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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[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.]

... eeh? Really?

[Well, at this point Kouta's just assuming Micchy has a bit more income than his family, but not by a very large margin. He was used to using convenience stores as his go-to for most of his life. The only times he really went anywhere larger was when his sister needed him to get actual groceries and staples to cook with.]

Well... We can have you try some stuff...

[Kouta makes a long, low hum as he stares at the shelves.]

Do you have any preferences?

I don't really like meat all that much, but other than that not really. Or too spicy, though my brother loves it.

[Takatora you're weird.]

What about sweets?

[Of course there's not really anything purple or with grapes, so that takes out Kouta's first impression of what to get.]

They're fine, in moderation. Neither of us can put on too much weight, right? Or else we'll slow down.

[He pokes Kouta in the stomach gently.]

[At that, Kouta whines pathetically, holding his stomach and pouting at his friend.]

Micchyyy~

[He rubs at the spot, then moves to grab a few random things off of the shelf: another couple sweets (mostly fruit themed) and a couple sandwiches. He tosses them into his own basket, then goes to the back to grab another couple drinks to add in too.]

You can try anything I get.

All right.

[Not like he really knows how to judge. Oh well.]

[Kouta gives him another shoulder squeeze before turning away, taking his basket to the front of the store and setting it on the counter. He then proceeds to buy another few items from the display cases in the front -- hot food, which will be much more enjoyable to eat after a long night -- before paying for all of it and looking fairly pleased with himself for getting the chance to spoil his friend. As soon as he's done, he stands near the door with his bags, swinging them carefully again as he stares out into the street.

Something feels weird, but he can't figure out what.]

[Micchy rolls his eyes a little bit and takes one of the bags.]

Making you carry all of it isn't fair.

[But he just... trails along next to Kouta. He's never been to his house before. Apartment. Right. Probably an apartment.]

[Kouta tries to pull his hand back, though Micchy beats him to it. So he just pouts instead, which seems to be his usual method of defense when he's not being an armored rider.]

I can handle it! Let me spoil you!

[He walks outside to lead the way back, keeping a few steps ahead of Micchy at first and dodging to the side to avoid running into someone, muttering an apology.

Ryouma, of course, says nothing in response, but easily steps past him. While the chance is there to say something or make a scene, he simply gives Mitsuzane a look and a playful smile before heading past the pair and into the convenience store.]

[... His blood runs cold, and he meets Ryouma's gaze with as much venom as he can. He grabs Kouta by the arm and pulls him into a side street.]

Let's... make sure you go home a different way than you usually do, okay? Please don't ask why.

[Of course. Did Takatora send him out? Or is he just doing it to be an ass? He probably already knows where all of them live. Are there trackers in the belts? There probably are. His mind is working at a million miles an hour.]