AN: First No. 6/Nezushi fic ever, but after finishing the available manga, anime, and novel translations in the span of a few days, it had to be done. This is basically me just being introspective on their relationship from Shion's point of view. Not /really/ spoilers, but I guess some vague hints for later parts of the story? Also mostly based off the anime, but only because I finished that, and am only at volume 4 of the novels, since there isn't any more translated currently lol. But I think it's still applicable to all versions of the story. So far. xD
Anyway, enjoy! Also the characters do not belong to me in any way. I'm just using them to write stuff in my free time, for no monetary profit.
There was a time when Shion thought that maybe Nezumi's gruff exterior was how he kept people away from him, and that somewhere, there was a gentle side that just needed the right moment to come out.
It wasn't until he had spent a long time living with the other until he understood what Nezumi was really like.
To an extent, his original ideas had been right - Nezumi did try his best to keep people away, and he did have a gentle side to him.
But it was different than Shion had expected. The ascetic, sarcastic, almost arrogant way he presented himself was his true self. It probably had not always been so pronounced, but the events following the destruction of his home had forced a naturally negative young boy into the cynical adult he now was.
But behind the abrasive exterior, there was a person that did, in fact, care. There was a person that was alive, who felt for others, even if it was for a narrow spectrum of people.
Shion had learned that the blunt way Nezumi went about things was his own way of showing he cared. That bold truthfulness was his own form of concern for those he cared for.
When Nezumi truly didn't like someone, it was clearly evident. Shion had only seen it the few times they interacted with Number 6 officials - and he never wished to witness such a thing again. The way Nezumi's eyes turned to steel and ice, the way his demeanor became so icy and full of hatred - it was a terrible sight, made even more frightening by the way Nezumi still seemed so graceful in hatred.
Most people, though, Nezumi ignored. A product of his environment in a way, Nezumi wasn't one to pay much heed to strangers. As he'd said before, "keeping yourself alive is hard enough."
In the end, Nezumi was exactly the person he made himself out to be, in unexpected ways. As he listens to the taller male tease him for being an "airhead" (the hint of fondness in his voice doesn't go unnoticed), Shion thinks he wouldn't want it any other way.