Icarus and the Bird with Clipped Wings

by reminiscent-afterthought

[AU] Takuya makes it his mission to break the new kid's shell and make him spill his secrets. But shells have different purposes and he learns this one after a trip to the hospital where he meets the brother. And secrets have reasons too. This one's a case of them hiding in plain sight... which is hard to do with other tell-tale signs and trigger actions and failing to move on.

10. 10

Icarus and the Bird with Clipped Wings
10.

Who did he know with black hair and blue eyes?

Minamoto Kouji came to mind. But Minamoto had long hair. And a ponytail. And his expression was an entirely different kind of closed off. The kind that shut people out.

This boy's expression seemed like he wasn't taking anything in at all.

But he couldn't think of anyone else. And maybe that's why he's seeing it. Or maybe he's seeing it because it was there. Similarities in their facial features, even with the vastly different expressions.

Did Minamoto have a brother? In the hospital? Was he ashamed of that, for some reason? Was that why he avoided the topic of his family and lied about where he'd come from?

Of course, there was always the possibility that Minamoto was right and his grandmother was just remembering wrongly. But when it came to listening to people, Takuya was more inclined to believe the grandmother who'd told her every story her quaint little town had to offer than the new kid who'd just moved in and was oddly defensive about… well, everything.

Which meant… 'Hey, you wouldn't happen to be related to Minamoto Kouji, would you?'

Oh hell, that hurt. He'd forgotten he wasn't supposed to be talking.