(no subject)
Title: Orbit
Fandom: Loveless
Characters: Ritsuka, Kio
Word Count: 822
Notes: Just a little quickie I've been meaning to do for a while, spurred on by Vienna Teng's 'Gravity,' mostly because I like it when Kio and Ritsuka interact. And some one-sided Kio/Soubi sneaked in, as it always does. =/
Kio forces his way into the apartment, grocery sack in one arm, ready to call out something obscene and offensive when the absence of shoes on the mat by the door tells him that Soubi is not there.
Instead, he finds a small, warm ball of Ritsuka curled up on the couch, eyes pressed shut, cheek plastered to his science homework. There's a spot of drool touching a complicated problem about tangential velocity and with a small smile, Kio pries the book from Ritsuka's sweat-sticky face and fingers. Ritsuka barely mumbles and Kio drops to the floor, leans his back up against the couch.
He smiles when Ritsuka's tail twitches and tickles the back of his neck. His fingers creep back and close over the furry appendage, stroking as he flips through the text on his lap.
He remembers learning these things. A long time ago. Longer than he likes to think about, especially considering he feels like he is in the same constant, flight trajectory of years ago, still circling and orbiting and never quite touching down or reaching any destination.
It's okay, though. It's always been okay because Kio isn't one to complain. He is one to grit his teeth and stick with it, see it through to the end, smile and look past the event horizon into what is to come. He sighs and turns the page.
Ah, Kepler. He remembers Kepler. Or, rather, he remembers reading something about Kepler scrawled in hasty chicken scratch on his palm during one exam or another. Good times.
Ritsuka mumbles, snorts, and sits up, rubbing at puffy eyes and blinking at Kio. He asks something about Soubi and Kio shrugs. He's not the pervert's keeper. Kio digs some fruit from the grocery bag that he never got around to putting away, and passes it to Ritsuka. Never one to pass up food, Ritsuka snatches it and slides down onto the floor beside Kio. Kio makes a note that he likes Ritsuka when he's like this, all sleepy and sedate. Quiet and not so surly. He can even ignore when juice spurts from Ritsuka's apple and lands on his cheek. It's gross, but he'll deal.
Ritsuka asks why Kio is there and Kio shrugs and Ritsuka hints in the not-so-subtle manner of a grade-schooler that Kio could maybe make himself useful and help him study for his exam if he wants. Kio is bored and figures a brush-up could never hurt so he arranges the book in his lap and clears his throat.
Terms. They'd start with terms.
"Velocity."
Ritsuka snorts. "I know that one."
Kio raises an eyebrow. Punk kid. Fine. "Eccentricity."
Ritsuka scrunches up his face. Kio preens.
He gives an answer - finally - and it's not quite right, but it's not too far off either and Kio lets it pass. It's worth at least partial credit. He's not some tutor or anything. The kid is probably just bored anyway. Stupid Soubi, leaving him alone.
"What about 'tangential velocity?' You have some problems for that."
Ritsuka frowns. "Something about falling."
Kio sighs. Really, this stuff is too complicated for a grade schooler. What are teachers thinking these days? Kio can barely comprehend it himself. "Sort of. How fast something falls sideways."
He glances at some notes scrawled in the margins of the textbook. Clearly the previous owner understood it well enough. "What happens when orbital bodies fall sideways, Ritsuka?"
"They fall really fast," he says, getting a little excited, "but no matter how fast it falls toward the other thing, the other thing rotates fast enough so they never touch."
Kio frowns.
For complicated stuff, the kid is getting it all right. It makes him think that maybe he should go back to grade school. Clearly, there was something he missed.
Kio figures that Ritsuka must deem him an okay study buddy because they are sprawled on the floor for hours, going over his notes and quizzes. Ritsuka is an all right kid.
Kio takes note of the dusk-colored sky as he finally gets to the door, pulling up his coat, and Ritsuka smiles, hands looped around Kio's elbow.
"Maybe you can help me study next time?"
Kio's eyes soften. "Sure, kid."
His hand is around the door knob and it begins to turn. The door opens and Soubi is standing on the other side. He smiles warmly at Ritsuka - Ritsuka who is all grudging grins himself - and gives an apology and the excuse of being held up by his oil professor.
"It's okay," Ritsuka says, "Kio helped me study."
Soubi looks a little surprised, pleasantly so and asks why Kio has his coat on. "At least eat with us. I have to cook for Ritsuka."
Kio blushes, shrugs, remembers something about apoapsis and tangential velocity. "Nah. I have to work early."
Soubi nods. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"
Kio laughs like he means it. "Probably not."
Fandom: Loveless
Characters: Ritsuka, Kio
Word Count: 822
Notes: Just a little quickie I've been meaning to do for a while, spurred on by Vienna Teng's 'Gravity,' mostly because I like it when Kio and Ritsuka interact. And some one-sided Kio/Soubi sneaked in, as it always does. =/
Kio forces his way into the apartment, grocery sack in one arm, ready to call out something obscene and offensive when the absence of shoes on the mat by the door tells him that Soubi is not there.
Instead, he finds a small, warm ball of Ritsuka curled up on the couch, eyes pressed shut, cheek plastered to his science homework. There's a spot of drool touching a complicated problem about tangential velocity and with a small smile, Kio pries the book from Ritsuka's sweat-sticky face and fingers. Ritsuka barely mumbles and Kio drops to the floor, leans his back up against the couch.
He smiles when Ritsuka's tail twitches and tickles the back of his neck. His fingers creep back and close over the furry appendage, stroking as he flips through the text on his lap.
He remembers learning these things. A long time ago. Longer than he likes to think about, especially considering he feels like he is in the same constant, flight trajectory of years ago, still circling and orbiting and never quite touching down or reaching any destination.
It's okay, though. It's always been okay because Kio isn't one to complain. He is one to grit his teeth and stick with it, see it through to the end, smile and look past the event horizon into what is to come. He sighs and turns the page.
Ah, Kepler. He remembers Kepler. Or, rather, he remembers reading something about Kepler scrawled in hasty chicken scratch on his palm during one exam or another. Good times.
Ritsuka mumbles, snorts, and sits up, rubbing at puffy eyes and blinking at Kio. He asks something about Soubi and Kio shrugs. He's not the pervert's keeper. Kio digs some fruit from the grocery bag that he never got around to putting away, and passes it to Ritsuka. Never one to pass up food, Ritsuka snatches it and slides down onto the floor beside Kio. Kio makes a note that he likes Ritsuka when he's like this, all sleepy and sedate. Quiet and not so surly. He can even ignore when juice spurts from Ritsuka's apple and lands on his cheek. It's gross, but he'll deal.
Ritsuka asks why Kio is there and Kio shrugs and Ritsuka hints in the not-so-subtle manner of a grade-schooler that Kio could maybe make himself useful and help him study for his exam if he wants. Kio is bored and figures a brush-up could never hurt so he arranges the book in his lap and clears his throat.
Terms. They'd start with terms.
"Velocity."
Ritsuka snorts. "I know that one."
Kio raises an eyebrow. Punk kid. Fine. "Eccentricity."
Ritsuka scrunches up his face. Kio preens.
He gives an answer - finally - and it's not quite right, but it's not too far off either and Kio lets it pass. It's worth at least partial credit. He's not some tutor or anything. The kid is probably just bored anyway. Stupid Soubi, leaving him alone.
"What about 'tangential velocity?' You have some problems for that."
Ritsuka frowns. "Something about falling."
Kio sighs. Really, this stuff is too complicated for a grade schooler. What are teachers thinking these days? Kio can barely comprehend it himself. "Sort of. How fast something falls sideways."
He glances at some notes scrawled in the margins of the textbook. Clearly the previous owner understood it well enough. "What happens when orbital bodies fall sideways, Ritsuka?"
"They fall really fast," he says, getting a little excited, "but no matter how fast it falls toward the other thing, the other thing rotates fast enough so they never touch."
Kio frowns.
For complicated stuff, the kid is getting it all right. It makes him think that maybe he should go back to grade school. Clearly, there was something he missed.
Kio figures that Ritsuka must deem him an okay study buddy because they are sprawled on the floor for hours, going over his notes and quizzes. Ritsuka is an all right kid.
Kio takes note of the dusk-colored sky as he finally gets to the door, pulling up his coat, and Ritsuka smiles, hands looped around Kio's elbow.
"Maybe you can help me study next time?"
Kio's eyes soften. "Sure, kid."
His hand is around the door knob and it begins to turn. The door opens and Soubi is standing on the other side. He smiles warmly at Ritsuka - Ritsuka who is all grudging grins himself - and gives an apology and the excuse of being held up by his oil professor.
"It's okay," Ritsuka says, "Kio helped me study."
Soubi looks a little surprised, pleasantly so and asks why Kio has his coat on. "At least eat with us. I have to cook for Ritsuka."
Kio blushes, shrugs, remembers something about apoapsis and tangential velocity. "Nah. I have to work early."
Soubi nods. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"
Kio laughs like he means it. "Probably not."