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"R-Ritsu..."
His little brother is only six, one whole year younger than him but really smart ━ but he can also be really scary.
Shigeo wrung his hands, eyes focused above his brothers head rather than on his face. It was hard to look at him when he got like this, all teary eyed and down-turned lips. There wasn't much he could do except give in, but he was supposed to be the older brother and watch over Ritsu. They'd get in trouble.
"Please, please, please, pleeeease━!" Little hands grabbed his wrists and jerked their arms up and down, Shigeo swaying from the motions. He felt a little like a leaf.
"We're not supposed to use the scissors when okaasan isn't here, Ritsu..."
"But Nii-san! I want to look like you!"
Glancing down at last, he stared at his brother's earnest expression. It was hard to understand people, but rarely his family. They "wore their hearts on their sleeves" for him, they talked about it and everything, and his shoulders slumped as he looked away nervously. It was the least he could do, right?
A sigh leaves him and it's almost as if Ritsu knows he's won because he flings his arms around his shoulders with a cheer. Shigeo couldn't help but smile even as perspiration dotted his forehead.
How ... does someone cut hair? Mom did their hair all the time, even dad's. He never paid any attention to the way she snipped away at them, attention wandering until he was given a firm pat and freedom from the chair. Plus, where were the scissors? They only had the safety pair in the kitchen ...
Well, Ritsu was already dragging him into the kitchen to get those, so he'd have to make do. Ritsu was too tall if he sat on anything, so he sat on the floor and Shigeo stood behind him awkwardly, holding the scissors in his trembling hands. He was holding them more like a sword and he took a deep breathe to ease himself.
"Okay, Ritsu, be still..."
He took a lock of his hair, noting the soft texture for a moment before he tried to cut it━ only a few strands went easily and his tongue poked between his lips as he concentrated on cutting the rest. By the time he was done, the edges were jagged and he beamed in victory. He dropped the chunk he grabbed and then paused as his eyes flicked over the rest of his brother's head.
... Ritsu had a lot of hair.
It took awhile to get through most of it, and he wasn't sure if he cut some pieces more than others, and hair kept getting stuck in the scissors until it didn't want to cut anymore. He put his hands in his brothers hair and scrambled it all around so all the loose bits would fall off. They'd have to clean up before their parents got home, which -with a glance towards the time- would be soon.
"Are we done? Are we?"
Shigeo stepped around to look at his brother head-on and froze.
Sweat gathered at his collar, fingers fidgeting with one another once he put down the scissors. He was trying to think of something to say but words refused to come. Ritsu seemed too excited to wait for an answer and he was darting off towards the bathroom. The only thing he could do was follow.
There was a stool because Ritsu was just a little too short to reach the sink comfortably and he was pulling it up against the cabinet when Shigeo got to the door. He watched with bated breath as his little brother clambered up on it to reach the mirror.
A beat, then two.
"... I don't look like you." Shigeo flinched slightly from the waver in his voice, mouth opening and closing for second. Ritsu touched the mess of his hair with an expression he couldn't read. It was more than sad, but he wasn't mad either.
... Was he disappointed?
"I'm sorry, Ritsu." He met his brothers eyes in the mirror and Ritsu just shook his head, stepping off the stool. He was already smiling lightly and Shigeo felt ... guilty for some reason.
"It's okay, Nii-san." Ritsu shook his head, "I'm sorry I bothered you."
With a frown, Shigeo reached out and tentatively ruffed his hair. It didn't look all that bad, really. It'd been longer and fell into his face before, but he could see his brother's eyes clearly. They looked enough alike to him already.
Shigeo blinked. "Ritsu, if you looked like me, you wouldn't be my ototo anymore."
Wide eyed, Ritsu's jaw dropped. "W-What do you mean, nii-san!?"
"If you looked like me," He paused to gather his thoughts, "how would anyone know the difference? They would just think you were me. I like you just the way you are, Ritsu. I don't want you to be me. I want you to be you."
Ritsu stared at him the same way he did when he made frogs or water float━ like he did something unbelievable even though he'd been doing it for as long as he could remember.
A door opened and closed and he heard their mother shout that she was back before Shigeo could ask what he did. While he froze, Ritsu was running out the room, laughing.
"Kaasan, okaasaaaan! Look what nii-san did! I look so cool!"
Gulping, he put the stool back into the corner and crept out the room to face the consequences. At least ... Ritsu was happy.
He was happy too, then.