TITLE: Opera
AUTHOR: beyondthemoor on LJ
RATING: G
GENRE: Humour, family-love, fluff
WARNINGS: - Sorry I'm late!
AU/CANON: Modern University AU
CHARACTERS: Shuurei, Ryuuren, Eigetsu
WORD COUNT: 800-ish
SUMMARY: It's a simple thing, to watch a play. But to take part, even better. (Follow-up to "The Misery Fairy" and "That Lunatic".)
PROMPT: Week 73- Simple Pleasures (over at the saiun_challenge LJ comm.)

Why did things happen the way they did?

Ryuuren watched the scene play out before him as if he was a spectator at an opera, not actively participating in anyway, just absorbing the performance as if he had no part in it whatsoever.

Shuurei flew around their luxury condo like a bat out of the bowels of hell itself, darting here and there looking for her notes and collecting her things, while he sat in his seat at the breakfast bar, observing it all with a cup of tea in hand and his usual neon-orange hoodie about his shoulders. His hair was still loose that morning, as he hadn't had his shower yet (Shuurei had kicked him out of the bathroom so she could prepare herself early), and he ignored his omelet in favour of watching the spectacle unfold before him.

Eigetsu was trailing after her, picking up the papers she dropped and counseling her on what to bring to her first off-campus cram-school tutoring interview. Something about 'extra references' and 'be confident' and 'don't be late', all of which she nodded at and finally curbed her tornado of activity as she approached the man at the breakfast nook.

"Are you ready?"

He blinked at her.

"Please, could we please go? I don't want to be late."

"Ryuuren, please, get the car ready…." Hinted Eigetsu nervously, wringing his hands. This one was always wringing his hands at him as if he thought he deliberately obstructed them sometimes. The thought!

Ryuuren sipped his tea passively.

"Ryuuren," repeated Shuurei, more insistently. "Please. We talked about this last night. You promised to take me to my interview this morning. Remember?"

"Of course, bosom-sister-of-my-."

"Stop it with that please! Just once!" she cried, her eyes going round with desperation as she seized his shoulders. "Ok, calm down, calm down," she muttered to herself, staring at the floor a moment to regain her composure.

Her expression fell a moment as she considered her options.
With resignation, she bolstered her courage and broke out in a strong, carrying voice:

"Ryuuren, bosom-brother-of-my-heart!" she declared suddenly, throwing a petite—but strong—arm around his broader shoulders. Yanking him closer, she pointed her other arm dramatically in the distance. "Today we part for places unknown! Prepare our bird for flight, that we may partake together in this adventure!"

"Oh god, not you, too," muttered Eigetsu, bringing a hand to his face. He narrowly avoided the kick Shuurei sent his way.

But Ryuuren's face had lit up like a Christmas tree at her energetic tone. It had worked!

"My sister!"

"My brother!"

"To our chariot!"

"TO THE CHARIOT NOW!"

"To places unknown!"
"I already programmed the GPS! It's not too unknown!" pleaded Shuurei as she shoved her roommate through the door, not missing the awestruck thumbs-up Eigetsu made her way as she closed the door behind her.

"Bosom-sister-of-my-heart, did you eat a balanced breakfast this morning?"

"Huh?"

Shuurei looked up at Ryuuren as they approached the car. He'd already started the engine from his remote, and the vehicle purred as it warmed up in the cool morning air.

He opened the driver's side door and slid in, and Shuurei couldn't help but stand there and watch him a moment, wondering what in all the heavens he'd meant by that.

"Oh please, don't let him take me on a wild goose chase to the country to find a farmer's market," she mentally prayed. They had less than thirty minutes to make it to the tutoring centre across town where her interview would be held.

As she opened her door and started to enter, though, she glanced down at her seat.

… only to find Ryuuren holding a perfectly-wrapped plastic box with chopsticks on top, out to her.

"Adventurers need to eat a balanced breakfast before they set out," he said seriously.

He'd prepared her a bento.

At some point that morning, he'd gotten up before his two roommates, made her breakfast, cleaned up after himself, and gone back to bed, just so he could give her something to eat now when he knew she'd be too nervous to make herself her own breakfast.

Sitting down neatly and strapping herself in, Shuurei accepted the breakfast bento box gratefully and stared at him a moment.

"Ryuuren, you--," she gaped at him and felt the car shift into reverse as Ryuuren put his hand on the back of her seat and smiled broadly at her (instead of watching behind him as they backed out).

"Our adventure awaits! Tally-ho!"

"Ryuuren, you didn't need to do thi!"

They joined traffic quickly, Ryuuren weaving in and out with his usual grace (and luck).

Sometimes, the simplest pleasures were the best, he thought. Making breakfast for a bosom-friend was one of them. Having that bosom-friend join in to participate as an actor in the 'opera' he staged of his own life was another.

"Enjoy! I hope you like the octopus-dogs and pink quail eggs."

"They're lovely," she said through grit teeth as he took a corner rather fast. Through a red light. "Really, thank you, Ryuuren, bosom-brother-of-my-heart."

"Thank you, treasure-bead-of-my-heart!"

With another quick glance his way, Shuurei sighed—then smiled a bit to herself—and dug into her meal.

***************
R&R?