bakerstreet | when we were young

[ Nemuri couldn't even begin to imagine how long a hundred years would take to recover. She consoled herself by thinking that at least it wasn't another literal hundred years. ]

What if it were a mutual seduction? Not much to be done about that.

[ She watched with a growing amusement as a very rosy blush spread across Kisuke's cheeks, his eyes falling to the ground as if it embarrassed him to be calling her by her given name.

Oh, no. Look at him, all young and shy... He was so cute!

Before she knew it, she found herself cupping his cheeks, nuzzling her nose to his with a giggle.

Oh, he'd asked her a question. ]

Yes, I do have a Quirk. It's called Somnambulist. I can put people to sleep with a perfume from my skin.

We'd best head to your laboratory, hm? I think you'll find more answers about yourself there.

Mutual...? She'd assume I was taking advantage of you. [If he really thought about it, he'd know she wouldn't but Kisuke was a fatalist to an exponential degree. He thought of the worst-case scenario as the first on the docket every single time.

Fortunately, it was impossible to really go to the worst scenario when he felt soft hands touching his cheeks--freezing him in place as Nemuri lovingly rubbed her nose against his. He could have sworn he'd never seen anyone look at him that way in his whole life, nearly collapsing on the spot.]

Oh. [White noise ran seeped into his consciousness. Mentally, he knew he'd file away that information. For the moment, he was pliable and free to move around as Nemuri pleased, utterly dazed by an affectionate gesture he didn't even know existed. The entire time, she looked sweet as sugar with an eerie sort of honesty that came with trust he didn't know a thing about.]

Right! Of! course!

I'm a grown woman, thank you very much. I'm perfectly happy being with you, and if she has a problem with that, she can take it up with me. [ Nemuri realized that she meant it not just for his younger self, but for the present as well. It hadn't occurred to her that someone might have a problem with their relationship - mostly because she'd always marched to the beat of her own drum and didn't give a damn what anyone else thought. Kisuke did too - at least at present, he did - but his younger self obviously needed that reassurance.

Seeing his mind shut down with the barest gesture of affection made her giggle despite herself - no, this was a serious situation, here! ]

Alright, let's get going to your shop, then.

[ She entwined one arm around spirit Kisuke's and one arm around his physical form, and went to leading them down the back alleys toward Urahara Shop.

It was only a quick walk, thanks to the shortcut, and within a couple of minutes, they were on the dirt yard in front of the store. ]

Here we are!

O-Kay... [He couldn't answer a thing. Kisuke numbly followed Nemuri, his thoughts heading in every direction imaginable. There was no way they were just dating, were they? He couldn't imagine her being that close with him and not being past the dating phase rather than being in a committed relationship. Was she the one? Was he ready for that sort of thing? Could he even do that? It was a terrifying and exciting prospect and--oh, there was a shop with his name on it.]

Oh, it's my shop.

[The shop was empty, save for Tessai, who stood in the doorway while visibly confused. He looked from Kisuke to Nemuri, to Kisuke and then back to Kisuke. He stayed silent for a moment and then reached behind the register for a sign that said 'Closed! We love you and we'll be back soon!' before going into his apron for a set of keys.]

Hm. I assume you need to go to the lab, Kayama-san?

[Kisuke looked at Nemuri questioningly, as if he were relying on her for that confirmation. He was. His brain had become a puddle.]

[ Nemuri wasn't sure if Kisuke's thoughts were stampeding or if he had just gone blank. Maybe a little bit of both. She gave him another gentle, comforting squeeze. A hundred years' worth of information wasn't easy to catch up with - hell, sometimes even losing a day was already confusing enough.

She watched him ogle his storefront, a smile curling on her lips. ]

Ah, Tessai-san... Yes, I think he needs to see it. He was hit by an age rewind Quirk, and it looks like he's been thrown back a hundred years or so. Not to worry, it'll wear off in time. If you could please show us into his lab, I'm sure he'd be grateful...

[ Turning back to Kisuke, she gestured to Tessai. ]

Have you already met Tessai-san? He's your... [ She actually wasn't sure. Shop assistant? Best friend? ] ...one of your found family members.

Hm? [Kisuke dreamily looked from Tessai back to Nemuri. He wasn't quite dopey but it was clear he was lost somewhere in his mind after retreating to maintain his sanity. To him, Tessai had simply been a familiar face in a strange place. He barely registered him at first, only realizing who he was when Nemuri brought attention to him. Tessai frowned when he realized Kisuke was absolutely shocked.]

Wha--Tessai!? [His eyes sprang wide open and he recoiled a step, taking plenty of time to be startled and wind himself up. He had been working with Tessai the night before. How did he fail to notice the big lumbering man?]

O-Oh... You were so eerily quiet like a statue of an old, rustic god... I didn't even notice you were there, Tessai! Wait, wait--Why are you here?

[Tessai's eyes narrowed--a trace of hurt feelings showing near imperceptibly. The reflection off of his glasses shifted and he cleared his throat, standing so he could lead the two of them.]

...Yes. A hundred years seems accurate. I recognize that unknowingly direct attitude, devoid of any charm.

[Kisuke followed, frowning in response. He looked at the floor beneath his feet, mumbling.] ...You can't blame me for that.

Mmm, it does seem like a hundred years really changed him, Tessai-san...

[ Nemuri honestly wasn't sure what to expect. It was a very human trait to grow and adapt as the years passed by, but Kisuke had already told her that Soul Society was archaic and old-fashioned, almost untouched by the flow of time.

The core of the Kisuke she already knew was there, but he was vastly different on the surface - skittish, suspicious, and unsure of himself. Likely exacerbated by his confusion, of course.

Nemuri fell into step behind Tessai as he led them to Kisuke's labs. ]

I'm no scientist, but you'll probably want to analyze the blood you collected from yourself, right, Kisuke? [ She turned back to him, giving him an encouraging smile. ]

I doubt it's my blood. I'd wager a guess it's the quirk-user's since I can't feel any spiritual energy on it. [He didn't ask Nemuri directly, his eyes still set on the floor. Was he the shady sort of guy who played risky games with strange powers? It was a scary thought. The advanced syrette and Tessai's presence had been two pieces of proof he couldn't deny but he had to see what sort of lab this future version of himself had to offer. Tessai had a different presence than he was used to. The gigai he was using was moving seamlessly with no creaks. He had excellent weight distribution and he could still clearly feel his presence through the shell.

The shop itself looked fairly normal. There were shops like it all through Soul Society. It must have seemed rustic to the locals but to him it felt cozy. Tessai led them down to what looked like a basement door with a creaky, rusty latch. Tessai unlocked it with a key, though there was an additional retinal scan that went off on all four of them, including the gigai. It came in the form of a rotating red light that shined in their eyes.]

Uh! [He rubbed his eyes, definitely caught off guard by that.] Was that an eye scan!?

[Tessai nodded, looking back to Nemuri and Kisuke. His eyes were watering.] My eyes are sensitive. I apologize for not warning you--I don't usually bother with Kisuke's lab.

[He opened the door, revealing what looked to be a white staircase leading down into pitch black darkness.

He couldn't see an end to the darkness.]

...Tessai-san. ...N-N-Nemuri, are you sure about this? [Kisuke looked weary. The sight of those stairs was the most menacing thing he'd seen in a long time.]

Oh! [ She looked at Kisuke with no small amount of surprise. The fact that he'd surreptitiously extracted blood from the Babymaker while the villain was on a rampage... Well, that just attested to his skill, and it made her realize that he was more powerful than he'd ever let on.

Nemuri also additionally realized at that moment that she was probably the least qualified person to guide Kisuke through his own lab, but not even Tessai wanted to do it. ]

To be honest, I'm not sure at all. [ She realized that there was still so little she knew about Kisuke, and it made her feel cold and lonely inside. ] But I think showing you your own research and facilities is the only thing I can do to help you get an idea of what you've missed.

Neither of you need to be nervous over this. [Tessai knew tension and he huffed when he could sense it building--reaching up to give Nemuri and Kisuke a pat on their shoulders both at the same time. As if he knew what was on their minds, he reassured them.]

Kayama-san, rest assured, you know Kisuke more than any of us, now. Little things like this are just details in the background.

[He thought about what to say to Kisuke, matching eyes with him. Kisuke stared into his eyes bleakly, then looked back into the darkness below, hesitantly taking steps down.]

Sir. Be confident. You'll be happy when you see what's down there.

[Tessai walked down with them, Kisuke raising his voice a bit too late. He assumed the steps led much deeper but as they got to the dark part of the steps, the lights came on automatically and the smell of sweets hit him hard. Underneath the Urahara shop was a massive concrete room with vats, machines, lab stations, and various manufacturing tools. There were computers set at a number of terminals beside machines but almost every single table had bundles of hand-made candy and assorted superhero outfits. There were plenty of accessories and gadgets set aside but what grabbed his attention was a massive computer monitor in the back that had a very distinct wallpaper:

A massive pin-up of Nemuri in her hero attire. Tessai pointfully didn't look at it, turning red.]

I'm so sorry! [Kisuke choked and turned to Nemuri, near to the point of collapsing on the spot.]

[ Nemuri relaxed when Tessai laid a hand on both of their shoulders. From what she saw, he'd always been Kisuke's support system, and she was grateful that he was here for him now.

She gave him a nod, following Kisuke down to the lab. ]

That sugar -

[ The saccharine scent of candy overwhelmed anything else in the lab that might've given off any foul odor, because for a moment, she'd expected vats of cloying dyes and inks for his fabrics - or even worse - pickled unnamed things suspended in jars. She was relieved that there was none of the latter. ]

Oh. [ It was then that she noticed the wallpaper of herself in the huge monitor, and she couldn't help her pleased laugh. ] Not to worry, that's my usual uniform. I wear other special things just for you.

[ And, feeling much better about the whole thing, she gave him a playful wink. ]

Um. [Kisuke looked away sharply, red as the failed Midnight candy sculpture his eyes went to next. It looked fine otherwise but he saw a slight defect in it that one would only catch if they looked intently. One of her legs was slightly lighter than the other. There was a little sticky note at the base with sharpie on it that read 'Not good enough! >:('

Nemuri's expression shook him briefly and he stood stunned, looking a little helpless.]

...I'm-- T-Thank you?

[He agreed with the sticky note written by the obviously insane man he would eventually become. He didn't know Nemuri but anyone who seemed that happy to be around him deserved better than that. Kisuke looked around at the assortment of Karakurizer outfits and thin white material samples arranged in a circle on one of the lab desks. There was a gradient chart with a hundred small variables jotted down per sample in fine script. He recognized the shaky handwriting as his whenever he worked overnight.]

Well. I suppose it's definitive. I'm him. [Of course, the first thing he thought about was how he ruined a couple's date.]

[Every little detail of the lab was filling in the bar in his head until it was solid red. One hundred percent certainty. He traced his fingers along the desk, looking for the inevitable smudges that would come from him leaning on it for hours at a time, finding the folding keyboard that spun out of the desk on an axis. Sitting down, he found a command prompt to enter a few basic commands. It didn't take much guessing to figure out what his executables were. He didn't think that would change even with a thousand years of time.]

Are you getting to work already? I thought you'd want to look around a bit more.

[Tessai followed him, only deciding to raise his head up once Nemuri's pin-up was hidden by the prompt.]

...Why not? [He glanced back to Nemuri and then back to Tessai, genuinely unperturbed by what he was working on.] They were on a date, weren't they?

[ Nemuri watched as Kisuke re-explored his lab, putting together the pieces of what his future self had done/will do and taking to it like a fish to water. That just confirmed what Nemuri thought - despite how vastly different he appeared on the surface, Kisuke was still Kisuke.

She took a moment to have a look around as well, her gaze softening when she saw the "failed" candy Midnight statue. The difference in color was almost negligible, but he still pushed himself to make a better version. Nemuri could understand; she was a perfectionist herself. She'd already told him this when he'd gifted her the perfect finished product, but as long as he was doing it to make himself happy too, and not just for her sake, then she'd accept his gifts with joy.

She also saw the superhero outfits he'd been working on, as well as the samples for her new skinsuit... Her heart grew warm and full.

Nemuri walked over him to wrap her arms around his back as he sat at his terminal, her hands easily looping around his shoulders as she dropped a kiss onto his head. She then bent down to kiss his cheek, then his jawline - completely nonplussed by Tessai, who could see her lavishing her affections on Kisuke. ]

What do you mean, they? We were on a date.

[Tessai was already jogging out of the lab and up the stairs with an Easter Island-like still expression.

Kisuke went still when Nemuri kissed him and he hit a few wrong keys, smoothing his hands over the board. He was determined. An icy cold went through him as layers of guilt began building on one another. It wasn't that he had become an utter madman. He must have grown and spine and embraced the sort of person he wanted to be. Someone must have liked seeing that in him. The current 'Kisuke' was just the coward with none of the charms that must have gotten him in that interesting, unique position. Beautiful, affectionate and well-intentioned, Nemuri was already too good for him.

He plugged in the blood sample. The port was right where he expected it to be, underneath the desk to match the height of the sample tray set beside it.

The screen lit up with data. Human, mid-thirties, male, quirk-user. Kisuke grew quiet, his voice becoming shallow as he forced himself to smile politely.]

I'm sorry but I should hurry. It'd be unfair to you if I took any more of your time.

What?

[ Nemuri furrowed her brow, pulling back to look at Kisuke in puzzlement. At first she'd thought that perhaps he was in a rush because of the possible window in which fresh blood would be useful, but the last thing he said gave her pause. ]

Why would that be unfair?

[ She was having a flashback here - he was behaving like he did when he got stung and she saw his memories. As if he was the problem. ]

Kisuke - this is not your fault. You're talking like you're not worthy of my time. You are.

I won't stop you from finding a way to hasten the process of returning to your current age, but if you're doing it just because you think I don't like you as you are right now - [ She shook her head. ] That's not true.

[Kisuke was flying through screens, lines of data reflecting off of his eyes, wide and cheerful despite what he was saying about himself. Nemuri cared for him. Anyone could see that.

But, he couldn't imagine a scenario in which he could live in the living world and meet someone so sweet to him. For some reason, he didn't trust the person who sat in the seat he was in on a daily basis. He lied easily enough, not wanting it to actually be true. There was no way he could just flip and turn into him.]

Oh? But, I really don't think I am! It's unlikely that, if you had met me the way I am right now, you'd ever want to spend time with me.

[He set up a program, running through a file he found on results regarding himself. The encryptions were easy to go through--he just guessed what would be the most infuriating codes to match were.]

I'm not charming or nice. I get up late every morning. I cheat during training drills. I slurp my tea. I don't ever brush my hair. I space out. I ramble. I...

[He couldn't match Nemuri's eyes at all. Kisuke thought he was a coward.]

So, I must have done something to change all that. I'd have to change who I am for anyone to look at me like you do, right?

[ Nemuri sighed as she listened to all of that, pulling out another of his chairs so that she could sit beside him and look at him earnestly. So he was avoiding her gaze. Nemuri was used to grown men unable to look her in the eyes, especially when she was in her Pro Hero costume. That was fine, so long as he was listening. ]

Slurping your tea, not brushing your hair, spacing out, rambling... Trivial things. [ She waved a hand carelessly. ] First of all, you should see how I look on my days off. I look like what the cat dragged in. And I've already talked your ear off numerous times because I'm a teacher and I can't help but drone on and on. In fact, I'm about to do that now.

[ A wry smile. ]

Change is something that occurs upon that which has already been built. You won't be the Kisuke I'm dating today if you weren't the Kisuke that you were 100 years ago. I treasure you as you are now, because to remove your history from the equation would be to shun who you are today, and I could never do that.

[ She reached out to brush his hair away from his face - that same flaxen lock touching his nose as it did at present. ]

If the lesson has been learned, then I'll dismiss the class. But if not, you'll have to stay for extra credit.

[Kisuke didn't bother trying to reverse-engineer the quirk. He simply looked through the computer's database to look for something relevant that could overlap with the effects based on what the blood sample did to interact with his own blood samples. Eerily enough, the Kisuke of 'today' took samples of his own blood on a daily basis. All he had to do was interpolate the changes between his blood at the moment and the blood on file based on interactions with the quirk-user's blood. Obviously, he thought it would be that simple because he could reason it out to be. It would take exhaustive testing for anyone who didn't have an insane amount of data collection tools like his future self seemed to.

Kisuke reached to the sample trade below and pulled out an unused syrette, positioning it along his arm. As Nemuri continued, he paused and his hand started shaking. The polite smile bled away and he suddenly looked as tired as he actually felt, just as Nemuri brushed his hair aside. He was listening to her intently the whole time but he didn't want to give up his way of thinking. He wasn't happy the way he was but he could only imagine the discomfort of admitting it was a problematic line of thinking and trying to change. Kisuke took the sample and put it the slot he used before, watching it load up out of the corner of his eye. He was startled when the result came up so quickly, expecting it to take at least an hour.

The computer 'dinged' and a little panel on the side opened. A little blood-red sphere popped out on a tray, sitting on the desk by the keyboard. It was the same color as the statue of Midnight on the table. Kisuke's eyes shifted to glance at it, bewildered. He didn't remember choosing the application method. The computer defaulted to 'hardened syrup'--a little ball of candy. He would have chosen that but it was baked into his process for creating medicine. On the screen, the resulting code indicated: Approximation complete. Matched for 'most recent blood sample'. Kisuke opened his mouth, feeling his chest tighten when he looked at the little piece of candy. If there was candy loaded up for sample medications, then he had made it ahead of time. There wasn't any sound from inside the computer that indicated it was made on the spot. There was just a little bit of a medicated spray on the surface. The inside of his computer was loaded with candy and it stuck in his mind.]

I don't think you can fix me... or, that you'd really want to. That much seems true to me even if I feel like I don't believe any of the evidence.

[He picked up the candy. The sad little smile he made this time was the real deal.]

I won't know until I do it firsthand and meet you properly for myself... [Two beats.] ... Nemuri.

[He popped the candy into his mouth, giving it a thoughtful suck before his whole body disappeared in a cloud of mist. Waving his hands rapidly to dispel the cloud of mist, the 'Kisuke' of that morning rapidly waved his arms around, visibly startled. His whole body was pink, as if he had just spent the day soaking in an onsen.]

Woah, woah--that's super hot!

[ Nemuri had her eyes fixed upon Kisuke, and so she saw that look of exhaustion and defeat that shadowed his face. It tugged at her heartstrings, because it looked like he was trying to live up to some ideal of himself that he didn't feel he could achieve.

Accepting one's self, flaws and all, and deciding to grow and improve, were all tall orders. The tallest of all orders was loving one's self. Nemuri didn't think she'd be able to change his way of thinking just with one pep talk - these were processes that took time. But Nemuri was willing to do it - day in and day out - until he believed it. ]

"Fix" you? You're hardly a machine, and you're not broken either.

[ But he was right in that he wouldn't know he could do it until he did. If that made sense. She couldn't change him for him. He had to do it himself.

Nemuri watched as he popped the candy-medicine (since it was mostly candy rather than medicine) into his mouth, making him "poof!" into a cloud of smoke.

Waving the mist away with him, Nemuri eyed him curiously. He looked fairly normal, aside from turning pink like a lobster. ]

Hi, handsome.

Edited 2020-09-04 08:30 (UTC)

[For the moment, Kisuke didn't seem eager to ask any questions. He felt unbelievably tired and sweaty, like he'd been running for days on end in the blistering heat. Everything about his body felt new even down to his soul. He'd have to do a routine check on that gigai to make sure it was working.

The steam hadn't completely cleared and there was plenty coming off of his skin and out of his mouth as he made out Nemuri's face. She looked a little bothered by something--which he assumed was probably the reason why he was dripping wet and steaming.]

I'm like a fresh dumpling out of the pot! [It was even coming out of his ears.]

Hello! [He wanted to reach over and give Nemuri a kiss but he felt like the steam wasn't all that superficial. It wasn't all unpleasant, though. It was like feeling of popping out of a hot shower, except it wasn't really ending that fast.]

Nemuri, I'm sorry but... I think I need to drink a gallon or so of nice, cold water.

[ She had to smile at the idea of dumpling-Kisuke. She wanted to ask if he recalled what had happened, but making sure that he was alright was the priority at the moment. ]

Do you have a fridge down here or do we need to go back upstairs?

[ Nemuri stood, in case he needed her to get him anything. ]

The fridges down here just contain temperature specific medications. I don't think I need any of them unless I don't stop--

[The steam cleared up and he held his breath a moment for good luck.]

Oh. Good! Well, I'd rather go upstairs.

[He suddenly came to a clear realization of where he was and who he was with and he felt very, very self-conscious about it all.]

We need to get out of the completely unprepared and messy lab full of secrets gifts that hasn't been tidied up for guests at all. [He was trying not to glance at the statue he'd been using as a constant motivation for improvement in the past couple weeks.]

[ Smiling, she gave him a kiss to his cheek. So the cat was out of the bag. Well, he'd already told her about the costumes, the new skinsuit, and the kimonos, so she didn't mind seeing his progress. ]

Let's go, then.

[ She was itching to ask him what he could remember, but physical needs and his safety came first. Nemuri headed back up and out of his lab, checking where the cold water was, if he had any, as well as ice just in case they ran out.

She turned to Kisuke as he entered the kitchen, giving him a warm smile. ]

How are you feeling?

[Kisuke couldn't turn any redder but he did get his dopey little smile back where it belonged. He followed side by side with Nemuri just in case he suddenly felt like collapsing.]

Oh, just remembering little bits of the day, suddenly. Calibrating my body to advance in time with a specific blood test result was Part One and Part Two was letting the quirk itself wear off.

[Jinta and Ururu were eating lunch at the table, both saying 'Hello' to Nemuri politely, even if Jinta looked as sullen as he always did. When Kisuke stepped through the door, still beet-red and sweaty, the both of them jumped a little bit.

Ururu gaped, her jaw dropping and a little sparkle coming out of her eyes.]

Mr. Shopkeep is turning into an ogre!

[Jinta spat.] What're you, stupid!?

[Kisuke gave them a lengthly, tired look and then turned back to Nemuri, lifting a hand in his usual 'Here's some science facts!' tone of voice, albeit a little muted because his throat was dry.] Oh. Also, I'm sure everyone who recovers from it will figure it out but it's very uncomfortable having a whole day's memories shoved back into your head all at once. I feel sorry for the people who had to experience years of it in a few hours!

[ Nemuri poured Kisuke a full glass of cold water, ready to give him more as soon as he'd finished it.

Seeing the long, tired look that he gave the kids, she put her hands upon each of their heads. ]

Be nice to your father.

[ Ururu looked abashed while Jinta sputtered. ] I didn't do nothin'!

Be nice to your sister.

[ The two of them subsided into obedient silence, and Nemuri glanced back up at Kisuke with a sympathetic frown. ]

I imagine it's information overload. [ Like a year's worth of a classroom lecture shoved into one moment. ]

Edited (what is English, baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me no more) 2020-09-06 03:22 (UTC)

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