mathquail

[mathquail]

kawaiiwamine:

Hitori’s charisma certainly worked, because all Shuu could register was the blood rushing in his ears and his heart trying to thump out of his chest. “That’s not a boring answer at all. Sea otters are very cute. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing them too.”

He wondered for a few minutes if he could conjure a fact about sea otters to impress Hitori with, but ended up deciding that he should save it for when they actually see them. “I feel like I’m going to end up rambling about all the facts I know about the animals… You’ll let me know if I bore you, right?” He said it jokingly, but he also had difficulty telling when he was going on too much, so he really did hope that Hitori would keep him in check. He didn’t want to bore his boyfriend, especially not on a date, especially not their first date.

“Oh.” He stopped suddenly and glanced at his phone. “I think we’re here.” He examined a modest-looking but still charming restaurant they had stopped near. “Yes, this is it.” He stood there for a beat, feeling slightly awkward now, but the realization of what to do soon struck. He went and held the door for Hitori, giving him the best smile he could manage, hoping he seemed charming. “After you!”

Hitori was relieved that Shuu didn’t think his taste is too boring. Shuu knew about so many strange and amazing animals, so liking something merely for being cute seemed shallow and pedestrian by comparison. But that was just Hitori’s insecurity talking and something that didn’t really matter. Of course Shuu wasn’t going to judge him for it. Right.

He didn’t like to hear Shuu deprecate himself. "You’re not going to bore me. If it happens, I can say something, but I don’t think going to happen. You don’t do yourself any good by making up problems to worry over before anything even happens.”

Hitori grinned back at Shuu holding open the door and walked through, then bowed his head towards Shuu in acknowledgement.

Aquarium Date - closed RP with @mathquail

Shuu was more excited than he had been in... well, he couldn’t remember when he was more excited than this. He was finally going on a date - his first, real, proper one ever - something he’d been hoping to experience for some time. And of all people, it was with his best friend in the world, too. He felt like the luckiest person alive, and standing in the warm sunlight outside the aquarium, he basked in the feeling of contentedness. He felt a little younger somehow, like new life had been breathed into him.

Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t a bit jittery. His excitement for the date caused his nerves to be wracked with anticipation. He had agonized that morning over just how to dress; he wasn’t sure what dress code Hitori was expecting, and he didn’t want to over or under do it. He’d ended up leaning towards what he considered to be his safe fallback: ‘nice, but simple’. Today that was a blue button-up, black tie and black slacks. He'd also opted to let the wig Hitori’d gotten him stay down instead of putting it up, but he did use foam rollers to give it a loose beach wave. He wasn’t always brimming with confidence, but he thought it was a fairly classy look, and he hoped that Hitori would agree.

He had arrived early, thirty minutes early in fact, because he dreaded to think that something could come up to delay him, and his nerves weren’t letting him sit still anyway. But it was no matter; they had planned to find somewhere to eat first, so he passed the time by sitting on a bench and browsing nearby restaurants on his phone, occasionally glancing up and around to see if he could spot his date approaching.

[mathquail]

anti honesty: what do you think of that nice shuu fellow 🤔

"He’s the worst. I absolutely can’t stand him and... Um, I never want to see him again. He’s just so... needlessly cruel. And lazy! I definitely don’t want to hold him tight and give him lots of kisses.”

[mathquail]

Anti-honesty hour. Ask me anything and I will respond with blatant lies.

[mathquail]

kawaiiwamine:

Shuu smiled and nodded at Hitori’s choice, although he wouldn’t have been unhappy with whatever he picked. “Sounds good!” He chose the restaurant and glanced at the route laid out on his phone, taking a moment to memorize it. It would be simple to get there, but he set his phone to follow the route just in case they wanted to double-check it anyway.

“Alright, let’s go.” So he started leading away, and almost immediately felt the pressure of the date return. He had to stop himself from glancing nervously at Hitori every few steps, wondering if he was supposed to be doing something different or not, or if yes, then what? He did glance at Hitori’s hand once or twice, wondering if he should try to hold it or if he was jumping the gun. The date just started. We’re not even at the restaurant yet. Slow your roll. Then, a new thought: Don’t clam up. Talk to him, dummy!

“So, um, are you excited for the aquarium? What part are you looking forward to the most? The touch tank is always great, but I think they have some jellyfish tanks, and I bet those will be very pretty. But I’m excited for all of it, honestly…” Which should have come as no surprise, considering his strong interest in marine biology.

Hitori followed in step with Shuu, looking around at the shops and offices they walked by without focusing on any in particular. Just taking in the surroundings. He glanced back at Shuu every so often, once or twice catching his eyes.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Hitori answered, finding himself embarrassed with his own answer. “That’s not to say I’m not excited! I guess I just... assumed that the people at the aquarium picked out some good fish and other underwater animals and I’d find out what they were when we got there?" He laughed nervously.

“Jellyfish are beautiful, though. I’d be fine being mesmerized by them for a long moment. And, uh, this might be a boring answer, but I have a soft spot for sea otters? They’re cute. But again, I’m sure there will all kinds of cool things that I wouldn’t even think to think of. I’m just along for the ride.” Hitori aimed a grin at Shuu that he hoped was charismatic enough for Shuu to forgive his thoughtlessness.

Aquarium Date - closed RP with @mathquail

Shuu was more excited than he had been in... well, he couldn’t remember when he was more excited than this. He was finally going on a date - his first, real, proper one ever - something he’d been hoping to experience for some time. And of all people, it was with his best friend in the world, too. He felt like the luckiest person alive, and standing in the warm sunlight outside the aquarium, he basked in the feeling of contentedness. He felt a little younger somehow, like new life had been breathed into him.

Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t a bit jittery. His excitement for the date caused his nerves to be wracked with anticipation. He had agonized that morning over just how to dress; he wasn’t sure what dress code Hitori was expecting, and he didn’t want to over or under do it. He’d ended up leaning towards what he considered to be his safe fallback: ‘nice, but simple’. Today that was a blue button-up, black tie and black slacks. He'd also opted to let the wig Hitori’d gotten him stay down instead of putting it up, but he did use foam rollers to give it a loose beach wave. He wasn’t always brimming with confidence, but he thought it was a fairly classy look, and he hoped that Hitori would agree.

He had arrived early, thirty minutes early in fact, because he dreaded to think that something could come up to delay him, and his nerves weren’t letting him sit still anyway. But it was no matter; they had planned to find somewhere to eat first, so he passed the time by sitting on a bench and browsing nearby restaurants on his phone, occasionally glancing up and around to see if he could spot his date approaching.

[mathquail]

Does the idea of Nageki moving out scare you?

“...”

“...I know it’ll probably happen, eventually. I’m not looking forward to it. Things were really difficult for a while when he was asleep. Rationally, I know that the difficult things weren’t all that happened and that a lot of why my life is so much better now is because of things I started doing before he woke up. I know that.”

“I don’t want to go back to where I was, but it won’t be like that. I’ll even still be able to see and talk to Nageki. And as much as I worry about him, he’s been growing up. He shouldn’t be helpless without me. And, of course, I’ll be there if he needs me for anything. I always want to do everything I can for him. It should all work out.”

“And I have Shuu. So, hopefully, things will go well and I won’t have to live alone.”

“We’ll figure this out. I’m sure we’ll figure this out.”

[mathquail]

kawaiiwamine:

Shuu’s heart thumped when he looked up and saw Hitori coming,  butterflies suddenly fluttering in his stomach. Suddenly this all felt  very real. Of course Shuu knew that they were going on a date but now it  hit him again that it was actually happening.

He stood up and  went to go meet Hitori, even though his legs felt like jelly for some  reason. He was also a bit hot, too, a similar kind of feeling to if he  were about to go present on stage. He even felt like he must have been  blushing as he said, “Hi. It’s good to see you too.” Hitori’s compliment  made him grin and want to turn away bashfully. The thumping in his  heart intensified. “Ah, thank you… You look good, too. You always do.”

He  wasn’t sure why he was acting like such a nervous teenager. He and  Hitori and hung out plenty of times, so he felt a little silly to be so  dramatic about it now. But now it was a date, their first date, his first  date, and so everything was recontextualized. It was new and exciting  and much more serious. Shuu was no longer expected to be just a friend  to Hitori, but a boyfriend as well, which was something he’d never tried  before - but he had already resolved to simply try his best. He  supposed, in fairness to himself, that it made sense for him to feel a  little bit like a teenager, since he’d never had the opportunity to have  these sorts of experiences when he actually was one.

“So, well,”  he cleared his throat, “we were going to find somewhere to eat, right?”  He glanced at his phone. “I’ve already been doing some looking. It seems  like there’s a traditional Japanese restaurant not even a fifteen  minute walk from here, and a sushi place, too. I also found a  steakhouse, and an Italian restaurant, both maybe twenty minutes away.  Oh! And um, a French one, too, even.” There were plenty of options in  the area, thankfully. “Do any of those sound good to you? I’m fine with  any of them, so…”

Shuu was incredibly cute when he was blushing. It was wild that Hitori’s boyfriend was this cute. If Hitori was a different kind of person, with less self control, it might have made him squeal. And when Shuu said Hitori always looked good, well, he was a little caught off guard, honestly. No one could fault him for blushing in return. “Thank you. I could say the same for you.”

Hitori was impressed by how much Shuu looked into the food around here and how thoughtfully he laid out what he’d found. Hitori’s approach would’ve been to walk in one direction until they saw something that didn’t look too expensive.

He considered the options. A closer location would probably be better, that might let them have more time before they got tired at the aquarium. And between the sushi and the less specific Japanese-style restaurant... sushi places typically had everyone sitting at one bar, where the other would likely have separate tables. Separate tables would feel better for trying to have a serious conversation. Hitori didn’t want to push Shuu to talk about gender if he wasn’t comfortable, but he didn’t want to put it off until he forgot, either. “The traditional Japanese restaurant sounds good.”

Aquarium Date - closed RP with @mathquail

Shuu was more excited than he had been in... well, he couldn’t remember when he was more excited than this. He was finally going on a date - his first, real, proper one ever - something he’d been hoping to experience for some time. And of all people, it was with his best friend in the world, too. He felt like the luckiest person alive, and standing in the warm sunlight outside the aquarium, he basked in the feeling of contentedness. He felt a little younger somehow, like new life had been breathed into him.

Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t a bit jittery. His excitement for the date caused his nerves to be wracked with anticipation. He had agonized that morning over just how to dress; he wasn’t sure what dress code Hitori was expecting, and he didn’t want to over or under do it. He’d ended up leaning towards what he considered to be his safe fallback: ‘nice, but simple’. Today that was a blue button-up, black tie and black slacks. He'd also opted to let the wig Hitori’d gotten him stay down instead of putting it up, but he did use foam rollers to give it a loose beach wave. He wasn’t always brimming with confidence, but he thought it was a fairly classy look, and he hoped that Hitori would agree.

He had arrived early, thirty minutes early in fact, because he dreaded to think that something could come up to delay him, and his nerves weren’t letting him sit still anyway. But it was no matter; they had planned to find somewhere to eat first, so he passed the time by sitting on a bench and browsing nearby restaurants on his phone, occasionally glancing up and around to see if he could spot his date approaching.

[mathquail]

Ask my muse personal questions!

Time to pry into their life.

[mathquail]

"GIVE me your boyfriend"

“That’s not my decision to make. Shuu doesn’t belong to me. He’s his own person. That said, I’d prefer to continue dating him.”

[mathquail]

Hitori got off at the bus stop closest to the aquarium and walked to meet his date. He was around five minutes early, having checked the bus and train schedules ahead of time for punctuality.

When he spotted Shuu in the distance already for him, he quickened his pace. It was going to be a wonderful day, out on his first proper date with his old friend and new boyfriend. Hitori couldn’t help but grin. Shuu was nicely dressed and, while Hitori wasn’t much for fashion, he could tell that Shuu had put thought into how he looked by his hair. (Sure, it was a wig, but it still counted as Shuu’s hair, as far as Hitori was concerned.) Hitori was used to seeing it tied back and straight, but now it was down and wavy. While he didn’t want to impose labels on Shuu that he didn’t want, it struck him as a more feminine style. Hitori wondered if today he would find time to bring up what Shuu said about Hitori being more of a man than him and broach that conversation about gender.

Hitori also worried vaguely that he’s too dressed down compared to Shuu, but dismissed the fear as unnecessary. His outfit isn’t any less formal than what he typically wears to work and Shuu never bothered him over that. He’s dressed more warmly than the weather calls for, with a dull green cardigan over his black t-shirt. He suspected it would be cold in aquarium, so he’d opted for being too warm now instead of too cold later.

“Hello! It’s good to see you,” Hitori said, “Your hair looks nice, I can tell that you took the time to style it.”

Aquarium Date - closed RP with @mathquail

Shuu was more excited than he had been in… well, he couldn’t remember when he was more excited than this. He was finally going on a date - his first, real, proper one ever - something he’d been hoping to experience for some time. And of all people, it was with his best friend in the world, too. He felt like the luckiest person alive, and standing in the warm sunlight outside the aquarium, he basked in the feeling of contentedness. He felt a little younger somehow, like new life had been breathed into him.

Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t a bit jittery. His excitement for the date caused his nerves to be wracked with anticipation. He had agonized that morning over just how to dress; he wasn’t sure what dress code Hitori was expecting, and he didn’t want to over or under do it. He’d ended up leaning towards what he considered to be his safe fallback: ‘nice, but simple’. Today that was a blue button-up, black tie and black slacks. He’d also opted to let the wig Hitori’d gotten him stay down instead of putting it up, but he did use foam rollers to give it a loose beach wave. He wasn’t always brimming with confidence, but he thought it was a fairly classy look, and he hoped that Hitori would agree.

He had arrived early, thirty minutes early in fact, because he dreaded to think that something could come up to delay him, and his nerves weren’t letting him sit still anyway. But it was no matter; they had planned to find somewhere to eat first, so he passed the time by sitting on a bench and browsing nearby restaurants on his phone, occasionally glancing up and around to see if he could spot his date approaching.

[mathquail]

kawaiiwamine:

Shuu hangs back and sips on his tea while Hitori gets ready to leave, not wanting to seem like he’s rushing him out the door (because he’s certainly not). He sets his cup down and meets Hitori at the door to see him off.

“Thank you again for everything.” It feels right to bookend Hitori’s visit by thanking him once more for the reason he came in the first place. “I hope you know how much it helps. I don’t know what I’d have done if you hadn’t come.” He’d have hated to have had to go out in public with short hair, and even just in private, the wig is helping his sanity. “I know I’ve said that a lot already, but I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t say it just one more time before you go.”

He smiles gently. “Anyway, I’ll see you at our date, then? I’m looking forward to it very much. I still almost can’t believe that it’s happening.”

“Yes, we’ll see each other then! It’ll be great.”

There’s a childish part of Hitori that isn’t ready to leave just yet. He knows he has to, he just said all the reasons why. He’s just caught up in the gentle euphoria of his love.

“Again, I’m glad I could be here to help. It’s good being with you. I’ll see you again soon.” He waves and turns around, leaves Shuu’s apartment. He’s still smiling, still feeling good. He texts Nageki that he’s coming home and then continues on his way.

Shuu's calling, and he doesn't even give Hitori time to say hello when he answers. "Hitori! Hitori I need your help! Right now! Please!!" His voice is hoarse like he'd been crying. "I need you to- to buy me a... wig. Please. I don't care what it looks like, it just needs to be long. I'll pay you back for it when you get here. In cash. I'll give you double whatever it costs! I promise! I know this is inconvenient, and... sounds really silly... but please, it's important to me."

Hitori flashes through a whole spectrum of emotions in a few moments. First he’s irritated and miserable, then afraid for Shuu, then relieved, then guilty for feeling relieved, then determined to make things right.

“Yes, of course! I’ll pick something up—the best wig I can find—and I’ll be over as soon as possible. I promise.

“Oh, thank god you’re back. I’m so glad you’re back.” He’s crying and when he inhales, it’s loud enough to be noticeable over the phone.

[mathquail]

kawaiiwamine:

Shuu understands what Hitori means. Even when they’re apart, knowing that Hitori is out there, thinking of him, caring for him, is comforting on its own. He’s glad that he can provide that for Hitori in return.

The intimate gesture makes him blush, and he watches like he’s almost not sure it’s real. It’s a very small thing, but still so new and exciting. Small things like this are things that Shuu has wanted to experience for a while but wasn’t sure if he ever would, so he silently promises to himself that he’ll treasure every one. When Hitori lets go of his hand, Shuu tries to remember the feeling of his lips on his knuckles before it fades (and wonders briefly how they’d feel on his own lips). Every moment like this is invaluable.

“Thank you.” He means that. He still struggles a lot with asking for help - it’s doubtful that he would have called Hitori if he thought he could have gotten the wig himself - so hearing Hitori say out loud that Shuu can reach out to him feels important. Maybe he’ll get better about asking for help the more he’s reminded that he can and should, especially if he’s going to offer the same courtesy to Hitori.

“I’m really looking forward to our date. I can’t wait.” He feels the urge to blurt out an ‘I love you’; it’s so strongly on his mind that it jumps onto his tongue and he has to bite down on it just in time. He can’t let himself screw something up and ruin this, and he’s not sure exactly how this is supposed to work, but before their first date certainly must be too early, right? He feels a slight pressure as he thinks about how, even if he feels that he and Hitori go well together, romance is a new experience for him that will take a lot of effort to get right. He just hopes that he’ll correctly recognize the right moment when it does arrive.

Shuu is incredibly cute when he blushes. If you were to ask Hitori, that's basically an objective truth. He feels an intense desire to hold and kiss his boyfriend, but he knows this isn’t the time for that. He was just about to leave, after all. Anyway, if just a kiss on the back of the hand could make Shuu blush, Hitori certainly didn’t want to do anything that might overwhelm him. It’ll happen another time, surely. They have their whole futures ahead of them.

Hitori drinks one last gulp of tea. “I’m excited, too. It’ll be fun. Just being with you is nice.”

He stands up, leaving his mostly finished tea on the table. He pats the outside of his pockets to make sure he has what he needs. His phone, his wallet, his keys... yes, they’re all in place. Once he’s sure that he has everything he came with (plus the money Shuu payed him back, minus the wig), he heads to the apartment door. He stops just in front of it to put on his shoes and let Shuu catch up with him.

Shuu's calling, and he doesn't even give Hitori time to say hello when he answers. "Hitori! Hitori I need your help! Right now! Please!!" His voice is hoarse like he'd been crying. "I need you to- to buy me a... wig. Please. I don't care what it looks like, it just needs to be long. I'll pay you back for it when you get here. In cash. I'll give you double whatever it costs! I promise! I know this is inconvenient, and... sounds really silly... but please, it's important to me."

Hitori flashes through a whole spectrum of emotions in a few moments. First he’s irritated and miserable, then afraid for Shuu, then relieved, then guilty for feeling relieved, then determined to make things right.

“Yes, of course! I’ll pick something up—the best wig I can find—and I’ll be over as soon as possible. I promise.

“Oh, thank god you’re back. I’m so glad you’re back.” He’s crying and when he inhales, it’s loud enough to be noticeable over the phone.

[mathquail]

owner of a stretch of a river posted a sign… ‘no fishing’… but the birds can’t read… nor should they!

What do they care  for man’s claims over nature’s bounty!

[mathquail]

[mathquail]

The „Swimming Pool“, a hole in a salt lake in the Danakil Desert, Ethiopia [4000x6000] [OC] - Author: stefangeorgaxel on reddit

[mathquail]

kawaiiwamine:

Shuu can’t help but be sad at the idea of Hitori leaving, even just a little. Although their deep conversation has certainly kept him occupied, he still feels raw from everything that happened - but he’s certainly much better now than he was before. At this point it’s more of a matter of needing to unwind and attempt to move on emotionally than anything else.

He finds himself imagining a future where Hitori doesn’t have to leave him to go home because Hitori’s home and Shuu’s home are the same, but he keeps that in his head and hopes it doesn’t make him blush. Part of him feels impatient - guilty, even - for jumping ahead like that in his mind. There’s plenty of road in between then and now. Still, it’s not bad to look forward to things, right?

“I’ll be fine. I can’t keep you here all day, and besides, I’m in a much better mood now than I was last night. I think I just need to relax and try to keep my mind off things.” He fiddles with a lock of the wig’s hair as he says it.

When he’s distracted enough, he can almost forgot that his real hair is almost all gone. And when he remembers, it still hurts, but knowing that he has this wig is comforting. As long as anyone who’s not Hitori doesn’t see him without it, he can cope. He resists saying ‘thank you’ since he’s done it more than enough already, but he takes a moment to silently appreciate how lucky he is to have a friend like Hitori. A boyfriend, even.

“I’ll be okay.” He says that almost more to convince himself than anything else, but it works. Losing his hair is absolutely awful, but it’s not the worst thing in the world, and it will get better with time. Saying the statement out loud feels affirming. I’ll be okay.

He remembers that Hitori must have been pretty distressed by what he experienced, too. He hopes that Hitori also feels better now, and that he knows that he can talk to Shuu if he wants to. Just in case, he decides to say it: “Don’t hesitate to call me though if you want to talk, though, right? I’m sure you already know that, but… It’s worth saying.”

When Shuu says he can handle himself, Hitori nods with a sympatheic expression. He trusts Shuu to be honest about being able to manage on his own, but Hitori can’t help but be a little worried for him. But it wouldn’t do either of them any good for Hitori to stick around to worry over every discomfort Shuu could possibly have, as much as he is tempted to.

Hitori continues drinking his tea as Shuu talks, trying to finish as much as he can before he leaves, not wanting to be wasteful after asking for it.

“Thank you. I think I’ll be alright, but it’s good to know you’re there.” He doesn’t cascade into saying how grateful he is to have his boyfriend back, but he’s thinking about it. Shuu is here. He’s here and he’s himself and they will continue to have this. The momentary shock was only that.

Perhaps moved by sentimentality, Hitori reaches for Shuu’s hand, raising it to his lips and lightly kissing the back of Shuu’s fingers. Really, It just feels like an appropriate thing to do and Hitori wants to do it, so he does. He doesn’t think about why.

He let’s go of Shuu’s hand. “This has been nice. We’ll see each other soon, regardless, but I’ll also be around if you need anything.”

Shuu's calling, and he doesn't even give Hitori time to say hello when he answers. "Hitori! Hitori I need your help! Right now! Please!!" His voice is hoarse like he'd been crying. "I need you to- to buy me a... wig. Please. I don't care what it looks like, it just needs to be long. I'll pay you back for it when you get here. In cash. I'll give you double whatever it costs! I promise! I know this is inconvenient, and... sounds really silly... but please, it's important to me."

Hitori flashes through a whole spectrum of emotions in a few moments. First he’s irritated and miserable, then afraid for Shuu, then relieved, then guilty for feeling relieved, then determined to make things right.

“Yes, of course! I’ll pick something up—the best wig I can find—and I’ll be over as soon as possible. I promise.

“Oh, thank god you’re back. I’m so glad you’re back.” He’s crying and when he inhales, it’s loud enough to be noticeable over the phone.

[mathquail]

kawaiiwamine:

Knowing things about Hitori that no one else does is intimate in a way that Shuu holds close to his heart. He’s always struggled to feel close to people, so the idea that there’s a side of Hitori that only he’s privy to is a valuable treasure. He supposes that that will only become more true as their relationship develops.

It’s a two-way street too, of course. “You know a lot about me that I don’t think anyone else does either. It’s nice to be known.” But a little frightening, too. Shuu thinks of all the things that Hitori doesn’t know (or that Shuu assumes he doesn’t know, at least) and wonders whether they’ll come to light, or if they should. He only really realizes right now that it will become much more likely with the advancement of their relationship, and a small part of him can’t help but feel on-edge.

On the bright side, maybe the conversation they’ve just had was good practice for being more open. It’s not as though it’s been unpleasant thus far.

“I don’t mind,” he says earnestly. “I appreciate that we can talk like this. I don’t have these kinds of conversations with anyone else. That being said, we have plenty of time to talk like this whenever we want, right? And also, I’ve been meaning to ask: what, uh-” He shifts in place almost like a shy teen. “What were your plans for today?” He adds soberly, “I know I kind of put you through enough last night as it is…”

“There’s really no need to apologize. I wanted to see you and check in. It’s what made sense, given the circumstances. If I thought you were going to make a habit of unexpectedly calling me over in the evening, that would be a problem, but I don’t expect you will.” What he’s saying is serious, but his tone is light and casual. He’s trying to lift some of the weight of guilt off of Shuu, after all.

“Well, that said, I did intend on doing the laundry and just general tidying up today. So… things that ought to get done soon enough, but aren’t especially time sensitive. Still, I should plan on getting home today, shouldn’t I?” He jokingly exaggerates his hesitance to return home in his tone. “I do want to get back to Nageki and get that stuff done, though. Do you think you’re in a place to be alright when I leave?”

Hitori had been absorbed enough in conversation that he hadn’t been thinking about the time. That’s a little embarrassing. If what he needed to here was done, then it’s about time he should shift his focus back to other responsibilities. As nice as this was, it was also true that he and Shuu would have plenty more time to talk about all sorts of things in the future. No need to try to cram that all in now.

Shuu's calling, and he doesn't even give Hitori time to say hello when he answers. "Hitori! Hitori I need your help! Right now! Please!!" His voice is hoarse like he'd been crying. "I need you to- to buy me a... wig. Please. I don't care what it looks like, it just needs to be long. I'll pay you back for it when you get here. In cash. I'll give you double whatever it costs! I promise! I know this is inconvenient, and... sounds really silly... but please, it's important to me."

Hitori flashes through a whole spectrum of emotions in a few moments. First he’s irritated and miserable, then afraid for Shuu, then relieved, then guilty for feeling relieved, then determined to make things right.

“Yes, of course! I’ll pick something up—the best wig I can find—and I’ll be over as soon as possible. I promise.

“Oh, thank god you’re back. I’m so glad you’re back.” He’s crying and when he inhales, it’s loud enough to be noticeable over the phone.

[mathquail]