Pretend this was posted forever ago?

[wonderhell]

Title: Sleep is for the Weak
Characters: Riku and Nise (guest appearances by Peter Pan and Aladdin)
Location: Roads, Al’s place
Rating: PG-13 for language
Summary: After the opposite-behavior event, Riku was so mad at himself that he left. But Nise’s not having that. Epic questing times? Hell yeah.


Riku hated himself, and no, it wasn't a side effect of some freaky thing going on in this stupid town. He had said horrible things to a lot of people, even his brother, and he wasn't even sure why. When he had finally realized the stupid things that had come out of his mouth, he waited until his brother was gone, stuffed a bag with clothes, CDs and grabbed one of his guitars and left. He just took the car and left, driving for as long as he could, only stopping to refill for gas once. He had made up his mind--he was going back home to where his band mates were and he was going to stay there. Fuck high school, fuck education and fuck the world, he was just going to leave everyone behind. He knew where he wasn't wanted, after all.

There weren't many occasions that actually made Nise panic, but coming home to find his brother had pulled a vanishing act did one hell of a good job. He looked all around town first, trying to figure out where he would have gone and why, more than anything concerned with finding out whether Riku was safe. It hadn't escaped him that he'd conducted himself in a poor manner while they were all acting strangely in the last week and he was convinced that was why his twin had gone, but it seemed strange. After wandering around town and asking around - which he absolutely hated doing - he had to consider the possibility that his brother had gone further than that. It didn't help him given there was everywhere else in the world possible, but he decided he'd start with somewhere they knew. Even if, lucky him, he didn't have a car. Damn he hated renting.

Riku hated running away more than he hated this country, which was a lot of hate mind you. But he didn't like to think of it as running away. He wasn't actually sure what he liked to think of it as, but it wasn't running away. He wasn't a coward or anything, but... God, everything he thought about it, he wanted to throw up and then possibly drive his car off the side of the road out of shame, but he didn't. He just kept driving. The farther he drove, the more distance he put between his brother. He had the car after all.

A freaking stick. Damn did Nise hate driving stick, but that was the car available soonest so he'd gone with it. He supposed a plane would've worked just as well but to get to an airport he would've had to rent a car anyway and then pay for a ticket and that all seemed like a waste. Hopefully he wasn't headed in the wrong direction but anything away from the guy at the rental place and his habit of staring at barely legal asses had to be a good direction to start with.

Riku just kept driving. He couldn't even find it in him to put on music. Damn, he just felt like... God. He had it in mind to pull over and hold some guy at gunpoint so they could switch cars and then he definitely wouldn't be found, but a. he loved his car and b. he didn't have a gun. Such were the woes of life.

Nise wasn't a reckless driver by any means but it got questionable at times, his patience always rather thin and more so when he wasn't sure his brother was safe. Maybe he was starving. Maybe he was stuck in some ditch somewhere. Maybe he was starving while stuck in a ditch somewhere all alone. And it was probably his fault to boot. He just had to hope he'd chosen the right way to go.

Riku wasn't starving. In fact, he had bought some snacks at the gas station. Rustling through his bag at a red light, he grabbed the yogurt-covered pretzels and started munching on them. When the light turned green, he put them back on the passenger's seat and started driving. Something caught his eye and he turned his head in the slightest to look. Spotting his cellphone, he grabbed it and chucked it out of the car (it was on too--many a missed call). Good riddance.

Nise groaned and gave up on trying the phone. Clearly it wasn't going to work, and he decided he'd check and see if any of Riku's band mates had heard from him. After some debate with himself, Nise decided that of the options Pete was definitely the one to call. Al was pretty close to Riku and if he knew something and was told to say nothing - damn if he'd done something so terrible Riku wanted nothing to do with him he didn't know how he'd take it - there was no getting it out of him. He'd already considered how Ariel would interview him and she wasn't bad with secrets either. There was no way in hell he'd check if their mother knew anything because the person he got his high-strung traits from was her, so that left Pete. Who, hopefully, would show him some form of mercy. Or take bribes. Nise just hoped for the best as he dialed, and listened to the phone ring.

Peter was in the middle of drumming in his bedroom when the phone rang. Of course, he didn't hear it because he was making such a racket that the people two apartment complexes over were complaining. So, instead, his mother answered the phone. "Yeah?" she asked loudly, happy to take a break from attempting to pay the bills. ...She just hoped it wasn't one of those debt collectors that had been calling non-stop.

Judging from the racket audible along with the sound of Pete's mom trying to speak over it, Nise could tell what the younger boy was doing. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Pan." God he hoped that she could actually hear him over the din that Pete could raise. "Could I talk to Peter?" He didn't refer to the other boy that way at any other time, unless he managed to be irritated, but he'd tried to refrain from that ever since the guy had developed a habit of calling him 'mother' in response.

Peter's mother blinked--it had been a while since someone so young had been so polite with her (she didn't recognize the voice either, blame the drumming). Smiling, she thought that maybe Peter had actually made some real friends for once. "Yes, of course, I'll go get him." Getting up, she made her wave over to Peter's room. Not even bothering to knock on the door, she burst into his room and held out the phone for him. Peter let the sound die out as he set his sticks down and grabbed the phone.

"Yeah?" he asked, leaning his back against the wall.

"Hey, Pete. Sorry for calling out of nowhere." Usually Nise wasn't much at all for calling people on the phone, but this was a decided emergency. When the person he came into the world with (and called Muffin) pulled a ninja act on him it was a big deal. At least in his mind it definitely was. "Not sure if you'll tell me, but Riku decided to vanish and I was wondering if you'd heard from him at all." Usually he'd also try to be a bit more polite, ask about someone's day, though in this case he could assume.

Peter sat and thought for a bit. Al had called him a few hours ago saying that Riku was on his way home and that if Nise called, he shouldn't tell him anything. Honestly, he didn't know what the hell could've happened to make Riku want that, but he just went along with it. Of course, he wasn't entirely fond of Riku, even if the guy had some serious talent. "Hmm, I think I might know something," he said slowly.

Well, something said more than nothing did, whether Pete actually answered or not. It meant that Riku had talked to one of his band mates, though... it also confirmed his worries as far as he was concerned. It was because of something he did or said, maybe both. He debated the best approach and decided playing subtlety with Pete really wouldn't do him any more good than anything else at this point. Aside the fact that he was tiring himself out on this hunt. "Something I'm not supposed to know?" Might as well make that part clear.

"Pretty obvious, huh? Riku likes to keep his secrets, that dumbass," Pete muttered, not caring if he said too much. Maybe he did like Riku a little, but not enough to keep his secrets. You had to be a creep to want to run away from family like that.

"I'm still trying to figure out what I did, but so far I'm hoping I'm not going in the opposite direction. Guess I should've invested in getting a homing chip in him or something." Nise tried to keep it somewhat light, even if he was worrying like nothing else.

"More like a shock collar," Pete teased, moving over to his bed from his drumset.

Nise had to smile a little at that, but only because if Pete could he probably would get Riku one of those as a gift. Possibly. "I'd suck at making that useful, so someone else would have to."

"I'd volunteer," Pete said with a snort, flopping down on his bed. He needed to get back to practicing, just so he didn't start sucking before the band got back together again.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me." Nise figured he was eating into making-racket-time and decided he'd just ask. "Mind telling me whether I'm going the wrong way or not? I'm sure I'd figure that out eventually but I'd rather not live in a rental car."

Pete laughed. "I dunno. Al told me not to say anything," he drawled.

"What if I'd owe you one?" Nise figured the mention of Al was enough, but he didn't want Pete thinking he could draw conclusions from that alone.

"...What if you send me fudge?" Pete tried.

"If that's what you want, as much as you like." It wasn't as though Nise didn't make that sort of thing, or know where to buy it.

Pete paused. "Homemade fudge," he corrected. That stuff tasted bad out of the store.

Well, Nise preferred that anyhow, so that worked well. "You've got a deal."

"Good." Peter paused, feeling like he just some how sold Riku's soul over for fudge. Eh, whatever. He and his mom needed food anyway and that was more important than Riku's soul. "He's coming up here--heading toward Al's apartment. That's all I know."

It was a good thing Pete told him that - he'd have guessed home. But then, mom would've asked about the why, so... it made enough sense. "Thanks, Pete. I'll get working on sending fudge out as soon as I get back."

"No problem. Just don't say it was me," Pete said. "Later." And with that, he hung up the phone and went back to drumming.

Nise closed his cellphone and tossed it into the passenger seat. Well, at least now he knew where to go. As long as he actually caught Riku before he got to Al's. He wasn't so sure about what he'd do if Riku got there first because he probably wouldn't come out.

Meanwhile, Riku, wherever he was, was still driving. He had enough iced coffee in the seat next to him to keep him awake because there was no way in hell he was going to stop, except for red lights (he had been running stop signs left and right). If he knew his brother, which he did, he was definitely not stopping.

Nise was learning anew that asking any two people for directions - or anything at all, including but not limited to 'have you seen someone with my face?' - was not at all productive. He didn't really find himself enjoying the renewed understanding of the world being full of idiots, and he ended up giving up on the populace in general. If he was lucky enough maybe Riku would make it to Al's while the guy was at work, and if he got there quick enough he might be able to catch him. Maybe.

Five iced coffees, three energy drinks and more CDs than Riku could count later, he found himself in front of Al's apartment door, tired and ready to collapse where he stood. Riku didn't even have to knock on the door--he just collapsed on it, alerting the older boy inside of his presence. Al opened the door, rolled his eyes and then dragged Riku's shaking body inside.

There was one good thing about being something of an insomniac, Nise had concluded. It seemed one of several discoveries along with everyone in the world being a pain in the ass (select people like Peter discluded, but Riku was a pain in the ass at the moment) and most if not all of the population being a bunch of nimrods (lack of sleep was not helping his temper at all) he could run on next to nothing and not cause mass destruction. Good to know, though the closer he got to their hometown the more likely it was that Riku was already there. To which end, he wasn't sure what to do. His mind wasn't getting far past the fact that everyone was a pain in the ass; planning wasn't going so good.

After letting Riku lay down for a bit, Al gave him some of his grandma's weird Indian herbal tea, which seemed to help in the slightest. Afterwards, he dropped Riku off in the bathroom and told him to go take a shower because he reeked of caffeine and emo.

When Nise got to his destination he saw the car and cursed. Yeah, he saw that coming, Riku had a head start, but damn he drove like a maniac and accomplished the sum total of nothing. He found a place to park anyhow, having a good time hitting his forehead against the steering wheel and trying to make his brain work despite being about ten levels of too tired.

Riku just sat inside Al's apartment and soaked in the (rather grimy) bathtub while he drank strange herb tea and drifted between being awake and being asleep

"Wooooork stupid vital organ..." Nise couldn't really count how many times he'd said that, but that didn't stop him from repeating it despite the lack of any results. He had to figure something out but short of kicking the door repeatedly he wasn't coming up with any bright ideas.

Riku continued with what he was doing.

Finally deciding that sitting around was about as doomed as trying his luck at the door, Nise got out of the car and locked it, straightening himself up as much as he could stand to before finding Al's apartment. He wasn't too keen on this approach, knowing Al would be on Riku's side of things - was there a side? he wasn't so sure but it wasn't exactly a time of brilliance for him - he wasn't sure he'd accomplish anything. Sighing in resignation, he knocked on the door. This'd be great for sure. Not.

Al opened the door as best he could with the chain lock on. Peering out the door, he didn't even raise an eyebrow when he saw who was on the other side of the door. Figures Peter would squeal, the dumbass. "Can I help you?" he asked, taking a drag from the cigarette between his fingers.

Nise tried not to make a face but damn if he didn't hate when Al smoked. Or anyone for that matter, which he made more than apparent in the past. "Can, probably. Won't, more likely." He hadn't really meant to say the first thing that popped into his mind but he realized he had, suppressing a groan. Stupid brain. Stupid. "...Doubt you have to ask."

Al laughed, exhaling smoke as he did so. "Here to see the princess?" he said, not bothering to open the door. He did promise Riku, after all. Though he wasn't really the best at keeping promises.

"If that's the new handle, I guess so." Nise figured this was likely as good as hitting his head on the steering wheel - the headache was the same, damn smoke - but at least he was giving it a shot.

"He told me not to let you in," Al said simply, taking another drag. He could tell his smoking was bothering Nise.

"Figured as much." Nise was sure that was all his fault, but he'd at least wanted to try. Didn't help him at all knowing his sibling wanted nothing to do with him though, especially when he was that worn down.

"Wanna tell me what happened to make princess over there come crying to me?" Al asked with a raised eyebrow.

Nise pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, trying to will his brain to clear up a little. It didn't really work, and he dropped his hand to his side again. "This last week everyone was acting really strange. Just...not themselves. Doesn't make a lot of sense, I know, but if you were there you'd have seen. Was just bizarre." Realizing a bit late that he was rambling, he tried to get more on-topic. Usually being succinct wasn't a problem for him. "He and I weren't an exception, so... I guess it's my fault."

Aladdin's other eyebrow joined in the raising. "By the way he looks, I think he thinks it's his fault," he said simply.

"I don't believe it was..." Nise figured if he hadn't made that post, maybe he and Riku wouldn't have argued. At least, he wanted to think that.

Al took another drag of his cigarette and shrugged. "I don't know the full story, so I can't help you figure that one out."

"Not the type to ask for that sort of help." Nise didn't need to state the obvious, but oh well. His headache wasn't getting any better, and he didn't know how to fix any of this, if there even was a way to. "Just...tell him I'm sorry, I guess, if you would."

Al exhaled, only adding more smoke to the already smoke atmosphere of his grimy apartment. "I'll see what I can do."

Nise nodded, feeling more mechanical than anything. "Alright." Well he supposed his drive served to remind him of a few things, if nothing else. After a few moments of debating what to do with himself he stuck his hands in his pockets and headed for the stairs. If he managed a nap in the car, he could head back after that.

Al shut the door, undid the lock and then opened it, leaning against the entrance to his apartment as he watched Nise walk down the hallway. "On second thought, you can do it yourself," he said, crushing his cigarette against the door frame so he could light up another one. "I don't want to take care of his whiny ass."

Nise was in the middle of the newly complicated art that was getting down the stairs, barely catching himself when Al spoke. He'd almost learned what it'd feel like to roll down a staircase rather than walk, but the thought was soon replaced as he processed what Al said. Riku wasn't that whiny... "He doesn't want to see me though." Counterproductive to remind the other of that, but he wasn't presently the brightest crayon in the box.

"Screw him," Al said with a laugh.

Nise had to think about that for a good long moment before he got it. Oh, right. He walked back up to the doorway so he wasn't talking to Al from a long distance, though he wasn't so keen on getting nearer Smoke Central. "...Okay then."

"He's in the bathroom," was all Al said before he disappeared into the "kitchen" area. The apartment was small, dark and smelled like cigarettes and engine grease, but that was to be expected. The door to the bathroom was partially open--the only source of artificial light in the entire place.

"Thanks." Pushing thoughts of cleaning the hell out of the place out of his mind, Nise forced himself to actually walk inside. He wasn't too keen on it and had to wonder if he was going to get horribly sick, but he focused on heading over to the bathroom. Without bothering to knock he opened the door and walked in, closing it behind him and taking a seat there as something of a roadblock.

Riku was still in the bathtub, looking like all-hell, because he had never once pulled an all-nighter except for at occasional parties, but never had he relied on so much caffeine dear god. Looking over, he laughed and ran his hand over his face. "And now I'm hallucinating," he muttered, sinking further into the tub.

"You're not hallucinating." Nise muttered, not quite sure what he was supposed to do now that he'd reached a point he didn't think he would. Plus he was having trouble thinking straight with the smell of smoke all over the place.

Riku paused and then squinted. "Oh." He paused again and then groaned because the very thing he was avoiding somehow made it into this bathroom with him in Al's smoky apartment.

Nise blinked slowly a few times, trying again to sort out his thoughts. "Just wanted to say sorry." That'd have to do, because he wasn't generating much else.

Riku sat up in the bathtub, still shaking, but even more so because the water was getting cold. "Why do you want to say sorry? I'm the one who was a jackass."

"I started it. Wouldn't have happened if I didn't." Nise explained, the first thing that easily came to mind.

"So? I was such a dick." RIku ran a hand through his wet hair and sat up completely. He felt like vomiting, actually. "I said something that I never meant."

Nise looked down, trying not to think about it. "At least you didn't mean it."

"So? The words still came out of my mouth," Riku mumbled, burying his face in his hands.

"The only one that's mad at you is you." Nise stated, bothered by the fact that Riku was upset with himself. Mad at him, he could've taken.

Riku looked at him incredulously. "How could you not hate me for saying that? If I were you, I would!"

"But you're not me. And I don't really want to go shopping for a new favorite person." Nise was firm in that if nothing else.

Riku just sighed and shook his head. "I'm still angry at myself for saying it."

Nise did his best to glower at Riku, if he was physically capable. "So you run off and leave me by myself?"

"I figured you wouldn't want to see my stupid face around anymore," Riku mumbled, sliding back into the cold bathtub.

"If your face is stupid then I guess I like stupid." Nise was grumbling now but damnit his head hurt from all this smoke and he was tired.

"Well you shouldn't," Riku grumbled back.

"I'm stubborn so it's not going to change." Nise pointed out, folding his arms.

Riku sighed and just slipped underneath the grossly murky water.

Nise got up with much protest from the horrible pain that was his spine and took a seat near the tub, just in case Riku planned on playing merman.

Riku finally popped up again and stared up at his brother, his face pretty neutral.

Nise just returned the gaze, watching his brother. He didn't really want Riku to be mad at himself, not that he could will that away.

Riku just sighed and dragged his eyes away from Nise's before closing them.

"I'll leave if you want. At last I said how I felt about it." Nise might've been ready to drag Riku back before but he didn't have the energy for it now.

Riku just shook his head, not really knowing what to say, except that this water was really gross and he needed to just graduate already so he could get Al out of this shitty apartment. ...Speaking of the bastard, Riku was going to give him a good punch in the face for not being loyal.

"...Don't get sick." That said, and his headache no better for it, Nise left the bathroom to give his brother the space he seemed to want. He wasn't going to just hover around and get in Riku's way, and he really wanted out of the smoky air.

Riku sighed and pulled himself out of the bathtub. Once his feet hit the ground, they wobbled and he slipped, falling to the floor. Letting out a string of curses, he managed to pull himself back up so he could dry himself off and search around for his clothes.

Nise left the apartment without bothering to look around for Al. His mind was running on low enough octane without getting closer to a source of smoke, and he really just wanted to sleep. Once he got past the stairs it wasn't so bad since there was nothing to break his neck with, at least.

"Owowow tailbone," Riku muttered, struggling to put his clothes on. Once he finally did so, he stumbled out of the apartment, looking for his brother. He looked over at Al who just shrugged, returning back to strumming his guitar.

"The sun's going on my list..." Nise muttered, squinting and wondering why the hell Al's apartment had to be so dark in contrast. He just needed to figure out where that stupid stick rental car was, once his eyes stopped hurting.

Riku sighed and left the apartment, hobbling down the stairs and toward the parking garage. He figured he might as well fix this and not leave it at that. God he was so retarded.

Nise spotted the car and fished the keys out of his pocket, he pressed the button to unlock the doors and headed for it.

"Wait," Riku called out after his brother, leaning against the garage entrance because he probably shattered something when he took that fall.

Nise paused after a delay, mind quite set on what he was doing and nothing else. He turned and faced his twin, somewhat perplexed. "...Need me to mail something?"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean," Riku asked, his eyebrows drawing together.

"You decided to stay here, didn't you?" Nise was just plain confused now.

"Knowing me like you do, do you think I'd really want to stay in that dump?" Riku asked, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to ignore the pain in his rear.

Nise frowned, perplexed, and stuck his hands in his pockets. "...Well...no."

Riku sighed. "Then what do you think?" he asked. He'd probably be at Ariel's house if he was going to stay, which he was planning on doing, but now he had second thoughts and god he felt stupid.

"...Think?" Nise thought about a lot of things, really. It took him a moment to figure out what he was being asked and even then he wasn't sure. "You left because you wanted to..."

Riku sighed. "I'm coming back home," he said simply, running a hand through his hair.

"You are?" Nise didn't think he'd stop being confused anytime soon and he hoped Al's apartment hadn't killed part of his brain.

"Yeah, I just needed to get away for a bit," Riku admitted, toeing the ground with his bare foot.

"...Sorry." Nise wasn't sure what he was sorry about, but maybe he was why Riku left or something.

"Don't be," Riku said, motioning for Nise to come closer, because moving hurt.

Nise walked up to Riku, glad to step into some shade. It made his eyes hurt less.

Riku hesitantly pulled Nise in for a hug, burying his nose into his twin's hair. "I'm the sorry one," he whispered.

Nise blinked and hugged Riku back, resting his forehead against his twin's shoulder. "Can both be sorry then."

"Fine." Riku kissed his twin's hair. "...Is it okay if I stay here for the rest of the weekend? I need to visit." He had one of his guitars in the trunk of his car and wanted to actually play for the first time in forever.

Nise nodded, glad at least that it seemed like Riku really did mean to come home. "Course. You haven't seen Al in a while, I think." It was a bit hard to remember at the moment.

Riku nodded against his twins head. "Don't be surprised if I come back with another weird piercing," he said with a quiet laugh.

"Just make sure he's got some disinfectant this time." Nise might've been fuzzy minded at the moment but he remembered the one time Riku came home with a new piercing and an infection to go with.

"I will." Riku pulled back and gave his twin an eskimo kiss before planting a real one on his lips. He opened his mouth to apologize again, but didn't because he knew that wasn't the right thing to say.

"Missed you." Nise stated the obvious, kissing Riku's cheek before he let him go. "Can you get back okay, or should I go bug Ariel?" Oddly enough, her father thought well enough of him.

"Missed you too," Riku murmured and then shook his head. "I'll be fine. Ariel's couch is waiting for me, even if her dad doesn't like it." He offered his twin a smile.

"Alright. And whatever you did, see someone about it. You're standing funny." Nise didn't mean to mother his twin but he hated the idea of Riku being hurt. Letting out a sigh he reached up and ruffled his twin's hair. "Call me when you're on the way back. I'll make some stuff."

"...I think I threw my cellphone out the window of my car," Riku said sheepishly. "I'll just call you before I leave."

Nise sighed and rolled his eyes. "That poor, poor phone. Guess I'll get a replacement." He shrugged that off though. "I'll watch for a call."

Riku laughed a bit and nodded before brushing his lips against Nise's. "See you in a couple days."

Nise smiled, giving Riku another quick hug. "See you then. Have some fun."

"I will. Go visit mom before you go home. She misses you." Riku ran a hand through his hair when he heard Aladdin call for him and gave Nise one more kiss for good measure and then started hobbling up the stairs.

After watching to be sure that Riku could get upstairs and frowning at the fact that his brother was practically gimping - maybe he fell - he sighed and shook his head. Al would make sure Riku saw a doctor it if got bad. No doubt with the excuse he’d rather avoid any whining if he didn’t take that measure. Nise debated before he decided he’d attempt to drive home and pray their mom didn’t worry too much when he looked like he was in dire need of sleep, even though he was. "And off we go, stickmobile."

He still hated that damn car.