Icarus and the Bird with Clipped Wings
49.
Takuya had picked it up quickly enough, once he'd been clued in. And he'd thought it was somewhat funny too, that finally his motor-mouth was exactly what someone else needed – so long as he remembered to lay off on the questions. And bring something like soup that could be drunk with a straw, instead of cookies that really couldn't.
He messed up occasionally, but at least it wasn't resulting in near-broken jaws or hysterics anymore. He still got the stiff walls occasionally, from both twins, but he was firmly in the friend camp.
Sadly, he was pretty much their only friend. But his mother did say a small-knit group of close friends was better than a large group he wasn't particularly close to, and he was in agreement with that. It was so much better. Harder, but better. More meaningful. And all the adults around him said he'd mellowed out and it was a change for the better.
Basically, they said he wasn't a stupid reckless kid anymore. But if it meant he was growing up (and getting along better with his little brother, which was a surprising side-effect), then he wasn't complaining.
