Work Text:
"Come on Riku, let's go to the beach, Ryuu-nii is probably already waiting for us!" Tenn says as he runs with his surfboard beneath his arm and a backpack on his back, looking back towards his twin. "Keep it up!"
"You are too fast, Tenn-nii!" Riku complains as he runs after him, his own surfboard beneath his arm and his backpack on his back as well, trying to keep up with Tenn.
The twins smile and greet anyone in their neighborhood who are either going out to do their own things, duties or are simply on their way to the beach, named Apollo's Beach which caused Riku and Tenn to have more than one discussions about the sea being Poseidon's realm but the Sun is always being carried by Apollo's chariot and made Ryuu sighs and caught in the middle of it, as their usual.
Since the start of the summer break the twins have spend more time on their surfboards than on their textbooks and homework, much to their mother's dismay and displeasure, and with their childhood friend Ryuu.
When they arrive on the beach they quickly look around for the older boy and, when they successfully located him already on his board in the ocean, they quickly discard their backpacks with their possessions and change of their spare clothes and beach towel on the sand and take off, removing their flip-flops, running in the sea.
"Ryuu-nii!" Riku calls out to him as he paddles beside Tenn and reaches the older man.
"Hey boys, how are you guys?" Ryuu asks as he turns towards them, sitting up on his board. "Have you sleep well?" He adds.
Tenn nods as he smiles. "We have played until late with a rhythm game so we kinda overslept." He replies, smiling sheepishly towards the end.
"I figured out that much." Ryuu comments as he grins. "You two can beat Kotaro on that." He jokes and teases them further.
The twins smiles sheepishly as they look away before they turn and see a big wave coming closer and all three of them smirk before starting to paddle towards the upcoming wave before all three of them stand up on their boards and start surfing with sparkling eyes and biggest smile on their faces as they ride and does some tricks.
After a few more waves and hours, since the sun is now really high in the sky, the trio of surfers are sitting on their respective beach towels and enjoying the breeze and waves' sound.
"We can't believe that it's been already ten years since we got here and meet each other." Tenn says as he smiles and leans his head on his twin's shoulder.
Ryuu smiles softly as he looks at the sea and nods. "It's truly crazy how fast the time flew…" He murmurs to himself.
Ryuu looks up from Kotaro and Konosuke's hands to see a moving truck in front of an old house, that has been empty since he could remember. He moves a little bit and sees a pair of kids that look around six years old and who are holding hands and look so scared and disoriented while men are bringing inside their belongings.
"Come on," Ryuu starts as he smiles encouraging towards his little brothers. "let's go and say 'hi'." He finishes as he holds better on Kotaro and Konosuke's hands. "Sotaro," He looks back towards his other brother. "hold on my shirt and tightly." He finishes, commanding his brother to hold on him and be sure that all of his brothers are all safe and ready before checking both ways and then crossing the road and going towards the two boys. "Hello there." He greets them warmly as he smiles at them.
One of the two boys, the one with light pink hair, immediately turns towards them and stands protectively in front of the other boy with red hair, putting him behind him, as he 'glares' at him like an angry kitty would do.
"Who are you?" The little boy asks as he continues to hold the protective stance, even raising one arm while his free hand is holding on the other boy's hand, between him and the other kid.
"Hi, I'm Tsunashi Ryuunosuke, they're Sotaro," He replies and starts to indicate his little brother as he says their names. "Kotaro," He raises Kotaro's hand as he presents him. "and he's Konosuke, they're my younger brothers, who are you?" He asks with a soft voice and smiles.
"… Nanase Tenn." The boy replies, still a little bit reluctant and guarded but evidently at ease since all of his younger brothers are almost identical to him and continuing to 'shield' the other guy behind him.
"Who is he?" Sotaro asks as he indicates at the red haired boy.
"Riku's name is Nanase Riku." The other boy replies, shyly peeking from behind the other boy. "Tenn-nii's twin!" He declares.
That surprise Ryuu since they don't look too much alike at first glance, maybe for the hair and eyes' colors, but he isn't one to be skeptical since twins aren't meant to be the same person in two different bodies.
"Nice to meet you Riku, Tenn." He says as he smiles brightly and Riku smiles back but Tenn continues to be guarded.
Luckily, and slowly, Tenn started to trust Ryuu and his little brothers and came out of his shell but Ryuu soon realized and found out why Tenn was so guarded and protective of his twin.
It was a very hot and humid summer day, a few months after the Nanase family's moving to Okinawa, and Ryuu was over to the twins' house with his little brothers for a small play date when he noticed the redness on Riku's face and Riku's shallow breathing.
"Riku-chan? Are you okay?" Ryuu asks worried, immediately drawing Tenn's attention on his twin while Riku is still breathing funny.
"Riku?" Tenn asks a little bit worried as he moves closer to him. "Are you feeling sick?" He asks again as he kneels beside him. "Riku? Can you hear me?" He asks as he rubs Riku's back.
Riku continues to wheeze before he leans forward, covering his mouth. and he starts to cough. Tenn's magenta eyes widens and then he starts to look around for something.
When Tenn evidently found what he was looking for, he runs to retrieve it and comes back to Riku's side while holding a plastic piece in hand. In Ryuu's eyes he found strange how Tenn look so used and prepared for such scenario, even if he was barely six years old, as he puts the inhaler's mouthpiece in Riku's mouth and administer the medicine as he looks and listens to Riku's breath as he continues to rub his back.
"Better?" Ryuu asks worried and Tenn seems to remember their presence as well.
Tenn waves a little bit his hand. "Can you please step a moment back?" He asks and Ryuu can't shake off the sensation that Tenn looks older than his six years old but he and his brothers do as asked without questions.
Tenn returns his attentions on the other boy, continuing to rubbing his back and listening to his breathing and coughs before it calms down and returns to normal after a few more puffs and minutes.
"Can someone retrieve me a glass of water, please?" Tenn asks as he continues to hold and looks at Riku, not removing his eyes from him for even a second like he could disappear in thin air.
Sotaro jumps to his feet without giving a possibility to anyone else to do it themselves and goes to take a glass of water and return, careful to not let a single drop out. Tenn takes it, nodding in thanks towards Sotaro and carefully help Riku to drink the water.
When the worst seems to have passed, Riku lays in a futon to rest and recover some minutes with Kotaro and Konosuke that has fallen asleep for a nap as well, beside him. Tenn walked out after putting the glass in the sink.
"Can you look after them for a few minutes, Sotaro?" Ryuu asks softly, careful to not wake up the resting and napping trio.
Sotaro seems surprise by the request, especially since Ryuu rarely let him have an 'older brother's responsibility moment but he nods without asking and Ryuu goes to where Tenn has walked out after Riku fallen asleep. He found him crying silently on the engawa and he approaches him carefully and calmly.
"Hey there." Ryuu says softly as he sits down beside him on the engawa's floor board, making Tenn tenses up a little bit.
Ryuu learned a few days in their friendship that Tenn is like a stray and corned kitten sometimes so Ryuu needs to navigate and read carefully his mood, moments and body language. Especially when it comes to Riku.
Tenn continues to look away as he sniffles and hides away, like his tears are a shame, before Ryuu sits closer but not too much to make Tenn feel cornered or overwhelmed.
"Are you okay, Tenn?" He asks softly as he looks at him.
Tenn stiffs for a few moments before nodding but continuing to look away and not towards him. "I'm not the one sick… Riku is…" He whispers as he tries to keep a steady voice.
"But you're Riku's older brother, aren't you?" He asks as he smiles carefully. "You can talk with an another older brother." He adds.
Tenn sniffles again but he finally shows a side of his face. "I'm not one to blame." He says carefully as he cries. "Riku is sick because of me, because I was greedy…" He adds and covers his face as he cries and Ryuu's heart clenches in pain into see Tenn's open sorrow so he throws the previous caution out of the window and gather the little boy in his arms and holds him close in silence, not demanding answers or asking questions, and Tenn just cry in his arms as he looks down like ashamed.
"I'm sorry." Tenn apologies. "I shouldn't cry like this."
Ryuu shakes his head. "You shouldn't apologize for that." He replies, worried about the reason why Tenn should apologize for feeling emotions, especially since he's still a kid. "Sorry for insisting but what do you mean by 'it's your fault that Riku-chan is sick'?" Ryuu asks worried.
Tenn looks more ashamed than before, like it wasn't meant to be out loud or be heard by third people. "I…"
"It's okay, you can ask for help or vent, you're a kid, Tenn." Ryuu says softly. "It's okay…" Ryuu repeats as he caresses Tenn's back.
Tenn tears up and sniffles again but doesn't cry all over. "Riku is sick…" He starts as he looks ahead. "I… I may be the cause behind it…" He confesses. "There was a special in TV about twins…" He starts. "It said that sometimes only one twin is born because the other is absorbed while still in the womb." He sniffles. "It's all my fault… because I tried to adsorb Riku and I was selfish…"
Ryuu remains silent as he tries to recall the explanation from his science and biology classes but he doesn't recall anything about that topic, maybe he should ask to his mother when he'll see her that evening. For now, his only and main focus is console Tenn.
"Tenn-chan…" He starts softly and waits for the kid to look up to him. "There may be some things that I can't understand or explain but I'm sure that you aren't to blame for Riku-chan's illness." Ryuu smiles softly. "I don't know neither one of you for a long time nor I know what or which is Riku-chan's illness but I know that you have no responsibility for none of this for none of this." He adds as he continues to hold Tenn close. "Riku-chan, even if you were truly to blame for that or anything else, won't ever hate for that or anything else."
Tenn looks at Ryuu with wide and teary eyes as he listens to him before he dries his eyes. "Riku's illness is so complicated that even doctors in Tokyo couldn't find a name or a true diagnosis for it." Tenn starts to explain. "Mom and dad would prohibit to chocolate and teddy bears, taking them away and making Riku upset, because we don't know how Riku's illness would be triggered or work and literally everything could be dangerous or endanger him." Ryuu continues to caress Tenn's small back as he continues to listen to him. "We moved here because it's better, even if it's a little bit humid, and the sea air can help Riku as well. Dad now has a restaurant, he works with one of our uncles, after he sold the club back in Tokyo."
"Club?" Ryuu asks.
Tenn nods. "We had a small live house but recently there were some problems so we were in a rough patch and I'm sure that Riku was also aware of this, even if we tried to keep it hidden from him but he isn't completely stupid so, when I asked my parents to put their pride aside and move here or somewhere else, especially to receive help… I never thought that they'd listen to me." He says as he returns to look ahead. "I'm kind of happy that we did it though, Riku didn't have a single attack before today, and they were pretty frequent too, even when changes and moving should've affected and stressed him."
"Then it's a good thing, it means that he needed it too, even if he didn't know about that or show it." Ryuu says, making Tenn looking up at him surprised "You know, my parents are getting a divorce." He confesses and Tenn's expression change into one of shock. "Not all the couples and adults get along or last forever so, sometimes, there are painful choices like this to make where a couple choose to part ways for each other's good."
"But won't you and the others be sad?" Tenn asks worried as he frowns.
Ryuu smiles a little bit sad. "We are but I prefer that Sotaro and the others don't grow up around screams and fights or even anxious." He replies as he looks a little bit calmer. "My father is a fisherman and my mother is a housewife but she will go back to our grandmother's house soon enough with Sotaro, Kotaro and Konosuke while me and my father will be into our current house." He explains. "Soon enough our life will change as well, like you and Riku did."
Tenn remains silent. "Will you… go away too one day?" He asks a little bit anxious. "Like far away.
Ryuu shakes his head as he smiles. "Sotaro, Kotaro and Konosuke will go with our mother but they won't go too far away, they will need to take just a bus or paddle with the bike for a little bit to see us but I will remain here as long as I can to help my father, especially to help him with his work." He replies. "I'm the oldest so it's my duty to shoulder everything and care for the others."
"I'm the oldest as well." Tenn says like he just realized a fundamental truth. "Between me and Riku, I am the oldest." He says as he smiles proudly.
"Yeah? How so?" He humors him.
"Between twins, the oldest is the twin who is born first and I was born two minutes before Riku so I am the oldest!" He declares proudly and Ryuu chuckles softly.
After some more minutes, where Ryuu managed to distract Tenn from his guilt, Sotaro reappears with Riku, Kotaro and Konosuke at tow, still looking sleepy from the nap.
"You are monopolizing Ryuu-nii! It's not fair Tenn-nii!" Riku complains as he pouts and comes closer.
Tenn pouts as well, offended by his twin's accusations. "I'm not monopolizing nobody!" He protests.
In that moment, Ryuu could see how similar the twins can be.
In the end, he asked to his mother about the issue that Tenn brought up and she explained that it isn't the twin that adsorbs the other but simply the uterus that re-adsorbs the embryo that didn't developed. Ryuu had a hard time to convince Tenn, he isn't sure that he succeeded to one hundred percent, but at least he hopes that he removed a big burden that he shouldered on his own and alone.
"What is that?" Ryuu hears a familiar voice and he turns around with a small smile already on his lips.
Riku and Tenn are holding hands and, on their back, there's a backpack filled with fairytale books and 'Riku-safe level' sweet. They must have just came back from Riku's monthly checkup in Tokyo. Even if Riku didn't have any big or serious attack yet, the Nanase twins must go back in Tokyo at least once per month so that they can have a full healthy checkup, since not all the clinics in Okinawa have the necessary equipment for such task, both for Tenn's sake and to check on Riku's health.
"How did the check up went?" Ryuu asks.
"Answer our question first, Ryuu-nii." Riku demands with his signature pout.
Ryuu laughs fondly. "I'll tell you both if you tell me how the checkup went." He tries again as he grins, making the twins pout some more, like their usual when they'd fight, being denied of something or things don't go in their way or as they want to. "Then? Do you want to know or not?" He asks and teases them further.
The twins continue to pout further but then gives up. "It went well, Riku's lungs are better but he can't still take part to our physical education classes in school." Tenn replies after a few bits, understanding that they won't get an answer unless they'd answer to Ryuu's question. "Now answer to our question, what's that, Ryuu-nii?" He asks and demands as he points at the surfboard behind Ryuu as well.
"This is a surfboard." Ryuu replies, a deal is a deal after all. "My stepfather and father gifted it to me for my birthday, my father is the one who gifted me the remaining equipment." He replies and smiles. "I was waxing it to take for a small try at the beach."
"Riku wanna try it!" Riku exclaims it as his eyes gets starry as they usually do when he gets excited about something.
That took of surprise and back both Ryuu and Tenn and look at him with wide and surprised/shocked eyes as Riku continues to smile and be sure of his choice.
"Umm…" Ryuu tries.
"You can't, Riku." Tenn says as he looks at him serious but Ryuu can see the worry and fear beneath everything. "Your body can't handle it."
"But the doctors said that Riku is getting better!" He protests as he looks at Tenn.
"What will you do if you overdo or fall out of the surfboard and get an attack because you panicked and swallowed water?" Tenn asks worried as his usual. "You can't do that."
Ryuu notices the immediate shift that both the twins and the conversation is taking. "Why don't you both try then?" He asks as he smiles at them, making Tenn looking shocked and a little bit betrayed at him, while Riku looks shocked and surprised instead.
"Ryuu-nii? Really?" Riku asks incredulous as he looks at Ryuu with wide eyes.
Ryuu nods. "We can get a second hand but good ones for both of you." He says as he smiles softly.
Tenn remains in silence while Riku continues to have starry eyes like Ryuu just gave him the moon and the stars.
"Really?!" Riku repeats, like he couldn't believe to his ears.
Ryuu nods again. "Hm. Really." He confirms as he continues to smile kindly.
"Yay!" Riku exclaims in pure excitement and throws his hands in the air while Tenn remains in silence. "Riku will be able to do something as well!"
"Why…" Tenn tries to remain calm but his fists are trembling and his head is bowed in the familiar way that he always do when he is upset. "Why Riku…" Riku and Ryuu look at the boy in the middle. "Why must Ryuu-nii have to take Riku away from me?!" Tenn suddenly demands as he cries. "Riku has a fragile health and body! He can't do strain activity!" He protests as he tears up, agitating the hands and stomping a little bit. "You know that Ryuu-nii!"
"I know but I also trust Riku-chan's ability to choose for himself." Ryuu says with calm. "It's okay to be scared and worried but Riku-chan knows his own limits better than anyone else so let him try something on his own." Tenn bites his own lower lip as he lowers his head again in frustration. "You can't protect Riku-chan like this forever, Tenn-chan." He adds softly and Tenn continues to lower his head. "So here's what we will do," He starts, kneeling to their eyes' level. "We will try all together and learn how to surf, looking out and taking care of each other." He finishes as he puts his hands on each of their shoulders.
Riku nods excited while Tenn continues to remain silent and not looking at him.
It took a few more weeks for Tenn to come around the idea, even more for their parents to trust Ryuu with such responsibility and task, but soon enough the twins are with small surfboards of their owns and gears and on the beach. Ryuu took time and patience to teach them how even stand on the board without falling over.
"Tenn-chan." Ryuu calls out to him one day after they're done with riding the waves and practicing while Riku was in the changing and restroom to wash up a little bit and change into his more comfortable, clean and spare clothes. "You are still angry about me allowing Riku to surfboarding, aren't you?" He asks with calm.
Tenn remains silent for some more seconds before he turns towards Ryuu. "… I am…" Tenn confesses in a small voice as he looks at him. "Because I thought that Ryuu-nii would understand and be on my side."
"I am, Tenn-chan, but I can't allow you to hurt Riku-chan as well." He replies with a serious tone. "I'd be protective of Sotaro, Konosuke and Kotaro as well if they were sick like Riku-chan but you are babying him and putting him under a glass dome, hurting him and your relationship, I can't allow you to do that." He explains, continuing to be serious as he looks at Tenn while the other remain silent.
"But I'm scared of losing him…" Tenn confesses in a small voice.
"I know but you will lose him anyway and in a more sad way if you continue to do this." Tenn remains in silence as he listens to Ryuu's words. "So here what we can and will do." He makes Tenn look at him with care. "I will help you to care and protect Riku-chan but you must trust me and Riku-chan as well." He explains as he looks in Tenn's eyes. "Can you do that?" He asks softly as he smiles.
Tenn continues to remain silent for a few more bits, evidently contemplating and calculating the pros and cons of such proposal from Ryuu. "… Okay…" He replies in a small voice and Ryuu smiles softly.
"Thank you for the trust, Tenn-chan, I know that it's a lot for you." He thanks as he continues to smile at him.
Riku returns in that moment, wash up as much as he could, with a big smile on his lips and tilts his head when he notices the situation and scene in front of him with curiosity and a slightly confusion. "What's going on?" He asks curious.
Ryuu smiles at him. "Nothing." Ryuu replies as he continues to grin towards him.
"It's a secret between older brothers." Tenn adds as he smiles softly, making Riku blink confused and then he pouts.
Ryuu already knows what that pout mean and soon enough the twins are having a small bickering over keeping secrets and such, making Ryuu laughs and sighs fondly of the two little boys.
"It's crazy how much time has passed and how quickly it flew." Tenn's voice brings Ryuu back to the reality and present time.
Ryuu hums as he smiles, stretching a little bit as he looks at the sun. "Sure it did…" He turns towards the twins. "So tomorrow we will celebrate your birthday to my step-father's hotel?" He propose with a small grin.
"Huh? We can?" Tenn asks surprised as he raises his head from where it was laying on his twin's shoulder. "It won't be a problem for you or your family?" He adds, a little bit worried.
"I think they'd be more than happy to have you over and celebrate your birthdays in big style, especially at the hotel." Ryuu replies.
It's been a few years since Ryuu's stepfather allowed him to celebrate the twins' birthday over in one of his hotel and he's more than happy to do so. All thanks to the twins' charms as well.
"Then okay, thank you." Tenn says as he smiles.