thanytoast | INBOX (PRISMA)

[Akira's been missing for a few days, with no visits to the apartment and no responses on his communicator when quizzed about it. When he finally returns on the fourth day, with the weirdest headache, he's greeted by Tako meowing and winding his way around his legs, and... a very clean apartment.]

Huh.

[Akira picks up Tako, checking he's still healthy and fed.] I'm guessing you didn't take care of all this while I was gone?

[Tako just meows, blinking at him with large green eyes. He looks healthy enough, which means...]

[It should be worrying, but Ryoji was who he was - and put his energy into other things, thinking it was just something Akira did. Wanting to better some of his skills in his human form, he had taken to cleaning. At first just simple things but as the days rolled by, he somehow managed to get everything so sparkling clean that the floor was almost reflective like a mirror.]

Oh, you're back!

[Wearing the same outfit as when he had last seen him (but also completely clean) he peeked his head from his room when he heard the cat meow.]

I had a bit of free time [understatement], so I cleaned up the apartment. I hope that's okay!

[Akira puts down Tako, and blinks at Ryoji in surprise. Everything is so... bright and dazzlingly clean. Not that Akira had kept the apartment like a slob before, but he'd never given it a deep clean on this level.]

Of course it's okay... It looks great! I really owe you one.

[He holds up his hands and shakes his head.]

No, no it's fine! I just had a lot of free time. [You have a lot of free time when you don't sleep.] I didn't do it to get favors!

...Unless you can get me a date with a cute girl?

[Akira stares at him for a second and... squints.]

Have you tried getting a date yourself? It's not that hard around here.

[Blink. Blink.]

When you put it like that, it almost seems too easy. I gave my number to all the girls in school but I didn't think about doing that here.

[Ryoji, no.]

Although I thought you might know good people?

I know some girls, yeah.

[He turns on his communicator, but before he brings up his contacts, he looks at Ryoji and shoots him a sharp look.]

If I tell you about one or two, you have to promise me that if they turn you down, you won't bother them. Don't be a creep about it.

You're the best, Akira-san!

[Pffft like a sharp look could ever deter him!]

Of course! That's rarely happened to me, however. [Except every member of SEES woops.]

So you have lots of girlfriends back home…?

[He’s really not buying it, but he won’t question it too deeply. Besides, one of the girls he has in mind might wind up liking Ryoji, anyway.]

I’ll send you over the details of two girls. Their names are Gwenhwyfar and Venus. You can tell them you’re my roommate if they ask. [A few taps on his communicator, and Ryoji has a new message with their contact details.]

Well I gave my number to all the girls at school and many of them replied back to hang out!

[This would sound rather bad if he didn't sound so oddly innocent about it? He blinks in surprise when he gets the details.]

Modern technology is so amazing. We didn't have watches like that...but Venus and Gwenhwfar...they already sound amazing!

[He's pretty easy to please.]

They're both pretty great. If either of them agree to date you, tell me how it goes, okay?

[He slaps Ryoji's back with a little more force than intended, in an 'I'm rooting for you' kind of gesture.]

[Surprisingly (?) Ryoji doesn't really move from the slap. Just let's out a tiny 'oh!' like it's supposed to be the human thing to do.]

Coming from you, that means a lot! I will, but not all the details! You have to preserve a girl's secrets!

You sound so noble when you say it like that.

[He teases him lightly, grinning.] Sure, just give me the broad strokes.

Broad strokes? Like a painting?

[Sometimes expressions went right over his head.]

Yeah, it means like... Don't give me too much detail? I was agreeing with you, basically.

[Akira never even thought about what the phrase meant that much, smh Ryoji]

Ryoji.

It's been two weeks now, how long are you going to keep this up?

I'm giving you space.

[That's what you do, right?]

...why?

[Did they have a fight he didn’t know about?]

That's what I'm supposed to do.

[He's taking this advice very seriously.]

You are? What for?

Don't pretend you don't know

[Oh no, he's kinda angry again. This feeling is still so weird.]

Except I don’t know, so you’re going to have to humor me.

[Humor him?]

You have a boyfriend now

[Oh. Hm. He supposed he did, not that they ever made it official.

Ayer likely didn’t see it that way yet and Minato was fine not labeling their relationship. He liked where they were at and let’s be real, they both slept with other people too.]

Ayer is someone I care about, but we haven’t... made anything official. Even if we had, that doesn’t mean I don’t love you anymore.

That won’t ever change. I’m sorry I made you feel that way.

[It's like having a twin brother that's taller than you and also does not look anything like you.]

Thank you but...I don't understand why you're apologizing for liking someone.

[A very confused not!twin.]

I'm not apologizing for liking someone. I'm apologizing for making you feel like I didn't love you anymore.

[Ryoji, for an immortal being you can be very dumb.]

Oh! That's okay, I think?

[He can be pretty dumb with emotions.]

Emotions are very confusing.

I don't think it's okay. You felt unloved and it was because of me.

Well, that is what makes us human. We can be very confusing beings.

Come here. Please?

[He would go to Ryoji, but he was in Amegahara. It would take too long.]

I didn't feel unloved...I wanted to make sure you had your personal space.

But it's true, humans are very confusing...

[This from a guy who used to talk to him a small boy by his bedside.]

Can I finish cleaning the apartment first? Akira would wonder what happened if I suddenly took off.

[He's calling bullshit, but he'll let it slide. For now.]

Sure. I'll be waiting.

[Rude.]

Okay! I'll see you soon!

[He finishes the cleaning up a lot fast (since Akira is probably in his room not looking?) who says he can't 'cheat' a little more today with a dozen or so hands doing all the work at the same time.

He'll arrive at his place a cool fifteen minutes later. Appearing next to his bed. Wither Minato is there or not, that's just how you gotta deal with him.]

[He had a pair of headphones on and a laptop set up for gaming, not LmaO but some other low-key MMO that was free to play and enough of a time waster to keep on hand for moments like this. He slid the headphones down and logged out when Ryoji appeared by his bed, Minato himself sitting at his desk.]

Since when did you get into cleaning, anyway?

[He turned in his chair, resting his arm on the back.]

Hmmm...I did it at first so that Akira would let me stay then I suppose I enjoyed it! It's rather easy when I use all my hands.

Not that I let him see it, haha. He just knows the place is very clean!

All your hands?

[Had Minato seen this side of him before? He doesn't remember. Not like this, anyway. Nonetheless, he wasn't here to question what Ryoji did on his free time.

He rested his headphones on top of the laptop and stood from the chair, swiftly walking over to Ryoji and quickly wrapping his arms about the taller teen.]

Ahh...my phantom limbs? They aren't really for that normally but...it helps a lot.

[Oh! He hadn't been expecting a hug.]

You don't have to, you know. I already said it was okay.

I want to.

[And just because Ryoji said it was okay doesn't make it okay.]

I missed you.

[...]

...I really don't understand human emotions.

[The hug is nice it's just giving him more confusing emotions.]

No wonder so many wanted to join Nyx so easily...

[He can sort of understand that now?]

[He gets a soft smack in the back for that.]

Don't joke about that.

[Hey! Ow! That's not fair, you're the only one who can really harm him apart from Minako...]

I'm not! It's amazing how despite it all, you were able to defy so many people's emotional want to become one with her. Despite how... difficult emotions can be.

[Do you see what he means now?]

[Don’t be such a baby, he didn’t hit that hard.]

You know as well as I do that it wasn’t that simple. But once I had my Answer, it didn’t matter what humanity wanted. I wasn’t going to let it happen.

[He pulled back from the hug, looking up at Ryoji.]

I’d do it again, too.

[Humain-like pain is weird, okay.]

I know. [His smile is sad.] But understanding it a little more makes me appreciate so much more what you did.

You make it sound like you didn't before.

[It's a tease, complete with Minato reaching up to pull Ryoji's cheeks.]

INBOX (PRISMA)

may 31 - action

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