bakerstreet | ( picture prompt meme )

Okay.

[Don't even think like that, Fuyuhiko. Holding onto your arm like this makes her very proud, thinking more like they look amazing side by side; The powerful heir to the throne Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu and his terrifying but beautiful younger sister Natsumi. People see the two of them coming down the road and they should be parting like water for them! Even if she doesn't match up to him in any way, she is at least above a majority of the peons that walk the Earth.]

Probably, but I mean when has that ever gotten us anywhere?

[That's because they haven't actually given it an honest try.]

I don't even know where to start with that touchy feely shit. Am I supposed to just confess my deepest, darkest secrets and hope you know what I'm talking about? Oh oniichan~

[She's doing her best to mimic the kind of overdramatic tone you might hear in soap operas or bad cheesy romance flicks, even going so far as to carefully slip the handles of her bag over her wrist so she can place her hand over her heart.]

I haven't dared to tell you this before now, but...we need to talk things through! And I just...I have to tell you...it hurts me so much that you wear those dorky ties with your suits! As someone who cares a lot about fashion, it really fuckin' offends me! I don't know how we can possibly work this problem out though!

[Whoops, apparently we can't make fun of something without also dragging Fuyuhiko a little.]

[Hey, it's not his fault he has highly conditional self-worth and an intense need to appear as masculine as he possibly can, and that those two things just love to mingle. Either way, the teddy bear feeling at least makes him act a little gentler. It's probably a subconscious thing.

He gives a chuckle at her dramatics at first, but it quickly fades as his fashion sense is brought into question.]

You're not really joking, are you? Ugh, seriously...?

[See? This is totally beneficial for both of them. In most other circumstances, he would have snapped right away. You've softened him, Natsumi. Softened him into a fluffy, grumpy little bear.]

The hell is wrong with my ties? I happen to like them just fine. So you had better learn to appreciate them, because they're not going anywhere.

[Especially the one with the cow skull on it. That one is badass and she can pry it from his cold, dead hands.]

Besides, you've got your own issues there too, with all that... froofy stuff.

[It's not his best insult. It's not even a good insult. Is it an insult at all? It's unclear. But with the great lengths he went to avoid wearing "floofy stuff," he thinks he's perfectly within his rights to poke fun at Natsumi for it a little. ...As long as she knows it's in good fun. She'll know he doesn't mean it, right? He is so bad at this.]

[At first she puts on quite the pissed off look. But...it's completely ruined by the "snrk" that follows, and then her attempt at trying to hide laughter. And then pretty soon she's cracking up, leaning against him a little as she does it.]

"Froofy" stuff? Oh my god, really?

[It's safe to say she's not taking him seriously, both as far as seriously insulting her goes and that it's a good insult at all. And then she's grinning, reaching up to poke his cheek a little.]

Should I start dressing like you? Blacks and whites, pinstripes, sharp suits. Or I guess dress suits. People gotta tell us apart somehow and fuck knows if I dressed like you fully they'd be like, "Wow Kuzuryu-kun when did you start wearing a wig?"

[At least she doesn't lean against him for too long, but still keeps a hold of his arm.]

Looks like we're at a stalemate though. I'm not gonna stop wearing all my froofy stuff. That means we really suck at workin' through our problems I think, because I'm pretty sure they aren't supposed to end at "too bad I'm doin' it anyway." What're we gonna do now?

I think this is the part where we realize we never really cared about this shit at all and it was all for the sake of an example.

[So they've got different styles. In his opinion, that's a good thing. God knows if Natsumi dressed like him he'd hear no end to the talk about how she "pulls it off better," and more shit about how she should be the next heir instead. He would rather they stay different; so different that no one could ever think to compare the way they dress.]

I mean, unless you want me to make fun of your acting skills. That's always an option.

[And yes, of course he knows it was for the joke, but there's no way he can just leave that be. It's his sworn duty as her older brother to make good on every opportunity to embarrass her that arises.]

Might set us back a bit in terms of progress, but I'm willing to risk it if you are.

[This comment is accompanied with not just a teasing grin, but an actual, genuine wide smile that takes over his whole face. Either he's really starting to enjoy himself or he just gets that much amusement out of making fun of his sister.]

[Like in most cases, her own mood easily follows her brothers, that genuine smile of his putting an equally genuine one on her own face. Even if he's ragging on her a little, that doesn't matter. Not if she gets to see an expression like that.]

Hah! Are you sayin' you could do better? Huh oniichan?

[She is apparently plenty happy to risk it, encouraging it even.]

Come on, lemme hear your acting skills! Your my older brother, so you've gotta lead by example, y'know! How am I gonna improve otherwise?

[Wow, didn't take long at her for her to turn that one back around on him. He can feel blood rush to his face as he tries to brush off her dare. Even when it's just the two of them he still doesn't feel like humiliating himself.]

I never said I could do better! And I definitely never said you were capable of improving.

[Maybe being bad actors just runs in the family. He's never been particularly good at pretending not to give a shit whenever he cares far more than he could possibly describe.]

With a performance that poor, I'm not seeing any way up for you. Sorry, Natsumi. That's life.

[Or show business, whatever she wants him to call it.]

[Should've seen it coming, Fuyuhiko. When will you learn that you can't gain the upperhand against your little sister? She just sticks her tongue out at him. How rude!]

Heh, guess it's good I have no plans on bein' and actress. Who needs actin' skills when they can just blackmail someone, right? And we definitely don't need the cash.

[Rich kid life. She flips a little bit of her hair, looking confident and proud of herself.]

I was thinkin' of gettin' into modeling though. All those offers are temptin' sometimes!

[The path eventually leads them up a set of stairs, pulling them away from the river again. At least this walk is a little easier to follow, rather than the wooded walk they took to get to the path in the first place.]

[If Natsumi's messing with him, then the look on his face must be utterly priceless. First confusion, then dawning realization, then shock, then disgust, before settling on the darkest, most dreadful death glare he's pulled in weeks. But it's not directed at her, oh no. He's just staring straight ahead, imagining all of those people offering her modeling deals, and then imagining their blood painting these stairs.]

People ask you... to model?

[Frequently? Enough for her to actually consider it? He feels violently ill, probably because he's envisioning most of these people as creepy sickos who want an excuse to see her in a swimsuit or some shit. No. Absolutely not.

...So then he has to gently remind himself that Natsumi is her own person who can make her own decisions and that if this is what she really wants, he shouldn't interfere. That, and it would look bad to care too much.]

Ugh. Whatever. If you ever really want to, don't let me stop you. But you're not allowed to come running to me if some perv volunteers to be your photographer.

[Translation: she totally is, and he will kick said perv's ass.]

[Don't think she doesn't notice those expressions. She watches him, raising a brow for a moment and letting him think and talk, but her own expression softens some at his reply.]

Somethin' tells me that's not really what you're wantin' to say right now.

[See, this is why she loves her brother. Yeah, sometimes being protected and worried about by everyone is annoying. Especially in the family, where Fuyuhiko's been kidnapped before and their family members worry that Natsumi might be next, always wanting to watch her too, asking her where she's going and if she has her phone and this that and the other. But when it's her brother who's worried, it's never bothered her. She loves it. It makes her feel like may be she is special to him.

She laughs a little, shrugging.]

They're just hand towel companies askin'. Nothing big. I bet I'm pretty enough to get pervy photographers volunteering though. I'd definitely have someone with me, so you don't have to worry about me bein' annoying and askin' you to save me.

[She would though. He'd be the first person she'd run to, even if that meant she'd be faced with a million "I told you so"s for it.]

[That's a relief, so much so that he worries it'll show on his face. So he avoids her eyes, staring down at the ground and kicking the dirt slightly as they walk.]

I didn't ask.

[Okay, technically he did, but good luck getting him to acknowledge it. After a few moments of stubborn silence, he softens, lifting his gaze up from the ground and turning to stare at the trees they're passing by instead.]

...But thanks for letting me know anyways, I guess.

[It's quiet, but his tone is undeniably genuine. He'll always care about her, no matter how hard he tries to mask it.]

How much longer are we walking for? I haven't eaten since we left home, you know.

[She does him the courtesy of letting the tone and gratitude slide, figuring she's probably embarrassed him enough today. She bets just letting her hang off him like this is embarrassing. Looking up from him, she glances around, assessing their surroundings.]

Hey, you think I ate anything either? I've been saving my appetite for this all mornin'! But not that far. Actually, our turn is just right up here.

[She points to...what is definitely not an actual turn. Actually, it's a pretty huge bush. Maybe there's a path behind it? But it doesn't really look like it. And when they actually get to the bush, it's obvious that there's not. The path their on is the only one there, and it continues on straight ahead.]

Gonna have to do a little off roadin' and walking over some rough terrain, but that shouldn't be any problem for you right?

[He stares at the bush, which comes up to nearly his shoulders, with a look of complete dread. These are nice pants Natsumi, what the fuck.]

I can't believe you're making me do this.

[...He says as he detaches himself from her grip at last, secures his grip on the grocery bag, and begins to navigate himself forward anyways. She isn't making him do jack shit at this point. He's doing all of this of his own volition. He tries to shimmy himself between the bush and the tree next to it as best as he can, holding the bag up above his head to keep it from getting damaged. It's... a struggle.]

I... fuck... This is seriously... ugh, dammit... I can't believe y—

[He moves a little too roughly and the bag swings around before coming back to hit him upside the head.]

God dammit fucking hell!

[He reels forward, holding his head with one hand while still keeping the bag up with the other (albeit a bit lower than before). It definitely didn't hit him hard enough to do any lasting damage, but damn if it doesn't hurt like a bitch.]

You know if you just--okay. After you I guess.

[She was going to offer to show him an easy way through but hey, if he wants to be the man and lead she won't stop him. She can't help but chuckle as he struggles, trying to hide it as best as she can behind her hand, but that quickly comes to a stop when he manages to hit himself in the head. Not so funny anymore.]

Oniichan!

[She moves as quickly as she can, choosing just to squeeze through the bush without any finesse or care for what it may or may not do to her clothes, coming out with only a little struggle on her end before quickly move to his side.]

Are you okay? How hard did that hit you?

[She's worried, because if he seriously hurt himself it's her fault. If this were a fight, if they had knives and were going at each other with everything they had, it would be a different matter. But it's not, it's an accident, and she hates hurting her family by accident. Especially him. The leaves in her hair and small tears in her shirt and skirt don't matter as much as his well being.]

[He lets out a small grunt of discomfort, keeping his eyes squeezed tightly shut. As soon as the pain begins to dull, he takes his hand away from the offending area and waves her off. His hand is dry, thank god, so he probably isn't bleeding. He opens his eyes and blinks a few times, getting readjusted to the world around him (he is still stuck between the bush and the tree) before giving her a quick once-over.]

...You fucked up your clothes over this?

[It's hard to tell whether he's disappointed or proud? Maybe both. It's a very unusual mixture. He sighs, twisting his body at an odd angle so he can hold the grocery bag out towards her.]

Here, just take it. I need to... fix this.

["It" being his current position. Honestly, of all the fucking situations he thought he would end up in today, this one was not on the list.]

[She holds her breath as he adjusts, relieved to see no blood on his hand and letting that breath out in a sigh once he talks. Okay...okay, he's alright. She doesn't respond immediately, taking the bag from him so he can work on freeing himself.]

...of course I did. So what if I fucked up my clothes a little. S'not like I can't buy more.

[She can't just buy an older brother though. Or his trust or affection. Not that she's going to say any of that, way too mushy for her tastes thank you, but still. It's important to her that he doesn't seem too upset. Or at least not more upset than he had been before trying to squeeze through.]

I'll show you the trick for gettin' through there when we come back.

[His face pales slightly at the word "trick".]

Should've shown me the trick in the first place...

[You know, before he went and made an ass of himself. He knows he rushed forward before she had an opportunity to stop him, though, so that's as much as he says on the matter. Although he does wonder if she took the easy way out for her clothes to have gotten so torn up.

This may be the one time in life that he's grateful for his small size, because it only takes a few moments of determined squirming for him to get himself out of his leafy prison. Once he does, he dusts himself off as best as he can and holds his hand out for the grocery bag.]

Alright, now that we're done with all of that shit...

Hey, I was trying to offer to.

[But that's right, like a big dummy you rushed forward! You deserved to make an ass of yourself. Just not hit yourself in the head. Which she's still a little worried about, but she won't fuss over it. Maybe after they're sitting down, but he's not passing out or anything so he's probably okay.

She hands the bag back to him, brushing herself off a little as well and reaching up to pick a couple leaves out of her hair. Dammit, now it's all messed up...with a sigh, she works on fixing that and turns in their new direction. It's a heavily dense area of forest here, so she really wasn't kidding about rough terrain.]

It's just straight through here. You follow the trees with the biggest roots sticking out. Be careful, I've tripped a lot going through here tryin' to be quick about it. Pretty easy to scrape your knees and scuff up nice pants and shoes that way.

[There...her hair is a little better. Better enough that she can start leading the way. She doesn't try and take his hand or his arm this time at all, the reason obvious once she starts placing it against trunks to help her navigate. It's something she's pretty skilled at now, having visited this place so many times before. But she's slow, so he can keep up in case he has troubles with it.]

At least this part is short! You'll probably see the clearin' pretty quick from here.

[Sorry Fuyuhiko. This is definitely one of those times where "the journey is just as great as the destination" is supposed to apply. Surely...surely it'll be worth it.]

[He rubs the heel of his hand against his head, hissing a bit at the pain but ultimately willing to tough it out. Like he always is.]

I really hope this is worth it after all I've been through.

[He holds the grocery bag a little closer to his chest as he starts stepping over tree roots and ducking under branches. As he catches his foot on a rock and stumbles forward a bit (but ultimately catching himself, thank god) he tells himself that Natsumi is only having an easier time because her legs are slightly longer than his, which is totally unfair. It's definitely not because she's more experienced or anything.]

And look, now you're making me scuff up my shoes. You could have at least told me to dress for this...

[And he doesn't wanna hear any bullshit about how that would have "ruined the surprise," even if he's pretty clearly bitching just for the sake of it at this point.]

You know Mom and Dad are gonna throw a fit when they see that I ruined my nice shoes.

[You know. One of the ten or so pairs of nice shoes that sit in his closet at their house. Because their family is loaded, over-prepared, and needs the future leader of their clan to look his very best.]

[Definitely just because she has longer legs. No other reason at all.

Natsumi rolls her eyes a little as they go, waiting as she gets a little ahead of him for him to catch up. It's not too much further, she can see where they'll break free of the woods up ahead, but she's not going to tell him that if he's going to be a brat like this!]

Jeez, like the tears in my clothes aren't going to make them mad? And if you noticed it's not like I dressed for this either.

[Once he's caught up with her again she continues.]

Don't worry, I'll talk to them about it. You know I'm Dad's favorite, I'll get him to let you off the hook.

[She's a daddy's girl through and through and practically has the old man wrapped around her finger at this point. Much like she does most of the clan with those little sister charms of hers. For as annoying and irritating as she is, there's just something undeniably sweet about her that gets to everyone and she definitely knows how to use it when she needs to. Even if most of the time it's a natural thing.

But hopefully it's worth it as they finally break into the clearing she's been talking about. It's not huge, just a little cozy clearing in the woods with the tall trees over head letting only some of the sun filter through their leaves. There are flowers here and there, lush grass, it's pretty nice really! A few rocks have been positioned in such a way that they'd make a good seating area, and as Natsumi steps out onto the grass she turns back to asses his reaction.]

[...Dad's favorite, huh? He won't deny it—he's always known it to be true—but it still stings to hear it said aloud so plainly. So matter-of-fact. Like the simple truth it is.

It just reminds him that he doesn't have much time left. Everyone already loves Natsumi, so it's only a matter of time before they just go ahead and make her the heir, isn't it? He's been on thin ice with the clan members for years, and it would be so easy for their dad to start siding with them... Hell, it'd probably be a lot easier for everyone involved.

So he has to hurry. If he doesn't prove himself soon... If he doesn't show everybody he can handle the pressure, then...

Then...

His train of thought slowly fizzles and dies as the clearing comes into view. He had his doubts, but it really is all she built it up to be. He takes a few more slow, ambling steps until they're standing side by side again, his eyes slowly passing over all the area has to offer.]

I guess you were right, then. This place would be a pain to find.

[He would say more, but he's still kind of caught between stunned awe and intense pressure to succeed at all costs. This is all that's coming to mind at the moment. Still, he feels like he should force something else out of his mouth. Something nice.]

...It's good.

[Nailed it. Brother of the year.]

[Even if they did convince him, Fuyuhiko would still be the heir. Natsumi would refuse the position, and being the second born it's not like she's obligated to take it. She'd insist that her brother was better suited for it, and that they just needed to have more faith in him. She has absolutely no doubt that he'll be the best for the clan, so if they really respect her as potential heir, they'll respect her faith, right?

Either way, that's neither here nor there right now. Right now, what's important, is that he likes it. Probably. That's usually what "it's good" means, and honestly that's good enough for her. She smiles, taking his hand and tugging him further in.]

Come on, come on! Let's eat! I'm starving, and if we just stand around our sodas are only gettin' warmer. Plus I wanna dig into the cake!

[Once they've reached those sitting rocks, she plops herself down in the grass and crosses her legs, unpacking the chocolates and cake and waiting for him to join her. One bag of chocolates is set in front of where he'll be sitting and the cake is in the middle, where they can both enjoy it as they eat. And then all that's left is him and the groceries.]

[He lets out a little sigh as he follows her over to the rocks and sits across from her, but it doesn't mask his smile. He smiles so rarely that even the tiniest grin shines as bright as a thousand watt light bulb on his face. Hiding it would be a fool's errand.]

Alright, alright, I hear ya.

[He sets the groceries beside him and takes a few moments to unpack everything, until it seems that they have a fairly organized variety of food set up. ...Even if over half of it is sweets. He has to bite back an instinctive complaint. There's no one here to pretend for. He's okay.

That being said... maybe a little more honesty wouldn't hurt. He kind of gets the feeling Natsumi might appreciate it.]

Um, so. Today has been pretty nice. I guess. I mean... I don't totally regret this, you know?

[Other than the fight in the grocery store, but that was kind of his fault, wasn't it? Oh well. He apologized, or at least he tried to. He's been trying not to think about it, honestly.]

[Over half. The only thing they're eating that isn't sweet is their lunch. Even their drinks are sweet!

But she definitely appreciates it, Natsumi looking mildly surprised at first to hear that but that expression quickly melts into a little, gentle smile. One of those happy and bubbly and victorious kinds of smiles, completely with a little color in her cheeks and everything.]

Good, you better not. You go around regrettin' shit like this and you'll have nothing but regrets to look back on when it comes to me. I'm tryin' to avoid that you know. May not seem like it but jeez, can't have my old man big brother sittin' around thinkin', "Why did I ever do anything with her?" Come on, let's eat.

[She sets about opening her lunch, grabbing a pair of disposable chopsticks that I totally mentioned she'd gotten on their way out so she can eat. All of the bickering on the way here, as well as the trip itself, has made her a little more hungry than she'd been when they left, and lord knows Fuyuhiko would bitch if she skipped her lunch and ate sweets first.]

[Well, what did she expect, letting Fuyuhiko choose the food? Of course most of it would be sweet.

But even with the promise of sweets, he still makes a face at her words. God, she just goes off on the weirdest tangents sometimes.]

Ugh, Natsumi... Don't make me start thinkin' about what I'm gonna be like when I'm old, geez...

[He grabs the other pair of chopsticks that have definitely been there the whole time for himself, tearing open the paper and breaking the chopsticks cleanly apart. It's almost muscle memory at this point, although he does remember when he couldn't do it properly and always broke them unevenly. Peko ended up doing it for him half of the time. The memory brings another smile to his face, and he ducks his head to hide it.

He should really say something to distract her from it, but the longer he lingers on the thought the more flustered he feels, and the more flustered he feels the harder it is to swing back. It's a vicious cycle.]

[Like she isn't at least half to blame for the sweets. They may as well be twins, they're just as bad as one another in that regard. One of their parents clearly has very strong genes, with all of the things the two of them inherited from them.

She totally noticed that smile, and can't help but chuckle a little.]

You know you can't hide smiles doing that, right? You're a boy, your hair isn't long enough.

[Can't help but tease him. But she's not done there. She lets out a sigh, sitting back a little and cracking open her soda.]

You'll probably be just like dad. Loud and annoyin'...I mean you already have a stick up your ass like him, I doubt that's gonna get dislodged any time soon. And you aren't violent enough to take after mom. Plus I don't think I want my brother to be as crazy about coconuts as she is. Who knows if that's something you get in your old age or not.

[Like...seriously. Please do not get a weird obsession like that.]

Then again, maybe that'll be better for your kids. He spoils me, so maybe your kids'll be lucky if you take after him. Then again, even if you don't, I'll spoil the shit outta 'em, so they'll be fine either way.

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(gonna be gone most of the day today, just as a heads up!)

sorry this took forever, i hate school

don't worry about it! i don't mind backtags or anything at all! though school is the worst it's true

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