nemuru | ( INBOX )

[ ritsu has, of late, not trusted his own voice entirely not to fluctuate when speaking with his brother. the new ... thread between them is uncomfortable, but he'd agreed to it; he'd wanted it.

on the outside, it's only to keep rei off of his back. it's better than a hundred texts in an hour, or being called when he's a little late, or having to live with him - not that he minded the company of others too much, there, but he'd found himself a little more comfortable around people he'd begun living with. how queer, really, but then again: he had a trickster's kinship with iramaat, had a solid understanding of safety with nel. the both of them showing their relief at his being alright in their own way (in the very different, very own ways) solidified that.

it's probably nice for rei to know ritsu has people so caring of him, but-

a mutual, echoing guilt is the only thing that pulses across this bond, as faint and persistent as a heartbeat. hearing rei's voice, the pauses in it, knowing he's just as unsure of the state of things as ritsu is, is ... difficult, to put it lightly.

he's been avoiding voice, but he doesn't want to bother with text, and so he answers, playing with the watch in his lap as he does so. ]

I'm fine. Thanks for checking in on me, I guess... Don't get in trouble. Tell Yako-chan I said hi, and Kaoru-senpai that I'm looking forward to next month's game. Mm... That's kinda it, I guess...

[ because what he gets up to in his spare time is none of rei's business, really. ]

( "don't get in trouble." it's shameful how fair it is for ritsu to say; how rei, the elder of the two, the one who'd always been charged with keeping darling, delicate ritsu safe . . . had failed so catastrophically.

it's fine. (it's not fine.) even if he doesn't have the right to worry after ritsu given the mess he dragged them into, given how he's somehow, perversely, made ritsu feel guilty instead when he isn't even slightly to blame— even if this might churn ritsu's feelings, mixed, into something more solidly resentful, there's no way he could ever keep from making sure ritsu's okay. )

Certainly. I didn't know you played games with Kaoru-kun— are they board games, perhaps? Or something of the more magical kind?

( normal, normal, normal talk and conversation, )

Ahhh, mm... It's sort of like an information exchange game... You know, like how twenty questions or two truths and a lie is... We just play "Never Have I Ever" with some harmless drinks.

[ ...rei can assume he means water or something like that. harmless. ritsu's feelings don't betray otherwise, if something as small as that would be picked up over distance and the churning already present between them. ]

( a pause.

and if there were a faint ripple over their connection, rei doesn't pick up on it. it's a little weird how ritsu specifies "harmless," but he does suppose that just saying "drinks" would imply alcoholic... which is certain to mean ritsu didn't want to worry rei, perhaps...? so he was careful and put effort into specifying...?

perhaps he's overestimating ritsu's sentiment, but a faint sort of excitement and affection pulses over the line at the thought. he is... a little jealous kaoru gets to have ritsu all to himself for these games, but he can't complain when there's specific reasons to blame for why he can't see ritsu now. )

Is that so? Well, I suppose those are popular social games among teenagers these days ♪ Next time, perhaps invite Onii-chan to play, too? I'd love to learn more about my dearest brother and fellow partner in crime.

( a weird thing to say when bonded, but he doesn't think twice about it; it's not . . . the same— this connection, and having ritsu choose to share things by his own will. )

[ at least the echo of his guilt is enough to cover the secondary source of it at how happy rei is, thinking something of his lie. ritsu closes his eyes, rubbing his face with one hand. ]

...No way, I don't wanna know the kind of things you'd drink to. If you wanna play with Kaoru-senpai, ask him for a game...

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