So.

This is my first non-Cowboy Bebop fanfic. I'm sailing into uncharted waters here. Eep.

Set post-manga (Vol. 18 "Extras" ignored because...well...I didn't like them), though if you've only ever watched the anime, I think you'll still be able to follow along.

Hope you enjoy.

ssg.x.

Give me back my dreams
I've been counting these sheep
Since I can't remember when

Give me back my sleep
I'll be dreaming of you till I wake up crying again
I have lain awake through the longest hours
Wondering whether to cry or scream

You can take my heart
It was always yours
Just give me back my dreams

God help me, I'm going to kill him.

"You changed Tono's ringtone again?"

Hikaru pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

"I had to. If I ever want to enjoy music again, I have to keep changing his ringtone. My cell rings practically every thirty minutes now. His calls are chewing through my mp3 collection. I swear I'm just about ready to tell him to shove it."

Kaoru glanced up from the pile of fabric swatches in front of him and smiled sympathetically at his brother, who hardly noticed as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"You should go get some sleep. You look awful."

Hikaru nodded. He set aside the pile of fluorescent pink post-its and magazines in his lap and stood, stretching his arms and giving his back a quick crack.

He'd been staring at bridal magazines all day. The well-trained eye for fashion he inherited from his mother was now almost blind with exhaustion. Not that Tamaki's leaving much in the way of creative flexibility anyways, as Tamaki seemed dead-set on running a tight ship since he first announced his engagement to Haruhi three months ago, insisting on having final say on every last detail of the wedding, from the tuxes to the type of ink and script used to write the addresses on the invitations.

If he didn't know Tamaki so well, he might have thought the guy was trying his damndest to punish the twins for any and all sins committed against him since middle school. His Flakiness called about a hundred times a day now, and every morning the Hitachiins would wake up to a fresh new pile of magazines at their door to file through, bursting with scribbled "suggestions" on post-it notes from the king himself.

Between the magazines, the fabric swatches, and invitation samples, the living room was a massive fire hazard.

"Has Tono decided on cravats, neckties, ascots or bowties for the groomsmen? I'm going to need something long enough to hang myself with."

He sunk back into the couch and tilted his head to stare at the ceiling.

"You think Haruhi cares about any of this stuff?" he asked quietly. "Centrepieces, champagne, taffeta, wax seals versus resin seals…She's never cared much for extravagance, and now she's up to her armpits in it. Tono must be driving her crazy."

Right on cue, his phone started to ring. He groaned in frustration, slapping his hand over his eyes.

"I can't take it anymore," he snapped. "That's it. I'm not answering this time."

"Head off to bed, already. Leave the phone with me," Kaoru said.

"I'll just turn it off."

"No, you won't. Leave it here," Kaoru insisted, holding out his hand to confiscate it.

Hikaru rolled his eyes and handed it over.

"It's for your own good, you know. Exhausted or not, you'll feel guilty for getting frustrated with Tono, and you'll end up turning the phone back on before your head hits your pillow."

Kaoru was right, of course, but Hikaru wasn't going to admit it.

"Fine," he muttered. "Don't stay up much longer, okay? I know you had a late start today, but you know some messenger guy will be ringing the doorbell at the crack of dawn again with who the hell knows what latest ridiculous bit of wedding paraphernalia has caught Tono's fancy."

Hikaru was almost at the door when Kaoru stopped him again.

"You shouldn't feel guilty, you know."

"I know. Tono passed 'unreasonable' about forty magazines and a thousand fabric swatches ago, but –"

"Not just about that," Kaoru interrupted. "I mean about Haruhi. You shouldn't feel guilty."

"I don't know what you mean," Hikaru replied, not turning around. His ears started burning up. Kaoru wasn't stupid. He was still the only person on the planet who could read him like an open book, though Haruhi also managed the occasional glimpse into his thoughts. It was comforting and frustrating at the same time.

He heard Kaoru sigh, but it wasn't an entirely unpleasant sound.

"You haven't acted on your feelings. You have nothing to feel guilty about."

Hikaru's shoulders tensed.

"What if I'm not sure I can keep it up for much longer?"

"She's already made her choice. I'm not sure another confession is worth the hurt it would cause the three of you."

Then you don't know me as well as you think, after all, Hikaru mused.

Because if even the vaguest chance that Haruhi might return his feelings existed, it could very well be totally worth it.

"No possible good could come of it," Kaoru said, reading his thoughts again. "As much as it pains you, pains both of us, Haruhi loves Tono. She chose Tono."

"I just want this over with," Hikaru said, stung by his brother's words but determined not to show it. "And in a few more months it will be. Everything will be fine."

Kaoru, perfectly happy to carry on a conversation with the back of his brother's head, chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Hikaru snapped.

"You, Hikaru. The wedding isn't going to change your feelings for Haruhi. The engagement certainly hasn't, has it? I know you're trying to use all this wedding planning junk as something akin to emotional electro-shock therapy, but if you're still feeling what you're feeling, you're just being a masochist."

"If you're so worried that I'll slip and confess something, you should be happy I'm making every effort possible not to," Hikaru muttered.

"It's very noble of you, but I don't want you to have an aneurysm. Why not get out of town for a little while? Between Kyouya, Hani, Mori and myself, I'm sure we can juggle all of Tono's whims without you. Anyways, we're much more adept at handling Tono than you've ever been."

Hikaru bristled at that. He looked over his shoulder, shooting an acidic glare in Kaoru's direction.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Kaoru smirked back, unfazed.

"It means you still have the least amount of patience, and the worst temper of just about anyone I know. The fact that your head hasn't exploded from all the pressure building up inside it is a miracle of science."

Kaoru could practically see the black cloud forming above Hikaru's head. His brother's eyes narrowed and he heard him sucking a deep breath in through his teeth, ready to give him what-for. Kaoru arched an amused eyebrow at him.

"Something to say?" he asked innocently.

Clenching his fists, Hikaru huffed and left the room, nerve-endings screaming their protest as he tried not to stomp his feet like a child on the way.

"I didn't think so," Kaoru said smugly. He shook his head and smiled, happy to at least finally see his brother off to get some much-needed rest. Cutting another call from Tamaki short mid-ring, he turned off Hikaru's phone and tossed it on the couch behind him.

Lyrics quoted from The 6ths' Give Me Back My Dreams. Please don't sue.