"Taiga-nii, will you tell me story?"

Kagami still wasn't sure how this had become his life. It had all happened very quickly. And he wasn't upset about it, at all. Quite the opposite. But he hadn't quite finished adapting to it, and he still got weirded out by all of the things that had never happened to him before that apparently were going to happen to him now.

Because he had a little brother now. A very cute, sweet little brother, to be sure. A little brother who was currently very sick and not quite in his right mind, who was nervous around strangers and therefore somewhat clingy and needy, who needed to be comforted frequently and was not ashamed to ask for it.

Tetsu did not like the nurses. When they came to check on him, he went very still and quiet and let them do their business. But he watched them with sleepy, suspicious eyes the entire time and didn't relax until they left again. He knew they were just doing their jobs, but he still resented their presence.

As soon as the latest round had finished and the nurse left the room, Tetsu had looked to Kagami and reached out a hand for him, his eyes wide and pleading. "Taiga-nii." It was not quite a demand, but it was getting close.

Kagami sighed, shoulders slumping. "You want me to sit with you again?"

"Yes." Tetsu's voice was firm. He'd even quit saying "please" a few hours ago. Apparently since Kagami was nii-san now, this was simply expected.

Kagami grumbled quietly, though he didn't really mean it. He lowered the rail on the side of Tetsu's bed and sat on the edge, kicked off his slippers, then swung his legs up and scooted back so that he was sitting next to his little brother on the half-reclined hospital bed. His arm automatically reached out to wrap around Tetsu's shoulders, and Tetsu leaned into him with a tiny, satisfied sigh.

His breathing was still too rough and raspy, and his body was still far too warm where it pressed along Kagami's side. The fever continued to mess with Tetsu's head, and Kagami knew that he had strange and disturbing dreams every time he drifted off, mostly because Tetsu sometimes talked in his sleep. That was certainly unpleasant. But it had been almost a day now since Tetsu had been admitted, and he had improved a great deal from the near-unresponsive state he'd been in when they first hooked up the IV and started pumping him full of medicine and fluids.

When he first came out of his stupor, Tetsu had looked around with panic in his face that didn't fade until both Kagami and his dad pushed over to his bedside and made sure he could see their faces. Dad brushed the hair back from Tetsu's face, and Kagami took his hand, not surprised when Tetsu squeezed back with all his strength, almost desperate as he did everything he could to make sure that they were really there, that they hadn't left him. It had taken about ten minutes of constant talking and soothing touches before Tetsu relaxed against the pillow again, his eyes falling half-shut.

Even then, he had refused to sleep again, shaking his head stubbornly whenever anyone suggested that he needed more rest. And he wouldn't let go of Kagami's hand. No matter how relaxed he looked, his fingers remained tight and desperate, squeezing Kagami's palm hard enough that he could swear it was going to leave a mark.

It was Dad who figured out that Tetsu was missing the way he had been held back in the waiting room. Even though he hadn't wanted to sleep then, either, he had been much more relaxed leaning against Dad's chest than he was now, safely ensconced in a hospital bed with all the wonders of modern medicine fighting for his healing. As soon as it occurred to him, Dad climbed into the bed next to Tetsu and put an arm around him, and Tetsu leaned into his side and finally, finally relaxed. His fingers loosened around Kagami's hand, though they didn't let go, and Kagami bent over the other side of the bed and let himself breathe.

Tetsu even slept then, the first true, restful sleep he'd had since Maji Burger. He had woken looking much more refreshed and like himself. The dreams hadn't started in earnest until later. Kagami was grateful that Tetsu had gotten one period of slumber that had been truly helpful, truly healing. The times since then had been...not as good.

So he didn't mind when Tetsu held out a hand and asked Kagami to sit with him. The first few times he had been hesitant and embarrassed, as if he wasn't sure he had the right to make such a bold request. That had faded as Kagami responded instantly and calmly, treating it as a normal part of being brothers, and now he asked for Kagami's presence with complete confidence. It had been the same way with the hugs, earlier. Once Tetsu had been convinced that it was okay to ask for comfort, he started doing it often.

The only thing that was really embarrassing, and even that wasn't really a big deal, was the fact that they weren't quite alone. Tetsu's roommate was an older man in the hospital for a hip replacement, and he was not shy about staring. He watched them with the face that people used for baby animals and tiny children, and he occasionally commented on what good brothers they were. Kagami knew his face turned red from his chin to the top of his forehead, every single time. Fortunately, the old man spent most of his time asleep or reading the newspaper.

So now Kagami was sitting with Tetsu in a hospital bed that was really not made to hold two people, trying to think of a story.

"What kind of story do you want?" he asked after a little bit. "I could tell you about basketball practice." Dad had taken over hospital duties so Kagami could go to weekend practice as well as stop home to bathe and change. Now it was his turn to stay with Tetsu while Dad refreshed himself.

Tetsu shook his head, which amounted to rubbing it on Kagami's shoulder. "No, I want a story about you. We're brothers now, but there's still so much I don't know about you. What was LA like? How did you meet Himuro-san? Do you miss America? What happened when you got bit by that dog, and why does it still scare you so much? What happened to your mom? Is she dead, too? Why did you decide to come to Seirin? Do you remember Japan before you moved to America? Do you have friends from back then?"

"Okay, okay." Kagami blinked, trying to sort through it all. "I get the picture."

Tetsu subsided, going still against him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overwhelm you."

"It's okay." Kagami tightened the arm around him and stared down at his sock-clad feet on top of the covers some distance down from the lump formed by Tetsu's curled up frame. "I'm just trying to think... Some of those stories are not very happy."

"I didn't say I wanted a happy story. I want a story about you."

"Right." Kagami tilted his head back and looked up at the ceiling. "Well, to start with, I do remember Japan before we moved to America. I was in elementary school at the time. I had friends here, but all I remember are nicknames—Shou-chan, Izumin. We never exchanged contact information, or if we did I lost it long ago. We weren't even in Tokyo then, but way out in the country. I think moving to America was a big step up for my dad, for his career. That doesn't mean I was happy about it, though. America was very big and different and scary, and the language was weird, and I didn't know anyone. My dad was working long hours, and my mom... Well, it was a hard time for all of us."

"That sounds rough," Tetsu said softly.

"Yeah." Kagami didn't much like remembering that time. But he would do it, for Tetsu. It wasn't as rough as ending up in the hospital with internal damage from your father beating you. "This might shock you, but I had trouble making friends. I was surly and impatient, and I wasn't good at communicating."

Tetsu snickered into his shoulder. "I'm very shocked, yes." He sobered immediately, though, and sighed in sympathy. "Poor little Taiga-nii."

"Well, it didn't last for long. I met Aniki on the street one day, and we got along immediately. He told me that the best way to make friends was to have something I liked to do that I could share with people. So we started playing basketball, and then we pestered Alex until she agreed to teach us. It was great."

Kagami was quiet for a moment, remembering. "Aniki was right, too. All the best things in my life have come from playing basketball." He held his little brother a little tighter.

Tetsu yawned and curled up even closer against him. "Don't be sappy, Taiga-nii. Tell me about the dog bite."

"Tch." Kagami's lip twisted. "This really isn't a pleasant story."

"Don't care. Tell me what happened to you. I want to understand."

"You're pushy when you're sick."

"Yes." Tetsu wrapped one hand in Kagami's shirt and tugged, hard, urging him to continue"But you're letting me, so it's your own fault."

Kagami wrinkled up his nose. He supposed it was true. "You still don't have to push me. That's your own choice."

"Stop stalling and tell me."

"Stop talking and let me." Kagami nudged his side with his free fist, his other arm tightening around him.

"Not fair, Taiga-nii." Tetsu shoved back as hard as he could, which was not very hard at all, considering how weak he was. "Don't pick on your sick little brother."

"Using your illness as an excuse? That's low, Tetsu-chan."

They engaged in a low-key, sideways wrestling match that was as ridiculous as it was gentle. Well, it was gentle on Kagami's part. Tetsu was clearly giving pretty much everything he had to it, but he still couldn't budge Kagami so much as a centimeter. They stopped when Tetsu's panting got too alarming, and Kagami abruptly halted his pushing and grabbed Tetsu's wrist to make him stop.

"Tetsu-chan, Tetsu-chan, relax. You're wearing yourself out."

Tetsu struggled against his grip for a bare second, then suddenly went limp, his head falling back against the pillow with a muffled whump. It sounded like someone had punched a marshmallow. "Ugh. I need water."

"I got it."

Kagami pulled away enough to stretch out one arm to the bedside table and fetch a glass of water, then brought it back. Tetsu held the glass with both hands, but Kagami kept a hand on it, anyway, steadying it while Tetsu drank. Sweat had popped out on his forehead and cheeks, and Kagami knew that was a good sign. The fever was breaking, slowly releasing its grip on Tetsu's body. It was still disturbing to see how exhausted a silly little shoving match could make him, though.

Tetsu eventually pushed the water away, and Kagami set it back on the table, then settled next to him on the bed again. "I'll tell you about the dog bite, okay? I really don't mind."

Tetsu nodded wearily. He turned over on his side and balled up, facing Kagami, his head on his shoulder and his drawn-up knees pressing into Kagami's side. "You don't have to tell me if it bothers you that much."

"I just told you that I don't mind."

Tetsu's sigh was muffled in his shirt. "I'm being obnoxious."

"No, you're sick and out of it and uncomfortable. And you're stubborn, which is normal for you. Besides, little brothers are supposed to be obnoxious." And adorable and lovable and all of the other things Tetsu was without even trying.

Tetsu tilted his head thoughtfully. "And what are big brothers supposed to be like?"

"I don't know, but it looks like they're supposed to snuggle a lot and tell stories."

Tetsu laughed and went limp against his shoulder. He actually laughed. It was quiet and tender and bubbling, not hysterical and high-pitched like the time he laughed at Kagami and Aomine, nor bitter and choked like that time in his bedroom. It sounded like it might be Tetsu's real laugh, for once, and Kagami loved it unreasonably.

"Tell me a story, then."

"All right. I was ten years old and Aniki was eleven. We had heard stories about a streetball court in a certain part of LA where the players had an unusual style, and we wanted to go see them. So we took a bus. But we got off at the wrong stop and ended up in a neighborhood... Well, looking back, it was sketchy. It was no place for two young kids who were still learning the language to hang around. But it seemed deserted at the time, no one in sight anwhere. So we just started walking, looking for the basketball court. It was summer in LA, and it was hot. Hotter than it gets here. We were walking on cracked concrete with weeds growing out of the cracks, and beside us were broken chain fences and concrete walls scribbled with graffiti in Spanish and English."

Tetsu made a noise of wonder. "Taiga-nii is painting a picture with his words."

"Shut up, I'm telling you a story. All of a sudden I heard this high-pitched little meow. I knew it was a cat, but I'd never heard a cat sound like that. It was terrified. I took off running, and Aniki tried to grab my arm and stop me, but I got away from him. I came around the corner of a broken fence into an empty lot, and there was a kitten, running as fast as it could through the weeds. Its leg was hurt, and I could see that it wasn't going to make it. Right behind it was this pack of wild dogs. I guess there were four or five of them, though at the time it seemed like a lot more."

Tetsu caught his breath. "Oh no. Please, Taiga-nii, tell me you ran away. Tell me you didn't run toward such a dangerous situation."

Kagami snorted. "I would like to say that, but it would be a lie. The pack of dogs didn't look that dangerous to me. They weren't like the coyotes you see around LA sometimes. Those look wild and dangerous. They just looked like pets that had gotten away from their owners. So yeah, of course, I raced toward that little kitten and scooped it up in my hands. Aniki yelled his head off, but I ignored him. Then I saw all those dogs, still running toward me. They were barking, spit flying from their mouths, and their eyes... Yeah, it was scary. It was the scariest thing I've ever seen. Your scissors-stabbing friend has nothing on them. And I could tell that they'd given up on chasing the kitten and decided to go after me instead."

Tetsu shivered, his fingers tightening their grip on Kagami's shirt. "Oh, Taiga-nii..."

Kagami ruffled his hair. "It's okay. I'm fine now. Yes, I turned to run, but one of the big ones, I think maybe a rottweiler, jumped on my back and knocked me to the ground. I curled up as I fell and tried to keep myself from landing on the kitten, so I got the wind knocked out of me pretty bad. Then I felt this horrible, tearing pain in my leg, and I screamed. I heard Aniki screaming, too. It might have gotten really bad, but all of our yelling had attracted attention from the guys hanging out at the bodega across the street. They came over with baseball bats and chased off the dogs, and someone called an ambulance. One of them even took the kitten home, telling me in Spanish that I was a brave chiquito and his daughter was going to love the kitten. So everything turned out fine, all right? Stop looking so worried."

"Taiga-nii is so brave." Tetsu was trembling. He also sounded like he might be crying.

Kagami turned toward him in alarm. "Hey! Hey, stop that. I didn't want to make you cry, you idiot. I thought you wanted a story."

"I did want a story." Tetsu wiped at his eyes with both hands. Kagami held his shoulders and watched him anxiously. After a moment, Tetsu gathered himself enough to look up and give Kagami a shaky smile. "I think I know what big brothers are supposed to be like. They're supposed to be protective, and kind, and concerned for those smaller than themselves. So I think you're a perfect big brother, Taiga-nii."

"Ah, stop that." Kagami leaned back and rubbed the back of his head, his face heating up. He had to look away, which just meant that he met the eyes of that old man across the room, who was smiling at them like he'd just found a whole basket of the cutest kittens in existence.

"I understand now why you're still nervous around Nigou," Tetsu said, curling up into his side again. "Don't worry." He patted Kagami's chest. "We'll fix that for you, just like you're fixing all the things that I'm scared of."

Kagami sighed and settled down next to him. "Okay. We'll keep working on it."

A little while later, Tetsu fell asleep, worn out by the wrestling match and the story. Kagami was pretty sure he didn't even dream this time.