heavenlydecree | (no subject)

[If there was one thing Takatora was sure he should have learned by now, it would be how to keep his life in perfect running order. He had been the head of Yggdrasill's Research and Development branch from the moment he'd left high school and even before that, his father had kept him on a tight and strict schedule, never a second unaccounted for or left out of place. Unfortunately, with all of Takatora's scheduling and trying to squeeze an extra hour into every day, he still felt as though he never had time for anything, let alone everything. Even his weekends left little time for himself, though Takatora was also painfully aware of his obsession with triple-checking everything under his command and bringing such weight onto himself. He couldn't allow for errors.

His morning routine started a bit later on the weekends, if only because Takatora knew he had to catch up on sleep at some point to make up for running himself ragged. Getting sick was something he couldn't risk. The usual morning routine went by quickly: dragging himself out of bed (he'd never become a morning person, as much as he wanted to), showering, getting dressed, checking for any news or alerts while he had been sleeping. Thankfully, nothing important had happened during the night. Takatora always lived with the fear of something awful happening while he was asleep that he would be unprepared for, but every morning brought the same temporary relief. For now.

Takatora headed out of his room after an hour or so, still checking his phone as he made his way down the hall and towards the stairs. Ryouma already wanted to talk to him about something, which was mildly surprising as Ryouma rarely (never) got out of bed so early, which meant he'd been up all night again. Stepping past one of the maids, Takatora spoke a return greeting to her as he continued on, paying more attention to typing out messages than his surroundings.]

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[Kouta makes a startled noise when Kaito grabs him, immediately grasping Kaito's wrist his hands to steady himself.]

I'm... sorry. ... the last time I saw him... he almost killed me...

[He lets Kouta go and pulls his hand back, tilting his head up.]

Then carry yourself with more pride. You survived, and you'll become stronger than him.

[Kouta keeps his hands in place for a moment even after Kaito's hand is gone, reluctantly lowering them and loosely hugging himself.]

You always make everything sound easy.

Simple. Not easy. There's a difference.

[Kouta can't help but pout a little at being corrected.]

Aah... right.

[He stands there awkwardly for a moment, trying to figure out what he should say or do.]

Ne, Kaito... I'm... about earlier...

... What?

[He's got other things he has to do.]

... I'm sorry I acted like that.

[He knows he could explain why, but he knows Kaito wouldn't care.]

... Just don't do it next time.

[Can he go? Because babysitting Kouta is not his idea of a good or productive time.]

[Oh. ... there were two things to apologize for, he supposes.]

I meant about trying to hurt you. ... but the other thing too.

[He's trying to ignore exactly how weak he was, his voice quieting a bit.]

I guess... I'll see you later. [pause] .... thanks.

Don't mention it.

[Seriously. Don't. He adjusts his coat and heads off. He has team politics to deal with tonight.]