spirits_and_such_offices

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Minegishi was in the greenhouse. They spent a lot of time there, even when they weren't practicing at using their powers. They felt more comfortable, somehow, being around plants rather than people. Not that they were particularly fond of the people they had surround themselves with.

Minegishi flipped a page int their book, only to glance up as they heard someone approaching. They were hardly surprised when they saw who their visitor was.

"What is it?" they asked. They should probably set their book aside, but they didn't particularly care to. And even if they did, their visitor wouldn't be able to see it anyway. With his eyes, anyway.

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"Satō's hungry today." Shimazaki clearly didn't feel the need to announce himself with more than that as he walked in the door--they could see him coming a mile away, they were peers, and he adopted enough manners not to just teleport in on them. What else needed to be said?

Shimazaki held out his fingers just short of touching Satō--what he had personally dubbed Minegishi's massive Drosera--looming over him as he passed the threshold. His nose twitched--it smelled particular fragrant and sticky.

"Are you feeding her enough?"

"You think I'd neglect her?" Minegishi asked, bristling slightly. "She's fine. I'd know better than anyone."

Shimazaki laughed as if he was pleased with the response. It had taken awhile before he had stopped getting a sour word just for naming them.

“Of course not. Maybe she’s just happy to see me.” He didn’t flinch as Satō—an extremely infamous specimen to all of Claw’s enemies at this point—loomed over him, merely sniffing a little at the heavy scent of sticky dew threatening to drip onto his suit jacket.

“You disappeared quickly from the last meeting. I just felt like some gossip.”

(screened comment)

"Oh come on. You heard what's happening with the 7th Division." Shimazaki lightly tossed himself on one of the greenhouse benches, lying in repose on his side. One of the vines from the clematis began inspecting his ankle. "Not that anyone in it is anything to write home about...but I hear the kid is planning a field trip down there."

Minegshi finally set his book aside. "What reason would he have to go down there?"

"Scouting for HQ." He smirked. "Allegedly."

"Where did you hear this from?"

Shimazaki paused but his calm smile didn't break.

"Young man, I know you know better than to listen in on other people's conversations."

Shou folded his arms behind his head. "I'm sure you two know better than to talk about someone behind their back, too."

"Not at all. It wasn't that long ago I was working with you on flight basics and now you're off on your first independent assignment." The patronizing edge in his voice was just barely subtle. "

Shou grinned back at him, though it was strained; he was determined to make Shimazaki think that his patronizing tone wasn't irritating him. "Some of us are just learn faster than others."

If Shimazaki was capable of directing a look at anything he would have shared one with Minegishi. There were a lot of moments like that. Still, he could sense whenever they glanced his way and he always acknowledged it with a soft hum.

“Well, if you were looking for feedback, your aptitude for stealth is good enough for anyone in the lower divisions. Now all that’s left is a good cover story.” The lower divisions weren’t privy to any details about who operated at HQ after all.

Shimazaki ran a knuckle over the underside of one of the leaves hovering over him as a way of prompting his quiet colleague. “Minegishi-kun, think he could pass as an intern?”

Minegishi was on the verge of opening their mouth to speak when Shou spoke up instead.

"I'm not going as an intern. I'm going as myself."

“So they can suck up to you?” Shimazaki sighed. “You’ll never get a real picture of any new recruits that way.”

"It's not like I'm going to announce who I'm related to," Shou complained as Minegishi picked up their book. He couldn't help but feel insulted Shimazaki thought he would.

“Suit yourself. Cover stories create the most fun though.” Shimazaki lazily crossed one leg over the other. The greenhouse was so warm, it was hard not to lounge the moment you stepped in.

Still, they’d be upgrading soon. He wondered if Minegishi was excited about it.

“Don’t be gone too long. Serizawa-kun’s gonna have no one else to talk to about his new comic release without you here.”

"He'll be fine with you two here," Shou said in a casual drawl. Minegishi looked up from their book just long enough to shoot Shou a look before turning their gaze back to their book.

"And what do you know about cover stories, anyway?" he asked challengingly. "When's the last time you went undercover?"

“Pssh. Three months ago, remember? …Well, maybe not. You were busy with your long division. My bad.”

"I'm actually doing algebra now!" Shou snapped back, trying his best to sound totally not-at-all-bothered-by-Shimazaki. Minegishi let out a sigh. So much for being able to read peacefully.

"If the two of you are going to squabble, could you try doing it somewhere else"

Shimazaki frowned momentarily—it was a pout, really. He had gone out of his way to spend time with them and now he was getting chastised because the kid was doing what he liked doing best when he got antsy: antagonizing him.

“I guess we’ll talk later…over drinks?” Shimazaki then motioned to Shou. “Come here.”

"I'll be busy later," Minegishi said, putting a stop to it before it could start.

Shou approached Shimazaki with warily.

Shimazaki unceremoniously grabbed Shou by the top of the head and in an instant they were in the boy’s room.

“Okay. Bedtime.”

"Ow, ow, ow!" Shou said, slapping Shimazaki's hands. "Come on, quit it. I'm not a kid anymore!"

Shou’s hair was prickly to the touch, made even more so with the electric pinpricks of energy radiating off him. Shimazaki released him and gave the air a little sniff. There was the scent of spruce in the air—Shou probably just changed the hamster bedding.

“Right, right. You know, if you want my attention that badly there are less painful ways of getting it.”