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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Hmm... [He crosses his arms in serious consideration.] That would be hot pot, wouldn't it?

[... Does it feel like he overlooked something?]

Er—Shun, how badly are your fingers shaking, exactly? [A second late, he realizes that might be interpreted wrong, so—] Ah, not to push you, but if you're having other issues, now might be the time to say them...

[Shun just kind of shakes his head at that little exchange between Ren and Fubuki, because trust them to take that sort of thing completely seriously. Or pretend to, as he suspects in Ren's case.

Fubuki's further remark gets a much more annoyed look from Shun, though, that rather sharp glance coming as he pulls a bag of rice out of one of the cupboards.]

Not enough that I can't cook something as basic as rice. I'm tired, not completely incapable. [There is a slight cough from the lingering smoke effects as he says that, but it doesn't seem to overly bother Shun.] If you're trying to say you think I have other issues, then just say it instead of dancing around the subject.

Oh, we should do hot pot next time!

[It's almost July...this is definitely not the weather for hot pot...

Ren heads straight to the refrigerator and hides his smile frown behind the door as he opens it up. Ideally, he'd also rather Shun just went and took a shower or a nap, but Shun will be much happier if he can help a little and not feel completely useless. But it might be better for their partnership to let them sort it out...]

Kurosa-kki, did you get everything on the list~--oh, here's some of it...

[brb, he's collecting veggies.]

Sounds like a plan. [He looks over Ren's shoulder at the kind of stuff he's pulling out; due to the combination of being a shinki and being aware that there are all sorts of people here, he really wasn't sure if they had the same idea of fried rice, even if it was mostly a joke.]

It's nothing like that, Shun. I'm just checking. [He straightens. Looks like he mistimed that; he definitely should have asked it earlier.] Sometimes things aren't obvious, you know?

I wouldn't have asked you to write the list if I wasn't going to use it. [So that's several more words than were really necessary to just say "yes", but tiredness isn't doing much for Shun staying as succinct as he usually prefers.

As Ren gathers vegetables, Shun instead starts setting up a pot on the stove. There's a repetitiveness to the motions that says he's done this quite a few times before, though when he's this tired, that's probably more a benefit than anything.]

If it's not obvious, then I'm not having a problem with it. [Given only the most overwhelming things are what Shun generally allows himself to show.]

[That's true, but it's also been a busy few days since he sent the list, and it wouldn't have surprised him if shun hadn't been able to find the time.

...Then again, it's Shun. Of course he found the time.

After a bit of collecting, it's pretty clear that this is going to be more than he wants to carry at once, and Fubuki is standing right there...so he holds up a head of broccoli and some carrots for Fubuki to take.]

Can you start cutting these up, Fubuki-kun?

Yessir. [He's taking the vegetables as he says it, so even he's not sure who he's saying it to. Both. Definitely both.]

[He wants to say something more to the effect that there are certain things that aren't obvious, but he also doesn't want to give the impression that he's saying he's unobservant. Even as he gets the feeling that he's missed some vital things before.]

[... Knife in his hand notwithstanding. For a second, he wonders why he remembers this but not anything else, but he's so used to it happening that the thought just skates the surface as he gets to work. "Work" in this case meaning spending an inordinate amount of time cutting as many pieces as he can into heart shapes. He's surprisingly deft at it.]

Say...what are we doing later? [It's not a sleepover without Fun Activities, after all.]

[Shun very briefly glares at Fubuki for the polite address, though Ren's here as well and probably doesn't feel as adamantly about it as he does, so he at least doesn't start something over it this time. Instead, he finishes up his preparations with the pot, measuring out water and rice and putting the latter aside for the moment as he lets the water heat up to a boil.

That doesn't give him much else to do until that happens, though, which means he ends up leaning against the counter next to the stove and very much raising an eyebrow at Fubuki's very particular vegetable cutting shape.]

That can't be practical. [Said in the tone of someone who isn't used to doing anything in any way that isn't the practical one. Even if he is fast, it just seems a little weird to Shun.

As for the question of what they're doing, Shun gives a vague shrug and glances towards Ren. If they're supposed to be doing anything that interesting, he's probably the better person to ask.]

[Nope, he doesn't even seem to notice the "sir", much less be bothered by it. He's used to be called "-sama" on a daily basis; a single, joking "sir" is nothing.

He finishes gathering the rest of the ingredient that are in the refrigerator and heads over to set them on the counter near Fubuki. As he moves on to grab other things like a knife for himself and a flying pan and mixing supplies, he glances over to see what Fubuki is doing and holds back a laugh.]

Those are cute! Do you think we should do everything that way?

[The answer is definitely "no" but it might be up to Shun to say so...

The next time he speaks up, it's from behind a cabinet door as a little muffled. To be honest, he had been thinking they could go watch some of the fireworks, but...]

Maybe we could watch a movie? Or tell ghost stories? A test of courage would be fun, but we'd need more people....Or maybe a pillow fight?

But doesn't it make you happy to get them? [And turns to Ren.] Right? Leave it to me! [He is entirely serious.]

[Joking aside, he likes the idea of ghost stories, but unless he can rattle them off the top of his head, wracking his brain for them doesn't seem healthy. He does have a warning system for when he's gone too far, but...he doesn't trust himself to rein himself in recently.]

I vote for pillow fight! [This he says in an actual joking manner.]

No. [Were you really expecting any other answer to that from Shun, Fubuki.] And if we did everything that way we'd be here all night. At least try to be reasonable.

[Obviously they're both the kind of people to go in for that sort of thing, but Shun likes to think he can be the voice of reason here.

Shun doesn't look particularly enamoured with any of the things that Ren suggests, but Fubuki specifically saying pillow fight, however joking, gets a bit of a dry look from him.]

If you're both still insistent on making me sleep, I doubt that's going to help. [Unless the plan is having him wear himself out destroying them both in it. And that's not even getting into the fact that even Shun knows he and Ren aren't exactly bastions of healthy competition.]

[Fubuki might be joking, but the chance to have a good fight with Shun he stands a chance of winning and won't involve as many bruises is an awfully tempting one for Ren. Since, yeah, definitely not the poster child of healthy competition over here.]

I don't know, maybe you'd finally get tired enough to pass out.

[But considering he starts coughing again almost before he's done with his sentence, it's probably not the best idea for this sleepover.]

[Just as pla] I can't believe both of you are taking it seriously. [Don't suggest fights when the two of them are present, check.]

[Too bad about the shapes, though. (Plan "Raise the Level of Heartstrikingness": unsuccessful.) He finishes the ones in his hands and gets to work on the rest of the ingredients.]

If you two want to compete at something, I have a deck of playing cards. [A detail he didn't think to mention: they have pictures of male idols on them.] You two know poker?

[There's a faintly disbelieving snort - and a slight cough - in answer to Ren's remark, though given Ren's coughing himself, Shun feels he doesn't need to refute the point.

Fubuki's comment is another matter.]

And I can't believe you've lived here this long and thought I wouldn't. [There are many aspects in which Shun isn't particularly self-aware, but the fact that he tends to take any given thing more seriously than anyone else in the room is difficult not to notice after a while. In any case, his tone is more one of mild exasperation than anything, and he turns to bring the boiling pot back to a simmer and pour the rice in.

The idea of playing cards is less objectionable for a variety of reasons, though, and Shun gives a non-committal but vaguely approving hum, even if his immediate thought is that Fubuki is probably going to get a hell of a lot more competition than he was expecting challenging him and Ren to any kind of card game, even with the expectation that they're going to compete.]

I haven't played in a while, but yes.

[As Ren sets up the rest of his supplies on an empty spot on the counter, he quietly snags the bell peppers before Fubuki can get to them and sets them to the side of his own work space. Shun had been particularly wary of those, so he wants to deal with them personally. But it'll have to be after he's done with the sauce.

He is maybe a tiny bit disappointed that it hadn't been a serious vote, but Fubuki suggestion of what to do instead definitely makes up for it.]

Oh, that's a good idea! I'm great at poker.

Edited 2017-04-17 04:50 (UTC)

I was hoping you'd lighten up with your friend here... [So he mumbles, not wanting to rile up either of them with that comment (but not enough that he kept it to himself).]

It's a plan, then? [Part of the plan, anyway. There's no way something like a sleepover would stay on plan, but spontaneity is part of the fun of these things. The pillow fight could still happen as long as someone starts it first. (Hehe.) (...Also as long as no one actually gets hurt, which, being essentially a noncombatant, excludes him from being the instigator, but details.)]

[He is unaware that he's smiling a bit as he plots this nonsense.]

[The idea of Shun lightening up just because Ren's here seems almost ludicrous to him - he gives Ren a significant glance as if to prompt him to point out exactly how unlikely that is.

There's a slight shrug at the question.] I don't mind. [In any case, after Shun puts the lid on the rice, he knows he's not going to need to do much else with it for quite a while, and he has severe doubts about whether either of the other two are going let him in the vicinity of a knife (other than the one in his pocket) as he is right now. So, he figures, it's probably a good time to shower so he doesn't have to do it later, since he's going to be doing nothing but waiting idle otherwise.

He explains this thought process exactly not at all, instead just turning away from the stove to head out of the kitchen and start down the hall.]

[Shun lightening up a little just because he's here is pretty unlikely but not as much as Shun seems to think, if that look he's getting is anything to go by...but unfortunately, he's pretty sure Fubuki would have to be in another building for Shun to relax that much anyway.]

Kurosa-kki doesn't need to lighten up. That's what I'm here for.

[Kurosaki might need to actually tell them if he's planning to go somewhere, though. Ren pauses in stirring his sauce to watch Shun walk across the kitchen, and looks more concerned and bewildered the closer he gets to leaving. Until he's...actually leaving...]

Kurosaki...?

Edited 2017-04-19 10:18 (UTC)

[... Wasn't that what he just said?] Wait, I don't... [He doesn't understand the difference, send help]

[(Actually, don't send help, no one needs to encourage him.)]

[Oh no, Shun's running away.] I won't say it again, come back—

"He lightens the mood enough for both of us" is what he means. [At least, Shun is pretty sure that's what Ren's getting at, because it certainly sounds accurate. This is said more in passing as he's heading out the kitchen doorway, though he pauses in apparent confusion when they both seem so concerned about him leaving the room.

After a moment, though, he sighs quietly and keeps going.]

I'm showering so I don't have to go out of my way to do it later. Unless one of you thinks I can't do that right now either.

[His tone is dry enough to mark that second comment out as not entirely serious, at least, but...it's still probably around half serious.]

[What do you know, Shun's figuring out how to interpret him for other people. Of course, it was only a matter of time, but it is really nice when one of his friends gets to that point.

And he'll admit, he does have a fleeting thought of offering to help with that shower, since Shun set it up so well, but...that's just going to stay safely inside his head for now.]

Oh, okay. Have fun~!

[~~don't encourage him~~]

[He wasn't talking about the mood of the room in general, though? Ah, well. The fact that Shun was only able to admit his problem only while Ren was here too hadn't escaped Fubuki's notice, but if Shun was going to wait that long to begin with, then that's that, and he shouldn't push too hard.]

[So all he says is—] Knock on a wall really hard if you need something? [Would that even work? He has no idea.]

[He waits for a moment after Shun gets out of sight, then sliiides over to Ren. Whisperwhisper] Can I ask you something? How often does he do that? Wait for it to get that bad?

[Ren is just moving on to start taking care of the peppers when Fubuki move in all conspiratorially, but that requires a more serious answer than a lot of things so he puts the pepper on hold for a minute.]

It's...not uncommon. [He hates to say it, but it's true. This is the third time in two months, Shun.] Although I think this is the first time he's just stopped sleeping. A while ago, he was having trouble with it, but I think he was still getting a little sleep.

[Ren stops for a moment to thoughtfully turn a pepper around in his hands. He's not sure how much Fubuki knows about Shun's life before, so he isn't sure how much detail he can go into about why Shun is like this...]

He has a lot of trouble accepting that he has limits and that someone else might see those limits better than he does. And that it's okay to take a break sometimes. I'm sure you've seen that already.

Yeah, I have. [From where Fubuki's sitting, it wasn't so much "limits" as "perceived weakness," but...yeah. Then again, it's not like Fubuki's been here that long, and it's not like both things can't be true at the same time.]

...I guess I'm not used to it yet. [There are a lot of things that feel familiar but which...probably shouldn't. One of which vaguely—] I don't want to push hard enough that he starts seeing me as an enemy.

[The fact that he doesn't know much about why Shun's the way he is makes it a bit of a balancing act. It's more relevant for when he meets shinki, but he doesn't generally make a habit of asking gods about themselves, either. Especially not after meeting someone in front of whom he did the thing he shouldn't.]

...But it also feels as if something bad will happen if I leave it too much alone. [It's like he doesn't want to get to a point where someone else has to ask him to do something. Not pride so much as...just a feeling, that he doesn't want to be too late to act.]

Well, I think you're right that you shouldn't try to push too hard. At least, not at first. You'll have to build up to it. And maybe be kind of indirect about it?

[Because he's right in that if he gets on Shun's case too much, Shun's probably going to react by getting frustrated with it and trying to shut him out. But Ren's been pretty successful with getting him to stop for a few minutes without directly bringing up how tired Shun seems.]

And I hate to say it, but he might have to do this again before it really sinks in that he can't keep doing it.

[Maybe even more than one time. Shun's not going to give up on pushing his limits to the breaking point that easily, not when it's worked out for him relatively okay up until now.]

But you're his friend and his exemplar, Fubuki-kun. Looking after him and pointing out when he's pushing himself too much are exactly what you should be doing. I can try to remind him of that too, if you want.

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