[Open] As time passes me by

[blackbeastcoat]

⌛ Who: Akutagawa Ryuunosuke & you
⌛ What: Health problems, bathing & needing help??
⌛ When: First couple weeks in February
⌛ Where: Around Tokyo and Yokohama
⌛ Warnings: Mentions of blood/sickly things



i) Shopping Excursion | Shibuya

[ Seeing as they offered those vouchers, and he had a day off from doing his odd jobs with the Port Market? Akutagawa had taken up the chance to get some clothes. It was only three free outfits but it was enough for him to work with and after spending probably not as long as he should have in the store, he'd gotten a bag with all of the outfits in it.

He was turning down the street, heading back to the station so he could get to Nihonbashi.

That's when it struck, eyes going wide as he stilled in his steps. Pain seared through his chest and he barely even got a hand up to cover his mouth as he started coughing, the sound rough and painful. Though it didn't last long, his hand when it pulled back, was covered in splotchy blood splatters. ]

Tch. Again? I almost thought I was free of it.

[ Somewhat wishful thinking but hey. It didn't stop him from thinking it all the same. He also didn't notice anyone who might have come closer in the meantime. ]


Text | Closed to Chuuya Nakahara | UN: rashomon

Chuuya-san. I need your advice with something. Do you have a few minutes?


ii) Bath Time! | Yoshiwara

[ The thing was, sure the apartments were nice, private and all that, but the traditional allure of a bathhouse was something else entirely. It had nothing to do with the fact that he'd gotten a little dirty while doing some errands/tasks for the Port Market and didn't want to travel all the way back.

He was definitely not a big fan of public bathing at all, as it left him vulnerable as hell. So, deciding he needed to get clean and also relax? It meant tracking down one of the smaller, less used bathhouses in the evening and once he was sure he didn't see anyone else going in and out for a bit? Akutagawa went in and after washing up, went to go relax in the water reluctantly.

Perhaps he may have overlooked that this was one of the shared baths. Oops. Small oversight on his part but surely that wouldn't be a problem. ]

iii) Wildcard!!

[ He usually sticks to around Shibuya, Nihonbashi or Yokohama (mostly here) so if none of the other prompts work? Hit me up! :) ]

Comments

[darkdisgrace]

Yeah, I have time. What's up?

[Frankly he'll always have time for Akutagawa and Higuchi both.]

[blackbeastcoat]

Something was brought to my attention regarding a certain matter.

Do you know how to speak to women without offending them?

[darkdisgrace]

[Please hold for a second while Chuuya inhales his coffee the wrong way in a sudden laugh.

Ow. But holy shit, that's--]

That's an unusual question.

Exactly who have you been offending, Akutagawa?

[He's so glad this is over text.]

[blackbeastcoat]

I am not sure. Higuchi had brought it up to me that if I am not direct I could be misunderstood.

She had asked me something, I answered and she informed me any other woman would have taken what I had said as an insult. Even though it hadn't been meant as one.

[ Meaning he literally didn't know how to talk to women properly. ]

[darkdisgrace]

[Oh, now the pieces are falling into place. Higuchi said that...?

Chuuya can guess what that conversation probably entailed. Poor Higuchi...]

Mind telling me what the question was?

[He has a fair few guesses, but...]

[blackbeastcoat]

How I felt about her and if I thought she was pretty.

[ Akutagawa that is two questions that had been asked. Even so. He's not at all holding anything back here. ]

Once I answered her the way I was supposed to, she seemed to be satisfied with it.

[darkdisgrace]

[...Called it.

Damn, but good on Higuchi for being direct about it, at least.]

Tell you what: Meet up with me at my apartment or yours, and I'll give you some tips. It's kind of hard to give advice like this over text, after all.

i

[thesettingsun]

[Of course Dazai is here. Fashion is one of his great loves after literature, any excuse to expand his wardrobe is a good one for him.

He spots Akutagawa first, and starts to address him, but-]

Akutagawa...sama.

[That sound. That's a painfully familiar sound. He remembers it as clear as if it were yesterday, he and Odasaku joking around before Odasaku suddenly hunched over, coughing and coughing-

If Dazai looks more stricken than he normally might be, even seeing Akutagawa in pain, that's why.]

...Sorry, I don't have anything to offer but a water bottle.

[He holds it out anyway.]

[blackbeastcoat]

[ He froze up upon hearing a familiar voice call out to him, realizing the person in question had seen him when he'd been coughing. It was enough to have him hesitate somewhat, though he did look over at him quietly before reaching over to take the offered water bottle. ]

It's fine.

[ While it might seem a bit sharper in it's tone, it's not all directed at Dazai himself as he opened the bottle to take a drink and get rid of that vile taste of blood in his mouth. ]

I'm used to this, though I hadn't expected it would become an inconvenience while I was out today.

[thesettingsun]

I understand. Tuberculosis always hit Odasaku unexpectedly, when we were out together.

[Oda would say something similar, that he was used to it. Trying not to worry Dazai, right up until his death.]

[blackbeastcoat]

[ Akutagawa stilled a little at the name, remembering Dazai from home speaking of that man highly before his death. He frowned a bit before clearing his throat, holding the bottle out for Dazai to take. ]

It's not that. What mine is. [ A pause and he hesitated before finally continuing. ] I suppose it only got worse somewhat recently. There wasn't as much blood before.

[ Here he is acting as if he's just talking about the weather. ]

[thesettingsun]

Ah - sorry, I assumed. It was common back when I was alive.

[He takes the bottle back.]

Is it something you can treat, at least?

[blackbeastcoat]

It isn't.

[ Akutagawa pointedly just turns his gaze away from Dazai briefly. What he's about to tell the other man was something only one other person was aware of, finding little reason to not tell him here since there was no point in withholding any information. ]

If I hadn't died back home, this disease of mine would have done so soon enough. [ His gaze hardened as he stepped closer to Dazai. ] Higuchi is not to hear about this. Do you understand?

ii

[longsilence]

[Thank goodness this bathhouse allowed towels because of the mixing. Heck, Kiki's even thankful for how long her hair has grown. It allows her to cover up her chest while the towel stays secure around her hips. The sense of security allows her to at least tolerate the unisex bath.

That's what she thought until Akutagawa steps into the picture. Kiki freezes in place, sunk low in the water, and doesn't say anything when he initially enters into the bath. What does she do, what to do?! The steam may have allowed her to hide for now, but there's no way she'll be able to sneak past without him noticing!

And of course her thoughts decide to broadcast her vision of Akutagawa at that moment. It's not like she can keep a secret. So Kiki lets out a cough before taking a deep breath, eyes settling elsewhere as she sits up and gathers more of her hair in front of her.]

G-good evening...

[blackbeastcoat]

[ Naturally he had taken a towel and it was wrapped around his waist, though it had more with needing some layer of fabric present than being aware of it being a mixed bath. He hadn't even seen her so he really had thought he was alone here, starting to relax somewhat until he noted that abrupt image broadcast into his mind... of himself.

Only one person he knew was capable of that.

Blinking a bit, Akutagawa turned and found her just at that moment as she'd sat up properly. He didn't even stare at her inappropriately and looked away, though his cheeks were a very soft shade of pink now. ]

...I wasn't aware someone else was in here.

[ He frowned a bit to himself, trying to think back to when he first was coming in here. What did he even say right at the moment? ]

Hm. This... is a shared bath isn't it? If not, I can leave if you find my presence invasive.

[longsilence]

[It's not his fault that Akutagawa didn't see her go in. Kiki had been taking her time washing her hair (there's lots of it after all) and soaking in the tub to the point of her feet turning to prunes. So having him tell her that he'd leave makes Kiki wave her hands frantically.]

You- you don't need to leave! It's a mixed bath, so you're fine. ["I just didn't think I'd see a familiar face."] I've got plenty to cover up with-- unless you want to be alone? I-I can go instead, I've been in here awhile anyways...

[...Although the heat of the bath has been really nice. In any case, Kiki's cheeks are a much more exaggerated pink compared to his.]

[blackbeastcoat]

[ Soon as she said it, that confirmed everything.

He's never really been in a shared bath before, so naturally this meant he was doing his best to not look at her inappropriately because to some extent he still had manners. Only when she spoke up again did Akutagawa just shake his head and closed his eyes to fix his earlier problem. ]

No. You can stay here.

[ Though she may note he had said he wasn't going to leave either. Akutagawa is definitely flustered but if one couldn't see his cheeks they wouldn't know better. At least... until kizuna was a thing.

Which meant small, little sparkling bubbles were beginning to manifest around him, and within them were tiny - but still visible - rashomon heads that were colored soft, varying shades of pink. ]

I don't wish to be alone at the moment.

[longsilence]

[Oh, oh no. Those bubbles are so cute. Definitely not intentional given his aesthetic, but Kizuna's gentle embellishments in the air around Akutagawa are something Kiki can appreciate. Although she doesn't focus on them too long lest he becomes aware of them through her.]

It's easier to think of it like going to the beach. [How long has it been since she went to one?

Despite Kiki's initial assessment of the bubbles, the man's comment makes her pause. Perhaps it's just her overthinking things, but maybe he's embarrassed to say he's lonely? No, no. It's definitely because they're in a bath together. Yet, the telepath's flustered state mellows out into a smile. She's still not used to others wanting her company; her thoughts were always too loud, forcing people to push her away. It's...nice that she can stay this time.]

...Then I'll keep you company. [And since the scar is so obviously noticeable thanks to their situation--] Did your injuries heal without any complications?

[blackbeastcoat]

[ If he was aware of them, he'd be much more upset about it as kizuna wasn't supposed to call him out like that.

When it came to her comment of the beach, he scoffed a bit and the little bubbles popped in the seconds that had followed. That was an interesting little thing to note. A beach? Normal people did things like that, but for him it was different. ]

I've not been to a beach so there's nothing to compare it to.

[ Such strange wording, though he doesn't comment on it whatsoever. What matters is that she's going to stay, even if he feels horribly exposed like this. It's so hard to tell himself that no danger is going to pop up, or that he's going to need to protect himself from any threats immediately. ]

They did. I suppose the doctors here happened to be more competent than I gave them credit for.

[ Mostly since his right forearm had been broken as well along with that nasty gash on his chest, but it was the broken bone that had been healed to where it was just a fracture and not a break. It would be the one that would have taken the longest to heal on it's own, after all. ]

i

[terribletwos]

Roxas hasn't had too much experience with blood. But he can tell that cough looks bad. Bad enough to stop him from his own exploration of the shopping area.

For a moment he hesitates, his year of training warning him against interfering and drawing too much attention to himself. Then he reminds himself that he's not with the Organization anymore and those rules about interacting with local residents no longer matter. He can actually help people now.

He runs over to the person. "Hey, are you okay?"

[blackbeastcoat]

Coming back to himself and his surroundings was never a fun experience to say the least, especially when it involved strangers. It likely tied back to him being seen as 'weak' and hating it when he seemed vulnerable, and that blood on his palm was definitely something that labeled him as that.

Instincts had him initially bristling when he heard another voice speaking to him, chest still aching but he didn't feel any more coughing fits coming on for the time being. "I'll be fine. It's nothing anyone needs to worry about." Akutagawa ended up being flippant about it but nor had he moved or done more than attempt to straighten up. Acting as if it was totally fine to cough up blood like that, which in a way was true for him but most people didn't know that.

"Especially strangers who--" Ah. There it came. Unexpectedly, a rough, smaller batch of coughs followed that he covered with his mouth. All wracking his body quite painfully.

[terribletwos]

"I think you should stop talking. It looks like you're making it worse." Roxas can't keep the bluntness out of his tone when hearing the guy dismiss his condition while coughing up blood. He does step back at least. "Do you need anything?"

Normally, he'd ditch someone being as flippant as this guy. But he could also see that he was obviously in trouble. Jerk or not.

[blackbeastcoat]

To an extent a small part of him wanted to fight it, but the younger man had a point and he hated it quite a bit. Normally he wouldn't be nearly this prickly but this whole thing was a bit of a sensitive subject, the taste of blood bitter in his mouth once he finished coughing the second time.

"Water." A beat. He was learning to be a bit more courteous with people, so maybe something else was needed. "Please." That sounded so strange to him but was probably one of the few niceties he's done for someone else, though it also looked as if he were also heeding what had been told to him and keeping words to a minimum lest it bring on another coughing fit once again.

One may even note Akutagawa just looked a bit weary and almost tired for a moment, eyes falling to the blood on his palm when he'd pulled it away.

[terribletwos]

Roxas nods and actually falls back on his light steps to reach the nearest stand quickly and procure a bottle.

It's proven to be a poor decision, as he's much more out of breath when he returns to the guy. He manages to work off the top and hold the bottle out for him, as he breathes heavily. Ugh, he wasn't prepared for his abilities to take so much out of him in this place.

[blackbeastcoat]

Perhaps it was just a little unexpected. The speed in which the blond had gone to get him a simple bottle of water was not only appreciated, but a little surprising. He remembered some of the things he'd heard people say to each other in times like this, sparing little niceties and they seemed all the better for it?

This was not his home. Akutagawa had to constantly remind himself of that.

Reaching out a hand to accept the water bottle, he took a good, long sip before finally speaking since he felt it was safe to do so. "That was quicker than I thought." A pause, and he made a slight face before continuing. "Thank you."