[ He considers that maybe instead of exchanging recipes, they should exchange tips. Humming thoughtfully, he considers how to boost Kouhei's self-esteem, but the crisp sound of shattering porcelain brings him back to their activity.
At first, he doesn't say anything when the plate breaks into little pieces, but he continuously taps the bat against the floor like applause. He's proooud. ]
[He looks shocked, more than anything, and almost a little incredulous. Did he really just break a plate with one swing of the bat? It was so easy! Is this what baseball is like?]
It was.... New, I guess? I don't think I've ever purposefully broken something before. It's just as much fun watching you, though.
[ ... No, it isn't what baseball is like, but no one is going to tell Kouhei otherwise. ]
I thought so.
[ He's glad that Kouhei finds it at least remotely interesting. Leaving his bat to lean against the wall, he picks a porcelain cup and tosses it to Kouhei.
[He knew Kouhei had never broken anything?! ....Not that it's hard to tell, but like. Come on.]
Have you ever been somewhere like this before? You seem pretty comfortable with a bat and things breaking--
[That sure is a cup being tossed his way. He has to drop his bat to catch it, but manages to do so even as he winces at the slightly loud noise it makes.]
I'm good—[ KOUHEI. He tossed that cup so you could swing at it like a true baseball player. Blurting a raspberry, he lets it go. This is why it's obvious Kouhei has never thought about this before. ]
I did break things in my memories... Not with a bat though. [ Should he even mention this? ] It was cathartic.
[ Yes... Yes, he should have, but Akira isn't going to fuss over it. Instead, he grabs a plate and drops it onto the floor. It falls into pieces and scatters across the floor.
Also, he'll be fiiiiine. He can dodge it. When he tosses the next one, he takes a grand step to the side to avoid any flying debris. ]
[He's so out of his element here that he almost asks why Akira just dropped the plate instead of throwing it or striking it, but.... that works too.
Still, bat in hand, Kouhei stands his ground and manages to swing at the cup when it's thrown toward him. He.... He actually hit it! It wasn't square in he middle of the bat, but still! That's worth something, right?
....But it's less impressive than what Akira's talking about. With a dagger?!]
[ Oh, boy. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned anything at all. Akira rubs his neck nervously as he looks at their limited selection. They're down to a couple of plates and a tea set now. Still enough fun, but not enough to deflect the conversation topic.
[One would think that Kouhei would be more alarmed by this revelation, but his expression remains rather measured, and he cants his head slightly as he takes the saucer and waits for Akira to break his item of choice first.]
Like a thief? ....I'm sorry if you had a hard life.
[In many ways, he's still just waiting for some huge plot twist to come up in his memories, given how normal they are. Like "surprise, I guess memory Kouhei is a murderer!" Besides, Akira's his own person, and shouldn't be judged for what he remembers.]
... Yeah. It's all right. I'm not a thief in this life.
[ No, he's still a thief in this life, more of a literal kind, too. He doesn't know how else to move it along—talk about good things? He smashes a teacup against the wall. The sound... Is so crisp and nice. It's weird.
He finds it comforting. ]
But the other me was happy—he had friends and a guardian that cared for him. I'm a little jealous, sometimes, but I have that, too. Isn't that weird?
[Trailing off like that is a pretty good indication that he shouldn't press too much more. Part of him feels bad for bringing it up, and another part feels slightly guilty that he hasn't remembered any hardships more challenging than the usual ones he's faced in his everyday life.
A little quiet, Kouhei takes a second teacup and tosses it against the wall a little less forcefully, taking in the noise as it shatters. It isn't overwhelming, but he can hear it loud and clear.]
That's important. I'm glad he seemed to have a good life. ....But I know what you mean. About a weird sense of envy over the life you remember. It may not be exactly the same, but.... I think I might understand.
[ Though he says that, it doesn’t change how he feels about his other self. It takes time to accept he is who he is—also, it would be rude to go listless when they’re hanging out. The shattering cup grounds him in a different way. Taking some small teacups, he starts to juggle them with ease.
How long can he keep this up before dropping them? Well, he passes a cup to Kouhei... then another. Another on top of that. And again. ]
What matters is what you can do now in this life. For you, that might mean setting up a profile on a dating app.
[Really, they're friends, and learning more about Akira makes Kouhei feel just a touch closer to him. Not to mention that listening as a whole is something he doesn't want to take for granted.... not when he isn't sure if someday he'll be able to hear nothing at all.
But all the same, there isn't any time to dwell on that when Akira starts to effortlessly juggle teacups, and Kouhei immediately gives him an incredulous, startled look. That's one teacup he's now holding.... two, three, four....]
Do you really think I'm the kind of guy who could use a dating app? "Hi, I'm an antisocial, deaf college kid who likes to read and has no other hobbies--" Why are you handing me teacups?!
The fact that you'd go to get-togethers at all means you're way more social than I am, believe me.
[Not that he knows for sure, but Akira seems to have so many friends! And he's always around on Retrospec. But it's difficult to keep thinking about that as teacups are piled into his hands. Dropping these isn't an option!]
What? No way. I'd choose you over me any day. [WHAT'S A BOOST WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE CONFIDENCE?] I can't break any of them if you keep giving them to me!
You do it to save face, Kouhei. Whatever face you have, I suppose.
[ There were plenty of parties where he attended for his family, shown off as an asset and the like. However, Akira does have many friends, but that has only changed in the turn of a year. It came with a lot of challenges and hurdles. ]
You can say that because saying you would date yourself is weird.
[ While he's distracted, he tips one of the cups out of Kouhei's hold. Crash, shatter, there it goes. ]
You have a nice face, worthy of dating both of us.
[ Kouhei. Kouhei. They'll have to work on that confidence of yours. Akira can only pass so many things before he has to stop—though he's considering maybe this isn't working. It is a lot of teasing.
With a hum, he takes a couple of the cups before tossing them against the wall. That should be enough for his friend. ]
[That only gets a slightly nervous laugh out of him. Dating 1) himself or 2) his friend that has a boyfriend are both Not Options, but it's a strangely charming comment anyway.
But with some of the cups taken away, he's able to shift the rest to one arm, and picks one up to fling it at the wall in a similar manner. Even this is satisfying. How strange.]
Thanks for coming with me, Akira. Really. I think I should do things like this more often.
[ Yes, it's weird. Don't say that it is because Akira KNOWS. They continue until there are no more porcelain pieces on the shelves. Looks like their session has ended for the day.
Akira slides his hands into his pockets, letting his shoulders sink down. ]
No problem. I should be thanking you—it's not a normal activity, so... [ A shrug. ] But it would be cool if we could do some other stuff.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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At first, he doesn't say anything when the plate breaks into little pieces, but he continuously taps the bat against the floor like applause. He's proooud. ]
How does it feel?
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It was.... New, I guess? I don't think I've ever purposefully broken something before. It's just as much fun watching you, though.
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I thought so.
[ He's glad that Kouhei finds it at least remotely interesting. Leaving his bat to lean against the wall, he picks a porcelain cup and tosses it to Kouhei.
Smash this, too. ]
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[He knew Kouhei had never broken anything?! ....Not that it's hard to tell, but like. Come on.]
Have you ever been somewhere like this before? You seem pretty comfortable with a bat and things breaking--
[That sure is a cup being tossed his way. He has to drop his bat to catch it, but manages to do so even as he winces at the slightly loud noise it makes.]
Another one? Don't you want to go next?
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I did break things in my memories... Not with a bat though. [ Should he even mention this? ] It was cathartic.
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S-Sorry, I-- I've never played baseball before, but if you throw another one, I'll try to hit it!
[Is that even okay, though?! They're both wearing protective gear, but he'd basically be swinging in Akira's direction!]
What do you mean? Things aside from dishes?
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[ Yes... Yes, he should have, but Akira isn't going to fuss over it. Instead, he grabs a plate and drops it onto the floor. It falls into pieces and scatters across the floor.
Also, he'll be fiiiiine. He can dodge it. When he tosses the next one, he takes a grand step to the side to avoid any flying debris. ]
... I broke vases. [ A pause. ] With a dagger.
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Still, bat in hand, Kouhei stands his ground and manages to swing at the cup when it's thrown toward him. He.... He actually hit it! It wasn't square in he middle of the bat, but still! That's worth something, right?
....But it's less impressive than what Akira's talking about. With a dagger?!]
What? Why vases? [WHY A DAGGER?]
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Well, he did bring it up. It's fine. ]
... To take what's inside it.
[ Here. Have a saucer. ]
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Like a thief? ....I'm sorry if you had a hard life.
[In many ways, he's still just waiting for some huge plot twist to come up in his memories, given how normal they are. Like "surprise, I guess memory Kouhei is a murderer!" Besides, Akira's his own person, and shouldn't be judged for what he remembers.]
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[ No, he's still a thief in this life, more of a literal kind, too. He doesn't know how else to move it along—talk about good things? He smashes a teacup against the wall. The sound... Is so crisp and nice. It's weird.
He finds it comforting. ]
But the other me was happy—he had friends and a guardian that cared for him. I'm a little jealous, sometimes, but I have that, too. Isn't that weird?
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A little quiet, Kouhei takes a second teacup and tosses it against the wall a little less forcefully, taking in the noise as it shatters. It isn't overwhelming, but he can hear it loud and clear.]
That's important. I'm glad he seemed to have a good life. ....But I know what you mean. About a weird sense of envy over the life you remember. It may not be exactly the same, but.... I think I might understand.
MOBILE FUCKED IT UP
[ Though he says that, it doesn’t change how he feels about his other self. It takes time to accept he is who he is—also, it would be rude to go listless when they’re hanging out. The shattering cup grounds him in a different way. Taking some small teacups, he starts to juggle them with ease.
How long can he keep this up before dropping them? Well, he passes a cup to Kouhei... then another. Another on top of that. And again. ]
What matters is what you can do now in this life. For you, that might mean setting up a profile on a dating app.
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[Really, they're friends, and learning more about Akira makes Kouhei feel just a touch closer to him. Not to mention that listening as a whole is something he doesn't want to take for granted.... not when he isn't sure if someday he'll be able to hear nothing at all.
But all the same, there isn't any time to dwell on that when Akira starts to effortlessly juggle teacups, and Kouhei immediately gives him an incredulous, startled look. That's one teacup he's now holding.... two, three, four....]
Do you really think I'm the kind of guy who could use a dating app? "Hi, I'm an antisocial, deaf college kid who likes to read and has no other hobbies--" Why are you handing me teacups?!
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[ Kouhei, just keep catching them or let them drop. The fate of these cups rest in your hands. ]
Between the two of us, I would choose to go with you. [ Take that boost, man—right, the teacup ferry? Hm. ] Oh. I don't know.
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[Not that he knows for sure, but Akira seems to have so many friends! And he's always around on Retrospec. But it's difficult to keep thinking about that as teacups are piled into his hands. Dropping these isn't an option!]
What? No way. I'd choose you over me any day. [WHAT'S A BOOST WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE CONFIDENCE?] I can't break any of them if you keep giving them to me!
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[ There were plenty of parties where he attended for his family, shown off as an asset and the like. However, Akira does have many friends, but that has only changed in the turn of a year. It came with a lot of challenges and hurdles. ]
You can say that because saying you would date yourself is weird.
[ While he's distracted, he tips one of the cups out of Kouhei's hold. Crash, shatter, there it goes. ]
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[He has face with his mom. That's cool. ....NO, HE DOES HAVE FRIENDS, IT'S JUST. ALSO A NEW THING.]
At least I didn't say I'd date both of us-- whoa!
[That sure is a cup shattering by his feet! Well, okay then.]
How about we split these last few up evenly? You're going to have to help, though, since I can't really hand half of them to you with my arms full.
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[ Kouhei. Kouhei. They'll have to work on that confidence of yours. Akira can only pass so many things before he has to stop—though he's considering maybe this isn't working. It is a lot of teasing.
With a hum, he takes a couple of the cups before tossing them against the wall. That should be enough for his friend. ]
This was fun.
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But with some of the cups taken away, he's able to shift the rest to one arm, and picks one up to fling it at the wall in a similar manner. Even this is satisfying. How strange.]
Thanks for coming with me, Akira. Really. I think I should do things like this more often.
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Akira slides his hands into his pockets, letting his shoulders sink down. ]
No problem. I should be thanking you—it's not a normal activity, so... [ A shrug. ] But it would be cool if we could do some other stuff.
Maybe a trip to the library?
[ Nerds. ]