Try for Change (Coffee-Tastic and grizzly) [18+]

[Coffee-Tastic]

"Don't be proud of yourself yet. There's more chapters to go over, other books you'll be going through and I've been thinking about giving you small assignments as well." he took the water to pour himself his glass, giving Hiroto a brief look, "But the counselor said that as long as you're trying, that'll keep you in. So I guess you're right. You won't be a drop out after all. Good job. I can't wait to see what happens with more studying." He was giving his robotic voice again, like a robot that was doing it's best to become a real boy.

 

Then he took a sip of his drink and rebooted, giving a small chuckle, "Just wait until you get your first essay assignment from me..." He wouldn't make it too hard. It might be an essay about something that Hiroto liked so he'd get it done. Or he could be mean and make him do an essay on why cigarettes are bad for the smokers and for the people around them. Kou could imagine the look on Hiro's face if he actually did that to him. It would be hilarious actually. "I'll teach you the basic structure of essays before doing that though. I can't just throw you in on something you don't know how to do, now can I? They're simple... Introduction... hooking sentence, main topic, discussion topic sentences... Body structure paragraphs... Conclusion... restate main topic and subtopics... Closing sentence with own personal touch... Or argumentative essays where you include the offensive claim and refute it with your own claim. Then give a dash of evidence. Write whats the opposite opinion again in the next paragraph. Refute it again with your first evidence in the next paragraph... But its important to let the last paragraph contain your best evidence so you end off your points with the best statement."

 

He looked down, "Then conclusion. Restate introduction. Leave a personal touch as the closing sentence... Or not. You can leave it off with a fact. Or a question for the reader..."

 

"Yeah. I'll teach you all of that, don't worry."

[grizzly]

"I didn't catch all of that, but I'll get to all of what you said eventually. What are you doing tomorrow?" Hiroto poured himself a glass of water since his headache was still lingering. Every time he went out drinking it always ended the same; him swearing to never drink again. Then the weekend would roll around again and his friends will drag him to some seedy bar. There will be a girl he would be too nervous to approach, but a few shots always cured that. Then repeat. It was weird how systematic it was, but it couldn't have been as bad as Kou. All he did was get home and read or study. Maybe he had some hobbies Hiroto didn't know about.

 

"What kind of books do you read? I remember liking mystery books when I was a kid, but those always had pictures." He slowed down on eating his food. He had a habit of scarfing down his food too fast. Bringing his meals to his room was always denied by Kou since he would just leave the dishes in there, so he always ate fast to retreat back to his room. But he felt like he needed the company for once. Bringing up his mother made him solemn, but now his father had to go ahead and make matters worst by going on leave without so much as a warning. It was safe to say he was feeling lonely, despite the number of people he hanged around with on a daily basis. He missed going over to Kou to play on their old game systems as kids. He missed the movies they would watch under their kotatsu in the winter. He missed the days where they wouldn't be at each others throats, but that was mostly his fault. He was always the one instigating Kou, so it was no wonder he was always being a smartass to him.

[Coffee-Tastic]

Kou felt like he spoke way too much, so he let there be a delay to Hiroto's question, putting some of his food into his mouth to chew and swallow first. Though he felt bad on the inside, he was feeling more calm after letting that out, even if it was random, and his brother not being rude was keeping him calm. "I still enjoy reading mystery in my free time. During school however, I read the textbooks that we're given. It feels goo to be prepared and ahead of everyone else." He would read entire lessons and answer the comprehension questions at the end of each segment as well. The dedication he held was unrivaled the moment he entered the school. The price wasn't bad for him, not that he saw. Sacrificing relationships with other students and keeping himself from being exposed to the things real life had to offer.

 

"You should start reading again. If you still are interested in mystery, I can introduce you to some titles... They won't be any of my books because they're advanced, but I can get them from the school library. Or you can pick them yourself. You'd have to promise not to taint the books of course. They're as helpless and fragile as babies in my eyes. Even the hardcover ones." To him, hardcovers were the tsunderes of the world of books. So hard on the outside, nearly unbreakable, but on the inside, they were filled with knowledge or emotions that could be torn easily if treated poorly. He compared his books to the personalities of people when he had too much time to think. Which was always... Except now he was thinking more about his brother and how he was going to get him back on track. It felt new and great, he didn't want it to be just a quick taste.

 

"... Let me ask you this... How dedicated are you to this, Hiro." he asked out of the blue, curious to know how far he'd go for his education. "How much will you let me help you. And are you going to get sick of it? I don't want to waste this feeling I have inside of me if you plan on quitting. It would be the worst thing you will possibly have done if thats what happens."

[grizzly]

"I'll probably stop by the library after school to grab some. Maybe I'll dip into classics since I've heard they help with reading comprehension." He twirled his spoon in his rice before scooping it up and into his mouth. He didn't want Kou to take more time out of his day to grab him more books. Plus, Kou might purposely grab a few of the books he used to read from the kid's section to mess with him. Hiroto enjoyed books when he was a child. He probably read just as much as Kou did back then, but it took more effort when they got older. It was easier to go watch a television series and witness a scene than to picture it with words.

 

Hiroto was taken back by Kou's question. He had foreseen this when he initially started, but he had yet to come up with a viable answer. Or at least an answer that would please Kou. He figured to tell the honest truth rather than make up some bluff that Kou could see through. Despite being a great liar, Hiroto was never able to pull the wool over Kou's eyes since he knew him too well.

 

"Honestly, I'm not so sure. I know life's not full of rewards around every corner, so I can't expect to keep this up without putting in a lot of effort. But I think I'd want an honest living when I'm older. I like to think that one day I'll settle down with a girl and get a house. And you know how it goes." Hiroto only sought instant gratification, which meant long term goals were something completely unheard of to him. If he kept his eyes on the prize far off into the future, he might be able to overcome the overbearing boredom that would come with attending class. If he kept the awful lifestyle he had been living, he would never have the opportunity to earn the things he wanted. It would always be either pawned off to him or just him mooching off his friends as always. Gaining something that was rightfully his was more gratifying than any cigarette or cute girl. Maybe that was what he needed. A vision of what his life could be maybe ten years from now.

[Coffee-Tastic]

Hiroto wasn't all to original in his desires for the future, but how could Kou really judge his brother for wanting something that wasn't his current lifestyle continuing on? He was glad to have heard this coming from his brothers lips. "I do... I wish you the best of strength of course. It won't be easy for you. You'll have to start making some serious changes. Like avoiding spending too much time with your hooligan friends and sleeping around and drinking. I've got the sense you've been on a hangover ever since you got home. I don't know why you'd put yourself through hat pain just to be able to drink and be cool." Kou sighed, having no energy to argue, so he shook his head, "Just... You know what you'd have to do. I shouldn't bother telling you that."

 

Choosing to read classics was great for Hiroto. His younger brother was really proving to want to change. Actually doing that might be hard. His friends might push him to go out all night again, he knew that for sure. They might call him things for wanting to do some good in his life... Kou wouldn't know. He didn't know those people like Hiro did. What kind of people did he normally talk to with at a bar? Kou would never know. As if he'd ever find himself at a bar.

 

...Yet. If it were true that alcohol numbs pain, he would try it. Why not. His dad was gone for... He didn't know. And he wasn't going to be home anytime soon to find out. Kou slumped in his own slight patheticness. How could he possibly be honking like this? There was always other ways to feel better. He'd just have to read what those were.

[grizzly]

Hiroto played with the last bits of his rice before getting up. "I don't know either why I do the things I do, but I never questioned it until now. I'm going to my room, let me know if you need anything." He placed his dishes into the sink and returned to his room. Maybe Kou needed time to himself like he did. Being in a bad mood never helped with the company of others. In fact, it only made it much more worst. It was always, "Relax there Hiro, first shot's on me," or "get over it, people have it worst than you". The quality of his friends seemed to reflect on the quality of his life's choices, all of them bad and filled with regret. They were never genuinely friends, but just people he hanged around when being alone got too boring.

 

Hiroto jumped back into his bed, inhaling the smell of the detergent in his sheets. They no longer smelled of smoke, but of soap and flowers. The sheets were soft and he curled up in them with a sigh. He was waiting for this the moment he had gotten home, and now he was feeling restless. It was irritating how whenever he got tired, he would suddenly be filled with energy in his bed. He was fueled by worry, anger, and confusion. They have been able to function just fine without their father, but there was something final about him leaving for a trip. As though he was preparing the brothers for something worse when he returns home.

[Coffee-Tastic]

Kou didn't say anything when Hiroto excused himself from the table, in his head though, he wished his brother stayed there so he wouldn't be alone to his thoughts again. He had enough time to himself every day when he was home. He ate slower alone now, the heaviness he was getting was coming from the seat next to him. If he was here, it's not like they would talk in the first place...there was just something about having him around that made him... Happy...

 

He was starting to admit to himself that the lack of presence of their old man affected him. The man at the door was right to feed bad for them. Having a mother that ditched her sons to be with another man, having a father that didn't care about his sons... No wonder the two of them grew up screwed. Hiroto being the bad kid that never had anything going for him besides woman up until now.... He still had lots of problems besides that too. Kou being the smart son but very detached from other human beings to the point where there would be days that he'd never open his mouth unless it was to answer questions or to scold his brother. Both of these boys were sad in their own way, the father leaving the two of them greatly affected.

 

Kou stopped eating halfway through and stared at nothing once again. Attempting to swallow his saliva in a dry throat pulled him out of his stare, getting up to instinctively clear the table. He put leftovers in the fridge, cleaned the bowls and cups, then took his phone with him back to his room. He could read his book now at least. Yet taking it and laying on his bed with the pages open, he couldn't get himself to properly focus. Kou took out a text book for science, but nothing he could review, be it viruses or DNA strands, he couldn't focus either. Groaning, he closed the heavy book and scratched his head, feeling useless and just as restless as Hiroto was in his room.

 

But Hiro might like being alone maybe. Kou didn't want that right now. It was an hour after closing up shop in the dining room when he took his textbook into his hands and walked towards his brother's room, knocking on it but not going in like he normally would do. He was choked up at the door, not knowing if he'd be able to properly express himself or explain why he wanted to be inside his room. He felt okay when they shared space in his room, he only hoped to be able to focus on reading if he was with Hiro again. There was also something about being in a freshly cleaned room... After a long pause, he coughed on the back of his hand and spoke, "Hiroto? Can I come in? I promise I'm not going to do anything that will disturb you or annoy you."

[grizzly]

Hiroto stared at the wall as though he was watching the paint dry all over again. His room was completely dark with the only light coming from the clock by his bed. The red numbers let him know it wasn't that late at night, so it was no wonder why he couldn't just pass out. He was always used to sleeping at ridiculous hours into the night. He didn't even sleep at night, it was more in the early minutes of the morning, just before the birds would sing to keep him up even more. Being alone late at night gave him lots of comfort since it kept him away from his so called friends. It was when he was truly himself and not just some wannabe pushover.

 

When he heard the knock on his door, he rolled over to look at the door. He could see the shadows of two feet underneath the crack of his door. "Is something wrong?" He responded while sitting up. "You can come in, just don't turn on the light." Hiroto rubbed his eyes and stretched. If Kou turned the light on right away, it would temporarily blind Hiroto who kept his eyes closed in the dark for a while. He was a bit cranky from being up for so long with his headache, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Kou wouldn't bother Hiroto unless he had a good reason to. Hiroto turned to flip on the switch of his lamp on the nightstand. His eyes shut immediately at the sudden brightness, but it was better than having the whole room illuminated at once.

[Coffee-Tastic]

It looked dark inside, but upon opening the door and stepping in, he was glad to see a lamp on. Following Hiroto's request, Kou didn't turn on the main light and just closed the door quietly, "You can go to sleep. I'm just going to read here." No explaination, no anything. He went to the side of the bed closer to the light and sat on the floor, leaning against the bed. Now he could finally trust the floor now that he could see it and was confident nothing under the bed would bite him because he made sure it was all cleaned and cleared.

 

Kou immediately opened his text book in his lap back to Chapter 21, DNA. He's read this part tons, but he was only doing review. He could risk blanking out on a lesson he's read before, but he was afraid of losing focus again in his leisure book... No. Who was he kidding... He brought his text book because he didn't feel like reading his book this late. He was tired too, but he planned on reading until he fell asleep. He'd go back to his own room, certainly, so there wasn't any problem. "Goodnight Hiroshi." He said in a small mumble. When was the last time he said that without any rude or sarcastic intention? He couldn't think back to any records, personally...

[grizzly]

"Wait, what are you doing?" Hiroto played with his hair, knowing it was messed up. He was confused by Kou's behavior. It wasn't like Kou to just enter his room like this, and he was sure he didn't start now just because his room was clean for once. He saw the book tucked in his arms and watched as his brother propped himself up next to his bed to read the book. From what he gathered, it was a biology book, and he was on the chapter of DNA. Just looking at the diagrams of double helix's made him clueless, so he just leaned back down and looked at the pictures over his brother's shoulder.

 

"What are you really here for? If you were lonely, you could've just said so." Hiroto held onto his pillow and laid on top of it to get a better look at his brother. He was barely leaning off the edge of his bed, but it was a decent sized bed, so the chances of him falling off were slim. "We could watch a movie or something, it's only Saturday night." He had a whole shelf of movies now that he was able to collect them all. Most of them were scratched or covered in dust, but that could easily be fixed with a good wiping. Plus he had his laptop hooked up to the television in his room, so finding something else to watch would be a piece of cake.

[Coffee-Tastic]

His face puckered with discomfort as Hiro talked, out of pure embarrassment. He shouldn't have expected to just come in here and read without giving an explaination... Keeping silent except for a hard gulp in his throat, Kou kept looking at his book, moving his eyes as if he were reading while he responded after several long seconds, "No. Go to sleep, I said goodnight... Studying. That's what I am doing and that's all I plan to do." Kou couldn't bring himself to address what his brother said about him being lonely. There was no other excuse for coming in here that he had, nor could make up on the spot.

 

"It's pathetic, I know. So let's keep it quiet and...," he turned his head slightly at Hiroto, "stop looking over my shoulder. You probably don't even know what this is anyways." He did isn't care about that. He just cared that his presence was being observed so carefully by the behind him. Kou turned to the next page and leaned closer to his book, his shoulders raising high like a cautious cat with his hazel eyes reading the introduction of the subtopic, but not processing what was on the page. "I'll teach it to you later. Yeah. Go to sleep."

[grizzly]

"I'm not even tired," Hiroto groaned out while rolling on his back. His arms were spread out and he sighed. His brother was being stubborn, but that wasn't what was bothering Hiroto. He was bothered by the fact that Kou didn't give him an explanation as to why he came in without a warning. Then he had the audacity to deny him one when he asked for a reason, trying to hide his embarrassment by focusing all of his attention onto his book.

 

"I won't be able to sleep with you here anyways." It was true, mostly because he was worried Kou would see his drooling face. But he cared more about his brother invading his personal space for no said reason. "What's up?" He asked once more. He figured it all had to do with his father being gone. He knew better than to pry into Kou's business, but the guy was in his room, in his space. Plus, he needed an excuse to know more about what his brother is going through. He was never around to see Kou cry or lose his temper too badly when Hiroto was always out and about. It was uncanny to see his brother act so... Morose? He wasn't even sure what word to put. Maybe clingy? Then again, Hiroto had been strangely benign lately as well.

[Coffee-Tastic]

"I assumed that you were trying to sleep. All your lights were off before I came in here... What else am I supposed to expect." He could believe that he was just staring at nothing, but that wouldn't help his case. Stubborn and closed off, he didn't know what else to say. It was only fair for Hiroto to get an answer. Kou just wasn't comfortable telling his brother that he felt sad and lonely being in his room by himself. It was so childish. So unlike him. He was ashamed of himself.

 

The brunet rubbed his thumb over the width of the textbook, mumbling, "I don't want to be alone right now. I can't focus in my room... Your sheets smell fresher than mine too, so it helps also..." Well he wasn't lying with that one for sure. However. He'd still be in here if hat wasn't the case. Having his younger brother there didn't make him feel like the only person in the world. In his own room, that's what he felt like a lot. The majority of his time, that wasn't a bad thing. Now with their father gone, he didn't want that. He didn't want to be alone, desperate to the point of coming here to read a text book.

 

Kou would never admit out loud to that. Ever. In his head, he knew this was the case. He was too smart to not realize what was happening in him. Obviously... He was becoming defective. Temporarily broken. Their dad just needed to come back. He just needed to come back and explain why he decided to leave them without telling them anything. He needed to apologize to him for making him scared and worried... But that man would never explain or apologize. And he certainly wouldn't be apologizing for anything if it was their fault, or just his, whichever it was. Kou frowned and tensed up, "Please just let me read. Watch tv or something if you aren't tired, I don't care."

[grizzly]

"Here," Hiroto moved over some and patted the empty space on his bed. "The floors not that comfy since I don't have a carpet. Might as well sit next to me." Hiroto reached over to his nightstand to open the drawer and grabbed the remote to his television. The plastic was cracked from the number of times he would throw it across the room out of frustration. But tape always helped keep things together. He wished he had some metaphorical tape to keep his family together, but that would just be too easy.

 

Hiroto leaned on the wall behind him and pressed the power button to his tv. It was an old thing that was definitely outdated by it's flatscreen counterpart, but it did it's job of keeping him entertained somewhat. Besides, he was usually on his laptop playing games or chatting up some girl from his class. "It's father, isn't it?" Hiroto brought his knees to his chest and rested his arms on them.

 

"You probably already guessed that I heard in on that conversation," Hiroto said with a grim tone. He did slam the door, so it was obvious he wasn't in his room when the stranger showed up. Kou was closer than the two of them to their father, but that didn't particularly mean anything to Hiroto. Their father never showed affection to either boy, nor favoritism. Maybe their father did like Kou more, but it clearly wasn't enough to make him stay to eat his star child's meal. It wasn't enough for him to check in on them, to see how they even felt about his departure. And it sure as hell wasn't enough for him to keep the family happy enough to keep Hiroto out of trouble. Maybe that was the reason he was such a troublemaker. It was all just to spite his father, to see if he'll show just a smidgen of concern.

[Coffee-Tastic]

Quite honestly, Kou hadn't realized that noise was from Hiroto, but it explained why he wasn't so pissy at the dinner table even though they had just fought. At least that took the burden off of him if he hadn't heard. He wouldn't want to have to tell Hiro that dad was gone and didn't know when he was returning back home. His eyes trailed up from the text book, then turned around at the spot Hiro made for him on the bed. Kou already had the courage to come here, may as well get comfortable. Climbing up with his textbook, he put his back on the wall as well, his legs folded in front of him with the science material in his lap.

 

Hiroto's voice got dark, that was for sure. He had a harder time containing his emotions in his voice than he did, Kou either showing his displeasure or nothing at all. "I was very distracted... But you're right. It is about him." He couldn't read now that the problem was brought up, "I did not think that... I'd be so affected. I don't particularly like the idea of being that clique kid that longs for daddy's affection, I doubt you neither, yet here I am. In your room desperate for the presence of another human being."

[grizzly]

"It's okay, I guess I feel the same for mom. But it's probably easier for me since she practically doesn't exist anymore. I don't even remember what her face looks like until I look at a photo, and even then it doesn't seem like her." Hiroto watched the screen of his tv with little interest. It was just infomercials for a shopping show. He remembered when their mother would buy a bunch of useless junk from online just out of impulse. He felt even more sullen and changed the channel to baseball.

 

Next to piano lessons, Hiroto was in softball as a child. He was more of a natural in sports than in music, and he was a star player in the junior league. He always dreamed of being a professional player like the men on the television screen, but that was a dream that died when he got older. Hiroto could feel his eyelids get heavy and rested his head on Kou's shoulder. The sound of the television was lulling him to sleep, but it was more of the warmth emanating from Kou that eased him.

[Coffee-Tastic]

To him, mom was barely related to them. She never acted like a mother, so she never was in his eyes. Kou wanted to ask Hiro why talking about mom happens to be a trigger for him to lose his anger, when he felt like enough time has passed to bring that up, but he felt his brother put his head on his shoulder. He looked down at him, watching the sleep fill his eyes and take him away from consciousness. Funny how it seemed like they came together that day, fell apart and came together again when their dad left. It was too much to handle, though if this wasn't happening, he doubted that Hiroto would be putting his head on his shoulder this way.

 

"Yeah well... Whatever. It'll just be us for a bit..." He patted his younger brother on the head, smiling tiredly before slumping his hand back to hold the textbook in his lap. He didn't normally like useless background noise like of a television "Goodnight." For him now, it was nice. It kept him from over thinking again, it was nice and boring, making him feel drowsy sitting there. Even though Hiroto was hard-headed, he wasn't heavy-headed, it wasn't annoying him that he placed himself on his shoulder. It was actually nice being close. He didn't think about dad anymore...

 

Yawning, he just closed his text and kept himself leaned against the wall. It was past his bedtime and he was supposed to be in bed already. It was thanks to Hiro for calming his nerves down.

[grizzly]

When Hiroto woke up, the clock on his nightstand read 8:00 a.m. It wasn't extremely early, but it was the earliest he had gotten up in a long time. His neck was cramped, but he could see the uncomfortable position he was in. He was leaning against his brother, so it was no wonder why his neck was hurting so much. How he managed to stay asleep that entire time was beyond his comprehension, but he was extremely tired the other day. The television was still playing baseball games and he could see the crowd go wild with another home run. He turned his attention to his brother and noticed the book in his lap. It was in mint condition, as though he had just picked it from the bookshelf yesterday.

 

He figured the boy needed more sleep, so he moved carefully out of the bed to spread a small blanket over him. His room would often get chilly overnight, but not enough to ever get him sick. He moved the textbook to the end of his desk on the other side of the room and moved to the television to turn it off. As he made his way over to the television, he could see his phone blaring up with messages. It was probably his friends telling him to come out again, but they were all from late at night. He couldn't imagine any of them being up at eight in the morning with him.

 

Hiroto's next destination was the kitchen, While Hiroto wasn't a top end chef like his brother, he knew how to make the essentials and settled with pancakes and eggs. All he needed were the simple ingredients from the cabinet and fridge, but it took longer than he imagined since the kitchen was so foreign to him. Where the hell did Kou store the mix? Eventually he found what he needed and made some pathetic looking pancakes, but they tasted alright if you added enough maple syrup. The eggs were scrambled since he didn't know how to flip the eggs properly, but they came out alright as well. It wasn't going to impress his brother, but he wanted to give him a break. He returned to his room with a tray of the food he just made and tried his very best not to spill the glass of apple juice.

[Coffee-Tastic]

The head lifting off his shoulder, the brunet's head turned slightly as he continued to sleep the the short remaining time that he could be asleep for. Crazy enough, the pure silence was apart of having Kou start to wake up from his sleep, no television, no noise in the room, it was a small change that would keep somebody asleep more... But for Kou, it was two hours off the time he normally would wake up. It was thanks to all the stress from last night combined with sleeping late that gave Kou the thrown off sleeping schedule for the day. Then smelling pancakes the strongest, his stomach growled in his sleep, it upset at him for not properly eating that night. That made him come out of his dream, but he didn't bother opening his eyes. He didn't want to know what time it was and he didn't want to see himself waking up where he thought he was.

 

Hiroto coming into the room again, he smelled the pancakes more, making him realize that he was the one who made them. He moved slightly, stretching his legs and his toes under the blanket on top of him, "Oh... So you do have the capability to make something," he mumbled in a tired slur. Kou looked up at his brother, then he turned his head to look at the time, sighing out, "Does that say am or pm... am?" he picked up his knees and rubbed his head, "You need a new clock and a..." Kou yawned in mid sentence, pulling off the blanket to get out of bed and forgetting what he was about to say, "Never mind. I'll leave now. I've been here too long."

 

He didn't have a single thought cross his mind to think that breakfast was made for him too and sleepily made an effort to leave. It was awkward enough to have come in here at night with a textbook, it was strange enough to stay there and have Hiroto lean on his shoulder, and it was enough staying in his bed. It was kind of trippy waking up in a clean version of Hiro's room

[grizzly]

(Sorry for the late reply. Last minute college apps are a fuckin' pain.)

 

"Haha, you're funny," Hiroto jeered while moving closer to the bed. Of course he could make something! The breakfast he made was proof, albeit it was a bad example of his capabilities, it was still undeniable proof. He looked over to his clock and agreed. The clock was worn from it's many years of use, but it was mostly dirty beyond redemption. He tried scrubbing the ash and soot from his cigarettes off of it, but to no avail. He was thankful that the walls weren't yellow like he had seen in his chain-smoking friend's house.

 

When Hiroto saw Kou move to remove the blanket, he called out. "Wait!" Hiroto blocked Kou's escape by moving in front of the bed. "I made this for you," he informed Kou. He turned his head to the side and could feel his ears burning again. "So you have to eat it..." He looked at Kou with a side glance and placed the tray over him so he was effectively trapped. Kou wouldn't risk getting super sticky maple syrup and juice all over himself, so he was thankful for his choice of breakfast.

 

"Or at least try," was what he finally said when he admitted to himself that the food wasn't that impressive. It was just a short stack of pancakes with scrambled eggs. He tried to decorate it with a few strawberries to try to increase it's quality, but even the berries were sliced horribly. But hey, looks can be deceiving. "Besides, do you really have somewhere to be right now?"

[Coffee-Tastic]

(Oh my dear... Yes. I know what you mean. Don't you worry, Grizzly bae~)

 

Blocked in and just awoken, he paused and needed a moment to understand that he was... being forced? He squinted his eyes with an eyebrow of his raised at the food in front of him. To Hiroto, it could have looked worse, but Kou was more worried about the chance that the pancakes may not be fully cooked or the eggs might have shells in them. He's never had anything made from Hiro, so he was right to be suspicious. When they were small kids, his younger brother said he made him a chocolate pie, then showed him a pie tin full of mud, dirt, a few blades of grass and he clearly remembered a worm popping out of the 'dessert' as if to warn Kou saying in a tiny voice, run away, Kou-chan... And yes, Kou had ran away.

 

At least this was actual food. Pancakes with strawberries and eggs... it was quite pleasant to think about that...

 

"I have a chiropractor appointment in twenty minutes sharp, I'm going to hang out with my friends at noon on the dot and then I need to be at the park to meet up with my girlfriend by 10 tonight." He said gently, calmly and heavy with sarcasm, "... What made you decide to make me breakfast? I didn't do anything for you." For Kou, nothing he's done for the both of them counts as 'something for you'. He made meals so they didn't starve. He did the laundry, when Hiro actually decided to put some clothes in the hamper, so that the house wouldn't smell like dirty clothes. He did everything because it was necessary. Of course, Kou didn't have to do anything, but the way things worked in his head, he did.

 

After asking his question, he cut a part of the pancake, eating a small piece just to make sure it was safe to eat. He didn't want to get sick for being courteous... If they weren't cooked right, he wasn't going to sit there and eat any of it, he didn't care if it wold make Hiroto happy if he ate it. Thankfully for the both of them, when he ate it, it was fine. Kou's pancakes were never this bland, but they were in fact pancakes. If he made them, the brunet would have included bananas, blueberries or walnut bits inside of it to make it instantly more special with the strawberries.

 

He shouldn't be comparing his cooking to Hiro's because it would never compare, so instead, he stopped trying to look down on these pancakes and thought more about the fact that this was made just for him. "Its not bad by the way. Strawberries make it good too..."

[grizzly]

There it is-the sarcasm. Hiroto just stared at Kou deadpan before rolling his eyes. "What do you mean you didn't do anything for me? You helped me clean my room and you tutored me last night, remember? Figured I'd return the favor with some food, but it turned out to be a lot harder than I imagined," he admitted honestly. He was beginning to feel self conscious with how much Kou was stalling to try the damn pancakes. He guessed it was because he was making light of his work or was just comparing it to what he could have done. But when he finally raised the fork to his mouth, Hiroto anxiously waited for a response.

 

"Ah, that's good," Hiroto said when Kou praised his work. He sat down on the end of the bed, making sure not to shift the weight on the mattress too much or he would tilt the tray. "What do you want to do today?" Hiroto asked out of the blue. He wondered if Kou would retreat to his room or if he was actually going to spend the day with his little brother. He was so adamant to leave earlier, but Hiroto wasn't sure as to why he wanted to leave so badly. It felt great to hang out with his brother like the good old days, but they fought a lot more when they were younger. But that was mainly because Hiroto didn't know how to pick his opponents. Kou was bigger than him at one point, and Hiroto would still dare to fight a fight he would clearly never win. Now the tables have turned now that Hiroto was bigger than Kou, but he knew Kou was too smart to pick a fight with the hot head.

[Coffee-Tastic]

Being told what he was thankful for, Kou didn't even think about those things as something so great. He mentally took a note to check the symptoms of sociopathy, because something like that should have been obvious to catch. "Oh. You're welcome on that... This could have been worse, so it's fine. Thank you." He didn't think Hiroto knew that strawberries were one of his favorite things to snack on, so his thank you was for the returned favor and not for the extra thought that Hiro didn't put into it with the berries.

 

Chewing on strawberries and pancakes, he looked up from his plate to give him a weird look. "Interesting choice of words. It almost sounds like you're suggesting we do something together..." Hiroto sure was suggesting that. "And... if that's the case, what would you suggest?" Feeling extremely tolerable, he was willing to do something besides, indeed, going into his room and shutting himself in. "And if any of that involves your friends, I'd rather not." From what he was getting from what he heard about those friends of Hiro's, they seemed like more, solid pieces of junk, while his brother was junk half the time. The seemed like the kind of people who would come out of an ally and start picking on him.

 

So what was Hiro thinking, besides hanging with those people, then? A game of scrabble? A movie? A friendly walk in the park? Kou wasn't afraid of leaving the house and he didn't see himself as a shut in, he just would rather be inside studying. If they went somewhere, he wouldn't mind as long as it wasn't someplace dark, shady and smoke-smelling. Kou wondered how many places that Hiroto went that were like that... Scratch that. He didn't want to know where he went. Anywhere that his brother was that made him come back home drunk and or half alive, he'd rather not ever know about. "... Is there anything normal that you do by the way? All I see you do when you get home is sleep, take showers, snack and smoke. I'm not willing to do either of that with you.. besides the sleeping thing." It was soft of them to sleep like that together... Kou looked down again and tried to forget it happened.

[grizzly]

"Nah, I'm kind of bored of those guys already," Hiroto confessed as he laid down on his back. He didn't know what to think of the fact that Kou liked to sleep with him. Maybe it was because it was as mundane as Hiroto could get, but he enjoyed other things that didn't involve in the self destruction of his body. There was more to life than smoking and drinking, and he remembered the game machine he had found when they cleaned out his room. It was in the same condition as they had left it as children, only it was covered in dust. Hiroto already wiped it down the best he could, so it was a chance of luck if it still worked.

 

"Wanna play on that old game station we used as kids?" Hiroto asked as he turned his head to Kou. His neck was still cramped from the awkward position he had slept through the night in, but since he was lying down, it wasn't so bad. He observed how eagerly Kou ate the strawberries and guessed his brother liked the berries the most out of the entire breakfast. "You like strawberries?" He asked while sitting up.

[Coffee-Tastic]

Kou legitimately didn't believe Hiro would just get bored of the friends he always hung out with... Unless Hiroto was showing signs of Kou in which he gets so tired of people that he just slithers away from it all like a snake in the grass. If that was the case, he wanted to give props to his younger brother. But as if he'd do that after already saying so many things he wouldn't typically say. He couldn't spoil Hiroto, oh no no no. He only smirked a bit at the news of his boring friends...

 

However, that smirk was lost when he brought up playing video games. When was the last time he's played a video game? He didn't even think his hands could perform the same movements on a controller anymore. "Uh..." he didn't know what to say, taking a bite out of the pancakes and berries to delay his answer a little longer. If he thought deeply about it, Hiro would win. If Hiro won, that meant he'd be looked down on and made fun of. If he was looked down and made fun of, then he'd get upset. If he got upset, like a poorly thought out chemistry experiment, they'd both react badly and explode.

 

And then speak of the devil! "Uh." He coughed a bit awkwardly. Did Hiroto read his mind? Kou swallowed and coughed again, "Excuse me. Since when did you decide to become so observant to what I chose to eat? I like them more than blueberries and blackberries that's for sure..." he took a bite of eggs, "Its just that your pancakes taste so dull, I feel the need to give myself at least some flavor." Kou didn't think he needed to hide the fact he liked something, but he also felt the need to hide the fact he liked something like a strawberry. It was probably the cutest aggregate accessory fruit of them all.