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Chiaki is in an ill mood today. Has been all day, scowling as early as breakfast and stewing through training and chores and their usual duties. He hasn't been overtly combative, but his mood has been projecting a clear aura of "leave me alone" and the others have largely respected this, going their separate ways instead of prying into his affairs.
It's just him and Takeru now. Not on purpose, Takeru had just been sitting in his usual seat, letting his mind wander, when Chiaki came in and flopped down on one of the benches. He's there now, playing one handed with his electronic game while his head is propped up on his other, clenched in a tight fist while he glowers at his screen.
The game doesn't seem to be going well judging by the occasional tinny sound of a buzzer coming from the speakers, and eventually he scoffs and tosses it aside before rolling onto his back with a huff. Takeru has been mostly ignoring him up till now, but he can't resist the urge to pry, at least a little: he doesn't like that Chiaki is upset, and he wants- to do something about it?
He forces down a wave of nerves. This shouldn't be hard. Chiaki is- his friend? Are they friends? Can they even be friends?
Chiaki is his retainer. He has a responsibility to look after his well-being, and that includes emotional. That's what Jii said. That's what they've shown him.
Of course, all that is a lie, and one day they will find out that he is a fraud- that they swore themselves to a false lord, that they risked their lives, have nearly died a dozen times over, for the sake of a lie-
"Do you. Want to talk about it?" he tries.
"Eh?!"
Takeru clears his throat. Why is this harder than facing down the Gedoushu? "You've been in a foul mood all day. If something is bothering you-"
Chiaki just sits up and scowls at him, but Takeru senses that the scowl is not meant for him, is merely pointed in his direction, and waits patiently to see if Chiaki will grant him a response.
After a moment of deliberation, Chiaki lets out a huff. "I just miss my friends," he says. "I was just thinking about how much I'd love to tell them some stuff and how by the time I see them again it'll be a whole thing instead of just a passing- thing, and that just made me upset over not getting to see them at all." He lays back down, hands folded over his middle. "Sorry to have worried you. It's not important."
Takeru wants to say, It is important though, because it makes you unhappy, and doesn't, because Chiaki was only separated from his friends because Takeru could not live up to the expectations placed on him and hold off the Gedoushu on his own. It is his responsibility, as is everything else that has gone wrong for them since they came to him.
Instead of any of this, he decides to try for a more practical solution, and says, "What... thing?"
"Eh?"
"You said there was a... thing... that you wanted to talk to them about. It sounds significant."
Chiaki is sitting up again, giving him a perplexed look, mouth hanging open. Takeru considers walking out.
"I mean- it's significant, but like... only personally? Takeru, it's guy talk. The fate of the world doesn't hang in the balance. I just miss having someone to go to with my little problems and talk about my crush and other dumb stuff. It's really not that big a deal."
"Oh."
He should let it lie there. He should take the out that Chiaki is holding up for him, and let the conversation end. He shouldn't say any more.
Except-
In some ways, Chiaki gave up the most to come here. He had a life, a life not dedicated to Takeru or the idea of Takeru, a future that could have been. He had friends. He was going to go to college. Hell, he missed his graduation over this. It just doesn't seem fair that he can't even have something as small as guy talk.
He should take the out, and let it lie. But what he does instead is clear his throat again and say, "You could. talk to me? About it."
"What?! Are you seriously volunteering to have guy talk?"
Takeru swallows heavily, and screws up his courage. He has faced down hoards of Gedoushu. He can do this.
"Yes," he says firmly. "I'm a guy. We're-" Friends. But friends don't lie to each other the way you are. "...companions. There's no reason we can't... talk. about meaningless things."
Chiaki looks utterly bemused now, and says 'Tch!' with a kind of fond half-smile. "Do you even know how to guy talk?"
"Not really. I've never had the chance."
There is something akin to pity in Chiaki's eyes when he says that. Takeru feels a bizarre urge to hit him until it goes away, and refrains.
"I guess you wouldn't," Chiaki murmurs, and sprawls on his side again. He would look wholly relaxed, if not for the way his hand is tracing anxious patters on his hip. "Okay, do you really want to do this?"
Takeru sits up straighter, chin forward, chest out. Determined. "Yes."
This gets a smirk from Chiaki, but he seems to take it seriously, because he stops tracing patterns in his hip and instead gestures broadly toward the door, to where they can just make out the sounds of Ryuunosuke training in the yard.
Is that it? He just wanted to complain about Ryuunosuke? Takeru gives him a tiny smile. He can do that.
"He can be kind of annoying, can't he?"
A startled laugh burbles out of Chiaki, but instead of agreeing, he shrugs. "Well, yeah, but that's not..." He sighs wistfully and lays back down. "He's really nice. And kind of fun."
A frown. Is Chiaki annoyed because his ill feelings toward Ryuunosuke are softening? A blow to his pride, perhaps? Or his reputation as a scamp?
"He is," Takeru agrees carefully, and earns another sigh, the second in as many minutes.
"You're going to make me spell it out for you, aren't you?"
A terrible realization is dawning on Takeru. He positively gawks at Chiaki in shock. Talk about his crush. That's what he'd said.
"Chiaki. Are you... do you have feelings for Ryuunosuke?"
Chiaki nods miserably. "If I told the guys, they'd tease me, but also listen about all the stuff I like about him. I can't really do that here. For a lot of reasons."
"You can tell me, if you want. I'll listen." He considers offering to tease him, too, but decides against it. Either he'll see a way to or he won't, but he doesn't want to suggest the idea unless something comes to him in the moment.
Chiaki just scoffs at him, but Takeru is sure he detects a hint of fondness in the sound.
"I have a type, okay? I like- you know-" He gestures vaguely outside again. "-the dorky kind of guy who's really earnest and emotive. Guys that it's really easy to get reactions out of, like Ryuunosuke."
"So that's why you're always teasing him."
"He just makes it so easy to get a reaction," Chiaki says, and there's that impish grin. Takeru feels vaguely like he's been giving a passing grade in guy talk. Chiaki chuckles, and then fixes Takeru with a curious look. "What about you?"
"Hm?"
"Do you even... I don't know. I guess you've probably never dated or had crushes or anything like that, huh?"
Takeru is going to confirm, but before he can a memory flashes across his mind's eye, and his face softens fondly. Chiaki must notice, judging by the way he tilts his head a little in invitation.
"There was... when I was a little boy, maybe ten or more years ago, there was a sushi seller who lived near the mansion. His son used to come here and play with me. He- he made me happy when he was here, even though Jii always ran him off and said he was a bad influence."
He is not an appropriate playmate for a lord such as yourself, Jii had said, and the lie had burned like acid in Takeru's throat.
He hasn't thought of Genta in years. Hasn't let himself, because Genta vanished and took a piece of Takeru's heart with him and the only way he could bear that pain was to lock it all away.
"I wonder if I'll ever see him again," Takeru murmurs, and then snaps his attention back to Chiaki, who is grinning at him. "What?"
"Nothing. Just thinking it's nice that even the great Tono-Sama can have things as mundane as childhood loves and broken hearts."