Wings of Home II: Wings of Change

Lesson Learned

When he told Shiro he was alright, he really wasn't. In fact, he barely registered the presence of others in the room until he heard Allura ask him if he were alright, but how he'd come to have the injury on his shoulder. He heard Lance's voice, possibly spinning his own tale regarding what happened, potentially paining him as the hero. After a bit, he said, "He was going to kill Lance."

Lance went off, which didn't surprise him, yet after that – he didn't remember anything as he finally passed out. After all, Shiro showed up and dealt with the Galra just like he'd warned the Galra he would. The next thing he knew, he awoke in a bed in the infirmary, his eyes darting around the room as he attempted figuring out what was going on. He sat up, wondering where Shiro was when he saw James Griffin. "What – what do you want Griffin?"

"Whatever's going on between you and Shiro's got to stop."

Keith stared at the other boy, his mind struggling to comprehend what James was saying. "Where is he?"

"You can't see him."

"What..."

"Technically, they're not letting anyone see you yet."

"Then why are you in here?"

"I figured now would be a good time to speak to you privately, so I snuck in."

"Well, I don't want to talk to you. Kind of not feeling that great."

"So I heard, though the details are vague beyond the fact I do know it wasn't Shiro who did this. Which is a pity."

"Oh, so you want Shiro to kill me? You're..."

"If it had been Shiro then maybe the adults would take me seriously."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"The fact Shiro is hurting you."

"Wh..." Keith's eyes narrowed. "Shiro's not hurting me."

"Why does he keep you around? It's not normal for someone to take in a kid they don't know, but nobodies heard him..." James took a deep breath.

"I told you. Shiro's not..."

"If you don't have anywhere to go, you can stay in my dorm room. I currently don't have a dorm mate, but if we talk to..."

"Seriously! My older brother isn't abusing you."

"Wait..."

"So, stop saying he is, and get lost!"

"Shiro is your older brother?"

"I..." Keith's mouth clamped shut. "I'm not supposed to tell people that."

"Why wouldn't you be allowed to? That – are you sure he's not manipulating you?"

"I – Shiro wouldn't do that. I'm not supposed to tell people so people don't take advantage of me because he's my older brother."

One of James's eyebrows shot up, his arms crossing. "You do..."

"And someone who's my friend wouldn't accuse Shiro of hurting me!"

"So, then, the reason he took you in – it had nothing to do with him being, well..." James let out a sigh, looking up at the ceiling. "Well, it's good to know he isn't abusing you."

"What have you done this time?"

Keith's eyes blinked, a smile spreading across his face. "Oh, good. It's you, Ryo. You're also glaring at me, so can I assume you're going to treat me like you usually do and things can go back to normal."

"Can you actually get it through that thick skull of yours that I do care, but that I'm trying not to act like a complete jerk towards you anymore?"

"I, um..." James stared at Ryo while Keith's eyes blinked. He pointed his finger. "Who is he? Why does he look like you?"

Keith's eyes blinked, then he said. "Shouldn't it be why do I look like him given that he's older."

"No, you're older, but in case you haven't figured out, I'm Akira's twin."

"Don't call me that."

"It's your name."

"It is not."

"It is too."

"And why are you telling him that? He's not a friend of mine, and I don't want him to know because he's not a friend."

"You just told him Takashi is our older brother."

Keith's eyes blinked. "Wait. I did, didn't I." He pointed a finger at James. "You tricked me!"

"I did not. What's wrong..."

"He's always like this when he isn't feeling well, but I promise – Takashi-nii's not abusing him, but the only visitors he's supposed to have right now are family. Since Takashi is being sedated because this one freaked him out with his injuries, that leaves me, so could you please leave."

"Yeah. See you in class once they clear you."

"I don't want to see him." Keith glared after James.

"Yeah – I think he really was concerned for you."

"Because I was attacked by a Galra? What happened to that Galra?"

"How should I know? I don't have that kind of security."

"What do you mean you don't have the security to know why he's..."

"About what happened to the Galra. As for why he's concerned, if you actually told people Takashi was your older brother they wouldn't think something hinky were going on under people's noses, but from what I hear, everybody now knows you live with him, so you can't continue not telling people we're related. It causes trouble for Takashi, but he's majorly stressed out."

"That..."

"He's still not grieved for Adam yet, but..." Ryo let out a deep breath, walking over to sit down next to Keith. "Look, this might be the best time since you're kind of out of it – you might not even remember the conversation, but you've not let yourself grieve either."

"I..." Keith swallowed. "I don't' know how to feel."

"Give yourself time." Ryo moved in closer, making Keith realize he was purposefully sitting on the uninjured side. "I met Allura."

"Oh. She's... I don't know how I feel regarding her either."

"Again, give yourself time." Ryo swallowed. "And – I guess Takashi-nii was right about me giving you time to come and trust me, so I'll try to be patient. Don't scare me like this again."

"Why were you scared?"

"Because you're my twin and I knew something was wrong. Don't know how to explain it." Ryo took a deep breath. "In the meantime, you should get some sleep. I've asked for some time off from – well, everything, so I'm staying here."

"You don't have to."

"I'm not doing it to be nice. I'm doing it to make sure you don't get up out of bed before your injuries are healed enough. But, I'm glad you're not dead. Takashi as well, but I want to be a family. That's what all of this taught me."

"That's – I think that's a nice thought."