( OPEN ) MAY CATCH ALL

[cranekin]

WHO: Tsurumaru and you
WHAT: Sword lore, revisiting an old home, holidays, and shenanigans
WHERE: around Kyoto & Tokyo
WHEN: May
WARNINGS: N/A for now


source

catch-all for the month, open to using tdm prompts, setting up starters, etc.
if you would like an original starter or have your own idea, hit me up yosakoi | discord: diejoubus

Comments

[lifeprice]

It's possible I could have made different choices.

[ If he had really pulled out of the mission. If he hadn't chosen to go to Makima on the beach that day. If he had chosen any other path than the one he had, if he hadn't dragged the Angel Devil with him... All the things that roll around in his mind time after time.

He could still be with Denji. ]

But I made the choices that I was meant to make, and I was able to find a little happiness. It could be that was my fate the whole time, for whatever it was worth.

[ Leaning down, Aki nudges their noses together, steals into Tsurumaru's space just enough, his expression warm. ]

I can think of more than one good moment.

[cranekin]

(Without thinking, he raises his face to meet Aki, brushing his face against his. He can't help but smile, especially when he sees that look. It's better like this. He looks better like this. Not so serious, more relaxed, happier, warm, refreshingly full of life,)

Just one more moment.

(Only one good moment, he teases, and as if to shield the eyes of someone younger and more innocent, he spreads his hands across the blade.

Smiling,)

We'll leave things to fate.

(He's made his decision. He knows what he wants to do.)

Let's clean up a place for him, first.

(This other Tsurumaru.)

[lifeprice]

[ They can lean into each other, lean on each other, and that's enough for now. Aki can bask in the quiet peace of something warm and affectionate, allowing himself this if nothing else: the tenderness of the moment. It falls away, briefly, as they turn back to the shrine, and he nods his head. ]

That's a good idea.

[ Pushing himself up, he looks around and begins with sorting out the corner near the small staircase, tilting his head as he starts to tidy things as best he can. He's not exactly sure where everything needs to go, but he's naturally efficient and practiced. ]

Do you want to take a photo when we're done? The three of us together.

[cranekin]

(Ah, he'd almost forgotten about the pictures and he brightens up,)

It'll be like a portrait!

(A family portrait in a sense if he thinks of this other Tsurumaru as something like a brother. He nods and holds up the blade,)

We can remember this moment forever.

[lifeprice]

Just like that.

[ Aki doesn't have a lot of those - photos, portraits, pictures, anything like that. He lost them all the second his family home was destroyed, all those years ago. Making some more here, with the people he's come to care about, is something he's anticipating.

Nodding, Aki steps back over, leaning down to look at the other blade. ]

I wonder if we can use the implants to take a photo together like that.

[cranekin]

(Luckily for them... there is a mirror on the altar. Is it a little sacrilegious to use it to take a selfie? Maybe. Do they have many options? No.)

We can use the mirror.

(It's a little small, it might not be the best photo, but it'll be enough.)

[lifeprice]

That'll be enough.

[ Reaching out, not thinking about it, Aki takes Tsurumaru's hand and tugs him towards it, if he's permitted. ]

Pose how you want and I'll match.

1/2

[cranekin]

Any pose...

(He's really thinking about it. )

[cranekin]

(Situating the blade in front of him so it rests across his chest, he holds up his hand... and raises it to make a peace sign right next to his eye. It might be the same pose he made Aki do the first time he helped him at the medical bay......

Do it, Aki. Do it again. He's watching.)

[lifeprice]

[ Aki gives him a look for a moment. He remembers, of course, that meeting in the infirmary, showing off his metal hand with the peace sign, but he didn't think that was the pose that Tsurumaru was going to go for.

All the same, he steps up beside Tsurumaru, leans down to rest his chin on top of his head and then holds up his fingers in a peace sign. ]

[cranekin]

(They just have to pose and angle themselves just right and... there. The picture is done. Tsurumaru holds his pose for a moment and then relaxes, lowering his hand.

He raises his head up, forcing Aki to move and looks up at him.)

We'll be back some day.

(Running a hand down the flat of the blade,)

So enjoy your days. When we come back, we'll show you a place beyond here if you want.

(They'll leave the blade here for now. And for some reason... no, he understands the reason. For a certain reason, this feels right. It feels like the right thing to do and he can't help but be a little jealous. He wishes he had the same chance back then.)

It may be sad to leave but you'll find happiness again.

(And he'll get up to set the blade down on the altar.)

[lifeprice]

[ Aki leans back when nudged, feeling something soft and warm uncurling inside of him.

... Oh. It's happiness.

He steps back to allow Tsurumaru a little time to say goodbye to the other version of himself, to let him have this brief respite. He goes back to adjusting some of the other things, tidying up just a little bit more, before he returns to his partner's side.

When he leans down, he presses a soft kiss to Tsurumaru's cheek, a hand touching the small of his back gently. ]

We'll come back, wheneer you want to.

[cranekin]

(It feels quiet here again. Having a moment like this really makes him feel how still this shrine has become but in this room, surrounded by familiar buildings and regalia... he doesn't mind.

(He might even admit that it feels nice.)

A kiss on his cheek and Tsurumaru lets the feeling settle like the air around him. He stands straighter with his touch, as if he wants to keep himself proud and tall for him. Image is important for him, after all, and after a moment, he lets out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding, turns to him with a quiet smile, and reaches to take his hand,)

I'd like that.

(Lacing his fingers with his,)

You should see it later in the summer. When the hydrangea bloom.

(And like water, he slips away, right back out to the main grounds of the shrine,)

But that's a long time away! So let's go back to base! If I stay here any longer, I might be bored to tears!

(He might get more emotional.)

[lifeprice]

[ It's nice. It feels nice, to stand here and accept this, to let himself enjoy the quiet, the comfort of it, before he nods his head.

Taking a step back, Aki offers a little bow before he offers his hand to Tsurumaru. ]

Let's head back.

[ Easy, simple. He can do this. He can stand at this man's side. ]

We'll come back in summer. Maybe Denji can come.