[unlike okazaki, ichika is a much lighter sleeper, so just the whisper of her name is enough to get her straightening herself and sitting upright from her position, half-folded over his coffee table. it's a very nice table. she'll have to find some napkins to clean up the pool of drool she'd gotten on the surface, though...]
Oh. [a yawn spills out of her mouth, as she tries to rub the sleep out of her eyes with the back of her knuckles.] Did you sleep well, Okazaki?
[Hmm? It's a shame he didn't notice her sleeping. Actually, it's probably good he didn't notice her because even he knows his self-control can be a bit wavering when it comes to Ichika. But the thought of yet another police scandal keeps him in check... also the thought of making her mad keeps him in check. Yeah, he'll be a good boy. He rubs the back of his neck and stretches.]
I did. It's a shame I didn't wake up earlier to see your cute sleeping face.
[He's going to mentally kick himself for that one.
But he gets up to grab the bag Ichika had brought him earlier. Being more sober now and hydrated, he is pretty peckish, so this is a good time to try these grilled corn kitkats. Bless Japan for its odd flavored snacks to keep him entertained. He opens a package to take a bite and it's... pretty much what he expected. Odd.]
her eyebrows shoot up at that, mouth comically agape, and she's not sure how she should respond to that. the easy answer is that it doesn't mean anything at all. okazaki's just being his same cheeky self. right. that's it.]
[the way okazaki moves on to try the kitkats as if he hadn't said something embarrassing just falls in line with her conclusion, so ichika decides to follow suit and busy herself with—something. anything.
she glances down at the drool in front of her. oh, yes, that.]
Where do you keep the paper towels? Just in the kitchen? [too late, she's already up and heading that way, regardless of how okazaki answers. as she passes by him, ichika steals a look into the open kitkat bag, just to see how many more are left and totally not because she's interested in trying them herself.] Did it suit your tastes, by the way? I hadn't heard of that flavor until you mentioned it to me...
[It's not embarrassing if it's the truth. But the matter of fact is that he can say those things with a straight face. Maybe he should learn a little tact, but it's kind of hard to when he has -5 tact at all.]
Just so you're aware, I don't want any other guy to see you sleep like that, okay?
[That's kind of creepy, but okay. He smiles like what he's said is totally normal.
He'd go find the paper towels for her, but yes, she's on a mission. No need to stop her now.]
They're just on top of the counter.
[Next to the half-eaten assorted snacks he has. The kitkats will probably go in that pile, too as he eats another portion of it.]
And yes, they're just as odd as I expected. I was curious about them as soon as I heard of them. If you hadn't contacted me, I would have had Yoshinari grab them for me.
[okazaki's a weird guy who says weird stuff and eats weird things, and ichika's mostly used to it. on any other other day, she could have easily brushed it off, but... tonight feels a little different.
and all she can think about is how glad she is that her back's turned toward him, so that he can't see (and potentially make fun of) the pink tint dyeing her cheeks.]
I have no idea how you managed to wrap Yoshinari around your finger like that. [oh, there are the towels! shredding a sheet off, she quickly returns to the coffee table, noticeably avoiding looking okazaki in the eye as she speeds past.] He always seems so... excited to follow your instructions.
[If he did see her, he'd probably do his best to hold back yet another comment about letting another man see her like that. Does she belong to him? No. But she's the one capable of making his wish come true, so there's that.]
Probably just bonding since I trained him myself. [A definitely sempai/kouhai relationship, basically. He also can physically vent his frustrations with Yoshinari with all of his chokeholds he puts on him. ]
I wouldn't really want anyone to take him from me either.
Oh, I doubt Yoshinari's leaving you anytime soon! He seems pretty attached. [one clean wipe, and his coffee table's spic and span again! nice!!] Kind of like a duckling who's imprinted on someone they think is their mother.
[miles away, somewhere nearby ishika's apartment, one yoshinari hideaki sneezes.]
I remember when Kazuki used to be like that—sweet and eager to please. Nowadays, it feels like he's just... dissatisfied with something. [she almost says with me, but now probably isn't the time to unpack all her familial baggage. balling up the paper towel, she tosses it into the nearest trash bin.] But I guess he's just at that age. We were all there once, right?
That's a pretty accurate assessment of the situation.
[Okazaki chuckles at that, really. There's no denying that in a sense that's how it is. No matter what happens, Yoshinari would find a reason to come back to him and trust him. It's not entirely a bad feeling, but he'd rather talk about Ichika's situation.]
As for your brother, he really does sound like he's at that rebellious teenage age. Maybe he's acting a certain way to get a certain someone's attention?
[Since teenage boys aren't exactly known for being rational in their behaviors and act out in new ways to get the attention they want.]
[she doesn't seem particularly convinced, but it is true that she hasn't been available lately; work's been bearing down on her shoulders and there's not a single hour that goes by without the phones ringing. not to mention, there's also been the matter of... that. her fingers stray up to her neck.
thinking about kazuki puts a strain on her nerves though, so after a quiet exhale and slight shake of her head, ichika looks over her shoulder at okazaki with a forced smile. subject change!!]
Actually, talking about it, what were you like as a teenager, Okazaki? I've always wondered. [a beat] Also, could you toss me one of the KitKats? I'll give it a try.
Me? I was pretty normal. [There's a gentle chuckle from him. But the lack of answer indicates he really doesn't want to talk about it. Not that anything painful happened, but it's difficult for him to genuinely open up to someone.
You know, despite everything he is and his Stepford Smile.
But the kitkats are a nice and distracting topic to focus on now as he hands her an unopened package.]
Here you go. [Hopefully she doesn't mind the really odd taste...]
[something gives her the impression that he's being vague on purpose, and ichika wisely drops her line of questioning. as much as she wants to know more about him, there's no point if he doesn't feel like sharing.]
It can't be that bad, can it? [making short work of the wrapper, she takes a chomp out of one of the sticks and—her eyes go dead. hm. hmmmm.]
That's... interesting. Very interesting. [she takes another bite.] I think that the more I have of it, the more the taste of the corn just grows on you.
[Vague on purpose would be right, given his mysterious nature. It's easier for him to be that way, if he's being completely honest. And with Ichika taking the hint and dropping the subject, he can't help but smile a little more sincerely.
On to the topic of his odd snacks!]
I think 'interesting' would be a correct word for it. It's about as odd tasting as I expected and I'm not entirely sure I want to try them again any time soon!
[He sounds completely happy, though, to have tried yet another odd snack that he has a hard time eating all of. Just another tasteful experience, he supposes.]
[She takes an actual step toward him as she presses forward with her line of questioning. Ichika's had more than enough time to take a look around his apartment, so coupled with that evidence and the look on his face...
[If this were Yoshinari, he would have put him in a headlock right now to vent his frustrations. But it's not. It's Ichika. She'd fight back if he put her in a headlock, probably which would put him in a worse position than he is now.
But he knows one way to gain his bearings in this situation.]
I'll eat them now, only because you're cute, Ichika.
[He takes a bite of his corn flavored candy awaiting to see if he successfully flustered her.]
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no subject
Who? Huh?
[unlike okazaki, ichika is a much lighter sleeper, so just the whisper of her name is enough to get her straightening herself and sitting upright from her position, half-folded over his coffee table. it's a very nice table. she'll have to find some napkins to clean up the pool of drool she'd gotten on the surface, though...]
Oh. [a yawn spills out of her mouth, as she tries to rub the sleep out of her eyes with the back of her knuckles.] Did you sleep well, Okazaki?
no subject
I did. It's a shame I didn't wake up earlier to see your cute sleeping face.
[He's going to mentally kick himself for that one.
But he gets up to grab the bag Ichika had brought him earlier. Being more sober now and hydrated, he is pretty peckish, so this is a good time to try these grilled corn kitkats. Bless Japan for its odd flavored snacks to keep him entertained. He opens a package to take a bite and it's... pretty much what he expected. Odd.]
1/2
her eyebrows shoot up at that, mouth comically agape, and she's not sure how she should respond to that. the easy answer is that it doesn't mean anything at all. okazaki's just being his same cheeky self. right. that's it.]
A-Ah... I see.
2/2
she glances down at the drool in front of her. oh, yes, that.]
Where do you keep the paper towels? Just in the kitchen? [too late, she's already up and heading that way, regardless of how okazaki answers. as she passes by him, ichika steals a look into the open kitkat bag, just to see how many more are left and totally not because she's interested in trying them herself.] Did it suit your tastes, by the way? I hadn't heard of that flavor until you mentioned it to me...
no subject
Just so you're aware, I don't want any other guy to see you sleep like that, okay?
[That's kind of creepy, but okay. He smiles like what he's said is totally normal.
He'd go find the paper towels for her, but yes, she's on a mission. No need to stop her now.]
They're just on top of the counter.
[Next to the half-eaten assorted snacks he has. The kitkats will probably go in that pile, too as he eats another portion of it.]
And yes, they're just as odd as I expected. I was curious about them as soon as I heard of them. If you hadn't contacted me, I would have had Yoshinari grab them for me.
no subject
and all she can think about is how glad she is that her back's turned toward him, so that he can't see (and potentially make fun of) the pink tint dyeing her cheeks.]
I have no idea how you managed to wrap Yoshinari around your finger like that. [oh, there are the towels! shredding a sheet off, she quickly returns to the coffee table, noticeably avoiding looking okazaki in the eye as she speeds past.] He always seems so... excited to follow your instructions.
no subject
Probably just bonding since I trained him myself. [A definitely sempai/kouhai relationship, basically. He also can physically vent his frustrations with Yoshinari with all of his chokeholds he puts on him. ]
I wouldn't really want anyone to take him from me either.
[Because he's clingy as all hell.]
no subject
Oh, I doubt Yoshinari's leaving you anytime soon! He seems pretty attached. [one clean wipe, and his coffee table's spic and span again! nice!!] Kind of like a duckling who's imprinted on someone they think is their mother.
[miles away, somewhere nearby ishika's apartment, one yoshinari hideaki sneezes.]
I remember when Kazuki used to be like that—sweet and eager to please. Nowadays, it feels like he's just... dissatisfied with something. [she almost says with me, but now probably isn't the time to unpack all her familial baggage. balling up the paper towel, she tosses it into the nearest trash bin.] But I guess he's just at that age. We were all there once, right?
no subject
[Okazaki chuckles at that, really. There's no denying that in a sense that's how it is. No matter what happens, Yoshinari would find a reason to come back to him and trust him. It's not entirely a bad feeling, but he'd rather talk about Ichika's situation.]
As for your brother, he really does sound like he's at that rebellious teenage age. Maybe he's acting a certain way to get a certain someone's attention?
[Since teenage boys aren't exactly known for being rational in their behaviors and act out in new ways to get the attention they want.]
no subject
[she doesn't seem particularly convinced, but it is true that she hasn't been available lately; work's been bearing down on her shoulders and there's not a single hour that goes by without the phones ringing. not to mention, there's also been the matter of... that. her fingers stray up to her neck.
thinking about kazuki puts a strain on her nerves though, so after a quiet exhale and slight shake of her head, ichika looks over her shoulder at okazaki with a forced smile. subject change!!]
Actually, talking about it, what were you like as a teenager, Okazaki? I've always wondered. [a beat] Also, could you toss me one of the KitKats? I'll give it a try.
no subject
You know, despite everything he is and his Stepford Smile.
But the kitkats are a nice and distracting topic to focus on now as he hands her an unopened package.]
Here you go. [Hopefully she doesn't mind the really odd taste...]
no subject
[something gives her the impression that he's being vague on purpose, and ichika wisely drops her line of questioning. as much as she wants to know more about him, there's no point if he doesn't feel like sharing.]
It can't be that bad, can it? [making short work of the wrapper, she takes a chomp out of one of the sticks and—her eyes go dead. hm. hmmmm.]
That's... interesting. Very interesting. [she takes another bite.] I think that the more I have of it, the more the taste of the corn just grows on you.
no subject
On to the topic of his odd snacks!]
I think 'interesting' would be a correct word for it. It's about as odd tasting as I expected and I'm not entirely sure I want to try them again any time soon!
[He sounds completely happy, though, to have tried yet another odd snack that he has a hard time eating all of. Just another tasteful experience, he supposes.]
no subject
You're finishing the bag, aren't you? I did come all the way here to give it to you.
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She did bring him when he asked her to. It'd be a shame to waste them.]
Maybe I want to save them for later.
[That's a flat-out lie given all she has to do is look around and see that he doesn't exactly finish what he starts in terms of his snacks.]
no subject
No way does she trust him to keep his word.]
Maybe? Don't be wasteful, Okazaki.
no subject
But he knows one way to gain his bearings in this situation.]
I'll eat them now, only because you're cute, Ichika.
[He takes a bite of his corn flavored candy awaiting to see if he successfully flustered her.]