Out Of Sight

Dog Trouble

What do you mean it's been half a year. Again. Ahahahahaha-

Please don't kill me.

Now, before you get the chance to- please enjoy!

~'0'~

''Here, mom, I'll help you.''

Yuuichi quickly rises to his feet to take the plates his mother is holding, carrying them to the kitchen where he places them in the sink. Not even a second later, his brother appears next to him, a dish cloth slung over his shoulder.

Their mother laughs from behind them. ''Oh, you two don't need to do that, I can do it myself,'' she protests.

Both her sons ignore her words. ''It's no problem,'' says Kyousuke quickly, giving her a rare smile.

''Exactly!'' chirps Yuuichi. ''Besides, now I can interrogate Kyou about school, you gotta let me have that fun, right?'' he shares a grin with his mother as she laughs, both ignoring the teen's glare.

She gives in and retreats to the living room, leaving the two brothers to do the dishes. As Yuuichi tests the temperature of the water with one hand, he pats Kyousuke on the head with the other before reaching for the dish detergent. They settle into a familiar routine silently, merely enjoying each other's presence.

''So,'' says the older eventually, scrubbing a plate, ''how was your day?''

His brother doesn't say anything for a few moments, but when Yuuichi glances at him, there's a slight smile playing on his lips. ''It was good,'' says Kyousuke, focused on the cup he's drying. ''Coach Endou had us working on Keshin combinations and Nishiki-san almost exploded a ball.'' He snickers at the memory. ''Kariya got called out during math for sleeping, too. Serves him right.''

Yuuichi chuckles, all too aware of the first team's habits. He watches his brother casually out of the corner of his eye as the younger talks, the relaxed posture bringing a smile to his face. It's good to see Kyousuke this happy.

His grip tightens on the plate he's holding.

He swallows.

''Nii-san?''

''Hm?'' Yuuichi looks up, meeting Kyousuke's gaze. ''What is it?'' he asks, forcing his voice to sound cheerful.

The younger frowns a bit, inspecting him closely. The young man merely allows it to happen, raising a curious eyebrow.

''...it's nothing,'' says Kyousuke slowly, giving his brother a piercing stare. ''You alright?''

Yuuichi lets another smile form on his lips, this one more genuine and touched at the concern the usually collected shows. ''Yes,'' he reassures him, and then splashes water in his face.

He knows he'll regret it in just a moment, but for now, Kyousuke's shocked yelp is worth it.

~'0'~

The sunlight reflects off the river water, glowing golden in the evening. Most people are at home, dinnertime coming to an end, but some are still out.

Tenma is thankful for the quiet, walking the familiar path. He can't stay out too long, for he has still homework to do, but for now he needs a moment to get his thoughts in order.

Thoughts that are interrupted by a bark.

Turning in the direction of the source, he barely has a moment to brace himself when a weight suddenly slams into him. A startled laugh breaks free of his lips as he takes a step backward and moves to his knees, something rough and wet brushing his face. In response, he pushes against the weight, grinning at the whine that follows.