isleofavalon | these are tear-able puns ✨🗒✨

( We be post-Dotsuitare Hompo VS Buster Bros!!! )

FOR SASARA 🤡
[ With the torrential downpour of rain getting so bad as to flood the bottom floor of the inn, Sasara and Rosho have had to settle down temporarily on the upper floor. It should be fine, they tell themselves, as they continue going about their lives through this miserable rain and get further and further away from the traumatic experience just a few weeks ago. But things continue to stew about in Rosho's head. Even after going to Rei to advice, he still feels at a loss on what to do.

Then one day occurs that is finally much different than the others, and when Rosho wakes up, and he puts himself to work, a thought hits him:

Sasara's not as brave as you think he is.

"And if you can't trust anyone, I'll do my best to earn your trust." ]

Sasara. [ Rosho looks out the window, wondering what it is Sasara sees when the rain falls. Why it makes him feel the way he does. If this has been the problem all along, then... why? He turns away, closing the curtain. ] You don't like rain, right?

FOR REI 🤪
[ The next day, Rei receives a text sometime in the late afternoon. ]

Come to the bar with me. The one we went to for your birthday.

Sir, yes sir 😎
Am I getting praised or scolded?

[Regardless of what (or if) Rosho answers, Rei will be waiting at the bar when Rosho arrives, wearing that half-smile of his like always.]

[ This old man never takes things seriously. Rosho decides not to give him an answer in the end, let him be nervous as he waits to figure it out... even if that's not bound to happen, but he can hope.

Once he arrives, Rosho props his umbrella next to the chair he takes a seat in, shrugging out of his jacket. He gives Rei a dismissive look as he sighs. ]

Don't look so satisfied with yourself. Maybe I've got a scathing lecture for ya, you don't know.

Heh! Forgive me for being optimistic. [Like usual, he doesn't look sorry at all. Oh, well... at least he's consistent.

Rei removes his hat, tossing it carelessly on the table.]

Well? If it is a lecture, let's hear it.

[ He can't believe it. He actually intends to sit here and be. Nice. To Rei. How annoying.

How did things even manage to turn out this way? ]

Order what you'd like. It's on me today.

[ Probably some risky words considering how well Rei holds his liquor, but Rosho's not worried. He really... honestly, owes him a lot. That bristly attitude fades away immediately. ]

You were right, about Sasara.

Oh yeah?

[Rei's smirk softens to something more genuine. He thinks to the memories he'd just reawoken with; of the fight his teammates had atop the tower. Well, it's about time.

He waves to the bartender to order, but speaks gently to Rosho.]

Worked it out all right, did you.

[ Rosho falls silent for a moment. ]

I'm not sure if I'd say it's all worked out. In the end, I've still got stage fright, and Sasara still hates the rain... because, it reminds him of the day we broke up.

[ It should've been so obvious, and yet, it wasn't at all. Rosho feels like an idiot. All this time, he carried that painful memory, and he didn't know. And he never asked if he was okay. If anything else ever came of that terrible experience. It was only ever about him, and never Sasara.

The bartender questions Rosho on his order. All he does is request a water. For the time being, he doesn't think he has it in him for a drink. ]

I know there's no use in blaming myself anymore, but. I can't help it. When I think about how much the things that happened hurt him. All I had to do was ask, say something. But I never did.

Uh huh. And Sasara could have said something, but he never did, either.

[Rei sighs at him over the lip of his glass, but it's a fond sound.]

You're both so gentle with each other. Makes me sick.

[If that were true he wouldn't be here holding their hands over it, but Rei's stubborn about appearances as always.]

[ There's a quiet huff on Rosho's end. It's true though. For all they've cared about each other, saying they'll always be there for the person, to trust and rely upon them... they keep finding themselves walking on eggshells over every little issue. ]

It must be frustrating to watch us.

[ He looks over at Rei. ]

I wonder though. With all that patience you've got, and how ya haven't minded dealing with us... why is it that you helped us in being more honest with each other, but you're rarely ever honest yourself? It ain't just about Sasara and I, ya know. You, you're part of this team now, so shouldn't you be able to trust us too?

[...It's sweet of him, really. Rei smiles despite himself. He does trust them; at least as far as Rei trusts anyone. Rei cares for a two of them a lot more than he'd planned. They're a good team now, a real one.

...But.]

Whaat? Of course I'm not honest. I'm a conman, remember?

[ How could he ever even forget? It's the entire reason Rosho even met Rei in the first place. But this isn't the answer he wants.

He's so used to getting frustrated and angry with Rei and his vague, cryptic responses to things. But... knowing what he does about Sasara, knowing how hard it is for certain people to be able to trust others... ]

Rei. Could it be that, maybe, you're not very brave either?

[...]

Well, look at you. Turning my own words against me.

[Rei's gaze turns down and away, looking out across the bar as he sips his drink. Rosho doesn't know what he's asking for. Still, the real surprise is that Rei finds himself wanting to tell him. Wanting to bend to this man's gentle request and let him in, even just a little bit.

Ah.... real human connection. He's rusty. (It aches.)]

We'll say I've got my reasons. [Cagey as it makes him sound, he's got to do it. No sense in slipping up so close to the end, now.

But it'll come out soon enough. (Then, he thinks, Rosho will regret asking.)] So just wait a while.

[ There's some degree of pride Rosho feels, like getting a particular pesky answer on a crossword puzzle you've been stuck on for hours, that he can finally push and push and get his way about something like this feels really good. But he understands this isn't anything to gloat about. He'll have to have some patience from here on out, if he wants to know the side of Rei he seems to refuse to show the anyone, so that he can know the part of him that isn't just the conman he lives as.

Whoever it was he looked up to in the past, losing them must have hurt. But, moving on, it shouldn't be so scary. Not when there are people there that have the faith to wait for you. He did it with Sasara after all. ]

I waited for Sasara for six years. I think for you, I can spare some time.

[ There's a brief hint of a smile before he hides it with a quick drink of his water. ]

When I think about it, all this effort you've been puttin' forth to get this team to be reliable... isn't it awful strange that you'd want to try scamming a simple teacher, and when ya caught wind of this past of his and a former partner he's got around, wouldn't it be real convenient to let it slip who ya got workin' for ya to get these two to meet?

[ Rosho gives a nice, firm swat of Rei's shoulder. But at least he makes sure he's not having a sip of his drink! ]

When people are fans, usually they just ask for autographs, ya know!

[Rei knows it's likely that Rosho and Sasara will drop him in disgust once everything comes out. But.... it's still nice to hear kindness from the closest thing he's had to a friend in years.

Eugh, gross.

Rei is more than happy to get back to their usual banter, and snickers into his beer.]

Ha ha! I can't do that. Sasara's too smart, he'd personalize the autographs to lower the resale value. This way I can take your receipts and stuff, you know?

Stupid, who's gonna go wantin' to buy Sasara Nurude's receipt from a coffee shop or something like that?

[ From whatever dozens of restaurants Sasara likes to hop through, random little impulse trips. Hideous suits he's bought, cream sodas, receipts in ridiculous frames. He thinks of Rei having a collection of those and he can't help but chuckle. ]

You're not denying it. Being a fan.

[ This conversation feels like it'd be nicer to have over a beer, his water is so plain... Rosho waves the bartender back over. ]

Ya really did watch us back then? When we first started out, or somewhere in the middle?

When you were just starting to get popular, I think.

[Well, why lie at this point? Rosho has already sussed it out, and it's not like it's a terrible crime. Looking up at the ceiling, Rei tries to recall how it started.]

I was casing the city for an upcoming job. And when in Osaka, of course you have to see what's up with the local entertainment! Maybe it's just 'cause you two had broken into my house earlier that year, but you caught my attention from the outset.

[He swirls the drink in his cup.]

But the next time I was in town, you'd just split! Obviously, couldn't have that.

[Okay, that's simplifying it a bit. Like, taking out the whole Chuohku ordering him to wind Sasara back up thing. But it's mostly the truth!]

[ Rosho feels a little shiver go down his back, and he's not sure if it's from the anxiety or not, but it's pretty wild to think that before they'd even met Rei, before they knew anything about him, he'd been watching them. A pair of rookies, two different styles, somehow managing to come out as break out starts in Osaka's comedy scene.

Right there from the beginning, and then the end. He tries not to let it get him down, but it still does, and Rosho deflates immediately as he drags a finger through the condensation of his ice water. ]

I used to think that, we'd last longer than we did. Even when the feeling started to come over me, that I wasn't contributing to the team, I thought... it'll go away, ya know? It's just, performance jitters. Things like that. People go through that sort of thing all the time.

[ Until the feeling got worse, and worse, and Rosho just couldn't shake it off. And then... well, they both know the aftermath of that. The bartender comes back with his beer but Rosho can't focus on it yet. ]

I'm ashamed to say, I was sorta relieved when Sasara said he had a feeling we'd break up at some point. Like, he knew too, but he wanted to keep going. We both wanted to. We wanted it so badly. ...All I wish is that it hadn't happened the way it did. But that's just idealistic thinking, looking back on the past, wanting things to have been different even though nothing's gonna change, obviously.

[ He takes a deep breath. The air feels so heavy now. It's hard for him to think back on his comedy days and not feel... a bit down. Especially without Sasara to help perk him back up. ]

Um, I should probably say, even though it's sorta late... th-thank you for your support. [ Rosho's face goes a little red as he fusses with his glasses for a moment. ] Its been so long, I forget what those days were like. When people notice me from the old group, it's so embarrassing. Aah, just thinking about how many people really used to watch us back then makes me so nervous.

[ Rosho doesn't wait one second and immediately starts to chug down his beer. Washing away the anxiety with booze, always works. ]

[Rosho is so cute. He's always so earnest, isn't he? Rei's tempted to bully him, but decides to go easy.]

Well, never you mind. [Rei clinks his glass idly against Rosho's once he comes back up for air, chuckling.] Everyone's got something like that. And it's not like you're gonna let it define you. [Not anymore, anyway.] Right?

[ Don't ruin the moment Rei you can do that any other time.

He's nearly finished his drink off before he decides wait, he's getting a little bit ahead of himself, and also the rush of booze plus Rei's strikingly kind words are really making his face red. Rosho hides a smile behind his hand as he wipes at his mouth. ]

Right. I want things to be different from now on. Being part of this group, I won't mess it up. I promise.

[ Sasara always says he's going to take him to the top. Rosho's going to help him, however he can. This new version of Dotsuitare Hompo... he wants them to be able to do anything. ]

It's weird when you're nice, but I like it a lot more. You're a lot like... a parent, ya know?

[Rei scoffs dryly into his cup.] Me? A parent? Now that's a laugh.

[The words are practiced: Rei is used to lying about this much. Still, it always feels a bit hollow.

He waves for another drink.]

...There is a word for someone like me, though. Well, an acronym. Maybe you've heard of it?

[Rei... no.............]

An acronym, huh? For someone like you... let's see..

[ Nothing immediately comes to mind. Mostly because Rosho's not too good with acronyms. Something that would be used for Rei though? He's trying to think of the kind of stuff you might call a swindling scam artist old man.

..........

Nope, still nothing. ]

Maybe... [ What are some things his students might use? ] Somethin' like, "NSFW"?

[PFFFFFFFFJFJHSFDK WHAT THE FUCK, SAYING IT SO SWEETLY LIKE THAT

This is why rei picked osaka, Jesus]

Actually, you know what? Never mind. Ask Sasara.

[Rei's laughter over his glass is now resembling giggling, if it weren't coming from a six foot tall old man.]

Glad to have you around, Sensei.

Wh-what're ya crackin' up about for? [ Don't laugh at people for no reason at all it's very confusing and rude!! ] Hey, I'm not asking Sasara! If I do he's not gonna give me a straight-forward answer, he'll just start making stupid jokes. You've gotta tell me, Rei!

[ Starts jostling his arm like a child hgkjdf being a lightweight is suffering. ] Rei! I wanna know!

[ The weather's one, steady bad mood weighs on Sasara's demeanor, and some days into the relentless storm he got worse at hiding it too. Setting himself in some sorta mood that kept most questions about it at bay was his best method. He could trust that much, at first, that it'd be enough to keep his teammates from doing any digging in the mud. ]

A-ah, Rosho...

[ Trust. That morning he woke up with his head scrambled, his thoughts in a place that felt both right and as good as lost in the woods; Sasara'd decided the same day, after all, that it made more sense than not to have the memories around.

It oughta be something to let him leap out of the rain. ]

Actually... [ He should shoot from the hip in what feels like a stand-off in the middle of the lull in that room. ] I can't stand the thought.

[ It's a huge leap of faith, and Rosho's worried he might find himself tumbling down to the ground without anyone there to catch him, but if he gets shut down once more... at least, he can pick himself back up. Brush off the dust. Ignore the hurt.

But it seems that finally, Sasara's taken the leap with him. Rosho falls silent, shocked, admittedly impressed to finally get an answer out of Sasara. Even more amazed that it's exactly what Rei had said to him. It really is that this weather doesn't sit well with him. He hates it.

Rosho doesn't know why. ]

It's not that bad. I mean, lots of people tend to not like the rain very much. But, rain is good, ya know?

[ He hopes that doesn't sound condescending. No... it probably does. It's not right of him to try to make excuses for why Sasara shouldn't feel this way. Painful things affect people in different ways, and him with his stage fright, well, he has no reason to judge on unnecessary fears. ]

It never used to bother you before... so why is it, that ya can't stand it anymore?

Maybe it ain't...

[ Rosho's right. Either you don't mind staying in or you don't mind getting wet. The earth and the trees need it. Things grow from it.

Sasara hesitates, anyway, despite that and what he says. It's silly. He thinks of Rosho's fear, how he's got no reason to go through that stage fright if they're up there together! That's what he tells his partner. And it's what he believes; he's not a liar!

But letting Rosho shoulder the weight on his turn? Passing it off to carry? ... Trusting that he won't break under the burden?

Sasara's expression remains distant, as before, but slowly changes to something to match the gloom of the weather. More than just an unsmiling mouth and tight-knit eyebrows, his head tilts down and his shoulders sag a little more. He hears himself forgetting how to talk, silence stretching.

He hates that, too. ]

But it's because— [ He just needs to say it, Sasara knows, with the words that echo in his head now. ] It's because of that night, [ Rei's and Rosho's speeches both, they're not only between his ears but in his heart. ] When we split up, it was raining.

[ It's a long, tense wait, but Rosho understands he can't push this issue any further than he can. Just because its become easier for him to open up to Sasara about the things that have troubled him in the past doesn't mean he should expect the same thing in return, not with Sasara's own issues to deal with, and how terribly he's hurt him to make things like this. But he meant what he said then up on Tsutenkaku. However long it takes for Sasara to trust him, he can wait, it doesn't matter. What's important is being there for him, with him.

And it comes out of him so easily that Rosho doesn't even believe what he says. He stands there, silent, a bit baffled. He can hear the rain from outside pattering against the window, on the roof of the inn, what with them being up on the higher floor. The way Sasara looks before him... just that, it's too much. Like he's put him right back in that spot the day they broke up.

That's right. It rained that time, the night they broke up.

Rosho rushes to him without a second thought and envelops Sasara in his arms, voice firm and tense, heavy in his throat. ]

Thank you for telling me.

[ He can't say anything at first, he just holds him, pulling Sasara tight against his chest. His eyes burn with tears but he pushes them back. To think that he'd hurt him that badly, to think that... all this time, he wasn't the only one dealing with the effects of his leaving the group. He'd never thought about it, never considered it, that this, all this... was his fault.

No.

Sasara would never blame him. And in that thought, Rosho's mind starts to clear, and all the anger and remorse and misery just seems to fade away. ]

Remember... how you always tell me you're going to help me get over my stage fright? It's not easy, but, I don't think it's impossible. You too. However long it takes, I think we can get there. You and I. So the things that hurt us back then don't hurt us anymore.

[ Beyond that night, past that frightening experience up on stage, don't they have so many other, better memories? Aren't they here now, even after all that? ]

Sasara. Its been raining all this time, but I'm still here, aren't I? I told you. I'm gonna be by your side from now on.

[ Another moment to pass in silence is what Sasara fears and even braces himself for after that boulder of a confession. It seems to him he chipped that heavy weight off his heart only for it to drop into the pit of his stomach.

To his surprise the silence and loneliness he finds in his own mind, only, doesn't last at all with his partner's arms around him.

Where laughter is always on Sasara's lips, it's now that it seems out of place as it falls off his tongue so suddenly. But he doesn't laugh because there's something he can't change, because there's nothing else he can do or because he's hurting instead.

Rosho, he's... this time, he's fighting for it too!

And Sasara is happy; he can't explain the tears either. Maybe, they're just a goodbye to the loneliness he can name only now that it's leaving. ]

Rosho—!

[ Sasara finally brings his arms around him, he holds on tight. He trusts Rosho when he says he's not going anywhere. He can do it, too. ]

S-Say... that time, up on Tsutenkaku... [ Not the first time they met; their reunion, if ya would. It's as much as Sasara can say, mumble against his Rosho's chest, about those new-old memories, without letting a ripple through his voice that doesn't match his feelings another moment longer. For now, it's like he's not even sad about the rain. ]

[ Those scrawny arms cling to him so tightly, he wants to know where Sasara got that sort of strength from, but as he's buried up against him he comes to see this as like a desperate child finally offered solace, and when you're faced with the fear of being alone... no wonder he's like this. He's been like this for so long, clinging to the past, hurt by something he could never forget.

Why didn't he ever come to him, Rosho used to think. But he understands it now. Just the way he knows why Sasara never tried to burden him with expectations, why he never pushed him further.

Sasara's strength, and little weakness. Rosho's weakness, and little strength.

He can't help but laugh too. He really did hit things on the mark with that one, as he huffs into Sasara's hair. That little weakness and his lacking bravery, and Rosho's little strength that led to his unrelenting drive to push himself further and further, for their whole team, but most importantly, for Sasara's sake. Because he wanted to reach the top with all of them.

Up on a highest point of a tower, their first meeting and one of their last. He wonders if that counts for a metaphor of sorts, maybe, that it's always at the top of that tower that Sasara always confirms his importance to him. They started as equals, and even though he lost that battle against Sasara, here they are, still together, still strong, unwavering and brave.

I'll take you there to the top, Sasara always says, and Rosho never questioned why he couldn't ever tell him the same thing (unless wasted from a single beer) when he should've. ]

Yeah? Ya gotta ask as if I could forget so conveniently, that I really did give ya a good fight. Even though you're so strong, and I wasn't any match against you... it won't always be like that from now on. You say this and that about taking me to the top, but don't ya think that I wanna be the one to do that too? So I'm gonna do it. You and I, together, will be more than enough. Even when one of us falters, we pick each other up. That's what ya do when you're partners.

[ For the longest time that particular word held so much meaning, but Rosho always treaded around it, recoiled from just the thought. Partner. That's what he used to be to Sasara. But he's come to realize, that word, everything about it, it's just exactly what he still is now. Even if they no longer do comedy together he'll probably always think of Sasara that way. That and many other things. It's not the word so much, but the meaning. His equal. His support. The one that's supposed to be there with him, like a pair, inseparable.

Yes. That's really, truly, what he wants. Since they first met, since he realized how much Sasara meant to him, he'd wanted it to always be like that. Now, he can make sure that happens this time. ]

So rely on me more. Lean on me, even just a little bit. I won't fall. I think that's what you deserve, for thinking of me. Chasing after me all these years, and carrying this kind of weight around.

[ He strokes Sasara's back, pets at his hair. He's strong, but also, not that strong at all. But that doesn't matter to Rosho. However he is, however he wants to be, what he chooses to do and not to do. There's no difference to him. Sasara will always be Sasara. He'll always feel the same way. ]

I love you a lot, idiot. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you're happy.

[ That really, really was a good fight. And it ain't just that Sasara won that he gained something. There wasn't anything but pride, even as he had to wait for his partner to come back around.

He's a little weaker than he thought, and Rosho a little– no, scratch that, a lot stronger. After all, though, it's not shame for faltering that makes Sasara want to keep his head down. If Rosho remembers their time up on Tsutenkaku's viewing platform, the second time, then he already apologized. Yet, as painful as it felt to keep his thoughts buried and even as much as it stung to lay his doubts bare, have them pointed out for their absurdity in the truth of the whole matter—

It won't hurt to say it again. ]

Rosho, sorry... Sorry, that I didn't say anything sooner, that I put ya through all that.

[ They're partners, after all. He's said it so often, but it takes two, no? Hearing Rosho say it, after he'd almost expected him to never do anymore, Sasara's fingers crease the back of his vest. ]

I really, honestly believe in you. We'll make the top again, no matter how, and this time I'll make sure we go on up there together. I promise!

[ Sasara say, still can't abandon the responsibility he feels—well, he's team leader, after all—but he keeps holding on, not just to memory but to Rosho as he is. He leans on him. Rosho stands there, firmly, he knows. And finally looking up to him isn't only to mean Sasara lifting his head from his chest. ]

I know you're gonna give it your all, I– I trust that you'll keep your word...! [ Trust Sasara, that he'll allow himself to expect it from Rosho. He knows he won't crumble. And even still if he would— ] I love you too.

[ Its always times like these that Sasara feels the most like a child, and Rosho wonders if this is possibly a glimpse of what Sasara's life used to be like without him. And then, he wishes... he'd been there too, with him. Not just for himself, but for this lonely boy that only ever wanted company, who only ever wanted a friend, someone to trust, someone to be by his side.

Someone to believe in him. To hold his hand, and hug him, and tell him everything no one ever said before.

I believe in you. I'll always believe in you, and everything you do, and that'll never stop. To say that again, over and over and over.

Rosho takes Sasara's face in his hands to hold his gaze, lift his head higher. ]

Ya know... no matter what the weather is like, a sun shines brightly all the time.

[ He leans in, noses touching. ]

You'll always be like that to me.

[Sasara's comedy stand-up nights always end late. It takes a while for the Phoenix Roost's patrons to clear out afterward, too; so by the time Rei and Sasara reconvene in the back office, it's way past any reasonable person's bedtime. (Sorry, Rosho.)

This is the first show since their... weird memory hotfix (thanks Princess and co.), and they haven't really spoken about it, but Rei is mostly unbothered. Sasara's been busy anyway, what with April raining all over him. There's not much to say, really!

Rei looks up from his laptop when Sasara finally enters, but doesn't pause in his typing. (ah, bookkeeping. love to hate it.)]

Welcome back, Team Leader. [otsukare~ lol]

Haaah... [ He's tsukare'd but satisfied. Sure, there's the weather that has him a little soaked up in memories. Being on stage, though, Sasara bounces back to being himself.

He's walked in, stretching like after a workout, now ready to cool down instead of warming up. Maybe a drink, he's thinking, or a quick meal—since the night's already late, making it a little later won't matter. ]

Ya enjoyed tonight? [ Sasara's sure he was watching, in between juggling numbers. It's a whole lot different from their last after-work get-together, he remembers... still, this one's a thought that his expression won't let on about just so. ]

Ah, it felt like I never took a break at all! [ ~~He does have a new show on; every Wednesday at 10pm, don't miss it~~~ ]

Edited 2021-04-28 22:37 (UTC)

I'd hardly call that coma a break, yeah. [Sure, they were asleep... but god at what cost!]

I'd say you certainly haven't lost your touch. Here. [Rei finally stops typing, gesturing with one hand to the take-out box sitting on the table nearby. His smile is slightly more fond than teasing.] Grabbed something from the kitchen before they closed.

Heh! Break it or make it, yeah? [ Proverbs and puns only have so much overlap.

What's in the box? Sasara spins his way of having walked in right around to get it, and he scoots a chair over closer to Rei; himself with it, naturally. Even he's ready to wind down like this, once in a while. ] Thanks. [ Feels like it's still warm. He can catch that hint of fondness without looking back up. ]

With the way things ended up, ya know, there's some sorta side to you, Rei.

A side to me? [He raises one eyebrow, grin going sarcastic.]

Dunno what you're talking about. Just behaving like a proper little teammate.

[That's all there is to it! Right?.. He's just playing. Surely.]

Teh! [ Don't worry, he'll explain. While eating. ] It's like so, I knew ya were sly from the beginning. [ After all, Sasara came first met him as a straight-up conman. ] What ya said to Rosho I don't know, but what ya said to me was plenty. I don't know where it all came from but... [ But that's for another time.

This part even deserves him not chewing throughout. ] It was just right. So, thanks again, even if ya won't have it.

[ Ahem! Back to tending his blood sugar household and letting his cheerful expression betray what more Sasara has to get to. ] There's something else, though!

Hmm. [Rei responds noncommittally. But it's... nice, to be thanked. Doesn't happen often (or at least not sincerely), what with Rei's whole self-interested shtick... so the feeling is pretty refreshing.

He won't get used to it.]

And what would that be?

We'll be up against Ichiro and his little brothers, yeah? [ He and Rosho and Rei are here now, but Sasara's sure they'll be going back home to Japan in due time. And after egging the kid on like that, he's sure Ikebukuro'll throw in some good punches! ]

That note ya had me pass onto him, it's really been on my mind. [ "An old acquaintance". Something of the sort, Sasara finally figured, could really be the truth. He'll have to let dinner go cold.

He ought to have his serious face back on after all. ] I didn't look inside, but you'd put your name on the back. [ Hadn't he? ] Yamada Rei.

[...

Rei finally looks at Sasara directly, face unreadable.

Well.... it was about time.]

So you noticed. [He studies Sasara's expression, taking in the dips of his mouth and the angle of his brows. Sasara looks solemn... but seems to be reserving judgment. Or maybe he's just waiting for the confirmation before showing disgust? He is the product of a broken household himself, after all.

Rei's lips finally quirk upwards, a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. This will be interesting.]

Yeah, that's right. [Rei reaches for his lighter and smokes, casual as anything.] Those were my kids.

[ Sasara expects something to happen too, some way of showing what he thinks of having that long suspicion verified.

Nothing really does.

Except, why...?

He honestly thought of himself having something to say, whether Rei came right out with it or not. That history of his own that he's got... it really ain't hard to compare it. Finally, the corners of his mouth twist it into a frown, though it seems it's just to speak up again.

It's still contrast to Rei's empty smile. ] That kid of yours, [ That's who Ichiro is, now. ] I only figured he had no one around.

[ What a shot in the dark; Sasara knows but—! ] How come?

Ichiro didn't say anything himself? Hah... [Yeah, that tracks. Rei huffs out a humorless laugh as he lights his cigarette. Might as well be dead to that brat.] He always did have his own ideas about it.

[Rei takes a slow drag, relishing in the pause it gives him. This was always going to come out sooner or later... but it's a bit of a pain that it happened here in Avalon, given that they have no idea how long it will take to get back home. He was counting on it coming out close enough to the division battle that Rosho and Sasara would have to keep him on the team even if they hated him. Now...

"How come?"......]

...Doesn't matter. It won't change anything.

[It's almost tempting to explain himself (which in itself if a thorn in his side-- ugh, sentimentality), but he won't. Not earlier, to his youngest son. Not now, to his teammate. Not ever.]

So, Sasara-kun. [His eyes dart back to Sasara, darkly appraising.] What will you do with that, I wonder?

[If he needs to recalibrate his plans because Dotsuitare Hompo is now a team of two... he'd like to know, thank you.]

[ It's just obvious by the look on him, Sasara hasn't made up his mind yet. Flat and neutral, an expression that doesn't veer into dramatically angry or excessively shocked. What to say? ]

He's got a hard head on his shoulders, if there ain't a thing to change it...

[ The wilful type, and definitely too much like someone else from Sasara's past to have made that one work, he heard. Even so, Ichiro must'a been just some tyke back when, just with his little brothers in tow. Would you call that secrecy 'like father, like son'?

He watches the smoke spill into Rei's pause, not liking the lull. Being who opened up that barrel, put Rei on the spot, Sasara thought he was the one to lead the interrogation. The old man's look tells him no, the question pins him into his seat uncomfortably. Theatrics would have him squirming; this is serious.

Trust ... Maybe he shouldn't have– ]

It oughta not change anything, right? [ His tone detracts from any wording that could sound like forgiveness, like Sasara agrees with a backstory he didn't know about. But it's 3-versus-3. ]

Hmmm. Right. [Rei's eyes idly follow the smoke that drifts in the air. Frosty neutrality is the best outcome he could expect, really.]

Well, then, Team Leader. [Rei closes his laptop with finality, standing up from the table. His moniker for Sasara contains none of the warmth it had earlier, putting a clear distance between them.] If that's all, I'll be seeing you later.

[Rei behaves like a threat, bringing his persona to bear. Stop digging. Stop digging. Stop digging before you regret it. But he's protecting himself-- protecting himself from caring about what Sasara might think-- just as much.]

[ Sasara gets what he's hearing. It's not the same but close enough to some past he only admits to with an airy, careless note—if at all. He's not in the business of solemn lectures. Team leader, he's that however. ]

W-wait! [ Just a moment, as much as Rei wants to dodge the rest of this talk and whatever it might turn into. ] What about Rosho?

[ With just that he's saying he won't run and tell him, though he stands up too. ] He's gullible as all, but if he figures it out he's not gonna let you off without saying anything. [ Unlike Sasara. So: ] Think of something. [ He won't say it out loud... Lie. He'll still trust Rei with that much. ]

Oh? He doesn't have the connection you did. He won't find out. [Not until it no longer matters, anyway.] Unless you make it obvious.

[Rei is still smiling, but it's more of a challenging expression that anything. If Sasara is so bent on keeping Rosho out of the loop, then...]

Guess you'll have to stay chummy with me for a while longer, after all.

[He turns to exit, leaving Sasara to dwell on it alone.]

[ Sasara bristles, the truth of his response striking. Rei is much better at making threats. ]

Teh. [ It's a defiant and all the same faint scoff of an answer. Like crumpling up that letter from Chuuo-ku, but still going... He'll think about it all.

Dinner's set to go cold. ]

these are tear-able puns ✨🗒✨

THE どつ Z0NE

parent-teacher-student conference

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if king records josses me on this i'll........ be impressed they bothered

retcon their asses dotsuhon lore belongs to us now

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1/2

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ichiro whOMST

👀 ichi-who......

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mare......that icon 🥺

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