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.
( Night Sky searched his expression, tilted her head like she was trying to really hear the words he said. She wasn't exactly an expert in reading people, but when she honed in, she liked to think she could discern insincerity, at the very least.
And he seemed sincere enough. Her gaze softened. She nodded. )
It's okay. I just — I never want to push, you know? Especially not someone I like.
( she could be both of those things, she nearly argued — insistent and caring — but did not see the point. ) I hope you include yourself in that, sweetness. You do a lot for people, and you deserve to be cared for like you care for them.
congratulations maruki. you have now held hands with two women in somnius
[ BOY THEY ARE TREADING INTO DANGEROUS TERRITORY. And it's territory that keeps being trod into, these days! Akechi cleaving cleanly into the very core of his heart with one astute observation of his self-worth, Eren sniping at him about how he only listens and never talks. All of it stems from the same place. He hates that people here can pinpoint it so clearly. No one in Tokyo ever bothered. The benefits of a huge city, of a more disconnected life. He wants to return to that, fully aware of how unhealthy that desire is. ]
Well, it's my job.
[ Said lightly, almost jokingly. But Christ does he mean it. ]
Helping people is its own reward for me. I do appreciate how generous some people here are with their care, though...
[ But it isn't necessary. He doesn't need it to survive. Thrive? Sure. But not survive.
He shakes his head and uses it as an excuse to melt more comfortably into the bed, cheek turning into the pillows.
A thoughtful pause, and then without speaking or opening his eyes, he moves his right arm just enough to let his hand cover hers. The palm is rough with healing scrapes from stumbling and clamoring through the ruined rubble of a nameless city, but it's otherwise uninjured, and he's happy to hold hers as they drift off. ]
( She was tempted to say something more — something like you're not working now just to call him out for it. But Night Sky just chuckled softly. Sure, Maruki. Whatever helps you sleep at night.
...Which is also apparently handholding? Fine by her. Night Sky adjusted to curl her fingers slightly, pressing back against his palm as if to silently assure him that she was totally on board for it. )
[ Setting aside the absolute mental shutdown (Akechi DNI) he's going to have later about this, it really is an incredible comfort to fall asleep next to someone. He's even spared from counseling dreams! Maybe there's a connection. (There isn't.)
It is less of a comfort to wake up in the morning and realize he cannot throw Night Sky to the dogs. Literally. She has to go downstairs and collect her dogs, and if any of his housemates are around, she shouldn't have to deal with the consequences alone.
Hopefully Akechi returned to his room.
Hopefully Vash is still in his.
Hopefully Zazie is bugs.
He'll walk her out like a gentleman. Sure. But he's going to wish he was dead the second he sees anyone in that common room. ]
[Given the uncomfortable way he fell asleep, surrounded by two living weighted blankets, he's fucking up. Early.
The dogs are still here. Night Sky is still here! The sun is up and everyone is just here.
Akechi has removed the shirt from the dog at least, even though Hank wore it better. Residual mud wiped off their paws that he neglected to remove last night. Shame they weren't just gone when he opened his eyes.
Oh well! They walk in and he's on the couch, scrolling his phone, one leg over the other. Laying in wait like a disappointed parent with a feigned smile and airy cadence. ]
Oh, good morning. I'm surprised you're both up so early, given the exhausting night you must have had. My, I wonder what could've happened, with you coming in like a burglar and staying all night in someone's room. Not that it's any of my business.
( He didn't have to walk her out to the common room, but be it far from Night Sky to reject such a polite offer from a guy she likes.
Be it far from Night Sky to also give a ratfuck what Akechi thinks about the whole situation. Upon entering the room, both dogs rose to their feet with a stretch and padded over to their master, taking heel as she knelt down to pat them on the head. )
You would have known if we were fucking, even with walls this thick. ( Said without hesitation and without the smile fading from her lips. ) Did you enjoy your snuggle with the boys? Seems like you had a wilder night than we did.
[ Maruki, drawing a breath to give Akechi the most casual Good Morning Fellow Housemate Would You Like An Omelette Ha Ha Everything Is Normal greeting, immediately chokes on it.
Don't mind him spluttering and coughing and trying to get a handle on himself. Good grief. ]
Then I'll simply assume things didn't go well. A shame, but not a surprise.
[After all the work crawling through a castle window like an unwanted pest. Truly, his heart breaks for them.
The dogs plod away and he-
Doesn't care one bit, outside of the fact the foot he had under Bear Heart is exposed and cold.
Maruki's sputtering nothing to her comments isn't a shock. Thankfully, Akechi isn't 10 years old and takes the question in stride. Anger brewing in his chest stride. He's so calm and collected. So chill.]
And I didn't do anything of the sort. The dogs got into some mischief and I fell asleep on the couch. Of course, that's on me for being so inexperienced in caring for animals. My apologies.
( Night Sky knew what was up and what happened. She glanced from Akechi to Hank, who she was currently petting behind the ears. )
'Is that true?' ( It came out like a growl again, uttered right to Hank who growled in turn, interjected by a barking Bear Heart. )
'We were playing fetch with shoes and-' 'And drinking out of a mug, and eating treats and I got to wear a nice fancy shirt!' ( and Akechi and Maruki would hear Night Sky laugh. ) Yeah. They got into some mischief. ( SURE, JAN. )
( She can talk to all animals! Better get your shit together or she'll ask the local birds what's up.
Bear Heart continued his excited rambling of the previous night's shenanigans, tail wagging furiously. Night Sky stood, either did not notice or did not care to acknowledge the passive aggressive back and forth, and beamed a smile at both men. )
You're welcome, and he sure did. I know exactly which window to crawl through now - sorry for the interruption last night, of course. ( Night Sky spun on her heel toward Maruki and reached out to brush her fingertips under his chin. ) I should get out of your hair. Come visit me soon, okay?
( and as she pulled back, ready to leave with her dogs in tow, she shot a look over her shoulder to Akechi. ) Don't be a stranger either! The boys really like you! ( wink!
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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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And he seemed sincere enough. Her gaze softened. She nodded. )
It's okay. I just — I never want to push, you know? Especially not someone I like.
( she could be both of those things, she nearly argued — insistent and caring — but did not see the point. ) I hope you include yourself in that, sweetness. You do a lot for people, and you deserve to be cared for like you care for them.
congratulations maruki. you have now held hands with two women in somnius
Well, it's my job.
[ Said lightly, almost jokingly. But Christ does he mean it. ]
Helping people is its own reward for me. I do appreciate how generous some people here are with their care, though...
[ But it isn't necessary. He doesn't need it to survive. Thrive? Sure. But not survive.
He shakes his head and uses it as an excuse to melt more comfortably into the bed, cheek turning into the pillows.
A thoughtful pause, and then without speaking or opening his eyes, he moves his right arm just enough to let his hand cover hers. The palm is rough with healing scrapes from stumbling and clamoring through the ruined rubble of a nameless city, but it's otherwise uninjured, and he's happy to hold hers as they drift off. ]
im so proud of him
...Which is also apparently handholding? Fine by her. Night Sky adjusted to curl her fingers slightly, pressing back against his palm as if to silently assure him that she was totally on board for it. )
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It is less of a comfort to wake up in the morning and realize he cannot throw Night Sky to the dogs. Literally. She has to go downstairs and collect her dogs, and if any of his housemates are around, she shouldn't have to deal with the consequences alone.
Hopefully Akechi returned to his room.
Hopefully Vash is still in his.
Hopefully Zazie is bugs.
He'll walk her out like a gentleman. Sure. But he's going to wish he was dead the second he sees anyone in that common room. ]
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The dogs are still here. Night Sky is still here! The sun is up and everyone is just here.
Akechi has removed the shirt from the dog at least, even though Hank wore it better. Residual mud wiped off their paws that he neglected to remove last night. Shame they weren't just gone when he opened his eyes.
Oh well! They walk in and he's on the couch, scrolling his phone, one leg over the other. Laying in wait like a disappointed parent with a feigned smile and airy cadence. ]
Oh, good morning. I'm surprised you're both up so early, given the exhausting night you must have had. My, I wonder what could've happened, with you coming in like a burglar and staying all night in someone's room. Not that it's any of my business.
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Be it far from Night Sky to also give a ratfuck what Akechi thinks about the whole situation. Upon entering the room, both dogs rose to their feet with a stretch and padded over to their master, taking heel as she knelt down to pat them on the head. )
You would have known if we were fucking, even with walls this thick. ( Said without hesitation and without the smile fading from her lips. ) Did you enjoy your snuggle with the boys? Seems like you had a wilder night than we did.
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Don't mind him spluttering and coughing and trying to get a handle on himself. Good grief. ]
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[After all the work crawling through a castle window like an unwanted pest. Truly, his heart breaks for them.
The dogs plod away and he-
Doesn't care one bit, outside of the fact the foot he had under Bear Heart is exposed and cold.
Maruki's sputtering nothing to her comments isn't a shock. Thankfully, Akechi isn't 10 years old and takes the question in stride. Anger brewing in his chest stride. He's so calm and collected. So chill.]
And I didn't do anything of the sort. The dogs got into some mischief and I fell asleep on the couch. Of course, that's on me for being so inexperienced in caring for animals. My apologies.
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( Night Sky knew what was up and what happened. She glanced from Akechi to Hank, who she was currently petting behind the ears. )
'Is that true?' ( It came out like a growl again, uttered right to Hank who growled in turn, interjected by a barking Bear Heart. )
'We were playing fetch with shoes and-' 'And drinking out of a mug, and eating treats and I got to wear a nice fancy shirt!' ( and Akechi and Maruki would hear Night Sky laugh. ) Yeah. They got into some mischief. ( SURE, JAN. )
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Ah, well, I'm glad to see everyone had a great night. Good morning, dogs. Good morning, Akechi-kun.
[ Only someone who now knows him as well as Akechi does will be able to hear the pleasantly passive aggressive barb in that name. Kaiju bonding! ]
Night Sky, thank you again for the chat and the company.
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Akechi spares a quick glance to Bear Heart, who assuredly isn't-
'They got into some mischief' tells everything. The laugh. The tone.]
They certainly did. [Double down, eyes going back to his phone. Don't @ him like that dogs he gave you SO many treats!!!]
Yes, thank you Night Sky for coming through my window. It added some valuable excitement to my evening. I'm sure Maruki-san -
[Passive aggression matched with his own - he heard it and doesn't care.]
Showed you where his window is. I'm assuming he'll want you back over soon, so please take care to remember it.
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Bear Heart continued his excited rambling of the previous night's shenanigans, tail wagging furiously. Night Sky stood, either did not notice or did not care to acknowledge the passive aggressive back and forth, and beamed a smile at both men. )
You're welcome, and he sure did. I know exactly which window to crawl through now - sorry for the interruption last night, of course. ( Night Sky spun on her heel toward Maruki and reached out to brush her fingertips under his chin. ) I should get out of your hair. Come visit me soon, okay?
( and as she pulled back, ready to leave with her dogs in tow, she shot a look over her shoulder to Akechi. ) Don't be a stranger either! The boys really like you! ( wink!
Ok bye she's out. )
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[ He watches her go.
Lets the silence in the room sit for as long as possible as he un-blushes and de-flusters.
Slowly, s l o w l y turns back toward Akechi, face a perfect mask of mild neutrality. ]
Can I offer you a cup of coffee and some toast as an apology for the unsolicited visitor?
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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