Loveless drabble: Deceiver of Fools [PG-13; Nisei, Ritsuka and Soubi]
Title: Deceiver of Fools
Pairings/Characters: Nisei (Ritsuka and Soubi)
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 435
Spoilers: This is set during the latest ZeroSum chapter (October) so spoilers if you haven't read it yet.
Written for the Imitation challenge in loveless100.
Deceiver of Fools
He knows the stories just as well as anyone else about Beloved, the unbeatable team, ruthless and undefeated. Seimei and Soubi.
Soubi: Beloved's sentouki and Ritsu-sensei's pet. It's probably unfair, Nisei taking a dislike to him before they've even come face-to-face, but he doesn't feel particularly ashamed when they do meet. Soubi is weak, still broken over Seimei, and Nisei has to bite his tongue to stop the harsh laughter from bubbling up his throat.
Soubi is a fool, and Nisei can't feel sorry about being his usurper.
Soubi is an impostor, he tells Ritsuka. Maybe it's from some warped sense of duty on his part, or perhaps it's because someone should tell the kid what he's got himself into, because god knows Seimei isn't going to bother.
But he's not prepared for Ritsuka to glare at him and shout, "I didn't ask you! Shut up!" The brat's ears don't even flatten; he's braver than he appears, Seimei's scrawny little brother.
Nisei grins. Heh, he thinks, guess the kitten has claws after all.
But Nisei has always had a healthy sense of self-preservation, and he's not fool enough to think he can take on Soubi and Ritsuka, whatever they are or are not, on his own, and where the hell is Seimei?
He also knows the darker rumours, the things that people will say only behind closed doors, reluctant even then to give voice to what so many wish to ignore. He's heard the rumours about Soubi's Beloved brand, and how it got there even though it's not a true bond. He's heard about how Seimei treated Soubi and the silent, polite war between Seimei and Ritsu-sensei.
Nisei has always prided himself on being better than Soubi, less of a fool, even though getting out of Soubi's shadow as Beloved's new sentouki is taking serious effort. He'll probably always be considered second best - the second version - but Nisei has never really cared about what others think of him, not even Seimei.
Nisei's never been stupid enough to believe that Seimei cares about him.
Still, now faced with two rather formidable opponents with Seimei nowhere in sight (and seeming less and less likely to actually show up), Nisei has to wonder if perhaps he's been taking certain things for granted, after all.
He lets out a sharp bark of laughter as Soubi attempts to restrict him, and leaps forward, dodging the spell by a hair's breadth. He's always been good at improvisation, after all, and this isn't the first time he's faced things alone.
Maybe Beloved really is the lie he's always thought it to be.
Pairings/Characters: Nisei (Ritsuka and Soubi)
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 435
Spoilers: This is set during the latest ZeroSum chapter (October) so spoilers if you haven't read it yet.
Written for the Imitation challenge in loveless100.
Deceiver of Fools
He knows the stories just as well as anyone else about Beloved, the unbeatable team, ruthless and undefeated. Seimei and Soubi.
Soubi: Beloved's sentouki and Ritsu-sensei's pet. It's probably unfair, Nisei taking a dislike to him before they've even come face-to-face, but he doesn't feel particularly ashamed when they do meet. Soubi is weak, still broken over Seimei, and Nisei has to bite his tongue to stop the harsh laughter from bubbling up his throat.
Soubi is a fool, and Nisei can't feel sorry about being his usurper.
Soubi is an impostor, he tells Ritsuka. Maybe it's from some warped sense of duty on his part, or perhaps it's because someone should tell the kid what he's got himself into, because god knows Seimei isn't going to bother.
But he's not prepared for Ritsuka to glare at him and shout, "I didn't ask you! Shut up!" The brat's ears don't even flatten; he's braver than he appears, Seimei's scrawny little brother.
Nisei grins. Heh, he thinks, guess the kitten has claws after all.
But Nisei has always had a healthy sense of self-preservation, and he's not fool enough to think he can take on Soubi and Ritsuka, whatever they are or are not, on his own, and where the hell is Seimei?
He also knows the darker rumours, the things that people will say only behind closed doors, reluctant even then to give voice to what so many wish to ignore. He's heard the rumours about Soubi's Beloved brand, and how it got there even though it's not a true bond. He's heard about how Seimei treated Soubi and the silent, polite war between Seimei and Ritsu-sensei.
Nisei has always prided himself on being better than Soubi, less of a fool, even though getting out of Soubi's shadow as Beloved's new sentouki is taking serious effort. He'll probably always be considered second best - the second version - but Nisei has never really cared about what others think of him, not even Seimei.
Nisei's never been stupid enough to believe that Seimei cares about him.
Still, now faced with two rather formidable opponents with Seimei nowhere in sight (and seeming less and less likely to actually show up), Nisei has to wonder if perhaps he's been taking certain things for granted, after all.
He lets out a sharp bark of laughter as Soubi attempts to restrict him, and leaps forward, dodging the spell by a hair's breadth. He's always been good at improvisation, after all, and this isn't the first time he's faced things alone.
Maybe Beloved really is the lie he's always thought it to be.