Breaking Patterns, Weiss
Okay, Wolfram reading stories to Greta? CUTEST THING EVER.
And now, fic! Yet another Post-It-Verse, which might better be called the Ran-chan-verse at this point. Previous parts:
Calculation
A Promise Once Made
Love to emungere for the beta.
Takatori Mamoru's life followed a predictable, simple pattern. Obligatory social events, meetings, the gym Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Ran destroyed all that. Mamoru started staying home nights because Ran got nightmares. He started talking about setting a gym up in the castle, and turning several of the guest rooms into a suite.
"And I'm moving to Phase Two," he explained.
"Now?"
"It's the perfect time." Mamoru's smile was sly. "Do you think they'll really expect me to start moving forward now?"
"You'll be distracted," Nagi said. "You are distracted."
"So nothing else will distract me?" Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "No. Now's the time."
"Are you bringing Rex in?"
Mamoru tapped his manicured fingernails on the desk. "I don't think I have any choice. At any rate, this will be a good test of her loyalty-- it's just the beginning, after all. If she slips, we'll know it."
Nagi had learned the art of expressing disapproval without starting a fight, but he wasn't sure it was worth it. "It's a risk."
Mamoru smirked. "You're volunteering, then?"
"I'd rather shoot myself than deal with your fucking kittens."
"Rex it is." Mamoru looked like a damn cat himself for a moment, then returned to shuffling the papers around on his desk. "Oh, and there's a school I'd like you to come inspect with us."
"For security?"
"That's one reason." Mamoru looked up from the papers and met his eyes. "You can get into places I can't. See what's really going on."
"All right," Nagi said. "When?"
"Tomorrow morning. I'll send the time to your PDA when it's confirmed."
"Fine," Nagi said, and wondered, not for the first time, how on Earth he was listed on Kritker's payroll and how little it had to do with the work he actually performed.
"This is a different kind of mission," Persia said, his voice tinny through the microphone. "You'll be asked to gather information only."
"Why?" Ragdoll crossed his arms over his chest.
"We want to learn more about your capabilities," Rex explained. "Your skills."
Tonkinese grinned. "We get paid more money for this?"
"I can't say," Rex said. "Are you in?"
"I want in," Tonkinese said. "What the hell."
"Yeah," Ragdoll said. "Okay. I got skills."
"All of you?" Rex looked them over. They all nodded.
She smiled.
"Why are you doing this, Mamoru-sama?" Rex asked. "We have the Crashers to gather information, after all."
"How many members of Weiss have we lost, Rex?"
She didn't answer.
"This work is...difficult, Rex. I may know that better than anyone. The strain of being nothing but a killer...if we expand their set of skills, they'll be less stressed, and more effective. And remember Abyssinian? Surveillance and information gathering skills are invaluable assets."
"You don't have anything else in mind, Mamoru-sama?"
Mamoru skewered her with a look. "Do you?"
"No," she said, her eyes downcast. "Of course not."
Nagi sat at the conference table and put his face in his hands.
"I'm sorry," Mamoru said.
"Christ," Nagi said. He felt exhausted.
"I didn't realize--"
"I'm empathetic," Nagi said. "I--"
"I know," Mamoru said. "It was in your file. I miscalculated."
"So did I." Nagi was too exhausted to be angry. "Shit. That school...." Rosencreuz had felt something like that, but that had been years ago, and he was used to it then. Mamoru was tired, angry and frustrated, but he'd grown used to that, and Mamoru's daily misery was nothing compared to that of half a dozen angry schoolchildren.
"I'll send Tonkinese to the next school," Mamoru said. "It'll be good for him."
"No," Nagi said. "I'll do it. You're right; I can do what they can't."
"Not if it means risking--"
"I'll be fine," Nagi said, and ignored the dangerous rattling coming from the conference room table.
"All right," Mamoru said after a pause. Cool fingers landed on Nagi's neck.
"Mamoru?"
Of course Mamoru knew anatomy; standard assassin training, after all. Nagi almost laughed-- the valuable skills that had been part of their educations. It felt good, though. Mamoru had always been good at hiding his emotions-- Nagi wondered, briefly, if it was intentional-- and being touched was ... nice. He'd missed it; Schwarz was affectionate, in their own way, and the life he lived now seemed cold.
"Better?" Mamoru asked.
"Yes," Nagi said. "Thanks."
Mamoru applied more pressure, dug below Nagi's shirt collar to reach more muscle. "Let me know if it's too much," he said.
"Okay." He realized he should tell Mamoru to stop, and decided he didn't want to.
"I'm throwing Mizuki out of the kitchen and cooking tonight," Mamoru said. "Do you want to stay? I'm no good at cooking for two, there's always too much left over."
The correct answer was no. Nagi said, "okay."
Ran liked Nagi, though Nagi couldn't understand exactly why. She smiled at him all through dinner, and passed the mushrooms she didn't like to him, in trade for the tiny corncobs she loved and he could do without. Mamoru smiled at them both like he hadn't been so happy in ages. Maybe he hadn't been. Sometimes, when Mamoru was relaxed, Nagi could catch his loneliness clearly, like something sharp and unpleasant at the periphery of his consciousness.
Ran was still terrified as often as not, afraid that she'd say or do something wrong, something that would make Mamoru change his mind and send her back to the orphanage. But she was opening up a little more, and sometimes Mamoru would report back that she'd been laughing with her dolls, or singing in her room when he called her into dinner or went to wake her in the mornings.
Nagi no longer bothered trying to pretend he didn't care. He felt something in his chest when Ran smiled at him; it ached and warmed him at once, and he knew he should run from both of them every time he felt it.
"Can you stay after dinner?" Ran asked. "Ran-chan wants you to see her Barbie video."
"You don't have to--" Mamoru said. Nagi was grateful for the lifeline.
"Sure," he said.
The Barbie video was every bit as cliched and insipid as he'd expected. Mamoru shot him sympathetic looks from the other side of the couch; he'd clearly suffered through it before. Ran snuggled into his side; she was pleased to have him there, and he liked her happiness, her sure warmth at his side.
"Okay," Mamoru said when the video ended. "Bedtime."
"Can Nagi-nii read me a story?"
"I don't mind," Nagi said.
He slipped out while Mamoru was tucking Ran in. Halfway back to his apartment he realized that the knife edge of loneliness he'd been feeling most of the night was his own.
And now, fic! Yet another Post-It-Verse, which might better be called the Ran-chan-verse at this point. Previous parts:
Calculation
A Promise Once Made
Love to emungere for the beta.
Takatori Mamoru's life followed a predictable, simple pattern. Obligatory social events, meetings, the gym Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Ran destroyed all that. Mamoru started staying home nights because Ran got nightmares. He started talking about setting a gym up in the castle, and turning several of the guest rooms into a suite.
"And I'm moving to Phase Two," he explained.
"Now?"
"It's the perfect time." Mamoru's smile was sly. "Do you think they'll really expect me to start moving forward now?"
"You'll be distracted," Nagi said. "You are distracted."
"So nothing else will distract me?" Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "No. Now's the time."
"Are you bringing Rex in?"
Mamoru tapped his manicured fingernails on the desk. "I don't think I have any choice. At any rate, this will be a good test of her loyalty-- it's just the beginning, after all. If she slips, we'll know it."
Nagi had learned the art of expressing disapproval without starting a fight, but he wasn't sure it was worth it. "It's a risk."
Mamoru smirked. "You're volunteering, then?"
"I'd rather shoot myself than deal with your fucking kittens."
"Rex it is." Mamoru looked like a damn cat himself for a moment, then returned to shuffling the papers around on his desk. "Oh, and there's a school I'd like you to come inspect with us."
"For security?"
"That's one reason." Mamoru looked up from the papers and met his eyes. "You can get into places I can't. See what's really going on."
"All right," Nagi said. "When?"
"Tomorrow morning. I'll send the time to your PDA when it's confirmed."
"Fine," Nagi said, and wondered, not for the first time, how on Earth he was listed on Kritker's payroll and how little it had to do with the work he actually performed.
"This is a different kind of mission," Persia said, his voice tinny through the microphone. "You'll be asked to gather information only."
"Why?" Ragdoll crossed his arms over his chest.
"We want to learn more about your capabilities," Rex explained. "Your skills."
Tonkinese grinned. "We get paid more money for this?"
"I can't say," Rex said. "Are you in?"
"I want in," Tonkinese said. "What the hell."
"Yeah," Ragdoll said. "Okay. I got skills."
"All of you?" Rex looked them over. They all nodded.
She smiled.
"Why are you doing this, Mamoru-sama?" Rex asked. "We have the Crashers to gather information, after all."
"How many members of Weiss have we lost, Rex?"
She didn't answer.
"This work is...difficult, Rex. I may know that better than anyone. The strain of being nothing but a killer...if we expand their set of skills, they'll be less stressed, and more effective. And remember Abyssinian? Surveillance and information gathering skills are invaluable assets."
"You don't have anything else in mind, Mamoru-sama?"
Mamoru skewered her with a look. "Do you?"
"No," she said, her eyes downcast. "Of course not."
Nagi sat at the conference table and put his face in his hands.
"I'm sorry," Mamoru said.
"Christ," Nagi said. He felt exhausted.
"I didn't realize--"
"I'm empathetic," Nagi said. "I--"
"I know," Mamoru said. "It was in your file. I miscalculated."
"So did I." Nagi was too exhausted to be angry. "Shit. That school...." Rosencreuz had felt something like that, but that had been years ago, and he was used to it then. Mamoru was tired, angry and frustrated, but he'd grown used to that, and Mamoru's daily misery was nothing compared to that of half a dozen angry schoolchildren.
"I'll send Tonkinese to the next school," Mamoru said. "It'll be good for him."
"No," Nagi said. "I'll do it. You're right; I can do what they can't."
"Not if it means risking--"
"I'll be fine," Nagi said, and ignored the dangerous rattling coming from the conference room table.
"All right," Mamoru said after a pause. Cool fingers landed on Nagi's neck.
"Mamoru?"
Of course Mamoru knew anatomy; standard assassin training, after all. Nagi almost laughed-- the valuable skills that had been part of their educations. It felt good, though. Mamoru had always been good at hiding his emotions-- Nagi wondered, briefly, if it was intentional-- and being touched was ... nice. He'd missed it; Schwarz was affectionate, in their own way, and the life he lived now seemed cold.
"Better?" Mamoru asked.
"Yes," Nagi said. "Thanks."
Mamoru applied more pressure, dug below Nagi's shirt collar to reach more muscle. "Let me know if it's too much," he said.
"Okay." He realized he should tell Mamoru to stop, and decided he didn't want to.
"I'm throwing Mizuki out of the kitchen and cooking tonight," Mamoru said. "Do you want to stay? I'm no good at cooking for two, there's always too much left over."
The correct answer was no. Nagi said, "okay."
Ran liked Nagi, though Nagi couldn't understand exactly why. She smiled at him all through dinner, and passed the mushrooms she didn't like to him, in trade for the tiny corncobs she loved and he could do without. Mamoru smiled at them both like he hadn't been so happy in ages. Maybe he hadn't been. Sometimes, when Mamoru was relaxed, Nagi could catch his loneliness clearly, like something sharp and unpleasant at the periphery of his consciousness.
Ran was still terrified as often as not, afraid that she'd say or do something wrong, something that would make Mamoru change his mind and send her back to the orphanage. But she was opening up a little more, and sometimes Mamoru would report back that she'd been laughing with her dolls, or singing in her room when he called her into dinner or went to wake her in the mornings.
Nagi no longer bothered trying to pretend he didn't care. He felt something in his chest when Ran smiled at him; it ached and warmed him at once, and he knew he should run from both of them every time he felt it.
"Can you stay after dinner?" Ran asked. "Ran-chan wants you to see her Barbie video."
"You don't have to--" Mamoru said. Nagi was grateful for the lifeline.
"Sure," he said.
The Barbie video was every bit as cliched and insipid as he'd expected. Mamoru shot him sympathetic looks from the other side of the couch; he'd clearly suffered through it before. Ran snuggled into his side; she was pleased to have him there, and he liked her happiness, her sure warmth at his side.
"Okay," Mamoru said when the video ended. "Bedtime."
"Can Nagi-nii read me a story?"
"I don't mind," Nagi said.
He slipped out while Mamoru was tucking Ran in. Halfway back to his apartment he realized that the knife edge of loneliness he'd been feeling most of the night was his own.