Faces
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Title: Faces
Series: Adventure 02
Characters: Ken, Taichi
Rating: G
Word count: 299
Constructive Criticism: Go for it.
They don’t talk. They sit across from each other in Ken’s kitchen, Taichi crosslegged on the table, Ken ramrod straight in a chair, like a normal person. They sit with the fruit bowl in between them like a barrier, and they don’t talk.
Whistle from the kettle. Ken gets up, wanders over to the stove and takes it off. Picks a pair of ceramic cups from the cupboard and fills them with oolong tea.
When he returns, Taichi is looking at the family photograph on the wall. Ken is in that photo, smiling, missing his front teeth, and bubbly inside. His parents are serene, with loose faces and sleepy parent-eyes.
Osamu is there, too. With his thick-rimmed glasses and his perfect, practiced genius-smirk. With his unkempt hair that all his comb-wielding mother’s efforts couldn’t tame, and his rumpled T-shirt with a ketchup stain from the food court.
Ken looks at Taichi who is looking at Ken’s old face in the photo. He doesn’t look at Ken’s New Face as Ken hands him a tea cup and settles back into the chair. He is regarding Ken’s Old Face like an amnesiac who has just been told this person is supposed to be very important to him.
Ken sips his tea as Taichi struggles to place the face in the photograph. He knows Taichi must be struggling because Taichi knows Ken, the Only Child, and pictured is Ken, the Younger Brother.
But Taichi is an Older Brother. He knows what Younger Brother-faces look like.
Taichi turns his head and squints at the Only Child, and Ken squirms a little.
“You don’t look like him.” Taichi talks.
The Lonely Child stares, surprised.
“You’re taller.” He is smirking and leans forward to muss Ken’s hair.
Ken remembers what Older Brother-faces look like.
Title: Faces
Series: Adventure 02
Characters: Ken, Taichi
Rating: G
Word count: 299
Constructive Criticism: Go for it.
They don’t talk. They sit across from each other in Ken’s kitchen, Taichi crosslegged on the table, Ken ramrod straight in a chair, like a normal person. They sit with the fruit bowl in between them like a barrier, and they don’t talk.
Whistle from the kettle. Ken gets up, wanders over to the stove and takes it off. Picks a pair of ceramic cups from the cupboard and fills them with oolong tea.
When he returns, Taichi is looking at the family photograph on the wall. Ken is in that photo, smiling, missing his front teeth, and bubbly inside. His parents are serene, with loose faces and sleepy parent-eyes.
Osamu is there, too. With his thick-rimmed glasses and his perfect, practiced genius-smirk. With his unkempt hair that all his comb-wielding mother’s efforts couldn’t tame, and his rumpled T-shirt with a ketchup stain from the food court.
Ken looks at Taichi who is looking at Ken’s old face in the photo. He doesn’t look at Ken’s New Face as Ken hands him a tea cup and settles back into the chair. He is regarding Ken’s Old Face like an amnesiac who has just been told this person is supposed to be very important to him.
Ken sips his tea as Taichi struggles to place the face in the photograph. He knows Taichi must be struggling because Taichi knows Ken, the Only Child, and pictured is Ken, the Younger Brother.
But Taichi is an Older Brother. He knows what Younger Brother-faces look like.
Taichi turns his head and squints at the Only Child, and Ken squirms a little.
“You don’t look like him.” Taichi talks.
The Lonely Child stares, surprised.
“You’re taller.” He is smirking and leans forward to muss Ken’s hair.
Ken remembers what Older Brother-faces look like.