His pink eyes reflected off the bright orange flames that danced wildly inside the fireplace. It was Christmas time, and a huge friendly gathering took place in the dining room. Aoba, Koujaku, Mizuki, and the rest of the usual gang were around; even the Rhymers and Ribsters of the bluenette's friends were invited, along with the Alphas, Sei, and the 'we're-not-really-twins' duo: Trip and Virus.
Well, at least one of the Alphas was in the dining room. The other was too busy staring hypnotically at the flickering flames, probably sitting in front of the fireplace a bit too close than he should normally be. Releasing a silent sigh, Alpha sat on the floor motionlessly, which was a bizarre sight for anyone to see him in such a state to those who knew him. Once what thought to be a silent evening for him turned out to be interrupted as Clear walked in, spotting the only lone inhabitant in the living room. Confused by the scene, the older brother carefully approached towards Alpha and sat beside him, waiting for the other to acknowledge his presence.
Alpha didn't look at him, nor did he utter a single word; Clear thought he was either too preoccupied with his own thoughts, or Alpha was completely ignoring him. He hoped it was the previous statement.
"Uhm, Alpha?" Even though his younger brother's eyes were still on the fire, Clear could tell he was reacting to his calling. "What?" Alpha asked, not caring if his tone had a hint of annoyance. Clear didn't pay attention to it; he knew how his two younger brothers act and talk, after all these months they spent living together after the collapse of the Oval Tower. It was a slow and agonizing process, but he somehow managed to establish the twins to have normal lives, as well building up their brother relationship.
Well, almost normal lives. The white-haired duo still maintained their problematic personality, though their cruel and twisted nature ceased to exist. Clear was grateful for that, knowing that they no longer will be victims to Toue's plans again.
Still, there were times that they kept to themselves, never once socialized with other people. "It's just," Clear continued talking, wondering why Alpha had isolated himself from the party. "I feel like you're isolating yourself again." When Alpha said nothing, Clear decided to encourage the other to speak back. "I mean look at your brother, Beta."
Ah yes. Alpha 2 had to be renamed as 'Beta' for starting a new life and getting rid of his unusual numbered name. Clear thought in renaming Alpha as well, but the android rejected the idea, saying he preferred keeping his original name. "Right now he's throwing in some conversation with others over there."
To be honest, Alpha 2 was somewhat forced into the conversation, since he rarely talks. He would still stick around with the Morphine group, replying back any questions that were directed towards him. Unlike Alpha2, Alpha had no problem in speaking boldly in front of others. For Alpha, to be this quiet, was truly a rare phenomenon.
Alpha snorted mockingly, finding the image of his twin having a legit solid talk with someone else amusing. "Is that so? Good for him."
Clear sighed. "Alpha, could you at least tell me what's bothering you?"
A few seconds passed as silence lingered in the air. Shifting around, Alpha pulled himself closer towards the fire until his very own skin was enveloped by the intense burning heat. Clear had his eyes wide open, questioning why he was so dangerously close to the fireplace. For Alpha, he didn't mind it; after all, he did have the Auto-repair function to regenerate in case a hot blazing ash landed onto his skin.
"Say, big brother." Hearing Alpha calling out for him, Clear became fully alerted, not wanting to miss a single word that his younger brother was about to confess. "If I were to walk right into this fire, will I be still walking and functioning? Since we're more advanced than modern technology, our Auto-repair will keep on regenerating our burnt skin non-stop, preventing the fire from burning deep down any further."
Alpha exhaled loudly and took a good long look at the fireplace. When he noticed that Clear didn't answer, he turned around and saw the pure horror written all over the older sibling's face. Alpha raised his eyebrows, questioning why the other was reacting in such a way.
"A-Alpha, you seriously aren't thinking of..." Before he could finish, Clear's words were cut off when a sharp jab was felt on his shoulder. He yelped by the sudden violent act of his younger brother. "No I'm not, you dumb -"Alpha stopped midway in his sentence, taking a moment to compose while rubbing his forehead. "You know what? Never mind. Forget about it."
But Clear didn't want to. He knew something was bothering the young AI's mind, yet his stubbornness or indecisive acts made impossible for Alpha to confess his troubles. Clear watched him getting up and walked towards the doorway arch. Before entering the next room, Alpha turned and gazed fixedly at his brother. "Hey thanks, even though it's none of your business to butt in. Now excuse me while I get myself some eggnog." Laughing a bit, Alpha left.
Well, that went well; or at least that what Clear was hoping for. With a smile on his face, he shook his head and pulled himself off from the floor. "Alpha is acting stubborn as always."
Maybe someday Alpha will tell him.
