whenyouneedme | (no subject)

That was an answer Eiji was pleased to hear. He rolled the rest of his body onto his side, facing Emi in casual lounge.

Though it was unlike him, he pried delicately, "You knew I hadn't left." ...Right? Emi would've been forgiven for thinking any disappearance at this point was just another abandonment, considering his track record. Had... had he...

Had he done right by Emi? Even if that wound might never fully close, was he making up for it?

As much as he hated it, it would have been a lie to say that the thought of Eiji simply leaving hadn't crossed his mind. He did everything he could to put it out of mind, of course. He trusted Eiji. The precedent had been set though, and it was nothing Emi could begrudge. He trusted Eiji, and that included trusting him to do what was best for himself and Emi, even if...

Emi gave a small shake of his head. "It didn't make sense," he mused. His wish wasn't done, he'd taken no supplies, they had plans... Emi's voice softened with care as he continued.

"Besides... Wherever we go, we go together, right?"

Edited 2017-05-28 19:10 (UTC)

Strangely, it didn't make sense was the perfect response to put Eiji completely at ease. He relaxed, even let a small, satisfied smile cross his face - comfortable in the knowledge that Emi understood him. It meant whatever feeling this was, glowing inside him, it had a rational basis. Clinging to that reassurance made it easier to accept its presence.

They were going together, and nothing about that plan demanded to be changed. Eiji didn't want it to.

Warmly, he murmured, "Yeah. You're exactly right."

That smile, small as it was, was enough to ignite a warmth in Emi's chest that he couldn't shake even if he would have wanted to. It filled him up to the brim, spilling over into a bright grin that lit up his whole face.

"Then that's not something I'm worried about." Not as long as he was needed and Eiji could make that face.

"Can I get you anything?"

Well. Since Emi offered and all. Eiji peered thoughtfully up at the ceiling as he searched his desires and swiftly found a very glaring need.

Shamelessly, he stated simply, "I want a snack." He didn't specify what, because frankly, at this point, anything that wasn't unwashed mushrooms he found in the forest would be an improvement, but he definitely was in the mood for something. Junky.

Edited 2017-05-28 21:15 (UTC)

"A snack you shall receive."

Well that seemed obvious in retrospect. Of course he'd be hungry. Emi wasn't sure if they had to worry about him over-eating too quickly with the resets and all, but it wasn't like there was a whole lot in the room to gorge on anyway. Even if he'd made the offer, the blond realized he wasn't all that willing to let Eiji back out of his sights just yet.

"I think we've still got some cup noodles," he stated, getting up to set up that magical kettle of theirs. Somewhere he was sure Selenite was having a full-body spasm over the idea that their elegant coffee pot was being used for such cheap reasons.

"Chicken or spicy chicken?"

"Spicy chicken."

Normally Eiji would opt for normal cup noodles, but he was feeling a special need to eat something he could really taste. Something strong enough to banish all traces of his miserable stint in the dirt.

While Emi was preparing the kettle, the demi-human sat up and took this opportunity to change into those clothes. Soft, clean fabric against freshly washed skin... he breathed another contented sigh to himself, just glad to be here.

"Okay okay."

With the tastiest decision having been made, Emi set about getting the soupy snack ready. Cup lids opened, chopsticks located, the flash of creamy skin catching his eye...

Keeping Eiji in his sights was turning out to be a more literal desire than anticipated. He was just putting the pajamas on, there was nothing special about it in anyway. And yet Emi's eyes kept being drawn to follow the lines of fabric as they sloped across the softness of Eiji's skin. Indulgences apparently were abundant on the heels of relief. Emi licked his lips as he looked away, but it wasn't long before his gaze was trailing back.

"I was going to take you to get a parfait," he admitted as the sound of water starting to heat up rolled near him. "I'll have to try again, I think you'd like 'em."

He settled back against the futon in a lounging position, once again watching Emi - (thankfully?) unaware of how tantalizing his bare skin had been.

"Well," he mused, "I'm glad you didn't tell me beforehand. It would've made the whole thing a lot worse if I knew I could've been eating parfait instead."

Emi laughed, shaking his head in open amusement. "Yeah, that would have been terrible. With all that thinking of parfaits, ghost might have just drug me back to town instead."

What a waste that would have been, it didn't even have a mouth to enjoy a parfait with.

Eiji snorted. Yeah, that would be a waste. Especially now that he could see through its nonexistent eyes, so he'd only be able to look at all the parfait he wasn't eating.

"You think that theory of yours extends to food cravings?" Because, well... the 'ghost wants what Eiji wants' hypothesis was starting to look more and more like it could be true.

"Maybe, if we're talking 'stuck in the woods with nothing but twigs' levels of craving?" Hearing the intensity of the rolling kettle near him, Emi moved to pour the hot water into the prepared cups. "The usual hankering for a cup of noodles? Probably not so much."

The blond carefully made his way back over, setting the steaming noodle vessels down near Eiji so they could cook in closer proximity.

"It did a good job."

Eiji began to mutter, "Only because..." but the words trailed off, unable to finish that thought. His gaze fell from Emi and wandered across the tatami as he tried to piece together what to say, though it felt like trying to choose which wall to demolish on an already shaky structure. While he was still standing inside it.

Eventually, he pulled his legs in to shift into more of a sitting position. "We both wanted the same thing for once," he supposed, thoughtful and hesitant.

Emi watched him as he searched for the words he wanted to say, open curiosity on his features. He wasn't about to guess about the thoughts shifting through Eiji's mind. Instead he stayed quiet, letting Eiji sort it out at his own pace.

The answer he did receive just made him smile at him. "Thank goodness for that."

The want to be safe and warm was a strong one, and Emi was thankful the ghost seemed to appreciate the same things. Odd, but he wasn't going to question it. What else would they see eye to eye on?

"Here," he said, handing over one of the pairs of chopsticks.

"Mmm." Probably for the better that Emi glossed over that. It saved Eiji from having to analyze it too deeply himself. Instead, he took the chopsticks in one hand and the cup noodle in the other. "Thanks for the food."

There would be no waiting for boiling water to cool here. He hadn't seen actual food in days, so he was going to eat. Prying open the lid, he gave the noodles a quick stir before digging in. A burnt tongue didn't bother him much anyway.

Oh right, but - after the first few mouthfuls went down - he'd forgotten to tell Emi about one thing. "I managed to access a telepathic link with the ghost while it was looking for you. Not enough to control it, but if I closed my eyes, I could see what it saw." (Slurp nom nom)

Edited 2017-05-31 07:55 (UTC)

Emi turned to Eiji, a river of noodles dangling out of his mouth as his eyes bulged out of his skull.

"Whmf?!" An elaborate attempt to slurp up the noodles commenced, punctuated by some sputtering and a few coughs in his haste. "Holy shit--" he wheezed. "That's incredible!"

A quiet chuckle managed to escape from Eiji, soft and amused. Quite a spectacle Emi was making - and among just the two of them, in private, it was a little like they were kids again.

"Yeah. It was... definitely odd." The demi-human slurped up another mouthful of noodles, then added, "Would've been better if I could drive its body. Maybe if the link was stronger."

Just the sound of Eiji's little laugh had Emi's eyes scrunching up in warm glee. He shifted his whole body around closer from his cross-legged position, rapt attention entirely on Eiji as if he were the most important thing in the room.

Which, you know, he was.

"That's still rad though," Emi exclaimed now that he had successfully avoided choking on his own noodles. "That might mean you're getting better with it...?"

"I don't know if it'd work in every instance." Eiji lowered his cup noodle so it rested in his lap, and wiped his mouth against the back of his hand. The spice was starting to make his nose run as the heat burned in his throat. Not unpleasant, but he needed a quick breather to let the kick die down.

The words came a bit slower now, more thoughtful. "But if it takes being honest with what I want..." How often would that actually happen?

Edited 2017-06-01 06:12 (UTC)

So it might have been a skill born from desperation. Emi nodded, scooping up another bite and nibbling the noodles up thoughtfully. That made sense in a way, since it seemed like the ghost itself seemed like a power move kind of deal.

Finishing his current bite with a slurp, Emi licked the remaining broth from his lips. "That takes practice, I guess... At least there's another concrete goal to work towards."

Edited 2017-06-01 06:25 (UTC)

Eiji watched him with an air of uncertainty. It still felt... futile, frankly. Like diverting a river, with the added discomfort of acting against his nature. But if it was to gain a powerful asset...

He frowned. "So what am I supposed to do?" Like, in tangible steps.

Emi cocked his head. "To be honest?"

It was a topic they kept dancing around, narrowly missing all the prickly barbs that came with it. Most of them, anyway. There were definitely some that had stung in previous conversations. Emi hummed a bit, gently tapping his fingers against the warm cup in his hands.

Explaining something that just seemed like second nature to himself was tricky. Emi found it hard to be anything but honest-- at least in private.

"Well... what do you think honesty is? In your opinion." They could both look up the definition in a dictionary, but when it came to personal practices... Everyone held it a little differently.

"Honesty is..." Eiji's brows furrowed in thought. Idly, he chewed on the tips of his chopsticks as he considered this question - it was more complex than it first appeared.

Eventually, he came up with, "Speaking your mind on your principles and... your sense of reason. And acting only on what you've thought out to be the right course of action." Emotions and acknowledging your own desires sincerely need not apply.

Edited 2017-06-02 07:19 (UTC)

The other teen nodded along with the explanation. It was a pretty sound reasoning. If that was all that was to it though, Eiji shouldn't have been having all the issues he was having.

"I'd agree with most of that." Emi took another thoughtful nibble of noodles before he continued, moving his gaze back to Eiji.

"But can you say that the right course of action-- and I'm definitely saying they're the right thing to do in this. But was it always the option you would prefer?"

Eiji didn't reply immediately, but when he did, it was a stiff, re-enactment of his usual stifled reasoning. Muttered while staring into what was left in his noodle cup, the demi-human could only dully ask, "Why would I prefer something that wasn't the right course of action?"

Even now, he was too trapped in the cage of his own rationality, despite the lack of confidence in his voice. He'd never let himself even consider what he preferred emotionally when making his past decisions. Or if he had, it was only through a lens that could somehow justify it through a contortionist's knot of logic. As such, nothing came to mind...