Aoba had planned on calling an ambulance, phone in hand before his arm was grabbed suddenly, drawing a startled gasp from his throat. His eyes wandered downward and met the emerald gaze below. It was mesmerizing. Had he always fancied green eyes? He had no recollection of ever finding any particular eye color better than the next. They were unfocused and held an intense emotion that Aoba was having a distinctly difficult time identifying. Anger, fear, and perhaps a touch of relief? Pierced and busted lips began twitching as the younger struggled to talk.

"No...hospital," he managed to utter. The voice was dry and strangled and the wounded person fell back into unconsciousness immediately after. No hospital? What exactly was Aoba expected to do? The boy was in dire straights and displaying some very serious injuries. Aoba's teeth worked anxiously at his lip as he contemplated on ignoring the demand. It would be the wise thing to do, right? His ideals battled within is mind, unsure of what to do. It would be obvious to anyone who laid eyes on this person that medical attention was greatly required. However Aoba couldn't simply overlook what had just been requested.

With only another moments hesitation, Aoba carefully hoisted the teen from the ground and toted him to his home. Granny will know what to do. He struggled to get the door open with the bloodied individual in his arms. This had, of course, been one of the days he felt like being responsible and locking up after leaving that morning. His grandmother had clearly not unlocked the door either. Aoba was aware that the less you move an injured person - especially if there appears to be injuries to the head - the better, so laying him back down on the ground to free up his hands was out of the question

Giving up on his endeavors, a single blue and white boot kicked at the bottom of the door in hopes to grab the attention of the elderly woman inside. Ren stood at his side whimpering worriedly. After a few moments Aoba lifted his foot to kick the door again, but quickly retracted it as the door was flung open to reveal Tae, a grumpy pink-haired granny, wielding a wooden spoon in one hand.

"What, you remember to lock the door, but forget to take your key?" She assumed. "If dinner burns it'll be your fault-" Her eyes fell on Aoba's find, widening in shock.

"Granny, I don't know what to do. I think it's Noi-"

"You call an ambulance, of course! Haven't you any sense?" Aoba jumped slightly at the tone, shaking his head.

"He told me not to," defended the grandson. "I was about to, then he woke up and stopped me. He said, 'no hospital' and passed out again." The old woman's eyes closed as she massaged her temples in frustration, trying to take in the current scene being splayed in front of her. With a sigh she moved aside.

"Bring him inside and put him on the couch. But hold on a moment. I want to put down a towel so he doesn't bleed all over the furniture." Tae closed the door after her grandson and hastily hobbled to the bathroom, grabbing a couple of towels from the cabinet. When she entered the living room she could see that Aoba was now having a bit of difficulty holding the other male up, his arms growing tired. She placed the towels on the couch and beckoned for Aoba to lay the injured down. "Go get me my kit." The old woman crouched down in front of the couch and began examining the boy as Aoba ran to do as he was told. "Turn off the stove in the kitchen as well," she called.

Her wrinkled fingers worked at picking through the blond strands carefully to confirm whether or not there were injuries to the head. A small laceration came into view a bit back from the bangs. The depth of it was currently unknown, as was the severity. She about to lift the male's shirt to examine him further when Aoba returned with the medical kit. She silently took it and snapped it open, browsing for a few items that she set aside as she found each one.

With a pair of latex gloves now secured over her hands she returned to the head to inspect the gash more closely. She let out a silent sigh and her shoulders slumped slightly as some tension was lifted. Though there was a great deal of blood oozing from the abrasion its appearance was much worse than the actual injury. She deduced from the appearance of the cut that someone had grazed him with a knife. It was quite an odd place to receive a knife wound, and the boy was lucky it wasn't more serious.

Aoba watched as his grandmother skillfully treated and patched each cut and scrape with care. When she finally stood and removed her gloves it had been about forty minutes.

"Everything appears to be in order," she grumbled, repacking her kit and moving to put it back in its rightful place and dispose of the soiled gloves. "Just leave him be. Keep an eye on him, though. Let me know if he wakes up." And with that she resumed her tasks in the kitchen. With his hazel eyes lock onto the sleeping form before him, Aoba wracked his brain for a clear image of his old friend. This person certainly resembled him, and looked to be around the right age as well, but there was something about his eyes that threw the the blue-haired youth for a loop. Noiz had always been kind when they were kids. Now that he thought back Aoba could remember thinking that Noiz had seemed very lonely at times.

But this guy... When he had regained consciousness for that brief moment outside, his eyes held many different emotions. Some that Aoba couldn't imagine Noiz illustrating on his young, gentle face. Sure, ten years was a long time. It was certainly enough to change a person, but this was ridiculous. If this person was truly Noiz, then over the course of ten years Noiz had managed to become a completely different person all together.

"Dinner!" Aoba jumped when he heard Tae's voice beckoning him from the kitchen. He found that his appetite had yet to return, but sat down at the table and made an attempt to eat despite.

"Thanks for the food." With each bite he grew hungrier, the edge he'd been feeling since finding the beaten and battered male simply melting away. He was still concerned for the boy in the other room, and almost hoping that it wasn't Noiz. Though he wanted to see his dear friend again he feared the discovery that said friend had become a complete stranger.

Aoba stood at the sink, washing his dish and lost in thought. Tae sat at the table and watched his back in a concerned matter.

"Worried about the boy?" she asked. The water slowly came to a stop and the grandson turned and nodded shortly. "He should be fine," assured his granny. She sounded confident. This comforted Aoba a bit. They reappeared in the living room to find their patient awake and sitting up, holding his head with a grimace.

"Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Tae asked. He remained silent, unmoving. "I asked you a question, boy." Her tone was stern, but far from angry. His green eyes slowly rose and fell upon her wrinkled features. There was that look again. Aoba felt uneasy at the sight. When the blond's icy gaze switched to him something seemed to jump in his chest. Tae crossed the room and grabbed the scuffed and swollen face suddenly, forcing him to look at her. "You going to answer me?"

"Why should I?" he hissed in distinct agitation, then attempted to turn his face back to Aoba. Tae held him firmly.

"One would think you'd be appreciative. I just sat here and took time to patch your ungrateful ass up." His jaw was clenched, clearly growing tired of the old woman's attitude. Just when it looked as though he were ready to swing at her, his cold eyes closed and his features softened ever so slightly.

"Thanks," he muttered. Accepting, yet not quite satisfied with the minimal response, Tae released him and nodded.

"How are you feeling?" Tae repeated now that things seemed to have calmed down a bit. He looked to Tae, then to Aoba.

"...Fine." He kept his voice low as he spoke, brows furrowed. His attention returned to Tae. "My... head hurts." Aoba was burning with curiosity. An inquisitive thirst eating away at him, pushing to be released. It took all of his restraint to not riddle him with question after question. The top one, of course, being his identity.

"Well, that's to be expected," Tae said in response to the stranger's complaint. "How did you manage to get a cut on your head in the first place? Who did all of this to you?" Once again, the blond went silent. This defiance thing wasn't going to sit well with Tae. It never did. Aoba had gone through that stage as well, and it certainly hadn't lasted long. Before the old woman could open her mouth to no doubt spit a venomous lecture about respecting his elders, the young man spoke up.

"Aoba, it's been a long time." Aoba's eyes were wide and something in his psyche seemed to snap as his hunch was confirmed.

Author's note:

Welp, that's the second chapter! I'm having a difficult time motivating myself to update this... That's not good. It's only just started! ; 3 ;

Review if you'd like. Constructive criticism is always welcome! ( :

Peace, love, and gore

~Tobe