(open) you'll never see it coming

[forethinking]

Who: ren-chan & You, my dear friend
What: catch-all!
Where: hblanc, kichijoji, the penguin sniper, gym, all over the void...
When: pre-party and january
Content Warnings: none as of now, but y'all know, i'll put it in the subject line if anything! probably royal spoilers?



(Apartment 310 of the Merlaut Apartments, once a field of flowers - bursting with life, vivid colors and floral aromas, home to one Ren Amamiya and Goro Akechi, now rests empty. Should anyone come to visit, they will find a note on the door - handwriting too often seen to be recognizable as Ren's. It reads:)



(May a new chapter begin.)

Comments

penguin sniper

[forethinking]

(It's taken them a few trips, but finally, they're well settled in a new apartment. Taking the green and gray two-story loft right next to one of Ren's favorite places in Tokyo, it's only natural that the boy finds himself spending more time there for leisure. After all, it's here where bonds were created, where deep realizations took place, and well, where he could display those billiard skills of his.

Speaking of which, he's practicing those right now - a solo game, without too much commitment. Maybe you see him performing a back shot, sitting on the table with the cue stick behind his back looking cool as hell, nailing it... Or is it a massé shot, knee on the table making the ball curve on its path? Perhaps you see him put way too much strength on a jump shot, the ball either hitting him in the face or leaping so far that it breaks a glass at the bar. Oops.

The choice is yours.)

heavenly blanc - one

[forethinking]

(The Void's official barista is exhausted today. He's been up and down, he's already gone to the market for "groceries", for Heavenly Blanc and for himself, gathered more flowers for his place now that they inhabit a more spacious apartment, helped clean the church... The boy is very busy... And the Void forgot to let him know how tired he is throughout the day.

Upon arrival, the customer will not be greeted by the usual "welcome", along with Ren's warm smile and quick service. Instead, they will find Ren in a booth, his forearms as his pillow, and a silent, almost inaudible snore that could easily be mistaken with a cat's purr.)

hblanc 1.5: obligatory three-way thread option

[simulatio]

[Well. There is something to be said about burning the candle at both ends, isn't there? That's what Akechi would say if Ren were awake to appreciate it.

There's a pang of something at seeing Ren's sleeping face in the booth as he approaches, maybe something like guilt. Like he's supposed to have noticed something like this before it got to the point where his boyfriend friend rival was passed out asleep in public.

He clicks his tongue briefly and sighs with annoyance before pulling off his uniform jacket and ever-so-gently draping it across Ren's shoulders. Then the door bell chimes cheerfully, and Akechi wheels as if stung, expression furious as he brings a finger to his lips in a silent shh!]

Please, be quiet. [His pleasant, melodious voice doesn't quite match the nasty expression still visible across his face before he tucks it away and hides it behind something more neutral.]

I’m sorry Akechi

[bluecastleace]

[Cue Iwaizumi, blinking in irritation as he’s immediately snapped at upon entering his second favorite Void hot spot.]

Who are you shushing? It’s a damn bell.

[His voice is not quiet. He hasn’t noticed Ren sleeping yet!]

heavenly blanc - two

[forethinking]

(The storms have been a blessing - he can play his phone games now, and with his videogame and tv set, he almost dances in bliss when the thunder announces one.

At Heavenly Blanc, however, it's a different story. The jukebox goes nuts, and for the past thirty minutes, a single song plays, full volume. Ren is sitting in front of it, attempting to turn it down, off, anything, because whatever is being said to him is being drowned by promises of never giving up, never letting somebody down, never running around, and deserting. He has no luck with it yet. )

[bazooker]

[Meanwhile, all Haru could do was just stare at the song playing and wondered exactly what was going on. For the past couple of minutes, Haru sat in her seat watching her poor friend do everything in his power to just turn it off!

However, she gave a small sigh before approaching her dear friend. As she gazed at the jukebox, she did wonder just where she heard this song from. It sure sounded very familiar. With that, she kneeled down to look at him from below.]

Ren-kun, I think you had enough, it is time you took a break.

[forethinking]

(Being so close to the jukebox, and with the dulcet tone of Haru's voice, it's fair to say he understood a total of zero percent of what she just told him.

He knew trying to answer with words would result in the same outcome, so he just tapped his ear to let her know he couldn't hear her.)

x2 again

[bluecastleace]

[Well, maybe if Iwaizumi shouts Ren will hear it.]

WHAT THE HELL IS THAT PLAYING?

[He just wanted some curry, not a personal concert! Also, what a terrible song!]

[forethinking]

I DON'T KNOW!

(He yells back, his deep voice even booming from the volume. Ren takes it out of the plug, which does -- nothing. Absolutely nothing.)

what a show off - gym

[forethinking]

(Acrobatics, something easy for him to achieve in the Metaverse turns out to be not so easy in real life. He works out with Yoshizawa often, taking his training from her directly but he knows that he has to keep fit and continue to improve on his own.

He can be found upside down against a wall, performing a handstand push-up. His shirt, jacket and knife are in a locker, which means the nipple piercing is out, hello, but most importantly, all the blood has flown to his face. He's not embarrassed to be seen, but it sure looks like it.)

[thats_it]

[Ignis, who's come down to the gym looking for something to practice his dagger skills with (a training dummy, a target, something) naturally stumbles upon Ren. he watches him for a moment, then, frowning, before he suggests:] Take care to keep your core engaged.

[he'll apologize for sticking his nose in, in a minute. he just can't help himself, right now, for all that gymnastics and acrobatics are sort of his thing]

[forethinking]

I'm t-trying.

(His voice almost not leaving him. This should be his last set for the moment, he should catch a break soon. One, two, and still somehow gracefully, Ren allows his foot to touch the ground in front of him, reemerging and panting. He did good today, workout wise!

... Time to put on a shirt, though. Where's his towel?)

home - kichijoji

[forethinking]

(He's home alone for the moment, which is fine. It's an opportunity for him to clean up for a change, reheat the leftovers from the party adding his twists, maybe change a thing or two from their place. It's a work in progress.

After all is done, Ren takes a break at the balcony to enjoy his coffee and the view. A bypasser can surely say hi!)

[abeautifulgame]

[he can see you standing up there on the balcony, Ren, and while eventually, maybe, he'll come around, come into the building, come to his apartment properly, right now, he just stands there, below, frowning up at him. after a beat, he calls:] I wish you'd mentioned you were moving.

[forethinking]

Huh?

(Well, he left a note. Damien barely ever visits anyway, so it never crossed his mind to actually announce it like it seemed to have been expected of him. Most of their hangouts have been inside Heavenly Blanc, too.)

I'm sorry.

afterparty - akeshu closed

[forethinking]

(When Ren arrives home, his light doesn't shine as bright. He's exhausted, but that would be no news to Akechi. He did indeed organize the party, cooked a battalion worth of food and hosted until the last Void citizen went home. He almost cleaned too, but he will wake up a little earlier tomorrow to do that.

Soundless steps as he enters their room, removing his shirt and scarf to put on the laundry basket.)

Hey.

[simulatio]

Welcome back.

[It's a low answer, his own light a bare glimmer hinting that he'd been asleep until he'd heard the door open. It's brightening as the seconds pass, though, and Akechi himself comes into view. He'd taken Ren's sweats to wear after he'd gotten back, his hair still slightly damp from an earlier shower and hanging loosely around his shoulders.]

You're home awfully late.

[His gloves are off, and as he leans casually against the doorframe to watch, the ring is still glinting on his finger.]

[forethinking]

I waited until everyone had left.

(He smiles a little, removing his own gloves, his own ring coming into view and he smiles at it. Akechi smells nice, and the hair gives him the clue that he would be showering alone soon, which was fine. All he's left in is his pants, and he takes a good look at Akechi wearing his loungewear. There's that nod to that previous conversation, and it always pulls Ren's heartstrings with all he has.)

You look good, honey.

(And for once, it's not said with desire, but endearment as he comes closer to steal a kiss.)

merlaut apartments rm 109

[abeautifulgame]

[it doesn't take him long to realize that Melinoë is gone. not out, not away, like Ren and Akechi not too long ago, but well and truly gone. it cuts, so soon after their argument, their make up -- it would even without. it stings on the heel of however many other slights from this place, its people -- his standoff with Add at the 'Christmas' party comes to mind, so does everyone abandoning the Merlaut, abandoning him. either way, it's all enough to make him withdraw from just about everything. for days, there's no sign of him. he doesn't leave his room, doesn't haunt Heavenly Blanc or the library, he's not outside of the Meralut in the mornings, with a coffee and sometimes a cigarette. he's just seemingly gone, too, disappeared]

[it's almost four days later when he finally comes out of his room, and in that time, something has changed and not for the better. he seems colder, somehow -- he is colder, just short of hissing at anyone who tries to engage him as he ducks into abandoned rooms and comes back with an armful of shitty laptops. he takes them back to his room and starts taking them apart, makes trips out to gather other things from the Shibumenosaki and Wall Market, seemingly at random, and well, when all's said and done, he has enough parts to make a bomb. he has enough parts to make several bombs. he doesn't know if the Void understands explosives, yet, but when he's done, it will]

[he's going to destroy the shrine at the edge of the Void, the last thing he and Melinoë really shared together. he's going to go back to being the villain. being anything else, like he told Aiden a lifetime away, has left him weak]

[forethinking]

(Ren's only here in passing. Visiting, as being in Kichijoji means that he only sees people at work or when they visit every now and then. Damien, however, hasn't been. It's strange, to say the least. Damien has been a constant presence in his life since the beginning of time - literally.

So Ren doesn't hesitate to knock on the man's door, waiting for him to answer with a bottle of coffee in his hands. If he doesn't go to the cafe, the cafe goes to him.)

[abeautifulgame]

[it's tempting to not answer and hope he keeps walking. that's probably the best option if he really does want to be left alone, but -- ]

Fuck off!

[ -- but maybe in his heart of hearts, he really doesn't want to be. he just has no idea how to ask]

[simulatio]

[Akechi leaves their apartment early that morning, giving Ren a kiss on the cheek on his way out the door. He has a general idea of how "long" Ren spends in Heavenly Blanc when he works his shifts, and he has his own work to do in the meantime.

By the time Ren comes back at the end of the day, the apartment smells like... well. It smells like something had been burned not too long ago, the breeze through the windows hinting that someone had opened them to waft out a smell. A curse from the kitchen reveals where Akechi is, and also the source of the smell. It seems as though he'd tried roasting fish and vegetables at the same time on too high of a temperature.]

[forethinking]

(It was a longer shift than usual, only because Ren stayed a little longer to mop the floors and reorganize the items under the counter. He wondered where Akechi went so early in the morning before he left, concluding that the other man probably decided to spend some time in the library trying to find anything useful for their future attack.

When he comes back, it takes him very little time to deduce what happened in his absence, with the smell and the curse driving him towards the living room rather than their bedroom where Akechi tends to spend most time. Even if Akechi's plan went terribly wrong, Ren has such a smile on his lips, thankfulness rather than mockery when he approaches.)

Hey.

02/02 - akechi

[forethinking]

(As much as both of them try to steer away from sentimentalities, Ren can't let the date go to waste, even if it was not too long ago for both of them. It's the day both of them agreed to go back to where they belong, the day Hereward came to be. Last time they've faced it, Ren agreed to lose Akechi. This time, he doesn't have to.

Sneak as a thief, Ren gently removes himself from the other's hold, still rather early in the morning for any of them to be awake. When he returns, it's with fresh coffee and a perfect egg and ham sandwich waiting for the other man downstairs. He is all about efficiency, isn't he? Quietly, Ren presses a kiss to Akechi's cheek, gently as to wake the gremlin.)

Goro.

[simulatio]

[Ren returns to the sight of Akechi curled up in the spot he'd vacated, as if unconsciously searching for the warmth that had been beside him and so rudely removed. He scrunches his face in response to the kiss, tensing once as he jolts awake. No matter how gently Ren's tried to wake him in the past, it's never quite enough to break the habit of feeling like someone's invaded his space and he's immediately under attack. He glares through slitted eyes at his boyfriend as his sleepy brain catches up with his reflexes, then turns his gaze to the clock that keeps reasonable time.]

It's early.

[And with that irritated grumble, he buries his face back in the pillow.]