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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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.

[Unfortunately, Kouta just happens to be a very touchy person. It's a bad habit he picked up from Yuuya a long time ago.]

Aah, mou... I guess you're right. If anyone in the group is responsible and going to turn out well, it'd be you.

[Kouta moves over to nudge Micchy's shoulder with his own, smiling at him.]

[He smiles a little sheepishly at that.]

Ah... I'm just doing what comes naturally. I'd really rather...

[Is he really going to admit this?]

I don't know, I'd rather stay with you guys and maybe study dance in university, but...

[Well. Expectations.]

... I'm probably going to study business.

Edited 2014-09-24 16:12 (UTC)

Hmm... Well, you know, it sucks a lot to have to grow up, but we're going to have to do it one day anyway. If you want to study dance... You're really good! And you should do what makes you happy...

[He thoughtfully swings their arms again.]

... but you're really smart, Micchy. You'll grow up and be really cool and accomplish a lot of stuff and make the rest of us look bad. So even if it's fun, even if you love being with us, you can always stay with us, but we all want the best for you too.

[He tilts his head, looking over.]

I mean, you can still study dance and do cool things when you're in university, too! Just... I dunno. I don't want you to turn out like me. Just don't do something you hate.

[Kouta laughs awkwardly at himself after that.]

Aah... Sorry! I guess I'm sounding too much like an adult now.

It's okay, Kouta. It's just ... I don't know. It's... complicated. My family is really business-oriented, so any sort of 'distraction' isn't really taken well. My brother didn't know I was on a dance team until recently, and I only... admitted it to him the other night. My parents don't know, but they also live out of town.

... well it's not like they're going to keep tabs on everything you're doing when you're away from home, right? You can still have fun.

[The next part catches him by surprise and he blinks a few times before puffing out his cheeks. That was a lot of stuff he'd never known about Micchy's family, but everything certainly makes sense.]

How did he react when you told him?

True. He said he wouldn't tell them.

[How did he react... well.]

I did say I had a fight with him, right? It... kind of came out in that among other things. He hasn't been reacting well to everything I said, though he did tell me he wasn't going to stop me from dancing.

[Kouta hums again at that, swinging Micchy around now that they've reached the front of the convenience store. It's only at this point that he releases the other's hand, walking inside and grabbing a basket.]

So he's not going to tell your parents and he's not going to stop you. Even if you guys had a fight... that's good, right?

[He grabs a basket too, though most of the stuff isn't really things he's used to eating. Disposable income is helpful a lot of the time, but... he doesn't have much of a preference.]

Yeah, it is. I just have to figure out how to snap him out of it. I don't like making him upset. We haven't been really close in years.

Is he a lot older than you? You've never really talked about him before.

[Kouta gets partway through the store, stopping at the refrigerated food to stare longingly at most of it before he leans down and starts looking things over.]

What happened that he's upset? ... other than fighting, I guess.

Ten years older. ... I don't think I should talk about the fight, though. It's a lot of personal stuff.

[... Oh Kouta.]

You know, if you want something from there, I can get it for you. You don't have to keep making that face.

Aah! Sorry. That's okay. I don't want to be nosy, really. ... I just thought maybe I could help you figure out what to do.

[At the prompting, Kouta waves his hand in front of his face.]

No, no, no! It's okay! I have money.

It's fine.

[Kouta seriously. Your faces.]

I know, but with the way you kept looking at it...

I guess I'm just used to not having too much to spare. ... with what we're getting from the games we win, I've got a lot more now, but my sister won't let me give her any of it.

[He crouches down, looking at the slices of cake.]

I don't like not being able to help people...

I know. You're too nice that way. Someone's going to take advantage of that one day.

[Is that cynical? Or realistic? He's not sure.]

Why won't she let you give her any?

I don't think I'm too nice. [He leaaans back, tilting his head back to grin widely up at Micchy. The wording strikes him as a little strange, but...] There's nothing wrong with wanting to help people. ... and I don't mind if someone takes advantage of me, as long as it makes them happy. I guess.

[He doesn't sound entirely convinced, but he goes back to the food, opting for a strawberry cake and a pudding, before going to look at actual food.]

She treats it like it's dirty, because it's just fighting. Or because I'm not being a proper adult. ... or she thinks I feel sorry for her. I'm not really sure. I think she has other reasons, but she won't really talk to me and I don't want to upset her more.

[Stop that. He reaches up to muss Kouta's hair.]

It's not 'just' fighting, though. You keep people safe. The Inves are dangerous. I mean... maybe you shouldn't get paid for keeping people safe, but we're one of a few teams that actually are doing good things. Some people are using Inves for pretty horrible things.

[The hair ruffle brings the bright smile right back to his face as though it had never left.]

I know. It's just hard to explain it to her, I guess. I think... when our parents died, she probably had to grow up too fast to take care of me. She missed out on a lot, so she doesn't really remember what it's like to be my age. And it's really hard to explain what we do anyway, protecting people.

[... Oh. That makes a lot more sense.]

Yeah. I think I understand. She's lucky to have a brother like you, though.

[To be honest, Kouta's not sure he's ever told anyone on the team aside from Yuuya about his parents, simply because it never really came up. He swings his basket as he examines the food, grabbing a couple rice balls and tossing them in before working his way back to the drinks.]

Well, I think your brother is lucky to have a brother like you.

... Thanks.

[Oh yeah. Food. He looks it over and... uh. Hm. He tosses some random things in, not really looking too hard at it. He'll start examining the ingredients and then never eat any of it if he keeps staring at it.]

[Noticing the awkward tone in his friend's voice, Kouta circles back once he's grabbed a few sodas, wrapping one arm around Micchy's shoulders and giving him a tight squeeze.]

Finding anything you like?

[Oh god sudden contact -]

I don't know. I... haven't had a lot of this stuff before.

[Is that an admission? ... It's kind of an admission. His voice is kind of soft and awkward like it is.]