Don't Forget To Remember Me

Brothers

Seto wrapped an arm around his sleeping brother's form, pulling him under the covers and cuddling against him. Mokuba had wanted to go to the park that afternoon, and when Seto told him that he was too busy, he'd offered to watch a movie with him that night instead. His younger brother had been satisfied with that, and so, when Seto finally wrapped up work at the office, they'd gone home, made popcorn, changed clothes, and watched a movie together in Seto's room. Mokuba had fallen asleep by the end of it, but instead of moving him to his own room, Seto decided to simply let Mokuba stay here with him tonight.

With Mokuba sleeping soundly in his arms, Seto didn't feel so lost. His brother grounded him, reminded him that he wasn't truly alone in the world. That at least one person loved him and needed him here. The young CEO curled up around his brother and closed his eyes. He ended up sleeping more soundly that night than he had in a long time, so they got into the habit of watching a movie every night together, so long as Mokuba had finished all his homework and Seto didn't have any pressing work matters to deal with.

Mokuba appreciated the affection from his brother. He was beginning to understand that while Seto didn't feel comfortable expressing his feelings through words, and that he didn't often have spare time for himself, let alone his brother, he still cared. This was a way for him to let the child know that he did indeed care for him, no matter how busy or stressed he was.

Gradually, Seto's disturbing dreams went away. Not all at once, but things were getting better. Once, he awoke from a dream of Kisara and hugged Mokuba close to himself, crying a little before falling back asleep. More often, though, nightmares about Gozaburo were waking him, though they were still less frequent than they used to be. He managed not to wake Mokuba when this happened, for the most part. Turns out, Mokuba was a lighter sleeper than Seto had initially thought.

It been a couple of weeks since the last nightmare, but this one was the worst he'd had in a long time. It was bad enough to make him start crying out in his sleep, and that had been loud enough to wake Mokuba, who, worried about his brother, had started to shake him awake. When Seto's eyes flew open, Mokuba saw an expression of absolute terror on his brother's face that he'd never seen before.

"Seto? Did you have a bad dream?" Mokuba's quivering voice was enough to tell Seto just how much he'd startled him. Seto was panting hard after the fear inspired by the dream, and it took him a few moments to regain some degree of composure. He sat up, nodding vaguely in answer to Mokuba's question.

"You were talking in your sleep," Mokuba said quietly. "Were you dreaming about Gozaburo?"

Seto didn't feel like he was ready to have this conversation with his brother yet. He was still just a child. He was too young to learn the truth. He pulled his brother onto his lap, hugging him close. Mokuba could feel his rapid heartbeat where his back met Seto's chest. This worried the child more.

"Seto, what's wrong?" Mokuba was used to Seto's silence, but this wasn't something he was content to let him remain silent about. Not when Seto was scared enough that he was shaking. Seto was never scared; he never shook.

"Nothing, Moki. I'm fine." Seto never called him Moki, not anymore. It was probably meant to reassure him, but it didn't. If anything, it worried Mokuba even more.

"What was your dream about, Seto?" the child asked stubbornly. He wasn't going to let this go.

"Gozaburo," Seto answered after a long pause. "I was remembering the way things were when he was still around."

"Why did you cry out, 'No, don't! Please stop'?" Seto's arms around Mokuba tightened, and he inhaled a deep, shaky breath, letting it out slowly. How did he tell his brother that his step-father had beaten him, and worse? How did he explain the violence he'd endured without upsetting his brother, or falling apart himself? Seto released Mokuba, setting him off to the side as he slipped out of bed, standing with his back to the bed. He stripped off his shirt and let the scars speak for him. Mokuba stared in numb horror, then he crawled over to the edge of the bed and stood on his knees, reaching up and tracing one of the bolder scars across his shoulder blades, making Seto shiver.

"Gozaburo did this?" Mokuba whispered, shocked. Seto nodded. "That's why you hate him so much." Finally, Mokuba understood his brother's feelings towards their step-father. The hatred, the rage, the bitterness. It all made sense now. Mokuba gave his brother a tight hug from behind, making Seto let out a low sigh.

"Let's go back to sleep, Mokuba," he finally said, and Mokuba let go of him. He pulled his shirt back on and they got back under the covers, Seto pulling Mokuba close as he struggled to put his memories out of his mind. They were both awake for a while yet, Mokuba falling asleep before his brother.

Things were better between them after that. Mokuba was more understanding, and Seto was more honest. The hole in Seto's heart got a little bit less empty as sibling love grew. He smiled a little bit more, every so often when he was with Mokuba. There was still an emptiness, though, that he didn't know how to reasonably fill. Perhaps time would help with that.