bakerstreet | when we were young

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)

[Kisuke gave off a dumb little smile the moment Nemuri came to his defense. The fever would probably die off but he wanted it to die off before Tessai got a look at him and decided he'd need to fish out more of the awful medicine from the shed--]

Thanks~. [He promptly swallowed it all in one long gulp and set down the glass, reaching into his pocket for his wallet and holding out a bill for Nemuri.]

Can I have another coffee? I'll pay for the second round ♥! [Ururu and Jinta, reasonably confused, watched him carefully.]

--Oh. Wait, I think I'm catching up! We're definitely not in the coffee shop anymore.

Afraid I'm no barista, but I can pour an amazing glass of fresh, cold water.

[ Which she promptly did, passing it to Kisuke with a reassuring smile. (That actually gave her an idea of what to give him next...)

She looked at the two teens, deciding to explain the situation to them when she noted their confusion. ]

He was hit by an age-reversal Quirk earlier. He went back around a hundred years. It's alright now, though; he created a medicine that returned him to his usual age.

[ Nemuri looked back to Kisuke, concern wrinkling her brow. ] Are you alright now? You still look red... Perhaps you should lie down?

[Ururu whispered to Jinta, "Was he a baby?"

Jinta gaped, unsure how to answer until he finally replied, "...I dunno. He's gotta be pretty old, right?"

Kisuke was sipping at the water the second time around, his face slipping into the usual dumb little smile he had on when he was with Nemuri. The kids were whispering about Urahara being probably a thousand years old and that he was actually a grandpa.]

Oh, it's fine, Nemuri! It's just going to be like a really bad sunburn later, so I'll have to take a dip in the bath tonight~.

[He started walking out of the kitchen, looking for the living room where he could throw himself on the nice couch. With a happily dizzy hum in his voice, Kisuke shakily made his way over.] Come on, let's watch the news! I bet they're showing you working right now.

[ Nemuri caught wind of them whispering and said, ] So you're saying I'm dating a thousand-year-old grandpa? The age gap is scandalous - that makes me feel naughty.

[ Laughing, she left them with dumbfounded expressions on their faces as she headed off to the living room with Kisuke. ]

Do you need any help with topical medicines, anything like that?

[ When she passed by Tessai as she said that, she thought she saw a gleam shine the large man's eyes. ]

Does Tessai-san have some ointment we can put on you?

Hah! Well, that's definitely a hurtful thing for my adoring charges to say about me, isn't it! About a man who's already quite sensitive enough about his age, hmmm?

[There was some shuffling in the kitchen as he made an effort to raise his voice to say that. Shortly after, Kisuke's eyes bulged and fixed on Tessai. He was breaking into a sweat again.]

No. No, Tessai's bussy. He has to--He has to-- [Crap, what day was it--] He has to unload shipments and he's very busy!

Well, it's clearly not true, considering how full of vigor you are. Only a youthful, lively man could do the things that you've -

[ Tessai coughed loudly, and Nemuri's smile was just a tiny bit smug as she settled down beside Kisuke.

However, his nervousness was rolling off him in waves, and she glanced at Tessai, who looked... excited about something? ]

Alright, then...

[ That was a little odd.

Nemuri glanced as Kisuke, wondering if she could now ask about what had happened. ]

Are your memories of the day back now?

[Strangely enough, Kisuke was holding his cane between him and Tessai defensively, even as a little glimmer of light shined off of the giant's glasses.]

Y-yeah, let's talk about that! I'm feeling great after all, so we can definitely do some small talk!

[He was keeping Tessai in sight as he slid into the living room with Nemuri and closed the shoji with a solid thud. A slight calm washed over him, even if it was a little muted.]

But, yes, I think I'm back up to speed. I think I was the main target, whoever that... Uh, weird fellow was. He was very adamant about sending you a message and he claimed I was ruining his life?

[Wouldn't be the first time that would happen to him, he was sure.]

I was expecting fans of yours to harass me but I wasn't expecting it to be a grown man in a diaper.

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