#first tetsono thinigty yaaay

[katzkinder]

Iron Doesn't Bend (it snaps)

Some cute tetsono feels. Promise it ends on a very cute note despite the start xD

Sometimes (more often than not), Tetsu felt inadequate, and sometimes, no amount of praise, whether from his family, his friends, or even Hugh, was enough to make that feeling go away. Sometimes, he felt as if… His becoming an Eve was one big joke. That, once again, he would be told it was all a lie, that he wasn’t special enough, and left behind again.

Which was just plain silly. His friends weren’t like that. Hugh wasn’t like that. Even if he had lied to him before, Hugh wouldn’t… Do that to him. He wasn’t mean spirited. And yet, when he compared himself against his other, fellow Eves, the shortcomings wouldn’t stop. More and more, they piled up, the differences and the talents and the… The everything.

What was he good for? What were the things he could do? What made him worthy to stand by his partner’s side? By everyone’s sides?

What made him… Unique?

He wasn’t sure… If that really existed.

It always seemed like for every skill he could be proud of, another person in their group could do it better, and everything else, well.

Everything else… He was hopeless at.

He wasn’t charismatic like Mahiru aniki. He wasn’t good at reaching out to people like he was. He wasn’t a leader like him or Carpediem-san, either. He couldn’t build cool things like the Tinker, and he wasn’t cute and bubbly like her. He couldn’t play an instrument as well as Angel guy, nor was he as assertive. Hat big bro seemed like he could do anything, from running a business to making art to appraising wares. He could probably perform a tea ceremony, too.

Contrary to what others might think, he wasn’t stupid either. Not like that, anyway. He knew that Shorty’s big brother… Hated him a lot. He didn’t know why, but that only made things worse, in his opinion. There were probably very few things as bad as your best friend’s big brother hating your guts, except, of course, said big brother being cooler and better at every possible thing you could imagine, including the things you otherwise prided yourself on because not everyone could do them.

As for Shorty himself…

To say his feelings were complicated was an understatement.

Was Tetsu really humble? Or did he just not have anything… To be proud of?

***

“The hell are you talking about?”

Hm. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought this up with Shorty. As much as he looked to Hugh for guidance, sometimes Misono’s commentary was what he needed, if only because in this particular case, it felt like something Misono would be more familiar with, being Mikuni’s younger brother and all. After all, it was only natural to feel inferior to your siblings, right? No matter how much you loved them.

And yet, the derisive scoff he’d gotten in return made him think that perhaps he had miscalculated. He really wasn’t a thinker at all.

“Comparing yourself to Mikuni? That’s insane. He’s insane. Of course you don’t measure up; you’re only fifteen in comparison. He’s an adult--”

“And yet he picks on poor Tetsu-kun like a child,” Lily interrupts with a sympathetic coo, pushing a tea plate of cookies his way. “Go on, eat up.”

“He really does!” Misono continues with a huff, and it’s a little overwhelming how much the conversation has changed gears despite Tetsu’s own impressions. Beside him, Hugh kicks his little legs and nods along, face set in a serious frown that doesn’t quite match how young he looks. It’s kind of cool, in Tetsu’s opinion, how someone as tiny as his partner can still seem so intimidating and knowledgeable. How even though he’s so tiny, people listen to him.

They listen to Shorty, too, though, so maybe he shouldn’t be surprised?

“But Aniki was only fifteen when I met him, and he was already super cool and reliable,” Tetsu points out. Misono gives him a wilting look, and Tetsu finally takes one of the baked goods to nibble on. It’s delicious, as expected. He only wishes he had some green tea to go with it instead of black.

“That’s not the point,” Misono sniffs, crossing his arms and puffing himself up. A flush begins to rise to his cheeks and Tetsu cocks his head, ever so slightly, recognizing the reaction for what it is. Misono is about to say something very leader-y. “B-besides. You... You are... It's because you're you that I'm... I mean, that we…” His voice trails off, quiet and quieter, until it’s no longer audible, stammering and muttering and trying to get his bearings back while Tetsu patiently waits and the Servamps pretend not to notice. “Oh, screw it!” he finally explodes, “None of us would trade you for the world, you know?!” When Misono leans forward, Tetsu sits up straight, finding himself rooted in place by the fire in the young heir’s voice, the conviction that what he’s saying is objectively correct and he will hear no arguments to the contrary. “There are things only you can do, and even if there weren't, we'd still love you! And…!" The ruddy color is at an all time high and Tetsu worries, for a split second, that his friend might be coming down ill, but Lily doesn’t seem alarmed. In fact, he’s smiling, ever so softly, so he lets the thought slip from his mind.

Almost too quiet to hear, Misono manages to finish his last sentence. “And I’m… Jealous of you, Sendagaya…”

“Of me?”

“Yes! Because…! You’re strong,” Misono continues in the face of his bewilderment, “and reliable! A-and you can reach the top shelf without any trouble at all… You’re… Good at making things, too.” His eyes drift to his hands, and Tetsu’s follow them. He’s always liked Misono’s hands. They’re tiny, and dainty, just like the rest of them, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less comforting. They remind him of his mom’s hands. “Whether it be with paper or a brush, and your poetry… It’s… It’s nice.” His smile turns bitter, and Tetsu wants to get up and go sit by him. He hates it when Misono gets like this about himself. “I can’t even fold a damn paper plane properly…”

“But you’re the reliable one,” Tetsu offers. Misono looks up at him, seemingly startled, yet it only makes him want to continue. “When something happens, you always know what to do. I like it.”

This time, the smile isn’t bitter, but there’s still something almost self deprecating about it, but not… In a bad way. It’s like Misono is relieved, so maybe it was the right thing to say. “Trust me,” Misono chuckles, curling up on the lounge sofa, with his tiny socked feet and his tiny arms held around his tiny knees. He really does feel smaller than Hugh sometimes, even if he’s bigger.

It can be scary. It’s like holding a little baby for the first time, fragile and dependent on you, and yet he knows that Misono is anything but.

“I only look like that on the outside. On the inside?” He rests his cheek on his knees, shuts his eyes, his words carrying in the space between them, feeling like a chasm despite it not being very much distance at all. “I’m just as scared as you are… That’s why I like when I’m paired with you and Shirota. I know if something happens, I can depend on you both to do things I can't. You’re… Very good at protecting things, Sendagaya. We need you."

Tetsu stands up. Walks around the coffee table, and he and Lily trade places. Servamp seated with Servamp, and Eve seated with Eve.

Misono’s hand in his is tiny, but strong. Just like the rest of him.

“Thanks, Shorty. I need you, too.” A beat. “Your hands are really cold though.”

“Haaah… You really know how to ruin a moment.”