thenearshore | [closed] the best medicine

Entry tags:

[closed] the best medicine

Who: A: Shun, Ren and Yukine, B: Shun, Ren and Fubuki
When: A: June 27th, B: June 28th
Where: A: Cat Cafe Calico, B: Nekhbet's Temple
What: A long overdue plot tweest at the cat cafe (when you find out your friend is friends with That One Asshole), and sleepover 2: the sleepovening (a.k.a. Shun's over a week of sleep deprivation is starting to catch up with him, time to do some things that maybe don't involve running into burning buildings)
Warnings: None yet.

[A]

[Maybe there's other things happening in the city today, maybe it's just a nice enough day that most people don't want to spend it inside. Whatever the reason, Cat Cafe Calico is quiet this afternoon, with only a few small groups left on the lower floor after the busier lunch hours pass.

This is definitely not a concern for Shun, who has work to do and would much prefer the quiet to do it in. This isn't the first time he's had to help out with newcomers to the cafe, but when he's supposed to be "socialising" the kittens as well as taking care of them, cramming himself in the backroom to avoid customers isn't the most productive method of doing it.

With the quiet, though, he ends up in one of the corners of the lower floor, a few cushions strewn around nearby and a short, folding gate up so the kittens can't go having any unsupervised adventures around the cafe if his attention lapses. It's far enough from the current customers to be quiet, but close enough to the door for people to come by and get excited about the kittens if they notice them. At least, that's what Shun's under the impression is supposed to help socialise them.

As it is now, though, the half dozen or so kittens seem to be having a grand time socialising themselves all over him instead. One of them is asleep on his head, another hanging off his shoulder, and yet another one is making an admirable effort of trying to crawl up his shirt, even as Shun bumps it onto its side with one hand in hopes it might serve as a temporary distraction - which it kind of does, given two of the other kittens come tumbling by and catch the third one up in their play-fight as well. He himself is holding another of the kittens with a hand under its belly, doing an apparently routine check of its teeth and ears, and gently pushing out its claws one by one. His focus on the work is intense and unwavering - even more so than he gives it to most things, because as the dark shadows and lines under his eyes suggest, he hasn't really been getting any sleep recently, and it's starting to wear on his ability to multitask. The amount of smoke he went through last night definitely didn't help that either, let alone his hopes of actually being able to do anything strenuous today.

At the very least, the sound of the door opening still makes him glance upwards, if perhaps with an air that says it comes much more out of nowhere than it normally would for someone like him.]

--

[B]

[Training with Ren today was a bad idea, but when Shun was the one who insisted on it, he's definitely not admitting that.

It's about as much as Shun can manage afterwards to busy himself with sorting out water and jugs and cups, and hope to hell the continued movement can disguise the fact that his hands are shaking a little. It's been about nine days since he slept properly, about a week since he stopped trying at all, and while the reasonable part of him knows there's no way he's getting through tonight without either Ren or Fubuki noticing, if not both - though that would imply they hadn't already noticed and he just hadn't admitted defeat yet - the still-dominant unreasonable part is telling him to keep up the facade as long as he can.

So for now, he tries to keep himelf in motion. Moving cups, filling two jugs of water because hell knows how long one is going to last with his throat still itching from the fire, and leaving them on the coffee table in the loungeroom before sweeping up the hall to rap sharply on the wall at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the bedrooms.]

We're done. You can come down. [His voice is a little rough, like it has been for two days now, but he can still make it carry more than well enough up the stairs for his purposes.]

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[To be honest, he's not sure how this could have slipped his mind for so long. There's very little Ren has ever seen Yukine as excited about as cats, and he's known about the cat cafe with people who could actually see them in their staff for almost as long as he's known that. He really should have suggested they visit sooner than this.

Today had just been the perfect catalyst to actually do it, it seemed. He was exhausted from the night before, and his head was pounding and it still hurt to breathe too deeply or talk too loudly, but lying around just made him feel even more miserable. Having Yukine stop by and watching him play with the kittens only helped so much. But thinking about why he was miserable made him think of shun, and then there was Yukine playing with the cats just like the cats at that place where Shun works...

It really shouldn't have taken so long, but he is a little glad today was they day he thought of it. If there's one thing that's sure to help him feel a little less miserable, it's a cat cafe. And of course, he didn't need to do much other than mention it for Yukine to be enraptured by the idea.

And so in short order, they've arrived, and Ren pushes the door open with a little flourish, albeit a little less than he might usually and he's much quieter than usual too.]

Ta-da~! Isn't it cute? I don't think I've been here when they were actually open before...

[For the moment, he's completely missed spotting Shun in the corner, as he's busy making sure none of the cats have decided to try for an escape while they're coming in. Granted, they're probably better trained than that and the staff would have an eye on them too, but it doesn't hurt to make sure.]

[Indeed it hadn't taken much at all to get Yukine interested in a cat cafe. And while playing with Suzugamori-sama's cats was free, he has to admit that a cafe with cats holds a certain appeal.

Nodding he's about to reply to Suzugamori-sama but hearing a soft tumbling noise from the corner Yukine's eyes instantly gravitate to some kittens play-fighting in a pen. (Oh, cute!) Stepping closer he notices that someone is in there with the kittens, and his gaze goes up-- and his eyes widen in complete astonishment.]

Kurosaki-sama? What are you doing here? With... a kitten... on your head...?

[Damn that's cute and how can he get a kitten to fall asleep on his head but first things first! How come Mister Nice-Doesn't-Matter is here with kittens?]

[As Shun notices who exactly it is that's coming through the door, he lowers the kitten he's holding slightly, though also not without a somewhat guarded air. He texted Ren after the fire last night to make sure he knew he'd gotten out fine, but he didn't actually see him, and Shun...doesn't really trust himself not to start coughing as soon as he opens his mouth right now.

But damn if he isn't going to try, and Yukine noticing him first means Shun has an excuse to leave things with Ren a moment or two. While he's not entirely sure what it is Yukine is doing here, the fact that he came in with Ren and how quickly he noticed the kittens gives him some easy enough fodder to put two and two together with.

In any case, his attention turns to Yukine with a typically unimpressed stare.]

I work here. And I didn't put it there. [He just didn't remove it when it put itself there. While his voice is definitely a little hoarse as he says that, he manages to ignore the itch in his throat, so he looks to Ren and opens his mouth...

...and immediately starts coughing. It's still longer than he was expecting it to take before that happened.

It's not a long bout of it though, and he raises his head again after a few moments to eye Ren with an air of both concern and some wariness over how he's going to react to Shun's own condition.] You're looking better.

[He'd really like Ren to just pretend Shun isn't obviously still a ~~lot~~ bit screwed up from the fire, but he also really doubts that's going to happen.]

Kurosak-ki?

[Ren, too, is quite startled to see him once Yukine points him out, albeit for a completely different reason, but that startled exclamation is enough for him to break down into a small coughing fit of his own. It's a pity, because he'd really like to get a picture of that kitten on Shun's head, but there's no way he could do it sneakily now.

His coughing, at least, doesn't last quite as long as Shun's, so he's perfectly happy to eye him with his own concern as he starts making his way over to the little fence blocking off Shun and the kittens from everything else.]

I don't feel any better. [He smiles weakly, but he's back to looking concerned soon enough.] I didn't expect to see you today. Couldn't you have taken today off?

[Of course, he knows it has nothing to do with his work schedule and everything to do with Shun probably wanting to power through it anyway, but saying anything like that would sound accusing and he doesn't want that. His head hurts too much to get into that today, for one thing.]

[Yukine’s expression narrows – of course he hadn’t put the cat there – but as soon as Kurosaki starts coughing he steps forward in instinctive concern. For both him, and the kitten dozing on his head.
Once both Kurosaki's and Suzugamori's coughing fits are over, Yukine looks between the two of them with surprise.]

You guys know each other? … [His expression falls back to a lineface quickly enough. He supposes it wasn’t impossible, although still surprising.] But hey, Suzugamori-sama, I’ve only met this guy a handful of times and even I know he wouldn’t take a day off.

[He then turns back to Kurosaki.] And boy, you sound like crap too, Kurosaki-sama. I guess you got caught in that fire last night?

[In true lazy cat fashion, the kitten only seems to notice its perch had been shifting a little there after the fact, and a few seconds on from Shun's earlier moment of coughing, it stretches its paws out and opens its eyes. It still doesn't appear to have a great deal of interest in moving yet, though, simply lying there and flicking its tail in a manner that immediately starts getting eyed by the other kitten hanging onto Shun's shoulder.

As soon as Ren starts coughing as well, Shun makes a movement like he's about to get up and come over there (though not a violent enough one that getting up likely would have unseated either kitten), but as it settles, he eyes Ren with a little more worry for a moment or two longer before letting it go. The kitten still in his hand also seems to think this is an appropriate time to remind him it exists by reaching out to paw at his chest, so Shun lets out a quiet (and not particularly forceful) breath and goes back to inspecting its claws as he responds to Ren and Yukine.]

I didn't need to take the day off anyway. I'm fine. You should be more worried about yourself if you're still feeling that bad. [...Look, he's fine to a certain value of the term. Yukine's remark on what he sounds like gets him a brief and sharp glance, but he's also not really wrong, so Shun lets it slide.] "Caught", no, but I went in looking for Amaterasu after we pulled out some of her shinki. [That's punctuated with a nod towards Ren to indicate who he's referring to with the "we".] Found her in the end, along with some other people, but I was in there a long time and was only properly protected for some of it.

[On one hand, at least he's admitting the face stuff didn't constitute "properly protected". On the other, that just makes the fact he was in there so long worse, he definitely doesn't sound at all abashed by the choice to do it, and the one or two smaller coughs that come with having said that much don't help his case.

As he finishes up with the kitten's claws, he lets it down into his lap, where it seems happy enough to stay for the moment. Knowing well enough from their previous conversations that Yukine's unlikely to believe the next thing unless Shun's the one who says it, he gives him a level look even as he reaches down to block that one other kitten from making yet another attempt at getting under his shirt.]

Ren and I are friends, so obviously we know each other. [This is only about the second time Shun himself has used the f-word in any significant manner, but it's not like they both don't already know it.]

[He is so torn between just watching the kitten be adorable for a minute and frowning a little at Shun for that really expected attempt to deflect any concern onto someone else and insist he's fine when he's obviously not and even laughing a little at Yukine's observation that of of course he wouldn't have taken a break.

In the end, he sighs but gives Shun an exasperated smile as he carefully steps over the gate to start making his way over to where he's sitting. Admitting he might not have been properly protected is a start, maybe.]

I can be worried about both of us at the same time. [And then more directed at Yukine:] And maybe he won't take a day off, but today would have been a good day to try it.

[That said, this entire trip and the headache and coughing and their adventure last night and seeing Shun here instead of resting somewhere is made entirely worth it just by getting to hear Shun mention that they're friends again. Ren carefully settles down against the wall at least an arms length away from Shun (so as not to spook the kittens too much), which probably doesn't help with the believably, but then he beams at Yukine and flashes his a victory sign.]

Yep, we've been friends for a while now~!

Friends? This guy has a friend?

[Knowing each other is one thing, but friends? He looks between the two of them as Suzugamori confirms what Kurosaki admitted.]

... I would totally not believe it if Kurosaki-sama hadn't said it first. [He looks pointedly at Kurosaki] You're the one that said that 'people don't have to be around you' and 'you don't mind being seen as an asshole' and 'being nice doesn't matter'. And Suzugamori-sama is one of the friendliest guys I've met. How on earth did you two get to be friends?

[That's about the reaction Shun had been expecting from Yukine, and he sighs slightly and closes his eyes for a moment in apparent exasperation.]

That's why I said it first. [Otherwise this is the part where Yukine would have probably been looking to him for confirmation or reacting with even more disbelief than he already is. He doesn't seem fazed by Yukine's bringing up of what he's said to him previously, though, and Shun simply eyes him back with absolutely no air of regretting having said any of that.]

So? The fact that I don't make friends easily doesn't mean I can't have them, or value them. And as for how we became friends, that's a long story. I can at least tell you we have more in common than you obviously think we do.

[Shun's tone makes it rather clear he's getting nothing more specific than that, because that has the potential to encroach on both Shun and Ren's privacy if they get too deep into it.

While Ren coming over to sit down had gotten no more than a glance from Shun given how used to the other's presence he is, it's gotten substantially more attention from someone else - namely, the kitten on Shun's shoulder, who's turned its attention from the flicking tail in its vicinity to this mysterious New Person sitting nearby. As it pads its way over to the edge of Shun's shoulder to sniff in his direction, Shun raises his arm to form more of a path, initially keeping it bent. However, when the kitten's immediate response is to walk up to his elbow and start crouching and wriggling like it's about to hurl itself the rest of the distance onto Ren, Shun just straightens his arm out and leans over slightly so it reaches Ren's shoulder, letting the kitten walk the rest of the way.

And it's definitely eying off one of Ren's long forelocks, so that may be in for a pawing.]

[Excuse him while he ducks behind his hand to try not to laugh and end up coughing again.]

That sounds just like him.

[Ren scoots a tiny bit closer when he sees that one of the kittens is determined to come over to him so Shun will have an easier time of getting it there, and once his new friend is settled on his shoulder, he goes ahead and wiggles some of his hair for it to play with, because encouraging it to do that definitely can't go wrong at all.

He also smiles and nods at Shun's last point, but he isn't going to volunteer any information on that right now either. Not that he hasn't thought about telling Yukine about his own past before, but right now isn't exactly the best time.]

Kurosak-ki can be a little grumpy and shy, but he has a good heart and I like hanging out with him. Anyway, my best friend at home is grumpier than he is.

[Well...it might be more truthful to say that their grumpiness levels are about even. He would probably say the same thing about Shun to Tetsu if he ever had the chance to.]

[Yukine snickers a little at 'shy'. Really?]

Mmmm...

[Crossing his arms he looks suspiciously at Kurosaki, then tells Suzugamori,]

Watch out though. This guy also said that people thinking he's nice are setting themselves up for disappointment.

But if you both say so, I guess it's true. [He feels like he can trust what they say. Besides, Kurosaki-sama doesn't seem like the type to lie without a really good reason, and admitting he has a friend probably doesn't fall in that category.
But damned if he's not going to let up on this.

With a shrug he sits on the floor, resting one forearm on the gate while putting the other inside the pen to try and entice the playing kittens towards him. But he grins at Kurosaki.]

So, Kurosaki-sama. Playing with kittens is a productive use of time for you?

[While Shun definitely gives Ren a bit of an odd look at "shy" as well, he seems to take much more pause at the mention of him having a "good heart". At this point, it's hard not to know that's what Ren thinks of him, but he's pretty sure he's never put it so straightforwardly before. He's not really sure how to react to the sentiment, either, and it might be more than a little obvious when, after that few seconds' hesitation, he scoops up the cat trying to get under his shirt with a marked lack of comment and starts inspecting its claws to cover the moment.

Yukine's initial remark makes him pause again, though, this time for an entirely different reason. That being because Ren is possibly the best qualified person in the Heavens currently to know what exactly Shun meant by saying people who thought he was nice were setting themselves up for disappontment, and Shun gives Ren a rather knowing look.]

I think he knows that already. [But he's not going to pursue that general area of conversation too far, given Yukine seems to have accepted it.

When Yukine sticks his hand into the pen, the two play-fighting kittens roll into the general vicinity, and end up bumping into the hand before too long. It takes them a moment to realise that there's a new thing there to investigate, and they break up their fight to tentatively paw at his fingers. Also maybe bite them if he doesn't move.

As for the one on Ren, it is definitely interested in that hair even more now, and it barely takes any coaxing before it starts batting at the offered section of it. Shun's watching that out of the corner of his eye when Yukine makes the remark on productivity, and Shun gives him a good side-eying before he answers.]

I don't trust the food in the Heavens, so to feed myself and my shinki I need to be able to buy it. That means money, and that means a job. Looking after cats is just the first job I could find that didn't involve somewhere I was going to end up throwing a customer out a window within the day. [The throwing someone out a window thing could almost be mistaken as a joke, if he didn't sound absolutely serious about it.]

[Look, he used "shy" instead of "antisocial" in an attempt to be nice, stop looking at him like that.

Ren is too busy toying playing the delicate dance of wiggling his hair while trying to avoid getting nicked by too many claws to see Shun glance at him, but he does hum an agreement to that. Of course, he's experienced Shun actually being nice, or at least good, enough times to know that he can be, but he's not surprised Shun wouldn't say that about himself. He also doesn't really need Shun to be nice anyway.

Even if he wanted to argue that it was fine, Shun is nice enough as he is, it's not going to be very convincing with him saying things like that. Ren has no doubt he's serious about it too, but that doesn't stop it from being a little funny.]

You just need to spend more time with me, then you'll have enough patience to deal with anyone in no time.

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