[He takes another sip of his tea, setting it down and tapping his fingers against the side of the cup, before gingerly adding:]
For earlier, too. I don't think I actually said thanks for that. Or maybe I did when I was passing out and can't remember. Who knows~! Either way. It, uh...
[A pause and another sip of tea, the leader averting his gaze and staring out the window instead.]
...it means a lot. To me, that is. It means a lot to me.
[Shuichi smiles softly and takes a sip of his own tea before answering.]
You did, but you're welcome again. [He sets his cup down but keeps his hand on it.] You should start following your own advice though, you know. I think if she were here, Yumeno-san would be pretty annoyed to find out that you've been holding back this much.
[You know, given the shit Kokichi gave her over the very same thing after Angie and Tenko died.]
[The leader glances down at his tea at that, chuckling a little.]
Mmm...maybe. [He has to wonder if she'd actually care all that much in the end.] But come on, you already know I never followed that advice from the start. Easier said than done and all that.
[Shuichi hums as well. He's not exactly sure what Himiko thinks of Kokichi now. But surely her opinion must have...changed somewhat once they'd learned the truth. His had.]
[But he's pretty sure she'd at least be a little annoyed just based on principle. Even if Kokichi is still probably far from her favorite person.]
I know, but that's my point...maybe now is the time to start trying a little harder to follow it. At least when it comes to the things that happened inside the academy.
[He's sure Kokichi will never be 100% honest about his feelings and he's not going to hold his breath waiting for that particular miracle. But if the other boy keeps going on like this...he's going to destroy himself.]
[He sighs, hand coming up to rest against his cheek, giving him something to prop his head up with.]
See, this is why honesty sucks. The minute you try and be even a little honest, suddenly everything is serious.
[It's both a teasing but true statement, said with a laugh but a bit of a bite in his tone as well.]
Don't really know what you expect me to do though. If I followed that advice, I'd be a mess pretty much all the time. I told you how I feel earlier, didn't I? How I really feel, what I really want to do? [Nothing. He wants to do absolutely nothing, just curl up and hide in his room and never come back out.]
It's easier for everyone, I think, if I just go about doing what I normally do. I don't know how to even begin dealing with the bulk of how I feel.
[Shuichi falls silent, folding his fingers in front of his chin and staring at a spot on the table, apparently in deep thought.]
[Yes, Kokichi did tell him how he really feels earlier, and he hasn't forgotten that. And...he gets it. Really, he does. Not for exactly the same reasons as Kokichi, sure, but he's felt that sense of helplessness before.]
...Oma-kun, I want you to start training with me.
[His eyes flick upward to settle on Kokichi's face as abruptly as the words leave his mouth. And while his tone is as calm and even as it usually is, there's a rare hint of assertiveness to it. Just enough to make it clear that this isn't a request, but not quite enough to make it a command either. Kokichi is free to refuse, but he's going to have to do more than simply say "Don't wanna" and expect Shuichi to roll over like usual and go with it.]
[That tone has Kokichi glancing back at Shuichi in return, one brow raising curiously. A rare moment of assertiveness, and saying that he "wants" him to, not that "he should" or "it might help"? He's interested.]
I dunno, Saihara-chan. You were pretty gross smelling earlier. Can you really imagine someone like me smelling like that? I should always smell nice, don't you think? Plus won't Momota-chan be offended if you did something like that with someone like me?
[Or, for that matter, Maki...but it's not exactly a "no". More of a cautious, "are you sure?" Are you sure you really want him joining you for something like that?]
[Shuichi's cheeks flush faintly pink and for a moment, his gaze falters. Wow. Rude. He was a little sweaty, sure, but he didn't smell THAT gross.]
[...right?]
Well, fortunately, there's this thing called "bathing" that you can do to fix that. I don't smell gross now, right? Easy fix. [His cheeks are still an indignantly embarrassed pink, but he's looking at Kokichi again at least.] As for Momota-kun...
[......]
I think he'd be more offended that I've been doing it alone for this long...it's supposed to be a group activity, you know?
[A small smile tugs at his lips at first and quickly stretches to a grin, Kokichi turning to face his friend fully. Sometimes you fall too easily for his bait, Shuichi.]
Wow, so you're even offering to go to the baths with me after training sessions? Gosh, you must really want me to join you~!
[No, you didn't smell that bad, he was just looking for an excuse to slip that stipulation in there without having to outright ask him for it. Still not great at that asking thing. But after that his expression softens just a little, just a gentle and almost grateful smile that lasts long enough for the detective to catch it. That's a yes. He'll join you for training.]
[And then he hooks his hands behind his head and leans back, looking almost bored.]
Well putting it like that, I guess I'll do him a favor then and go along with it. Between that and the promise of more fun bath time with you, how can I say no?
[That's not what he was saying at all. Not even close. But he can't get the rest of the sentence out once he sees that grateful expression on Kokichi's face, even if it's only there for a fraction of a second.]
[It's not what he was saying at all, but the soft, defeated sigh that punctuates Shuichi's incomplete protests says that he's not going to argue it. He's just going to take another sip of tea and resign himself to his fate.]
[Victory. The smile he gives the detective this time isn't that same grateful one from before, but a cheeky grin that says he's proud that he got what he wanted out of it.]
Alright! So do you have like...a schedule or something? Or are you just gonna call me over whenever? How does this work now, since I assume it must be pretty tough to train around the same time with how much Akamatsu-chan and I visit you. And, you know. At night is probably tough to get time for in general, riiiiight?
[Shuichi's cheeks flush an even darker pink and he suddenly becomes very interested in the lid on his tea. Wow, look at that. Fascinating.]
I haven't been keeping to a set schedule here, no... [For exactly the reasons Kokichi just listed.] But it's easy enough to get back on one. We'll just have to find a time that works for both of us and go from there.
Weellllll I'm never doing anything important, so I'm free whenever. Oh, except early in the mornings. I know you're a late sleeper so it's not like I have to actually worry, but I refuse to do anything before 6am.
[It's said with a shrug as he finally starts working on the second pastry. He doesn't really care about when it is beyond that. He knows himself, if he's just waking up he'd probably fall down halfway through his first push up just because he'd be too groggy and tired to function still.]
Don't worry, I don't like waking up that early either. [He doesn't even push himself out of bed at 6am, let alone do push ups. He is a boy who appreciates his sleep.] How about 4pm tomorrow?
I knew we could agree on that! [Sort of. He doesn't mind actually waking up that early, he just doesn't like doing anything until he's full awake. Which can take some time...]
Already put it on my calendar~ [Meaning 4pm is fine with him.]
[While he raises a brow, his smile doesn't falter. He's the one who should appreciate it, but hey. He'll take an excuse to protect his pride.]
You're welcome~
[He takes a sip of his own tea, silently going over the situation in his head again. It's nice, getting an invitation like this. It'd be a lie to say he hadn't been jealous of the training entourage back at the academy. And while this, of course, isn't really anything like that at all, it's still...really nice. Comparable enough to make him pretty happy.
Even if he's sure Kaito and Maki would want to kick him back out of the routine if they ever showed up.]
...I appreciate it, too.
[Just gonna mumble that a little around a bite of his sweet, not looking at the detective.]
[They probably would. And if they ever show up, Shuichi will just have to start training twice a day. Once with Kokichi, and once with Kaito and Maki. He could probably use it anyway, let's be real.]
[Shuichi smiles in response to Kokichi's mumbling, taking a long drink of his tea. He heard that. But he's going to pretend he didn't so you can lie about it later if you want.]
After a little comfortable silence, once Kokichi has finished his pastry and has opened the cup of fruit to start working on that, he hums a little to get Shuichi's attention. One line of thought had led to another, and the detective "appreciating" him agreeing had brought his mind back to an earlier comment and conversation. And while, at the time, he had decided he didn't want to discuss the fight he had with Kaede at all, he's ended up changing his mind. Sure, there wasn't really any need to address it, and his friend hadn't pursued the issue or anything, but...
Once again, he's choosing not to look at him while he talks.]
So, uh...since you of course know about the fight Akamatsu-chan and I had, I just wanted to tell you I'm going to leave her alone. Not alone alone or anything, of course, but with regards to...you know. That.
[That big pink elephant of, "I care way too much about Shuichi's feelings when I have no right to," that's constantly following him around.]
Oh and I'm going to let her know too, so don't worry about trying to drag me over there to talk to her myself or anything.
[Shuichi brings his attention back from the window to Kokichi when he speaks, quirking a brow. Yeah, he knows Kaede and Kokichi got into some kind of argument and that it had something to do with the killing game and Kaede not considering his feelings but...]
[When are they NOT fighting? He honestly didn't think much of it, especially now that Kokichi had clearly realized the hypocrisy in telling Kaede something like that. Surely that's why he'd come to apologize again, right?]
[All that said...he's clearly not 100% sure what "That" is, judging by the look on his face. The killing game??]
Um...well I wasn't going to drag you anywhere. But...that's good. [He guesses?]
[Kokichi frowns a little at that kind of reaction. He clearly knew about the fight, so...shouldn't he be more relieved? Or hell, this would be a perfect opportunity to lecture him? Which...well, no. He can't say "surely he would", this is Shuichi. In situations like this, he's never sure what he would do. Maybe they'd talked it out, and the detective got over it. Or maybe Kaede didn't give him the full details at all, so he wouldn't know - the more likely option here, with that look on his face.
He decides to test the waters, shrugging and glancing out the window.]
Huh, here I thought you'd be happier that I wasn't going to hound your girlfriend anymore.
[He hasn't exactly hounded her, but exaggerating should give him exactly the answer he's looking for. Just how much does Shuichi know or care about the sitation?]
[He frowns. Now that he thinks about it...Kokichi had said something similar that one time in the park, after Kaede had bought her keyboard. He hadn't thought about it when Kaede had come to talk to him the other day, because of everything else they'd talked about. But that was...at least twice, three times including their first day here, that Kokichi had gotten onto her about being more considerate of Shuichi's feelings.]
[But that still isn't exactly hounding. That's three separate instances, at least two of which were actually prompted by the situation itself.]
Just how many times have the two of you argued about that?
[At least now he seems to be a little more sure about what "That" is.]
[He glances over at him, eyeing him and trying to gauge what his reaction means.]
...not enough to actually call it hounding. A few times, though. Four, maybe? I don't actually keep count or anything, but there have definitely been at least three times where I talked to her about that specifically, and one where it was just kind of a vague thing.
[As he talks, he continues to just sort of observe him, feeling a little out of place in this kind of situation. As is usual, when he's ever being honest about something involving his own feelings. Rather than explain himself or his point of view, he's choosing to just answer Shuichi and wait for a reaction. He already knows Kaede's view on the whole thing, but he should learn the detective's too since he's still somewhat involved. Maybe not directly, but he is the subject of the arguments.]
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diffidentive) wrote2017-11-13 11:58 am
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For earlier, too. I don't think I actually said thanks for that. Or maybe I did when I was passing out and can't remember. Who knows~! Either way. It, uh...
[A pause and another sip of tea, the leader averting his gaze and staring out the window instead.]
...it means a lot. To me, that is. It means a lot to me.
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You did, but you're welcome again. [He sets his cup down but keeps his hand on it.] You should start following your own advice though, you know. I think if she were here, Yumeno-san would be pretty annoyed to find out that you've been holding back this much.
[You know, given the shit Kokichi gave her over the very same thing after Angie and Tenko died.]
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Mmm...maybe. [He has to wonder if she'd actually care all that much in the end.] But come on, you already know I never followed that advice from the start. Easier said than done and all that.
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[But he's pretty sure she'd at least be a little annoyed just based on principle. Even if Kokichi is still probably far from her favorite person.]
I know, but that's my point...maybe now is the time to start trying a little harder to follow it. At least when it comes to the things that happened inside the academy.
[He's sure Kokichi will never be 100% honest about his feelings and he's not going to hold his breath waiting for that particular miracle. But if the other boy keeps going on like this...he's going to destroy himself.]
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See, this is why honesty sucks. The minute you try and be even a little honest, suddenly everything is serious.
[It's both a teasing but true statement, said with a laugh but a bit of a bite in his tone as well.]
Don't really know what you expect me to do though. If I followed that advice, I'd be a mess pretty much all the time. I told you how I feel earlier, didn't I? How I really feel, what I really want to do? [Nothing. He wants to do absolutely nothing, just curl up and hide in his room and never come back out.]
It's easier for everyone, I think, if I just go about doing what I normally do. I don't know how to even begin dealing with the bulk of how I feel.
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[Yes, Kokichi did tell him how he really feels earlier, and he hasn't forgotten that. And...he gets it. Really, he does. Not for exactly the same reasons as Kokichi, sure, but he's felt that sense of helplessness before.]
...Oma-kun, I want you to start training with me.
[His eyes flick upward to settle on Kokichi's face as abruptly as the words leave his mouth. And while his tone is as calm and even as it usually is, there's a rare hint of assertiveness to it. Just enough to make it clear that this isn't a request, but not quite enough to make it a command either. Kokichi is free to refuse, but he's going to have to do more than simply say "Don't wanna" and expect Shuichi to roll over like usual and go with it.]
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I dunno, Saihara-chan. You were pretty gross smelling earlier. Can you really imagine someone like me smelling like that? I should always smell nice, don't you think? Plus won't Momota-chan be offended if you did something like that with someone like me?
[Or, for that matter, Maki...but it's not exactly a "no". More of a cautious, "are you sure?" Are you sure you really want him joining you for something like that?]
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[...right?]
Well, fortunately, there's this thing called "bathing" that you can do to fix that. I don't smell gross now, right? Easy fix. [His cheeks are still an indignantly embarrassed pink, but he's looking at Kokichi again at least.] As for Momota-kun...
[......]
I think he'd be more offended that I've been doing it alone for this long...it's supposed to be a group activity, you know?
[Yes, he's sure.]
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Wow, so you're even offering to go to the baths with me after training sessions? Gosh, you must really want me to join you~!
[No, you didn't smell that bad, he was just looking for an excuse to slip that stipulation in there without having to outright ask him for it. Still not great at that asking thing. But after that his expression softens just a little, just a gentle and almost grateful smile that lasts long enough for the detective to catch it. That's a yes. He'll join you for training.]
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Well putting it like that, I guess I'll do him a favor then and go along with it. Between that and the promise of more fun bath time with you, how can I say no?
1/2
[That's not what he was saying at all. Not even close. But he can't get the rest of the sentence out once he sees that grateful expression on Kokichi's face, even if it's only there for a fraction of a second.]
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Good. we'll start tomorrow then.
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Alright! So do you have like...a schedule or something? Or are you just gonna call me over whenever? How does this work now, since I assume it must be pretty tough to train around the same time with how much Akamatsu-chan and I visit you. And, you know. At night is probably tough to get time for in general, riiiiight?
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I haven't been keeping to a set schedule here, no... [For exactly the reasons Kokichi just listed.] But it's easy enough to get back on one. We'll just have to find a time that works for both of us and go from there.
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[It's said with a shrug as he finally starts working on the second pastry. He doesn't really care about when it is beyond that. He knows himself, if he's just waking up he'd probably fall down halfway through his first push up just because he'd be too groggy and tired to function still.]
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Already put it on my calendar~ [Meaning 4pm is fine with him.]
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Thank you, Oma-kun. I appreciate this.
[Because they're totally doing it for his sake, not Kokichi's. That's definitely the reason he brought this up.]
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You're welcome~
[He takes a sip of his own tea, silently going over the situation in his head again. It's nice, getting an invitation like this. It'd be a lie to say he hadn't been jealous of the training entourage back at the academy. And while this, of course, isn't really anything like that at all, it's still...really nice. Comparable enough to make him pretty happy.
Even if he's sure Kaito and Maki would want to kick him back out of the routine if they ever showed up.]
...I appreciate it, too.
[Just gonna mumble that a little around a bite of his sweet, not looking at the detective.]
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[Shuichi smiles in response to Kokichi's mumbling, taking a long drink of his tea. He heard that. But he's going to pretend he didn't so you can lie about it later if you want.]
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After a little comfortable silence, once Kokichi has finished his pastry and has opened the cup of fruit to start working on that, he hums a little to get Shuichi's attention. One line of thought had led to another, and the detective "appreciating" him agreeing had brought his mind back to an earlier comment and conversation. And while, at the time, he had decided he didn't want to discuss the fight he had with Kaede at all, he's ended up changing his mind. Sure, there wasn't really any need to address it, and his friend hadn't pursued the issue or anything, but...
Once again, he's choosing not to look at him while he talks.]
So, uh...since you of course know about the fight Akamatsu-chan and I had, I just wanted to tell you I'm going to leave her alone. Not alone alone or anything, of course, but with regards to...you know. That.
[That big pink elephant of, "I care way too much about Shuichi's feelings when I have no right to," that's constantly following him around.]
Oh and I'm going to let her know too, so don't worry about trying to drag me over there to talk to her myself or anything.
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[When are they NOT fighting? He honestly didn't think much of it, especially now that Kokichi had clearly realized the hypocrisy in telling Kaede something like that. Surely that's why he'd come to apologize again, right?]
[All that said...he's clearly not 100% sure what "That" is, judging by the look on his face. The killing game??]
Um...well I wasn't going to drag you anywhere. But...that's good. [He guesses?]
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He decides to test the waters, shrugging and glancing out the window.]
Huh, here I thought you'd be happier that I wasn't going to hound your girlfriend anymore.
[He hasn't exactly hounded her, but exaggerating should give him exactly the answer he's looking for. Just how much does Shuichi know or care about the sitation?]
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[He frowns. Now that he thinks about it...Kokichi had said something similar that one time in the park, after Kaede had bought her keyboard. He hadn't thought about it when Kaede had come to talk to him the other day, because of everything else they'd talked about. But that was...at least twice, three times including their first day here, that Kokichi had gotten onto her about being more considerate of Shuichi's feelings.]
[But that still isn't exactly hounding. That's three separate instances, at least two of which were actually prompted by the situation itself.]
Just how many times have the two of you argued about that?
[At least now he seems to be a little more sure about what "That" is.]
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...not enough to actually call it hounding. A few times, though. Four, maybe? I don't actually keep count or anything, but there have definitely been at least three times where I talked to her about that specifically, and one where it was just kind of a vague thing.
[As he talks, he continues to just sort of observe him, feeling a little out of place in this kind of situation. As is usual, when he's ever being honest about something involving his own feelings. Rather than explain himself or his point of view, he's choosing to just answer Shuichi and wait for a reaction. He already knows Kaede's view on the whole thing, but he should learn the detective's too since he's still somewhat involved. Maybe not directly, but he is the subject of the arguments.]
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