( 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.
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.]
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.
Hm? Oh, my dogs. He's watching them for me while I'm here.
( REAL NICE GUY.
She stands up, booping the tip of Maruki's nose before she leaves. ) Don't change your mind while I'm gone. I'll be right back. ( Off to the living room.
[The problem with being confined to one singular room with Maruki related items is, guess what, that ends!
And thus ends the display of petulance once he realizes there's no more shit to use and no more food to bribe the dogs with. He was already pretty tired - the additional dog related spite exercise pushing him over the groggy edge.
Enjoy your stupid continued 'situation' because he's dead asleep, torso slung on half the couch, legs on the floor over a satchel holding Bear Heart. Hank in Maruki shirt gets the half of the couch Akechi isn't covering. Maruki's cup on the floor still half filled with water, a shoe half exposed under a table.
Eat shit asshole, but at least he's been enriched. Enjoy the cleanup!!]
The fuck did you guys do out here? ( Night Sky asks it quietly to the dogs, the sound a soft rumble in her throat that Hank groggily responds to without opening his eyes.
'Played with everything he threw at us and ate too many treats. Are we going home?'
Night Sky laughed. )
Nah, we're staying. Rest up with your friend. ( prancing back to Maruki's room. ) Nevermind. They're good.
[ In the short time Night Sky is away, Maruki manages to get his stupid sling off and lay down on his left side, the only way he can comfortably sleep. Which will either mean watching her sleep, or – dear god in heaven, the bases don't even GO this high – SPOONING???
When she reenters, he looks up with slightly manic eyes. ]
They're good? Does Akechi-kun still have them? Did you tell him you're staying? What did he say?
[ NIGHT SKY HE IS N E V E R GOING TO LIVE THIS DOWN ]
They're all sleeping in the living room. ( She shrugged. ) Made a hell of a mess out there playing, too. Hank said he gave them a bunch of treats. They're fine.
( And she sure wasn't going to wake the guy if he was sleeping. Night Sky moved to lay on the bed, deciding for him which position he would have to suffer...
Face to face (for now), apparently. Night Sky smiled and set a hand on his cheek.) You need to relax.
Oh, he can only imagine. He's going to be paying for this for a long time.
Also? Excellent, now he's face to face, in very close quarters, with a very beautiful woman who has made her intentions plainly known. Great going. Not overwhelming at all.
Maruki glances over at what he can see of her hand on his cheek, blurry outside the frame of his glasses – yes, he intends to sleep in his glasses – and laughs, clearly nervous. ]
Yes, well, you might be unsurprised to learn relaxing is not one of my strong suits.
[ Despite all the big game he talked about mindfulness meditation and breathing exercises. Oops. ]
( Be it far from he to judge how a man sleeps. She spends most of her time lying in the damn dirt. )
I heard meditating helps.
( She laughs. Now keenly aware of his nervousness and the fact that he wasn't fully prepared to take a trip down to pound town without a conversation, Night Sky was surprisingly careful when she scooted closer, knee gently bumping between his just for a little added room. She tucked some of his hair behind his ear. ) I'm perfectly fine, sweet thing.
[ The fingers through his hair, even in such a quick, casual motion–
Every morning, she would wake up before him. Start the coffee, get ready for work. An easy routine to fall into even before they moved in together – her early commutes and steady jobs, his endless years in lecture halls and research labs making him keep odd hours. By the time she was ready to leave for work, he'd have just woken up, sitting up groggily in their bed, vision fuzzy and mind still half-stuck in dreams. She would come to say goodbye to him, comb her fingers through the mess he made of his hair in the night, tuck it back and slide his glasses onto his face. That simple act, every morning, for years – getting him ready to face the day before he was even fully conscious of it. Maruki has never been cared for so completely by another person, doubts he ever will be again.
It shocks through him, chain lightning up and down his nerves. He told Night Sky that he'd been too busy with his career to have much time for or interest in romance. That wasn't a lie, but it was far from the whole truth. If something as simple as a person touching his hair plunges him deep into the most painful recesses of his mind, how can he ever hope to handle anything else?
It isn't her fault. After a frozen moment, he smiles again, something vaguely vacant about it. ]
I'm glad to hear it. I don't tend to move around much in my sleep now that I've been injured, but if you find I'm too close, please don't hesitate to wake me.
[ Yeah, he already knows that's not going to be an issue. If anything, she'll be too close to him, and he will let that panic settle into the walls of his heart to be ripped out and dealt with later. ]
It feels odd to say pleasant dreams, considering this place, doesn't it?
( She can feel the way he tenses; knows only because she's done this before - accidentally touched where she shouldn't, and without him saying anything, she isn't sure exactly what she did wrong. Was it his ear? His hair? The brush of her fingertips against his neck for a split second?
Her hand retracted, tucking between them carefully as not to jostle his arm. She smiled. )
A little.
( A beat. A brief debate. ) I don't have to stay if you're not comfortable with it, you know. You don't need to do shit to appease me because I'm.... well. Insistent.
[ Maruki is complicated. The touch makes the monstrous, yawning chasm in the back of his mind poise to swallow him whole. The removal of the touch disappoints him. He can't win.
And there it is: A completely valid interpretation of his reactions, but an incorrect one. ]
No, I'm not appeasing you. I can promise you that.
[ Maruki's boundaries may be virtually nonexistent, but if he truly, wholly did not want her here, he would have said so. There is a not insignificant part of him that does appreciate the company, and her company specifically. He has been lonely for longer than he will admit to anyone, including himself. ]
I'm not uncomfortable. I'm sorry, I know it must seem that way.
[ And then a smile, beatific. ]
And I wouldn't call you insistent. I think you're incredibly caring. The people in your life are lucky to have you.
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Hah, no– well, maybe! But it's just funny.
[ He fiddles with his sling, lost for what to do with his hands when he can't fold them together to ground himself. ]
Apparently, every kind and beautiful woman here is more than half a century old and sleeps outside. It's an interesting pattern. What are the odds?
[ And then he hears what he said and his eyes go wide and nervous. ]
Ah, I'm sorry! That was so unprofessional of me, I just meant it as a compliment!
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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. )
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A-ah, well– of course I do, I mean, you've surely seen yourself!
[ A beat. ]
Oh, that sounded more tactless than I intended it to. I only meant–
[ And another beat before he buries his face in one hand, laughing weakly. ]
My apologies. What a mess. Please, accept the compliment and allow me to die quietly.
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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.
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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.
Uh oh. ]
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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.
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He gives Bear Heart another treat - good dog. Best dog. Smartest dog in the whole world.]
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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?
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( She beams a smile so bright it could blind a man as she utters the most blunt thing she could possibly say. )
I was suggesting that if you weren't wounded, we could fuck. Since you are, I offered instead to just sleep over.
( now perish. )
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LITERALLY ]
Haha!!! Oh.
[ Oh?
Haha. OH. ]
That's... That's a very generous offer...
[ SHE'S YOUR PATIENT? ]
Why don't we, ah, revisit that possibility in the future to discuss our options.
[ Nailed it. That's future Takuto's problem now, and more importantly, FUTURE DR. MARUKI'S PROBLEM. DON'T FUCK YOUR PATIENTS!
Something unsticks in his frozen brain and he looks wildly around the room. ]
Sleep over? Here? Ah, there's only one bed...
[ HOW DID YOU EVER LAND A WOMAN AT ALL? ]
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Night Sky is laughing. If the walls weren't so thick Akechi could probably hear it. Give her a few seconds to calm down enough to speak. )
That's the idea, sweetness. We sleep in it. Together.
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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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( She reached out to gently pat his cheek, paused like she was going to say something else - and then suddenly remembered something. )
I should probably get the boys. I'm sure Akechi doesn't want to babysit them all night.
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Maruki freezes again. ]
Akechi-kun's babysitting who now?
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( REAL NICE GUY.
She stands up, booping the tip of Maruki's nose before she leaves. ) Don't change your mind while I'm gone. I'll be right back. ( Off to the living room.
What the dogs doin.)
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And thus ends the display of petulance once he realizes there's no more shit to use and no more food to bribe the dogs with. He was already pretty tired - the additional dog related spite exercise pushing him over the groggy edge.
Enjoy your stupid continued 'situation' because he's dead asleep, torso slung on half the couch, legs on the floor over a satchel holding Bear Heart. Hank in Maruki shirt gets the half of the couch Akechi isn't covering. Maruki's cup on the floor still half filled with water, a shoe half exposed under a table.
Eat shit asshole, but at least he's been enriched. Enjoy the cleanup!!]
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'Played with everything he threw at us and ate too many treats. Are we going home?'
Night Sky laughed. )
Nah, we're staying. Rest up with your friend. ( prancing back to Maruki's room. ) Nevermind. They're good.
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When she reenters, he looks up with slightly manic eyes. ]
They're good? Does Akechi-kun still have them? Did you tell him you're staying? What did he say?
[ NIGHT SKY HE IS N E V E R GOING TO LIVE THIS DOWN ]
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( And she sure wasn't going to wake the guy if he was sleeping. Night Sky moved to lay on the bed, deciding for him which position he would have to suffer...
Face to face (for now), apparently. Night Sky smiled and set a hand on his cheek.) You need to relax.
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Oh, he can only imagine. He's going to be paying for this for a long time.
Also? Excellent, now he's face to face, in very close quarters, with a very beautiful woman who has made her intentions plainly known. Great going. Not overwhelming at all.
Maruki glances over at what he can see of her hand on his cheek, blurry outside the frame of his glasses – yes, he intends to sleep in his glasses – and laughs, clearly nervous. ]
Yes, well, you might be unsurprised to learn relaxing is not one of my strong suits.
[ Despite all the big game he talked about mindfulness meditation and breathing exercises. Oops. ]
Ah... hah. Well. Are you comfortable?
[ IT'S NOT A VERY BIG BED, SKY ]
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I heard meditating helps.
( She laughs. Now keenly aware of his nervousness and the fact that he wasn't fully prepared to take a trip down to pound town without a conversation, Night Sky was surprisingly careful when she scooted closer, knee gently bumping between his just for a little added room. She tucked some of his hair behind his ear. ) I'm perfectly fine, sweet thing.
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Every morning, she would wake up before him. Start the coffee, get ready for work. An easy routine to fall into even before they moved in together – her early commutes and steady jobs, his endless years in lecture halls and research labs making him keep odd hours. By the time she was ready to leave for work, he'd have just woken up, sitting up groggily in their bed, vision fuzzy and mind still half-stuck in dreams. She would come to say goodbye to him, comb her fingers through the mess he made of his hair in the night, tuck it back and slide his glasses onto his face. That simple act, every morning, for years – getting him ready to face the day before he was even fully conscious of it. Maruki has never been cared for so completely by another person, doubts he ever will be again.
It shocks through him, chain lightning up and down his nerves. He told Night Sky that he'd been too busy with his career to have much time for or interest in romance. That wasn't a lie, but it was far from the whole truth. If something as simple as a person touching his hair plunges him deep into the most painful recesses of his mind, how can he ever hope to handle anything else?
It isn't her fault. After a frozen moment, he smiles again, something vaguely vacant about it. ]
I'm glad to hear it. I don't tend to move around much in my sleep now that I've been injured, but if you find I'm too close, please don't hesitate to wake me.
[ Yeah, he already knows that's not going to be an issue. If anything, she'll be too close to him, and he will let that panic settle into the walls of his heart to be ripped out and dealt with later. ]
It feels odd to say pleasant dreams, considering this place, doesn't it?
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Her hand retracted, tucking between them carefully as not to jostle his arm. She smiled. )
A little.
( A beat. A brief debate. ) I don't have to stay if you're not comfortable with it, you know. You don't need to do shit to appease me because I'm.... well. Insistent.
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And there it is: A completely valid interpretation of his reactions, but an incorrect one. ]
No, I'm not appeasing you. I can promise you that.
[ Maruki's boundaries may be virtually nonexistent, but if he truly, wholly did not want her here, he would have said so. There is a not insignificant part of him that does appreciate the company, and her company specifically. He has been lonely for longer than he will admit to anyone, including himself. ]
I'm not uncomfortable. I'm sorry, I know it must seem that way.
[ And then a smile, beatific. ]
And I wouldn't call you insistent. I think you're incredibly caring. The people in your life are lucky to have you.
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congratulations maruki. you have now held hands with two women in somnius
im so proud of him
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1/???
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end.................help
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god bless this mess we can wrap here or in one more if u want
now we wrap