Where can I go from here?

[trainwrecking]

Who: Yuzuru Otonashi and OPEN.
Where: On on of the lit-up main roads on a snowy day: backdated to the 26th!
Summary: Otonashi is trying to honor a lost loved one's memory, collect himself after the Shadow event, and move forward.
Warnings: (P...ossible talk of character death? I guess that's always a disclaimer with these losers.)

[He wouldn't shed tears, he told himself. That isn't what she would have wanted for him, but the small snack cake in his hand? His late sister would have loved that. She probably would have urged him to try some.

Weary after donating blood just an hour before, it's in his best interest to oblige. The taste is forgettable -- or maybe he just isn't paying it any mind.

Sitting beside him on the bench is a rather large chocolate cake, (a gift with no owner now, regrettably) along with a couple of other small boxes and something wrapped in a damp envelope. His intent had once been to give these items out, but after his first rejected gift, his plans had changed somewhat. The redhead found himself sitting here instead, taking in the sight of people walking in the dimly lit roads. The warm, white lights had yet to be taken down, cheerfully glimmering on the falling snow. Children of all ages took part in an increasingly aggressive snowball fight in the park nearby, their laughter and yelling crystal clear even from here.

He had been so afraid of his memories and of the truth -- any truth -- that he can't help but desire to fold into himself to think. Nothing but snow and unclaimed gifts accompany him. Maybe he should get going; he needs to pawn off this dumb cake.

Will you bum cake off him? (Seriously he won't eat this thing..!) Tell him to move so you can park your butt on that bench instead? Throw a snowball (rude!)?]

((I will be finishing up Shadow stuff and tagging into more people's event stuff still! But I wanted something easy + an excuse for him to have gifts to give, if... he can get over his first spectacularly failed gift attempt.))

Comments

/makes up for the jerkface

[eyewillprotect]

[She was in the midst of looking for him, actually; after dealing with so many Shadows, she's become more cognizant of the troubles everyone locks away deep down inside. It's left her worried over many of her friends, and Yuzuru is no exception to that.

Her hands are folded over one another as she walks briskly. At first it might look like she's simply hugging herself for warmth, but at a second glance, it seems she's holding something...

Ah. That figure on the bench over there... is it?]

Yuzuru? Is that you?

[And so she approaches.]

oh shh it's okay, Otonashi should be well acquainted with rejection by now

[trainwrecking]

[It isn't her questions that capture his attention, but her footsteps rustling the snow as they draw nearer.]

Ah, hey Aoi. I didn't expect to see you out on a day like this...

[eyewillprotect]

I didn't see you, so...

[...]

I got a little worried. But I'm probably just over-thinking things.

[For all she knows, he just decided to take a walk, that's all.]

...Do you mind if I sit with you?

[trainwrecking]

Yeah, I just... had a lot to do.

[Though all evidence here points to the contrary, aside from the gifts. Even so, it's not a lie.]

Eh? No, go ahead, if you want to. I'm worried that I won't be great company though...

[eyewillprotect]

[And she'll go ahead and take a seat, carefully laying down the item she held into her lap. Is that... a wrapped gift?]

Giving out presents? Then... I suppose I should give you this. It's a little late, though...

[She passes it over. It's squarish, but definitely not a box. More than likely some kind of folded cloth.]

[trainwrecking]

W...hat? Aoi, you didn't need to get me anything-- I wasn't... even really planning anything big, so...

[Not one to outright reject, he takes the cloth and secures it in his lap. It would be a little while before he was completely steady again after blood loss, so he's very careful not to drop or wreck anything as he unfolds it.]

It's...

[eyewillprotect]

[Two nice, warm long-sleeved shirts and a scarf as it were.]

I hope they're the right size...

[trainwrecking]

Wow, we must have missed each other shopping for these things...

[Incidentally, he bought something very similar for Hinata.]

Eheh, I'm sure they're fine! I can't try them out here, but I will. [He removes one of his gloves to feel the fabric, trying to busy himself to hide the surprise. Otonashi had expected no gift from anyone. Finally, he looks up, just when he thinks he's composed.]

... Thanks, Aoi. I really appreciate it. Ahh, the um-- the red box with the silver bow is yours. [He wrapped it himself and it's very much obvious. Bad teenage boy wrap job is a go.]

[eyewillprotect]

We've known each other for a while now, so... I wanted to do something for you.

[She looks a little surprised herself to hear that there's something for her, but she'll go ahead and reach for the gift.]

This one... right?

[And once he gives the affirmative, she'll go ahead and unwrap it, revealing...]

[trainwrecking]

[It's an understated gift with tissue paper in all the wrong places (and too much of it, really). But if she can brave the slightly tattered tissue paper, she'll uncover quite a few new ribbons in varying colors, each bright and rich. He made sure to get something well-made, but simple.

Along with it is a small coat, complete with cutesy little details like stiff ribbons and snowflake-shaped zippers. It's cute, really, and makes it no secret that he's picked out cutesy clothes for someone before.]

Yeah, I... never really needed to wrap things before, but I thought it would make it look nicer. Not worse.

[eyewillprotect]

[Goodness! She certainly looks happy.]

These are all so cute! Ah, hold on a moment--

[She takes two of the ribbons and, carefully untying the ones already in her hair, replaces them with the new.]

-How do they look?

[trainwrecking]

I wasn't sure what color would be best, so I got a few...

[But he looks pleased to see that she seems to like them so much.]

Hah, I think it looks great! They're really vibrant against your hair..! I guess I'd be kinda biased though, huh?

[frequent_flyer]

[Hinata had lingered in the park for some time, leaning against a tree and watching the ferocious snowball fight from afar. He'd been one of those kids once. Not here. Not now. But once upon a time, he'd had no concerns aside from building the biggest snowfort and being the most efficient at making snowballs.]

[How long had it been since then? Years certainly... but how many? Just a few? Or had decades passed him by? Being dead was disorienting.]

[Finding himself suddenly longing for the security and bliss he'd known when he was alive, he dragged himself away, taking off at a brisk pace down the gently lit road. Couples walked together hand-in-hand, forcing the blunette to watch his feet as he walked. He was lonely... and his attempt to fix that had ended up blowing up in his face.]

[He lifted his eyes as the road forked, trying to decide which way to go... when he saw Otonashi sitting alone. A familiar face... Hinata forced on a smile, bending to collect some snow between bare hands, tossing it underhand at that red hair. Everyone liked snowball fights, right? Certainly a rousing round of it with his best friend would lift their spirits.]

[trainwrecking]

[Hinata's aim is impeccable as always. The snowball sinks into Otonashi's hair with a satisfying splatter, splashing small wet droplets onto the manga he had just opened.]

Guh... I'm not part of the game, you guys..! Please don't... [The redhead sighs heavily, not bothering to check to see who his "assailant" had been. He shakes off his manga and tucks it away, shooting that stupid cake a glare in the process.]

[frequent_flyer]

[That... wasn't what he meant. Feeling a little bad, he walked a bit closer, brushing the cold snow from his bare hands.]

Oi, Otonashi-kun... Are you alright? [Usually he'd at least get uppity and defensive, preaching about the dangers of iceballs and hypothermia. To be so dismissive... something must be wrong.]

[trainwrecking]

Hah? Hinata?

[He should have known. His shoulders sag as he lets the manga fall back into his lap.]

Yeah, I was just-- I wasn't expecting company. I was doing something, so... [Though it doesn't look like he's doing anything in particular. Rather, he just looks stuck somewhere between "woozy" and "dead serious." It's an odd, almost comical mix.]

Hey, since you're here... [Might be a good time to fish out that gift box and hope for the best on this one.]

[frequent_flyer]

[A bit bruised that his snowball fight plan hadn't worked out, he moved to sit on the bench beside the redhead, pulling the furry collar of his leather coat a little tighter around him. No hat, no gloves, no scarf... how the hell wasn't he freezing to death?]

[Upon closer inspection, his hands would be pink from cold, the snow not having done him any favors. Maybe he was freezing...]

Ah- A cake? [He looks it over curiously, his eyes getting a little brighter.] Is it someone's birthday?

[trainwrecking]

[The mention of cake has him grabbing the thing and all but shoving it at the other boy.]

Do you want it? Take it! [Nope, no irritation. None at all. Regardless of the response, he picks up a medium-sized box with a slightly tattered bow stuck on top. It looks every bit like a teenage boy wrapped it.

But he's beginning to believe that Hinata might actually need the contents of this box, because clearly he can't dress himself.]

[frequent_flyer]

[He fumbles with it as the cake is thrust at him, visibly startled by the force with which Otonashi is trying to get rid of delicious baked goods.] H-hey-! Careful... [How weird... Was the cake bad or something? He doesn't think his friend would give him rancid cake, but he feels the need to ask anyway.] Is there something wrong with it or something..? It looks really good to me...

[But wait, there's more!? He forgets about the cake temporarily in favor of the sloppily wrapped present. If he were a dog, his ears would be sticking straight up in anticipation.]

[trainwrecking]

No -- sorry, no, there's nothing wrong with it. It was baked fresh today, even.

[He scratches the side of his cheek, sighing through his nose in lingering frustration.]

I got it for someone, and -- he kinda... not so subtly told me he didn't want it. Or to see me. He asked me if I was "that desperate." [He looks up at the lights, avoiding any eye contact.]

So if you want it, please. I'd really like it if someone enjoyed it... [And don't worry Hinata, Otonashi hasn't forgotten the gift. He'll hand it over soon!]

[frequent_flyer]

[A visible tension rises in the boy's face as his friend talks about rejected gifts. Didn't want the cake? Didn't want to see him..? That desperate? Without thinking, Hinata sets the cake down on the ground beside the bench, scooting over and throwing his arms around the redhead.]

[No one deserves to feel left behind by a friend. No one. It's... the most disgusting feeling. One minute you're comfortable with this person, and the next they hate you? It's the worst kind of emotional whiplash, and Hideki knows it all too well.]

[He has no words. He just... doesn't know how to articulate himself. So he's doing his best to show empathy, the hug getting just a little tighter.]

[trainwrecking]

[It catches him by surprise. He doesn't move to get away, nor does he even seem to mind. Rather, he drapes one arm around the other boy's shoulders.

It gets him to smile, really, but it's a smile out of Hinata's sight.]

Hinata...? What is it? Hey, are you okay?

[frequent_flyer]

I wouldn't... I wouldn't do that to you. [There's the faintest hint of a tremble in the boy's words, momentarily glad that they aren't looking at each other's faces. Otonashi doesn't need to see him holding back tears.]

[He'd spent all this time looking for someone to chase off his loneliness, that he'd gone and forgotten about the person he'd had at his back all along. He needed to preserve the friendships he already had, not go off seeking new ones for the sake of having new friends.]

...I'm sorry...

[cirquedeignis]

[Zioryle was never a holiday person. Being social was something he always had a bit of a trouble, especially when he had someone close to him who would take the initiative all the time. But now that he was on his own, he was struggling to have the same amount of socializing he used to do back then.

Instead of striking up conversations though, Zio has picked up the habit of wandering around the city ever since he arrived this place. And it was an exception when he was outside and happened to notice someone not having the energy the others seem to have for the season. He walks up to Otonashi with a slightly concerned look on his face.]

...You okay?

[trainwrecking]

Ah--?

[Otonashi abruptly sits up straight, shaking off.]

Sorry, yeah... Was I that out of it again? I should probably drink more of that juice... [He motions instead to the lights not too far off, trying for a smile.]

Pretty nice, aren't they?