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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[He nods, and tries to think. Some of it hadn't been a surprise, but... a little bit of it had been. The situation was really desperate, then.]

Just... just let me know if I can help. I don't want you to carry a burden like that on your own.

[Soft. Quiet. Everything felt somewhat fuzzy. He had to keep a clear head, but he couldn't think of anything else at the moment.]

... Nothing at the moment. Though I'm not going to stop fighting, and I'm not going to stop going out. Even if you try to make me stay here, I won't. Please understand that.

[There's no part of Takatora that believes Mitsuzane is being honest right now. Rather, he feels it's an attempt to try to win him over, in which case it's not working. And as soon as Mitsuzane says he has no more questions, Takatora begins packing his food back up and is already standing and putting his things into the bag he'd brought in by the time he responds. There's no rush. He's eerily calm.]

I'm not going to ask you to stop fighting. All I ask is you not be reckless. ... I also will not stop you from seeing your friends and spending time with them. If that's what makes you happy, then you should enjoy yourself while you still have time.

[He's lost. He's gained information, but he's lost. He's not sure what to do anymore. Takatora isn't impressed, and he's more protective than he thought he would be. Trying to win him over isn't going to work. He just has to wait, and prove himself.]

... I promise I won't be reckless. Just... as long as you aren't reckless, either. As much as I care about them, there are other people I could make friends with. I can't get another brother.

[That doesn't seem to impress Takatora either, who hasn't changed his expression in some time, calmly looking back at his brother.]

I won't require you to attend school tomorrow. I'll have one of the maids call in for you. Take the time to rest and sort your thoughts.

[There's barely any hesitation as he bows his head and then turns away, pulling open the door to walk out.]

Good night, Mitsuzane.

[He doesn't even wait for a response before the door is shut, making his way downstairs to put the food away.]

[He glances towards his closet, and turns to get ready to go to bed. He's not going to be able to sleep tonight, but he might as well try.]