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sweet-symphony0 · 4 years

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Aaaand I’m back, another twin fic for Twin Tuesday! This one is full of angst, but it has a happy ending, I promise.

Summary: Sami is one who ends up in a car accident, but Rami is the one who crashes when he finds out what’s happened to his twin.

Tags: @the-real-ramimalekpeen @txmel @laminy @killerqueengigi @edteche2 @ramilicious @xmxisxforxmaybe @maz-zello @rathernotmyname and anyone else who wants to be tagged!

---

The unexpected phone call was shrill in his pocket, disturbing him from the script he was reading and the quietness of the room that he had settled into peacefully. Rami reached for it, frowning at the caller ID he didn’t recognize, and declined the call, before placing it off to the side and going back to his script again.

A minute later, his phone rang again and Rami really did frown then, biting back a groan at being disturbed again. Seeing it was the same number, he sighed, assuming it was a toll call, and he answered it with the intent to curse out whatever answering machine would be on the other end.

“Hello, is this Rami Malek?”

Rami sighed. Whatever paparazzi outlet got his phone number, he was going to kill them. “Yes, it’s me and I don’t know how you got this number-”

“I’m calling from UCLA Medical Center, concerning a Sami Malek? You’re listed as his primary emergency contact.”

Rami froze.

“What?”

“Sir, I just need to confirm it’s you. Can you give us Sami’s birth date?”

The words tumbled out of his mouth. “May 12, ‘81. We’re...we’re twins,” he added lamely, as if she didn’t already know that. “What’s happened to him?”

“Thank you sir. One moment, please.”

“What happened?” Rami repeated desperately, his mind running through a list of possibilities, each one increasingly more gruesome.

“He’s been in an accident, sir. A car crash, with a drunk driver. He was brought in twenty minutes ago-”

Rami stopped listening as he froze again, leaning against the wall for support. He glanced at the clock on on the television unit, seeing the numbers 12:32am glowing brightly in green. It was 9 at night in LA, which meant Sami was mostly like coming home from dinner. Dinner with friends, he remembered Sami telling him earlier that morning, and Rami had even asked his brother to pass along warm wishes of hellos on his behalf.

Shit, that was only this morning?

He tuned back in. “He was taken in for surgery upon arrival-”

“Surgery?! How...” Rami swallowed, staring at the clock again, which read 12:33 now. “How bad is it?”

“Critical as of right now. His arm got tangled in the seat belt and he’s bleeding pretty badly. That’s all I can say for now.”

Rami listened quietly, nodding to himself. “Thank you. I...I’ll be there as soon as I can. Can you keep me updated?” When he got an affirmative response, he hung up, taking a moment to take in the stillness of the room, a contrast to the bustling of Manhattan outside of his window.

Staring at the script still on the table, he moved it out of the way, reaching for his laptop instead. Booking the first flight he could find out to LAX, he texted his manager the situation before texting Sam he would need the next three days of work off for a family emergency.

He has to be okay, he has to be okay, hehastobe-

He stared at the clock again as he glanced over the details of his 5:15am flight confirmation, and he went to go make another phone call.

12:48am.

“Mom,” he said breathlessly when Nelly picked up. “Mom-no I know it’s late, I’m fine, that’s not important. Just listen. It’s Sami.”

---

He stumbled off the plane in a sleep induced haze, a small suitcase he packed on board with him so he didn’t have to wait for any bags. Standing in the taxi pickup, he booked an Uber to UCLA medical, where he reread the text messages Nelly had sent him during the night, saying that at sometime around 2:30 his time, Sami was out of surgery and resting under a sedative in the ICU. She had sent along photos of the crash as well, and when Rami opened them, he almost wished he hadn’t.

There was no car left. Rami recognized the back of Sami’s BMW, which was flipped upside down, the entire passenger side a mangled mess. Sami must’ve turned at the last second to protect himself, Rami realized, as he flipped through the photos. Airbags deployed, glass everywhere in the middle of the parkway...

Rami swallowed. He’s alive, he told himself. He’s going to be fine.

Upon arrival to the hospital, he rushed to the front desk, blurting out “Sami Malek?” to the receptionist and getting a double take of who exactly was asking in return, and she nodded after a moment of regaining her composure, but it was long enough to irk him. “Sami Malek?” He repeated, hiding his irritation.

“Yes, down the hall to the right. A nurse will bring you to him.”

“Thank you,” Rami rushed out, heeding her directions before another nurse led him behind the doors to the ICU. A series of twist and turns and then they were walking past a row of beds with curtains drawn around them for privacy and then he spotted his mother before he spotted his brother.

“Rami,” Nelly said in relief, hugging him. Rami returned it with all the vigor he had, needing her comfort. “Thank god.”

“How is he?”

“Resting,” Nelly sighed. “He woke up briefly last night when they brought him out of surgery, just for a few minutes but not since then. Jasmine will be here later, when she can.”

Rami pulled back then, stepping aside so he could pull the curtain back and Nelly let him, letting him see for himself, and Rami choked when he saw the sight of his battered brother.

A heart monitor was beeping steadily in the corner, with an oxygen tube hooked under Sami’s nose. His right arm was heavily bandaged and in a cast from shoulder to hand, and there were bandages on his forehead too. Rami couldn’t see, but he assumed there were bandages under the hospital gown Sami wore, hidden by the blankets.

Rami swayed on his feet. “Oh my god..”

“He’s alright,” Nelly said, and there were tears glistening in her eyes. “They said...said it looks worse than it is. That he’s very lucky.” Rami nodded numbly, collapsing in the chair beside Sami’s bed. “The other driver...didn’t survive.”

Rami winced, burying his face in hands. “Fuck...that’s horrible.”

“He ran a red light,” Nelly said shakily, switching to Arabic out of comfort. “Sami had the right of way and this man ran right into him. They say he...he broke several bones in his arm, and the seatbelt made it worse. Plus a few ribs got bruised, and he hit his head on the steering wheel.”

Rami couldn’t think of what to say, but he switched to Arabic too. “Fuck,” was all he said again.

It was a testament to the state his mother was in when she didn’t rebuke him for his language, and they sat quietly, Rami updating various people who were reaching out. Sam had been in constant contact with him despite the fact that Rami knew he would be at work now, and the fact that Sam was still asking made his heart swell.

A different nurse popped in this time, glancing at Sami’s monitor and his clipboard without looking up. “Family only,” he said, seeing the chair next to Sami’s bed and not bothering to check to see who it was. Rami raised an eyebrow at Nelly, who shrugged in bewilderment, and the same nurse finally looked up. “I’m sorry, this is a family only area-”

“I’m his fucking twin,” Rami finally snapped. “Or do you not constitute that as family?”

The nurse’s eyes bulged then as he glanced between Sami and Rami, and he shrunk minimally under Rami’s glare. “My apologies, I only meant to check-” but he faltered and hastily checked the charts before darting out with a “alert us if he wakes up,” and then he gone.

Rami sighed, offhandedly wondering if any competent people existed in this hospital, and he rubbed his temples in frustration. He had a headache settling in, from the late night and early traveling, and he hadn’t gotten much sleep on the plane. But he knew his mother had been here all night, and was undoubtedly exhausted.

“Mom,” he murmured. “Why don’t you go home? Go rest. I’ll stay with him.”

“Absolutely not.”

“You’ve been here all night, you deserve to rest-”

“Not until he wakes up,” Nelly said firmly. “No.”

“Mom.”

“I said no.”

Rami didn’t have the heart or the patience to argue with her, at least not for the time being, so he nodded and slumped back in his chair as they waited, the sounds the monitor being the only thing to break the silence.

Sami didn’t wake up for another hour, eyes heavy but opening blearily and he groaned. Nelly gasped and squeezed his hand, silently crying again when Sami made eye contact with her.

“‘M okay,” he mumbled, and passed out again.

Nelly sniffled quietly, kissing Sami’s hand and she stood up shakily. “I’m going to...I’ll get the nurse.”

Rami nodded, but Nelly didn’t make it two steps before she promptly burst into tears, and Rami was a blur as he stood up and hugged her. “Mom, it’s...it’s okay.” His voice cracked. “It’s okay. He woke up.” Nelly didn’t say anything as she continued sobbing against him, and Rami teared up too, hating more than anything to see his mother like this. He swayed them side to side, hugging her tightly, and when her sobs quieted, Rami said gently, “will you please get some rest? If not for you, then for him? I’ll drop you home.”

Nelly glanced at Sami passed out on the bed. “I don’t know-”

“I’ll call if anything happens. Please mom. You need to take care of yourself too, I can watch him.”

Nelly nodded, wiping her face with her sleeve. “You’re a good brother. You’ve always been so good to him.”

Rami smiled wryly. “He’s my best friend. He’s always been there for me.”

“You promise to call?”

“Absolutely.” Rami looked around. “Where are your keys? I’ll drop you home. I don’t like the idea of you driving alone right now.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Nelly waved him off. “I’ll be fine. You need to stay with him.”

“Mom-”

“Rami, I said I’m fine. I will let you know when I’ve reached.” She leaned over to kiss Sami’s forehead. “I love you.” And she kissed Rami’s cheek and then she was gone, and Rami was alone again, staring at the clock, which read 8:16am.

Nearly twelve hours since this whole thing had begun.

Rami didn’t let himself cry, even if he wanted to, staring at Sami’s peaceful state. Sami didn’t deserve this. Sami was the best of them, with the biggest heart and a sharp tongue. He was Rami’s better half, and he didn’t deserve this.

His mother texted him half an hour later, confirming she’d made it home, and Rami sighed in relief, sending her promises to call again if anything changed. He stared at the clock again, watching the minutes tick by as it hit 8:45am to 8:50am.

Sami didn’t wake up for another two hours, and by that point Rami had unwillingly drifted off in the chair he was curled up in next to Sami’s bed. Sami didn’t wake him, he just observed quietly for the time being, taking in the hospital room, the fact that Rami was here at all, which meant it must have been bad enough for him to fly out. It wasn’t until that Sami caught sight of his arm, and felt the breathing tube that it all clicked into place as it all came back, and he jerked up in surprise, heart beating wildly.

“Sami?!” Rami lurched awake and out of his chair, identical eyes wide and staring at this twin. “No no, lay back down, it’s okay, it’s okay! I’ll explain, just relax for me.”

Sami was still staring and he croaked out like “Rami...what..”

Rami steered Sami back down, pushing his shoulders down until Sami was laying down again. “That’s it, easy. Easy dude, just breathe for a second. You can’t do that.” He rubbed Sami’s good shoulder until Sami was sufficiently calmer, glancing around the room warily. “What do you remember?”

“I...” Sami stared at the ceiling. “There was a crash...I had dinner..and you’re here.” He met Rami’s eyes. “You came.”

“Of course I came,” Rami said instantly. “The hospital called me. I came as soon as I could.”

“You didn’t have to,” Sami whispered meekly. “I’m fine.” Rami raised an eyebrow, and Sami grinned a little. “Mostly.”

“You should take a look from where I’m sitting,” Rami muttered, doing a once over of his twin. “You scared the shit out of me. You bastard.”

Sami winced. “Sorry. When do I get out of here?”

“Not for a while, I think. A few days.” Rami grimaced when Sami sighed. “You’re pretty banged up.”

“No shit.”

“Oh, good to see your sense of humor is still intact.“

Sami sighed again, glancing at his arm. “This fucking blows. I don’t have time for this, I have papers to grade.”

“Yes well,” Rami snorted, rolling his eyes. “Those will have to wait, and I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you say that. Maybe you’ll get lucky and learn to write left-handed.”

“Or I’ll just have you do it for me.”

“Why on earth would I do that?” At Sami’s prominent smirk, Rami groaned. “Asshole. That was awful.”

“But true.”

Rami paused, and then looked at Sami’s face again, surrounded by bandages. “Yes, absolutely true. Even though we’re not in middle school anymore.”

Sami chuckled weakly and then whimpered when it hurt his ribs, and Rami took that as his cue to explain what happened and the extent of his injuries. Sami listened half-heartedly, playing with a loose thread in the hospital comforter. Rami took his hand, squeezing gently. “You’re going to be okay.”

“Yeah,” Sami murmured, still staring at the comforter. “I know. My god, my fucking car. Shit-”

“Don’t worry about your car, I’ll buy you a new one.” When Sami spluttered, Rami waved him off. “We’ll talk about it later. I don’t give a shit about the car, I just care that you’re alright.”

“You don’t but I do,” Sami sighed, and he looked around again, peeking through the curtains around the bed. “Fine. Where’s mom? I remember her being here.”

“She was here. I sent her home to sleep, she stayed here all night.”

Sami nodded. “Good, she needs rest. So do you, you must be exhausted. You don’t have to stay with me.”

“I want to.”

“But you don’t have to, not for me.”

Rami tilted his head. “Do you not want me to?”

Sami sighed in frustration. “No, I just..it’s not necessary. I’m good here, I’m not even in pain.”

Rami got it. “You know I don’t care that you’re in a hospital bed right? You’ve seen me in far worse condition.” Sami didn’t say anything, so Rami pressed on. “I want to be here. I was worried, so let me be here please.”

Sami cracked a smile. “Sure.”

“Cool,” Rami squeezed his hand again. “You...you’re not allowed to scare me like that again, Sami.”

“Well,” Sami said wryly, a tired expression on his face. “It’s not like I intended to be in this position-”

“Sami.”

Sami went quiet when he saw the forlorn expression painted on Rami’s face. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“It’s okay,” Rami sighed, running his hand through his hair. “I’m just glad you’re okay and coherent.”

“What about...the driver? The one who hit me?” Rami didn’t answer that, his simple shake of the head was all the answer Sami needed, who sucked in a breath and nodded.

They fell into silence after that, mulling in their own heads, but Sami tightened his grip on Rami’s hand, to the best of his ability, and Rami squeezed back gently. Sami lay back against the pillows, fighting back exhaustion again, but he still gripped Rami’s hand.

“Rami,” he murmured.

“I’m here,” Rami said, scooting to the edge of his chair to get closer.

“Can you stay?”

Rami smiled. “What happened to wanting me to go?”

“I don’t want you to go,” Sami said, staring at Rami with half-lidded eyes, his expression so earnest it made Rami emotional. “Want you to stay.”

“I wasn’t going to go anywhere. You’re stuck with me.”

“Unfortunately,“ Sami grinned weakly. “Pain in my ass.”

“Yep,” Rami said cheerfully. “Your favorite pain in the ass, since forever. We shared a womb together, that’s it.” Sami fell silent, but squeezed his hand, his eyes glassy with what took Rami a moment to realize were tears. “Sami...hey...”

“I love you,” Sami said softly, and if that didn’t just do it for Rami, who finally felt a lump in his throat. “I love you.”

“I know. I love you too, Samsy,” Rami leaned over to fix Sami’s hair that wasn’t under the bandages, scratching his scalp gently, and he blinked back his tears. “Don’t you worry. You’ll be out of here in no time.”

Sami choked upon hearing the old childhood nickname. “Samsy?! You haven’t called me that since we were seven.”

“Yeah, well, the last time you were in a hospital bed was when you were seven, so it’s warranted.” Rami grinned, eyes twinkling still. “You thought I’d forgotten?”

“I’d...hoped.”

“Well it looks like you’ll have to just suck it up, sorry.”

Sami groaned. “Oh my god.”

Rami chuckled and scratched Sami’s scalp more, threading his fingers through his hair, and Sami sighed, raising his good arm. “Get over here.”

Rami froze. “Uh...I don’t...I-”

“You won’t hurt me, you’re like, the size of a twig,” Sami said impatiently. “Is it too much to ask for a hug?”

Rami sighed and chuckled, muttering “I take offense to that,” but he leaned over, giving Sami a careful hug, and they clinged to each other, not wanting to let go even after several minutes. Rami kissed his temple in a moment of rare affection, and Sami smiled.

“Rams?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.” And he didn’t elaborate, because Rami knew, and he smiled back.

“For you? Anytime.”

#let's play the game see if you can spot my favorite line #rami malek #sami malek #the malek siblings #malek twins #malek twin appreciation #twin tuesday #let me know if you want to be tagged!

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