Brothers of Thunder

If I Could Protect You Before I Met You

Dinner was quite awkward for Zenitsu. His ears itched at the physical silence. He could still hear Kaigaku's emotions churning, but no one uttered a word. He could feel his brother's eyes on him every few moments as well.

Despite knowing that his brother was only worried about him, the weight of his gaze and the dread of their conversation later made him want to shrink out of existence.

Zenitsu's head shot up when Jigoro cleared his throat, "You boy's are awfully quiet."

The blond boy opened his mouth then closed it again. He glanced at his brother who ran a hand through his raven hair.

Reading the room, Jigoro simply grunted then finished his food. As he put his dish away, he spoke again.

"Well, whatever is bothering you two right now I hope you figure it out soon." He turned to flash a smile at them before leaving for his room. "Good night boys."

"Good night master..."

"Good night Gramps."

The brothers shared a glance before clearing their own dishes.

***
Zenitsu plopped onto the side of his bed with a sigh. A weight sitting next to him caused the bed to dip in the middle.

He looked up to see concern in Kaigaku's teal eyes. He quickly turned his gaze somewhere else.

"As always, he's so different from other people." Zenitsu thought in mild confusion. He'd only seen this expression on Gramps and Kaigaku. It was so unfamiliar and strange to a boy no one had cared about. Despite being with his makeshift family for about a year and a half, he still didn't understand the emotion fully.

"How are you feeling?" His brother's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Zenitsu blurted before he registered the question. "Ah... I'm alright."

Kaigaku noticeably frowned like he didn't believe him. "If you're sure... All I want to do is make sure you feel safe alright?"

"I'm alright, Aniki," Zenitsu repeated trying to sound sure of himself. His golden eyes wavered as he struggled to not break eye contact while he was speaking.

"I need to know what that 'exchange' was about to understand how to help," the older teen explained carefully.

Zenitsu let out a long breath of air and flopped back on the bed dramatically so he was facing the ceiling.

"Why is this so intimidating?" He thought for a moment.

"I- Uh... how do I even...?"

"Take your time and you can leave out specific details unless you want to share them." His aniki told him gently.

The younger boy fidgeted with his sleeves.

"Well uh... the girl. She pretended to be nice... and then she forced me to work for her. I- I basically just cleaned things, but if I did something wrong she..."

He felt a hand brush against his own. Without thinking, he flinched away and sat up.

Kaigaku's eyes reflected sadness and a simmering anger beneath. He pulled his hand back hesitantly.

Fully in the present once again, Zenitsu realized what he did.

"I'm sorry, Aniki..." he apologized and shamefully stared at his hands.

"Don't apologize." Kaigaku commanded softly. "It wasn't your fault."

Zenitsu nodded.

"Should I show him?" He debated as he continued to fiddle with his sleeves. Gramps already knows.

***
Gramps sat next to where he lay recovering. It was a few days after he first woke up since he got struck by lightning.

He looked at his grandson with a sad smile on his face.

"What's wrong, Gramps?" the blond boy questioned in confusion. He could hear the sadness and pain in Jigoro's heart.

"Miss Kanae showed me something concerning while you were still unconscious." He grasped the boy's hand gingerly. "Your scars Zenitsu. Please tell me what happened."

***
"Aniki, I think... you should know about this. You have always taken care of me and I trust you." He pulled down his white sleeve on his left arm.

"Zenitsu, what...?" Kaigaku trailed off as he was filled with shock and horror. He took in the image of each discoloration and faded injury and slowly his horror boiled down into pure anger stoked by the pain he felt in his heart.

Zenitsu watched his brother in concern. He didn't know he would react this much. He could hear pain pulsing through him.

"Aniki?" he asked worriedly.

Kaigaku looked at him and suddenly pulled him into a firm embrace.

Zenitsu felt fear for a brief moment before relaxing when his brother ran his hand through his choppy yellow locks. He hugged his brother back feeling safer than ever.

"I'm sorry this happened to you. You deserved better. It's not fair." Zenitsu felt the rumble of his brother's voice as he rested his head against his chest.

"Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault." Zenitsu echoed his words from earlier. "And I did get better. I got you and Gramps."

This garnered a small chuckle from Kaigaku who held him tighter.

Zenitsu giggled then yawned. It was late by now, but he didn't want to move. Besides, he was safe and warm perfectly comfortable.

A few minutes later he fell asleep in his brother's arms.

Fluff and angst my two favorite things. I headcanon that Zenitsu is very much a physical affection type. Kaigaku is too but he won't admit it. Also I remember that Japanese futons were probably used more than beds, but I already established in earlier chapters that Jigoro's house uses beds instead. Oh well. Thank you for reading and see you next chapter!~Courage