The moment he found out things were going sideways again – not even because it happened to him, or to Akechi, or to anyone else in their home, the very moment he heard even the quietest whisper of it out in Stellari's city center – he began planning for this.
Worst case scenario, he puts forth a bit of work up front for no reason at all because nothing ever happens to him, and that time is wasted.
Best case scenario–
He wakes up in a bed far too large, confused and frightened, and reads the note taped up to the wall across from him, large bold characters ensuring it's the first thing he sees.
He reads it. Rereads it, because teachers always say you should read the instructions for any problem twice to make sure you understand it, and he always does.
Rereads it a third time, a fourth. Again and again, panic rising in his little brain, trying to make sense of it.
There's a photo taped to the bottom of the page. He studies it carefully for a good ten minutes as he works up the courage to get out of bed and follow the directions laid out for him. His tiny hands shake where they clutch at the paper before finally, finally folding it carefully and sliding it into his pocket.
His bookbag is next to the bed. At least that's normal. He pulls it on, even though the directions didn't say to, and–
The door to the bedroom is heavy. He's never seen a house like this, huge but traditional, nothing like the little apartment in Tokyo that's all he's ever known. There are trees outside the windows, birds singing in them. He wants to go outside and watch, but–
Directions. Right.
Close the bedroom door behind him. Check.
Walk down the hall. Check.
Go down the stairs, carefully, making sure to hold the banister. Check.
And at the bottom of the stairs, turn left and walk into a kitchen, where He will be sitting at the bar. ]
Um. Excuse me...
[ The directions said to be brave and use his voice, but it still comes out shy, piping but quiet. Sometimes adults don't hear him. He's trying his best. ]
Are you Akechi Goro? I'm supposed to find you. The directions said so.
[ It stares at you. From afar, still in the entrance to the kitchen, clearly scared. ]
My name is Takuto. It's nice to meet you–
[ And then, as he bows, the top of his bookbag opens up and all his little workbooks and papers fly out everywhere, like so. ]
Akechi regards the soft spoken boy with the same attention he would give a grotesque pest crawling up from the sink. Disdain. Confusion. It settles somewhere between the two as those eyes just stare at him.
What a baffling moment. A feeling Maruki's had ten times over, if Akechi were to acknowledge his own instances of transforming into a child.
But it's as Akechi once said to Maruki-
He should leave the children to fend for themselves. Akechi would let a child wander into the woods because death could be a catalyst to return the person to normal.
Books hitting the ground pull him from his thoughts, the scattered papers and pencils and pens roll across the floor. Korokke's having fun, at least. He sees her batting one out of the corner of his eye. ]
Takuto.
[ Gross. ]
I'll call you Maruki and you'll accept that.
[ Because Akechi's already working TOO DAMN HARD by getting off his chair and plucking some papers from the ground. ]
Clean this up.
[ God, he should just shove him outside and let him wander. The clump of papers he's gathered up in one hand keeps him from doing it, somehow.
What does he do??? Just??? Food??? ] You'll eat, go back to your room, and wait out this mess. Do you understand?
O-oh... okay, um, I'm sorry for making a mess, Akechi-san...
[ Mumbled, even quieter than before, difficult to hear as he hunches over on the ground to pick up the scattered paper, books, pencils, erasers– the fluffy cat nearby has his apple-shaped one between her paws, and he pauses with his hand outstretched toward her before pulling it back and looking up at his babysitter again. ]
[ If nothing else, he's obedient. It's a welcome addition to this slowly unfolding nightmare. The mess is steadily picked up and Akechi does his part to 'help' by pulling back on Maruki's bag to slide the papers in. Gently, at least. It is homework by the looks of it. ]
No.
[ She's a little asshole. Akechi hates her. Maybe this is a good opportunity to get all the cats out of the home for good. ]
But that doesn't mean she'll attack or is volatile. Be cautious and move slowly to take back what's yours.
[ IS THIS ACTUALLY A CHILD? Or is Maruki pulling a fast one on him?
The comment feels pointed. Akechi tries to not take offense from the offhand name from a goddamn kid.
...
Tries, and yet- ]
Korokke.
[ He needs to make that correction now or it's going to be a long, aggravating night. If it seems like he's hovering over the two of them, it's because, you know, he is.
Korokke sniffs him and that telltale Takuto stink remains, apparently. She hisses. It's kinda funny. ]
You've given enough - she can accept it or not. As much as a cat can, in any case. So take your eraser back.
[ The hiss startles him enough for him to jerk his hand away and scramble backwards, and he usually does what adults tell him to do, but... ]
U-um... no, that's okay, she can have it...
[ That eraser belongs to Korokke now. He is not risking getting scratched!
It's just one more scary, confusing thing in a scary, confusing world, and the only thing Maruki knows to be certain is that he(?) wrote himself(???) a note saying that Akechi Goro would keep him safe. And this is Akechi Goro. Apparently.
So he shuffles over, clinging to one of Akechi's pantlegs and looking up at him with wide, trusting eyes. ]
[ They aren't friends, which is more than enough to get Maruki to let go of his leg and back away a step or two. He doesn't seem like a friendly guy, so it makes sense...
But then he asks the magic question, and Maruki tilts his chin to smile up at him, excited and hopeful. ]
[ Oh! He's holding Vegetable now. He peers at it through frames much too large for his little face – a zucchini?
Maruki will hold this zucchini so safely until Akechi tells him what to do with it. When he looks back up at his unwitting babysitter, his expression is serious, solemn. ]
I'm not allowed to chop or slice anything with knives.
[ Those are the rules. Follow the rules!! ]
But I can wash this so you can chop it! Oh, and, um– I can wash rice, and tell you when water is boiling, but I can't touch the stove...
[ He's starting to ramble a little, inching closer to Akechi, zucchini clutched in his little hands. ]
[ That is useful. Akechi can chop the Vegetable and deal with Fish, Maruki can watch the rice. Somehow, he can never get the timing down on his own. It scorches the bottom layer every time. ]
Then you'll do just that.
[ He's a little guy though. Even Akechi can't expect him to drag a chair over and it would be unacceptable to climb on the counter.
Maruki really owes him. ]
Stay there.
[ The little guy gets close and Akechi moves to the opposite side of bar instead - drags one of the chairs over to the sink. He'll move to the oven when the kid watches for rice.
...
Where is the rice??
...
Anyway. ]
I'm about to pick you up, so don't be distressed. Are you ready?
[ Like he's talking to a feral animal and not a small nerd. ]
He's too big to get picked up anymore. He thinks so, anyway. That's probably why no one does.
And he misses it...
Instead of distress, Akechi gets Maruki pointing his bright, beaming smile directly up at him, eyes practically shining with anticipation. He lifts both arms, zucchini still held in one hand. ]
Akechi doesn't know how ??? to grab him. Under the arms? He tries to hold Maruki under his armpits, pulls him up about two inches off the ground before plopping him back down.
He could slip through his fingers and fall, which will make him cry and Akechi thinks that might push him over the edge.
Maybe he just????
Grabs him by the back of the shirt???
No, he can already see the problem. Easy to slip. Kids suck.
How did Maruki do it - Akechi recalls only full bodied hugs and being tangled up at his side.
As much as he hates it-
Akechi never fell.
Ugh.
He drops all the way to the ground, pulls kidruki into his arms in a manner not entirely unfamiliar, making sure he's nestled right on his hip.
Then rises up slowly.
He fucking hates this, but! They made it! To the chair! Akechi tries to slide Maruki on to it. ]
[ Great news: Maruki does let go of Akechi and slide down onto the chair.
Bad news: Even if he stands as close to the edge as he can, his little arms still aren't long enough to reach the stream of water from the sink faucet. This machiya absolutely was not built with children in mind; the counters are high, the sink is deeply set, and even as he strains with all his might, he can't.
A pause, and then he looks back up at Akechi, not unlike a guilty puppy. ]
[ It's either that or have him crawl all over the counter.
To his credit, he did try. It's not as if he begged for Akechi's help immediately. There's only so much he can expect from a literal child.
...
He doesn't say anything at first - one might think he's distracted by staring at a bowl of not so boiling water for the rice he'll eventually find. Or the slop of oil he puts in the pan next to it. Or the fish he just. Tosses on. He's seen Maruki cook. It's not that hard.
...
Right, the child. ]
It's fine.
[ Get awkwardly grabbed and shoved against the sink IDIOT. ]
[ It's not the gentlest hold ever, but it'll do. With the extra height from Akechi, Maruki is able to lean forward and run the zucchini under the stream of water.
And he whisper-sings a little song as he does, making sure he scrubs it really well, the green skin squeaky clean by the time he turns it off.
He doesn't want Akechi to put him down, though... ]
Can I sit on the counter while you chop it? I won't touch the knife!
[ There's no further fuss as he's dropped down onto the chair. Maruki stands on it, hands gripping the counter next to the stove for balance, and peers into the pot of rice–
And goes very, very quiet.
It feels bad correcting an adult. It feels especially bad correcting this adult.
However. ]
Um... Akechi-san? [ He's already forgotten he was told not to use honorifics. ] That's a lot of water for not a lot of rice.
[ The container is too heavy, too full of rice. A metric ton of it spills out into the pot, makes the water bubble over fast and scald the stove beneath it. Maruki scrambles back on the counter to get away, dropping the container as he goes, what's left of the rice spilling all over the floor. ]
He can attribute this particular one to Robin Hood, he thinks. His arm darts out guard Maruki's mad dash to the counter, held out in case he falls or slips on residual rice slime. It stays outstretched, even as he works to turn off the Rice Burner and shove it towards the back to cool off.
It's scorched all over. It's burning. It stinks. He can feel small grains crack under his house shoes. It's almost slick. ]
I suppose that's my mistake. I didn't take into account how weak you are like this.
[ It really is. The rice container had been heavy even for him. He's irritated, but he can hardly shove his anger at a child doing what he was told. ]
Did you get burnt?
[ There's a thin line of smoke on the still cooking fish and Vegetable.
Akechi smells something weird, but-
He'll deal with it in a second. Maybe that's salt burning.....or something. ]
[ That arm becomes Maruki's lifeline– he clings to it for safety from the stove, watching with panicked eyes as Akechi turns things off and moves them out of danger like a real pro.
Something smells weird, but...
He's focused on shaking his head, finally releasing his grasp on that arm to hold up two trembling hands for Akechi to see. ]
His eyes shut for a brief, fleeting moment. As if is brain has already supplied and confirmed what his eyes refuse to see.
And then he looks. That's? A fire. In the fish pan. The vegetable is dead, gamers.
It's an ever growing fire, smoke billowing up, up, up to the ceiling. Flames spitting out.
Does he move it? There's no fire extinguisher. They need to cut the oxygen, but-
Maruki? Time to fend for yourself. The house is burning down. Hope he got Homeowner's Insurance with the property.
In a split second decision, he dumps the remaining rice from the once boiling pot onto the counter and covers the fire with it. Smothers the flames and smoke until all that's left is a hissing sort of noise and the perpetual beep of a fire alarm hidden above them. ]
Perhaps we should get delivery for the foreseeable future.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
OHHHH HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY LEXY DAY
The moment he found out things were going sideways again – not even because it happened to him, or to Akechi, or to anyone else in their home, the very moment he heard even the quietest whisper of it out in Stellari's city center – he began planning for this.
Worst case scenario, he puts forth a bit of work up front for no reason at all because nothing ever happens to him, and that time is wasted.
Best case scenario–
He wakes up in a bed far too large, confused and frightened, and reads the note taped up to the wall across from him, large bold characters ensuring it's the first thing he sees.
He reads it. Rereads it, because teachers always say you should read the instructions for any problem twice to make sure you understand it, and he always does.
Rereads it a third time, a fourth. Again and again, panic rising in his little brain, trying to make sense of it.
There's a photo taped to the bottom of the page. He studies it carefully for a good ten minutes as he works up the courage to get out of bed and follow the directions laid out for him. His tiny hands shake where they clutch at the paper before finally, finally folding it carefully and sliding it into his pocket.
His bookbag is next to the bed. At least that's normal. He pulls it on, even though the directions didn't say to, and–
The door to the bedroom is heavy. He's never seen a house like this, huge but traditional, nothing like the little apartment in Tokyo that's all he's ever known. There are trees outside the windows, birds singing in them. He wants to go outside and watch, but–
Directions. Right.
Close the bedroom door behind him. Check.
Walk down the hall. Check.
Go down the stairs, carefully, making sure to hold the banister. Check.
And at the bottom of the stairs, turn left and walk into a kitchen, where He will be sitting at the bar. ]
Um. Excuse me...
[ The directions said to be brave and use his voice, but it still comes out shy, piping but quiet. Sometimes adults don't hear him. He's trying his best. ]
Are you Akechi Goro? I'm supposed to find you. The directions said so.
[ It stares at you. From afar, still in the entrance to the kitchen, clearly scared. ]
My name is Takuto. It's nice to meet you–
[ And then, as he bows, the top of his bookbag opens up and all his little workbooks and papers fly out everywhere, like so. ]
Oh, no!!
OHHHHHHHHHHH MUKITO
Akechi regards the soft spoken boy with the same attention he would give a grotesque pest crawling up from the sink. Disdain. Confusion. It settles somewhere between the two as those eyes just stare at him.
What a baffling moment. A feeling Maruki's had ten times over, if Akechi were to acknowledge his own instances of transforming into a child.
But it's as Akechi once said to Maruki-
He should leave the children to fend for themselves. Akechi would let a child wander into the woods because death could be a catalyst to return the person to normal.
Books hitting the ground pull him from his thoughts, the scattered papers and pencils and pens roll across the floor. Korokke's having fun, at least. He sees her batting one out of the corner of his eye. ]
Takuto.
[ Gross. ]
I'll call you Maruki and you'll accept that.
[ Because Akechi's already working TOO DAMN HARD by getting off his chair and plucking some papers from the ground. ]
Clean this up.
[ God, he should just shove him outside and let him wander. The clump of papers he's gathered up in one hand keeps him from doing it, somehow.
What does he do??? Just??? Food??? ] You'll eat, go back to your room, and wait out this mess. Do you understand?
no subject
[ Mumbled, even quieter than before, difficult to hear as he hunches over on the ground to pick up the scattered paper, books, pencils, erasers– the fluffy cat nearby has his apple-shaped one between her paws, and he pauses with his hand outstretched toward her before pulling it back and looking up at his babysitter again. ]
Is she nice?
no subject
No.
[ She's a little asshole. Akechi hates her. Maybe this is a good opportunity to get all the cats out of the home for good. ]
But that doesn't mean she'll attack or is volatile. Be cautious and move slowly to take back what's yours.
no subject
But Maruki does inch a little closer, crouching down about a foot away and holding out his hand for her to sniff. ]
Hi, Neko-chan...
[ That's what you call cats you don't know, right?
: ) ]
no subject
The comment feels pointed. Akechi tries to not take offense from the offhand name from a goddamn kid.
...
Tries, and yet- ]
Korokke.
[ He needs to make that correction now or it's going to be a long, aggravating night. If it seems like he's hovering over the two of them, it's because, you know, he is.
Korokke sniffs him and that telltale Takuto stink remains, apparently. She hisses. It's kinda funny. ]
You've given enough - she can accept it or not. As much as a cat can, in any case. So take your eraser back.
no subject
U-um... no, that's okay, she can have it...
[ That eraser belongs to Korokke now. He is not risking getting scratched!
It's just one more scary, confusing thing in a scary, confusing world, and the only thing Maruki knows to be certain is that he(?) wrote himself(???) a note saying that Akechi Goro would keep him safe. And this is Akechi Goro. Apparently.
So he shuffles over, clinging to one of Akechi's pantlegs and looking up at him with wide, trusting eyes. ]
Who are you? Are we friends?
no subject
The kid clings to him. Akechi doesn't bother shaking off a leech when it'll come back.
He'll get the stupid eraser later and shove it back into his backpack. While he's asleep, preferably. ]
Akechi and no - we aren't friends. Don't trust adults who claim to be. I've apparently been tasked with babysitting and that's all.
[ What a mess. ]
I assume you need to eat.
no subject
But then he asks the magic question, and Maruki tilts his chin to smile up at him, excited and hopeful. ]
Are you going to cook? Can I help?
[ lol. lmao ]
no subject
...
He doesn't particularly want to kill a child.
Fish, probably thawed for tonight. A vegetable. The freezer has nothing of note. Who does the shopping???? ]
It seems we'll have to. [ Oh boy. He takes out the ??? fish??? The vegetable????
He hands Vegetable to Mukito. Hold it. ] But I'll do most of the work. What are you able to do? I assume your parents taught you some skills.
no subject
Maruki will hold this zucchini so safely until Akechi tells him what to do with it. When he looks back up at his unwitting babysitter, his expression is serious, solemn. ]
I'm not allowed to chop or slice anything with knives.
[ Those are the rules. Follow the rules!! ]
But I can wash this so you can chop it! Oh, and, um– I can wash rice, and tell you when water is boiling, but I can't touch the stove...
[ He's starting to ramble a little, inching closer to Akechi, zucchini clutched in his little hands. ]
Your counters are really tall, though...
no subject
Then you'll do just that.
[ He's a little guy though. Even Akechi can't expect him to drag a chair over and it would be unacceptable to climb on the counter.
Maruki really owes him. ]
Stay there.
[ The little guy gets close and Akechi moves to the opposite side of bar instead - drags one of the chairs over to the sink. He'll move to the oven when the kid watches for rice.
...
Where is the rice??
...
Anyway. ]
I'm about to pick you up, so don't be distressed. Are you ready?
[ Like he's talking to a feral animal and not a small nerd. ]
no subject
How could he be distressed?
He's too big to get picked up anymore. He thinks so, anyway. That's probably why no one does.
And he misses it...
Instead of distress, Akechi gets Maruki pointing his bright, beaming smile directly up at him, eyes practically shining with anticipation. He lifts both arms, zucchini still held in one hand. ]
I'm ready! You'll hold me up at the sink, right?
[ Stand on a chair? No. Hold him. ♥ ]
no subject
[ Now for This Part.
Akechi doesn't know how ??? to grab him. Under the arms? He tries to hold Maruki under his armpits, pulls him up about two inches off the ground before plopping him back down.
He could slip through his fingers and fall, which will make him cry and Akechi thinks that might push him over the edge.
Maybe he just????
Grabs him by the back of the shirt???
No, he can already see the problem. Easy to slip. Kids suck.
How did Maruki do it - Akechi recalls only full bodied hugs and being tangled up at his side.
As much as he hates it-
Akechi never fell.
Ugh.
He drops all the way to the ground, pulls kidruki into his arms in a manner not entirely unfamiliar, making sure he's nestled right on his hip.
Then rises up slowly.
He fucking hates this, but! They made it! To the chair! Akechi tries to slide Maruki on to it. ]
no subject
Bad news: Even if he stands as close to the edge as he can, his little arms still aren't long enough to reach the stream of water from the sink faucet. This machiya absolutely was not built with children in mind; the counters are high, the sink is deeply set, and even as he strains with all his might, he can't.
A pause, and then he looks back up at Akechi, not unlike a guilty puppy. ]
Can you hold me up, please... I'm sorry...
no subject
To his credit, he did try. It's not as if he begged for Akechi's help immediately. There's only so much he can expect from a literal child.
...
He doesn't say anything at first - one might think he's distracted by staring at a bowl of not so boiling water for the rice he'll eventually find. Or the slop of oil he puts in the pan next to it. Or the fish he just. Tosses on. He's seen Maruki cook. It's not that hard.
...
Right, the child. ]
It's fine.
[ Get awkwardly grabbed and shoved against the sink IDIOT. ]
no subject
And he whisper-sings a little song as he does, making sure he scrubs it really well, the green skin squeaky clean by the time he turns it off.
He doesn't want Akechi to put him down, though... ]
Can I sit on the counter while you chop it? I won't touch the knife!
no subject
[ Absolutely not. ♥
And he goes back to drop him on said chair. He'll drag that over, at least. Maruki will be nearby - he's on rice duty, after all. ]
no subject
[ There's no further fuss as he's dropped down onto the chair. Maruki stands on it, hands gripping the counter next to the stove for balance, and peers into the pot of rice–
And goes very, very quiet.
It feels bad correcting an adult. It feels especially bad correcting this adult.
However. ]
Um... Akechi-san? [ He's already forgotten he was told not to use honorifics. ] That's a lot of water for not a lot of rice.
no subject
Does he Cook Vegetable before or after chopping? Is this a wrap up in the oven deal or will cook in three seconds thang?
Something something stir fry. He chops only half of the zucchini up into small pieces and just, you know, throws it into the oil fish pan.
Incredible.
Just in time for The Child to speak. He looks at the bubbling water with specks of rice.
He's probably right. ]
Add as much as you think is needed. The container is to the side of you. That can be your task.
[ The fish smells smoky.
That's probably fine. ]
1/2 closes my eyes. Shef
It's a pretty big task. He's never actually cooked rice before. He just washes it and puts it in the rice cooker when his parents ask him to...
Maruki picks up the container of rice, prying the lid off and peering inside. It's pretty big. Kind of heavy. There's A Lot of rice in there.
What if he just tips it gently against the side of the pot of boiling water and eases a little bit out– ]
no subject
[ The container is too heavy, too full of rice. A metric ton of it spills out into the pot, makes the water bubble over fast and scald the stove beneath it. Maruki scrambles back on the counter to get away, dropping the container as he goes, what's left of the rice spilling all over the floor. ]
Oh no, oh no– I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Akechi-san!
no subject
He can attribute this particular one to Robin Hood, he thinks. His arm darts out guard Maruki's mad dash to the counter, held out in case he falls or slips on residual rice slime. It stays outstretched, even as he works to turn off the Rice Burner and shove it towards the back to cool off.
It's scorched all over. It's burning. It stinks. He can feel small grains crack under his house shoes. It's almost slick. ]
I suppose that's my mistake. I didn't take into account how weak you are like this.
[ It really is. The rice container had been heavy even for him. He's irritated, but he can hardly shove his anger at a child doing what he was told. ]
Did you get burnt?
[ There's a thin line of smoke on the still cooking fish and Vegetable.
Akechi smells something weird, but-
He'll deal with it in a second. Maybe that's salt burning.....or something. ]
no subject
Something smells weird, but...
He's focused on shaking his head, finally releasing his grasp on that arm to hold up two trembling hands for Akechi to see. ]
No, I didn't. It was scary, though...
[ Something smells. Really weird, actually? ]
no subject
[ Something smells really really weird though.
Kinda hot in here.
A little fishy and-
His eyes shut for a brief, fleeting moment. As if is brain has already supplied and confirmed what his eyes refuse to see.
And then he looks. That's? A fire. In the fish pan. The vegetable is dead, gamers.
It's an ever growing fire, smoke billowing up, up, up to the ceiling. Flames spitting out.
Does he move it? There's no fire extinguisher. They need to cut the oxygen, but-
Maruki? Time to fend for yourself. The house is burning down. Hope he got Homeowner's Insurance with the property.
In a split second decision, he dumps the remaining rice from the once boiling pot onto the counter and covers the fire with it. Smothers the flames and smoke until all that's left is a hissing sort of noise and the perpetual beep of a fire alarm hidden above them. ]
Perhaps we should get delivery for the foreseeable future.
THAT YOUTUBE LINK IS SO EVIL FHSODIFJLSKD ALSO WRAPT FOR MEE
? that yt link is what im gonna do to you someday & wrapperonni