Sick

Author: Seth

"What'll you do if I'm not here to take care of you?"

Haru smiled lightly to himself as he trudged carefully down a small side-hall in the Ginsenkei compound. Small puffs of steam rose from the large bowl of congee he carried on a silvery tray. Reaching his destination the blonde boy nudged a small screen door open with his shoulder, slipping through the opening when it was large enough to allow passage to his warm cargo.

"You really should take better care of yourself." Haru admonished lightly as he slid the screen closed with the back of his foot. "Taking a dip in the Ginsei at this time of the year… Honestly, what am I going to do with you, Ryuu?" He shuffled over to his brother's futon, kneeling down and offering Ryuu the laden platter. "For someone who doesn't know how to swim, you end up in that river worryingly often." Finding Ryuu's reaction time too slow, the juggler placed the tray carefully but firmly across his little brother's lap, watching intently until Ryuu withered slightly and obediently dug his spoon into the rice porridge.

"It wasn't my fault." Ryuu mumbled, blowing on a spoonful of congee before placing it in his mouth and chewing softly. "I kinda just… fell in…" He looked uncomfortably away from his brother's face. "It was… windy. And I got bumped."

Haru raised a thin eyebrow.

"Bumped hard enough to knock you over a shoulder high railing?" The blonde grinned wryly. "Really brother, you need to come up with a couple of new excuses. You tried that one on me last winter, and it didn't work then either." He waved off Ryuu's minorly affronted look. "It was that friend of yours again, wasn't it? What was it this time, a dare, a bet, or did he offer you something else?"

Silence reigned for five tense minutes, broken only by the sound of Ryuu eating his porridge.

"A… dare." Ryuu spoke up finally after swallowing a mouthful of congee. "You know the way he has with words. And I guess he offered me something too." The brunette stirred his porridge half-heartedly.

"Something valuable enough that you'd risk your life for it?" Haru asked.

"Not… really." Ryuu admitted bashfully. "He said he'd leave Manari's bandana alone for a whole month if I did it."

"So, basically, you just wanted to save yourself some effort." Haru pinched the bridge of his nose. "You do realize that you're probably spending as much energy being sick as you would have chasing him around? He hasn't been coming down our way all that much recently."

"Yeah," Ryuu mumbled surreptitiously. "but this way I've got a legitimate reason to stay in bed all day, and you take such good care of me, making me meals and everything."

Haru glared at his brother in annoyance.

"Evidently I'm sending you the wrong message here." He snatched the platter and the (Now empty) bowl of congee from Ryuu. "Next time you get sick I'm not taking care of you, just see if I don't!" The blonde fumed as he stomped to the screen door.

"Haru?" Ryuu called out, and the elder brother stopped halfway out the door. "Thanks for taking care of me."

Haru, his back turned to Ryuu, allowed himself a small smile.

"You're welcome. Just don't get any ideas." The juggler slid the screen closed. "And get better soon, alright?"

"Don't I always?" Ryuu chuckled through the screen.

'Yeah, yeah you always do.' Haru chuckled ironically to himself. 'I just wish I didn't know that particular fact so well.'