Strangers in a Waiting Room
8. Family is Always the Last to Know
They got chased out of the bathroom soon-after when a cleaner came, but by then the conversation had shifted a number of other times. In that, Koichi had learnt a little more about Koji as well as his brown haired companion, and Takuya had learned a good deal about Koichi and his mother. Including the fact that, though he wasn't particularly open, changes in his facial expression usually told quite a bit more. And that meant that Koichi was far easier to read than Koji.
Which was a relief, because he was a little cut up about the fact that he'd missed Koji's troubling feelings. He'd spent a large portion of his sleepless night thinking about that. Wondering where he'd gone wrong. What he'd missed. Eventually he'd decided that if Koji's parents hadn't seen it coming, he couldn't have seen it either.
Then again, Takuya was under the impression that he was trusted more than Koji's parents were. Unless one counted that portrait of Koji's mother on his desk.
Of course, Koji's birthmother in the flesh probably knew as much as Koichi did…or a little more if anything wasn't for children's ears, as adults were fond of saying.
They peeked around the corner. The adults were still talking quietly, but they looked up. 'Koichi,' Mr Minamoto said. Koichi said nothing. Takuya thought he was still trying to decide how to approach a father he'd had no contact with. Takuya had suggested anger. Koichi had replied he'd already tried that approach. Last night.
Takuya wasn't quite sure if it had been Koichi himself or his mother who'd shut it down.
'Takuya…' Mr Minamoto sounded a little embarrassed at missing him. Takuya waved him off though. 'I'll go…err…visit Koji again,' he decided. It looked like family conference time and he didn't plan to be anywhere around.
And he was hoping that, this time, he wouldn't start crying.
He left them to it. Everyone looked uncomfortable and no-one quite knew what to say but that was to be expected. He'd hoped the adults would have made more progress by then but he supposed it wasn't that easy.
If things were that easy, life wouldn't have been so complicated for Koji…and Koichi.
He walked down the hallway, passed the other doors and to Koji's one.
Koji was, surprisingly, awake.
'Hi,' Takuya said, trying not to sound awkward.
'Hi,' Koji said flatly.
So much for no more awkwardness… Takuya thought, as the silence thickened. 'Err…your brother's a good sort, you know. Handling things better than I would've.'
He almost hit himself after that. Koji didn't even know…
Except Koji didn't seem surprised. Maybe he'd been awake for longer and one of the adults had told him stuff.
'So…err…'
'Are you going to ask me something?' Koji was looking away. Towards the window. Evidentially, he didn't want Takuya to.
And Takuya knew enough about Koji not to push that button. 'Nah.' Hopefully his tone was light.
'Tell me about…him then.'
Takuya noticed how he avoided using "my brother" or the name…or maybe he'd just forgotten the name. Different to how Koichi had fiddled around with terms to call his father and gone through several possibilities.
And how Koji was asking directly.
Koichi had asked indirectly. It amounted to the same thing.
A/N: I imagine some people will be disappointed by the ending, but the point wasn't the reasons behind Koji's hospitalisation (though I hope the anniversary approaching is enough for you guys to put your own thoughts to it), but Takuya meeting Koichi. In that, even their separate reactions were cut out – and really, I would have put those in if there was space, but it would have gone over 5k then and this is already my third attempt for that particular advent prompt. I have other opportunities where Koji is the one hospitalised instead of Koichi, and I imagine one of those will be more detailed. This was always meant to be short and sweet.
I had to cut out parts of the Takuya/Koichi conversation too unfortunately. Afterwards, I realised I could have added some of it in the end, but I'd already deleted them. Bad move on my part. :D Takuya is surprisingly observant when I write him so still works. He insists he is that way.