[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.]
["I hate you, actually!" "I just wanted to argue with her!" There are a number of lies he could throw out there, protecting himself and his true feelings from Shuichi. But...he keeps them to himself. He wants to be better, to be more considerate, to not be the monster he was in the killing game anymore. And that starts with being a little more honest, even if it terrifies him in some ways.
So he hums a little at first, looking down at the last couple of pieces of fruit in his cup. His expression is incredibly soft, a mixture of both apprehension but something fond and grateful too. He thanked him...]
Yeah. It is. I mean still stand by what I've told her. [Meaning he still wants to try and look out for him.] I'd probably still point it out to her if...I felt like I had any right to, honestly. But I know I don't, so. Yeah. You're welcome.
[Of course he thanked him. Sure, he thinks Kokichi is overreacting a little, that the things he's calling Kaede out on aren't THAT big of a deal but...the fact that he did it at all means that he actually thought about Shuichi's feelings at all. It means he really is trying to change.]
[And he deserves the encouragement of a thank you for that.]
[And in a way...doesn't it kind of make sense that maybe he'd go a little overboard about this sort of thing? Caring about other people's feelings must be something of a new territory for Kokichi, and if he's really so grateful to Shuichi for spending time with him...it seems perfectly reasonable that he might perceive behaviors aimed at him as more problematic than they really are. He's overcompensating.]
[He'll get better about it with time, Shuichi's sure. And if he's going to leave Kaede alone about it now, then there's really nothing to worry about, is there? It all worked out fine. So he just hums and nods before going back to looking out the window as he works on finishing his tea.]
[And Kokichi works on finishing his food and his own drink, popping the last few pieces of fruit into his mouth one at a time. And then he starts sipping at his tea again, staring out the window with Shuichi. After a quiet moment, without looking back at the detective, he speaks up again. Though it's not to continue the conversation.]
...I'm glad you're here, Saihara-chan. [It's a soft admission, one he knows he sort of mentioned before, but feels he needs to repeat.] I'm glad there's someone here who'll listen to me, and try and understand what I'm saying or how I'm feeling. I've...only ever really opened up like this to one other person before. "Like this" referring to a lot of what I've said to you, not just this one instance. I feel better after talking...at least a little bit, anyway. So it's nice.
I'm glad I could help. Even if it's just a little bit. [He drains the last of his tea and sets the cup aside.] And I'll listen whenever you need me to, so...you don't have to keep holding everything in until you break, okay? You're not alone.
[His fingers tighten around his cup a little at those last three words.
You're not alone. For once, finally, he feels like he can believe that. That he can trust Shuichi when he says that. He can't help the little smile that tugs at his lips, turning his cup around in his hand as he lets those words sink in.]
...okay.
["Okay", because he knows he can safely accept this help. No plans will be ruined, no cruel image of himself needs to be held up anymore, no one will live or die over mistakenly believing in someone...it's okay to trust him, this time. To really, fully trust him.
That little smile quickly twists into a broad, happy grin and he stretches his hand out to the other boy. Reaching over the table with it open, waiting for Shuichi to take it.]
I'll trust you, so you better promise to do your best to take care of me!
[Now this is a surprise. So much so that, for a few moments, all Shuichi can do is stare at Kokichi's hand before him.]
[He'd offered his own hand to Kokichi once, and the other boy hadn't taken it. But even that lack of action had said something about him. Something that had helped Shuichi come to understand him just a little bit more.]
[For the tables to turn like this now...]
It's a promise. [Still smiling himself, he reaches forward and takes Kokichi's hand firmly in his own.]
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diffidentive) wrote2017-11-13 11:58 am
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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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[Well, he guesses that explains the whole "He really cares about you" thing. If they've discussed it even when he's not around...]
[He glances down at his cup, still frowning as he taps his finger against the side. Though it's clearly more of a thoughtful one than an angry one.]
[He's no exactly sure what to say. It's still weird to think that Kokichi cares THAT MUCH about his feelings.]
Well...thank you, then. For backing off Akamatsu-san.
[.......]
And...for looking out for me. That's why you kept bugging her about it, right?
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So he hums a little at first, looking down at the last couple of pieces of fruit in his cup. His expression is incredibly soft, a mixture of both apprehension but something fond and grateful too. He thanked him...]
Yeah. It is. I mean still stand by what I've told her. [Meaning he still wants to try and look out for him.] I'd probably still point it out to her if...I felt like I had any right to, honestly. But I know I don't, so. Yeah. You're welcome.
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[And he deserves the encouragement of a thank you for that.]
[And in a way...doesn't it kind of make sense that maybe he'd go a little overboard about this sort of thing? Caring about other people's feelings must be something of a new territory for Kokichi, and if he's really so grateful to Shuichi for spending time with him...it seems perfectly reasonable that he might perceive behaviors aimed at him as more problematic than they really are. He's overcompensating.]
[He'll get better about it with time, Shuichi's sure. And if he's going to leave Kaede alone about it now, then there's really nothing to worry about, is there? It all worked out fine. So he just hums and nods before going back to looking out the window as he works on finishing his tea.]
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...I'm glad you're here, Saihara-chan. [It's a soft admission, one he knows he sort of mentioned before, but feels he needs to repeat.] I'm glad there's someone here who'll listen to me, and try and understand what I'm saying or how I'm feeling. I've...only ever really opened up like this to one other person before. "Like this" referring to a lot of what I've said to you, not just this one instance. I feel better after talking...at least a little bit, anyway. So it's nice.
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I'm glad I could help. Even if it's just a little bit. [He drains the last of his tea and sets the cup aside.] And I'll listen whenever you need me to, so...you don't have to keep holding everything in until you break, okay? You're not alone.
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You're not alone. For once, finally, he feels like he can believe that. That he can trust Shuichi when he says that. He can't help the little smile that tugs at his lips, turning his cup around in his hand as he lets those words sink in.]
...okay.
["Okay", because he knows he can safely accept this help. No plans will be ruined, no cruel image of himself needs to be held up anymore, no one will live or die over mistakenly believing in someone...it's okay to trust him, this time. To really, fully trust him.
That little smile quickly twists into a broad, happy grin and he stretches his hand out to the other boy. Reaching over the table with it open, waiting for Shuichi to take it.]
I'll trust you, so you better promise to do your best to take care of me!
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[He'd offered his own hand to Kokichi once, and the other boy hadn't taken it. But even that lack of action had said something about him. Something that had helped Shuichi come to understand him just a little bit more.]
[For the tables to turn like this now...]
It's a promise. [Still smiling himself, he reaches forward and takes Kokichi's hand firmly in his own.]
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