AN - So, here's the second chapter (sorry that it's been a little while.) Sorry if Agon's a little OC too, 'cause writing a heartfelt Agon going through emotional turmoil is a little out of the manga/anime's grasp... Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Don't own Eyeshield 21 (ohohoho, but if I did :D ...)

Agon spent the night in his room, glaring at the ceiling and replaying the fight over and over in his head. 'What started it?' He wondered. 'What did I say that sent Unko-chan over the edge?' Eventually he gave up and shoved his head under the pillow, letting sleep over take him.

He woke up to silence, which was odd. He sat up with a frown, his dreadlocks mussed from sleep. Usually Unko-chan would have knocked on his door by now, telling him the train left in half an hour and that the food was on the table, and that he was going on ahead. Then he remembered the reason behind the silence. That's right, Unko-chan and I had a fight, and he left.

Getting up with a frustrated groan, he put on a fresh pair of clothes. Stumbling down the stairs to the kitchen, he yanked open the pantry doors, then stared at the jars, boxes and neatly labeled containers, realizing he had no idea what he was doing. Grumbling, he shut them and went to the fridge. Usually Unko-chan would do this for him - he'd come downstairs and there would be breakfast waiting for him on the table.

"Stop thinking about that bastard!" He scolded himself, rummaging through the fridge's contents for something he knew was edible. That bastard is your brother, and the only person that can stand you. A voice in the back of his head reminded him. "Shut up, damn conscious," he spat, pulling out a container he recognized - leftover soup from two days ago. It still looked good, and when he opened it it smelt like Unsui's normal heavenly cooking, so he stuck it in the microwave. As the smell of chicken, vegetable and other things Agon didn't know filled the room, the genius glared at the microwave for increasing the soup's smell. It only stood to increase the oddity of not having Unsui hurrying around the kitchen, tossing things into a pot and stirring it as Agon stood around complaining about life in general. As soon as the microwave beeped Agon snatched the soup up and gulped it down, glancing at the clock over the three-person table by the wall (trying not to notice the empty space where Unsui usually sat in his chair.)

Realizing it was already past nine, and that he had a mandatory football meeting that if he didn't attend to he'd get kicked off the team at eleven, he swore and threw back the last of the soup. Scrambling for his jacket, he stared at it for a second as damp cloth met his fingers. Why was it wet? - oh, Unsui hadn't been around to dry it after the storm yesterday. Ignoring the uncomfortable wet scratching, he pulled it on and was out the door, putting his shoes on as he went down the steps. He was grateful he felt his house keys in his breast pocket, because he would've forgotten them otherwise (Unsui always had them), and ran for the train station.

Agon just barely made it to his meeting in time. Throwing himself into a chair in the corner, he spent the next forty-five minutes scowling at anyone who looked his way and sneering at the coach. He couldn't see Unsui around, but he figured that he had spoken to the coach somehow because the old man didn't look bothered. Once the meeting was done, he went to class and suffered through the few remaining hours of school left (actually, he was just sleeping.) As soon as the bell rang he was up and leaving, bag slung over his shoulder and rushing to the train station. He was strolling down the street after getting off the train, when a gurgle from his stomach made him stop. Deciding that some food would do him good, he found the nearest convenience store and grabbed some instant ramen. He was waiting in line when he heard the two men behind the counter talking.

"Hey, where's Unsui-kun? Usually he's called in by now to let us know what time's he's coming around." "Oh, he dropped by earlier, saying he wouldn't be working today because of some family problems." The man on the left finished handing a lady her receipt and Agon stepped forward, trying not to look like he was listening in on their conversation. The other man let out a sigh. "Mmm, that must be tough. I mean, I asked once why a kid like him needed a job, and he said he had a little brother to take care of. He mentioned his mum being overseas, so that does make sense why he needs this job, and two others."

Agon nearly dropped the change the man handed him. Three jobs? When does he get the time to do them?

"It's probably a good thing that he's getting today off. It can't be good for him to work the eleven to twelve-thirty night shift every second day - he's got school so he can't sleep in, and since he goes to Shinryuuji he's got to study too." The man, apparently unaware of Agon's slip up, passed him the bag with the ramen. "That little brother of his must be real precious if he's doin' all this for him. I wonder if he knows..."

I do now, he thought. Taking the ramen, he walked home a little quicker than usual, not really sure what the uncomfortable stirring in his chest was. They had said Unsui had taken the day off for family issues, and Agon was the only family Unsui had, right? So maybe he would be home, and they could... he didn't know, talk? He didn't know if he meant swear and yell angrily for Unsui leaving him, or actually conversing about what he'd just found out, though awkwardly at that. He knew that he'd probably start with the second (bumbling, twisting his fingers, at a loss for words) and finish with the first when he got fed up with being unsure (yelling, swearing, breaking something Unsui would have to pay for later.)

All Agon's plans, half-assed or not, flew out the window when he arrived home and pushed open the door to the same uneasy silence he'd woken up to. Feeling more unsure in his home than ever before he stepped into the house that didn't quite feel like it was his and kicked off his shoes. Putting the ramen on the kitchen table, he wandered into the living room and glanced around. Even though it was sunny and the curtains were open, the room seemed a lot more grey and lifeless than usual, and he didn't like it, not one bit.

He was about to leave the room and halfheartedly search upstairs when something caught his eye: the dent between the picture frames, where he had thrown the fork idly the day before. Looking at it from where Unsui had stood, he felt a tiny spark of realization dawn on him - the pictures were the ones he rarely ever looked at now, but had stared at the oldest one as a kid and tossed aside the newest one a few years ago. He and Unsui as little six year old's, huge smiles on their faces and childish delight on their faces as they posed in front of their favorite amusement park - hell, he was even making a peace sign and showing it to the camera. The other one, however, was him in middle school a year or two ago, 'holier-than-thou' smirk in place and sneering at the opposing football team, and even his own. Unsui stood between him and the crowd, and for the first time he saw the lost look on his face, the want to go and join the celebration with his team, but the obligation to stand by his brother and take him to the top warring with it. He could trace that look from months before that picture to even now, and he wasn't sure what he thought of it.

He found himself across the room, touching the glass of both pictures. The childish delight and gleeful smile on Unsui's face - he could only see it in this picture, it had been so long since his brother had made a face like that. And in his middle school football picture - Unsui looked so old, so tired, that Agon was afraid to realize what he looked like now.

His words came back to him: "I've always thought of you as trash anyway! You're no more than the rest of them to me!" And the hunched figure of his brother walking away in the rain appeared. He sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands, fingers carding through his dread locks. "Aw shit," he said softly, none of his usual venom in his voice. "That little brother of his must be real precious if he's doin' all this for him. I wonder if he knows..." "I thought I did know, but turns out I didn't fucking know anything," he said a little louder. But then he remembered Unsui's phrase from the day before: "There is no one else except for me!" and he knew his brother cared too much to ever abandon him, no matter how many times Agon left him.

But there was still one thing: why did he have that horrible, horrible feeling curling up in gut that always appeared before a gang tried to jump him with bats? And why wasn't Unsui home?

He really hoped that the two weren't related somehow, but that voice in the back of his head whispered, You know they are.

AN - Obviously there's gonna be another part or two (I'm not so cruel as to leave it like this) and it might take a couple 'interesting' turns left and right, which is hinted at in the end of the chapter. I hope it got through that Unsui loves Agon, but is just fed up, and would never leave him longer than a day, and because he isn't home Agon knows something is up. The parts about Unsui having a job (or several at that) and their mom being overseas is completely made up, and let's just assume that their dad is not around, as implied by the three person table etc. ~Anyway, see you next time, hope you enjoyed it.

Matches.