⇒ 𝑰𝑵𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑮 ― 𝑹𝑬: 𝑨𝑲𝑬𝑪𝑯𝑰 𝑮𝑶𝑹𝑶
it was hard to believe the words coming out from the other's mouth. they were, of course, the truth -- anyone could tell that. they were twins -- almost, anyway -- born only hours apart, doomed to walk a manipulated path that they'd finally broken off of, but not without their own share of scars. or at least, that's what kogoro now knew, now that he'd confirmed that his brother had indeed survived the battle with their cognitive selves.
they'd both made quite the sight, clad in hospital gowns and slippers, with kogoro having a surgical eyepatch over his left eye, and standing only mere meters apart. the younger of the both of them admired his brother. even when he'd slipped up or was hesitant to pull the trigger against his first victim, goro had always been there for him. the shock of thinking he'd lost him for good, along with the sobering realization that he had, in fact, not, stirred a flurry of emotions within him.
perhaps the effects from loki's ability still lingered in his heart like an ugly aftermath of a cold, but there was the unmistakable burn of anger that he felt acutely in his breast as his fingers clenched. in two easy strides, he'd closed the distance between them, but when kogoro's bare fingers found the material of goro's gown, the anger stopped burning. it was seemingly extinguished, but in reality, it opened a new floodgate of emotion: an overwhelming sense of relief that hunched his shoulders and threatened to burst free.
it started as a staggered inhale as kogoro's forehead met his brother's shoulders, and then began the quivering sobs as he sank against his frame, a haphazard attempt at a hug as he dug his fingers deeper into the material until his knuckles were bone white. "i-i thought..." he murmured, finally choking out some semblance of japanese in between his frantic sobbing. "...i thought i LOST you." / @crowraths.
