Breaking the line (chapter four, PG-13)
Title: Breaking the line
Rating: PG-13 for now
Pairing: Shibutani/Yasuda, (Nishikido/Ohkura)
Words count: 2,682 for this chapter
Summary: AU. How much will it cost for the young assassin, in the underground world known as Arsenal, to retire from his profession and how many lines will he need to break in order to regain his freedom?
A/N: Thanks to irreplaceable elyndys for beta! ♥
It’s been already a week since the first night Subaru woke up in the middle of night, cold sweat running down his temples and his whole body shuddering like in a high fever.
After so many days of constant nightmares, haunting Subaru mercilessly, not allowing him to properly sleep, think, communicate or do the most basic things, he’s more than devastated. It’s all like a vicious circle - the past he can’t erase, things he’s not able to deny, escaping from what seems to be chasing after him and ending there - the seemingly safe place, where he’s allowed to be himself again, to live like a normal person, but where he still has to confront his demons, stuck somewhere in his head.
He’s aware of the fact that he could say something. Tell everything to Ryo, who drops by Yasu’s apartment every once in a while, or even Yasu himself, who always seem to be right there, just for him. But then, barely seconds after he tries to make up his mind, he decides it’s not worth it. Putting somebody in an uncomfortable position, burdening them with his problems, and most of all - risking making himself bare and vulnerable, ready to be picked on, or to be hated, or whatever really, because there are so many black scenarios in Subaru’s head, repeating themselves again and again, that he’s not sure what is reasonable and what isn’t anymore.
He knows it’s probably stupid and naïve of him, thinking like that, but it’s not like he can help it. It’s buried deep in his mind, not letting go, not allowing itself to be forgotten, always reminding him at the worst times.
There are countless times, particularly when he wakes up, getting up abruptly and making the bed bounce a little, when he’s wondering if Yasu’s aware that there’s something terribly bad going on with Subaru. If he sees the shadows under his eyes, forced smiles, lame jokes without much humour put into them. If he ever wakes up to Subaru trying to get over the shock of his nightmares, if he hears the occasional screams, if he feels Subaru’s body trembling under the covers. If he does - he’s a great actor, because Subaru hasn’t even once noticed any concern in his eyes, any pitiful looks, any signs he’s awake while lying in the bed.
And sometimes he simply wishes he would. Trying to get some proper sleep after waking up, wrapped up in the covers yet again, convincing his mind sleep isn’t something he should be afraid of, Subaru wonders how it’d be if Yasu had woken up and said something. Anything. If he would just ask what time is it, and why Subaru’s not sleeping; Subaru wishes he could hear his voice, that deep, consoling sound of it, always calming him down.
But it’s not happening, not now and in Subaru’s mind - not ever, perfectly unaware of this night being the next one when he tries to sleep and Yasu, on the other side of their wall made of pillows, lying with his eyes wide open, looking in the darkness and waiting for Subaru to fall asleep again.
*
Something changes after two weeks, when Ryo comes by after work, dressed up in a suit, finding only Subaru at home, Yasu out buying some groceries Subaru wrote down on a sheet of paper barely twenty minutes ago. “You look like shit,” are the first words Ryo says, shrugging off his coat and hanging it over the back of the sofa.
“Thanks, it’s nice to see you too,” Subaru replies sarcastically, rolling his eyes and taking the coat to hang it properly. When he turns back, ready to offer his guest something to drink, he finds Ryo with a beer in his hand, already opening the can. It doesn’t even surprise Subaru, Ryo’s always been like that, after all.
“Well?” comes the question after a moment of silence, and Subaru looks dumbfounded for a second, before asking, “Well what?”
“You look awful, you’re unexpectedly sarcastic, and you won’t comment on my behaviour. There has to be something bad going on, and of course I can tell, it’s not that you’re a good actor, you know.”
Subaru sighs and rubs his temples, wondering if this is the best opportunity to try and tell somebody everything. He plops down onto the sofa next to Ryo, who’s drinking his beer rather hastily and not really noticing Subaru’s distress. Or ignoring it.
“I have a problem,” he says at last, voice small and raspy, muffled a little bit.
“I’d say you have quite a lot of problems nowadays,” Ryo retorts, but when Subaru doesn’t react, he loses his smile, leaning back and relaxing, simply waiting for Subaru to tell him whatever it is he needs to pour out.
And Subaru does, after a few minutes and attempts to find the right words; in the end he doesn’t care how it sounds, and how it shows him, he just concentrates on getting it all out. All the fears, and pains, and regrets, and everything that’s hidden inside of him.
If it weren’t the loud gulps of beer, Subaru probably wouldn’t even know Ryo’s there, because he keeps quiet all the time - but it’s good, he decides, it’s good because he doesn’t feel like he’s being judged. Like Ryo’s making up an opinion about him even before he hears everything. And Subaru feels stupid, now, when he can’t find anything more to say, and when Ryo doesn’t do anything Subaru feared he would. He feels stupid, because of course Ryo would understand. And Ryo does.
“You’re such a stupid kid sometimes, Baru,” he says, and it’s half-joke and half-serious, Subaru can see it perfectly in his eyes and hear it in his voice. “I’m honestly starting to think about getting you some babysitter, because obviously you’re not good all by yourself.”
“You already gave me one,” Subaru retorts, cracking a half-smile. It feels good. The sudden lightness and emptiness.
“Yeah, but Yasu’s obviously not fulfilling his duties properly.”
“It’s probably because I’m shutting him out,” Subaru admits, leaning his head on the backrest and looking up at the ceiling. “I can’t talk with him. I don’t know how. I feel like by revealing more about myself to him, by allowing him to get to know me better, I’m dragging him into this. And I don’t want to, I hate the fear of risking someone’s life because of my whim. I’d rather keep him at a safe distance, assuring him security.”
Ryo turns his head and casts him a glance. Subaru can feel it, and he’s not sure how he should understand it, suddenly uncomfortable, “You should let him decide for himself. You can’t make decisions for him, Subaru.”
“I know,” he says, hiding his face in his hands for a moment. “I know, but I just can’t help it.”
“Believe me.” Ryo replies instantly, his hand resting against Subaru’s shoulder in a comforting way.
And somehow, Subaru really wants to believe him.
*
The evening is just like always - dinner, Yasu babbling about his whole day and Subaru listening, from time to time commenting on something he finds funny or interesting. Nothing really changes after his conversation with Ryo earlier this day; Subaru is still nothing but awkward, Yasu still doesn’t seem to be aware of anything, and it’s all pretending and playing hide-and-seek until they’re lying in the same bed, the always present pillow-wall between them.
And when Subaru sleeps, unconsciously taking part in that horrible nightmare once again, it’s like a repeat of any other night - the same images, the same emotions, and the same fear.
Waking up, he doesn’t scream anymore. Throughout the last two weeks, Subaru’s managed to somehow control a few reactions of his body, cries replaced with hands tightly gripping the bedcovers, the need to escape and run to somewhere far away with deep breaths and lids blinking furiously; but other than that, everything’s the same. His throat knotted, eyes wet, body trembling and gaze intense, like he’s afraid something will come out of the shadows and eat him up in a second, not letting anyone even notice it.
He wants to wake Yasu up. To crumble that idiotic wall, to get over his anxiety, to take even one small step which could end up making a big difference. But he’s afraid, and hiding his face in his hands he insults himself in his head; you stupid idiot, you damn coward, what kind of an assassin are you if you can’t even do such a simple thing.
But then, he feels something. The touch on his arm, which is simple, but warm, comes as unexpectedly as the decision he made four weeks ago. Unconsciously he knows it’s Yasu - it can’t possibly be anyone else, not there, not in this apartment - but the desire to look back, throw at least one, small look, is too big to resist. And so he does, and in this moment it’s almost like the whole world stops its mad rush for a few seconds, when their eyes are linked, Yasu’s ones reflecting as many emotions as Subaru’s.
“I’m sorry,” Subaru says after a while, lowering his head and trying hard to not concentrate on the warmth spreading across his body from the place Yasu still holds his hand. “For waking you up. Maybe I should sleep in the other room, after all.” His voice is quiet and audibly fluttering - the confusion, shock, uncertainty - everything is too much to handle, to keep calm.
He expects many things, Yasu agreeing with him, or disagreeing, or offering help in buying some comfortable mattress tomorrow - but definitely not what he does in the end. Seemingly small, but in reality rather long arms reaching out, taking hold of his fairly slender frame and, without asking questions, without saying anything, hugging him from behind. It startles Subaru, it makes him dumbfounded and he can’t deny it’s uncomfortable - but most of all, it’s nice. The feeling of somebody being so close, not afraid of you, not holding back. It’s relieving, and even if it’d been a cruel trap, Subaru wouldn’t care, because this seems to be everything he needed for the past weeks, and he can’t voluntarily deprive himself of this.
“I know there’s something wrong going on,” Yasu suddenly says, and it only makes Subaru feel even more of him - voice barely above whisper, hot breath hitting the skin on his neck, loose strands of Yasu’s hair tickling his bare arm. It makes him want the moment to never end, to never be broken by any necessities. “I thought it was best to wait for you to decide to let it out, but I can’t watch you like that anymore. It’s devastating.”
“I thought you didn’t see. Or didn’t care.” The words are out of Subaru’s mouth before he can stop them. He’s afraid Yasu will take it wrongly, but it’s just one second, maybe two, before Yasu laughs softly, and Subaru smiles a little bit at that too, because oh, how he loves the sound of his small laughs.
“You have no idea how wrong you are, then.”
Silently, Subaru agrees - he has no idea, because Yasu, despite his rather easy to guess and uncomplicated personality, is still like an enigma to him. He can talk with him, he can listen to him, watch movies and cook dinners together, but all that is just trivial, nothing to do with actually knowing someone. In most cases Subaru can’t guess what Yasu will do or say, or how will he react to certain remarks or jokes - but then again, Subaru never really paid attention to any of those. For the whole of this time, he’s treated Yasu like a chapter of his life, one of those that will end eventually without further continuation - that’s why he hadn’t thought it important to really get to know him, to find out more than superficial features that have nothing to do with the essence of his personality.
“Hey, Subaru,” Yasu starts after what feels like hours, neither of them moving even a little bit, except for Yasu’s fingers tracing small circles on Subaru’s arm. “Would it be okay to go out tomorrow together? We could go to the cinema, and do some shopping, or just walk around the city if you don’t like shops,” he asks, and his arms leave Subaru, apparently deciding he’s calmed down enough to let him be. And Subaru can’t deny it, he is calmer, but he also can’t help but whine mentally at the loss, suddenly feeling cold and lonely.
“Sounds fine,” he answers, turning to Yasu and seeing that wide, but gentle smile spreading over his lips, making it irresistible to smile back. And when they go to sleep again, Yasu asking twice if he’s sure he doesn’t need anything, Subaru feels a lot lighter than before, the small foundations of what he could call ‘courage’ building up inside him as he plans to crumble the wall completely - be it the mental or the pillow one.
*
“We can’t let them be like this anymore, Ohkura,” Ryo says, his voice sharp, but somewhat weary, the conversation going on for some time already, still revolving around only one thing. “You can’t play god and make them know and believe in only what you think is the best.”
“But it was good until now. Why change that?” Ohkura replies, stubbornly, pacing back and forth through the room of their apartment. He’s nervous, it’s noticeable in all his movements and gestures, but Ryo fails miserably when it comes to calming him down in this one matter.
“Because it’s not fair. They’re troubled, neither of them really know what’s going on with the other one. They’re like little kids playing hide-and-seek, frustrated because they can’t find each other’s hiding place,” he says, getting up and crossing the room to stand right in front of Ohkura, stopping him by placing both hands on his shoulders. “And they would, I’m sure they would, if they knew everything about themselves. They could help each other, in a way I can’t help Subaru and you can’t help Yasu. We just have to allow them to.”
“I’m worried about Yasu, Ryo,” Ohkura says, still not ready to give up, too sure his grounds are reasonable. “I fear he might be the one who will suffer in the end.”
Ryo smiles a little, wondering if it’s okay to point out to Ohkura that small wrinkle between his brows when he’s furrowing them like that. He decides against it in the end, not even wanting to think about the offence he would provoke with that remark.
“They’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not like Yasu is that innocent himself,” he says instead, throwing Ohkura a knowing look. “Come on. Yasu and Subaru are a bit like us, you know,” Ryo adds, playing with the loose strand of Ohkura’s hair. “And knowing this, do you remember how indignant at me you were when you found out the truth about that last mission? I thought you were going to bite my head off, for real,” Ryo laughs, and it makes Ohkura smile too, which the older man takes as a good sign. “So don’t you really think, based on your own experience, it’s better to know everything from the beginning?”
“I never said I don’t think like that. It’s just that-“
“That you’re worried about something that doesn’t concern you in any way. It’s called being nosy, you know,” Ryo cuts him short in the middle of sentence, knowing perfectly well what he was going to say.
“Oh, shut up. If this is what you’re calling nosy, then you obviously hadn’t seen my intrusive side yet.”
Ryo smirks at that, “Really? Care to present how deeply you’re willing to put your nose in when you’re interested in something, then?”
“Nose? No, not really. But I guess we can work this out somehow.”
Rating: PG-13 for now
Pairing: Shibutani/Yasuda, (Nishikido/Ohkura)
Words count: 2,682 for this chapter
Summary: AU. How much will it cost for the young assassin, in the underground world known as Arsenal, to retire from his profession and how many lines will he need to break in order to regain his freedom?
A/N: Thanks to irreplaceable elyndys for beta! ♥
It’s been already a week since the first night Subaru woke up in the middle of night, cold sweat running down his temples and his whole body shuddering like in a high fever.
After so many days of constant nightmares, haunting Subaru mercilessly, not allowing him to properly sleep, think, communicate or do the most basic things, he’s more than devastated. It’s all like a vicious circle - the past he can’t erase, things he’s not able to deny, escaping from what seems to be chasing after him and ending there - the seemingly safe place, where he’s allowed to be himself again, to live like a normal person, but where he still has to confront his demons, stuck somewhere in his head.
He’s aware of the fact that he could say something. Tell everything to Ryo, who drops by Yasu’s apartment every once in a while, or even Yasu himself, who always seem to be right there, just for him. But then, barely seconds after he tries to make up his mind, he decides it’s not worth it. Putting somebody in an uncomfortable position, burdening them with his problems, and most of all - risking making himself bare and vulnerable, ready to be picked on, or to be hated, or whatever really, because there are so many black scenarios in Subaru’s head, repeating themselves again and again, that he’s not sure what is reasonable and what isn’t anymore.
He knows it’s probably stupid and naïve of him, thinking like that, but it’s not like he can help it. It’s buried deep in his mind, not letting go, not allowing itself to be forgotten, always reminding him at the worst times.
There are countless times, particularly when he wakes up, getting up abruptly and making the bed bounce a little, when he’s wondering if Yasu’s aware that there’s something terribly bad going on with Subaru. If he sees the shadows under his eyes, forced smiles, lame jokes without much humour put into them. If he ever wakes up to Subaru trying to get over the shock of his nightmares, if he hears the occasional screams, if he feels Subaru’s body trembling under the covers. If he does - he’s a great actor, because Subaru hasn’t even once noticed any concern in his eyes, any pitiful looks, any signs he’s awake while lying in the bed.
And sometimes he simply wishes he would. Trying to get some proper sleep after waking up, wrapped up in the covers yet again, convincing his mind sleep isn’t something he should be afraid of, Subaru wonders how it’d be if Yasu had woken up and said something. Anything. If he would just ask what time is it, and why Subaru’s not sleeping; Subaru wishes he could hear his voice, that deep, consoling sound of it, always calming him down.
But it’s not happening, not now and in Subaru’s mind - not ever, perfectly unaware of this night being the next one when he tries to sleep and Yasu, on the other side of their wall made of pillows, lying with his eyes wide open, looking in the darkness and waiting for Subaru to fall asleep again.
*
Something changes after two weeks, when Ryo comes by after work, dressed up in a suit, finding only Subaru at home, Yasu out buying some groceries Subaru wrote down on a sheet of paper barely twenty minutes ago. “You look like shit,” are the first words Ryo says, shrugging off his coat and hanging it over the back of the sofa.
“Thanks, it’s nice to see you too,” Subaru replies sarcastically, rolling his eyes and taking the coat to hang it properly. When he turns back, ready to offer his guest something to drink, he finds Ryo with a beer in his hand, already opening the can. It doesn’t even surprise Subaru, Ryo’s always been like that, after all.
“Well?” comes the question after a moment of silence, and Subaru looks dumbfounded for a second, before asking, “Well what?”
“You look awful, you’re unexpectedly sarcastic, and you won’t comment on my behaviour. There has to be something bad going on, and of course I can tell, it’s not that you’re a good actor, you know.”
Subaru sighs and rubs his temples, wondering if this is the best opportunity to try and tell somebody everything. He plops down onto the sofa next to Ryo, who’s drinking his beer rather hastily and not really noticing Subaru’s distress. Or ignoring it.
“I have a problem,” he says at last, voice small and raspy, muffled a little bit.
“I’d say you have quite a lot of problems nowadays,” Ryo retorts, but when Subaru doesn’t react, he loses his smile, leaning back and relaxing, simply waiting for Subaru to tell him whatever it is he needs to pour out.
And Subaru does, after a few minutes and attempts to find the right words; in the end he doesn’t care how it sounds, and how it shows him, he just concentrates on getting it all out. All the fears, and pains, and regrets, and everything that’s hidden inside of him.
If it weren’t the loud gulps of beer, Subaru probably wouldn’t even know Ryo’s there, because he keeps quiet all the time - but it’s good, he decides, it’s good because he doesn’t feel like he’s being judged. Like Ryo’s making up an opinion about him even before he hears everything. And Subaru feels stupid, now, when he can’t find anything more to say, and when Ryo doesn’t do anything Subaru feared he would. He feels stupid, because of course Ryo would understand. And Ryo does.
“You’re such a stupid kid sometimes, Baru,” he says, and it’s half-joke and half-serious, Subaru can see it perfectly in his eyes and hear it in his voice. “I’m honestly starting to think about getting you some babysitter, because obviously you’re not good all by yourself.”
“You already gave me one,” Subaru retorts, cracking a half-smile. It feels good. The sudden lightness and emptiness.
“Yeah, but Yasu’s obviously not fulfilling his duties properly.”
“It’s probably because I’m shutting him out,” Subaru admits, leaning his head on the backrest and looking up at the ceiling. “I can’t talk with him. I don’t know how. I feel like by revealing more about myself to him, by allowing him to get to know me better, I’m dragging him into this. And I don’t want to, I hate the fear of risking someone’s life because of my whim. I’d rather keep him at a safe distance, assuring him security.”
Ryo turns his head and casts him a glance. Subaru can feel it, and he’s not sure how he should understand it, suddenly uncomfortable, “You should let him decide for himself. You can’t make decisions for him, Subaru.”
“I know,” he says, hiding his face in his hands for a moment. “I know, but I just can’t help it.”
“Believe me.” Ryo replies instantly, his hand resting against Subaru’s shoulder in a comforting way.
And somehow, Subaru really wants to believe him.
*
The evening is just like always - dinner, Yasu babbling about his whole day and Subaru listening, from time to time commenting on something he finds funny or interesting. Nothing really changes after his conversation with Ryo earlier this day; Subaru is still nothing but awkward, Yasu still doesn’t seem to be aware of anything, and it’s all pretending and playing hide-and-seek until they’re lying in the same bed, the always present pillow-wall between them.
And when Subaru sleeps, unconsciously taking part in that horrible nightmare once again, it’s like a repeat of any other night - the same images, the same emotions, and the same fear.
Waking up, he doesn’t scream anymore. Throughout the last two weeks, Subaru’s managed to somehow control a few reactions of his body, cries replaced with hands tightly gripping the bedcovers, the need to escape and run to somewhere far away with deep breaths and lids blinking furiously; but other than that, everything’s the same. His throat knotted, eyes wet, body trembling and gaze intense, like he’s afraid something will come out of the shadows and eat him up in a second, not letting anyone even notice it.
He wants to wake Yasu up. To crumble that idiotic wall, to get over his anxiety, to take even one small step which could end up making a big difference. But he’s afraid, and hiding his face in his hands he insults himself in his head; you stupid idiot, you damn coward, what kind of an assassin are you if you can’t even do such a simple thing.
But then, he feels something. The touch on his arm, which is simple, but warm, comes as unexpectedly as the decision he made four weeks ago. Unconsciously he knows it’s Yasu - it can’t possibly be anyone else, not there, not in this apartment - but the desire to look back, throw at least one, small look, is too big to resist. And so he does, and in this moment it’s almost like the whole world stops its mad rush for a few seconds, when their eyes are linked, Yasu’s ones reflecting as many emotions as Subaru’s.
“I’m sorry,” Subaru says after a while, lowering his head and trying hard to not concentrate on the warmth spreading across his body from the place Yasu still holds his hand. “For waking you up. Maybe I should sleep in the other room, after all.” His voice is quiet and audibly fluttering - the confusion, shock, uncertainty - everything is too much to handle, to keep calm.
He expects many things, Yasu agreeing with him, or disagreeing, or offering help in buying some comfortable mattress tomorrow - but definitely not what he does in the end. Seemingly small, but in reality rather long arms reaching out, taking hold of his fairly slender frame and, without asking questions, without saying anything, hugging him from behind. It startles Subaru, it makes him dumbfounded and he can’t deny it’s uncomfortable - but most of all, it’s nice. The feeling of somebody being so close, not afraid of you, not holding back. It’s relieving, and even if it’d been a cruel trap, Subaru wouldn’t care, because this seems to be everything he needed for the past weeks, and he can’t voluntarily deprive himself of this.
“I know there’s something wrong going on,” Yasu suddenly says, and it only makes Subaru feel even more of him - voice barely above whisper, hot breath hitting the skin on his neck, loose strands of Yasu’s hair tickling his bare arm. It makes him want the moment to never end, to never be broken by any necessities. “I thought it was best to wait for you to decide to let it out, but I can’t watch you like that anymore. It’s devastating.”
“I thought you didn’t see. Or didn’t care.” The words are out of Subaru’s mouth before he can stop them. He’s afraid Yasu will take it wrongly, but it’s just one second, maybe two, before Yasu laughs softly, and Subaru smiles a little bit at that too, because oh, how he loves the sound of his small laughs.
“You have no idea how wrong you are, then.”
Silently, Subaru agrees - he has no idea, because Yasu, despite his rather easy to guess and uncomplicated personality, is still like an enigma to him. He can talk with him, he can listen to him, watch movies and cook dinners together, but all that is just trivial, nothing to do with actually knowing someone. In most cases Subaru can’t guess what Yasu will do or say, or how will he react to certain remarks or jokes - but then again, Subaru never really paid attention to any of those. For the whole of this time, he’s treated Yasu like a chapter of his life, one of those that will end eventually without further continuation - that’s why he hadn’t thought it important to really get to know him, to find out more than superficial features that have nothing to do with the essence of his personality.
“Hey, Subaru,” Yasu starts after what feels like hours, neither of them moving even a little bit, except for Yasu’s fingers tracing small circles on Subaru’s arm. “Would it be okay to go out tomorrow together? We could go to the cinema, and do some shopping, or just walk around the city if you don’t like shops,” he asks, and his arms leave Subaru, apparently deciding he’s calmed down enough to let him be. And Subaru can’t deny it, he is calmer, but he also can’t help but whine mentally at the loss, suddenly feeling cold and lonely.
“Sounds fine,” he answers, turning to Yasu and seeing that wide, but gentle smile spreading over his lips, making it irresistible to smile back. And when they go to sleep again, Yasu asking twice if he’s sure he doesn’t need anything, Subaru feels a lot lighter than before, the small foundations of what he could call ‘courage’ building up inside him as he plans to crumble the wall completely - be it the mental or the pillow one.
*
“We can’t let them be like this anymore, Ohkura,” Ryo says, his voice sharp, but somewhat weary, the conversation going on for some time already, still revolving around only one thing. “You can’t play god and make them know and believe in only what you think is the best.”
“But it was good until now. Why change that?” Ohkura replies, stubbornly, pacing back and forth through the room of their apartment. He’s nervous, it’s noticeable in all his movements and gestures, but Ryo fails miserably when it comes to calming him down in this one matter.
“Because it’s not fair. They’re troubled, neither of them really know what’s going on with the other one. They’re like little kids playing hide-and-seek, frustrated because they can’t find each other’s hiding place,” he says, getting up and crossing the room to stand right in front of Ohkura, stopping him by placing both hands on his shoulders. “And they would, I’m sure they would, if they knew everything about themselves. They could help each other, in a way I can’t help Subaru and you can’t help Yasu. We just have to allow them to.”
“I’m worried about Yasu, Ryo,” Ohkura says, still not ready to give up, too sure his grounds are reasonable. “I fear he might be the one who will suffer in the end.”
Ryo smiles a little, wondering if it’s okay to point out to Ohkura that small wrinkle between his brows when he’s furrowing them like that. He decides against it in the end, not even wanting to think about the offence he would provoke with that remark.
“They’ll be fine. Besides, it’s not like Yasu is that innocent himself,” he says instead, throwing Ohkura a knowing look. “Come on. Yasu and Subaru are a bit like us, you know,” Ryo adds, playing with the loose strand of Ohkura’s hair. “And knowing this, do you remember how indignant at me you were when you found out the truth about that last mission? I thought you were going to bite my head off, for real,” Ryo laughs, and it makes Ohkura smile too, which the older man takes as a good sign. “So don’t you really think, based on your own experience, it’s better to know everything from the beginning?”
“I never said I don’t think like that. It’s just that-“
“That you’re worried about something that doesn’t concern you in any way. It’s called being nosy, you know,” Ryo cuts him short in the middle of sentence, knowing perfectly well what he was going to say.
“Oh, shut up. If this is what you’re calling nosy, then you obviously hadn’t seen my intrusive side yet.”
Ryo smirks at that, “Really? Care to present how deeply you’re willing to put your nose in when you’re interested in something, then?”
“Nose? No, not really. But I guess we can work this out somehow.”