( open ) it hurts i can't lie, remember those times

[obsessiveness]

Who: izumi and you!
What: post-event stuff; dealing w dying and exploring the void and all that
Where: anywhere you want, babey
When: first half of november
Content Warnings: tba



[ even though izumi still has to recover from the shitstorm that is last month, he really isn't the homebody type. he does spend the first few days of the month cooped up in his shared room with leo to recuperate though, before putting on something warm and set out for the day. he has a bunch of places to visit now that this world spawned up a couple of new ones, and he heard that pieces of florence has manifested here...? ]

i. galleria de funghi

[ oh how he wished he didn't fucking ask.

like okay, to be fair he hasn't dropped by any of florence's hit tourist spots back at his world since he likes to keep himself busy, but this certainly isn't the Galleria he's acquainted with. what the fuck. izumi explores the Galleria with a look of utmost bewilderment on his face, and when he gets to the infamous David statue -- ]

What. The fuck.

[ noooo who did this to you king. it's so absurd that izumi just... starts snickering to himself, his shoulders wracking in laughter. yep, he's finally lost it, because his sense of humor (if he even has any) doesn't usually stoop this low.

he can also be found with a basket, picking out mushrooms as if he's at a grocery store. at some point he's holding two of them - a handful of button mushrooms and a large portobello mushroom - and tries to make small talk with whomever's nearby.]

You know other places where I can cook? I don't wanna keep barging at the cafe all the time.

ii. trains

[ at some point, izumi will be caught up in a thunderstorm on the way home, so that means the train stations should be up and running right now. riding one brings forth a wave of nostalgia in him as he dreamily watches the shifting landscape outside the window --

until the thunderstorm stops. and so does the train.

ugh. he stomps over to the sliding doors and attempts to pry them open, but his twink arms are no match for it. defeated, he kicks the stupid doors in frustration. ]

Shit!

iii. yumenoshibuya academy

[ that's what he's calling it, okay! it just rolls off the tongue better.

anyway, the combination school/mall has become his solace over the past few months, loathe as he is to admit it. there are some places he hasn't gotten to yet, like looking through their wares. sadly there isn't much to buy here, so he has no choice but to peruse their jewelry and makeup collection, holding up an eyeliner and testing it out on his own. he can totally feel when someone's watching him though, so he's going to turn to the person responsible a little too abruptly, ruining his eyeline in the process. ]

Oi, stay quiet. I'm armed and I know how to use this, you know.

[ he clearly does know how to apply mascara that can kill a man, so don't underestimate him. ]

wildcard

[ let me know if you wanna do something else outside of these prompts! feel free to PM me or ping me at romanticizes! izumi can also be hit up at his shared room with leo if your character wants to visit him during his recuperation from death. ]

Comments

closed to leo;

[obsessiveness]

[ it was neverending. hell, that is. apart from meeting that other boy who also died in unfortunate circumstances, izumi had to relive all sorts of pain, both physical and mental, as he tried to shut out the stares and wails of those former yumenosaki students from his already feeble mind. at one point he'd tried reaching out to them, but unlike akechi, they're already far too gone.

at one point, he wonders when he will be finally put to rest.

he wasn't aware of it, but everyone else including leo had woken up from their collective nightmare. leo must be literally worried sick upon regaining consciousness and finding out that izumi's still passed out in bed, but upon closer inspection he's still breathing. izumi looks pretty normal in his usual beautiful way in his sleep, though if leo's curious enough to check, he will notice a huge scar that spans his entire backside, confirming where he'd fallen on when they--

well, it's best not to talk about that right now.

but luckily, leo didn't have to wait long. time is still fucky in this world, but izumi will bolt awake up exactly an hour after leo, breathing heavily as his hand instinctively searches for something warm and alive. most likely leo's hand. ]

Leo-kun? Leo-kun, I--

[ he coughs. eugh, he needs water, first of all. ]

[bachagain]

[ worried sick is one way to put it, yeah. waking up had been an experience -- an experience starting with dread upon seeing izumi's body, mixed with relief upon seeing he was breathing, and then a sinking anxiety when he doesn't wake up.

( and um, a horrible something else when he checks to make sure there's no injuries or anything and happens across that scar, but it's fine! )

needless to say, leo doesn't move from izumi's side for that whole hour. when izumi does finally bolt awake, the sheer, sheer relief leo feels offsets the guilt, and he grasps izumi's hand immediately. ]

Sena. I'm here. Wait, lemme--

[ he'll unwillingly pull away for a little to get izumi a bottle of water. look, he even uncaps it as he hands it over. he's being useful!! kind of! ]

[obsessiveness]

[ he grabs the bottle from leo and chugs it all down in one go; it's weird how they all didn't die from lack of water after sleeping for what felt like weeks, but izumi isn't in the mood to entertain more questions about death at the moment.

now sated and hydrated, izumi unceremoniously throws the empty bottle onto the floor and makes a show of climbing onto leo's lap, clinging on to dear life as he trembles ever so slightly. he couldn't stand the heat on most days as it is, so experiencing hell for himself was on another level of discomfort that he doesn't want to go over again.

he should say something, now that his throat is no longer parched. but every time he opens his mouth he makes a sound like he's about to sob, so he grits his teeth, hands clutching at leo's shirt so tightly his fingers turn white.

just... give him a moment to recollect himself like this. ]

[bachagain]

[ oh.

oh. this hurts. the short relief that leo may have experienced at sena being alive, somehow, is immediately replaced with the same feeling that ripped into him upon seeing the reminders of what happened on sena's back. from the sounds izumi's making to the feel of him trembling on him -- all of it honestly makes leo want to cry (again), and he can only bring his hands up to wrap his arms around izumi and hold him tightly, tightly, tightly in return.

he shouldn't do that so easily. probably. but it's the only thing leo can think to do, as he whispers out pathetically: ]

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry--

[ and maybe it's a little selfish, too, to burden izumi with his apologies so soon. but if he doesn't let them out he'll burst, as the worry and the regret and everything else threatens to choke him alive. there's a million other things he could say. things like i didn't mean it or i thought i already hit my lowest, until i thought i wouldn't see you again, but he'll stick with that for now.

leo doesn't know the full extent of izumi's experience, after all. he doesn't know what comes after dying, or what comes after dying in a dream. so... the rest of his response is only action, as he draws izumi closer if he's allowed.

izumi can recover at his own pace. he can say the first word, or the last word, or no words at all. leo's definitely, definitely, definitely not leaving. ]

[obsessiveness]

[ "don't apologize," he wants to say, because tears are starting to flow from his eyes and staining leo's shirt in the process. he'd thought he'd seen leo at his lowest in the rough times they'd been together until this moment, cradling his mess of a self like his life now depends on it. and in a way it does; izumi is hardly the clingiest guy to anyone not name makoto yuuki, but he's already made a lot of exemptions to leo, so here it is. leo hadn't seen him cry before, now that he thinks about it.

but maybe it's high time he lets his guard down around leo now, in the privacy of their little apartment. slowly but surely he lets out one broken sob after another onto leo's chest, no longer caring that he's making a stupid mess on leo's shirt now. but he lets leo draw him much closer as he tightens his embrace around him, not willing to let go anymore. ]

It's... N-Not your fault. [ he manages to croak out after so much ugly sniveling, gross ] It was a nightmare. They said that th-the world was out to get us as usual, but...

[ no, it isn't fair to put the blame entirely on that place. it may only be a terrible dream, but they were both conscious of it in a way. they still have metaphorical blood on their hands.

after wiping his eyes on leo's shirt one last time, he sits up properly, cups leo's face in his hands and wipes his thumb over the other's eyes in case leo had started tearing up too. ]

...I'm sorry. I didn't-- I shouldn't have let go. In the first place, it was stupid of me to even do that.

[ like seriously, even he'd have the sense to hold on to leo even when arguing with him, knowing that the guy would just try to run run away... but it was izumi's turn to leave, and look where it had gotten them. ]

[forethinking]

(Well, he hasn't seen Izumi since they've all woken up and while he wasn't looking for him actively, Ren smiles when he sees him. He does seem rather focused, so Ren says nothing not to break it.

At the words, though, Ren squints, barely noticing the eyeliner mishap. He's more concerned about something else.)

... A pencil is not a weapon.

(Ren........ REN)

[obsessiveness]

[ izumi raised a perfectly lined eyebrow at him. ]

Oh gee, you sure showed me! Obviously my measly little eyeliner is no match for your Persona-whatever.

[ his bitchiness is turned up higher than usual right now, don't mind him. ]

i.

[rotomphone]

[ Raihan hadn't had a chance to do much exploring of new areas before the Great Sleepening, but now that he's awake, rested, and has his Pokemon at his side, he's raring to go. with Torkoal at his side, he's finally getting around to exploring this weird... mushroom museum? it's clear that this was supposed to be an art museum, but the void just had to put some flavour into it.

it's all well and good until he gets to the front of the museum, with the very prominent male statue on display. while Izumi is snickering, Raihan is trying and failing to to keep his laughter held back. Torkoal just glances up at both of them, looking very confused. ]

Oh, that's rich. Who brought this place here? I wanna give them a medal or something!

[obsessiveness]

[ oh crap, someone's here with him. izumi clears his throat and paps at his own cheeks to silence the funnybone in his body before turning around to see who it is-- ]

Geh. The guy with the selfies.

[ that's the least insulting descriptor izumi's come up to a guy he just met, so be grateful. he scowls at raihan for a moment, though it's out of reflex than anything before blinking at the Pokemon beside him. ]

What's that turtle doing here?

[rotomphone]

[ don't think he didn't see that, Izumi. it's fine - a little immature humour never hurt anyone! ]

Hey, I went to the trouble of introducing myself when we met! I know I'm memorable, so that means you definitely have to remember my name.

[ and if he doesn't he's going to pout about it so hard. do you want that? probably not, but it'll at least be a cute face to disappoint. he's at least momentarily distracted by Izumi pointing out Torkoal, who looks up at him with his constantly-sleepy expression. ]

He's with me! Most of my Pokémon haven't had a chance to check stuff out for themselves, so I wanted to start showing them around...Torkoal's an old soul so he likes quiet places like this.

[obsessiveness]

Yeah, yeah. You're... Rayban, right?

[ like the shades? but izumi may have remembered raihan's name anyway and was just messing with him in his own little way, so it's fine.

and if anything, izumi's much more interested in the turtle than its trainer himself. he narrows his eyes at torkoal, as if waiting for him to do something, and when he confirms that it's just a sleepy old turtle - ]

Is it like, heating up? I can feel it from here.

[ it does look tame enough compared to the other creatures that roam around this world, at least. ]

[rotomphone]

Oof... Way to hit me in my ego, mate. [ he cringes, but it's in good humour. ] Raihan! If you're trying to mess with me, you'll have to try way harder than that.

[ he even emphasizes the syllables to make sure of it! the followers on his socials would never let this sort of misremembrance fly without condemnation... but his followers aren't reachable right now, so he'll just have to let this slide. ]

Yup! Torkoal burn coal in their bodies, so he's like a portable space heater. [ with a short little huff, he lets out some greyish-black smoke from his nostrils. ] Cute, right?

ii

[theforgottenboy]

[Cole mostly uses the tracks as a footpath while avoiding the trains themselves, and so it doesn't take him long to figure out he should stay off the tracks when it's storming somewhere. He was waiting out the latest storm when the train happened to come to a stop nearby, and... is that someone inside?]

[Always here to help, he makes his way to where he heard the muffled cursing, glancing through the windows... oh.]

Are you all right, Sena?

[It may be a bit muffled by the door in the way, but that's fine since he finds the edge of the door and pries it open shortly after; he may not be a tank, but he can defeat a train door easily enough.]

[obsessiveness]

[ izumi isn't sure what's more surprising here - meeting cole in the wild after all the bullshit they'd gone through in meatmentos, or the fact that this frail-looking twink was able to pry a couple of metal doors open.

he stands back in any case, eyes blinking rapidly. ]

I'm all right, but-- [ shakes his head ] No, what am I saying? I'm supposed to ask you that!

[theforgottenboy]

I'm not hurt anymore. That was only in the dream. It's just a scar now.

[Cole dreams shouldn't be able to give you scars-]

I was hoping to find you. The nightmare was hurting both of you, but you saw through it sooner. You were able to help Leo, right?

[He doesn't know what happened after he left, and he's spoken to Leo since then so he knows he's at least in one piece, but... he just wants to know.]

[obsessiveness]

I-I see.

[ izumi would know, since he has a rather huge scar that covers his entire back. this is a pretty bad time to talk about it though, now that cole has brought him up...

he nods slowly. ]

Yeah, he should be fine now. Honestly, I didn't even think that it was a nightmare at the time. I just thought that Leo-kun had gone too far.

[ and then he bows. see, he can be a polite boy. ]

In any case, I apologize for his sake. We both had no idea what came over us.

[theforgottenboy]

[He hopes Izumi is right and Leo will be fine, because he can't read his thoughts and feelings anymore... though Leo is more open about those than most, at least.]

[But he's spoken to Leo already, for better or worse, and he's not the only one he was concerned about. His head tilts slightly at the bowing. He's not sure why he's doing that.]

You don't have to. I knew it was a dream, though it was hard to tell how real it might be when we woke up.

[Mostly not real, fortunately, but he knows that much fear and hurt left behind more than just scars.]

When you were in the nightmare, you thought you deserved to be there, that it was your fault. Why did you think that?

[Things had been a bit tense and distracting at the time, to say the least, but those are the sort of feelings that call out to him the loudest.]

ii

[activatingcombatmode]

[Zack Fair has taken a liking to the trains only because the familiar sound and rumble of them remind him of parts of Midgar that never really leave his mind. So today Zack is caught on the trains as well when the thunderstorm starts to thunder and the whole thing starts to rattle and stall to a stop.]

The hell?

[He stands up and checks out the window to see what might've happened. Luckily this soldier is far from being a twink himself. He's tall, dark and handsome. And can probably pry that pesky door open.]

I guess that means we're walking from here? Need a hand with that?

[obsessiveness]

[ yeah, at least this guy looks like he can pry doors open with his bare hands. but izumi still wouldn't believe it until he sees it with his own eyes, so -- ]

I guess, if you can get it to open. Walking is kind of a pain while you're already in here, though.

[ hm. ]

Is there even anyone running this entire train?

[activatingcombatmode]

No idea, all I know is that the storm has something to do with it. I don't really get that part, though.

[Zack is just here to hitch a ride on the train and maybe kill some time while the storm clears up but he hadn't been expecting to get clearly stranded here. It might be a good idea to see who or what is even running the train...

But first things first! Zack comes up to the latched door and rolls his shoulders before he gets ready to put some weight into this and pry the thing open. With his bare hands!]

Here, stand back a sec. I got this.

[obsessiveness]

Guess the storms stopped for now? That's normally a good thing, but...

[ well, if the whole world is relying on thunder and lightning in order for electricity to start flowing, it still fucking sucks.

but lord, he does look like he has the guns for the job. izumi will stand back and let zack do his job, though he will curiously peek around and see if the older guy can actually pull it off? ]

iii - i am here to collect on my cute, let them do each other's makeup

[bachagain]

[ oh,

normally izumi's tightline would totally be enough to commit murder, so, like, leo doesn't necessarily have to pause over those words in particular. but him wandering off for a bit to steal some bentos from the cafeteria is absolutely not enough reason to murder him with makeup, thank you-- ]

It's me!

[ --sooo, they both know staying quiet is off the table.

also leo's squinting for other reasons, as he shuffles on over after putting the bentos on the nearest flat surface... ]

Didja do something different than you usually do?

[ messed it up, that's what he did different, ]

what thats so cute but also rip izumi

[obsessiveness]

Oh, yeah, I to~tally intended to look like this, Leo-kun. God. [ his... poor eyeline... sighs. ] What are you doing with those bento, anyway? If you're hungry, you could've just told me.

[ he's eyeing those bento boxes leo brought with him like... why. they're not really filled with food, right? because even now, izumi would rather make 'em from scratch instead of buying one. ]

Anyway-- [ he takes a moist towel to erase the ruined line over his eye, and urges leo to come sit beside him. ] --I'm just trying these out of sheer boredom, really. Just because this world has no concept of beauty yet doesn't mean I can't look my best out there, right?

what?? he'll look beautiful stop

[bachagain]

[ yeah actually he already ate one ]

Stop being a mom for a little bit, Sena!

[ it's SERIOUSLY with love xoxo but also c'mon. izumi can't cook if they're wandering around being hooligans, okay. sometimes you just become a slave to your stomach...

... also if leo was smoother and had more than two braincells he could make some cheesy pickup line here about the concept of beauty and izumi's face, but as an enstars the pickup lines only come when everyone's two steps away from a mental breakdown. so.

izumi just gets leo settling down beside him. ]

Ahh, you're wiping it away? I kinda liked it funny looking like that! [ outstretching his hand for the eyeliner, ] Here, here, lemme try! If you're bored, I can fix that up really quick!

[ THIS IS ABSOLUTELY SAFE AFTER WHAT LEO JUST SAID ]

Hm :/

[obsessiveness]

[ just... shoots him an incredulous look ]

Hah? If anything, you'll make it worse!

[ but at the same time, they're totally alone at this side of the underground school/mall. leo would need to learn how to apply makeup once they get out of here and back into their exciting idol life, and, well... this won't be the first time leo gets to touch his face. izumi was totally reacting out of reflex there.

so he sighs, and plops the eyeliner onto leo's hands, closing his eyes so that he won't have to see the disaster his friend is going to create. ]

...Fine. Don't make me regret this.

[ he says, already regretting it. ]