The Wall part 26

[krystalkatz.livejournal.com]

“Hang on? You’ve only just tested that thing on mice and now you want my brother to use it?” Nino hissed staring at the doctor and the horrible scary looking mask. At first, he had hoped that she would be willing to help but now he was prepared to believe that she was just as insane as Mrs Hayakawa “How do you know if it’s safe?”

“I don’t, that is my point. My research has gone as far as it can on mice. I need a willing test subject” Monroe answered with a touch of sadness to her voice before she chewed on her lower lip “I can assure you that I tested all the ingredients on myself and I’ve found none of them to be toxic. The ones that did make me sick I removed and replaced with other non-toxic ones. It should work but I don’t have the black lung so I don’t know it will”

“So, you…”

“Nino? Am I allowed to speak?” Masaki asked softly offering him a smile and Nino was tempted to glare and tell him to shut up. He clearly couldn’t be trusted to do what was right for himself. If he could he would have told him about the black lung. He stared at the open and honest face unable to believe that he had managed to keep it a secret from him.

It didn’t seem possible that Masaki, who couldn’t even win at a board game, could have kept something like that a secret. But then he remembered all the times that he had caught Masaki acting oddly, how out of breath he was when walking the stairs of their apartment the way that he had almost choked when he had laughed at a joke. He had said some particle of food had gone down the wrong hole but now he knew differently. The signs had been there but he had chosen to ignore them. He blinked away annoyed tears finding himself close to punching his brother but Satoshi was doing a great job in distracting him by smoothing his hands up and down his arms.

“Yes, but you’re already going to agree, aren’t you?” Nino whispered his eyes going back to the scary looking mask which was being squished and pulled apart by Monroe. The woman’s eyes were sparkling behind her glasses but Nino had to give her credit for looking as though she was trying to keep her emotions in check.

“Not for myself, Nino, but if I’m already going to die, I can at least try to help!” Masaki brightly as though he were offering to carry a basket of washing from the wash house or to pick up food from the market and Nino growled a little more darkly his eyes narrowing as they searched over the face. Masaki fell silent for a moment and then took a breath his shoulders lifting proudly as he stretched himself to his full height before saying “I am sorry that I didn’t tell you, Nino, but that was my choice”

“Why?” Nino asked though in his heart he already knew the answer. Masaki hadn’t wanted him to know until they were safely inside the wall in the sponsorship programme. The sponsorship had been his assurance that Nino wouldn’t end up down the mine living on his own when he died. The look in Masaki’s eyes told him he was right and he shrugged away from Satoshi and stomped towards his brother. He wanted to hug him but as they were being stared at by so many strangers instead of hugging him he clenched his fist tightly and then brought it down hard onto his chest before allowing his face to follow suit.

“Don’t ever lie to me again” He growled his voice muffled just slightly by Masaki’s chest and he growled with more irritation when Masaki gave a giggle hugging him tightly as he pointed out in a stupidly singsong voice;

“I didn’t lie, Nino, I just didn’t tell you”

“Don’t try and me smart, Masaki. You’re my brother, you’re the last thing I’ve got left”

“I know, that’s why I didn’t tell you…But now, ne, we might get help! Doctor Monroe? I’ll do whatever you want!”

TBC
A/N: I hope that this is okay ^_^