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Their beach hideout was often used for more than just planning, so it was no surprise to Mahito when he entered one afternoon and encountered Geto laying on one of the beach chairs reading.
This was usually an activity they did together, not that they coordinated books however. It usually just so happens that they often read at the same time. It was more rare to see the curse user reading alone however. It seemed like nearly every book Mahito tried to read, Geto had at least a passing knowledge of it. It was clear the man was well read.
Usually whenever Mahito would finish a book, he would interrupt the other’s reading to ask questions or just talk about his thoughts on whatever work he had just finished. Geto usually would stop and humor the curse or ignore him and keep up his own reading. It just depended on what book Mahito wanted to talk about it seemed.
This time, Mahito wanted to change things up. He wanted to ask the curse user questions about his book, even if he didn’t know what it was. Maybe it would give him an idea on something to read next! He was sure that if Geto was reading something it would have some sort of glimpse into humanity, he sensed something dark and unknown inside the man. Perhaps he was reading something darker than Mahito had managed to find.
The curse attempted to sneak up behind the seat Geto was settled on, quietly moving through the sand to conceal his location. Right as he stood behind Geto’s chair, the man suddenly closed his book and leaned his head back, looking up at Mahito looming over him.
“Aw you didn’t let me try to scare you,” Mahito pouted, momentarily forgetting that he had planned to ask the man about his book.
Geto chuckled, he thought Mahito was adorable when he pouted. Much cuter than the child he sounded like when he was acting like this. He enjoyed the presence of the human-like curse, so he gestured to the seat next to him for Mahito to sit on.
Mahito huffed at Geto’s laughter, before his eyes settled once again on the book in the man’s hands. Scare attempt forgotten, he walked around to the other lounge chair, before stretching out like a cat in a ray of light.
“It takes more than that to scare me. What brings you here Mahito?” Geto asked, his fingers tracing along the spine of the book as he stared off at the artificial ocean before them.
“I was just bored, but you might be able to change that. What do you have there? Some book about strategies? A horror book? You enjoy such strange experiments that the books you’re reading must be pretty gross too,” Mahito asked, not wanting to get distracted by Geto’s boring small talk.
The question seemed to surprise the man, looking down at the book in his hands. Geto laughed at Mahito’s accusation. It was amusing for him to get a glimpse into how Mahito saw him, as if the only part of him Mahito remembered was his interest in human and curse experimentation. Though he did enjoy partaking in scientific papers and philosophical works delving into humanity at its core, he wasn’t only interested in things of that nature.
“It’s just a book from years ago, I doubt it's something you’d be interested in,” Geto stated plainly, before turning his attention back to the book in his hands.
Mahito pouted again, even if it wasn’t something he would read normally, if it was holding Geto’s attention more than he was he wanted to know about it. Besides, what did Geto know about what he was interested in? He was a multifaceted curse that has read many books, of course he would be interested.
“That’s not fair, I read all the time! We can talk about it like a little book club, just explain it to me. C’mon Geto you don’t have to be rude,” Mahito said defensively. He crossed his arms in front of his chest in a show of annoyance as he glared at the man next to him.
Snapping the book shut again, Geto sat up a little straighter.
“I’m sure a bookworm like you understands it can be hard to read with all this commotion. It’s called The Makioka Sisters, it isn’t horror but is simply a story about the decay of a wealthy family through the encroaching world war and their struggle to maintain normalcy,” Geto explained, choosing the most mundane phrasing he could think of as to keep the curse uninterested.
Unfortunately for Geto, the decay of a human family seemed interesting to Mahito, especially with the threat of war looming overhead. He wondered if there would be bloodshed in the book or just the despair of loss he’d read a little about before.
Mahito stared at Geto, as if waiting for the man to speak more on the book. Geto sighed, resting the still closed book against his chest.
“The reaction of people trying to stay connected to their past through annual rituals despite the world on a large and more personal scale is fascinating. The drama and depth of the family involved shows the conflict between tradition and the brutality that can come with change in the modern world,” Geto explained. He knew it sounded like a review for the book, though he didn’t mind too much as he did enjoy the book, having read it some years ago when it was first published.
Mahito jumped up suddenly, achieving his original goal of startling the man next to him. He shifted to the other side of the chair he had been sitting on, pushing it through the sand and closer to the lounge chair that Geto resided on.
“Humans can be so interesting, you should read it to me,” Mahito declared as he plopped back down on the now touching chairs. He draped himself over the side and onto Geto’s lap. The warmth of the air around them was comfortable, but not quite as comfortable as the man he settled upon.
Mahito’s head rested on Geto’s left thigh, while the rest of his body curled up around his right leg. Mahito reminded Geto of a cat that desperately wanted attention. Geto again sighed to himself, reaching down to run his fingers through Mahito’s hair. He opened the book up to the page he had been on before with the other hand and lifted it back up to read.
“I’m not starting over, you’ll just have to listen,” Geto declared before beginning to read aloud.
Mahito was comfortable, his love of books and the new experience of being read to made this enjoyable. Maybe he could talk Geto into reading more books to him later. For now though, he just relished in the hand in his hair and the words in his ears.