heavenlydecree | (no subject)

(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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Yeah, but it's not fair to you to make you sleep on the ground.

[... Oh. He pulls his phone out and sends a quick text back.]

I fell asleep. I'm sorry.

[He frowns at it - should he be running home now? - but tucks it away.]

My brother was wondering where I was. He worries about me a lot. I fell asleep before I could tell him what was going on, after all.

[Micchy rubs the back of his neck a little, both to relieve the tension and because he feels somewhat embarrassed about it. He never really talked about family with the others, even in general terms. It never seemed to matter. He knows Kouta has a sister he lives with, but other than that he really doesn't know the family situations of the other members in Team Gaim. ... It would be easy enough to find out, but it doesn't matter here. Outside is outside, and inside they're a team.]

I don't mind! It's not like I'm making a habit out of it. Besides, Yuuya'd be mad if I didn't take care of you.

[Kouta smiles brightly and reaches out to rub at Micchy's knee. His expression drops a bit at the mention of the other's brother and he hums a thoughtful noise as he stretches out more.]

It's good that he cares about you so much though, right?

[Yuuya... that still bothers him. The physical contact surprises him, but maybe it shouldn't. Kouta's always been a more hands on person than him, after all.]

Yeah, it is. It's...

[How to put this in a way that Kouta won't ask too much about.]

... It's usually just the two of us at home, so he thinks he has to be the responsible big brother. I don't mind so much. I mean, your sister probably thinks of you as her kid brother still, right? It's kind of the same thing.

[This surprises Kouta a bit, Micchy being so open about his family life. In the time Kouta had known him, Micchy had never really opened up about his family, but he viewed the details of everyone's personal lives much like how Micchy did: as long as they were together, the outside world didn't matter anymore. But, it's nice to hear Micchy being so open with him for once.]

She just wants me to hurry up and be an adult sometimes. ... says I shouldn't waste money. She doesn't like me doing things I like. Everything I do, I guess she feels like I'm being irresponsible. Even when I'm trying to help...

[He grins a little bit, and he shakes his head.]

It's true, sometimes I feel like I'm the adult here.

[Maybe it's the fact that he was the youngest on the team, but he's always felt like he's one of the oldest when it comes to the things the others do. But he doesn't mind. At least there's someone to remind him that he's still young.]

But maybe it's not that she doesn't like you doing things you like, but she just worries that you won't be able to stand on your own if something happens. If she's the only one bringing in money, you'd be in trouble if she got sick or something, right?

[Or if the forest starts invading faster and people get hurt. They've both already seen what can happen when humans go up against Inves. His grin drops for a moment while he thinks about that. But then it's back to teasing Kouta.]

Do you even cook, Kouta?

[That just makes Kouta pout even more.]

I'm bringing in money! I make money from the games we win. ... I could keep a job if I wanted, too! I had jobs for awhile. I could go get another one. I just can't right now because I'm helping you guys.

[Kouta pushes back and stretches out on the floor, wrapping himself up in the blanket.]

I can cook! ... sort of.

Uh-huh.

[He sits down next to Kouta, just glad that he can be silly with him.]

Don't let us hold you back, okay? If you want to do something else, we can work something out. ... Not that I'm saying I want you to go. But you should get to pursue what you want.

I want to be here with you guys, helping you out, fighting with you. There's nothing else I want to do. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I wasn't helping somehow.

[He frowns at that.]

Even though I was scared before, after what happened with that white armored rider... You gave me the strength to fight again.

[... He shakes his head a little bit.]

No. It's you who gave me the strength to fight. I wouldn't be fighting if I didn't have people to protect, after all.

I know Mai and everyone appreciates it. It's good to know you're important to someone.

[He reaches out with both hands to ruffle Micchy's hair.]

Hey!

[He shoves Kouta a little, laughing and falling against him. He can't imagine doing any of this with Takatora. Not nowadays, anyway. He had to grow up fast, but... he still feels like he missed out on a lot.]

[As soon as Micchy is against him, Kouta tightly wraps his arms around the other to pins Micchy's arms against his sides, moving him back and forth.]

Haha! Can't stop me!

Augh!

[He flails and laughs, nudging him with his head.]

Noooo! What a horrible fate!

[With that, Kouta rests his chin on Micchy's shoulder, still tightly holding him with a smile on his face.]

Are you gonna stay here longer? Go back home? It's pretty late...

[... Oh. He relaxes into Kouta, thinking for a little.]

Well, I told him I was with a friend, so he doesn't worry. There's no school tomorrow, so I guess it's okay if I stay here.

[... He's never spent the night with a friend before. It's kind of nice. Do most people do this?]

We could stay here if you wanted, or you could come stay at my house. It'll at least be warmer.

[He had texted his sister earlier, but she hadn't responded. He figured she had probably just grudgingly accepted his behavior. But he was helping a friend, so that was good, right?]

Are you sure you won't get in trouble?

It'll be fine. He's the sort of person who... he's usually grumpy about things. I can handle him, and I can't always be around him.

... Besides, I've never spent the night with a friend before.

Is that where you get your grumpiness from?

[Kouta teases, reaching up to lightly pinch Micchy's cheeks.]

How have you never spent the night with someone before?! Man, you're really missing out...

[He rolls his eyes at Kouta, and just shrugs.]

I always spent my time studying. I never really spent much time outside of school with people near my age until I met you guys.

Well, that's why you have to spend more time with us.

[Kouta gives him another tight, breathtaking hug.]

Come on, I'll take you to my place. Maybe we can stop and pick up some food on the way.

[With that, he removes himself from Micchy and holds out his hand to the other to help him up.]

[He takes Kouta's hand and gets to his feet. Is this what it's like being a teenager? Defying what you're supposed to do, figuring out your own path, and having friends you can count on? Or is that just what happens when people don't know who he is? Micchy is Micchy, no one else. No family name, no weight of the world...]

[... Well. It's still there. But it feels a little lighter, even though he has to worry about things still. He grabs his bag and heads after Kouta.]

As long as it's not from Charmant. That guy is... yeah.

[Kamen Rider Bravo, please.]

He wouldn't be open this late anyway. Not that I want to go see someone like him... We'll just stop by the convenience store and get some snacks to hold us over.

[As soon as Micchy is up, Kouta holds his hand and pulls the other behind him, grabbing up his own back and heading out the door. As soon as he's outside, he wrestles with the keys and the door for a minute to lock it before they're on their way again.]

How has school been going for you anyway? You're the only one of us who still has to worry about it.

Oh. ... I guess that's true. I don't exactly know his hours.

[How to answer that question... carefully, at least.]

It's been going fine. People are starting to get worried about university exams already. We still have some time. I don't think it's likely I'm going to go to extra lessons for it - I should be able to handle studying on my own just fine. I might... have to make some extra time for it, though.

[Not that he wants to, but he has absolutely no excuse for not getting into a top university. To fail to do so would be a huge disgrace.]

It's been a little tougher to keep up since we started having to fight Inves. I'm handling studying fine, but I've been getting less sleep.

[As they walk, Kouta swings their hands back and forth, tilting his head from one side to the other as he listens.]

If there's anything I can do, you'll let me know, right? Maybe we can help you study. Even if I don't know what to do, Mai's pretty smart. I bet she'd help you too! Then you could spend your time with us and get your work done.

[He does realize, of course, that they may just serve as a horrible distraction.]

Maybe. I've been trying to at least get my homework done in between practices. But even for someone like me, the entrance exams are supposed to be really tough. And... well. If I don't get into a top school, I'll be in trouble.

[All this touching, Kouta. What even.]

... I have some time to think about it. We have more important things to worry about, lately.