Chapter 2: Somebody to Love
A/N: I noticed that I wrote "Syaoran" instead of "Syaoron" on some parts of the first chapter, mainly in the beginning. Sooooo embarassing. u/u Sorry for that.
Disclaimer: I don't own Shiritsu Horitsuba Gakuen and its characters or the lyrics I'm (ab)using. I don't own Paula und Paula. I only own the idea. By the way, for this first part of the story I have to thank my family for arguing about a special topic every time.
Pairing: Still SyaoronYuui, with a little bit of KuroFai. And no, Kurogane and Fai are not dating. Yet. In Drama CD 3, their friendship is getting deeper, as Yuuko pointed out. So I assume, they are not together and they have not confessed their love to each other. Although I bet there's a lot flirting going on. And spying on Kuro-pon under the shower. ^.^
Warning: gosh, this is so stupid. The last part sounded much more fun before I had to write it. I just hope it's not too confusing or pointless. O.O
I said the world, it still is the same
You'll never change it, just as sure as the stars shine above
Good god, baby, you ain't nobody until somebody loves you
So find yourself somebody to love
Michael Bublé, "You are nobody until somebody loves you"
The moment he put the key into the keyhole – it was almost evening by then – Yuui noticed a strange dialogue going on inside the apartment. 'Wait… this can't be right', he thought, unlocked the door and went in. Fai and Kurogane-san having an argument was not a new thing, especially if Fai was trying to persuade the dark tanned man to do something 'fun' – the sorts of things other people call crazy, even insane. However, this was none such argument, this was more like, well… It was what it was.
"Moles", Fai insisted.
"Hedgehogs", Kurogane growled.
"Moles."
"No, they're not!"
"Ow, Kuro-puu, there's no need to scream like that, that won't make you right. Just look at their noses, they're flat. Hedgehogs have pointy noses. And quills. Paula and Paula don't have quills. They do in fact look very un-hedgehog-ish."
"There's no such word, moron."
"Um, guys," Yuui interrupted. He peeked into the living room to find his brother and the sports teacher sitting on the couch. Well, Kurogane was sitting, Fai was in a half-sitting, half-lying position, his feet resting on the arm rest of the sofa, his back leaning at one of the shoulders of the taller man. Both of them were watching a cartoon, so it seemed. A cartoon about two black cute animals walking around, holding hands, erm, paws and enjoying time together.
"Yay, Yuui's back!", Fai shouted out with glee, arms outstretched to welcome his brother. Yuui prepared himself for being glomped. Nothing happened. Fais arms dropped down like they were filled with lead as the older Flourite-twin almost collapsed (It was not quite possible for Fai to collapse, since he wasn't standing). The chemistry teacher let out a moan as he rested his head on his colleagues lap and muttered something like: "moving is bad."
Kurogane blushed immediately. "Stop it, idiot! Get yourself a damn pillow."
"But I am ill, Kuro-rin! And you are more comfortable than a pillow."
The red of Kuroganes face became a darker shade.
"Are you still having a headache?", Yuui asked softly.
"Only when I move my head." Fai chuckled.
"Then maybe shutting up would be a good idea", Kurogane complained, "and they are hedgehogs!"
"No, they're NOT! Their hands are shaped like a shovel and they are living in a molehill! They are moles."
"Their feet don't look like moles' feets."
"Maybe they had a mole fracture."
Kurogane just stared. Yuui sighed.
"Brother."
"Yeeeees?"
"You know, that was probably the worst chemistry pun[1] I ever heard. Even worse than the one with the polar bear."
"But Yuui, just look at them. What do you think they are?"
Great. How did he get into this? The cooking teacher looked at the funny little creatures named Paula and Paula, how they were dancing amongst butterflies.
"Badgers?"
Now, Fai was in despair.
"Noooooo! Badgers have white stripes on their back."
Again, how did he get into this? And why were two grown up men watching goodnight TV program for kindergarten kids and elementary pupils in the first place? "That doesn't make sense. Moles are blind and they would not walk around in bright daylight."
"Nothing in this damn show makes any kind of sense", Kurogane grumbled, "They are obviously twins but they don't just look the same, they are the same. They act the same and they even have the same name and no one seems to mind or care how to tell them apart."
Yuui couldn't help but think about what his life would be like if he and his brother were both named Fai or Yuui. 'Good god!'
"Relax, Kuro-tan. It's just a TV show."
"Shut up and sleep, idiot."
When Paula and Paula was over, Kurogane went into the kitchen where Yuui was preparing dinner, leaving Fai alone with the remote control. Seconds later, the annoying laughter of a yellow square-shaped sponge could be heard.
A nerve on the tall man's forehead was twitching. "He's even worse, when he's sick!"
Yuui chuckled. "Not always. But thanks for looking after him."
The black haired man shrugged, which was his way of saying 'You're welcome.' "By the way, his fever dropped to 37,5° C [2] in the afternoon."
"I'm glad. He really made me worry."
"Lucky you."
The blond man blinked irritated. He hadn't heard any hints of irony in the other one's voice. But why would Kurogane envy him for worrying? Instead of asking further, Yuui just said: "Do you want to stay for dinner?"
"No."
"Not even as a reward for playing babysitter?" The twin smiled. 'Babysitting' was not the phrase he would choose, it was how Kurogane-san had called this job in the first place.
"There's no need to give me any reward for that."
"Still…"
"God, what is it with you people that you can't accept a simple 'no'?" Kurogane asked grumpily, "Maybe tomorrow. But not today."
"Why?"
A pair of strong muscled arms were crossed before a tanned chest, as the p.e. teacher closed his eyes and leaned on the kitchen wall. "Because your idiot of a brother would keep pretending he is just fine if I did. Instead of doing what a sane person would do: getting some rest."
Yuui almost dropped the pot he was holding as he recognized the older one was right.
Fai was not only eccentric, he was also a loving and caring person. He didn't want anyone to get sad, especially not because of him. Fai preferred lying instead of making other people worry. Yet, it was different when he was with Yuui, because the twins both knew they couldn't fool the other one. But how did Kurogane know about that? Why did that man know Fai so well that he could look right through this bubbly, happy-go-lucky surface?
Unless…
"You love him", Yuui whispered as the thought crossed his mind. Actually it was more like a high speed collision than crossing. It was like he just ran into the Wall of Realization.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing." Yuui didn't know what to do with this information. He wasn't the kind of person to interfere in such things, but he felt the urge to say 'He feels the same way, you know'. Still, that was something Kurogane had to find out by himself as long as Fai didn't choose to confess.
The black haired man shrugged. "Fine. See you tomorrow."
"Goodbye, Kurogane-san."
The blond man could hear his twin's cries of disappointment as Kurogane crossed the living room and something that sounded like "not without a farewell-hug, Kuro-sama." Few moments later, said Kuro-sama was getting really pissed.
"I'm warning you, moron, if I don't see your sorry ass at school in two days, you're in serious trouble."
"I'll miss you, too", Fai cheered.
Then the door was slammed.
There was no better way to kill a cold than hot chicken broth and ginger tea. Or peppermint tea with honey and lemon. Yuui put a bowl of the soup with a cup of ginger tea on a tray and carried it into the living room, where his beloved twin had fallen asleep. Finally. But as Yuui turned off the TV, two eyes just like his own scanned him drowsily.
"Kuro-wanwan's been really angry when he left, wasn't he?", Fai whispered, his eyes hazed, his voice shaky. There it was, the fear of getting rejected. The only thing Fai was afraid of. Besides raw fish, but thast was another story.
"No, brother. He wasn't angry at you."
"But…."
"He knows. He knows you're playing it down and he doesn't like it. And I don't like it too, it's careless."
Yuui placed the tablet on the table and sat down on the floor next to the couch. With a faint smile, he stroked his brother's blond hair. "We just want you to get better."
Fai pulled the sheet up to his nose and looked away.
"You should tell him", Yuui proposed.
"I can't. He won't believe me."
"You don't know that."
"He has to confess first."
Yuui sighed. Sometimes it seemed to him that his brother didn't want to get happy. Sometimes he didn't understand his other half at all. "That's not fair of you. I don't think he's the kind of person who can say these three words easily, so even if he feels the same way, he may not say so. Emotions are complicated Fai, sometimes people don't realize how they really feel. You know that you love him but if you're hiding it, Kurogane-san may not get the chance to find out about his feelings."
Suddenly, the image of Syaoron came to Yuui's mind; of how the kid was standing under his umbrella. This boy… why was he thinking of him right now? Was it because he didn't know about this kids feelings either? Lying, just to get closer to someone else… Yuui really wanted to know why Syaoron-kun did that. A part of him hoped that it was because the boy really liked him, but there was also that pragmatic part of him, insisting this was just wishful thinking. Maybe the kid just liked fooling people.
Maybe… but Yuui didn't believe Syaoron-kun was mean like that. He refused to believe it.
"Yuui?"
A warm hand touched the cheek of the younger Flourite twin and the blond looked up, seeing the soft smile on his brother's face.
"You were thinking, Yuui."
"Yeah, my mind just sort of… slipped off. Sorry."
Fai's smile widened. "Were you thinking of someone?"
"I…"
"Could it be that brother is in love, too?"`
Was he?
He liked Syaoron's presence, but… love was such a small word to describe such a huge and complicated feeling. The fact that Syaoron was able to make him smile just by walking through the door was not enough to call it love… was it? Also, this attraction was strictly emotional. It was not like he acted different towards that boy (getting distracted every now and then didn't count)… or wanted to touch him…(his fingers, closing around Syaoron's hand on the handle of an umbrella didn't count, either)… he just refused to think anything else but the best of this kid. He just liked to see him smile, liked the care he showed towards his brother, Syaoran. He liked watching Syaoron while cooking, when the younger ones eyebrows were wrinkled because he tried to knead a piece of very tough bread dough. The boy had a way of taking too much flour for the dough every time.
But it was not like his heart started racing every time he looked at Syaoron. It was not like he was close to fainting every time they coincidentally touched.
It was just a little crush, nothing more.
Just a little crush.
"You really are", Fai said, not aware that he was about to destroy his brother's denial, "I can tell by the look on your face. So you found somebody to love? You're not nobody anymore?"
Not nobody anymore… something about this words made Yuuis senses tingle. He had heard something similar before. Then he remembered Syaoron's question.
"Sensei, would you say that I am nobody?"
A coincidence?
"Fai, what do you mean, I am 'not nobody anymore'?"
"You don't know?"
"No! What am I supposed to know?" This day was becoming frustrating. He had to face more and more questions and no matter how many he answered, there were still too many left.
"There is this song. It says that you are nobody until somebody comes and loves you. That you are nobody 'til somebody cares and that this is the reason why people should find somebody to love."
So the boy might have asked him… Yuui found it suddenly very hard to breathe. He never wanted anyone to know about it, especially not the person involved.[3] He knew, his feelings were inappropriate. He knew they were hard to bare sometimes and they were not supposed to hurt or disturb anyone else.
"You don't look happy to find out", Fai stated, now stroking his brother's cheek to comfort him like he had always done when they were still kids. Fai's fingers were way to warm.
"It's complicated."
"Is it a student?"
Yuui fell silent. He hoped that Fai was just guessing about this, because he was afraid of his older twin's reaction. A student. A teenager. He didn't want to be called a paedophile. He knew he was none, after all this was just an affection, not lust. But people never cared about that when kids were involved.
"Is his birthday on April the 1st?"
"How do you… wait, I never said it's a 'he'."
"It's okay, brother. I think I know who it is."
"I never said a word."
"You never had to. You are my twin." Fai said but he still didn't smile. Yuui got nervous. The fact that the chemistry teacher who used to smile for everyone and because of everything, the man who had the most generous definition of love than anyone Yuui ever met still had this wondering look on his face was not a good sign. The older Flourite twin stared at the ceiling, folding his hands on his chest and nibbling on his lower lip. Then Fai fell silent.
Silent. Fai.
This was really serious.
"Poor Syaoron…", Fai murmured… and gasped, covering his mouth with his hand.
Yuui was hurt. This was mean and unfair. Sure, the cooking teacher never expected Fai to be all happy and cheery about it… but that was no reason to act like he was a sick, kid-seducing pervert. What was hurting the most was that he had to hear this words from the person who should know him best.
"Gosh, I was not supposed to tell you about it", Fai continued, not noticing the other one was close to tears, "Especially because I'm not sure. I mean, he never told me, he just asked a lot questions and it's not like Syaoron to show so much interest. Please don't let him know how you feel. I hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not…"
"Fai, what are you talking about?", Yuui cried desperately. He couldn't make sense of most of it, except for the 'not telling Syaoron'-part.
"I think it would be easier for him to accept he never had a chance, you know, being a student and stuff like that, if you've only fallen for another teacher or someone he doesn't know…"
'What?'
"… but one of his friends, really that will break his heart."
'WHAT?'
Slowly, the cooking teacher's mind was putting the pieces of this puzzle together. April first. A friend. Not a brother, a friend…
"FAI!"
"Yeah?"
"It's not Watanuki!" Now, Yuui couldn't hold back the tears any longer. But they were sweet tears of relief. Fai didn't think he was a pervert. Fai simply had come to a wrong conclusion. Just a stupid, stupid misunderstanding, no blaming, no disgust…
"…Oh. But you were always so fond of him."
Yuui wiped the tears away, chuckling. "Because he is good at cooking. Not because he is dear to me." 'Twin telepathy, huh? Whoever came up with that apparently never met us.'
"Stop laughing, Yuui! That's not funny!"
"Yes it is!"
Fai pouted. "You know, you could at least tell me who it is, then."
"You don't care it's a teenager?"
"What has love to do with age?"
'Yep. That was the answer I wanted to hear, brother.' He smiled and hugged his twin (which was not that easy to do since Fai was still lying on the couch, still pouting and confused). "Don't worry", he whispered, "No ones heart will be broken."
[1] a pun based on the similarity of the words 'mole' and 'mol'. The mol fracture x(a) of a Substance a is: x(a) = n(a)/(n(a)+n(b))
[2] For the American readers: that is 99.5 °F. I don't like Fahrenheit. It's a stupid unit, hard to transform into Kelvin. We should stick to Kelvin, that's at least an SI-unit.
[3] Not really. Well, I wanted to show that Syaoron knew about this song (maybe it's the kind of music his mother is into) but what he really intended to find out was if he was just anybody to his teacher or not. The answer of this question… well it's up to you. Do you think Yuui's reply was really helpful?
Paula und Paula you may know as "The mole sisters". I didn't want to call them like that, because then the little dialogue between Fai and Kurogane would not have been that irritating. XD. Besides, I think they were given the names Paula just in Germany. It sounded like that when I did some research on them on the Sandmann-Homepage. And yes, my father still thinks they're hedgehogs while I figured out they were moles immediately. Oh, they are so cute.
If you want to know about the polar bear pun, you have to write a review. (Lately, I've seen a T-shirt with a math pun. I didn't even know there was such a thing. Don't drink and derive, it said .)
There is another song text hint hidden in this chapter, maybe you'll find it. If you do, can you tell me the artist? I forgot. It's a 90's pop song if I am right. Oh and yeah… about the one-shot thing: this turns into a three-chapter-story. Erm… oops? I've never been a girl of few words.