come home every day. I couldn't live without you."
"You promise?"
"I triple pinky promise with a cherry on top."
Kyouto giggled a little bit. He snuggled a little closer to Roba, as though to make sure he was actually there.
"Will you stay until I fall asleep?" he said.
"Of course."
Soon after the silence fell between them, their heads started to nod. Slowly, Roba's head fell to rest on Kyouto's and Kyouto's head rested on Roba's stomach.
Their breaths came slowly and steadily as they fell asleep.
A/N: Another one I wasn't too interested in writing. Next is Ordershipping (Marik x Possessed Jonouchi).
