[So as it turns out, even here they're both incredibly busy people, so after all the weirdness that went on and the absolute alternate reality that Hizashi experienced ( and Shouta doesn't remember ) they've hardly seen each other for very long.
It's left Hizashi with a lot of unresolved, but slowly easing questions, ones he's not exactly been keen on straightening out with Shouta. But, despite some vaguely confusing feelings in the back of his mind, he's not going to miss his best friend's birthday. Which, is why he's currently leaning against the doorframe to Shouta's room, arms crossed with a package underneath one and a grin on his face.]
Please tell me you didn't forget what today is, now that you're a super famous model.
[It has been a while since they've had more than a brief conversation in passing, but Shouta's pretty sure that's more to do with the adjustment than anything. His new 'job', if you can even call it that (he's only decided to keep it because it lets him travel frequently, keep an eye on everyone and everything, go places he'd normally be denied access--and the cats are a bonus) keeps him busy, and like many of those they know he's been struggling to put the pieces together about what happened to September and what's changed since.
Not their friendship, of course. Even if something feels odd there, too. Like something he should remember, something important, but he can't. Their friendship is still there, still strong, still the same, at least he tells himself that's the case, and that's why he lowers the paper he's reading from over his head to give Hizashi a Look, equal parts resigned and tolerant.]
I was hoping you had. Please tell me there's not an entire living room full of people out there you've snuck in to torment me.
Like I'm going to forget my best friend's birthday! That'd be a total and utter ultra bummer if you ask me!
[He laughs, but then reaches up to clap his hands over his heart, the present under his arm remaining secure. It's a dramatic movement, one that he follows up with taking a step or two inside the room.]
I'm wounded! Hurt! I know you better than to shove fifty people in our shared townhouse for you to stumble on. I've got nothing like that planned! Just gonna drag you out to get groceries for dinner later.
[Honestly, this feels normal, this feels good. No weirdness, no tension outside of the thrum in the back of Hizashi's senses. There's a pause, then he tosses the package over towards Shouta. Inside is a combination hoodie and scarf combo. They're clearly not Hizashi's taste, but what he HOPES Shouta would actually find some use for.]
[The inflection is deliberate, as he lifts his hands to catch the tossed package. Soft, he thinks; clothing of some type, maybe, and for a moment he pauses, stretching out the moment. Maybe a little because it feels nice, like it's something he's been missing. Maybe because he has.
After a second's pause of eyeing Hizashi, he opens the package--and honestly, the contents are touching, both surprising and not at the same time.]
What's this? No bright colors? No metal studs or attempts at fashion?
[There's a tiny shadow of a smile on his lips as his hands brush over the soft fleece of the hoodie, one of those smiles that almost no one can spot.]
Thanks, Hizashi. I missed yours, didn't I? Right before I got here.
Yeah nothing like that! I told you what I had planned dude. Acting suspicious like that's gonna hurt my feelings.
[But he very attentively watches Shouta open up his package, arms folded over his chest, posture content and relaxed as he leans in the doorframe. He even laughs at the jabs about his fashion sense.]
Hey the studs and leather are my thing. Not yours. You've always been more subdued, so a present should fit your tastes not mine, man.
[He doesn't miss that smile though, and Hizashi takes some pride in being able to please his friend that well. The warm little flip in his chest that accompanies it, is more surprising. It's a very different sort of feeling, one that Makes Hizashi hesitate for a second. Oh no.
He's quick to push the thoughts aside, however, as Shouta speaks again.]
Hey man, my birthday present was you showing up. --Not that I'm excited to have you trapped here also but, you know. It was good to see you and all that.
[There's no venom in the words, just a gentle teasing, a tiny nudge that feels more like testing the waters than it should. He doesn't remember much about that missing month--flashes here and there, strange dreams, the odd impulses to text Shigaraki--but there's something here that makes him feel similarly. Something that makes him hesitate, pausing for a moment before he answers.]
Seriously though, thanks. I love them.
[The silence is a tiny bit uncomfortable, at least on his end; he's not really one for this kind of sentiment, and Hizashi knows that. After a moment, he sets the hoodie and scarf aside and laces his fingers in his lap.]
I know what you meant. We get more done together. As a team. I wouldn't want to be here alone, either. Or--well. Toshinori means well, but...you know.
[He hums to himself, tilting his head towards the doorframe as his eyes track along the top of the wall of Shouta's room where it meets the ceiling.]
Depends on when you wanna eat. Could go now, yeah. I've got another errand to run first, you ok with keeping me company? Or being my chaperone, whatever get you to agree to hang out with me again.
[Nevermind that Hizashi is the one that's been weird about things. A little avoidant, a little less handsy, just a hairsbreadth less in Shouta's space, when they manage to be together. It's eased a little with time, but he hasn't broached the subject of that missing time, since he still remembers everything, including the way it felt to kiss his best friend.]
[It's a concession as much as it is confession. The missing month, the changes here none of the natives seem to notice, Katsuki and his single-minded insistence on trying to get himself and others killed, his job change, Hizashi's efforts to--well, he doesn't know, really, and that's enough to make him feel guilty. Enough that he climbs to his feet, and after a moment's thought, tugs the newly acquired hoodie on over his henley.]
I'll come with. I'm not doing anything but giving myself a headache here. Where to?
[Hizashi grins ear to ear when Shouta immediately puts on the hoodie. He doesn't need any more evidence to determine whether Shouta likes his gift or not. Standing up straight he nods his head towards the door.]
Outside, oh cozy one. The place I need to go isn't far from the grocery shop.
[He doesn't waste any time in heading towards the front door either, grabbign keys and wallet as he strides towards the door. Opening it, he steps aside for Shouta to go first.] It'll be quick, promise.
[Shouta very deliberately does not acknowledge that pleased grin, or the strange warmth that it sparks that feels oddly normal and at the same time at odds with what it usually sparks. Instead, he checks his pockets to ensure he's got his own necessary items, keys and wallet and phone, and follows Hizashi to the door.]
Not a big deal. It takes as long as it takes. Like I said, I didn't have any plans for the day. What are you thinking for dinner?
Mmm... Dunno. Hadn't really thought about it. Your favorite food consists of jelly packets. But I was kind of thinking Hotpot. It's cold enough for it, yeah?
[They're outside now, and as they walk, Hizashi juts his elbow out to playfully jab Shouta. He has the urge to push some hair behind one of Shouta's ears, but he ignores it. Instead, he chooses to focus on the excitement of surprising him with the rest of his gift. As they walk though, he watches Shouta out of the corner of his eye.]
So, modeling. You going to stick with it after all?
[His only answer to the first part of that is an amused snort, batting at that playful elbow before tucking his hand back into the pocket of the hoodie.]
It's not my favorite, it's just what's easiest. Fast and efficient and good enough. Hotpot sounds good. It's starting to feel like fall.
[It doesn't feel like it's been that long. Almost four months now, or something like that; of course, maybe it doesn't feel like it because of that missing month, but whatever. Still.
He takes longer to answer the second part of that question, making a small, thoughtful noise as they walk. Modeling. In no universe could be ever have seen himself doing something so unbelievably silly. And yet...here they are.]
I wasn't, at first. It's incredibly stupid, and you know how much I hate public personas and celebrity and everything that goes with it. But... it's not so bad. Apparently whatever clone they replaced me with for a month was just as surly and taciturn, only they dressed it up in an oversized sweater and some ripped jeans and called it brooding. I don't have to do interviews, I just stand around in silly clothes and get my picture taken a couple hours each week. Better than the last assignment. And...it helps. Gets me access to people I wouldn't have otherwise. Gets me in places. It's useful enough.
[Which is to say, yes. Apparently Shouta Aizawa is a model now. What?]
Who've you been listening to man? Surly? [Hizashi lets out a little laugh. Sure, on the surface Shouta can come across surly, but anyone who really knows him knows how much he actually cares. How much work he puts in to take care of the kids he's responsible for, how hard he tries to be good at his job.
Hizashi's never been quite so sure why people underestimate Shouta as much as they seem to. But perhaps it gives him a certain advantage, to be overlooked like that. Hizashi just finds himself wanting Shouta to actually receive what he deserves. He shakes his head, watching Shouta as much as he is the direction they're headed.]
Never would have thought it'd happen. But hey, if it works, it works! I'll have to save any magazines with your face in them just so I can prove they exist.
But, hm. Hotpot it is, then. Too bad we don't have a kotatsu to sit at, huh? [He shoves his hands into his back pockets with a shrug.] Never thought I'd feel homesick, but there's just some things the US doesn't have.
Surly. I'm not ashamed of it. And if you bring any of those things home you'd better keep them hidden.
[And yet despite the words, there's that little note in his voice that belies amusement, the smallest quirk of a smile at the corner of his mouth. Yes, surly. Of course he cares, but it isn't useful for anyone to know that, or for him to wear it on his face. Better to keep it to himself, like he keeps so much to himself. He's never needed or wanted the spotlight.
Which does make all this pretty incongruous, huh? Oh well. It's got its advantages, so he'll take it while he can. While it suits him.
At Hizashi's mention of a kotatsu Shouta hums, agreeing as he runs a hand through his hair.]
You're right. We should find an import store. Or--well, whatever they call it here. A kotatsu would be nice, if we're stuck here through the winter.
My secret stash of Shouta Aizawa pictures. You're lucky I'm not some people, shoving pictures of my best friend in my wallet to show off at a moment's notice.
[He's still laughing to himself as the subject changes. They could always order online, honestly. That's still a thing here after all. When that hand of Shouta's drops from his hair back down to his side, Hizashi barely registers his own hand pulling out from his back pocket so that he can scoop it up, loosely lacing their fingers together. They don't have much further to walk, either, just a few more blocks.]
As long as you promise not to let it swallow you whole, I'll check online after dinner. Dunno where the hell we'll keep the thing, could probably just replace the dining room furniture with it I guess...
Because you know that would end in someone's serious injury.
[There's no vitriol in the retort, and he doesn't even notice at first when Hizashi takes his hand. It's not something they do, not ever, but it feels so much like second nature that it barely registers. He even shifts his own fingers a little, accommodating Hizashi's and making the grip more comfortable.]
We could get rid of the table in the living room, push the couch back. Or move that to another room. It's just us in the house, until they assign someone else. If they do. And everyone can appreciate a good kotatsu, once they learn what it is.
MY serious injury! [He's joking, the expression on his face makes that clear, if the tone of his voice doesn't.]
But you're right. The place is basically ours, who cares what we do with it?
[There's a shrug of a shoulder as they walk, and for a moment Hizashi falls silent, just enjoying the brisk air and the comfortable silence between them. He's missed this.]
You know, I kind of missed this. It's not even been that long since we hung out, but it felt weird, coming back to all this and then hardly seeing each other. I know we're busy, but I'm glad we've got time off together today.
Who would ever have thought we'd end up living together?
[The words are easy and amused, though as Hizashi shrugs his shoulder, Shouta finally feels his attention drawn to the slight tug on his own hand, eyes traveling downward--and then pausing, not quite sure what to make of what he sees. When did that happen? How long have they been holding hands without him realizing it? Not that it's a problem, it's not, it's just--he hadn't expected it. He hadn't expected it to feel so...normal.
And now it's been happening too long to just stop, and Hizashi's telling him how much he's missed hanging out, and he can't just pull away when his best friend is telling him that he's been feeling lonely, can he? So instead, he just looks away, letting their fingers stay tangled, pretending vast interest in the shop window they're passing.]
I know I've been away a lot the last few weeks, but did we not hang out at all when you were off in that...wherever it was?
[It's an attempt to change the topic. Little does he know...]
[It's the question about what happened in the other, alternate reality that gets Hizashi to realize that he's been holding Shouta's hand for the last however long. He frowns, fingers squeezing gently almost as if he's testing the reality of it before he eventually lets go of Shouta's hand, his gaze fixed somewhere other than where Shouta is.
From the outside, they probably look like two lovestruck teenagers afraid to look at each other.]
Huh? Oh, no. Actually you -- he? I was around the other you pretty much all the time. We had a farm that you were kind of the big head guy over. I think you were the first person I actually found after waking up in that place.
But it wasn't really you. Well, it was, but it wasn't you dig? You're not the same person but you are. Things were pretty different, yo. Not in a bad way, just a different way.
[Please god, for once Hizashi wishes he could shut himself up.]
[When Hizashi lets go, Shouta's fingers curl inward, and he resists the urge to put his hand back in his pocket, doing his best to pretend he hadn't noticed in the first place. It's silly. Silly, and stupid, they're friends, they've been friends since they were fifteen. They're both too old to be acting like this. But ever since that missing month, ever since Shouta had woken up on the red carpet to a missing chunk of time and a brand new career he'd had nothing to do with, ever since Hizashi had some back with memories of another world, something had been off.
Maybe that's what he's hoping to figure out, finally asking these questions. Even if the answers are ridiculous, finally making him look at Hizashi, eyebrows raised and a laugh in his voice.]
A farm?? I was running a farm. Me. Well, yeah, I guess that's different, all right...[He trails off for a moment, hesitating. There's more to it, he's sure, but he's not sure he wants to ask.]
[It does sound kind of ridiculous doesn't it? Hizashi manages a laugh. It had been so REAL though, and the way it was explained... it made sense. He isn't sure where to start on retelling.]
A farm and a resistance movement. With Shigaraki. Apparently, in everything that happened, we'd found common ground with him. It was probably the second strangest thing, but somehow it made sense.
[Hizashi pauses, hesitant.] But you... you seemed happy. Even if there was serious shit going on in the background, you were happy man. Happy and married and I'm pretty sure you'd adopted some version of Bakugou.
[He looks startled, looking over at Hizashi again, and then away, brow creased slightly in thought. Well, that makes sense. Explains why more than one night since, when he'd woken from dreams he couldn't remember--nightmares, maybe--he'd find himself opening his phone and scrolling to a number he'd never yet texted. Or never hit send, anyway. If they'd known each other...maybe he was remembering little bits and pieces of that other place. Some weird sort of overlap with his other self.
He's about to voice this thought to Hizashi when he finally processes the rest of what the other man is saying, and that's enough to clear all thoughts of other things from his head.]
[He looks over at Shouta now, an amused sort of expression on his face. That's about what he expected to see splayed across his friend's features, to be honest. he lifts a hand in front of himself to wave dismissively, amused.]
Bakugou. Little quirkless kiddo somehow. I don't know, it didn't really make a lot of sense, you dig? But yeah, married. A ring and everything.
[There's another pause as he searches Shouta's expression. There's so much he's glossing over, especially about Oboro and Kurogiri. From what he remembers, Shouta doesn't even know the two are on in the same yet. How would he even start? Is right now even the right time to?]
Weird is right. Not the Bakugou part, I guess, since, well. You know.
[He cares a lot about his kids, and if Bakugou had shown up in that other world, quirkless or no, they both know he would have taken him in. That's not surprising. But marriage...He's shaking his head, still mildly boggled. Who would marry someone like him? Especially if he's off on a farm, running a resistance group.]
But marriage...god. Marriage, and working with Shigaraki. And living on a farm. Did you meet whoever it was that was stuck with me?
[Maybe that's why this is a little weird and awkward feeling. Was it someone off? Someone who was rude to Hizashi, maybe? That could explain it.]
A lot happened to get everyone to that point, apparently. It was years ahead of now. You were in your fourties.
[That last question though has Hizashi shrugging. He pauses, considering. He's not the type to lie, especially not to Shouta, but he doesn't exactly want to make things between them even more strained or awkward.]
He was an okay dude, man. You don't have to worry about having met and married some jerk or anything. Dunno if "stuck" is the right word for it. I got the feeling yall were pretty happy.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[Action] November 8th
It's left Hizashi with a lot of unresolved, but slowly easing questions, ones he's not exactly been keen on straightening out with Shouta. But, despite some vaguely confusing feelings in the back of his mind, he's not going to miss his best friend's birthday. Which, is why he's currently leaning against the doorframe to Shouta's room, arms crossed with a package underneath one and a grin on his face.]
Please tell me you didn't forget what today is, now that you're a super famous model.
[He has to get a LITTLE teasing in.]
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Not their friendship, of course. Even if something feels odd there, too. Like something he should remember, something important, but he can't. Their friendship is still there, still strong, still the same, at least he tells himself that's the case, and that's why he lowers the paper he's reading from over his head to give Hizashi a Look, equal parts resigned and tolerant.]
I was hoping you had. Please tell me there's not an entire living room full of people out there you've snuck in to torment me.
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[He laughs, but then reaches up to clap his hands over his heart, the present under his arm remaining secure. It's a dramatic movement, one that he follows up with taking a step or two inside the room.]
I'm wounded! Hurt! I know you better than to shove fifty people in our shared townhouse for you to stumble on. I've got nothing like that planned! Just gonna drag you out to get groceries for dinner later.
[Honestly, this feels normal, this feels good. No weirdness, no tension outside of the thrum in the back of Hizashi's senses. There's a pause, then he tosses the package over towards Shouta. Inside is a combination hoodie and scarf combo. They're clearly not Hizashi's taste, but what he HOPES Shouta would actually find some use for.]
Open it up, yeah?
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[The inflection is deliberate, as he lifts his hands to catch the tossed package. Soft, he thinks; clothing of some type, maybe, and for a moment he pauses, stretching out the moment. Maybe a little because it feels nice, like it's something he's been missing. Maybe because he has.
After a second's pause of eyeing Hizashi, he opens the package--and honestly, the contents are touching, both surprising and not at the same time.]
What's this? No bright colors? No metal studs or attempts at fashion?
[There's a tiny shadow of a smile on his lips as his hands brush over the soft fleece of the hoodie, one of those smiles that almost no one can spot.]
Thanks, Hizashi. I missed yours, didn't I? Right before I got here.
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[But he very attentively watches Shouta open up his package, arms folded over his chest, posture content and relaxed as he leans in the doorframe. He even laughs at the jabs about his fashion sense.]
Hey the studs and leather are my thing. Not yours. You've always been more subdued, so a present should fit your tastes not mine, man.
[He doesn't miss that smile though, and Hizashi takes some pride in being able to please his friend that well. The warm little flip in his chest that accompanies it, is more surprising. It's a very different sort of feeling, one that Makes Hizashi hesitate for a second. Oh no.
He's quick to push the thoughts aside, however, as Shouta speaks again.]
Hey man, my birthday present was you showing up. --Not that I'm excited to have you trapped here also but, you know. It was good to see you and all that.
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[There's no venom in the words, just a gentle teasing, a tiny nudge that feels more like testing the waters than it should. He doesn't remember much about that missing month--flashes here and there, strange dreams, the odd impulses to text Shigaraki--but there's something here that makes him feel similarly. Something that makes him hesitate, pausing for a moment before he answers.]
Seriously though, thanks. I love them.
[The silence is a tiny bit uncomfortable, at least on his end; he's not really one for this kind of sentiment, and Hizashi knows that. After a moment, he sets the hoodie and scarf aside and laces his fingers in his lap.]
I know what you meant. We get more done together. As a team. I wouldn't want to be here alone, either. Or--well. Toshinori means well, but...you know.
So, groceries. Now or later?
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[He hums to himself, tilting his head towards the doorframe as his eyes track along the top of the wall of Shouta's room where it meets the ceiling.]
Depends on when you wanna eat. Could go now, yeah. I've got another errand to run first, you ok with keeping me company? Or being my chaperone, whatever get you to agree to hang out with me again.
[Nevermind that Hizashi is the one that's been weird about things. A little avoidant, a little less handsy, just a hairsbreadth less in Shouta's space, when they manage to be together. It's eased a little with time, but he hasn't broached the subject of that missing time, since he still remembers everything, including the way it felt to kiss his best friend.]
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[It's a concession as much as it is confession. The missing month, the changes here none of the natives seem to notice, Katsuki and his single-minded insistence on trying to get himself and others killed, his job change, Hizashi's efforts to--well, he doesn't know, really, and that's enough to make him feel guilty. Enough that he climbs to his feet, and after a moment's thought, tugs the newly acquired hoodie on over his henley.]
I'll come with. I'm not doing anything but giving myself a headache here. Where to?
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[Hizashi grins ear to ear when Shouta immediately puts on the hoodie. He doesn't need any more evidence to determine whether Shouta likes his gift or not. Standing up straight he nods his head towards the door.]
Outside, oh cozy one. The place I need to go isn't far from the grocery shop.
[He doesn't waste any time in heading towards the front door either, grabbign keys and wallet as he strides towards the door. Opening it, he steps aside for Shouta to go first.] It'll be quick, promise.
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Not a big deal. It takes as long as it takes. Like I said, I didn't have any plans for the day. What are you thinking for dinner?
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[They're outside now, and as they walk, Hizashi juts his elbow out to playfully jab Shouta. He has the urge to push some hair behind one of Shouta's ears, but he ignores it. Instead, he chooses to focus on the excitement of surprising him with the rest of his gift. As they walk though, he watches Shouta out of the corner of his eye.]
So, modeling. You going to stick with it after all?
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It's not my favorite, it's just what's easiest. Fast and efficient and good enough. Hotpot sounds good. It's starting to feel like fall.
[It doesn't feel like it's been that long. Almost four months now, or something like that; of course, maybe it doesn't feel like it because of that missing month, but whatever. Still.
He takes longer to answer the second part of that question, making a small, thoughtful noise as they walk. Modeling. In no universe could be ever have seen himself doing something so unbelievably silly. And yet...here they are.]
I wasn't, at first. It's incredibly stupid, and you know how much I hate public personas and celebrity and everything that goes with it. But... it's not so bad. Apparently whatever clone they replaced me with for a month was just as surly and taciturn, only they dressed it up in an oversized sweater and some ripped jeans and called it brooding. I don't have to do interviews, I just stand around in silly clothes and get my picture taken a couple hours each week. Better than the last assignment. And...it helps. Gets me access to people I wouldn't have otherwise. Gets me in places. It's useful enough.
[Which is to say, yes. Apparently Shouta Aizawa is a model now. What?]
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Hizashi's never been quite so sure why people underestimate Shouta as much as they seem to. But perhaps it gives him a certain advantage, to be overlooked like that. Hizashi just finds himself wanting Shouta to actually receive what he deserves. He shakes his head, watching Shouta as much as he is the direction they're headed.]
Never would have thought it'd happen. But hey, if it works, it works! I'll have to save any magazines with your face in them just so I can prove they exist.
But, hm. Hotpot it is, then. Too bad we don't have a kotatsu to sit at, huh? [He shoves his hands into his back pockets with a shrug.] Never thought I'd feel homesick, but there's just some things the US doesn't have.
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[And yet despite the words, there's that little note in his voice that belies amusement, the smallest quirk of a smile at the corner of his mouth. Yes, surly. Of course he cares, but it isn't useful for anyone to know that, or for him to wear it on his face. Better to keep it to himself, like he keeps so much to himself. He's never needed or wanted the spotlight.
Which does make all this pretty incongruous, huh? Oh well. It's got its advantages, so he'll take it while he can. While it suits him.
At Hizashi's mention of a kotatsu Shouta hums, agreeing as he runs a hand through his hair.]
You're right. We should find an import store. Or--well, whatever they call it here. A kotatsu would be nice, if we're stuck here through the winter.
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[He's still laughing to himself as the subject changes. They could always order online, honestly. That's still a thing here after all. When that hand of Shouta's drops from his hair back down to his side, Hizashi barely registers his own hand pulling out from his back pocket so that he can scoop it up, loosely lacing their fingers together. They don't have much further to walk, either, just a few more blocks.]
As long as you promise not to let it swallow you whole, I'll check online after dinner. Dunno where the hell we'll keep the thing, could probably just replace the dining room furniture with it I guess...
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[There's no vitriol in the retort, and he doesn't even notice at first when Hizashi takes his hand. It's not something they do, not ever, but it feels so much like second nature that it barely registers. He even shifts his own fingers a little, accommodating Hizashi's and making the grip more comfortable.]
We could get rid of the table in the living room, push the couch back. Or move that to another room. It's just us in the house, until they assign someone else. If they do. And everyone can appreciate a good kotatsu, once they learn what it is.
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But you're right. The place is basically ours, who cares what we do with it?
[There's a shrug of a shoulder as they walk, and for a moment Hizashi falls silent, just enjoying the brisk air and the comfortable silence between them. He's missed this.]
You know, I kind of missed this. It's not even been that long since we hung out, but it felt weird, coming back to all this and then hardly seeing each other. I know we're busy, but I'm glad we've got time off together today.
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[The words are easy and amused, though as Hizashi shrugs his shoulder, Shouta finally feels his attention drawn to the slight tug on his own hand, eyes traveling downward--and then pausing, not quite sure what to make of what he sees. When did that happen? How long have they been holding hands without him realizing it? Not that it's a problem, it's not, it's just--he hadn't expected it. He hadn't expected it to feel so...normal.
And now it's been happening too long to just stop, and Hizashi's telling him how much he's missed hanging out, and he can't just pull away when his best friend is telling him that he's been feeling lonely, can he? So instead, he just looks away, letting their fingers stay tangled, pretending vast interest in the shop window they're passing.]
I know I've been away a lot the last few weeks, but did we not hang out at all when you were off in that...wherever it was?
[It's an attempt to change the topic. Little does he know...]
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From the outside, they probably look like two lovestruck teenagers afraid to look at each other.]
Huh? Oh, no. Actually you -- he? I was around the other you pretty much all the time. We had a farm that you were kind of the big head guy over. I think you were the first person I actually found after waking up in that place.
But it wasn't really you. Well, it was, but it wasn't you dig? You're not the same person but you are. Things were pretty different, yo. Not in a bad way, just a different way.
[Please god, for once Hizashi wishes he could shut himself up.]
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Maybe that's what he's hoping to figure out, finally asking these questions. Even if the answers are ridiculous, finally making him look at Hizashi, eyebrows raised and a laugh in his voice.]
A farm?? I was running a farm. Me. Well, yeah, I guess that's different, all right...[He trails off for a moment, hesitating. There's more to it, he's sure, but he's not sure he wants to ask.]
Was that the only thing that was different?
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A farm and a resistance movement. With Shigaraki. Apparently, in everything that happened, we'd found common ground with him. It was probably the second strangest thing, but somehow it made sense.
[Hizashi pauses, hesitant.] But you... you seemed happy. Even if there was serious shit going on in the background, you were happy man. Happy and married and I'm pretty sure you'd adopted some version of Bakugou.
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[He looks startled, looking over at Hizashi again, and then away, brow creased slightly in thought. Well, that makes sense. Explains why more than one night since, when he'd woken from dreams he couldn't remember--nightmares, maybe--he'd find himself opening his phone and scrolling to a number he'd never yet texted. Or never hit send, anyway. If they'd known each other...maybe he was remembering little bits and pieces of that other place. Some weird sort of overlap with his other self.
He's about to voice this thought to Hizashi when he finally processes the rest of what the other man is saying, and that's enough to clear all thoughts of other things from his head.]
Wait, what? Married? And I'd adopted who??
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[He looks over at Shouta now, an amused sort of expression on his face. That's about what he expected to see splayed across his friend's features, to be honest. he lifts a hand in front of himself to wave dismissively, amused.]
Bakugou. Little quirkless kiddo somehow. I don't know, it didn't really make a lot of sense, you dig? But yeah, married. A ring and everything.
[There's another pause as he searches Shouta's expression. There's so much he's glossing over, especially about Oboro and Kurogiri. From what he remembers, Shouta doesn't even know the two are on in the same yet. How would he even start? Is right now even the right time to?]
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[He cares a lot about his kids, and if Bakugou had shown up in that other world, quirkless or no, they both know he would have taken him in. That's not surprising. But marriage...He's shaking his head, still mildly boggled. Who would marry someone like him? Especially if he's off on a farm, running a resistance group.]
But marriage...god. Marriage, and working with Shigaraki. And living on a farm. Did you meet whoever it was that was stuck with me?
[Maybe that's why this is a little weird and awkward feeling. Was it someone off? Someone who was rude to Hizashi, maybe? That could explain it.]
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[That last question though has Hizashi shrugging. He pauses, considering. He's not the type to lie, especially not to Shouta, but he doesn't exactly want to make things between them even more strained or awkward.]
He was an okay dude, man. You don't have to worry about having met and married some jerk or anything. Dunno if "stuck" is the right word for it. I got the feeling yall were pretty happy.
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