If you're stuck somewhere after the trains stop running, call me! I'll come pick you up! I don't own a car in Tokyo for my health! And I don't want you staying in manga cafes!!!
[ And in the ten minutes or so that it takes for Maruki to get his stuff together so he can leave and head for the train to Kichijoji...
He thinks about it, and it's all true. They are perfectly safe. And Akechi is a sensible young man who knows a concerning amount of information about true crime. There's no real danger in these little jaunts he has around the city. Breathe, Takuto... ]
You're right...
I'm sorry I panicked (シ_ _)シ
I wonder if this is how our parents felt when we first went off to college. Maybe the lack of cell phones was a good thing.
He texts Rumi - just real quick. 'I may have devastating information about your husband soon. We're talking about his suspicious past. Please know my alliance is with you and I will report any shady behavior.']
[ Double crossed?? By his own son???? BETRAYED?????????? This is worse than what would have happened to Masayoshi Shido. ]
During our first year of college, we went out to karaoke with a bunch of friends Rumi had made in her program. It was pretty overwhelming for me, so I stepped outside to smoke...
I'll let you process that first before I go on.
[ His horrible former smoker secret revealed as he heads out to Kichijoji. What a day. ]
[ And it does indeed take a few minutes. Maybe closer to ten. They recently went through endless boxes of photos and videos from Rumi's parents – generations worth to digitize for their family records, but there were some in there that were more recent, a few albums from their high school and college days that Rumi had left there for safekeeping because their first few apartments were too small to hang onto things like that.
He took a photo of one of the photos so she could send it to Shibusawa for a laugh. Both of them not a day older than Akechi is now, hanging out in some alley he hardly remembers. Shibusawa sits up on top of a low dividing wall in front of a nondescript home, and Maruki leans against it next to him, his hair close-cropped and neat, face clean-shaven, cigarette held jauntily between two fingers as he blows smoke up at his friend. The only thing that's the same are his thick-framed glasses.
And now Akechi has it too. ]
There. You don't have to imagine. I'm not proud of it...
The carefree image of his father isn't unlike the one he grew up with. Younger, 'wilder' - it's still the same man, same expression, same joy. Akechi has met Shibusawa enough times to know he's a genuine, good friend to his parents. Always has been, if this photo means anything. Akechi remembers forcing the man to watch a new episode of Featherman with him before they would have dinner together in dining room. Recalls crawling into his lap to steal orange slices from his plate in the mornings after. In recent years, he's been a valuable network tool. Still comes by, but less often in the way adults do.
Akechi wonders if they talk daily, the same way Kurusu and him do.
And in this photo-
He sees a different version of the father he admires. Isn't unhappy about it.]
Are you still addicted to it? Should we put you in a rehab center?
Well, like I said, it was overwhelming... It was a large group of people I barely knew, and it was one of my first times going out in the city like that. So I stepped out to gather my thoughts...
I was approached by two women who couldn't have been much older than we were at the time. They said that I looked like a nice person, and I was quick to tell them that I was taken, but they told me not to worry about that! They just wanted to talk to me because I seemed lonely. Which was disarming to hear, but it might have been true, too.
We chatted for a while about the usual things, and then they asked me if I believed peace on earth and happiness for all mankind was achievable. I said that I hoped so, but I wasn't sure. They started talking about the Principle of Happiness, and the Fourfold Path, and I said...
This sounds like a religion!
Well, I'm fascinated by different religions, as you know. That was the case even back then. And I wasn't eager to go back to karaoke, so I started asking them questions, and before I knew it they had stuffed my hands full of fliers for meetings and retreats, and they had almost convinced me to go to a cafe with them to keep talking about how to spread happiness across Japan...
And at that moment, Rumi-chan came out and grabbed me by the back of my neck. You should have heard the earful she gave those girls. I think one was crying by the time they left...
You have to be careful when you're out at night, Goro! Pretty girls will try to get you to join their cult!!! ( ˶°ㅁ°)
The time between 'sent' and 'read' is immediate. The response?
A long ass time after.
He harkens back to a time as a child - young, dumb, on the streets of Tokyo holding the hand of a man who spoke to anyone that wrangled him into a conversation. Sob stories. Lost animals.
No, yeah.
He would be a prime candidate to join a cult.
Akechi texts Rumi a quick-]
Can I buy you some cheesecake soon? You deserve a reward for putting up with him for so long. I never knew...
[Before going back to the story itself.]
Duly noted.
In fact, it sounds so enticing I may try to seek out that group. Imagine, finishing what my own father started all those years ago-
Is what I would say if I wanted Rumi to ground me in my own dorm room for the rest of the semester.
You really are a hopeless man. Please be cautious wandering the streets these days - there are plenty of strange groups out there, ready and willing to whisk you away.
I'm much less hopeless now than I was then! It may not seem like it, but even Rumi would agree.
I hate to disappoint you, but most of my stories are like that... There's nothing interesting about tales of bar crawls and hangovers, and anything else "wild" that I got up to usually was entirely by accident and ended in Rumi dragging me away.
Who knows, though? Maybe I'll have a story for you after tonight - I'm almost to the stop near the jazz bar!
[ It shouldn't surprise him. He knows Akechi loves them, talks about them to his friends. Surely it stands to reason that he also tells other people, but–
Still. There's something particularly touching about hearing that he's told a near stranger about Maruki. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Wait. Have you?
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Or perhaps twice.
Not of my own choice, of course. It's not an ideal situation and I don't particularly like the chairs or bedding. It's all uncomfortable, but well-
Things happen, I suppose.
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WHAT
If you're stuck somewhere after the trains stop running, call me! I'll come pick you up! I don't own a car in Tokyo for my health! And I don't want you staying in manga cafes!!!
[ PAPA WILL PICK YOU UP AKECHI PLEASE ]
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You don't need to. It was a valuable learning experience, the first time.
The others, well-
[He blames Kurusu.]
If I were truly in trouble, I would ask for your help. Besides, they're perfectly safe and I was only there for a few hours.
I even called you from one - it was the day I was telling you about One Kick Man.
no subject
He thinks about it, and it's all true. They are perfectly safe. And Akechi is a sensible young man who knows a concerning amount of information about true crime. There's no real danger in these little jaunts he has around the city. Breathe, Takuto... ]
You're right...
I'm sorry I panicked (シ_ _)シ
I wonder if this is how our parents felt when we first went off to college. Maybe the lack of cell phones was a good thing.
no subject
It's often the mild-mannered ones who have the most interesting stories.
Now that we're both adults and I'm on equal standing with you, do you have any to share?
'Pulling an all-nighter' isn't an answer you're allowed to give.
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I may have one or two...
But first you have to promise that you won't think less of me!
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Go on - tell me.
[He will be telling his mom every single story that comes out of this chat. It's Rumi that Maruki needs to worry about.]
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Hold on!
Anything I tell you stays between us.
We can't do a secret handshake over text, but you can imagine it.
[ A secret handshake originally born from years spent pretending to be Feathermen together? Well, yes! ]
1/2
He texts Rumi - just real quick. 'I may have devastating information about your husband soon. We're talking about his suspicious past. Please know my alliance is with you and I will report any shady behavior.']
no subject
Your secrets are safe with me.
Please, continue.
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During our first year of college, we went out to karaoke with a bunch of friends Rumi had made in her program. It was pretty overwhelming for me, so I stepped outside to smoke...
I'll let you process that first before I go on.
[ His horrible former smoker secret revealed as he heads out to Kichijoji. What a day. ]
no subject
It was more common do so when you were young and those at your age still tend to. I shouldn't be surprised, but-
I can't imagine it.
1/2
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He took a photo of one of the photos so she could send it to Shibusawa for a laugh. Both of them not a day older than Akechi is now, hanging out in some alley he hardly remembers. Shibusawa sits up on top of a low dividing wall in front of a nondescript home, and Maruki leans against it next to him, his hair close-cropped and neat, face clean-shaven, cigarette held jauntily between two fingers as he blows smoke up at his friend. The only thing that's the same are his thick-framed glasses.
And now Akechi has it too. ]
There. You don't have to imagine. I'm not proud of it...
no subject
Unreal.
The carefree image of his father isn't unlike the one he grew up with. Younger, 'wilder' - it's still the same man, same expression, same joy. Akechi has met Shibusawa enough times to know he's a genuine, good friend to his parents. Always has been, if this photo means anything. Akechi remembers forcing the man to watch a new episode of Featherman with him before they would have dinner together in dining room. Recalls crawling into his lap to steal orange slices from his plate in the mornings after. In recent years, he's been a valuable network tool. Still comes by, but less often in the way adults do.
Akechi wonders if they talk daily, the same way Kurusu and him do.
And in this photo-
He sees a different version of the father he admires. Isn't unhappy about it.]
Are you still addicted to it? Should we put you in a rehab center?
SHIBUSAWA AND BABYKECHI I'M IN TEARS
Do you want the rest of the story or not?
no subject
Go on - I'm wondering what could top that.
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Well, like I said, it was overwhelming... It was a large group of people I barely knew, and it was one of my first times going out in the city like that. So I stepped out to gather my thoughts...
I was approached by two women who couldn't have been much older than we were at the time. They said that I looked like a nice person, and I was quick to tell them that I was taken, but they told me not to worry about that! They just wanted to talk to me because I seemed lonely. Which was disarming to hear, but it might have been true, too.
We chatted for a while about the usual things, and then they asked me if I believed peace on earth and happiness for all mankind was achievable. I said that I hoped so, but I wasn't sure. They started talking about the Principle of Happiness, and the Fourfold Path, and I said...
This sounds like a religion!
Well, I'm fascinated by different religions, as you know. That was the case even back then. And I wasn't eager to go back to karaoke, so I started asking them questions, and before I knew it they had stuffed my hands full of fliers for meetings and retreats, and they had almost convinced me to go to a cafe with them to keep talking about how to spread happiness across Japan...
And at that moment, Rumi-chan came out and grabbed me by the back of my neck. You should have heard the earful she gave those girls. I think one was crying by the time they left...
You have to be careful when you're out at night, Goro! Pretty girls will try to get you to join their cult!!! ( ˶°ㅁ°)
no subject
The time between 'sent' and 'read' is immediate. The response?
A long ass time after.
He harkens back to a time as a child - young, dumb, on the streets of Tokyo holding the hand of a man who spoke to anyone that wrangled him into a conversation. Sob stories. Lost animals.
No, yeah.
He would be a prime candidate to join a cult.
Akechi texts Rumi a quick-]
Can I buy you some cheesecake soon? You deserve a reward for putting up with him for so long. I never knew...
[Before going back to the story itself.]
Duly noted.
In fact, it sounds so enticing I may try to seek out that group. Imagine, finishing what my own father started all those years ago-
Is what I would say if I wanted Rumi to ground me in my own dorm room for the rest of the semester.
You really are a hopeless man. Please be cautious wandering the streets these days - there are plenty of strange groups out there, ready and willing to whisk you away.
no subject
I hate to disappoint you, but most of my stories are like that... There's nothing interesting about tales of bar crawls and hangovers, and anything else "wild" that I got up to usually was entirely by accident and ended in Rumi dragging me away.
Who knows, though? Maybe I'll have a story for you after tonight - I'm almost to the stop near the jazz bar!
no subject
[She hasn't responded yet. It doesn't matter. He knows his mother.]
Please don't get too 'wild and crazy' and sign up for a cult in front of Muhen-san. I've spoken highly of you to him. Don't make me regret it.
i lied, i have a mean wrap for you soon. but not yet. you're not free yet
Still. There's something particularly touching about hearing that he's told a near stranger about Maruki. ]
You have?
oh? mean? to me? for WHAT
There is no reality where you aren't known among those I associate with.
: )
Go have fun. I'll text you my full review when I get home tonight. (ɔˆ ³(ˆᴗˆc)
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(no subject)