text | from Fushimi

[monkeyblue]

From: Fushimi
Date: October 25th

[Still late at night, but this time his post is signed? He has no shame about spamming the BBS with stuff like this, and anyway it's important.]

Can shinki celebrate their birthdays if they remember them?

Comments

[Action because typing would take him too long and this is important.]

[thevanguard]

[ So he'd snored his way through Saru's last venture onto the Network, but it had been anon anyway, so he probably hadn't missed much. Maybe.

This, though. This was something else entirely.

And the moment he sees the message, he abruptly drops his phone and goes hunting for his partner, bursting out into the room with wide eyes and a loud exclamation. ]

You remembered something?!

[monkeyblue]

Tch. You could knock, you know. What if I was naked?

[He's not. He spins around in his chair with a shrug.]

My fifteenth birthday and the week before it.

[thevanguard]

Then I'd be screaming and throwing something at you, deal with it.

[ He launches himself closer, flopping forward onto the bed on his stomach with an energetic bounce and propping his chin in his hands. ]

Tell me? Well. If you can tell me? Also when's your birthday? That's important.

[monkeyblue]

Tch.

[He is a child. Fushimi turns back to his computer.]

November 7th. I don't think I can tell you about the memory, though. You were the only one in it.

[The only one in the memory of his fifteenth birthday was his best friend.

Not his parents.]

[thevanguard]

[ Pretty sure you knew that already, Saru.

Although he studies Saru thoughtfully as he turns back to his birthday, thinking over those words and trying to decipher anything from them. ]

....Was it a good birthday?

[monkeyblue]

...for once.

[He's not turning back around.]

[thevanguard]

[ Yata blinks in confusion. ]

For once? What does that mean?

[monkeyblue]

What do you think it means, Misaki?

[thevanguard]

[ He studies Saru a moment before pushing off the bed, coming to stand behind Saru and draping himself over his shoulders, a warm comfortable weight. ]

I don't know. I don't remember enough to... What can you tell me?

[monkeyblue]

[His chair is high backed and yet Misaki manages to do this. How.

There's a pause as Fushimi struggles with wanting to tell him to not worry about it and wanting to use his words like they promised in that first memory, and then as he tries to sort out what's safe to tell him.]

You're the only person who ever gave a damn about my birthday, apparently.

[thevanguard]

[ He's talented. Besides, he's used to you always being higher than him and yet he still manages this more often than not.

For now though, he's quiet, listening to what Saru says. And what he doesn't say. He rests his chin on Saru's shoulder, thinking that over. ]

Well. [ For a moment, he's not sure what to say to that. But then he flicks a glance sideways at him. ] I'll just have to make sure you have the best damn birthdays ever then, huh?

[monkeyblue]

Tch, why bother now? We're dead.

[thevanguard]

[ Yata just snorts. And boops his nose. Look, he's this close, he's taking advantage of it. ]

So what? That hasn't stopped us from doing anything else we'd probably do normally. If you used 'we're dead' as an excuse not to do something, neither one of us would ever get anything done.

[monkeyblue]

[What.

The argument is officially on hold now because--]

Did you just poke my nose?

[thevanguard]

[ Yata just smirks at him.

And does it again. ]

Maybe.

[monkeyblue]

[He scrunches his face.]

Why. Stop.

[thevanguard]

[ Nope.

He does it again. ]

Stop moping and I'll consider it.

[monkeyblue]

[He tries to pat Misaki's hand away.]

I'm not moping. Stop it.

[thevanguard]

[ He ducks and dodges the swat. Only to reappear over Saru's other shoulder.

And promptly boops him from that side, too. ]

Are, too.

[monkeyblue]

Am no--Misaki, I will stab you.

[thevanguard]

[ Yata just cracks up, taking him not at all seriously. ]

Yeah, yeah, so you always threaten.

[monkeyblue]

[Fushimi reaches over and pulls a stage knife out of his desk drawer, stabbing Misaki with it. It's fake and collapses into the handle, of course, but.]

Hmph.

[thevanguard]

[ If this were anyone else, he'd really be wondering why the hell you had a fake knife just laying around in your desk drawer. But no. This is Saru. He's not even gonna bother.

He is gonna play along, however, because he didn't want to see Saru brooding over his new memory, so ridiculous over-the-top playfulness it is.

His hands clutch the hilt of the fake dagger where it 'protrudes' from his chest, gasping and staggering backwards in horror, only to collapse on the bed in pretend death-throes. ]

Et tu, Mon-key?

[monkeyblue]

...you know Shakespeare?

[Fushimi bites back a chuckle as he turns to look at Misaki playing the fool.]

Really?

[thevanguard]

[ Yata just picks his head up and gives Saru a pointedly oblivious look, still playing along for the moment. ]

Who?