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Post by aki li on Feb 4, 2020 15:31:33 GMT
Aki fiddled with his phone. Cross-legged on public seating, face lit by the glow of his phone, he projected the aura of every unremarkable, idle teen, whiling time away while artfully slouched over. An almost picture-perfect adolescent irreverence -- if he didn't glimpse up, every time he caught a flash of blonde hair.
His thumb brushed over the hairline crack in his phone's case. A souvenir -- or a scar, if he wanted to get poetic about it, which didn't. He could have brought it in for repairs, or even have purchased an entirely new case, but if he did, and his mother found out, well. She would breath down his neck, and question his life choices, and place him under house-and-supplementary-classes-and-chauffeured-car arrest.
It was easier to not talk to her about it, keep the Incident to its cosy circle of him, Hyousuke, that greasy-fingered thief, Gorou "Black Car" Driverman, and his doctor. And, he did promise Hyousuke that it would be their secret. Even if it had been an ill-timed, ineffective joke. He was honorable that way.
It was that pesky honor that got him into this situation: Ankles tucked up under him on a bench under a tree near the 1-A dorms, shaking pins-and-needles out from his toes. Delicate, manicured toes, still sore from running in heels, because he was an honorable idiot.
Aki pressed the button again.
Maybe this was a bad idea. It's not like he had anything meaningful to say. He didn't even get a gift basket. He should probably head back. It was his fault, anyway.
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PLAYED BY MrGuy
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quirk Dynamo
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alias Dynamism
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Post by Hyousuke Suzuki on Feb 5, 2020 16:49:25 GMT
WORD COUNT
303
| The burns that covered Hyousuke's hands - themselves covered by pristine bandages - would heal, in time. Painful as they were, he'd been told that as long as he kept the wounds clean and didn't put them through too much strain, they'd be well before the Sports Festival. But it wasn't the burns that hurt - it was knowing that, even if they healed quickly, he'd still have precious little time to train and to practise before the festival. There was nothing to be done about it at that stage, but even so, he was still bitter about the fact that he'd have to wait, or drastically alter what he did to keep in shape.
He didn't regret helping Aki, though. Even if it had been some random stranger that he was assisting, the chance to beat down and scare the living daylights out of someone he had no love for was something he was happy to take. But that didn't make it any easier for him to accept that he'd be entering with even more of a handicap - the last thing he needed when he was trying to show the world that he wasn't the pathetic little weakling he'd been pinned as his entire life.
He supposed it did him little good to lay around thinking about it, though. Instead, he resolved to go outside, and maybe clear his head a little - a walk surely couldn't do him any harm. Throwing on a crumpled t-shirt he was (fairly) sure was clean, some jeans, and a pair of worn trainers, he headed out the door, and began to trudge slowly out to wherever the path took him. He had no particular destination in mind, though supposed he could stop at a cafe if he found one. It was getting to be about lunch time, after all.
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Post by aki li on Feb 6, 2020 14:12:45 GMT
Aki slipped his feet from under himself, flexing the numbness out of his calves as he pressed his heels into the floor. They smarted. The next time he got forced into a dramatic chase in heels, he'd kick them off first -- ideally, at the person who made him run. Maybe that would have ended the whole kerfuffle before it got started in the first place.
Ten seconds. He would give himself ten more seconds, and if Hyousuke didn't miraculously appear before him, he'd turn around and head back to his dorm. Like he should have, an hour ago. Tapping a pinky finger against the side of his phone case, he started counting down. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six -- he leant forward and prepared to push himself off the seat -- three, two, one.
He stood up. Someone with blond hair walked by him.
Ah. Jinxed it.
It took him a few steps reach Hyousuke. Bounce up to him, really, with a pep his gait that he didn't quite feel -- not between the soreness and the churning sense of something gathering in the pits of his stomach, when he caught sight of the shock of white bandages over Hyousuke's arms.
"Fancy meeting you here," Aki said, as if he hadn't been waiting outside the 1-A dorms for the better part of half an hour.
"So! Uh. How's the, uh."
He gestured vaguely at Hyousuke's arms with a half-hearted flick of his wrist, and then stilled, mustering up enough decency to look sheepish.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY MrGuy
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quirk Dynamo
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alias Dynamism
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Post by Hyousuke Suzuki on Feb 7, 2020 14:12:16 GMT
WORD COUNT
303
| It took Hyousuke a second, but he managed to shake himself out of his reverie and look towards whoever it was that was trying to get his attention. Upon realising exactly who it was, he forced his blank look into one that seemed slightly more pleasant, and raised his hand gently in greeting. He didn't suspect a thing, of course - as far as he was aware, Aki had either been passing by, or hadn't been there particularly long. Not that it mattered much to him either way. He was just wondering what Aki wanted with him in the first place, beyond just saying hello.
"My hands?" He said bluntly, before raising them both up and turning them around, giving Aki a better view of both sides of the bandages. "Doctor said they'd be fine so long as I gave them some rest. Means I cant' train as much as I'd like, but..." He gave as nonchalant a shrug as he could manage, despite his bitterness towards the fact. He forbade himself from showing weakness, but more than that, he didn't want Aki to see it. He was supposed to be a hero, after all, and injuries were par for the course. He couldn't risk having Aki feeling bad over something that was going to happen sooner or later either way.
"How about you?" He asked, in some attempt at steering the conversation away from his injuries. "You doing alright after all that?"
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Post by aki li on Feb 7, 2020 17:45:28 GMT
Aki didn't flinch -- not visibly -- when Hyousuke raised his hands, putting his bandages on full display, even though that pesky something in his stomach recoiled. Instead, he levelled Hyousuke's arms with what he hoped was a level, assessing gaze,
"Good," he said, and then cringed, face crumpling for a moment as if he had taken a generous bite out a lemon, before smoothing out again. "I mean, not good that you're hurt, but good that they'll be fine."
He wasn't good at this bedside manner thing. He was abysmal at it. He should stop. He saw Hyousuke's attempt at changing the topic, and latched onto it like drowning man clutching at conversational straws, pulling his comportment back from where he'd stowed it away before their nice, extremely awkward talk had started
"My feeties hurt," Aki said, somehow managing to whine with a deadpan tone, "and I don't think I'll be able to get his grease-prints off my screen."
Which really wasn't a big deal at all, especially when put into the literal, visual perspective of Hyousuke's burnt hands right in front of his eyes. Sure, it had been a rude shock; sure, the thought of having to travel independently to and from the dorms had suddenly lost its novel sheen. But he'd walked away from it -- all things considered -- fine.
He rubbed his thumb over the crack in his phone again, feeling the ridge catch against the pad of his finger. "Those minor inconveniences aside, I'm fine. Don't need my feet to sort out excel sheets, at any rate -- which, by popular account, is all us business students are good for. How long before you're back to socking evil in the jaw?"
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Post by Hyousuke Suzuki on Feb 7, 2020 20:21:48 GMT
WORD COUNT
224
| Even Hyousuke could see that Aki was having a hard time of trying to adapt to bedside manner - but he only reacted with that weak smile, looking unassumingly down at Aki while he spoke. Himself not great with words - having a tendency to be blunt at the best of times, and peerlessly tactless at the worst - Hyousuke sympathised, and just appreciated the fact that someone was showing concern for him. "He says it's going to be a couple weeks before I can start using them properly again." Hyousuke replied matter-of-factly, trying to hide the tinge of bitterness that plagued his tone as he thought about it.
"Means I'll have about a week left to train before the Sports Festival, but that's just how it goes." He shrugged again, trying to distract both Aki and himself from the fact that he would have to deal with yet another disadvantage during the competition. "So, no. I'm not going to be able to carry you. Gonna have to deal with your 'feeties' like the rest of us do." Out of habit, he crossed his arms, and accidentally put pressure on his hands. It wasn't much, and his hands had healed enough that he could function - if not do anything to stressful - but the sudden sensation that shot through them caused a momentary wince to dominate his face.
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Post by aki li on Feb 8, 2020 16:31:50 GMT
He had heard enough to recognise that the Sports Festival was a big deal for students in the Hero course, even if he didn't personally understand the fuss. That, the hint of bitterness slipping into Hyousuke's tone, and the knowledge that this was his fault, coagulated into an oil slick of guilt in his brain. He still had no idea what to say.
I'm sorry for your loss? Yeah, no, absolutely not.
"What do you mean, walk on my own? Oh, I'm far too delicate for that," Aki said instead. More whine than deadpan this time, toeing the line of obnoxious; playing it up for laughs.
He didn't know if his joke landed -- Hyousuke winced. Aki's stomach flipped, pirouetting neatly up into his throat. His own gloved hands jerked forward an inch, reaching out towards Hyousuke before he aborted the motion midway. They fluttered uselessly in between them.
He could navigate galas with his parents, commiserate with their business partners about how he hoped their spouse or children or beloved exotic pet would get well soon. He had grown up fluent in the language of meaningless, codified platitudes. But, this -- expressing genuine concern for someone he felt something other than apathy for -- was alien territory.
He floundered in the oil slick in his head. His index finger twitched as he fought back the compulsive urge to tug at cuff of his glove. He gestured at the bench behind him, as if he had meant to do that all along. "Do you need to sit down?"
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Post by Hyousuke Suzuki on Feb 8, 2020 17:06:37 GMT
WORD COUNT
235
| Hyousuke, oblivious as ever, missed the subtle ticks that belied Aki's true feelings. He simply tried to keep a brave face on, hoping that the split-second wince that had covered his expression hadn't been seen, though that voice in the back of his head was quite insistent that he had indeed screwed up. So, eager to try and move on - or at the very least, make light of the situation so that it didn't seem as big a deal as it was to him - Hyousuke adopted a smirk when he looked to the bench and back.
"Sit down? I came out here to go walking. If you need to rest your feet a bit, you can just ask." He said, trying to make his tone match his expression, even if they were both a little hollow. "If it's bothering you that much though, you're welcome to come inside. Not sure what the rules on visitors are, but since you actually go to school here I don't think anybody'd mind you being in the common area. If we're gonna sit a while, might as well do it out of the breeze." He figured he could fix up a drink or something to eat while they were both there as well. He'd been planning on getting something while he was out, but perhaps he could cobble together something from what he could pull out of the cupboards.
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Post by aki li on Feb 9, 2020 16:37:41 GMT
"An exclusive invitation to the den of kid-heroes? Why, in that case, I'm definitely just asking."
Taking Hyousuke's lead, Aki skirted around the elephant in the room back onto the familiar, solid ground of casual nonchalance. It didn't feel good, but it was easier -- and no one ever accused him of not being a short-sighted hedonist. He tipped his head forward, in a short mock-bow.
"Lead the way, then. I'll endeavor to keep up, what with my personal chariot being unavailable and all. Though, if this is part of your dastardly plan to kidnap me and hide my body, I should let you know that I have stakeholders who would be very displeased," he added, matching Hyousuke smirk for smirk.
He'd been into the Hero course dorms before, visiting while his older brother was still schooling -- but that was years ago, and those trips were few and far between. His brother had classes to focus on, and so did he, and that was that. He barely remembered it, now, so couldn't claim he wasn't curious, especially with how infamously chaotic Hero course students tended to be.
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
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Post by Hyousuke Suzuki on Feb 9, 2020 18:09:22 GMT
WORD COUNT
242
| A feeling of great relief washed over Hyousuke when Aki decided to let the matter rest - for the time being, at least. He wagered it'd come up at some other point, but for now, he could at least just focus on something less intense than his still-healing hands. He offered a playful smile back at Aki before he started to walk, and turned his head briefly to shoot back a response. "Hey, I know my cooking isn't the best, but I don't think it's bad enough to kill anyone." With that, he left back towards the dorms, suddenly remembering that he wasn't entirely sure what he even had available to him.
Hyousuke led Aki into the common room, and motioned in the vague direction of the couches - or perhaps to the table. His focus was on the fridge, so he wasn't paying much attention to where he was motioning at. "Take a seat, I'll be with you in a bit." He said, while swinging open the fridge door. "Gonna see what I can get together for us. We're fresh out of caviar though, so you might just have to make do with wagyu steak. Maybe some fresh salmon, if you're desperate." He stroked his chin, glancing up and down at the bits and pieces scattered across the shelves. He had some leftover rice and a few eggs left - perhaps some omurice? Something quick and easy that even he'd have trouble screwing up.
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Post by aki li on Feb 10, 2020 16:20:47 GMT
Aki entertained, for a moment, the idea of sitting on the table that Hyousuke had offhandedly gestured towards. Like a belligerent cat. Or, well, a belligerent, misbehaving student. He would save that bad behaviour for another day, on the off-chance he ever got re-invited back to the 1-A dorms, he decided, and slid into a chair instead. Clasping his hands together on the table, he watched Hyousuke clatter around the fridge. Patient, attentive, and unobtrusive; every bit the model guest.
"I want turducken," Aki said. "And your finest Cabernet Sauvignon, if you would be so kind."
He leant forward a little in his seat, to try to peek at the ingredients Hyousuke was gathering. He didn't think this was part of an elaborate plot to poison and kidnap him, when many more convenient methods of offing Aki had been presented to Hyousuke before. Still, he had reason to be just a tad concerned -- and curious. He had had cooks come to his family homes before, had vague memories of waddling around ankles before being shooed out of the kitchen. But this -- being invited somewhere for something that wasn't a party or gala or a fundraising, with food he was pretty sure wasn't going to be caviar, steak or turducken -- was new.
He'd been having a lot of firsts these past few days. At least this one wouldn't involve bodily harm -- hopefully. He didn't think Hyousuke would poison him on purpose.
"I leave the well-being of my digestive system in your capable, trustworthy hands." He made sure to enunciate the two adjectives. "But, just in case, would you like to sign a non-liability agreement?"
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Post by Hyousuke Suzuki on Feb 10, 2020 17:31:17 GMT
WORD COUNT
243
| Hyousuke shrugged as he fired up the stove, its heat beginning to flow into the cold pan's surface and heat the lump of butter in there. "That, or I should get you to sign a waiver. I'm not that bad a cook, but hey, you never know." Though he joked, he couldn't be entirely certain that anything he made would be good. He suspected that it probably wouldn't be up to Aki's standards - he wasn't exactly using the kind of ingredients he was sure his guest was used to, after all - but he hoped that Aki would at least be able to stomach whatever he managed to plate.
"Don't get too excited about what's cooking." He warned, half jokingly, half serious. "It's just omurice. If you're looking for something to drink in the meantime, there's plenty of water in the tap." And with a few cups in the cupboard above, to boot. As the pan began to spit and sizzle, Hyousuke scooped the rice into the pan, stirring it while he added in some salt and pepper. Nothing particularly grand - he figured Aki could always add more, if what he put in wasn't enough. Better to have too little and be able to fix it, than too much and have to scrap the whole thing. "You're gonna have to make do with chicken eggs, by the way. Last I checked, Sakuramart doesn't sell pheasant eggs, or whatever it is you have on your toast."
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Post by aki li on Feb 11, 2020 16:10:34 GMT
"My toast? I have Nutella, usually. Very sophisticated spread. I don't know if you've heard of it."
Aki could smell the butter from where he was sitting, that unmistakable, pungent fragrance suffusing the air. Like this, the smell of butter and the sound of cooking, surrounded by the everyday clutter of the 1-A students getting comfortable -- it was cosy, almost. Homely, maybe.
And, to top it off, there would be omurice. That quintessential staple of the idyllic Japanese household. The tableau this made could almost be caricature.
"The fabled omurice," he said, absently. Steepling his fingers, he perched his chin on their tip, nails pricking into his skin. "I confess, I've only heard of it in distant legend. Is this what you commoners eat? Do tell me more."
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PLAYED BY MrGuy
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alias Dynamism
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Post by Hyousuke Suzuki on Feb 11, 2020 18:30:19 GMT
WORD COUNT
303
| "It's a dish of great renown." Hyousuke began, taking on a boisterous and exaggerated tone. "One second only to the great and revered 'Instant Noodle.' Amongst us peasants, it's a delicacy, cooked only for those seen as worthy of indulging in its pleasures, or for special occasions." The rice was tipped off to one side, stored in a bowl until he was finished with the eggs. It didn't take long to whisk them, nor to pour them out into the pan, where the liquid landed with a brief hiss. "Consider yourself lucky that you are allowed to lay eyes upon such exquisite food."
However, 'exquisite food' turned out to be 'vaguely competently-cooked rice wrapped in a torn and noticeably overcooked omelette.' It was edible, in the sense that nobody was going to get food poisoning from ingesting it, but that was about the kindest thing that Hyousuke had to say about the dish when he'd finished folding the egg over the rice. Still, hesitant as he was to present the haphazard assembly of egg and rice to Aki, he'd gone too far to quit. After squeezing out a squiggled line of ketchup across both of them, he presented Aki with a plate, a smile - partly nervous, partly sheepish - forced onto his lips. "Bon appetit."
He sat down and jabbed at it with his fork, before his expression faltered, and he looked back at Aki. He spoke again, though with a far more resigned lilt to his voice. "Yeah, I'm not even gonna try to pretend that these turned out right. If you want something else, we can go get food somewhere else, it's no big deal."
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Post by aki li on Feb 13, 2020 17:16:19 GMT
"I'm honoured, truly," Aki said, solemn, serious and smirking, as Hyousuke laid his completed creation in front him. It was. Hm. Quaint? It was definitely a first; he had never put something like this in his mouth before.
But, it didn't smell unpalatable, even if wasn't much to look at. And, if he looked a little longer, squinted and tipped his head a bit, the mound of egg on rice was endearing, almost. Like an ugly kitten, or a blobfish was. He wasn't tempted to pet it, obviously, but he wasn't opposed to putting in his mouth. And chewing. And swallowing.
"And miss out on uncovering the well-guarded culinary secrets of the peasantry? A crafty suggestion, but I think not." He kept his tone lofty and grandiose, but his eyes were locked on the dish, brows furrowed. Nudging at the line of ketchup tentatively with his spoon, he added after a pause, "But, about those liability waivers..."
Even as he said that, he laid an elbow on the table, forearm curved lightly around the dish, shielding it in case Hyousuke decided to snatch it back.
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