Ritsuka's ears twitched slightly as he heard a noise coming from his bedroom window, looking towards it to find Soubi smiling at him. The boy sighed. When is that idiot ever going to learn that the window isn't a front door he thought to himself. He turned away from his homework, giving Soubi a stern look.
"Evening, Ritsuka," came a reply from the man.
Ritsuka didn't reply, instead just looking down at what Soubi was carrying. It seemed to be a small bag, but he couldn't tell what was in it. When he saw the Fighter approaching him, he finally decided to say something.
"Why have you come here, Soubi?" he asked in a demanding tone. He didn't really want to deal with Soubi right now, having just gotten out of a fight with his mother. He had been lucky to come out of it unhurt.
Soubi noticed that the boy seemed a little stressed, but hoped his purpose filled visit would help him relax. "I came to make some more memories with Ritsuka." He then sat down on the floor next to the bed and opened the bag up, bringing out a few elastics, brushes, and a mirror. He looked up to find a clearly confused Ritsuka watching him.
The thought of making some more memories with Soubi didn't seem to be such a bad idea for now, but he had a very puzzled expression as Soubi took the things out of the bag. Looking up at him, he asked, "What exactly are you planning to do to make memories?"
"I thought that maybe Ritsuka would like to play with my hair, perhaps put it into a braid, and then take pictures after, so this fun memory would always be with you." He then patted a place on the floor to come and get the boy to sit down with him.
Ritsuka blushed slightly, wondering why Soubi want him to do such a thing. Weren't braids more for girls than guys? A lot of questions sprung into his mind and he was a little reluctant at first but then finally got up from his computer chair and sat next to Soubi. "Don't be mad if it looks bad"
"If Ritsuka is going to do it, I'm sure it will be fine." He took the boy's hand and gave him the brush. "Does Ritsuka know how to braid hair?" he asked, turning himself around.
Ritsuka noticed he would have to kneel, and moving closer to Soubi he slowly began to brush his soft tan hair "Sort of. When I was younger I would sometimes watch Seimei braid my mother's hair. She would always look so happy when he offered to help her." The tone of his voice was sad, though it was a happy memory. He wished that his mother had always stayed that way, happy and cheerful.
Soubi stayed silent as he listened to Ritsuka talking about his past. He didn't know too much about their mother, Seimei had rarely talked about her, though from what he has heard and how she treated Ritsuka, he was somewhat relieved to know that she wasn't always like that. "Do you have your camera with you, Ritsuka?" He wanted to know since he had brought his if Ritsuka didn't have his in his room.
"I have it, it's in my desk drawer" he replied, now beginning to take Soubi's hair in his hands and parting it into 6 strips of hair. He turned slightly to work on the first braid, finding it a little hard since he had only watched his brother do it. When he had finished with the one side, he picked up an elastic and tied the end, then moving over to the other side he began to braid it as well. In the back of his mind he wondered how Soubi would look when he was done. He quickly finished braiding the other side and tied it off as well, pausing for a moment before speaking. "I'm finished."
Soubi turned back around to face Ritsuka, smiling as he picked up the mirror and looked at himself. He had to admit it did look a little odd to see himself in braids like this but since it was Ritsuka who had done it, it just meant that much more to him. "Thank you, Ritsuka." He lightly rubbed the top of the boy's head, which in return made the boy blush.
Ritsuka had to admit to himself that Soubi did look a little silly, but at the same time he was happy. "I'll get my camera now!" he said, getting up to fetch it only to return a few second later, turning it on. Then he focused it on Soubi, who was already giving that same old soft smile. The boy took a few different angles of Soubi, and was about to put it away when Soubi grabbed onto his arm.
"I want you to be in the picture as well."
Ritsuka didn't say anything and set the timer on his camera, sitting next to Soubi. The older man wanted Ritsuka to be closer and he gently wrapped an arm around him, bringing the boy against his chest. Ritsuka could feel himself blushing more at the gesture, but he looked up at the camera with a small smile on his face. After the picture was taken he put the camera away, before looking back at Soubi. He had to admit he was feeling a great deal better now. "I'll give you print outs tomorrow after school. Remember not to lose them this time!"
"I will," Soubi said simply. He would really have to make sure that Kio didn't go through his things again. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was almost 11 o'clock and stood up, looking down at the boy. "You should get to bed, Ritsuka, it's getting really late." He began to gather the rest of the things into the bag. Once he was all set to leave the house he began to walk towards the window when he felt a slight pull on his arm, which lead him to turn around, bending down as he did so only to find his lips caught with Ritsuka's.
The kiss was brief but sweet. When Ritsuka pulled away he looked down at the ground, whispering, "Be careful going home."
The Fighter nodded. "I will. Goodnight, Ritsuka." With that he left through the window and began to head back to his place.
Once Ritsuka was alone he went to look at his newly taken pictures, slipping into his bed as he smiled down at them. "Soubi...Thank you..."
As he reached home, the Fighter noticed that the lights were on in his house. Thinking that Kio must be over, he opened the door to his place, stepping inside to see that Kio was indeed there.
When Kio heard the door open he sprung up to go and greet his friend, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Soubi's new look. Then running up to him still in shock, he exclaimed, "S-Sou-chan, what happened to your hair?