riverviewlogs | i've got this, i'm truly fine

Entry tags:

i've got this, i'm truly fine

who: hana song & genji shimada
what: roommate bonding over hair dyeing
when: mid-september
where: their rad apartment
warnings: n/a

[ Hana Song has a Plan.

And it involves at least three boxes of hair dye, some bleach, and several pairs of disposable gloves.

It's been a few weeks, now, since she and Genji moved to an apartment together, and while everything has been going smoothly so far (now that the place has the fastest internet connection possible in the Quarantine, anyway) Hana still sometimes finds that she really... doesn't know much about Genji. She'd realized it, first, when they were arranging their things together and she'd stumbled across a photograph that Genji kept of him and— his brother, she'd assumed, in their youth. He hadn't spoken of his brother at all since mentioning him in passing at the beach, but more importantly—

Genji had green hair in that photograph.

Hana had no idea he had a green phase.

She's been needing to dye her own hair, anyway, to touch up her roots and keep her appearance as a brunette bombshell completely intact; but as she was shopping for a shade to match her current color she came across some green dye and some pink, too, and decided it was time for a fun Rooommate Bonding Activity. So during one of their shared days off, Hana gingerly peeks her head into Genji's room. ]

Yo, Genji. Are you busy today?

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I suppose so. It seems like so long ago now. [ He'd gone through and seen so much; there were times his memories almost seemed like that of another person. But no, it was him, and it was a part of himself he accepted long ago.

He does brighten a little at the mention of his usual haunts back in Hanamura. ] I did, actually! I was in either place nearly any chance I could get. [ And the bars and karaoke places at night. Genji chuckles. ] It's been about ten years since I was even there. You didn't happen to notice a 'GS' on any of the scoreboards, did you?

[ Probably not. He knows his family was determined to erase any mention of him after his 'death.' According to them, Genji Shimada never even existed. ]

[ Hana is thoughtful even as she's finishing up mixing the bleach, although she does remember that she's almost forgotten an important step and as Genji is reminiscing, she's putting the bowl down and then pulling the bag that had been full of the supplies she'd bought for this out from beneath the coffee table. She finds a jar of petroleum jelly (or at least she's pretty sure it is) in it and opens it. ]

GS? I don't know, I didn't really look at the scoreboards when I put mine in. I kinda wiped a lot of the records there. Especially the ones for 16-Bit Hero!

[ As would be expected. She scoops some jelly out of the jar with her hand and carefully starts applying it along Genji's hairline to prevent any dye from staining or interacting with his skin there: a precaution she wants to take especially because she's not... sure how things will go with Genji's particular condition. ]

I went there in the springtime. It was really beautiful! It almost felt like it was like, frozen in time I guess? With all the old buildings and cherry blossoms blooming and stuff.

[ Genji chuckles at that. ] I would certainly hope so. Fighters of the Storm was the one I always played. [ He wonders now if he had a high score because he was good or because people were too afraid to beat him...

He hums a little as she starts putting the petroleum jelly along his hairline, where augmentations seam with flesh. ] It's a good thing you didn't go during the rainy seasons. [ He chuckles. ] It is, the gardens inside the estate are beautiful... did you see the giant bell in the front? Although I don't think they open it to the public anymore.

[ When they had more power and influence they should show off and threaten... not so much anymore. Guards everywhere, protecting what meager things they still had left. Ha ha.

He isn't really thinking of what he says next: ] I always hated having to sweep out the flowers from the walkways when I was a boy.

Edited 2017-09-15 00:47 (UTC)

[ She makes a dithering sound at his question; no, she doesn't recall seeing the giant bell. The gates into the Shimada estate were closed when she went – and it wasn't like she'd really had the time to go sightseeing, anyway. It was in for the show and MEKA demonstrations and it was a miracle that she'd even found time to sneak away to the arcade and ramen.

Hana is just about finished with the jelly and she puts it down to take the bowl with the bleach back up into her hands when Genji says something peculiar. ]

Oh, really? I didn't know you had to do stuff like that.

[ Genji frowns a little, glad she can't see it. He didn't exactly flaunt his place in his family's hierarchy, or really talk about it much... his last name says enough, he figures.

But. ] Well, I was born and grew up there. I had plenty of chores, you know, for discipline and all. [ He makes a vague gesture with a hand. ] Between that and training, I don't know why my family was surprised I snuck out to the arcade any chance I could get.

[ She's started using the brush to apply bleach to his hair carefully, making sure not to make things too sloppy, trusting that if the bleach was going to react badly to his scars there, that he would say something and they would stop and rinse it out immediately. Although... ]

Huh.

[ Somehow she hadn't thought... ]

Discipline? What for?

[ He'd be surprised if it did— his organic parts are held together with an artificial immune system made by Dr. Ziegler's famous biotic-nanotechnology, so some bleach shouldn't sting. The only reason he has scars at all is because his care had to be so urgently done in the first place.

And ah, the question. Maybe part of him assumed she just sort of knew, or would figure it out, or that he wouldn't have to say it... while he's accepted his past self, it's still the past. He doesn't parade it around. ] Well. [ A pause. ] My brother and I were the heirs to the clan, after all.

[ Somewhere in the back of her mind had been an acute awareness that Genji Shimada was, indeed, part of the Shimada clan, but just how closely he'd been tied to its... infamy (just call it crime, Hana) has continually escaped her. Maybe part of her didn't want to think about it; but part of it was that Genji has, since they've met, nothing but a serene, reliable presence to her that at this point, it's difficult to imagine Genji having been so intimately tied to what she knew of the Shimada clan.

As it turns out, he was just about as deep into it as he could have been.

She stops; her hands don't move and it takes a moment for her to truly process what she's heard, from when she hears it to when it finally clicks in her brain. ]

Genji... you?

I— I had no idea. I heard there was another heir but I didn't...

[ She didn't know that Genji was that heir. Just what on earth happened...? ]

Mm. [ His tone is a little atypical suddenly, like he's detaching himself emotionally from the discussion at hand. ] Yes, it was me. I know they tried to erase any knowledge of my existence after I— left. [ A pause. ] They have no idea I'm even still alive, actually.

[ It's probably easy to put two and two together: Genji leaving the clan and the current state of his body. The exact specifics though, he won't say. At least not while they're doing something fun together. ] It isn't a coincidence that the Shimada's power weakened considerably after I joined Overwatch.

[ He does sound different, she realizes, like his voice is devoid of its usual warmth all of a sudden; Hana has always thought that, even as tinny as it sounded from behind the visor most of the time, Genji's voice always felt welcoming and friendly. But he doesn't have to say the specifics for her to get the idea. Or for her to feel a pain in her chest, suddenly realizing something so profoundly sad. Genji had been a Shimada heir, and the way he was now, the way they tried to erase him... it's easy to guess what happened. (But not who's responsible.)

But they are in the middle of covering Genji's head in chemicals, and it really isn't something she can stop in the middle of now that she's started, so she only allows herself another quiet moment or two to collect everything he'd just told her and then continue. At the very least, Genji's hair is much shorter compared to, say, hers, so this shouldn't take too long. ]

...Well, I like the you that's here now. And a lot of people were better off in Hanamura after Overwatch...

[ And then a thought occurs to her. ] Wait, do you still want to go with green, even if it's the same color you had back then...? I have pink, too. We could do pink if you want.

[ His tone shifts back to normal and a genuine little laugh bubbles out of him. ] I like the 'me' I am right now too. And you're right about that, the people are much happier without the threat of my family looming over them all the time.

[ Something about her even asking him that is very, very touching. Genji bites the inside of his cheek a moment before he replies. ] While I'm sure I'd look wonderful in pink, the green is just fine. Doing it was entirely my own decision in the first place.

[ He's quiet for a beat after. ] Thank you for asking though. And thank you for being such a good friend, Hana.

[ There's a warm, fuzzy feeling in her heart when he calls her a good friend and it does give her pause for a moment, but only for a moment before she continues attacking his hair with bleach, now that he's given the go-ahead for green. It feels strange to be called 'a good friend' by someone she'd always respected from a far, on a very surface level; but Genji has been her most valuable friend since arriving here and she smiles to herself, knowing the feeling is mutual. She might have been a lot worse off, here, if Genji wasn't around.

She's thankful that he's letting her know more about his past now than he had let out before either because they hadn't known each other that well yet, or because it wasn't the right time. Granted, she still has some questions, but the fact that he doesn't have a problem telling her he used to be a Shimada heir makes her happy, even if it's a sad thing to think about, because it means he trusts her. And it works out because she'd probably trust him with her life at this point. ]

You'd look wonderful in pink, but not as good as me.

[ this is simply fact ]

And... don't mention it. [ her tone had grown fond. ] Thanks for telling me about— you know.

[ Of all the friends Genji thought he would make in his life, becoming close with D.VA had not been one he imagined. A far cry from watching her streams when he could get spotty connection on his phone when he was travelling the world after leaving Overwatch. But here they were, roommates, and he considers her already to be one of the closest friends he'd ever had.

Because she understand while having fun, both things he finds he needs in companionship. She's a soldier and she understands duty, but she makes him smile and he appreciates with every fiber of his flesh and metal being. He was slightly apprehensive about telling her his past... but he had faith it would turn out just fine.

So he chuckles. ] Of that, I have no doubt.

[ Another pause. ] Well, I figure it was about time I told someone. I'm so used to speaking of it with people who already knew.

[ The thought crosses her mind, then, that she would have been... so very young, around the time that all would have happened to Genji. Young and living in Korea, escaping into video games with her parents because it was easier than facing the reality that ravaged the shores of their country time and time again.

(She misses them.) ]

Your secret is safe with me, Genji!

[ It doesn't take her too much longer to finish coating his hair in product. While Genji's hair was kind of thick, it was still short at least in comparison to hers, and when she's rounds the chair to get in front of him and pulls out her phone to set a timer. ]

Now we have to wait! Apparently this stuff acts fast, though, so it won't be long. I guess they figured out how to make hair dyeing stuff faster in some other reality! [ she chuckles. ]

[ He smiles despite knowing she can't see it at the moment, a soft one pulling at his scarred face. ] I had no doubts that it wouldn't. Thank you, Hana.

[ He's definitely starting to faintly feel the tingle of the bleach, which is a good sign he supposes. ] I would certainly hope so, I never liked waiting. [ He pulls up his legs and crosses them easily, turning his head a bit to look behind him. ] Do you need any help doing yours, then?

Oh! That would be good! I'm only doing a little part of my hair. I don't know if the world is ready for D.Va with all-pink hair, so this is just a sneak peek!

[ She grabs the bowl of bleach and toner from the table once more and holds it out at Genji with one hand, and with the other she grabs the section of her hair that she thinks she wants pink; she takes it from the lowermost layers of her hair, such that the strip of pink would only really be visible from the front and if Hana would put her hair up or anything like that. ]

What do you think?

[ That gets a little grin out of him and he nods. ] I think that will look great! Very cute, for sure.

[ Genji puts his hand on his chin, affecting a thoughtful pose. ] But will the world ever truly be ready for pink haired D.Va? Perhaps that is the whole point?

[ Hana walks over to the kitchen, laughing as she goes, to pull a chair over so she can sit next to Genji when it's his turn to help with her hair. Just for dramatic effect, she runs her fingers through her hair and then flips it and then sighs the most put-upon sigh ever, as though she's bearing a great burden when she says: ]

It won't. Honestly, it'd be a crime for me to do that and break so many hearts all at once!

[ That gets a laugh in return. She does it with such practiced ease, he's sure she's gotten much use out of the hair flip maneuver. He puts a hand on his chest in fake shock. ] It would! Then they'd have to quarantine you within the quarantine, that would just be too much.

[ He scratches at a scar on his face, a brow raising. ] Although with the current festivities such as they are... how has that gone for you?

[ Her smile is bright as a star because thank you for the validation, Genji, you're a real pal. It dulls just a little, though, when she's reminded of the 'current festivities.' She folds her arms as she climbs into her seat with her legs crossed beneath her just like Genji's. ]

I mean, things have been okay? I got caught up with the weird 'soulmate' stuff, but I'm pretty sure it's all fake, but...

[ So the fact that her red thread of fate was tied to one Takashi Shirogane wasn't really... real. And that she's unsure of how to feel about that is weird. ]

You know all those deals they were handing out for couples, though? I got in on a bunch of them by pretending to be on dates with people. [ she gives a laugh, apparently she had way too much fun going on fake dates!? ]

Edited 2017-09-23 04:59 (UTC)

[ He tries his best to not make a weird face at the mention of the 'soulmate' stuff, remembering his afternoon with Shigeru. ] Ah, well. [ Yeah, off to a great start with that. ] It's just a bit of fun, I suppose. Things only have meaning if you give it to them in the first place, right?

[ That's a perfectly reasonable thing to say, Genji, but your voice is a little weird when it all comes out. ]

... Yeah. Just a bit of fun!

[ He's not the only one who's sounding weird.

She hums thoughtfully, though, carefully regarding Genji's body language and the way his voice sounds. ]

What was up with you during the festival?

[ Aren't they a pair? Genji clears his throat, fist against his mouth. ] Oh, ah, nothing much really— [ He gestures with a hand vaguely. ] The soulmate thing was... interesting. I guess.

[ He didn't think talking about this would make him feel tragically awkward, but there you go. In all honesty, it's kind of new territory for him in a way. When was the last time he was in any position to care for someone, and then talk about it with someone else?

So he deflects, as he does. ] What about you? Anyone try to sweep you off your feet on a white horse?

You know those stories from back home about how there's a red thread that ties you to your soulmate or whatever? I guess I got tied to Shiro.

[ She squints a little, remembering how awkward that initial revelation and exchange was - but Shiro did manage to make up for it, kind of, because the rest of their little outing was fun. Probably too much fun considering the fact that they were pretending to be a couple and doing very couple-y things to get free stuff. ]

You really think I'd let someone sweep me off my feet on a white horse like some maiden in distress? [ it's damsel, but look, English isn't her first language okay ] No way!

[ And then she leans in a little toward Genji, like she's about to divulge some secret. ] Who was your soulmate?

Edited 2017-09-23 06:35 (UTC)

Ah, really? You had that as well then? [ Genji makes a face at himself, well done just inadvertently admitting that. But he recovers quickly and smiles. ] Shiro, hm? Well, he seems like a nice young man who would treat you well. [ He says it, clearly using the Uncle Tone for fun.

Then he laughs. ] Of course not! You have much higher stands than that. And you'd be the one doing the saving, of course.

[ His brows go up when she leans in and he... looks away a little awkwardly, then coughs into his fist again. ] Oh uh— Shigeru...? Have you met him?

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