[closed]

[deontology]

Who: Sousei and Tenka
When: 10/25 ; night
Where: their currently shared apartment
What: There's a lot of canon to catch up on. Alcohol definitely makes that much worse better
Rating/Warning: drunk people, Manpain

[Living with Tenka is simultaneously really, really familiar and also a little irritatingly different. Cutting contact for years will do that, he supposes--but nonetheless, as easily as they fall back into the groove of being partners, there's still a lot under the surface that needs to be said.

Neither of them wants to say it, though.

Sousei still doesn't like this place, certainly, and has no intentions of playing along with them--but at the very least, acting as a kendo instructor is calming. It's familiar, and separate from all of this futuristic nonsense, and while he's doing his best to adapt, it isn't bad to have something very like home to ground him.

There's that, and there's Tenka.

So when he gets home from said work, he expects it to be another night of them trying and failing to return to the place they were before, when all they had had to do was be partners, and the understanding came right along with it.]

Comments

[sunshrouded]

[there's a lot of similarities what do you expect him to do

Though at the sharpness of the comment, Tenka is visibly surprised. Admittedly his moments of self-deprecation are rare, though they do comment out more often when he's thinking about his parents. Because in truth, he has no idea if his parents would be proud of him-

But people pleaser that he is, he just snorts and takes another drink.]

Is that your wish for the day?

[Also considering how thoroughly Sousei is going through his sake, Tenka's not really hesitating to pour him some more.]

[deontology]

[He's going through it so thoroughly because he has to deal with Tenka like this and it's!!! Irritating!!!!

But he just huffs a sharp breath at that, and even rolls his eyes. Calm and collected captain of the Yamainu, where did you go.......]

Of course you would want my birthday wish to involve you.

[YOU'RE ALWAYS SO SELF-CENTERED, TENKA.]

Even when we were younger, it was always that way. [PLS.]

[sunshrouded]

[is this the only way that you can stomach his presence, sousei. through drinking. that's so insulting he doesn't even know where to begin

BUT HONESTLY AT THAT HE'S JUST HUFFING

and also not watching his words]

Yeah, but you were a total stick in the mud without me! You definitely needed me around.

[deontology]

[This is at least familiar. It means that all of that irritation and anger and heartbreak are just (temporarily) shoved under the rug, but...well.

At least this means that some things never change.]

There has been nothing wrong with how I've been.

[OKAY...]

Your perception of things isn't the only one that matters, you know.

[Someone has to be the stick in the mud here...........]

[sunshrouded]

Yeah yeah, but if I left you alone, you'd have just been doing calligraphy and studying all the time!

[and now instead Sousei hates wasabi and has experienced being chased around with poop at least once in his life

you're welcome]

I don't know what you're complaining about. With my help, I think you turned out pretty good!

[you're welcome x2 combo]

[deontology]

[Excuse????

Sousei legitimately sets down his drink to give Tenka the most incredulous look.]

With your help? Don't overestimate your importance! [SHEESH] I'm sure Sasaki would be far from amused to hear that from you!

[Look, their lady bestie is terrifying and her support and protection is also part of what made Sousei into who he is.]

[sunshrouded]

[WHOA HOLD ON THERE NOW-]

Wait, wait - I didn't say it was all me! C'mon, don't badmouth me to Kiiko! That's not fair!

[IT'S OBVIOUS WHO KIIKO WOULD BELIEVE]

[deontology]

[It's also obvious who strikes the fear of god into Tenka and it's not Sousei.

But Sousei is honestly pretty content at that.

HA.

THAT'S WHAT HE THOUGHT.

So he picks up his drink again, calmer now.]

It's simply telling her the truth. What actions she takes from there are her own.

[Except they both know that Kiiko's actions will always be punting Kumous who are mean to Souseis.]

[sunshrouded]

That's not telling her the truth! No duh I'm glad she went with you!

Probably would've been hopeless and twice as gloomy on your own.

[KIIKO IS IMPORTANT, TENKA WILL ALWAYS ACKNOWLEDGE THIS]

[deontology]

[WOW........ HOW DID THIS COME BACK AROUND TO INSULTING HIM

RUDE????]

I won't deny that I'm glad she has been there as well, but you're still overestimating yourself.

[HMPH]

[sunshrouded]

Didn't you tell me just to stop underestimating myself?!

[sousei plz]

Pick one, birthday brat!

[deontology]

[TCH]

Now you decide to listen to me.

[OF COURSE.]

[sunshrouded]

Well, I was trying and then you brought Kiiko into it!

[and that just started a whole 'nother conversation]

You play dirty, Sousei!!

[deontology]

[WELL...]

Are you really surprised...

[A huff, faint.]

Didn't you comment on that earlier? [When they saw each other again......after ten years...]

[sunshrouded]

What - quick and dirty?

[Yeah, no he remembers. He thought it was a clever joke.]

I mean, it was accurate. You just knocked out that serial killer in a blink of an eye! It was brutal!

[deontology]

[you're not clever, tenka]

And you were playing with a dangerous murderer.

[WHY...]

You should have known better. I shouldn't have to cover for your mistakes. [But he will. Always.]

[sunshrouded]

I knew what I was doing!

[Sort of. Except honestly now, Tenka's taking a drink of sake and even though he can already feel the warmth and his words getting looser from it, he's still just as honest and earnest as ever-]

I mean, the guy was against the whole government! What do you think would happen if you just tossed him into jail without anything? It would've just gotten worse. Then there'd be no saving him!

[as in yes, tenka thought that he could save him. but tenka thinks that about everybody]

[deontology]

[Sousei is quiet for a long moment.

Yes, he knows that Tenka always wants to save everyone. As the Yamainu, their job was to protect Japan as a whole, and that includes people like Naoto. And yet...

Sousei's tone is flat, but his expression is hooded as he focuses instead of his drink.]

Kagami Naoto escaped prison, returned to the shrine, and kidnapped Chuutarou.

[Do you know, Tenka? Do you know what happened, in the end? He's not sure, but he thinks that he should. There's no judgement passed on Tenka's way of thinking.

He's just giving Tenka all of the facts, at this point.]

[sunshrouded]

He did what?!

[That should answer the question of whether or not Tenka knew.

Along with the exclamation, he's standing rather abruptly - on his feet in no more than a second, looking shocked and disturbed and more than that, worried.]

He took Chuutarou?!

[He looks ready to bolt for the door, although they've already confirmed that there's no way to get back home immediately. But Tenka wants to - god, does he want to.]

[deontology]

Sit down.

[Jeeze, Tenka... Jeeze. It's not like you could do anything right now anyway?

Sousei sips his drink, considering everything. It's pretty clear Tenka is out of the loop on so many things, but...how much does he say?]

Chuutarou is fine, last I saw him.

[Riding a giant tanuki and all.

Kind of weird, but he accepts it as a Thing that happens.]

[1/2]

[sunshrouded]

[Oh my god, Sousei.

Tenka flops down more than he sits down at that point, exasperated and more than a little irritated-]

Next time, start with that!!

[sunshrouded]

[ . . . though once he does take a breath, he can't help but feel the doubt lingering in his mind again.

Was sparing Naoto another mistake he made? Chuutarou ended up okay because Chuutarou is his amazing little brother but it was probably close. Is this what happened when he went easy on people and tried to save them before their hatred consumed everything?

Is this what happens when he disappears?

Though now that they're on the topic of his little brothers, Tenka zeroes in on one thing that he'd been hesitating to bring up at the risk of shattering their tentative bond-]

Botan told me that Soramaru is the vessel.

[ . . . he laughs a little hollowly.]

I take it that he's not fine.

[deontology]

[...Oh.

Sousei hadn't known that Tenka...knew. He knew it would have had to have been brought up eventually, but... Now that Tenka knows, he finds himself at a bit of a loss for words. Because... because Soramaru isn't fine. But it's not because Sousei killed him.

They'd agreed to do that to the vessel to protect Japan all of those years ago. Tenka had never really agreed, though. They'd always clashed over that.

And now....

Sousei stares down at his drink for a moment. But he has to own up to his own mistakes--he always will.]

...I have to apologize to you for that. [Not because he killed him, but rather--] Though I resolved to watch over him, he was taken nonetheless.

[by your rude ex-boyfriend though so like. really???]

[sunshrouded]

[It's all a bit much.

Tenka's hand around his cup clenches as he stares down into it for a moment, trying to sift his way through all the different bits of implied information that go along with what Sousei said.

For one, Tenka can't remember the last time Sousei apologized to him.

But more than that, Sousei resolved to watch over Soramaru? Tenka's not sure what he was expecting but it wasn't that. Sousei had always been determined to slay the Orochi - that's what caused them to fight the most even when they were as close as they were as kids. Botan hadn't specified what role Sousei had played in Soramaru being the vessel but to think that Sousei would have actually chosen to watch over him-

Tenka heaves out a sigh.]

How unlike you....

[To apologize to him, to not be so hellbent on killing the Orochi's vessel, to actually have a change of heart-

But if there's one thing that Tenka knows about Sousei, it's this:]

I'm sure you did all you could though.

[A rueful smile as he actually thinks about it.]

No one would have expected the return of the Fuuma.

[Not even Tenka. Perhaps last of all, Tenka.]

[deontology]

[It is unlike him. He knows it is--he knows it was when he resolved to do it. But he just...could not bring himself to kill Soramaru. And...there must be another way. There must be a way to fix this stupidity, and they were going to find it without resorting to death. Without resorting to this waste of human life that so many people seemed to find okay.

But Sousei doesn't want excuses either. He did all that he could, yes--he'd had a hundred things on his mind, so many people to protect and only a handful of people at his command, but... excuses are merely that.

The end result is that he lost Soramaru.]

... Be that it may. [He still knows it's his failure, but...] We discovered another method of separating the Orochi from its vessel. [Well, more Botan and Ashiya, really, but close enough.]

...Soramaru, too, will be fine. [He refuses to accept anything less.]