[ NONE THE WISER TO WHAT THE DOG DOIN, Maruki gratefully accepts the help before rejoining her. He can't flop – there is exactly one (1) position he can lay comfortably in – but he does gingerly settle to sit back down next to her, legs crossed, back straight. Like when they meditated, almost. ]
That was by far the most exciting thing to happen to me! And hey, you don't know, perhaps I kicked ass in return...
[ He never swears. It sounds strange coming from him. ]
Ah, I went camping up on a cliff to escape Akechi-kun's statue destruction one night. That was lovely. I'm assuming that you saw his demolition room?
You know, if Maruki knew what Akechi and the dogs were doing, maybe he wouldn't feel so bad about blowing his cover. Unfortunately, as it stands, he's still deep in the throes of That's My Fellow Liar, Ally and Confidant Pookie (Platonic) mode, so he winces apologetically. ]
Ah, it's meant to be his secret, don't tell him that I told you...
[ ........... but like. It IS pretty funny. ]
It's indestructible, as far as we know, so he seeks to destroy it. It's good exercise for him.
I mean, he did have a hammer. I just assumed he was... uh. Sculpting? ( She didn't really think too hard about the initial scene she walked in on, seeing as she hadn't come to bother Akechi and had been ushered out of his room fairly quickly. )
Weird, but be it far from me to judge people for their choice of exercise.
Anyway, next time you need to get away, you should come see me.
[ Sculpting makes him laugh a little – actually, it might not be a bad idea to take an artist's chisel to it, something about the metaphor of artistic creation and destruction? He'll float the idea to Akechi.
But that offer– ]
Ah, do you mean it? I wouldn't want to intrude on your castle!
[ Yeah, it's not like anyone else in this bed intruded on a castle tonight, genius. ]
You wouldn't be intruding. Besides, you don't even have to go to the castle itself to find me - I'm usually outside in the garden. ( she tilted her head back to glance out the window. ) You can even see the top of my willow tree from here, I think. So it shouldn't be hard to find!
[Jfc Maruki - how long is this little """"""meeting"""""" going to take? Listen he's no expert but-
Anyway. He's on a hunt for someone's laundry. Seems like the dogs could help fold it right now. Put them to work.
Bummer Akechi couldn't predict dogs couldn't do basic laundry tasks. Listen, he's not a pet owner. It's a learning process. Hank has a sock stuck on his nose and oh, Maruki's once clean shirt is suddenly around Bear Heart. How did this happen? Oh nooooooo.]
( Night Sky blinks dumbly at him, the apples of her cheeks tinged with pink. She might be a terrible, nasty flirt with zero filter, but if there was one surefire way to fluster her, he just did it. )
You think I'm beautiful? ( Forget the rest of it. That there is more than one person he's describing (and good for him, hitting it off with multiple old as hell women!) and all that. Night Sky zeroed in on that. Yeah, people call her beautiful all the time - but that wasn't always the case. Once upon a time she was an emaciated, sick elf on death's door and people looked at her like she was a monster. )
It's okay, I know what you meant. Thank you, sweetness. ( Another pause. Then, she leaned in to kiss the top of his head while he desperately tried to hide his face.) I'm afraid I can't let you die though. It would make me sad.
He feels the kiss through his mess of hair, like a jolt of pure electricity. It's barely anything, a chaste gesture of gratitude, and yet it's more than he's had in years.
And he told Night Sky that, sitting in her garden, admitting a bit of his own mess to help her feel less bad about hers.
He drags the hand down his face just far enough to uncover his eyes and glance up at her, then manages – with great effort – to drop it away and sit up straight again, with a nervous laugh. ]
Well, what a turn this night took. I really thought I'd fall asleep face first into my research.
[ He pauses, realizes he hasn't heard the sounds of attempted statue destruction in quite some time.
[ Maruki has noticed that except on the rare occasion that he's busy for the evening, Akechi hangs out in the kitchen every time he makes dinner. Sometimes they chat, but mostly it's a quiet, companionable energy between them. An unspoken bond between two guys who miss the creature comforts of home – and perhaps who have both been lonely for longer than they'll admit to anyone, including and especially themselves.
A homecooked meal can be its own sort of therapy.
When Akechi wakes up on the morning of his birthday, there will be a tray outside his door with the best approximation of a traditional Japanese breakfast that Maruki has been able to cobble together. Some things are a little different – he's had to make do with whatever (non-hat wearing) fish could be caught, and he and Kurogiri's attempt to recreate miso paste doesn't taste quite right – but it's recognizable enough, and overall tasty. He practiced making it a couple times, late at night when the rest of the castle was asleep.
There is one addition not typically found in a classic breakfast – a cylindrical container of jagarico. Where did he get that?
Finally, a simple notecard sits on the tray as well:
Happy Birthday, Akechi!
To many more years of your happiness when we take back our true reality.
Maruki
It's been left right before the precise time he knows Akechi wakes up, so it's still hot, and if Akechi goes looking for him, he won't find him in the castle. ]
You seem like you needed a break anyway. ( Too many people she knew busied themselves with research and working to the point she started to see it as unhealthy. Maruki struck her as the type.)
Given your... current state, I can't really offer to make it that much more interesting, but if you want- ( A glance to the door, then back to him. She hummed, leaned in closer. ) I can keep you company tonight. Long walk back to my castle and everything.
[Such a long sad walk to the castle, much like the long, sad, lonely walk Maruki's satchel has taken through the fish covered mud in the backyard. Thanks Bear Heart - you're a real one. The dog has it in its mouth courtesy of [one] Akechi who thought it would be best to air dry it after it was chewed on. What a kind chore he's taken on for an ungrateful roommate who can't tell his ''''''''situation partners'''''' what window to crawl through.
He gives Bear Heart another treat - good dog. Best dog. Smartest dog in the whole world.]
[The finger hovering over the delete button at happy birthday-
Moves away with the image that scrolls to life with each tap of the down button. An infuriating reminder of his first week here, staring down insane livestock in a shitty rural town. A shovel wielding girl from the suburbs a savior in disguise.
It's so stupid, so absurd, so ridiculous in his early morning grogginess that he laughs - light, quiet and free.
He doesn't delete it. If he thought these crappy old smartphones could screencap, he would. For now, it sits at the front of his text messages.]
Here's a fun thing: Maruki has zero pride about how absolutely clueless, maidenless and rizzless he is. Any charm he has lies in his earnestness, and so it's entirely without prevarication when he looks at Night Sky with a dumbfounded little smile and asks: ]
Could I... ask you to please be completely, entirely clear about what you mean by that before I answer?
[ And THAT'S how he lands women, actually. The bumbling sincere charmer act isn't even an act, and it works. Being laughed at by a beautiful woman after making a fool of himself? That's third base!
Wow. This is so brazen that he can't even have a minor mental shutdown over not having slept with anyone else in his bed for (tv static) years. Honestly, Sky, good job. ]
Sure, as long as you don't mind all the... this.
[ Vague lift of his fucked up arm. Which hurts and immediately makes him wince. The bumbling never ends.
A beat, and what's happening here does manage to sink in enough to make him cognizant of how strange this all is, but not enough to enter The Danger Zone. ]
You really are too kind, Night Sky. I can hardly believe it.
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