#ashvalle

throughout the years they've unwillingly known each other ㅤ( then more tentatively, purposefully, like the first dip of toes into cool beach waves ),ㅤseishu has learned that there's passion behind snarky remarks and a stoic composure. there's a lot of things that could make rindou fight back a grin, like inflicting pain on others, his big brother patting his head, being given praise, and music.

how many times has seishu heard someone say "music is the most important thing to me", as if there was a single soul out there that would not shrivel without a song to tap their foot to?ㅤloving music does not make one special, just like needing water was a vital part of the human experienceㅤ───ㅤbut the words sound different when coming out of rindou's mouth, because there is not just enjoyment in him, but a love so strong it could be created with his own hands. all inupi had were a pair of worn headphones and a voice that only koko has heard, and for a moment, his eyes glaze over the tickets, and his mind wanders to rindou's apartment instead. what kind of equipment does he own?ㅤcan he play instruments, or does he prefer to synthesize only?ㅤdoes he have an embarrassing debut single that he dares not show anyone, or does he proudly display all of his creations with that stupid self-confidence he carries in battle?

seishu wants to learn all of his songsㅤ───ㅤafter the concert. it's not every day he gets to see one of his favorite bands live and up close, after all.

he won't bother asking how rindou got them, even though months back seishu had almost crushed his phone in frustration when seeing the words sold out on the ticket website. he knows there's some things you're simply better off not knowing, like how far deep the haitani's influence runs, or why his heart feels heavy, but warm.

send a 👫and i’ll write four headcanons i have about our muse’s relationship ★   accepting !

[ 01 ].  takemichi genuinely thinks rindou's music is cool — maybe not the music itself ( he's not the partygoer type, so he has no sense of good or bad to judge that ), but the fact that rindou can mix music in the first place is soooo cool! takemichi can't imagine having that much passion and patience to learn something like that!! he could sit for hours watching rindou mess around with his equipment.

Matching , as if what they’re doing is so mundane. They’re not school kids picking the same colors and the same shoes to look cute or something , it’s more — at least that’s what Rindou always thought. There’s something sacred in mirroring each other , even if Rindou doesn’t talk about it , it’s his own personal reminder that Ran will always be there. They are two parts of a single whole , and all this time , Ran had given no indication that he didn’t align himself with the same thoughts.

Rindou’s mouth falls open in stunned shock , hanging there until he remembers he has a mouth again and shuts it with , teeth clacking with tension written etched in his jaw. He seems to be thinking hard , and he is in a way , except it’s emotions that flood through his mind as opposed to words. He has a million complaints at any single moment in time, but not one fits this specific hellish scenario.

His mouth falls open again.

“ — Stop messing with me Ran ! ”

When Rindou makes similar statements like: hey Ran , I’m too damn old for your gross slobbery 'smooches’ , or Ran , it’s embarrassing to say I love you to your older brother in a room full of gangsters it’s completely dismissed. — but when Ran makes the call , suddenly they're too old to wear the same ties and jackets. What’s the next damn thing , tattoo removal ? Might as well carve out that ink from their skin because they’re getting too old.

after all, today, and from now on, it is rindou's turn to capture people's attention for himself and himself alone... or, at least, he will as soon as they officially open the club. first, they have to take care of the smaller details, like making sure the sound equipment's working fine, and that the alcohol's quality was good. ( ...a task ran was all to happy to steal from his brother. )

ㅤㅤㅤ‘ㅤwell? how's the view from up there?ㅤ’ㅤㅤhe calls out, raising his glass of wine towards rindou before taking a sip, deliberately slow.ㅤㅤ‘ㅤthe sound's all good from here, if you're wondering.ㅤ’

ran envies very little. ㅤthere's not a lot of things he could not attain, after all, be it by charisma or the swing of his baton,ㅤand there's even less than he wants and doesn't already haveㅤ—ㅤbut, though it's not a feeling strong or ugly enough to be called envy, there's certainly a sense of curiosity when observing rindou's way of life. what is it like, he wonders, to live without caring what others think of you, without minding the way you present yourself?ㅤran suspects rindou does not know the worth in valuing yourself more than others value you, and would not realize what a strength that truly is.

ㅤ—ㅤbut ran does not have the luxury to not mind the way he presents himself, not when there's two leeches within tenjiku waiting to latch on to the first silver of weakness he shows them. they're stubbornly attached to izana, and no amount of pursed lips and narrowed eyes from ran would convince him to discard them. he hasn't voiced his disapproval, but he hasn't made a secret of it, either; if izana wants to take them to his grave, ran would not let him drag rindou and himself down with them however much ran's heart beats for him.

he shakes his head lightly, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, frowning at the floor.

ㅤㅤㅤ‘ㅤdon't underestimate them, rindou.ㅤ’ㅤㅤㅤit's very much a scolding, even if the volume of his voice barely rises. ran does not often act like a responsible older brother, but where rindou's safety and wellbeing is concerned, he never takes shortcuts.ㅤㅤㅤ‘ㅤkisaki may be weak, but he's awfully crafty. i don't doubt he already has plans for how to throw izana —and the rest of us— away if he doesn't do the job. not all fights can be won with your fists. even if we tried, hanma would not let us get to him so easily. we can't afford to be careless.ㅤ’

it's a bitter thing to admit, that powerlessness of not being able to outwit your enemy. the only thing holding ran here is his respect for izana and kakucho, but how much of them would be left when kisaki's done molding them to his liking?

telling ran's truths from his lies was like pulling teeth.ㅤthis, rindou must have learned since his brain developed enough to understand that no, the monster threatening to pull rindou's feet at night every time he disobeyed ran was not real, and no, ran was not actually upset and did not need a bite of rindou's dessert to magically feel better.

ㅤ—ㅤbut exposure doesn't always mean expertise. it would be boring if the younger haitani could suddenly tell which of ran's moods would take over in a snap of his fingers, even if he'd learned how to deal with them as they came, often their collateral damage and damage control both. ran loves to team up with rindou to cause mischief upon others as much as he loves to cause mischief upon rindou, so it was in rindou's best interest to be cautious of everything that comes out of ran's mouth.

was ran serious when he'd told rindou he'd be the world's most ungrateful little brother if he did not gift the person who raised him a mother's day gift? not really. did ran mean anything when he'd pointedly stared at rindou the day of?ㅤ—ㅤwell, maybe a little.

still, the biggest lie of all would be to say the sight of rindou giving him said gift didn't give him pause, lips parting into a surprised little 'o' before curving into a smile.

seishu has never seen the big deal in celebrating birthdays, not in childhood, or in the cusps of adulthood.

back then, akane would place her soft hands over his eyes, gentle giggles all the answers given when she'd guide him to the kitchen where their parents would later urge him to blow his birthday candles with koko sitting right beside him, precious moments once immortalized in pictures that eventually became ashes as bodies made of flesh and bone tend to do.

these years, his friends have continued to insist in him putting aside his responsibilities for an afternoon spent with them instead, and this wouldn't be the first time he's narrowly escaped smiley's treacherous hands from pushing his face right into the cake. the boisterous laughter of everyone else that resounded through the walls of takemichi's living room still echoes in his ears even now as he's back in the shop, but it's not entirely unpleasant. the seat next to him had still felt empty, but that's an emptiness he's made his peace with having to live with for the rest of his life, and they give him no time for it to feel so cold anymore.

he's glad to be back alone, though; there's a tiredness to his muscles that no amount of rolling back his shoulders could undo, and he's looking forward to sitting the rest of the evening down putting together a bike           but his plans are interrupted once more when, as he's about to fasten his gloves on, his eyes catch two little intruders neatly placed on the table.

the bento box is a familiar sight by now; it's the absence of the cook that puzzles him, and he has to look around the shop to make sure rindou wasn't lurking in some corner, thinking he looked cool leaning on the wall when he usually complains about his brother doing the same type of stupid poses. when he's sure he's alone, seishu sits down and curiously inspects the box, wondering how long it's been sitting there. if rindou had been waiting for him to show up today, then seishu should make it up to him somehow...

as he ponders on it, he finally catches notice of the two new additions to his usual lunch. he picks the birthday card up first and reads the message with an amused huff under his breath, but when he pockets it, he's careful not to wrinkle it. he can guess why rindou wouldn't want to stick around to give it to him face-to-face. it’s a shame, though; seishu quite likes to see him flustered. 

next is the little bag, which he opens with no small amount of confusion           and his eyebrows raise when the sweet smell of pastries fills the room. he looks at the bento box again, wonders if rindou had simply decided to pack more sweets as his idea of a birthday celebration, but the true birthday gift was hidden in the last compartment he uncovers.

at first, he doesn't quite understand what he's looking at, and he flips it over to squint at the small print. the card is obviously high-class; the glossy exterior and the delicate decor could say as much with a single glance, but it's the name of the boutique printed on it that pieces it all together.

in the privacy of the shop, seishu smiles to himself, lightly tapping his foot on the ground to rid of the sudden burst of energy that he’d previously believed to have been depleted at the party, a warmth settling deep in his chest like a hearth safely guarded within his ribcage.

come to think of it, for all the purple in his closet, he doesn't have any amethyst-colored heels, does he?  it's a nice color. he wonders what rindou will think of them.