#But uh... here's the reply. Ta-dah! xD;;

[muppenthings]

So I had an ask about Merry and 1C for the expression prompt. I might have deleted it by accident. But. Here they are in all their glory, talking to Tide about something exciting. xD

[darkisucksanditwrites]

Chance meeting

for @tetsucchin, kikasa + balloons. idk why you ask me for kikasa since I cant write them for life but here goes XD 

“Stop pulling me. I said-Taichi. STOP!”

Yukio wrung his hand free from his younger brother’s grasp and glared.

The younger boy stomped his foot and returned the look with his own. Yukio felt as if he was looking in the mirror for a moment.

“What’s up with you? Do you want to go home so soon?”

“No!”

“Don’t shout.” Yukio bit back and felt his brow twitch. They just got off a carousel and he was feeling a bit queasy. He didn’t need to add headache to the mix.

Yukio sighed and told himself to calm down.

“What’s up.” He tried to be patient. Taichi was only eight and their dad promised to take him to the new amusement park on the weekend, but work came up and Yukio being the next of make kin (his other brother could barely sit yet) was granted this wonderful privilege.

Yeah. Right.

Taichi was obviously disappointed, since he wanted to go with dad and not with his older brother (it seemed that the age of ‘my older brother is the coolest’ still haven’t arrived, or Taichi just didn’t get the memo), and because he turned out to be too young for most of the rides, so they had to attend more of the kiddie stuff which just left him bored and frustrated.

Yukio could basically feel the humiliation radiating from him.

“Hey. What do you want? Tell me.” He nudged the smaller boy.

“A balloon.”

Yukio blinked.

Taichi pointed to a nearby stall.

“Don’t point.” He lowered his hand. “That’s rude.”

He looked at Taichi and then at the stall again.

“You sure? I thought you were too old for the pony carousel, but you want a balloon?” Yukio wasn’t trying to mock him, but the boy looked away, his cheeks lightly dusting.

“Nevermind then.” He mumbled.

“I didn’t say no.” Yukio shook his head and sighed. “Come on.”

They had to wait in a sizable line during which Taichi got bored and twitchy. Yukio couldn’t blame him, but he was starting to disturb other people so he grabbed him by his hoodie collar.

“Stop that.” He hissed. “Next time I’m leaving you with Shu and mom.”

“He’s a baby.” Taichi said the word with such contempt and offence Yukio couldn’t help but snort.

“And you are starting to behave like one. Maybe next time I’ll put you in a carriage.”

Taichi stuck out his tongue at Yukio who pulled at his ear.

“You shouldn’t act like that to your parents.”

Both Yukio and Taichi looked up and saw a tall, blonde collage student who was minding the stall.  

“He’s not my dad!” Taichi replied scandalized and Yukio tugged at his hoodie, trying to discipline him at least a little.

“I’m his older brother.” Yukio clarified and then grunted. “What do you want.” He nudged Taichi with his knee. “And be quick.”

The boy glared at Yukio and then turned around to the stall, ready to place his order when the blonde guy gasped loudly.

“What? What’s wrong?” Yukio said alarmed.

“Senpai!”

Yukio raised an eyebrow at that.

“Excuse me?”

The guy stared at him in shock.

“It’s me!”

“Huh?”

“Kise! Your junior. From college?”

Kasamatsu blinked and then narrowed his eyes.

College wasn’t that long ago, but still there were a few years separating him from that moment in his life. He frowned trying to remember.

Kise’s wide smile turned into a pout in an instant when Kasamatsu didn’t show recognition.

“I can’t believe you don’t remember me.”

“Uh, sorry.” Kasamatsu shrugged. “Where you on the team?”

“No.” Kise said disappointed and sighed. “I wanted to join, but I got injured in high school. But I attended all your, I mean the your team’s games.” He said proudly.

“Huh, thanks.” Yukio said and fell silent.

“Wait. How was I supposed to remember you then?” He asked suddenly.

To his surprise the tall guy, who oozed self confidence and a little bit of arrogance too, turned sheepish.

“I joined one of your study groups one time.” He finally said.

Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow.

“My study group? What for?”

Kise looked away and Yukio thought his face changed color from normal pale to slight pink.

“Nevermind senpai.”

“Don’t call me that.” Yukio snapped, embarrassed. “I haven’t been a senpai in years.”

“Doesn’t matter! You’re still a senpai to me.”

Yukio felt a slight twitch of annoyance in his shoulders. He really wanted to shove or jab the kid with an elbow. He cleared his throat and composed himself.

“What was the study group about?”

“Advanced sports medicine. Terribly boring.”

Yukio snorted.

“Well that’s what you get for attending a senior’s study grou-“ He stopped when realization hit him.

“Kise?!”

“Me?”

“Yes you! You’re that Kise!”

Kise blinked.

“Pardon?”

“Oh.” Kasamatsu drawled while shaking slightly. “I remember you know.”

He changed a bit and they haven’t seen each other in more than a year, but he remembered him now.

“You disturbed the study group. Every. Time.”  Yukio remembered vividly the female students giggling while Kise flirted with them , or even when he was ignoring them too.

Even when he tried to pay attention, he was still a nuisance.

He also had an annoying habit of obnoxiously greeting Kasamatsu every time they saw each other. How could he even forget someone like Kise?

“Aaahhh.” Kise laughed nervously, straightened up and put some distance between himself and Yukio. “I remember. Sorry about that.”

Yukio felt a vein twitch in his neck.

“I had to retake that exam.”

“Sorry.” Kise smiled.

Yukio opened his mouth but then Kise clapped his hands.

“Right. The order. What will it be young man?” He asked Taichi who was beginning to get restless again.

“A horse.” The boy answered without a beat.

Kise blinked.

“What?”

Taichi crossed his arms over his chest.

“I want a horse. Like that one. ” He pointed to the horse shaped balloon flying over their heads as a prop.

“Riiiight.” Kise looked up. “Anyway, I recommend a dog?” He said and showed Taichi the toy. “Look he’s cute.”

“No.”

Kise grimaced.

“Just make a horse please.” Yukio said.

“I uh, I can’t.” Kise admitted in a whisper, so that the boy wouldn’t hear.

“What? How come? You are minding the stall with balloons.”

Kise looked around and then leaned forward to whisper so other clients wouldn’t hear him.

“It’s my friend’s gig, I need some extra cash. But he never showed me how to make them…all of them.”

Yukio sent him a distasted look.

“I want a horse!” Taichi whined and stomped his feet.

“Listen.” Yukio rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Just give him the damn balloon.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“It’s a prop! I can’t just sell it”

Yukio sighed and let his younger brother tug at his sleeve.

“Then what can you make? What have you been selling here anyway?”

“Ah! Just a moment.” Kise grabbed one of the balloons and turned on the helium bottle. He turned back when the balloon was full of gas and started putting it together, making squeaky sounds all the while. Yukio and Taichi couldn’t see what he was doing. When Kise grabbed a sharpie, he raised an eyebrow.

“Ta-dah!” He turned around and showed them a perfectly straight balloon with two knots on one end and drawn on eyes.

“What’s that?” Taichi asked.

“A snake!” Kise beamed. “Here.” He gave him the balloon. “Snakes are cool right?”

Taichi looked over the toy.

“I guess.” He shrugged and shook the toy.

Kasamatsu looked unimpressed.

“Sorry.” Kise said sheepishly. “Oh! Maybe I can make it up to you? How about we go for coffee? I end in an hour.”

“No thanks. We have to go back.” Yukio shot him down as quickly as he could.

“Whaaaat?” Taichi whined.

“You heard me.” Yukio grabbed his hand and tugged at it.

Taichi wanted to wriggle out, since it was embarrassing.

“I swear.” Yukio sighed. “Next time I am really leaving you with Shu.”

Taichi stuck out his tongue.

“Aaand we’re back to square one. Let’s go.” He said and grabbed his little brother’s wrist.

“But-“ Kise started.

“Sorry kid.” Kasamatsu said over his shoulder. “Maybe some other time.”

He rolled his eyes at Kise’s crestfallen face.

At home, the balloon meet it’s end very quickly when Taichi jumped on it and it popped with a loud boom, waking Shu up.”

“Christ.” Yukio muttered when he was cleaning the remains of the balloon, Shu wailed in their mother’s arms and Taichi sulked in the corner.

He was about to throw it out when he noticed his hands covered in black ink.

“What the hell?” He suddenly remembered how Kise grabbed a sharpie to draw the eyes on the snake, and he also remembered that it took him a bit longer than usual.

He looked over the deflated balloon and saw a string of numbers which, however smeared still could be readable.

Kasamatsu felt his ears prickle for a moment and his vein throb again.

Damn brat.

He was about to throw it for real again when something hit him and he paused.

And despite his own nature, he put the piece of plastic with Kise’s number in his pocket.

Maybe. He told himself to quiet the nagging voice in his head. Only maybe.