Wake up. Eat. Study. Sleep. Repeat.
That was his everyday routine at twenty-one. That's what he made himself get used to, and he didn't plan on changing it. It was more than enough for him.
Despite what the rest of his family thought, Ryusei Hirano loved working with vehicles. At the small automobile corporation he interned at, he especially liked his role in working with new vehicle prototypes, since it meant utilizing a lot of brain-power in the building new things and rigorous testing of said vehicles. He wasn't Einstein-level genius, but liked to think he wasn't quite average either. Keeping his mind occupied helped him temporarily forget useless things. Like his parents' ever-present disappointment in him.
Typically, his mother and father had hoped he'd pursue a career along the lines of medicine or law. Right… because being a doctor or lawyer were the only respectable fields of work out there.
It wasn't even about their family's financial situation, since both Ryusei's parents were notably successful and better off, and it wasn't as if Ryusei's job didn't pay, even as an intern. He didn't need to rely on his family to finance his projects anymore, either work or school-related. After finishing his senior year, he planned on applying at Phoenix GreenTech, the very same company he was currently interning at. It wouldn't be difficult for them to take him back, if he impressed them well enough this year. He'd have the experience other new employees didn't have to his added advantage.
He truly never understood what his parents' obsession with only those two field of work was even about. Following footsteps? Whose? Neither his parents worked in either of those fields, seeing as they were business owners. It just felt like they were trying to find faults were there weren't any.
At least when it came to the academicpart of his life.
The very first time Ryusei had moved out of the house for college, he'd felt like he could finally breathe. He'd been eager to move into Meishin's on-campus student dorms, since it meant the suffocating confines of home. His decision hadn't been well-received by certain family members, particularly his older brother. Because of…. reasons. His mother also hadn't been very happy with how family members weren't allowed to come and go as they pleased, and always complained that the dorms smelled too strongly.
Later in his sophomore year, when he really couldn't take his mother's nagging anymore, he'd made her a compromise, agreeing to leave the dorm rooms as long as he could move to somewhere else. A place of his own. His mother hadn't been happy still. His father though, had been surprisingly understanding, which had shocked Ryusei at the time, since the man had never particularly showed that he cared about anything his second son did.
Ryusei had thought the matter would have been settled once his father agreed, but who would've known his peacock of an older brother would take the chance to torment him some more, all in the name of 'watching over him'. Finding a place for himself no longer seemed as tempting if it meant his older brother hanging around him all the damn time, watching his every move, and thus Ryusei had intentionally looked for a place he had to share with another tenant. Ryota would probably still spy watch over him unnecessarily, but at least his visits wouldn't be as frequent since it meant intruding in a stranger's space.
No one needed to know how often Ryusei chased off his housemates by being an unbearable bastard though. Dealing with family pressure and academic stress had grated on Ryusei's temper, leading to frequent outbursts directed at the unsuspecting housemates. It was a bad habit, he knew. The situation had gotten to the point where the other half of the rent had been lowered to attract more people. Didn't change the fact that they often left in the end, anyway.
Ryusei was now on his third housing partner despite only having renting at that place for a little over seven months. The agent had threatened to boot him if he didn't play nice this time. It'd be a shame to get thrown out of a place so nice and convenient.
He still visited home whenever he could or during the holidays like a good son would. After all, the spacious apartment Ryusei currently stayed in wasn't paid for by the gods, so he could at least show some gratitude.
Truthfully, he wished he didn't have to visit. They were his family sure but… the comparisons never ended each time he did. Especially whenever his older brother was involved.
At the age of thirty, Ryota Hirano was the living embodiment of the 'perfect son'. He'd followed his parents' wishes and became a lawyer; a successful one at that. His presence at most family gathering was only salt rubbed onto the already festering wound for Ryusei. Such a good child who listened and had time for family despite his busy schedules.
Today was one of those days; a stuffy family dinner which required everyone to be dressed in their best attire. It was so formal Ryusei hated it. He hated the fancy restaurant they'd picked and all their elegantly forced mannerisms. He hated having to pretend they were one big happy family in front of so many strangers. One would think he'd have gotten used to this kind of artificial and detached privileged lifestyle, having been literally raised in it, but Ryusei only found it suffocating.
And Ryota had chosen the gathering to announce his budding relationship with some woman from his workplace, not that it really mattered in the grand scheme of things. He just wanted to add one more thing to brag about onto his already long list.
"Oh my, I can't wait to meet her," Kohaku Inoue-Hirano, their mother, actually wore a pleased smile on her usually-porcelain expression, not looking up while she handled her utensils with practiced ease as she cut into her steak. "She sounds like a lovely young woman."
The peacock— Ryota raised his wine glass to his lips with a grin, "You'd love her mother. She reminds me so much of you."
That sounds dreadful, Ryusei thought while eating a spoonful of mashed potatoes. Hmm, they weren't that bad.
A nudge from beneath the table had him locking gazes with a set of amber eyes similar to his own. Well, similar to one of his own; specifically, his right eye. That's what happened when both your parents' genes decided to contribute. Not that Ryusei hated his heterochrome eyes. He'd have done without the bullying back in elementary and middle school though.
Okay, so maybe he'd lied a little by saying he completely hated coming home. The sixteen-year-old seated across him made some visits bearable. It was safe to say he could tolerate coming home as long as his little brother was there.
Seijun Hirano had inherited their mother's amber gaze and their father's ebony hair. Meanwhile both Ryota and Ryusei had gotten the chestnut hue from their mother, and Ryota tended to tame his naturally wavy hair to be a little straighter and slicked back, like their father's. Ryusei preferred his natural look, perhaps styling it a little and keeping an inch too long. He'd like to think he'd put some effort into taming it today though. Ran it through with a brush and everything. Ryota had their father's dark brown gaze, which also happened to be the color of Ryusei's left eye.
The subtle eyeroll Seijun gave after Ryota's statement made Ryusei snort into his food. It was nice knowing someone was always on the same page as him. Ryota certainly didn't seem to share the same sentiment though.
"Oh, by the way, Ryu," never a good way to start a conversation, Ryusei thought as his older brother continued. "That internship you're doing in… What was it again? Motor mechanics?"
"Preventive maintenance and—"
"Right, right, of course. I'm sure it's fun and all," the older man waved a careless hand in a manner that made Ryusei almost fail to suppress some snark. Their mother wouldn't take too kindly to such a reaction at this kind of place.
Instead, he asked with a forced smile, "Is there a point to this sudden conversation-starter?" The words still earned him a sharp disapproving glance from their mother, but surprisingly nothing from the oldest man at the table.
Botan Hirano hadn't spoken for most of the evening, mildly giving one or two comments on the earlier subject of his potential future daughter-in-law, which had gone on for most of their dinner. Maybe it was just Ryusei's lousy observational skills, but it felt as if his father had seemed mostly distracted tonight.
Nonchalantly, Ryota poured himself another generous serving of wine as he finally got to the point. "I want to know more about the place you're interning at. That Green-something… place." he commented, feigning ignorance. Ryota definitely knew the real name of that company, but simply wasn't bothered to seem like he actually cared. The man paused to swirl his drink in his hand for a bit, taste it, release a very much unnecessary hum of satisfaction at the beverage he'd been having for the past twenty minutes, before finally turning to face his younger brother again. "You guys aren't involved in anything sketchy, are you?"
"Not that I know of," Ryusei suddenly felt a little defensive.
"Don't get me wrong, brother. I do understand where your passion lies, but I still wouldn't want you to be involved in any shady business," Ryota gave him a smile full of false sincerity. "You see, I received a few cases several weeks ago, and just so happens to involve a lot of illegal smuggling linked to the recent automative machinery imports. Apparently, some small-scale businesses aren't following the necessary legal procedures, which can lead to some serious repercussions. If your company is in on it too, then—"
"The company I work at," Ryusei corrected as he cut his steak. Upon finding it underdone, he promptly lost what little appetite he had. Why had they picked a strictly western-themed restaurant tonight? Was he just going to survive on the mashed potatoes and a salad then? "I'm just an intern."
"So, what you're saying is the company could be involved, but you just wouldn't be aware of it?" Ryota felt so smart, didn't he?
Ryusei sighed, giving up on the food altogether and settled on occasionally sipping his water. "I'm not saying or un-saying anything. I just don't want to comment on what clearly seems like a serious matter."
"I've been thinking about this for a while, but I think it'd be best if you switched to an office job, Ryusei," their mother stated suddenly, though it'd probably been on her mind ever since he chose his engineering major. Setting her utensils down, her eyes completely locked onto her second son's. "It's bad enough you strayed so far towards your own path even after we proposed better options for you. Motor mechanics is quite crude already, and now we're hearing you might be potentially involved in illegal dealings. Remember your uncle Kohei? He was a mechanic as well, but he ended up such a slob who can barely afford his rent, having to turn to shady dealings and…"
Ryusei felt horrified, "But I'm not involved in—"
"Are you certain? You are just an intern; how would you even know?"
These people… Ryusei's grip on his water glass tightened as he fought to maintain a calm façade. They just couldn't genuinely be happy for him, and he really couldn't understand why. His lips curled upwards bitterly as he tried to understand. "An office job, mother?"
He could get one, but it mostly meant he wouldn't be in the field. He could work at a consulting firm or even administration, where his knowledge would still be handy in research and consultation. He could even handle project management…
But that's not what he wanted. He liked being out on the field, getting his hands dirty and testing new machines. He didn't want an office job. He was already in his third year, for heavens sake, and he certainly planned on pursuing certification as a professional on field work after graduation! Wasn't it about time they gave up on trying to force him to settle on some other path?
Ryota shrugged nonchalantly, like it was such an easy decision to make. "Lots of office-based mechanics out there, you'd make it work."
"… Right," the twenty-one-year-old mumbled while he internally counted to ten, counted some more, and finally decided he really couldn't do this today. It was just too… no. Gracefully rising from his seat, Ryusei picked up his coat jacket from the back of his chair as he spoke, "Well, this has certainly been nice, but I really do have a school project I should be getting back to. It's a weekday after all."
"Ryusei, sit down," his mother muttered in warning, still maintaining her elegantly stony expression.
But the young man was so used to it that over time he'd learnt not to fear it anymore, thus he simply nodded at her in acknowledgment. "Mother," he turned to the head of the table, "Father."
And maybe he wouldn't have gone if the man had said something, but Botan merely waved him off as if he'd long since foreseen such an outcome the minute the subject had been raised. His free hand moved upwards to massage his temple— surprisingly now streaked with even more grey hairs Ryusei didn't remember being there— which was a sure sign of an oncoming headache. The man had given up on him a long time ago, and that surprisingly hurt Ryusei a lot more.
Seeing the man dismissing him so easily, Ryusei resentfully wondered if his father would act so nonchalant if he knew that—
"You still need me to give you a ride, brat," Ryota's hand shot out to discreetly grab his younger brother's wrist as he passed him by, successfully snapping the younger man from his complicated thoughts. "Sit down, don't act so childish."
Ryusei's expression morphed into a very blatantly fake grin, before he wrenched his arm free with a surprising amount of force. "Brought my own ride today, but thanks."
And with that, he strolled out of the restaurant .
~***~