Guys' Night [OPEN]

[seafloor]

WHO: Dudes, dude. Bring all your dudely Outsiders, bro.
WHAT: Man I sure wish I could tell you Cracking a cold one open with the boys
WHERE: The Onsen
WHEN: 4/11
WARNINGS: Alcohol, nudity, dad jokes... This'll be updated accordingly

[ A few days after the girls have had their fun (cause girls just wanna have fun), another blanket text sweeps over the Outsiders' inboxes. This time, it's from Kaito: and he is proposing a very original idea that all the guys should come by the hot springs in a few days' time. Gossip and bathing are optional, but an empty stomach is mandatory.

Several pictures of newly purchased smokers, grills, and even a fucking pizza oven can be seen at various points throughout the message. There are also mountains of stacked beer and soda cases. Kaito's apparently going to be cooking enough to feed the whole base, or so he purports.

Where did he get all the money for this? Whatever, it's free!

He also adds in no uncertain terms that if any girls try to show up and sneak a snack, he will send them home with a stern warning and a bottle of water.

If you take him up on the invitation, welcome! It's a spring cookout and Pitmaster Kaito Nagano is going to be serving up enough barbeque to temporarily turn the onsen area into a Texan territory within Japan. Seriously, there's gonna be a metric fuckton of food and booze, and the hot springs will be right there when you're ready to get hot and hungover.

There are absolutely no plans after food. Feel free to stick around and socialize, but you will not be publicly shamed for just yoinking a plate and dip setting. Probably.

Aside from the barbeque, there are some horseshoes and cornhole boards set up (google it, it's safe, this is not a bit it's just a funny name for an american game) for dudes to try their hand-eye coordination at after having one too many drinks.

If you're feeling particularly brave, Kaito's got an ice box full of artificial fish (all the meat's artificial, let's be real) that you can try to attract a feral cat with. Good luck. ]

(( ooc: hello yes i didn't want The Boys™ to feel left out so feel free to make top levels and just get some general cookout social time in with your boyos. make it as friendly or awkward or awkwardly friendly as possible. go nuts. get naked. cause a ruckus. [ insert toxic masculinity here ] ilu ♥ ))

Comments

[seaurchin]

[ They have the same last name too, Denden.

And yeah, he remembers having this conversation once before. or something i dont rmb ]

I didn't say I didn't like them ... [ He doesn't know and doesn't want to think about it okay. ]

[nutkick]

[ as if he knows toji's name, sir. ]

Oh, okay. They also wanted to talk about pretty boys. If you have something to share ...

[ did he decide megumi is gay? he sure did. ]

[seaurchin]

[ Denji sure is assuming that he is gay. And he wouldn't be too wrong either.

But how can he direct the topic away from himself ... ]

Shouldn't you share first?

[nutkick]

I asked you first.

[ he lifts his arm, fast enough to splash some water in megumi's direction. ]

Give me a name and I'll return the favor. How about that?

[seaurchin]

Hey ... [ Don't splash him. Megumi blocks the water from getting into his face. ]

I don't really care about looks. A kind personality is more important to me.

[ And yet he is not giving names. ]

[nutkick]

Me too. I like the kind ones.

[ meg gave him nothing, really, but he will not pressure him. the shy doc is shy. ]

There are plenty of nice people around here. Are you not interested in wooing someone?

[seaurchin]

[ This is why he likes Denji and is chilling with him in the spring. ]

It feels like it would just end badly when one of us dies or gets sent home.

[ But why is he so depressing ]

[nutkick]

That's true. I'm scared of that, too. But, it's also a reason for me to try and find someone ...

[ does that make any sense? denji shrugged slowly. ]

We might be here for a few days, weeks, or months before we go back home or something bad happens. Why can't we spend that time being happy?

[seaurchin]

[ That's definitely a different way to look at things, and a mindset he doesn't explore very often because he isn't surrounded by people who priorities their own happiness. ] Oh ... You aren't wrong.

[ He doesn't know if he can fully adopt that mindset, with how difficult it is for him to think about his own happiness, but he can wish that for Denji. Megumi looks down, going a little quieter. He's shy when speaking honestly. ]

I hope you find someone, then. Because ... a kind person like you deserves to be happy.

[nutkick]

[ 'happy' felt a bit too heavy on his chest, and denji didn't know how to handle it. a part of him didn't want to think too much about those words as well. it made him feel somewhat like a hypocrite to receive such empathy from someone like megumi— who is genuinely a decent person. but, it also felt ... good? good enough that it shut him up for a bit, only to end up staring at the other, a bit flustered. ]

... You really think I deserve to be happy?

[ well, that's unfair. megumi knew nothing about him and his history, so denji is merely seeking blind reassurance in the hope of feeling something other than the usual self-loathing. it's pathetic, but he didn't care. ]

[seaurchin]

[ It feels like there's a lot more weight to what they're talking about now, that it's not just a casual conversation anymore. Megumi doesn't know what Denji's gone through, whether he's had a good life or a tragic one. Someone who could rip apart their flesh like it means nothing, and not even grimace in pain must have seen a lot in life. The fact that Denji had a kind heart for animals, but was hardly faze by atrocities, implied that too.

Megumi doesn't know what he's done. Maybe he's done horrible things in life. Recently, he's learned that he doesn't have be right all the time in how he feels about things, however. If he's taken a liking to someone and wants them to live a good life, then that's that, and he doesn't need to justify himself. ]

You come over and help me with the animals but never ask for anything in return.

[ He thinks he's kind. ] Yeah, I think you do.

[assassinsgreed]

<sub>[ don't mind pops over there with his heavenly restriction hearing 👂👂👂

a yaoi only son????? in the zenin line???? say it ain't so... he's doing his best to act like he ain't honing in on this convo... ]</sub>

[seaurchin]

[ his bloodline dies with him ]

[assassinsgreed]

_{[ thank fucking god he hates those assholes
thanks for being useful by being gay, sonny boy ]}

[nutkick]

[ and to hear megumi say this is— enough. it's enough to mute the anxieties and insecurities that are poisoning his mind for a few hours, and it's more than what he truly deserves. what denji couldn't express with words, ends up in a perfect reflection of his features, which is genuine gratitude behind a bittersweet smile.

he didn't know how much he needed to hear it until now, and he decided to protect this lie for as long as he could. megumi can never know anything about him; not his past, failures, and sins. he will always be someone worth all the happiness in the world in the sorcerer's eyes. ]

Will you promise me you'll try?

[ to find someone and be happy, too. ]

[seaurchin]

[ Megumi finds what he said very embarrassing, even if completely genuine. Still, it felt like something the other boy needed to hear, and that reason he doesn't regret saying it. What he does find puzzling is the other boy's expression even if he says nothing. There's sadness but also a sense of gratitude, as if it's rare for him to hear such words. What sort of life did Denji lead back home? Does he have friends and family who would wish this simple thing for him?

Megumi isn't the kind to ask. Not this early in a friendship anyway. ]

I ... don't know. [ Not that he doesn't know what Denji means. He knows the other boy wants him to be happy as well, but he doesn't really know how to make that happen. It's just that he's never thought about it, what sort of life he wants to have, and what would make him happy. It's never been an option.

There's no point burdening the other boy with his inner thoughts. He gives a sigh. ] Anyway, if they don't like you back, it just feels worse right?

[ He's experienced that recently. ]

[nutkick]

[ maybe it is an option in this city, or that's what denji likes to believe. they could all start fresh, try to be a bit more selfish, and think about what they want to do; there is a level of freedom in being here, which is a bit ironic considering they've all been forced into serving an unknown organization against their will. he's unsure of megumi speaking based on experience or an assumption— it wouldn't change denji's answer regardless. ]

True. It will feel like shit for a while ... and then someone else will show up and make you forget all about it.

[ denji offers him a knowing smile, reassuring him that he's been through it and there is hope of moving on. it doesn't mean it wouldn't hurt like hell, but megumi comes off as someone who can handle the brief heartache— he only needs to shake off the fear that is holding him back. ]

... Is the person you like with us here?

[ he's not asking for a name. okay, maybe he is asking for a name ... ]

[seaurchin]

[ It's funny to be talking about this with someone else. He's been suppressing the feeling for a few weeks, finding it all so petty and miniscule in the face of the life he leads and even their missions here. The funny thing about not acknowledging how you feel is that it only makes the feeling grow over time, until it rears its ugly head in a different way. Still, it's different that he's here now, close to sharing some of his inner feelings with someone he likes to think of as a friend. Freeing, in a way. It doesn't feel like Denji is going to tell him that what he's going through is pointless when they risk their lives so often, so he feels encouraged to keep speaking. ]

Is it like that ... I've never gone through this before. [ He's never associated with anyone for long enough to develop that attachment. It's all new to him and he doesn't know what to do with it.

There's a sigh. ] Don't tell anyone.

[ He means it!!! ] It's one of your teammates.

[nutkick]

I promise I won't! You can trust me.

[ oh, hell yeah. he's about to get some juicy gossip that he is actually invested in for a change, in which denji moved a bit closer so they can indulge in some privacy. i mean, others could still hear them out, but there was some attempt for confidentiality. when megumi mentioned it was one of the everlight crew, he raised an eyebrow. oh?

well-

he might have a guess who it might be. for reasons. ]

... Katsuki?

[seaurchin]

[ They are saved by the fact that they are sort of in their little corner away from the others and there's nobody trying to listen in right now (or so he thinks). Denji scooching closer doesn't actually do much but the thought counts at least.

There's a pause at that first guess. ] ... No.

[ He does think Bakugo is a kind and honorable person, on top of being a great friend (even if he will explode if you tell him this). Beyond that, Megumi's never really thought about him in that way. ]

Why did you guess him? [ what reasons are these ]

[nutkick]

[ denji felt like he exposed himself here and looked slightly puzzled. why did he go for bakugou as a first guess? he thinks about it for the sake of honesty and then shrugs. ]

He's good-looking. I won't be surprised if you agree.

[ but, ah, it's not the hero. this is turning into a fun game, denji is into solving the mystery— even when the answer is so fucking obvious. forgive him, he's stupid. as if he didn't know yuuji and megumi are old friends and that isn't the perfect breeding ground for complicated feelings. but, nope. he's thinking. more thinking.

...

eventually, the wheels in his brain moved an inch and he snapped his fingers. ]

The other sorcerer?

[seaurchin]

[ Megumi isn't the sort to process a person's looks. It sounds fake when he says this, but it's true. For that reason, he's never noticed Bakugo's looks beyond an acknowledgement that they had a strong body. Now that he's really thinking about it, Denji isn't wrong. They had a handsome face too. More important than any of that, they were a kind person beneath all the abrasive bluster, and that tends to be what draws Megumi to someone.

So, the guess makes sense, he thinks. ] I guess so ...

[ Oh, but he can see the gears turning in the other boy's head right now. He's trying to make this out. Megumi will let him to see what he comes up with.

And he's right on the money. A blush creeps up on Megumi's face and he turns away now. ] We've -- gone through a lot together.

[nutkick]

Ah ...[ well, it does make sense. they've probably been hanging out a lot with each other outside of their line of work, doing normal teenage stunts in their spare time and denji understood how that could be the start of something. he didn't know how long they'd known each other before the spark of the romantic interest flourished, but yuuji was his teammate in everlight and denji knew he's not a bad person — a bit too friendly and all. weird hair. too many scars.

first bakugou and now megumi, huh? ... interesting. ]

I think he's being fluffy with some other dude right now. That's why you assumed he doesn't like you, right?

[ why does denji make it sound as if that's not evidence enough that yuuji is, indeed, not interested in megumi. ]

Why him, though? [ genuine question with no bite behind it. ]

[seaurchin]

[ Generally, when a person is flirting and going on dates with another person, it's easy to assume they would not have feelings for other people ... He doesn't feel like he needs to answer that question because it's obvious.

The next question that comes is remarkably easy to answer, however. He's never felt embarrassed or like he needs to hide how much he admires his best friend. ]

The first time we met, he saved my life. He's the kindest person I know, and he's strong, too. We spend a lot of time together ...

[nutkick]

Ah ...

[ he squints, still trying to hear the 'i find him attractive' part but all he gets is emotional statements which he has heard before from several other people. it didn't influence him as much until he heard it from megumi, and — for the first time, he started acknowledging maybe something is off about his mindset when it comes to intimicy. it had always been purely physical to denji, almost as if he didn't care if the person had a shitty personality so long as he could enjoy the visual and the 'feel' of them. it's not like he had a future to share with someone, no long-term plan to date, settle down and start a family(?). isn't this how normal people function? maybe that's why he didn't care, or justified that it didn't matter. he's dead once his time here ends and he's back home.

if only he knew megumi's time here, in this city, is precious as well. ]

... Does it hurt?

[ denji been rejected so many times but he never really 'loved' them in a way that would make him — feel anything. megumi's case is different. ]