riverviewlogs | [Closed]

Entry tags:

[Closed]

who: Karamatsu and Aoba
what: Aoba visits Karamatsu at his new house and brings Ren.
when: 19 Jan, shortly after this thread.
where: Matsuno Residence!
warnings: N/A

[ With Ren in Sleep Mode, he's a small ball of blue fluff in his bag and a familiar weight that Aoba had been missing. He's happy, even when it starts to rain on his way there, but he doesn't mind it much.

He has Ren, his long time companion and very important person in his life, and he gets to show him off to the other important friend. For some reason, that makes him feel light and happy, which he suspects is a bit childish... but it can't be helped.

Wet clothes are uncomfortable and he's going to feel like an idiot for not bringing an umbrella, but he got so excited about seeing this new place of Karamatsu's that he just burst out into the cold air with his coat and scarf still open. Thankfully, his coat had taken most of the damp for him, but some still crawled into his jeans and his hair, so by the time he reaches Karamatsu's door, his teeth are chattering. ]

K-K-Kara-k-kun, can I borrow a t-towel? I kinda forgot it was supposed to rain...

[ Aoba, it's winter, wtf. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

_{[ It had been awhile since he and Aoba had gotten to see each other like this, and frankly, Karamatsu was feeling a bit lonely even with living with his two brothers. They had jobs, now, and seeing each other wasn't like how it used to be back then. Karamatsu didn't want to admit his weakness so easily like Osomatsu did about fearing they all would drift apart, but he was beginning to worry too.

Ah, well. He was too busy.. too important to let that eat up his thoughts.

The moment Karamatsu opens the door, he brightens, flinging both of his arms around Aoba and pulling him in. ]}

Ah, too cold! So cold! It is.. totally uncool of you to be dripping wet!
_{[ kind of just.. pulling him inside and keeping his arms around him... and yet, he won't let go. ]}

I have missed seeing you!

A--uwah?!

[ Aoba blinks in surprise, lurching into the mudroom with his wet coat and bag and boots, right into Karamatsu's arms. Despite his complaints, though, he doesn't seem to mind getting soaked in return. ]

Kara-kun... [ Ah. He's warm... how nice.

Aoba's smile softens a little and he places a hand on top of Karamatsu's head. It's a gesture probably reserved for children, but he's done it even to Noiz before. It's the same comforting gesture Granny used to do for him when he was feeling bad at any age, and he does it without thinking. He ruffles his hair a little before taking it away. ]

Heh. I've missed you too. It's been a busy new year, hasn't it?

[ Now that he thinks back on it, it feels like he hasn't seen him since his belated birthday party on the beach. That makes him mind less the clinging arms, but he resists only for his sake. ]

You're going to get damp if you hug me like this... can I take my coat off?

_{[ There was one thing he loved about Aoba. Well, there was actually a lot of things he loved about him, even if every little part of it hadn't surfaced into his growing feelings just yet. One thing was certain, though-- he never felt uncomfortable around him. He expected positive responses, friendly smiles, affection. It was.. something very precious to him that he knows he has trouble finding even if he doesn't want to admit it.

He takes in Aoba's scent, though its masked by the smell of rain. His embrace only grows tighter when Aoba implies letting him go to remove his jacket. ]}

Ah.. it is.. far too late now! It's been too long, therefore, you get a too long embrace to make up for it!
_{[ omg just let him go.. ]}

[ Karamatsu is always like this, prone to dramatic displays, even a little nudity. He's embarrassing, but fun. It's strange that he could come into a house he's never been to and because Karamatsu is there, it kind of feels like home in a way... even when he's being weird. Probably because he's being weird.

Aoba tugs on the arms around him, trying to get a good look at him. He's hanging on pretty tightly... ]

C'mon, Karamatsu... I'll hug you properly once I'm dry, okay?

[ Recently, he had seen Karamatsu angry and hurt, so he wonders if maybe his absence made him feel insecure. He can relate to that feeling, but with Karamatsu it seems to act like seasoned wood, kindling ready to burst into flames thanks to his hot-blooded nature. When you're close friends with someone, you really have to be mindful of what makes them tick... especially since he would want someone to take care with his own heart when he's entrusted it to another as he has with his soulmate.

Aoba leans his head against Karamatsu's, patting his back this time. ]

I'm sorry, I really should have visited sooner.

Yes, you should have visited sooner! You see, this is your punishment now.. divine punishment! Aoba, are you ready?
_{[ His arms squeeze and clench, tugging together tightly.. until.. ]}

KARAMATSU SUPLEX!!!

_{[ He arches his back and lifts Aoba about an impressive two inches off of the ground, his knees bending slightly. He's not too strong, but Aoba isn't terribly heavy either.
Can't you tell he's happy to see you?

In any case, that ridiculousness is over and he sets Aoba back down on his feet, releasing him entirely and lifting a hand to his own hair, raking through it once to smooth it out. Usually, he doesn't like his hair ruffled, but he can make an exception tonight. ]}

Heh.. I suppose you want to see the mansion!
_{[ it isn't a mansion, but okay.. ]}

Uwahwah! Kara-kun --

[ Startled at the sudden lift, Aoba finds himself clinging to Karamatsu right back for support, grappling as he loses contact with the ground and raising his voice into a shocked yell that quickly tumbles into giddy laughter. He yelled it out like some kind of attack, really... he's just too much. It's embarrassing but... he missed him a lot.

He thinks he missed this too. ]

Lemme go! Pfhahaha!

[ Aoba bends his knees, doubled over in laughter when he's set on his own two feet again, but he looks back up in time to see Karamatsu's confident smirk and beams back at him. Straightening up, he strips off his wet coat and scarf and hangs it where he can to drip dry, then stoops to remove his boots. He's still wet in places, particularly his hair. ]

Please, especially if this 'mansion' has a soft towel I can use.

_{[ What was that? No, seriously. What was that?
Karamatsu just made somebody genuinely laugh. You know, laugh along with him and not at him. Nobody ever does that! Even if his brothers pick on him, they laugh along with him like this, but it's more scarce than he'd like.

Not only is there laughter, but there's smiling afterwards. God. ]}

A..ah, well.
_{[ He avoids eye contact, scratching the side of his face. ]}

With that kind of attitude, I suppose it seems rather small, but..! There is a towel you can use, yes.. let me go and get it for you.
_{[ He excuses himself, his lips drawing together in a thin line as he tries to steady his sudden fast paced heart.
Aoba was taken, wasn't he? It was stupid for him to feel this kind of way. He doesn't know much about Noiz other than he's a lot more attractive than him. There was also the fact he hadn't ever really felt this kind of feeling for another guy before. Even if he had come to terms with it since he came out to Osomatsu and Ichimatsu about it, Karamatsu still had a small uncertainty in his heart about it all.

Wasn't he uncertain about ever aspect of himself anyway?

He vanishes down a hallway, a hand lifting to his face and smearing down his eyebrows, nose and lips. He cradles his hand here for a moment as he opens a linen closet and pulls out a small, blue towel.

Get rid of those feeling fast. ]}

Yes! This is what I wanted..!
_{[ He comes pitter-pattering down the hallway and hands Aoba the hand towel. If Aoba even bothers to look, it has Karamatsu's face on it. ]}

You may use my towel.

[ Aoba busies himself with unzipping his bag and checking in on Ren. That dark blue ball of fluffy fur continues to lay still in his bag, curled up in Sleep Mode. He considers leaving him in the bag, but it's a bit too wet and he worries that it'll seep into the fabric, leaving his robotic companion cold. It's a foolish thought, of course, but not one he's feels should be dismissed. Ren is important to him. Karamatsu is important to him... he wouldn't dream of making either one of them uncomfortable, even if they didn't mind it.

So he takes him out and cradles him in his arm. ]

Ren... wake up. [ A small digital chime signals the command has taken root, and Ren opens his dark blue eyes. ]

Aoba.

Ren, we're at Karamatsu's house, so let's be on our best behavior.

Of course.

[ And that's when he sets him down, letting him quietly sit on the floor of Karamatsu's house as he waits for him to return. When he does, Aoba perks up immediately. ]

Aa! Thanks, Kara-ku...

[ The words freeze in his throat as he stares at the towel, unfolding it to reveal a familiar face. Despite being chilled to the bone, he can feel himself start to sweat. ]

...Ah, I see you've had this personalized as well. Even this.

[ Aoba stares at it, then drapes it over his shoulders to let his hair drip dry on it for now. He has a question begging to come out... and finally he just has to ask. ]

Karamatsu... you put your face on a lot of things, right? But isn't it a little odd to wipe down your body with your own face?

_{[ Karamatsu hasn't noticed that Ren is out of the little bag and perched on the floor. If Ren wanted to venture the house, he'll find at least four cats, three of them being younger. Naturally, they are all Ichimatsu's, and it's a good thing that Nyanko lost his psychic ability, otherwise there would be a lot of uncomfortable words coming out of his mouth and spoiling Karamatsu's secret.

His hands rest on his hips, a calm, pleased smile forming on his face as Aoba dries his hair. It's so cute... blue hair being dried off with a blue towel! He gestures with a wave of his hand. ]}

It is no problem!! I like my things personalized.. and after all, I am surrounded by the same faces of my dear brothers daily.. I suppose I have grown attached to it!

[ Ren is good at being small and unremarkable unless someone is attracted to cute and fluffy things. Aside from the pink tongue always poking out, he's midnight blue, and easily missed considering he's not as excitable as his living counterparts. As an Allmate, he's given a personality dictated by his AI, and his is far more subdued and disciplined.

Aoba meanwhile just brushes the towel through his wet hair and laughs, ignoring the jolt of tingling that courses through his sensitive hair as he dries it. ]

Haha... weirdo.

[ Ren parks himself in place, following only when the move from room to room, but he makes himself scarce. Aoba remains at Karamatsu's side. He tucks an arm into the empty space left open when Karamatsu rests a hand on his own hip. Links their arms together in a way he reserves only for Karamatsu, his soulmate. He wants to encourage him into giving him a tour. ]

Show me around, will you?

I'd love to see the home you've made for yourselves.

_{[ Just like that, Aoba willingly takes his arm. He wasn't even offering it to him! This is so bizarre.. but Aoba has always sort of been this way with Karamatsu, right? Somewhere, deep down, Karamatsu thought he'd never find anyone who would tolerate or even appreciate him the amount that Aoba does. Yeah, he knows he irritates Aoba sometimes, but his friend keeps coming back to him. His friend keeps giving him affection and care. It's wonderful.. it's comforting.. it's..

.. driving Karamatsu completely insane.

He doesn't realize he's frozen for a moment thinking about all of this. He jolts slightly and tugs Aoba along. ]}

Ah, right! This way.. to the kitchen! It is where I cook!
_{[ ... he.. cooks... ]}

[ Aoba feels secure in where he thinks he stands with Karamatsu. Granted, sometimes he's thrown the occasional curve-ball, but at the end of the day they were soulmates and that made Karamatsu precious. Sometimes, Karamatsu would pull him in or push him away, and he resolved himself to be the one to never make him feel lonely again. He's had enough of that in his life and he doesn't want to contribute to that burden.

In time, Aoba started to feel so comfortable with him that he would dote on him the kind of affection he thought he wanted. A tight hug, a playful nudge or linking arms. It didn't happen all at once, Aoba isn't so clueless as to give a starving man a feast. Go too fast and he could freak out 'no homo'... and he had his own shyness to contend with anyway. But now, he doesn't mind the enthused squeeze on his arm and being led around, even when he stumbles along the way.

Maybe in hindsight, that frozen stare he just got might have been the first clue that something was up. Well, the first that would make him reconsider a lot of other moments too. ]

Wh--You cook? [ This may have been what caused him to stumble in the first place. He's so shocked to hear that Karamatsu can actually feed himself like an adult that he staggered. ]

I had no idea!

Edited 2018-02-01 21:21 (UTC)

_{[ Aoba is actually impressed! It's really.. great. I mean, everything about Aoba is really great, but he's so positive and encouraging to Karamatsu, and that's honestly something he lacks but also something he needs.
As they enter the kitchen area, Karamatsu strikes a pose, almost completely sparkling. ]}

Heh. Of course... there is only one around here who can keep hungry brothers fed! Without my devotion and care, they would starve to death and perish!
_{[ It's a small kitchen, and it's actually pretty messy right now. ]}

My goal.. is to.. satisfy the hunger within!!
_{[ ok... probably time to leave the kitchen before he actually starts the cook... ]}

[ Aoba nearly climbs him when he sees the state their kitchen is in. ]

S-So dirty...!!

[ Purely out of self-preservation, Aoba tugs on Karamatsu's arm to quickly depart this place. Quickly. He doesn't want to waste anymore time in this pig sty of a kitchen. It's making him hurt just looking at it! ]

Let's instead go into this room.

[ Being a complete stranger to this house, Aoba just leads Karamatsu away without knowing where he's going. Is it a closet? A bathroom? A bedroom? The coat room? It's a mystery. He's just trying to put as much distance between himself and that nightmare before Karamatsu gets any ideas and he's forced to clean the place from top to bottom out of a sense of self preservation.

He'll save asking him for what kind of cuisine he cooks for a time when his stomach isn't twisting itself up in knots. ]

Na... Kara-kun. Have you considered maybe hiring someone to tidy up the place now and again?

_{[ Go ahead, tug Karamatsu to the bedroom. Be warned, though, it's a pig pen in here too.
He purses his lips at the suggestion, and then laughs. ]}

Ahaha! Ah, how cute! You think it is messy? It is not.. it is in the organization that we all know it in! Hiring a maid.. well, that is expensive, isn't it?
_{[ He's struggling as it is with the little acting career to make enough money. It sucks. ]}

When I am a celebrity, it will be no problem!

[ Aoba watches Karamatsu out of the corner of his eye, he has this growing sense of foreboding ever since he's seen the kitchen, and as he reaches one door, his hand hovers over the door handle and stops. Is it really safe to open it? Is it his imagination, or are there waves of negative energy coming from this door? Perhaps decay on a level he has no right to see with human eyes...

Best to leave it alone. ]

...W-when you're a celebrity. [ Oh, yes. He thinks maybe that's a bit of wishful thinking to at least think it's so in the bag as to be so soon, but he doesn't have the heart to say it. ]

Until then, maybe I should come over now and again... [ -- and make sure you don't all die of food poisoning. At this point, he's afraid to ask for tea. Aoba drops his hand and ushers him back towards the living room, where there's a kotatsu and Ren and security. ] Kara-kun, the house feels pretty quiet. Are your brothers home?

Heh, you see.. I am destined to be a celebrity, I feel it in my soul.. such.. divine Fate. That is how I know these things.
_{[ He talks like he is so smart as he is ushered back to the living room and at the question he just smiles even further. ]}

No, no.. they are busy with other things, I'm afraid.
_{[ Other things... Ichimatsu is probably wandering the streets alone, Osomatsu is probably out on a date. This is exactly why it was perfect time for Aoba to come over and probably part of the reason he was excited to have him over.

Nice, quiet, one-on-one time with Aoba. It was so silly. ]}

Oh, I had forgotten.. there is a kotatsu if you would like to be more warm!

Heeh? Your brothers are out and about? Who would've thought... it's a shame I can't introduce them to Ren yet, but I'll catch them next time.

[ And then Aoba perks up. Kotatsu!! ]

Haah, that would be perfect right now.

[ And no home feels complete without a kotatsu. He's spent many winters tucked under a warm blanket and heated lamp with a hot cup of tea steaming in the air. It's his favorite place to take a nap at the apartment, too. With his hair still damp, warming up under one is seriously the best idea ever and the idea quickly chases away the bad vibes their lack of household hygiene gave him. Aoba slips his arm out form Karamatsu's and lifts the towel to give his hair another pass through, drying off any lingering drops of water that collect on the tips of his hair. ]

Oh, that reminds me! I brought something with me!

[ Trotting over a few steps toward where Ren sits watching them, he stoops down to pull out a few items from his bag. A sealed bag of assorted rice cracker snacks and a small wrapped present. ]

I know it's late, but this is for today, and this -- [ He pushes the gift into Karamatsu's hands. It's a simple gift - handmade chocolates made with a few molds of Karamatsu's face and shades. He copied it from the real thing. ] Is to say 'Merry Christmas'.

_{[ Christmas had been.. something else. He didn't get a Christmas date he wanted, but at least he got to spend time with his family. His family and nobody else.. nobody special.. no friends. It was probably better that way. The Matsunos were awfully dangerous on Christmas. The years of not having dates really ate all of their self esteem-- what little they had left. It was a melancholic Christmas, honestly.
He's confused as Aoba pulls out a present but it occurs to him once Aoba says Merry Christmas. ]}

Ah, Merry Chri—
_{[ He cuts himself short before he could even open the present, a shocking discovery causing his blood to freeze over for a brief moment.. ]}

_{[ A horrified look crosses his face. ]}

Aoba-kun! I—!
_{[ You know, usually he'd try to cover it up and be cool, pull through something like this. With Aoba, though, he tries to be as honest as he can stand it.
He hangs his head in a bit of shame. ]}

I do not have.. anything to give you, though.

[ Aoba blinks in surprise, then waves his hands in front of him. Oh crap. He just sent Karamatsu on a one-way trip to anxiety town. How completely selfish of him! It probably would have been better if he just kept it than to deliver this so late. ]

I-It's no big deal, I mean... it's already long past the holiday. So really, I'm the one who should be apologizing!

A-after all, I just put you in a tight spot by giving you this at such an inconvenient time.

[ He smiles and bows his head, lightly touching his own sensitive hair as the closest thing to a contrite head scratch he feels he can do without pain. He tries to lighten the mood with a joke. ]

I could give it to you next month, but then I'd have to ask a girl to do it.

_{[ Karamatsu doesn't even know what the present is yet, but the second that Aoba bows, Karamatsu is already on the floor, sitting on his haunches and bowing to press the his face at the ground. See, he can bow lower than you! ]}

I am so sorry! I think.. there is so much that you deserve as a present that I cannot get for you!
_{[ Honestly though.. he was too depressed to shop for anyone. ]}

[ Just what is Karamatsu bowing for? Is he playing around? ]

...Don't be like that.

Karamatsu is someone important to me, even when he's being dramatic.

[ Aoba kneels down at the kotatsu and reaches out to Karamatsu's face, then literally pulls at it to get him to crawl closer to him. Stop that. He wants him to stop that, stop beating himself up over silly and inconsequential things. He wants him to know that he cares for him, not try to match some so-called score. ]

Don't you know you're enough, just by existing? Come here.

_{[ What was this? He was just apologizing. Honestly, he felt awful he was wrapped up in his own selfishness to not get Aoba something in return. Anyway, Karamatsu releases a slight noise of protest but crawls closer to Aoba until their sides touch at the hips.

His face.. it feels really warm right now.

He blinks in confusion at Aoba's response, completely blown away by his words. Did he just say what he thinks he said? Maybe Karamatsu was overthinking it and looking far deep into Aoba's words— looking for any slice of hope. He couldn't help it, even if Aoba deserved better and even if Aoba had somebody better.

He finally laughs nervously, trying to conceal his anxiousness. ]}

A-aah, well.. I know that.. I am a gift to mankind!
_{[ he tells himself this to feel better about himself, you see... ]}

Edited 2018-02-03 04:31 (UTC)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

OH MY GOD KARA, this is how I die...

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1.2

2.2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1.2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject