Time Flies By // TBHK Role Swap AU

Chapter 17: Sickly Nightmares

Three days before current events..

"Look, I can explain!" Amane backed up into a desk, gripping the stack of undone homework in his trembling pale hands.

"Theres nothing you can do to make up for this, we're failing because of you!" A group shouted, their faces were all blacked and blurred out with their devious expressions blindingly poking through. It was just montage, after montage, after montage and losing his sight every time to see either blood splatters or himself get thrown across the room. He ran outside the classroom door to see a blurred out Yashiro standing in his way.

"What did you do?!" Yashiro shouted, he looked down at his hands, wet red blood staining them. Did he just do that with his bare hands, all five?..

"I didn't do anything!" Amane backed up into a wall, things just kept flicking back and forth, it kept taking him back to elementary, when kids would throw pebbles or tease him during recess when the teachers weren't looking and poke fun about tiny things about him. All the threats he had gotten to stay silent. He hated bearing it, he never even deserved it. He never did anything wrong.

His memories kept flashing back between his elementary and early middle school years, his worst. He always had a bad self esteem and bared the worst thoughts that his mind had decided to carefully curate. One day, he almost even gave into them, but before he could do anything dumb, Tsukasa had walked in. It was a sight to see, and even now Amane knows its stained into Tsukasa's memories to this day. He's still mad for even considering what he had, he had his brother by his side and a teacher he was close to, and not to mention his parents as well. Tsukasa somehow found ways to help Amane forget it, and baking became a common event from that day. But whatever they did, he would never forget Tsukasa's face when he walked in..

"Dont be mad.. please, Im sorry.."
————

Amane jolted upright in his bed, being introduced to painful coughing. His hands were trembling and his breath was stifled, he hated that nightmare, and all the pain it brought back to him. It was about 2 in the morning, or so he thought from the distant alarm clock, it was too blurry and he couldn't make it out. Maybe his fever was just making him delirious, but that dream felt too real, every time it just comes on stronger. This had happened before, he could calm himself down and go to bed, but sometimes he couldn't. He knows Tsukasa wouldn't have minded if he woke him up for a bit to get back to sleep, so if needed he could go there.

Amane brought his knees closer to his chest, taking deep breaths to get his nerves to just calm down enough. It took a couple of rough minutes, but he had enough strength to go down his bunk bed ladder finally. More rough coughing awaited him at the bottom and he took another deep breath before gently shaking his twin. "Tsukasa.."

Tsukasa grumbled at first as Amane kept shaking him, Tsukasa eventually woke up enough to comprehend things, which took a little under a minute. "Whats up? Its like 2 in the morning?" Tsukasa questioned, rubbing his eyes. Amane looked bad, just in complete honesty. He was already paler from being sick but add it on top of trembling and his trouble with breathing, it was instantly worrying.

Tsukasa instantly moved over so Amane could sit on the outer corner, Amane held a matching stuffed bear that they both received for their 4th birthdays, it was torn but a lot of memories were stored into it, Tsukasa had his beside his pillow.

"Was it that?" Tsukasa asked, trying to whisper so they didnt get in trouble for being up.

Amane nodded.
"Every time.."

This was a common thing, Amane would have a nightmare and sometimes he would move down to sleep with Tsukasa for a bit or until the morning. It reminded him of when they were kids and they would share a bed for "sleepovers", it brought him comfort. And Tsukasa never had to ask for details, it was the same thing every time.

"I know, I know." Tsukasa laid back down and Amane slid under his own blanket he brought down with him. "Lemme know if it comes back."

Amane had already managed to start falling back asleep though, even with having double the sleep from not going to school, he was primarily exhausted. The nightmare probably sucked the remaining energy out of him. Tsukasa fell asleep right after him, he knew Amane had hated talking about it, something about opening up was hard for him. Maybe because nobody knew he was bullied for 3 years during elementary, and they only found out after Tsukasa found him getting teased at recess when trying to find swings to play on. He always wanted to be there for his brother, maybe thats what kept them so close over the years.

Amane didn't go to school for three whole days, and those were spent mainly sleeping or playing video games till he made a recovery. Tsukasa would ramble all about his day once he returned home, Amane would never complain about the free stories.

Over the couple of days, Amane tried figuring out what made him so sick. It couldnt have just been walking home, there had to be another factor. But the only things he could think of was his lack of sleep, or homework, or always having his life be threatened from paranormals. Maybe one of them was it, but he didn't care enough to figure it out the rest of the way. He just wanted to get better so he can see Yashiro and Kou again, and not be constantly coughing or running a fever. Having them two really lightened his life. But he owed it all to Tsukasa, who told him in the first place.