Prompt: Give me Nahyuta and Apollo acting like brothers. It can be when they were kids, post-SoJ... Fuck, even an AU where they were teenagers together. I just think this is the cutest thing ever and want some heartwarming fluff of them being family.

May or may not be a prequel to Coming Home (Chapter 1)

Older Brother Responsibilities

Nahyuta Sahdmadhi tosses and turns in his bed, unable to get comfortable. He's very rarely sick, but whenever he was, he was utterly miserable, and this time is no different.

It's always either too hot or too cold, so he's always sweaty or shivering, and it feels like all of his senses are in overdrive. Everything aches, and moving brings either pain or nausea, but if he lies still for too long, he feels stiff and sore. Sometimes, it's hard to breathe, and the room is too stuffy; sometimes, the mere thought of food makes bile rise in his throat, but hunger is no better.

Even sleep is a struggle, and all he can do is pray for the Holy Mother's blessing.

The door slowly creaks open. "Nahyuta, are you awake?"

It's Apollo. To the kid's credit, he's whispering — he knows that loud noises and bright lights hurt. Unfortunately, Apollo is still naturally very loud, and it magnifies the headache of opening his eyes.

"Yes," he'd groan if his throat weren't so hoarse. "What is it?"

"Dhurke asked me to check on you because dinner is ready." The younger boy climbs onto the bed beside him —he's short, so the beds are a bit high for him— and Nahyuta is about to protest when Apollo holds out a sip cup of water. "You sound like you need this."

Nahyuta struggles to lift his head enough to drink some, but that makes him dizzy, so he tries rolling onto his side instead. Apollo quickly shifts to help him, holding his arm under Nahyuta's head and neck for support. When he's done, Apollo sets the sip cup aside and helps him lie back down.

"You're still so warm," Apollo not-whispers, a small hand pressed to Nahyuta's brow. "I'll tell Dhurke you're awake and get you a cold towel?"

"Mm," he agrees, and Apollo takes off.

As he waits, Nahyuta thinks it's all Apollo's fault. Apollo always got sick first, and Nahyuta invariably got it next from taking care of him. Father had important business to attend to, so he wasn't always around, and whenever he wasn't, Apollo was Nahyuta's responsibility. Fortunately, they were only a year apart, and Apollo was fun to play with, but illness treated him so much better than it did Nahyuta.

The cold towel pressed to his brow startles him, and he jumps, green eyes flying open.

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Apollo gasps, and the noise stabs straight through his skull. "Sorry," the younger boy properly whispers this time, barely above a breath, easing him slowly back down to dab at his forehead gently with the cold towel. "I'm sorry you're so sick because of me."

It's hard to resent the kid when Apollo clearly feels so bad about it though.

"As the older brother, it's my responsibility t—"

"But you're not even my real brother!"

Nahyuta flinches away from the outburst — the words sting. He remembers the day Father brought Apollo home and told Nahyuta he had a new baby brother. He remembers thinking those brown hair and eyes didn't belong, and maybe Father brought Apollo back because he wasn't enough now that Mother was gone. He remembers Father telling him that both of Apollo's parents were gone, and it hurt enough to lose Mother that it was easy to feel sorry for Apollo who would endure twice that pain. Then Father put the baby down beside him, and Apollo immediately reached up to touch his cheek with a contented smile like… like they'd always been together, and—

He'd believed Apollo adored him from that very first moment, and it didn't take long for him to reciprocate. Apollo had a mysterious knack for knowing when Nahyuta was upset, and he always tried to make Nahyuta happy, so it was easy to love him. Even now, his face falls.

"Ah, no, I didn't mean it like that!" Small hands wring the cold towel as Apollo shifts closer. "I mean… I know you and Dhurke aren't my real family, but you're always so nice… Like, you don't have to be, you know? But you are. And I wish you were. My real family, I mean. I want to be with you forever."

"Then you never have to leave, Apollo," Father declares, walking in with a bowl in hand.

The boy brightens. "Really?"

"Of course!" Father sits down by his side, sets the bowl down and ruffles Apollo's hair. "It'll be great to have you two looking out for each other." He helps Nahyuta sit up, and the room spins. "Especially with how Nahyuta here gets at the slightest hint of illness. Har-har-har!"

Nahyuta squeezes his eyes shut, turning away —in spite of everything, he'd be lying if he said he was never jealous— but then Apollo is arranging the pillows behind him, and he's not sure whom he's jealous of. His stomach settles, and the room seems to stabilize, as he leans back into the pile of pillows. Father feeds him small dumplings in thick broth, Apollo's gentle fingers sweep his hair out of his face as he tilts his head to eat, and Nahyuta realizes that he has been blessed. Father is here instead of outside doing important things, and Apollo, who has plenty of reason to envy him, really has always adored him.

"Yuty! Guess what I've got for you!" Datz holds up a paper bag —did he come in through the window?— with his big goofy grin, and Nahyuta silently prays to the Holy Mother it's his medicine.

"Datz!" Apollo hisses, and it's ironic he's the one asking people to quiet down. Turning to Nahyuta with concerned brown eyes, he asks, "Are you okay?" and Nahyuta smiles helplessly — as the older one, he's supposed to be the protector, but it's warm when Apollo wraps a protective arm around his shoulders, warm inside, and he leans into it.

"Yes."

"Good. I won't forgive anyone who hurts Nahyuta. Not even Datz," Apollo declares, scowling at the man.

"Big words, AJ." Datz smirks, hands on his hips now that Father has taken the bag from him. "You'd better back them up when the time comes."

"Y—!" Apollo hurriedly clamps his hand over his mouth, looking apologetic. "I will," he promises, more quietly but no less firmly. "Justice will strike them down!"

He leaps over Nahyuta to tackle Datz, and the man laughs as he catches Apollo and wrestles him to the ground. They're making plenty of noise, but it makes Nahyuta smile, and Father laughs along as Datz chases Apollo out of the room. Ever since Apollo learned the meaning of his last name, he's been going out of his way to insert it in conversation, and it's endearingly silly. Father hands Nahyuta some medicine —two mini cups of syrup and four pills— and he grimaces at the bitterness and chemical aftertaste. He washes it down with broth and water, but the stuff clings to his tongue and throat, and he can't get the taste out of his mouth.

"Nahyuta?" It's Apollo again — he's run back in, and he's holding something out. "Peach candy?"

When he takes it, Apollo beams — he usually bribes Apollo with candy to take medicine because he hates the taste, and while he doesn't need convincing to take his medication, it's thoughtful of Apollo to offer him candy to cover the unpleasant taste. Peach is Nahyuta's favorite, too.

"Nahyuta, do you want the light?" Father asks, empty bowl and medicine bag in hand, as he stands by the switch beside the door — night is falling, and it's growing dark.

"No, Father. I'll get some more rest." Perhaps when he wakes up, the medicine will have worked, and he'll feel better.

"All right. I'll be outside with Datz. Apollo, will you watch him?"

"Of course! Where there is Justice, Nahyuta will never be alone!"

Apollo immediately climbs onto the bed to start arranging the pillows for him to lie back down, and Father smiles fondly.

"Har-har-har! I'm counting on you, Apollo," he calls over his shoulder as the door closes behind him.

Nahyuta hopes that the medicine will kick in soon — although Apollo is careful to lower him gently, everything aches. A night breeze blows in through the window, carrying the fresh scent of dewy grass, and he pulls the blankets up around himself.

"Are you cold? Should I close the window?"

"N—no." He likes the fresh air, but it is unusually cold.

"Liar." Apollo slips under the blanket beside him and pulls him close, so he's half draped over the younger boy. "You're shivering."

"D—don't d—do that. Y—you'll get sick again."

Instead of obeying, Apollo settles in and combs his fingers through Nahyuta's hair. "I just recovered. I'll be fine."

"T—that's not how it works, you— you pohlkunkan." But Apollo has been quick to learn Nahyuta's weaknesses — even now, he feels himself relaxing into the touch, starting to drift off.

"Dhurke will be mad if he hears you say that," Apollo giggles, rubbing circles into his scalp.

"Hmph." Nahyuta gives in, snuggling closer — Apollo smells like the reeds by the riverbank where he must have been playing earlier, and it's earthy, familiar, comforting. "I learned it from him."

Still giggling, Apollo turns to rub their noses — their 'good night' gesture. "You know I won't tell. Good night, Nahyuta. I love you."

He closes his eyes, sinking into the other's warmth as the aches fade. "Good night, Apollo. I love you, too."