mysteries | ic; i knew you when our common goal was waiting for the world to end

[ It's weird (what isn't) to call Haven peaceful as of late, but the fact is besides Yao making stupid deals to whatever desperate fool takes them and the occasional monster in the tunnel, there's not much to be deeply concerned about, or even to fear if one stays put in the general housing area.

This, however, is paradoxically absolutely terrible for one Yasutomo Arakita, because he's running out of believable excuses to be right in front of Ange's doorstep.

See, it was a lot easier to wave away any questions about why he was there if, say, part of the city had collapsed, or if there was a recent invasion, or if their brains were all infected by viruses that turned them into zombies, he doesn't know or care. The point is, making sure she wasn't dead is a level of caring he's willing to admit publicly, even if the reason for it is a little more reluctantly given.

But on a perfectly tepid and sunny (well, as sunny as a perma-grey sky can get) day with no large crisis happening the week beforehand? Not many people could think of a reason for a guy like Arakita to be hanging around Ange's step like a moron, especially not bringing a can of peaches he found with him. Arakita's coming up short as well, and he really hopes that no one else is around right now ~~to see him standing around like an idiot~~.

...He hates sweets, that's it. That's why. Of course. Even if peaches aren't sweets but they have sugar so it totally counts, okay.

He knocks twice, impatiently, even if it's the first time he's actually knocked.]

...

..Come on, open the door. [Arakita, it's been 15 seconds.]

[ Ange's not entirely too used to visitors. Morgan sometimes pops up to give her some weird kind of present she doesn't understand - a rock, really? who would ever even think of giving a rock as a present to another person - but other than that, it's usually pretty quiet. And she doesn't mind it. Or so she tells herself, anyway.

So it's a little surprising to hear the knocking on the door now. She hesitates, thinking that it's maybe for someone else, but then she hears a very familiar irritated voice. Especially the tone of it is familiar more than anything else, it doesn't take her more than 3 seconds to figure out it's Arakita.

Which makes her curious.. why would he even be here? It's not like there's anything going on as far as she knows.. Ange's eyebrows raise a little as she stares at the door before slowly dragging herself off the bed and over there, opening it.

Her expression is a little bit more flat by the time she faces him, although the hint of surprise is still in there if you know where to look. ]

What, you've started paying me visits too by now? [ Thanks, Ange, really helping him here... ]

[He definitely wasn't beginning to get ever so slightly concerned when the minutes passed on as she was dragging herself off the bed. Absolutely not, and that's not why he feels just a little of the tension in his hackled shoulders let loose when he sees that familiar mop of red hair.

But then she had to go and point out the one topic he was hoping to avoid entirely- the fact that this visit was completely unprompted for any good reason on Arakita's part.

Thinking about why he's here makes him uneasy enough to scowl at himself and avert his eyes for a second... which is probably more than telling, to anyone looking closely. Maybe he did notice the slight trace of surprise in her, but thinking about it is lost in that uneasy feeling.]

Ah? Is that how you greet people? [Arakita, you have absolutely no leg to stand on here. And wow, what a weak initial response.

He notices, don't worry, and is quick to remind himself that he shouldn't be so tepid. And also that he shouldn't keep the """conversation""" in that realm.]

"Too"? You're gettin' a lot of visitors lying around in your house all day?

[....what the fuck was that, Arakita, that almost sounded jealous, shut up you have no reason to be jealous, the only reason for this visit is-

...

.....shit.]

[ All of this is weird. It's weird enough that he's here, and while the snappy reaction itself might not be all that weird - it's very Arakita-y to just yell the first thing that comes to mind, she feels like - but there's something about the tone, and the way he gets so defensive about his reason for coming here.. surely he must have had some reason, right?

It's why Ange blanks for a moment, almost uncertain, before glancing over her shoulder towards the empty room behind her. Yeah, very much no visitors here right now. ]

Who would even bother to visit me? [ At least she's well aware of her status as a friendless loser, thanks.. ] Just come in already if there's really something so important.

[ With a sigh she lets go of the doorframe to turn around and walk back into the apartment instead, leaving the door open so he can come in. ]

[It's a dance between hiding uncertain and surprised looks between them, because Arakita is quick to make sure the expression he makes when he's actually being let in (well, the door's left open, at least) is wiped off his face as soon as possible.

Forcing away any hesitation (why would he hesitate anyway), he slips off his shoes (alright, he isn't completely devoid of all manners) and pockets the can of peaches as if he's trying to hide it (poorly).

Unfortunately that one little stupid insignificant totally not important can is pretty much the only semblance of a reason he has to be here, and he's sure as hell not willing to admit that. So, once again, he avoids the second part of that, because he doesn't have a good, snappy retort to it, and god forbid he looks in any way weak or unsure for just one second.]

Keep saying stupid shit like that and it'll come true, you know.

[Don't follow after her into the house like some kind of dog so easily, moron, what the hell are you doing yasutomo JUST GIVE HER THE DAMN PEACHES-.]

Other people'll start looking for reasons why, 'sides your stiff face. [They wouldn't want to visit her, that is. And wow, idiot, way to say "other" and not include yourself in that.]

[ At least Ange doesn't fully retreat back to the bed. She might have in some company she didn't feel like dealing with, but there's something so odd about all this that she at least wants to pay some attention instead of half falling back to sleep like some sort of huge lazy cat.

So instead she plops down on one of the seats in the common room. It's not like anyone else is around at the moment, so there's no really much need to feel shame over ~having a guy over~ or whatever else might give her roommates reasons to tease. Even if one of her roommates is a wolf and technically can't tease. Details. ]

I don't really care who visits me and who doesn't.

[ Not.. entirely the truth, but whatever, at least let her cling onto that one thing with a lineface here, okay. It's one of the few things she has left.

She rests her elbow on the arm rest, putting her fist against her cheek. ]

Or did you expect me to say "ah, thanks for coming, great Arakita-sama"? [ .. SHIT.. she sounded too rude just now, didn't she. She's actually still sort of (pleasantly) surprised over the visit, but like hell she knows how to express that, so instead this slips out.... play it off coolly, Ange, you wanted to be rude all this time. Clearly.

Yeah. ]

[She does care. Maybe he's not privy to the entire truth, but from his own bitter experience, saying you don't care about people seeing you or caring at all usually means you do. Even so, he can't imagine his company is on her "I do care about visiting" list.

But he's not going to answer that either, because there is no good answer to that. Well, no good answer that keeps Arakita at this strange distance he's been trying to keep, following her into the house and standing in front of her here while refusing to say why he's here or even do anything proactive to move the situation along instead of just barking back at whatever she's saying.

Which is, incidentally, what he does when she once again gives him an out away from the topic of why he's here by saying something like that.

...What the fuck is that, anyway. His cheeks go red for a second there because he's so angry about hearing that, that's it, that's why. There's no other reason they would do that anyway. Nothing related to anything happening here. Nope. Exactly.]

What the hell?! Who do you think I am- some kind of fucking weirdo who's into shit like that?!

[Great, just great. He pauses, clamps up again, and pockets his hands.

He's not a fucking weirdo, at least- well, he's weird for other reasons- but he's a fucking moron for buying into her weird stories- again- and giving her more material (more open spots) for her to poke and prod and tease at. Any other time, and he could deal with it normally. Now, when he's dancing around a giant pit that falls into the void of Why Are You Here, and he certainly doesn't want to give her a stick to push him into it.

Not only that, but if she didn't want him out before and she isn't going to make up another story about this new material, well, she'll probably want him out now. For some reason, he wants that even less than falling into that stupid, stupid pit. ]

Maybe.

[ It would make about as much sense as anything else at this point, considering just how incapable Ange is of recognizing other people's genuine care for her and accepting it as a normal thing.. the reason he's here to begin with is still a big mystery for her, honestly. She just can't imagine someone coming over just to see her.

But she can't think of him as someone with bad intentions either, so that really begs the question of what's going on here. This can't just be the monthly time when Haven goes all weird, right?

So not addressing it feels weird. Sorry, but she's just going to push him face-first right into that void of Why Are You Here. ]

So.. why are you here then? I don't get it. [ At least she admits that much honestly - almost a little too bluntly again. ]

[Goddamnit.

There's really no way around this one, is there. The question is straight up, with no room to dance around it with complaining, or reacting to some ridiculous statement, or something else. He curls up his lip, opens his mouth, closes it again, looks even more frustrated, and then half forces out-]

I wanted-

["...to see you, that's all", no, he's definitely not saying that because that could open up yet another opportunity for mocking in the form of biting sarcasm- or at least that's what his more defensive side is telling him. Someone like him saying that would produce no other reaction, after all.

Still, she promised him that she wouldn't lie to him, and him making something completely false up would be betraying that. He's an asshole sometimes, but he's not an asshole, you know? And definitely not a liar, either.

He pulls out the can of peaches and holds it out to her, not unlike how an embarrassed third grader would hold out a valentine to a girl who's pigtails he's been pulling for the past two weeks.]

...Here. Just take it, alright. You're gettin' too skinny. [And... peaches... will help?]

[ ...

What.

Ange stares at the peaches as if he's holding out a severed arm to her instead - with complete confusion, with her not getting it at all. Sure, Morgan came to bring her presents all the time and it was always stupid stuff like a rock or a flower, but she could just file that under Morgan being Morgan, aka weird as hell.

What is she supposed to file this under.. Arakita bringing her a can of peaches? Telling her to eat since she's looking skinny?

.. What?

In fact, there's honestly nothing else to say to this. Not even any sarcastic deadpan remarks. There's nothing at all but-- ]

What?

[ She's even frowning, as if he's just committed the most not understandable crime ever. ]

[

Fuck.

...Ok, he's offended her, obviously, first and foremost, because that's what he does to everyone- he thought girls hated being called fat not skinny (at least, that's what his little sisters complained about), but what the hell does he know about what girls like and how to make up offending said girls.

Second, his predictions have been confirmed. Yep, he looks like a complete and utter moron holding out the peaches like this, to her, and she can damn well see it.

His first and defensive instinct is to yank his hand back and hide the peaches as soon as humanely possible, followed by pretending that never happened. His second and more forward instinct is the one that he actually acts on, and he- quite literally- shoves the stupid can towards her general person.

You can play this off, Yasutomo. You can-]

It's food, moron! You should eat it, 'cause- 'cause you're probably laying around all day and not eatin' a goddamn thing, are you, ah?! Do you wanna be left weak when the next shitty Yao experiment happens?!

[WAIT NO-]

Tch- it was a pain in the ass to find, so take it already! Haven't you been given anything in your life before?!

[...

You can't play it off, Yasutomo.]

Edited 2015-05-10 08:17 (UTC)

[ It's not like he isn't spot on about his idea that Ange doesn't generally take very good care of himself and skips meals like no tomorrow in a place where it's already hard enough to get food to begin with--

But that still makes his concern foreign to Ange, and she's still just staring at the can for a moment or two more until she feels like he's just going to conk it against her head in his insistence at this rate, so she does take it from his hand (still looking rather mystified about this whole deal though).

It means she stares at the can in her hands for yet another two moments before she finally looks up at his face, trying her damnest to regain some of her composure as she lightly shakes the can. ]

So you see cans nowadays and you instantly think "oh, I should bring this to Ange"?

[ What sort of lapdog does that make you, Arakita.

How is she supposed to deal with that thought to begin with. ]

[One that, when she finally takes the can and then asks a potentially revealing question like that, briefly wants to ~~tuck his tail between his legs and run away~~ growl angrily and storm off because god, she's so wrong, that's so annoying and that isn't what it is at all.

(Correction: He doesn't want to admit that it is exactly that.)

To show how much he Isn't Distressed by this situation, now that the can's out of his hands, he turns to the right and sits his dumb ass down on the other chair near her, with a respectful distance between them.

THAT'LL SHOW HER.

(This is clearly how Arakita shows he Doesn't Care, it seems.)]

Of course that's not it! I just found it when I was looking for food for myself, that's all!

[But that still means you thought of her when you saw it, Arakita.]

Tch- obviously.

[ Exactly, it explains nothing about the fact that he came here running like some dutiful puppy to give it to her instead. And Ange knows it, she's very well aware of it as she glances between the can and him for a few moments. Not that it makes any of this easier to deal with, but still.

So she deals with it in the only way she knows - deflecting, using deadpan. Ange tucks a strand of red hair behind her ear (that's not a nervous tic at all, it was just in the way, okay!! don't misunderstand, etc., etc.) before speaking up, trying to sound as airy as possible. ]

Ah.. that's right, isn't it. A guy like you would never think of a girl like me starving here all by myself.

[ What's that even supposed to mean, Ange... ]

[Even if he was trying to keep his gaze firmly on the empty space in front of him (not out of nervousness or anything), every so often it flits back her way, especially when she starts talking. This time, he actually catches that small, not-nervous-tic.

...Why is she doing that? Not that he particularly cared enough to watch at length, but girls often did that little tic/move/thing when talking to, say, Toudou or Shinkai. The "popular" guys. Like everything else here, it makes him feel more unsure about this.

It meant nothing, he's being a gigantic moron, and there's something more worrisome here anyway.]

Ah? You're starving?

[Hungry and ignoring it out of unwillingness to change it sure, but outright starving was something he could actually, for a brief moment, show more concern about-

until he realizes that once again, he's being played. Jerking his head away from her to focus on the floor, one of his hands shoots out to (surprisingly gently?) land on the top of that red mop of hair before he can even think about it.

It's definitely not a hair ruffle. It's an... aggressive... pet....?]

Don't make jokes about serious shit like that! And don't tell me what I am either!

[Whether or not he's going to admit it to her (or himself, right now), he is exactly the type of guy who'd have invasive thoughts about a stone-faced girl, hungry by herself.]

[ See, if he just fell for it and nothing else this could have played out like usually. She could have disregarded all of this and they could just have had a conversation like they always do, regardless of the can of peaches she's currently clutching with both hands.

But he just had to ruin it. He just had to put his hand on her head like that -- as if it's something normal?! What does he even think he's doing, seriously, she isn't used to that kind of physical contact at all.

After all, the last person who did it, all those years ago.. wasn't it her big brother? That's a totally different sort of thing, and out of sheer tsun instincts she's half tempted to bash in his brain with the can she's holding over this.

She ends up not doing it, sure, but that doesn't mean she doesn't still look just as tsunfrustrated about it. ]

Y-you.. [ Yeah, that definitely breaks any airy tone she was trying to put up just now. ] What do you think you're doing?!

[If anyone's going to recognize an incoming storm of tsunrage, it's Arakita. Then again, all his nerves are pretty much wired at this point (for some reason), so he's looking for any spots that he needs to cover up with defensive aggression.

Like this one, for instant.

He jerks his hand away like Ange's head suddenly burst into flames (it kind of did, actually). Things like ruffling hair, shaking shoulders, punching arms- very normal between friends on a biking team. How could he be that much of a fucking idiot, thinking it'd be normal to do that with her?

He doesn't have a good reason for what he's doing- or what that even was at all]

Nothing! J-- Just eat it, already! [Damn, even if that was half-growled out, that was one hell of a weak response.]

[ Oh no, she's not going to let go of this now. Once the tsun tiger has whipped out its claws, they're not just being retracted again - go big or go home, basically. Or maybe more like once you've blown your deadpan cover, there's no going back to it anymore.

She's even turning to look at him, sitting forward on her chair rather than leaning back, and the can in her hand is definitely clutched there as if it's some sort of weapon rather than a gift. The last defense between her and the invading Concern that she doesn't know how to deal with. ]

Shouldn't you explain yourself first..?! Is this what you've been doing to those five girlfriends of yours?!

[ This is slowly starting to turn into a tsun competition because of it.. ]

[It's surprising, more than surprising, seeing all of this emotion come out of Ange- if this wasn't blowing up in his face and he wasn't necessarily the cause of it, he'd feel something akin to satisfaction- Finally, she's showing some goddamn emotion, demanding something for herself instead of passively taking everything with a deadpan stare.

Unfortunately, it is, in fact, blowing up in his face. His face flushes hot, and it'd be easy to excuse it with acting like it's from anger. It isn't.]

Five girlfriends-?! What the fuck- Where did you get that?! I don't even have one girlfriend, moron! I've never had one!

[Are there even five girls in Haven who would be willing to date him? Fairly easy rhetorical question, that one.

He knows what he just said was embarrassing and lame as all get out, but now that the tsun competition is rolling, the only thing he can do to show that it isn't going to affect him is by plowing forward recklessly. He wishes there was some kind of goal ahead of him that he could barrel towards instead of racing through potential emotional tarpits, but what choice does he have?]

Just-- what the hell were you thinking I was doing anyway, ah?! I told you, I'm not some kind of fucking creepy weirdo like you think I am! I wouldn't- [Shit, no, even if he's this far in the tsun race, he has to stop somewhere, before he reveals just too much.] --goddamnit!

[ It's a good thing she's way too worked up to actually realise he admitted something generally lame that she could easily use against him.. because that "never had one" thing went over her head entirely over here. She's still way too busy metaphorically chucking that can of peaches at his head by now - or at least, they'll be pretty shaken up by the time she actually gets around to eating them. If that will ever happen to begin with at this rate.

And although Arakita is certainly no Amakusa (not even close, and that's a good thing), she can't help but instinctively say-- ]

My father always told me that all men are the same! [ Mostly because he could have known, he is like most other men.. ] S-so.. if you're thinking you can get anything weird by coming to bring me something like this, then put that out of your mind straight away..!

[ Or maybe some people don't just think in terms of gain, Ange, that's also possible... ]

[It's a war of instinct here, because his response comes out just as impulsively and suddenly.]

Hah?! You actually believe bullshit like that? You think I gave you that stupid can because I wanted you to fucking sleep with me or something?!

[A particular trait of Arakita is he's always saying what hasn't been said, and in pretty much the most direct, blunt form possible... when what isn't being said isn't about him or, god forbid, his feelings.

Mixing this in with a firey blaze of mutually assured tsun destruction, when everything is suddenly being revealed, is a recipe for disaster, and even he can see that.

Now there's no hiding with anger or frustration the way his cheeks burn ugly hot and red, he looks so fucking stupid, he is so fucking stupid, she's stupid, this is stupid, everything is stupid.]

What the hell, Ushiromiya. A can of peaches for that? Seriously? [More forcibly, from the grumble the rest of that was.] Like I'd pull a shitty move like that!

[And back to the half growl, half grumble.]

That's not why I gave you it, moron.

[ To be fair, she has totally met guys that would do stuff like this just for that purpose.

But to be fair, she technically knows better than to think Arakita is like that as well for many reasons - but all rationality disappears the moment the tsun starts, so she's not really thinking too much of it. It's only when he repeatedly points out that it's a stupid idea that it gets through her mind that okay, maybe accusing him of that really was a stupid idea.

It doesn't change anything about the fact that the color of her cheeks matches the color of her hair though as she glances away from him with a frown, though. ]

Then why did you give me it?

[ She's not too sure if she should expect a straight answer or not, but it would sure make this whole situation a lot easier.

(Or a lot harder, actually, but it doesn't really feel yet like it could get harder at this point.) ]

[Could she really think of no other reason? Even Arakita's guarded, bitter heart could see that was sort of-- sad. Thinking that's the only reason he'd give it to her. He's more than insulted, being the reactionary person that he is, but considering the context of her fucked up past that he's heard so far, it's.. something.]

I already told you, it's 'cause you're looking too damn skinny! Just believe that already!

[But he knows that's not what she's asking for. She's asking for his intentions, his feelings behind it, and thinking about telling the actual truth behind those is enough for him to change his tone from "aggressive growl" to "attempted aside mutter".]

I... Forget it. It's stupid. [He's stupid for considering these feelings that could lead absolutely nowhere but trouble, and she'd think he's more stupid than he actually is if she heard them.] But I'm not tryin' for that, alright. Obviously.

[If- IF he was, theoretically, wanting something from her even remotely related to that area (what the fuck are romantic feelings, he doesn't know), he'd make that clear if the situation presented itself. Theoretically. He totally wouldn't dance around it, trying to get a read on her with second-long glances through an embarrassed, narrowed gaze, and fidgeting with his hands.

...It should really be obvious that he's never had a girlfriend.]

[ This is just awkward on all fronts. This is what happens when socially challenged people try to actually go beyond their usual ridiculous interactions - it's just something that shouldn't happen for anyone involved in the whole mess.

In fact, Ange isn't even sure what to say back to that. The truth is that she thinks better of Arakita (when she's not reacting with tsun instinct, anyway) than to think he would just do something like that, yeah.

But saying that? No man, that's way too hard. Especially when she's already embarrassed on top of it, no need to make it worse. So her gaze wanders (to anything but him) for a moment, trying to settle on something to distract herself with. But.. well, there's only the can. Which is a stupid option, but it's better than nothing, so she manages to peel it open with her nails due to the shitty shape most of the cans around are in anyway, let alone cans shaken all around by Arakita as he tried to tsun-offer it to her, and after getting part of the cover off she shoves a peach into her mouth. It's a good excuse to not say anything in return right away, okay, shut up.

(It's pretty good, the peach. Especially to someone whose eating habits suck.)

Instead she just wordlessly holds out the can to him, as if she's telling him to take one as well. ]

Then don't make yourself look so stupid.

[It's not like he's been continuously swiping glances at her, and it's not like he's actually somewhat happy to see her open and eat the fucking peaches, so it's not like he's taken aback by the sudden, wordless offer.]

It's for you, moron.

[That tiny bit of caring implied in that statement, however, is enough to make him fall back on tsun defense- quick, Arakita, cover it up before she reads too much into the meaning behind it. Making himself look stupid indeed. So he clicks his tongue, and swipes a peach from the can like a cat suddenly extending a paw to grab at a piece of string. He pops it into his mouth, chews, and crinkles his nose.]

Geh- too sweet.

[Not that it's objectively bad, but he's never liked sweet things all that much anyway.

...

...What the actual hell is he doing?

He's chewing on something way too sweet, avoiding being caught stealing glances and dancing around something that's obvious (to him, at least, as much as he hates to admit it) but unsaid. Theoretically nothing, he's in a situation where he's acting like a coward unwilling to look at himself and what he's doing here. There are walls, walls that have been holding him back (like, say, the inevitable and obvious rejection he's going to face, because it's him- of course), but since when did he let walls in front of him tell him what he was going to do when faced with a challenge?

Fuck it. He'll say it (something about it) and then deal with the consequences instead of floundering around it like an idiot 16 year old again.]

...Oi, Ushiromiya.

gets in the car with 5 (obvs) + 13 + 17 + the most painfully awkward 16 + 25

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