S T R A Y
shipping meme
Taking in strays is, all in all, an understandable vice. The dips in between their ribs, those large and forlorn eyes, they can help you forget the claws and the teeth and the danger lurking beneath fur. But the habit's a knife edge; your efforts may not be rewarded with kindness (animal instincts aren't discretionary) and you may get bit despite what you've overlooked. A stray doesn't care about pity. All it can know is survival.
These warnings apply to strays of the more human(oid) sort, too.
But what may even more perilous with this type than any drawn blood is what you can get when they grow to trust you. You can earn their undying loyalty...or their love. Either from such a wild thing is a precarious path to go down, if you allow yourself to do it.
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- ғɪɴᴅɪɴɢ — Who's that? They're no ordinary passersby! Were they in an accident? Are they foreign? ...should you approach them?
- ʀᴀɪɴ, ʀᴀɪɴ, ɢᴏ ᴀᴡᴀʏ — The elements make this night no time to sleep out of doors.
- ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜ — Cuts, broken bones, injuries all of sorts...you have to stitch them back up, then make sure they don't get any
- ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɢᴜᴇsᴛ — It's all you can do to show gratitude to the person who took you in. Fix them a meal, care for their house, whatever you can do once you're able.
- ʙᴀᴅ ɢᴜᴇsᴛ — FUCK THIS PERSON AND FUCK THEIR COUCH. You didn't ask to be brought here. Let them clean up after you, you don't even care.
- ᴡʜᴏ ᴀᴍ ɪ? — How you got into this situation is a mystery. Even more of a mystery is your identity, and why the person you were would be so displaced.
- sᴇʟғʟᴇssɴᴇss —
- ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ — If you've been injured badly enough or can't remember all too well, you might have to relearn a good deal. Luckily, you have a helping hand.
- sᴄᴀʀs — Scars from the encounter that lead you here or scars from prior, you don't want them to see either. You still have your secrets to keep.
- sᴛᴜʙʙᴏʀɴ — Ugh, your house guest is so stubborn! They always get up when they should be resting, have the worst habits, and completely disrespect your home! You'll get to them, one way or another. Or you'll throw them out. You don't want to, but you will.
- ᴄᴏᴍғᴏʀᴛ — Bad memories or nightmares wreck you; your host and nurse comes to your side unexpectedly.
- ᴄᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴄʟᴀsʜ — The person who's taken you in is from a different culture or lifestyle than you, and adapting is harder than you thought.
- ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ғᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ — Think learning about a new culture is hard? Try being a different species. Can you keep your little eccentricities at bay for the good of your station?
- ᴊᴇᴀʟᴏᴜsʏ — Now that your emotions towards your caretaker/host/jailer are softening, you're finding yourself unusually jealous of those in their life who were close to them before.
- ɴᴇᴡ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛɪᴇs — You never thought you'd have fun after all that's happened, yet such simple gestures as a picnic or a movie make all the difference.
- ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ — You love them, this person who's taken you in or this person you've found. It's not a pity or a thankfulness, it's love, and you know that now. What you choose to do with this information is
- ʜɪsᴛᴏʀʏ — Suddenly, the person who's been so nice to you finds out that the two of you have a history. You killed their loved ones or caused something terrible. How can they forgive you?
- ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ — So much has been done for you. The least you can do in return for the one who helped you at your lowest is make sure they never have such a low point.
- ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴋɴᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ — Anyone in the way of getting to you will be destroyed, and that includes the person you're staying with.
- ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇᴍ — You've been given a home, maybe which you've never had before. You don't want to leave.
- ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ — Not only are you living with them, but you're starting a proper life with them.
- ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟ — All secrets are laid out on the table. You've decided to tell about your past and what lead you here.
- ʀᴇᴠᴜʟsɪᴏɴ — What you've done and who you are is so heinous, they want nothing more to do. You're to leave their home and leave them alone.
- ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ — It doesn't matter what they've done. You've opened your home and your heart to them, and nothing's changed.
- ᴘᴀʀᴛɪɴɢ — All things must come to an end. No matter what you feel for each other, it's time to leave. Hopefully, you'll see each other again.
- ʜᴀᴘᴘɪʟʏ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ — Come what may, you've decided to stay at your new home with the person you love. Now, it's safe enough to do so.
- ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ
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bakerstreet2017-10-22 07:48 pm
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A box of All Might cereal brand cereal, sitting on the counter.
Okay, okay, Toshinori also made toast and egg and soup for Mr. Eraserhead (the simplest, quickest, 'most logical'), but he'd gotten a damn near lifetime supply of the stuff from the company who'd made it — so he tends to snack on them when he thinks he can handle that kind of sugar, no milk, casual as he reads the paper. It's not particularly convenient or healthy-looking, but you gotta live a little, right? Instead of oogling Shouta, he's staring with a furrowed, pensive brow at what he's reading.
He's apparently deeply interested in it, and it's clear to see why — CRIME ON THE RISE, 3% INCREASE SINCE ALL MIGHT'S RETIREMENT: WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?? Among other little headliners and opinion pieces. It's been an ongoing torture game, with Toshi: read the paper, see everything he could have helped to prevent, see what he's failing to fix, failing to support, and recycle. He tries not to... actually vocalize any of this, but the proof's in the pudding.]
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[He's distracted with pointless things again. Although, really, Shouta knew it wasn't pointless. He felt his own tinges of guilt, especially to be relaxing and enjoying himself so much. Still, whatever he felt was probably on a far less grand scale. His back-alley patrols weren't going to bring down that 3%. That was something outside his reach and now it was outside of Toshinori's, as well. He just didn't have the baggage of once being able to.]
[Well, that furrowed brow was going to ruin his appetite. That had to be fixed first. Really, any way of making his presence known should work, either through Toshi actually being pleased to see him or realizing he needed to cover up with a smile. He didn't need to do something excessive.]
[He'd maybe do something a bit excessive. Sort of like how a cat interrupts its owner by getting in front of the offending paper, there's the sudden weight of a pair of arms on Toshinori's shoulders. The one good thing about the other's ridiculous height is how, with him sitting, Shouta didn't have to lean down too far to hug him. It's a bit stiff, for a moment, before he's able to relax into it with a clear intention:]
I can't leave you alone for a moment, can I. ["Hey, pay attention to me. Me."]
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It makes him want to change form and leap into action.
Only, the embers are all but extinguished. There's not much left within him, and it makes him feel weak. Stupidly. He knows it's a foolish thing, to see it as weakness when all things must plateau, and when strength comes in so many colors... but his were so specific... Aaah, midlife crisis, how he didn't want you.]
Sorry, Shouta-kun....!!
[He shuffles the paper quickly, trying to find a better article that isn't just him mourning the loss of his power.]
But look here! There's a train station nearby with a cat for a station master.
It's pretty cute, isn't it?
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[He hugs a little tighter at the apology, as if to emphasize how unneeded it was. If the fact his hair is still slightly damp bothers him, he should say something, because Shouta's clearly not moving.]
[He shifts a little, peering at the paper.]
I know about it. [Because of course he does.] Tama's a hard worker. [Because of course he knows the cat's name without looking.] And really cute. [Because of course that matters, too.]
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... I bet we could go meet her personally. I could use my good graces for a quick visit!
[Mostly, he's serious, but he also would love to see Shouta's react to such a thought.]
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... I... [hm] I wouldn't mind that. [He'd really like that.]
If I called it a date, would you overthink it? [You know. Get flustered about it, suddenly care what to wear on it, that sort of thing. Shouta could stand going out, if there was a cute cat involved.]
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[He's an honest person, all things considered, though he's embarrassed to admit it...]
But dates are good things, aren't they? That's what normal couples do. Go on nice dates.
So I'd want to make it a really good one... with dinner and a nice train ride...and cute cats?
[A grin.]
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Sometimes normal couples just go on normal dates. Sometimes even bad ones. [he'll finally untangle himself, since it would be a shame to let the breakfast prepared for him get cold. It's not like it was even what Toshinori would eat. It was his duty to eat it, just like all the leftovers.]
... We can try for a really good one, though. [The real secret, that Toshinori would probably discover, was that any date was a nice date when you were hopelessly endeared to someone. He could let him worry a little, at least, within reason. It might be fun to watch.]
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You know, as weird as a date sounds, the rest of this is...
... Aaah, it's all so normal. I feel like nothing's changed...
[He's kind of awed by it; he thought it'd go... differently. Feel different.
It's hardly a bad thing, judging by his tone.]
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I've been here for months, after all. [And part of that still made him feel like some sort of invader. He couldn't have dreamed he'd succeed at becoming a normal, regular fixture of Toshinori's place. He has to remind himself that he couldn't have done any sort of manipulation if the other teacher had been interested in him as early as their first days working together...] I guess some part of you has gotten less self-conscious around me...
[A pause, a bite of toast.]
When my shirt is on, at least.
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... Honestly, he'd like to press his cheek on all those scars, and put his ear to Shouta's chest to listen to healthy lungs and a healthy heart, and he'd like to maybe do more when he's faced with those defined muscles, but he's still not entirely sure what that even means for himself. This part is normal. It's when he steps into the next realm of possibility that it feels like a fever dream. As long as he can make Shouta happy... that's kind of a turn-on, the idea of getting the other man to smile or enjoy himself...?
Humored by his own ridiculous feelings, he smiles a bit behind a hand.]
Maybe I'm still in the hospital, and this is just a nice coma dream.
Like that movie we watched a few nights ago.
[1/3]
Ah, right, the one with the incomprehensible sequences. [a short agreement, in between eating] And the pointless romantic subplot. [funny how he could still call it pointless when here he was, indulging in his own. There's another brief pause before he addresses the issue,]
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It's not a dream. [This was more productive than dallying in hypotheticals.] We've confessed our mutual feelings, right here in reality.
[3/3]
... Mm. This is really good. [He says, completely separate from what they were just talking about. His meals were always scattered, few and far between, and sometimes he'd have to reassure the other he was getting enough food over the two months. That was when he still felt he was an intruder in the house. Now... Was this going to be normal, now? Routine, home-cooked food?]
[He somehow manages to feel even luckier about his situation.]
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He stares. And stares more. And then chuckles, his laugh paper-light. He changes the subject.
Or really doesn't.]
Aaa... I love you.
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[And he never would have imagined it as a logical outcome of his selfish decision to stay at Toshinori's place. He was now welcome to stay as long as he wanted. He was wanted here. He was loved. The reassurance to Toshinori had just as much been for him. He pauses to touch at his neck, that embarrassed gesture that couldn't even be blamed on his capture cloth slipping out of place because he hadn't put it on yet.]
... I love you. [These were mutual feelings.]
[All of those reasons why it wouldn't work just fell away in the fact that they loved each other. So, it would work out. They could deal with the issues as they arose. This was their "normal."]