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It's no surprise to Ritsu that a day would come where he would snap out at his brother and cause a reaction. It is also no surprise that what Ritsu says to Shigeo isn't anything he already practiced in front of a mirror, nor is it anything rational. Ritsu may be only thirteen, but he isn't that stupid to be fooled into thinking the confrontation will be anything but.
So, the universe decided it's only fair that Ritsu is mortified when all Shigeo does is apologize for him. Not get mad at him for saying he never needed Shigeo. Not get mad at him for using his powers against others (even if they were gangs who needed discipline).
God, Shigeo even called his bluff . If Ritsu hadn't been so angry then, he would've marveled at his brother’s intuition.
Shigeo was smiling at him. Smiling . He said he didn't believe it when Ritsu told him he didn't want him as a brother. And then he bowed so low in front of the people he was beating up, he asked for their forgiveness and they—
Honestly, as much as Ritsu would admire his older brother for being able to see right through other people’s bullshit, he would forever be astounded by how much Shigeo trusted everything could be solved by talking it out. It was Reigen’s influence, Ritsu is sure of it.
And then Claw showed up and kidnapped him, and Ritsu met Shou, and then he was trapped in a room after being beaten in psychic combat with his brother and another kid esper. Ritsu was so sure his brother would hate him, after he came to his senses. He was sure that once Shigeo saw him again, he would remember his words and think, it's only his right as the older brother to get mad at him. It's the least Ritsu deserved.
Or that Shigeo would burst under all the stress. And hurt him again. Again, it's the least Ritsu deserves after being an asshat and a dumbass for the past four years.
Instead, Hanazawa talks over him about a plan to get out of here, and Shige just reassures him. Tells Hanazawa that if anybody could come up with a plan to get all of them out of here without powers, it's Ritsu. He tells all of this to a person who doesn't know a thing about what kind of person Ritsu is, what both he and Shigeo have gone through, what he said to his own brother , with conviction. With pride. With all the trust Ritsu knows Shigeo can manage.
Ritsu can't contain the sobs when Shigeo hugs him. Neither can he stop the tears and the gratitude even after it.
Hanazawa grins and says something like, “You must have such a strong bond to be able to trust him like that.”
Ritsu wanted to tell him to shut the fuck up.
Yes, Ritsu Kageyama was terrified and angry at his brother for all the wrong reasons, and yes, Ritsu Kageyama isn’t as rational as he hoped he’d be about it.
But now, Ritsu swears to do better. He swears not to keep anything else from his older brother.
So, in Shigeo’s arms, he lets himself slip back into the role of the younger brother.
Ever since they dissolved the Seventh Division of Claw, Ritsu and Shigeo started making up for lost time.
They walk to school together more often now, and they talk about different little things; Shigeo complains about the difficulty of his subjects and he listens whenever Ritsu rants about the responsibilities of being in the student council. Then, even littler things: Ritsu likes to talk about starting a new gardening hobby and the different plants he wants to grow. Shigeo talks a lot about amphibian-related things; Ritsu knows what to get his brother for Christmas now, and Shige him.
After school walks are much more relaxed, but rare. One particularly rainy afternoon, Ritsu just got out of a student council meeting and caught Mob just as he was about to leave his club.
“Nii-san!” Ritsu calls out, a smile easily finding its way on his face. “Let’s walk home together. I’ll wait for you.”
Shigeo returns his smile with a beam, nodding once and rushing to change. The Telepathy club greets Ritsu while he waits, invites him to a PvP game. Ritsu declines, knowing that his brother would change quickly, but takes up their offer on watching.
Shigeo makes it just in time to see Inukawa fail to Saruta, looking confused when Inukawa rages at the game and Saruta. Shigeo looks to Ritsu for context, and all he can give his older brother is an amused shrug while Tome barks laughter from the background.
They leave after Shigeo gathers his things, minding the rain by using their umbrellas. In truth, Ritsu much prefers afternoon walks to their morning ones. It’s less of a rush to get to school that way, and he has much more to talk about once the day has already been mostly lived through. The rain doesn’t put any damper on it, it may even have an entirely opposite effect.
“Ritsu, remember when we used to look for frogs when we were younger?”
Ritsu turns to look at his brother, crouched down beside the sidewalk. He makes his way over, careful not to splash any rain water on Shigeo. “Yeah? Why?”
Shigeo looks at Ritsu with mischief twinkling in his eyes, and stands up. Ritsu gives his brother some space, a wise choice as Shigeo uses his powers to hover a frog in front of his brother’s face. “He must’ve gotten lost,” Shigeo announces with all the seriousness he can muster, which isn’t a lot if the snickers that break in are any indication. “We’ve got to return him home, now, don’t we?”
Ritsu bites down the urge to scoff and laugh at Shigeo. The urge to give in to the childishness of it burns brighter anyway. “Of course, nii-san.”
Shigeo’s grip on his umbrella almost slips. He wasn’t expecting him to go along, Ritsu guesses, but they both have the same determination in their veins, and it’s worth wasting an afternoon of studying to do something lost to childhood. So it’s off to the wild area near their house to return “Mr. Frog” back where he belongs.
“No,” Shigeo says thoughtfully, keeping the frog under the rain with his telekinesis. “He should have a better name than that.”
Ritsu chuckles a bit, shuffling his umbrella. “You want to name him still? We need to let go of him, Shige, it’s pointless to get attached.”
“It’s not about getting attached.” Shigeo huffs without fire, and returns to brainstorming. “Besides, everything should have a right to be known, even for a little bit.”
Ritsu pretends like his brother didn’t just drop life-changing advice in favor of conceding with a sigh. As they walk, Ritsu tries to help Shigeo with a name.
“What about Froggy?”
“Too much of a generic name.”
“Shouldn’t we want a generic name? What if “he” is a girl?”
“Generic doesn’t always mean intersex, Ritsu.”
“I forget how tiring having a sibling can be.” Ritsu groans, rubbing a hand on his neck. Shigeo laughs a little at it, and Ritsu can’t help the feeling of relief that washes through him. But Shigeo will never harm him, not anymore, and certainly not voluntarily.
“Oh.” Shigeo exhales, his version of a gasp. “I’ve got it.”
“What shall you name him?” Ritsu asks, slowing down to match his brother’s steps.
“Gerard,” Shigeo says fondly, moving the frog to hover between the both of them. Ritsu huffs a breathy laugh as he gently pats the frog’s head.
“Gerard? Where did you get that?”
Shigeo shrugs. “He feels like a Gerard to me.”
“Okay,” Ritsu says, then to the frog, “You’re now Gerard the frog, named by my brother, okay?”
Shigeo actually laughs now. Ritsu looks at his brother and sees a small trace of wistfulness on it, Shigeo is probably lost in a memory. Ritsu tries to recall it as well, but frowns a little when he can’t. “What do you remember?”
“You used to name the frogs.” Shigeo smiles. “I’d rotate them around and with every one that passes by you, you would tell them its name. Like a king knighting a knight.”
Ritsu makes a protesting sound. “That makes me sound extremely childish.”
“You were a child,” Shigeo chides him, “And it was very endearing. Not to mom, though. She hates frogs.”
“Well, I’m no longer endearing, okay?” Ritsu complains, then gently takes the frog from Shigeo’s telekinesis to his. He turns the frog around and puts it level with Shigeo’s face. “But it’s a good thing we take after dad, huh?”
Shigeo huffs a cackle at that, which Ritsu was about to mirror, if it hadn’t been for the frog wriggling out of his grasp and jumping onto his face. Ritsu lets out a muffled scream as the frog lands with one foot over Ritsu’s mouth, falling backwards and letting go of his umbrella.
Shigeo exclaims, and quickly puts his umbrella over both of them, using his other hand to carefully extract the frog from Ritsu’s face. Ritsu sees Shigeo suppress a giggle, and can only guess what his face looks like afterward. He tries not to let his misery show, and gets back on his feet.
“I’m okay.” The effort does not, in fact, extend to cover just how traumatized he sounds as he forms a barrier above him to block out the rain.
“Sorry,” Shigeo says as he laughs. He doesn’t really sound ashamed of it though.
“Gerard,” Ritsu goes to scold, “You no longer have my respect. You turned my own brother against me, and now we are banishing you to the cold, cold forest.”
“Well now I’m tempted to keep him just to spite you,” Shigeo teases, nudging his brother. Ritsu gives him the saddest look he can manage, which fails against Shigeo’s love for everything frog-related.
They make it to the wild area eventually and say goodbye to Gerard. The frog hops away, though not before threatening Ritsu by making one big leap towards him. Ritsu almost yelled obscenities at it for some form of closure, but he did not want to risk getting lectured by Shigeo as they got home. At least Shigeo found it amusing.
Their mom fussed over Ritsu upon seeing him wet from the rain, interrogating Shigeo while she dried Ritsu with a warm towel.
“You’re too old to be playing with frogs!” She scolded them, Shigeo more than Ritsu. Shigeo deflated, nodding mutely, but Ritsu rose to defend him.
“It’s only one time, mom,” Ritsu told her, calmly taking the towel from her and drying himself off. “We just had a little bit of fun!”
Their mom sighed. “I just don’t want you to get sick,” she reminded them, “You could’ve gotten a disease from that frog when it jumped on your face, Ritsu!”
“We’ll be more careful next time, mom,” Shigeo promises before Ritsu could say anything more.
“I’d rather if there wasn’t a next time,” she spoke, shaking her head.
Their father popped his head from around the corner, a grin perpetually on his face. “Let them be kids sometimes, Masuyo! Before we know it, they’ll be leaving to have their own lives soon!”
Ritsu and Shigeo let their parents be, still hearing their back and forth even as they go upstairs to their respective rooms. Ritsu let Shigeo shower first, excusing himself to prepare a list of things he needed to get done before tomorrow. As Shigeo left, Ritsu thought about the afternoon they both spent, a content smile creeping onto his face.
There are things Ritsu wishes would stop — the constant comparison between him and Shige, for example. Before, Ritsu would simmer under the surface, if only they knew , he thought. But Shigeo broke down that pedestal, handed him the hammer, and suggested he do the same. It isn’t because people told Shigeo that Ritsu was superior compared to him, that Shige developed that trust in him. Ritsu can solve any problem without using powers , Shigeo had said, and that was not because of some inferiority complex that developed from Ritsu being “superior” to him. Shigeo trusted him wholeheartedly because he knows Ritsu, and he’s proud of him as he is.
Ritsu hears the water stop, and he closes his notebook. Shigeo stops outside of his room’s doorway and tells him it’s his turn, with a smile that Ritsu returns with a thanks.
As they pass each other, Ritsu thinks that he is no longer scared of his older brother, no matter what he does. He wants to return the trust that Shigeo has in him, because it’s the least he could do as the little brother. Sure, there will be moments, but Ritsu will let the fear pass over him like water on duck feathers. After all, he isn’t that stupid to believe in a fear-driven inferiority complex any longer.
And with that realization, Kageyama Ritsu feels free.
(The hot water sprays all over him when he opens the tap. Oops.)