Rosehip Tea

Rosehip Tea
17 October 2017
The driving haymaker makes contact with Yancy's cheek as Raleigh snarls, "You complete asshole!" The searing pain in his hand is ignored as he uses his left to hit Yancy in the ribs.
Yancy finally gets the rage that's fueling Raleigh's hits and he blocks the next punch just barely.
"Raleigh! What the-"
"No! You fuckin' knew!" This punch splits open Yancy's pretty face above his eye. "Don't even pretend you don't know what this is about, Yan!" Yancy's eyes narrow as Raleigh shoves the memory down the link; his brother delivers his first punch straight to Raleigh's mouth.
"Seriously?!"
"Yeah, Yan, seriously!" They're tossed out into the alley by the bouncer and continue their fight. "I was gonna ask her out! You know that I can't talk to girls!"
"Then man up!"
"Fuck you, Yan." Yancy's second strike breaks Raleigh's skin as they land several bruising hits on each other. "Thought I could trust you."
Raleigh storms away from the bar with a split lip, ignoring Yancy's insistent and guilt-filled press through their link. He snarls wordlessly and shoves his pain, disapppointment and anger through the Drift that hasn't closed entirely. After a moment it stops but the feeling lingers. He swipes at his eyes, dismayed to see tears on his hand when he pulls away along with blood. The ride in the cab back to the Academy is stiff, bordering on tense when Raleigh pays the driver and doesn't bother to collect his change.
He heads for the ledge but shakes with more anger at the flash of memory through the Drift of Yancy dating the girl who had been sweet to him like no one else. Raleigh turns towards the beach as the anger drops into regret; he'd fought with his brother. He sits down in the damp sand in the cold weather, the tears freezing as they streak down his face.
"Raleigh?" Hermann's voice is worried even as Raleigh looks
up. He can't even manage a smile for the man because it hurts inside and out. "Mein Gott, what happened?"
"... We fought. Badly." the watery tone can't be helped either.
"I don't know if I can help but perhaps some tea?" Hermann asks pragmatically.
"Sure." He brushes off the sand slowly, wincing as the rib shots throb painfully. "If you're offering your space."
"Of course." They walk along the chilly beach until they reach the Academy and the Icebox Shatterdome. Raleigh gets odd looks especially seeing as the blood on his face had frozen and was now dripping down. He closes his left eye to keep the blood out even as they both limp into Hermann's much larger space.
"Ha. The cadet space is so small. I don't know why you ever said yes." he murmurs as the slimmer man makes him sit in a decently cushioned chair.
"My space may be bigger, Raleigh, but it is lonely." Hermann replies quietly as he wets a washcloth and wipes away the crusted blood. "Did he hit anywhere else?" When Hermann reaches over his head, the jacket sleeve pulls up and Raleigh's eyes widen at the scars.
"No!" His voice actually breaks as he answers. "No, Yan an' me never fight this hard. He got me in the ribs but they're just sore." Raleigh protested, accepting the thick butterfly bandage over his eye and the strips over his split lip. "I was just so mad at him for dating the girl that wrote her number for me. He knows I go mute around girls. I can't-Shit. I'm sorry. I'm just dumping this all over you."
"I think of it as repayment for allowing me to sleep undisturbed for a period longer than an hour several times." comes the wry response as the steaming tea is set down in porcelain cups. Raleigh blinks at the set, the hysterical laughter escaping him before he can help it.
"Oh my God. I hurt him. I shoved away his guilt and threw all my anger down the link. I'm horrible." The laughter turns into tears again. "He's all I got anymore. I fucked up."
"Raleigh." The strong grip on his shoulder breaks what remains of his composure and he stands up to wrap himself around Hermann, hugging him close. Raleigh's breath hitches and shutters as he wets Hermann's tweed jacket with his tears. Hermann's stiff as a board but the softness on his back isn't normal. "Raleigh, let go."
"Nah." he answers with a raspy tone. "I figured something was up about the second time you talked to me. You don't have to tell me what it is, y'know, but thanks for taking care of me when I couldn't." Raleigh closed his eyes and breathed steadily. "'Sokay if you don't want me to talk to you anymore."
"Raleigh."
"Sorry." He stands back with a pained grunt but waits for Hermann's reaction.
"You are the first to guess anything outside of my immediate family." The words are hesitant, nothing like what he actually expected.
"Comes with noticing everything I shouldn't." he quips sourly. "Woulda figured it out eventually."
"Sit down." the resignation is also something Raleigh didn't expect but that's what he does. "Drink your tea. I won't explain it."
"That's okay." he shrugs and then winces at the pull on his ribs. "I don't wanna know. Is it what caused those?" Raleigh points to his own wrists, pulling up the sleeve of his sweater to point them out.
"Partly. You appear to have a few yourself." Hermann stated with a well-groomed eyebrow risen as he looks at Raleigh's set of scars.
"I guess I'm in for a serious discussion this evening. Yeah, I do. It was after Mom died and all of it was too much. I could barely breathe from the amount of overload. I did that to release the pressure. Turns out it was a bad idea." The smile gracing his lips is self-depreciating and more painful than it looked. "Nearly a hundred stitches in each wrist."
"Perhaps we were meant to find someone who could understand." Hermann mumurs as he drinks his tea in the softer air, as though the tension of Hermann's secret had been released.
"Maybe."
Raleigh touches foreheads with Hermann as he leaves in place of the hug he wants to give. "Thanks."
"You are welcome." Hermann responds with a lighter tone.
He turns around to look for Yancy and apologize. The way he walks means that everyone, regardless of rank, gets out of the way. When he knocks on their dorm door it flys open to reveal Yancy. Raleigh hugs his brother tightly, pressing his regret and love down the link.
"I'm sorry, Yan. So sorry." Yancy sends back understanding and apology, pulling him in and settling them on the couch.
"No Rals. This one is my fault. I went for her when I shouldn't have." Yancy's serious, his hazel gaze boring into Raleigh's blue. Raleigh tsks softly at the bruising on Yancy's face and hisses in sympathy at the blood.
"Hey, shit happens." he shrugs.
"No. That was an asshole move to make. I knew you were interested but too shy to talk to her. Stop trying to apologize to me Rals." Yancy insists as Raleigh goes in search of the med kit.
"Yan, shut up." He snaps with a trace of the formerly volcanic anger. "Let me do this." Raleigh tends to his brother's wounds and lifts up his sweater to look at the bruising. It's a horrible blue color, which he's sure is decorating his own ribs right at that moment. "Ha. We fucked each other up good, bro."
"That's what you get when you're linked. It sucks cause you can read each other like a goddamn book." Yancy snorts as they cuddle together and wincing when one of them accidentally touches a bruise or the bandages. They turn on the TV to watch crappy shows together, falling asleep on each other's shoulders like a pair of puppies.
Raleigh groans softly as sunlight spills over the tiny living space and wakes him up. Yancy's using him like a stuffed animal, both of them entangled with a blanket covering them. He looks up and spots Hermann in the kitchen, breathing in the scent of eggs and actual bacon.
"Hermann?" he questions as he soothes a restless Yancy.
"Good morning. I see you two made up your differences." the slimmer man adresses him with a level tone of voice.
"More like Yan took the blame an' I said yeah." Raleigh remarks with a roll of his eyes. "He's an idiot but he's my idiot."
"I see." Yancy whines as Raleigh shifts, his grip tightening minutely.
"Hmm-mmm. Warm."
"Yan, up." he shoves at his brother gently, pushing against his face like they use to when both of their parents were well. "Bacon." His brother shot up like a rocket, wide awake as he sniffed the air.
"Oh man, real bacon." Yancy hugs him warmly, sits up on the couch and blinks in surprise at the sight of Hermann in their dorm. "Hey Doc."
"Yancy." the civil tone that Hermann takes with Raleigh's
brother is more than he expected. "Raleigh, would you set the table?" He ruffles Yancy's hair as they part ways for a short while. Hermann makes his brother sit back down and then speaks in a low tone. "You hurt him."
"I know." Yan's tone is subdued.
"I mean that he revealed his scars. He couldn't even smile at me and Raleigh is the friendliest person I know aside from Tendo." Hermann snaps lowly. Yancy's inhale is sharp, like he knows what that means. "Don't let it happen again."
Raleigh sets down the dishes carefully, humming Yancy's favorite song to calm the tension he feels. "I won't."
"If you're done giving the 'I'll ruin your ass if you hurt Raleigh' speech, can we eat?" he quips as he pokes his head in the living area. Both of them look at the other and he just laughs. "I heard the whole thing; just because you're quiet doesn't mean I wasn't listening."
"Oh." Hermann's shoulders hunch in as Yancy stretches with a pained gasp.
"No apologies. Food." Raleigh shakes a spoon at both of them with a stern expression that melts into a smile. "Besides, if he does it again, I'll kick his ass from here to Japan."
"Amen to that. I'd let you." Yancy promises fervently.
"Good to know, Yancy, good to know." he murmurs dryly. They share a sobering breakfast with Hermann, who leaves with a long and meaningful stare at his brother. The second the door shuts, Yancy slumps forward, his face in his hands. "Yan?"
"Jesus, Rals, you couldn't even... That was a shit move to make. I could fuckin' apologize from one end of the earth to another and I couldn't make it up to you." the words were hoarse as Yancy spoke quietly. "I'm sorry." So sorry, Rals.
Raleigh ached for his brother and lifted Yancy up with little struggle to the courderoy chair. They sat curled around
one another as he soothed the raw link with warmth as well as love.
It's alright.
Yeah?
Yeah.
He hummed "La vie en Rose" as he carded his fingers through Yancy's hair. Slowly Yancy relaxed and the hold on his t-shirt released, his brother falling back asleep. Raleigh would watch over his brother as Yancy had done so often for him.
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