#trelonkan

Shigeo releases his arm after inspecting it himself, after reassuring his upperclassman that it's nothing serious. There's blood tricking down his arm and staining his torn shirt, and he has some on his hand too from where he was holding it a moment ago.

And truly he's much more preoccupied by the blood stains than anything else. He doesn't want to wipe his hand on his trousers, but he doesn't want to just... not wipe it. He's holding his hand stiffly to a side when Geto next speaks.

It's very clear to Shigeo that his senior is upset. Sure, he's the one in charge, but not everything is his responsibility. It's not his fault that Shigeo was looking the other way, or that he's absolutely hopeless when it comes to close combat. The other's guilt is almost tangible, and Shigeo can feel it heavy in the air when he breathes in, and sticking to the back of his throat when he swallows his own spit.

He wants to wince when Geto touches his arm gently, but he instead clenches his jaw, expression trained, and shakes his head.

« It doesn't, don't worry about it. Sorry for causing you trouble, Geto-san, » he says, moving his arm back away from him gently and holding it with his already blood-stained hand. He bends at the waist to bow, sweaty curls falling forwards. « I will be more careful next time. »

“— Remember when I told you, 'I never wanna babysit another brat again'?”

It was only until the afternoon, when they were sprawled on the floor with crayons and sheets of paper strewn around that they overheard their saviour talking to someone by the threshold.  ‘ Happy birthday, by the way ’ the voice said, followed by the very familiar sound of a gentle, airy laugh. He turned around and told them he’d be back in a second with that soft voice of his that felt like a warm hug, and with chatter about the organisation and things Mimiko didn’t quite comprehend, the two adults left the room.

Mimiko exchanged a look with her sister as they were left alone, not too far so they could still hear a muffled conversation being had in the next room. Realisation dawned on them : it was Geto-sama’s birthday ! The same idea struck them at the same time, and slowly they grinned and giggled as they grabbed for new pieces of paper and set to work.

By the time Geto-sama was done and came back, the two girls stood next to each other by the door, each hiding something behind their backs. There was a small silence as their guardian stopped by the frame and looked at them curiously. Mimiko turned to look at her sister for courage, a feeling of shyness and giddiness overcoming her, but her sister smiled and nodded, and they giggled before looking back up at him again.

« Geto-sama ! » She heard her sister say enthusiastically, and she followed next, averting her gaze shyly when both of them, at the same time, held out their drawings for him.

« Happy birthday, » Mimiko said, not with as much confidence as her sister, but still very heartfelt.

Shigeo watched the light crease between Suguru's eyes soften as he read through the note, breathing out relieved at the rejection. Of course it wasn't serious, he would hate for any misinterpretations, but his senior was smart and that was exactly why Shigeo had chosen him to give the note to. He'd understand.

And there ws his proof ; he could always rely on Suguru even for stupid things like these. His small snort and soft laugh made him relax further, with the exception of his eyes squinting but a millimetre at the mention of Satoru's blinding grin. Shigeo begged to differ.

« Thank you, » he said, bowing his head just a little as he politely took the note back with both hands, and just as he's folding it and slipping it into his pocket, he stopped and looked back up at the taller man at his... suggestion.

The tension in his shoulders was back, and despite his deadpan expression, there was a warmth spreading across his face he couldn't quite hide.

« I only humoured Gojo-san for this. I don't actually intend to do anything other than go home and catch up on some sleep, » he said flatly, curious about what that fond expression on the other's face meant. That smile stretching slowly into something that felt targeted, somehow.

And now he was wondering if Yannick was actually... Expecting something like this. Did he care about these things ? He was Western, after all. What if he was hopeful but didn't receive anything ? Would he be disappointed ? His frown deepened slightly as his mind began to whir, eyes looking down as he considered the options.

The little girl hadn’t even thought about the fact that there would actually be monkeys in the room with Geto-sama before she ran to him for comfort and safety.

She hates them. She hates them, and when Geto-sama cradles her and picks her up, she wraps her little arms around his neck and hides her face away from the monkeys in the crook of it. There truly is no place safer for her than the cracks and crevices of this broken man.

She relaxes when she hears him chase them off, although she still hides, and it’s not until she’s carried away that she begins to feel somewhat coy. But the distress is bigger in her little body, and soon the worry is gone and the echo of his steps on the halls and the shuffling of his clothes as he walks with her in her arms are enough to calm her down.

Mimiko rests her cheek on Geto-sama's shoulder as she's carried into the kitchen, and once sat at the counter she looks at him with big, round, adoring and curious eyes, like he holds the answers to everything.

« A haircut… ? » she echoes quietly. She doesn’t want to cause any more inconveniences for her guardian, and there is no one she trusts more than him, but… Her childish imagination runs wild, and a new style manifests in her mind as a shaved head with spikes in a vertical line across her skull. She can very clearly picture her sister pointing at her and laughing until her sides hurt and she crumples, and so Mimiko's lips begin to wobble and tears well up anew in her eyes as she stares at her saviour.

@trelonkan a demandé : When was the last time you actually got some rest? // i give u teacher verse suguru.

The truth of the matter is that Shigeo has, in fact, not been getting much rest lately. There had been an increase on work influx and, as the director's assistant himself, well... He had a lot on his hands. And some of that work wasn't even necessarily his to shoulder, but what else could he do but nod his head and do as told ? He was only but a small brush stroke in a much bigger painting, and he was happy to do his part.

But in order to do his part, Shigeo has been living off of caffeine and cigarettes for the past few weeks. He almost doesn't hear his coworker from the buzz of figures in his mind adding and subtracting whilst he stares at the coffee machine refilling his cup.

He picks it up with a very fine tremble of his hand, system already overloaded with caffeine about to get more pumped into it, and turns around to look at the taller man standing behind him. He can't exactly bring himself to lie about it as he's asked, not with the way his eyes are all red and bouncing around, but he's also simply not one to lie, anyways.

« Before Gakuganji-san decided to get a custom Fender and messed up with the Kyoto finances, » Shigeo says, annoyance clear in his voice.

« You are looking pretty fresh in comparison, Geto-san. »

Shigeo doesn't respond to Geto's rhetorical question about going to see Satoru. He has already tried, after all, and that is exactly why he's asking him instead. 

He's glad to be able to ask of him little favours like this. In his time working with all of them, Geto definitely seems like the most grounded and reliable — it's nice to at least have one of those around.

Then come the compliments and all that appreciation, and Shigeo stands there a little awkwardly as he praises him for his work.