呉島 貴虎 | kureshima takatora (
heavenlydecree) wrote2014-09-19 10:58 pm
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[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.]
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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Takatora removed his hand from Mitsuzane's shoulder as soon as they started walking, trailing behind the other. His phone had stopped ringing, but there was no beep of indication Ryouma had left him a message (he never did.) When they reached the door to Mitsuzane's room, Takatora kept back, wondering if heading inside was another mark on a long list of things he would upset his brother by doing.]
I understand you want to go out today. ... I'm sorry. Perhaps later.
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[... There wasn't really anything in his room. All of his Gaim things were hidden away. Instead he painted the picture of a studious teenager - books everywhere, school notes carefully lined up in folders, and notebooks that held nothing of interaction with other people, only chemical formulas and algebraic equations. He leaned on his door slightly.]
We'll see, won't we -
[He moved to turn the doorknob when he coughed again, barely catching himself against the wall as his body shook. He let out a quiet hiss of pain at the awkward angle and the sudden pressure on his wrist, but bit his tongue to cut it off.]
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How long have you been feeling this way?
[It didn't seem like the sort of thing that came on suddenly overnight. It was possible Mitsuzane had been sick for longer and Takatora hadn't noticed with his busy schedule. Takatora visibly frowned, reaching out to open the door and carefully nudging his brother inside. Usually, he wouldn't enter his brother's room without permission (or a good reason), but this time he would make an exception.]
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[His bed had been made neatly, of course, and he'd swept the floor himself in order to make sure that there was no trace of dirt or anything that could give himself away.]
Only a few days. It's just a cold, I think. Please don't worry about it, nii-san. You have important work to do, right? I know there are a lot of things you have on your schedule, and I'd hate to make you fall behind.
[He reached up and covered his brother's hand on his chest with his own, fingers curling in the fabric of his sleeve like he had done when they were younger.]
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I only want to get you settled in.
[When Mitsuzane touched his sleeve, Takatora had instantly recoiled, but quickly recovered, silently cursing himself. It had been so unexpected that he had reacted in a negative way, which he only hoped Mitsuzane hadn't noticed or would take offense to.
After nudging the door open, Takatora guided Mitsuzane into the room and steered him towards the bed.]
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I'll be fine, really. But thank you, nii-san.
[He really should have changed before getting on the bed, but he couldn't do that with his brother in the room for multiple reasons. Still, as he tried to shift to get under the covers, some of his bruises stung sharply. He froze for a moment, before gently moving his arm again.]
Please let me know if there's anything I can help with while I'm at home today. I don't want to make you sick, but I do want to be useful.
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The best thing you can do for me is to take care of yourself.
[With that, Takatora turned back towards Mitsuzane and ran his hand over the other's hair.]
I'll send a maid up with some breakfast and medicine. Don't try to push yourself. You can't force your body to get better.
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... Yes, I know. You need to take care of yourself, too. The company needs to know that even its leadership can be strong, and you can't be strong if you don't rest.
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What kind of brother am I that my younger brother is the one trying to take care of me?
[Takatora returned his hand to his side, tilting his head at the other and watching him carefully.]
I'll be fine. [He sighed, looking the other over once more.] Is there anything else you need now? You know you can always call me if you need anything.
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[As much as the statement made him want to gag, it was true. They couldn't really rely on anyone else, and he didn't trust any of his brother's staff. He couldn't. He didn't know what they knew about the Armored Riders, and he didn't trust them aside from that. Almost all of them seemed extremely suspicious.]
I'll be all right. Go to work. I'll leave you a message after I rest.
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Right. ... You're right.
[It was difficult for Takatora to say more than that. He walked to the side of the bed and reached down to brush Mitsuzane's hair away from his face, managing a small smile.]
Please be careful, Mitsuzane.
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I will.
[Later in the day, he did feel somewhat better, though not enough to sneak out to the stage. He waved off one of the maids, explaining where he was going, and soon enough he arrived at Takatora's office and knocked on the door. He'd hidden away his dance uniform and put in another textbook to his bag. He did actually have to study - there was a test next week, after all.]
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[Takatora had been at his desk most of the day after leaving home, after meeting up with Ryouma that morning and discussing the next steps in their projects. Since then, he'd gone through a small mountain of paperwork, reading documents, signing them, neglecting himself and his health as usual, if the full yet cold cup of coffee on the corner of his desk was any indication. He'd barely looked up from his work in the last few hours.
In fact, Takatora had been so distracted that he had nearly forgotten Ryouma had come into the room an hour beforehand. Now, the professor sat in his chair across from Takatora, playing with the phone in his hands every once in awhile, but mostly spending his time watching his superior. When he heard the knock at the door, Ryouma laid one arm across the back of the chair and turned curiously towards the new visitor.]
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Sengoku-san.
[Carefully, he looked over at Takatora, and closed the door behind him.]
Nii-san. I thought maybe I would keep you company and study here. And one of the maids said you didn't bring lunch, so I brought it for you in my bag. I wrapped it an extra time to make sure it didn't get any sort of germs on it.
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[In the times the two had seen each other over the years Ryouma had been friends with Takatora, they rarely managed to be in the same room together for very long or to exchange words other than basic pleasantries. Ryouma smiled at Mitsuzane when he came in the room, draping himself over the back of the chair. He could tell Mitsuzane's smile was faked, clearly the boy had not taken the time to sharpen his skills as much as Ryouma had in that department.]
Your nii-san told me you weren't feeling well. Are you sure you should be out of bed?
[From behind him, Takatora gave Ryouma a look (which the professor couldn't see, obviously), before he turned his attention to Mitsuzane and motioned for the other to sit down at the small lounge area to the left of his desk. While he wanted to scold Mitsuzane, he didn't want to do so in front of Ryouma. Family matters were not to be shared, no matter how close Ryouma liked to think he was to them.]
Thank you, Mitsuzane.
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I thought that I could at least spend a little time with you, even if you're busy. And nii-san is the smartest person I know, so if there's something too difficult perhaps you could help me.
[None of it should have been too hard, but he could pretend on the rougher parts.]
Besides, all of the kinds of things you do I'll need to learn how to do at some point, right? And it's getting to near when we have to start studying for entrance exams, too. Learning business practices is important if I'm to get into a good university.
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That did not go unnoticed by Ryouma.]
Feel free to start studying on your own. If you have any questions, you're welcome to ask. I should be done soon.
[Short and straight the point. Takatora's words were always considerably different at work than when he was at home, though it was rare Mitsuzane saw him in an environment where he forced himself to be so professional. Even if it was only in front of Ryouma, Takatora couldn't allow himself to relax as long as he was working.]
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[He fell silent, absorbed in his textbook. Really, most of this was stuff he knew, but biology was tricky. He always wanted to dispute things his teacher told him, but doing so would be useless. Memorizing the information, even if it was incorrect, took priority. He could always reteach himself the correct information later. Textbooks on science were always outdated by the time they were printed, after all.]
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Carefully, Ryouma had slid one hand onto the back of Mitsuzane's chair and leaned over, practically with his head on the other's shoulder as he glanced at the book and attempted to see what the other was working on. Obviously, personal space had never been a concern of his.]
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[His voice was very calm as he spoke, though it was hard to keep his tone level - both from exhaustion and from rage.]
Sengoku-san, please don't lean so close. If there was something you were interested in looking at, you only had to ask to see the book yourself.
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Who says I'm interested in the book, Mitsuzane-kun?
[Ryouma knew the reaction that would get. He could have timed Takatora's reaction, when the man behind the desk very loudly dropped a stack of papers into place. There was no particular expression on Takatora's face other than simply looking at Ryouma, but the professor had known him long enough to know what that meant. Ryouma rolled his eyes and sat back up straight, removing his hand from Mitsuzane's seat, giving a cool look back to Takatora.]
Is that better, Takatora?
[Despite obeying, Ryouma drawled out Takatora's name as he spoke, the smirk tugging at his lips again.]
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[He didn't say anything, but he looked slightly relieved, going back to his textbook.]
This sort of thing is a very complicated process. Knowing all the steps involved is important. But I'm sure this is all stuff you know about, Sengoku-san.
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[Ryouma took advantage of Mitsuzane's distraction, giving Takatora a look in return, followed by a sweet, attempting-to-be-innocent smile. The reaction Takatora seemed to have was close to Mitsuzane's reaction. He pressed his lips together and dug his fingers into the table, attempting to remain calm despite the very reckless words Ryouma had thrown around.]
Ryouma. Please allow Mitsuzane to study in peace. I'll call you later if I have any questions.
[Ryouma didn't seem to like the sound of that, sticking out his bottom lip a bit to pout in Takatora's direction. Alas, he knew playing with the pair for too long would result in him using up all of his tricks at one time, so saving them and exercising some self-control didn't seem like a bad idea. Ryouma pushed back his chair and stood, careful not to make any physical contact with Mitsuzane's chair as he moved past him. However, that didn't stop him from walking painfully close behind the other, before he rounded the desk and carefully sauntered behind Takatora.
To call Ryouma a tease or a troll in any fashion would be an understatement. From behind Takatora, Ryouma made a show of tracing his fingers along the back of Takatora's chair, then down the back of the headrest to settle his hand on the other's right shoulder. He leaned down, in close with his voice quiet enough that Mitsuzane would be unable to hear him despite only being a few feet away. As he spoke, Ryouma gave Mitsuzane an innocent smile, only taking a minute or so to finish what he was saying. Really, teasing these two was painfully easy sometimes.
As he stood back up, though it wasn't obvious at first, Ryouma carefully (very carefully, though that part wasn't obvious) dug his nails into Takatora's shoulder. Thankfully, he got what he wanted rather quickly, which was a slightly surprised, slightly pained gasp from the older brother. With a satisfied smirk on his face, Ryouma gave another smile to Mitsuzane before heading for the door, giving the pair a wave without looking at them.]
I'll see you soon.
[Though, it was hard to tell which one he was speaking to.]
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... Nii-san, what happened to your shoulder? That's not the sort of noise you'd make just from someone's nails.
[His voice was calm again, though a bit tired. He could relax a hair, but not too much. Who knew who was still listening?]
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[Takatora's words, clearly, very obviously, were a lie. If that hadn't been made obvious by the uncomfortable reaction he'd had to the nails in his shoulder, then the shaking of his hands gave it away. It was likely the weakest Takatora had ever allowed himself to be in front of his brother in a long time, other than the occasional moment they spent alone together at home. He kept his gaze down, unwilling to look at his brother, as he tapped his fingers on the top of the desk to try to channel out his tension.
Also, on top of everything else, Takatora couldn't shake how uncomfortable Mitsuzane's phrasing had made him. Unfortunately, that sort of thing was far from the truth, but he couldn't very well mention something like that.]
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