destinystrings | A sad home just won't do, so let's fix that, shall we?

Entry tags:

A sad home just won't do, so let's fix that, shall we?

Who: Avitus and Aoi (

eyewillprotect), closed if you don't live/stay with them.
Where: Aoi's house, where they live now, in Libra.
Summary: After the Taurus event, neither are in the best of moods. So Avitus is going to try to make her feel better. ♥
Warnings: Cuteness? IDK, none yet

Those odd few days hadn't been good to either of them. He'd been a mess for no good reason he could put a finger on, jumping at shadows and even taking days off from his job at the town hall -- a desk job, at the moment! -- because he'd apparently forgotten how to face people, transit, and the possibility that he'd see the cat that'd been wandering around Libra now and then. Worse still, he was pretty certain Aoi'd noticed.

And she'd been so kind to him through it, humoring his nervous delusions as though they could've had a rational basis of some kind. She'd insisted on handling all their dishes herself, checked around the corner every time he looked, wondering if he'd heard something....

And now that he was feeling back to himself again, he'd caught a glimpse of her, of something... a little different in her expression.

She'd gone out of her way for him, and even before that, her calm had always been reassuring. She was a soothing presence, something in her smile never failing to make him feel better. It was high time to repay the favor, and return that smile to her pretty face where it belonged.

He went out shopping after he got off work, and by the time Aoi found him in the house, he was busy arranging flowers in a big vase, whistling softly to himself under his breath (or so it sounded, except sometimes there were two notes at once...) and looking pleased about something.

On the table with the vase were a fresh bowl of fruits and a pair of obvious presents for someone, smallish parcels of shiny silver paper wrapped around something soft and vaguely longer than it was wide, with curly ribbon holding it together.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Ah...." He paused, apparently having to think about that, before peeking back at her, giving her a slightly sheepish smile. "Ought it be?"

He took his hands back from the flowers again and picked up one of the gifts, offering it to her. "Here... this is for you."

She continues to look puzzled even as she accepts the gift, her movements slow and uncertain. "Ah... Thank you. But... if I may ask, what is this for...?" He had already returned her Valentine, and it wasn't as though her birthday was soon - nor would he even know when her birthday was, more than likely.

It just... feels so strange to accept a gift for no real reason.

"It's for you." That wasn't how she meant the question, and he knew it, clearly. He shrugged a bit, absently rubbing at the back of one of his nails, polishing it again as he continued. "You seemed a bit out of sorts.

"Aoi... you do more for me than you probably realize. Your company...." He bit his lip a little, hesitant. "At home, it was my brothers who made me feel most secure. And you, here, I... I felt I ought to try to... ah... express... what I'm currently entirely failing to express."

He had to laugh a little at that, quietly. "I'm sorry, I...." He shook his head, too, taking a breath and trying again. "You mean a lot to me, and I didn't think it was right, or fair to you, for you to be so... ah... this. Therefore...."

A gesture to the present she held-- "I decided to take the lead of one of my brothers, and hope it benefits you some. And if it doesn't... perhaps something else might? I...." Another awkward second of trailing off, and he sighed, looking back up to her. "I think I should like very much for you to feel better again."

Her expression falls a bit when he mentions that she's looked... out of sorts. She can't exactly deny it - ever since the event occurred, she's been feeling guilty about the actions she took during that time, even though she knows she had no control over them. Although she accepted that, it's... still hard, knowing that she was the reason there were people out there who had been hurt.

Again, for that matter.

But she quickly turns her focus to his words again, and... well, as awkward as it comes out, she does feel rather touched by it all. She actually gives a small smile again by the time he finishes.

"...Thank you. I'm sorry to have worried you, and I think I'll be okay. But... really, this means a lot to me."

With a grateful bow of the head, she begins carefully unwrapping the gift.

The reason for the parcel's odd shape and squishiness is quickly apparent: removing the paper reveals two pairs of soft plush microfiber socks, sandwiching something else between them, a bottle of lotion and a small gift card... to a massage parlor.

Clearly, he really wanted to spoil her a bit, to try to relieve her stress.

He watched as she opened it up, fussing at the flowers' arrangement again, trying to look like he wasn't so intent on watching her reaction, and failing spectacularly at hiding that he was hoping she'd be pleased by it, the way he bit the inside of his lip.

She has to pause for a moment once she's opened the gift. He... put a lot of thought into this, didn't he? Even with the food and flowers alone that much was evident. But with the gift on top of that...

"...Thank you so much, Avitus." Her voice is soft and trembles slightly with emotion - it's just so kind and unexpected, she can't help but feel a little emotional.

He can't hide the blush that tints his cheeks purple, even if he lowers his head a little, apparently to try. "You're welcome."

The flowers were finally left alone as he turned back toward her again. "Were you hungry? I picked something up a little while ago, on my way home...." Right, the smells from the kitchen. "I could go get it, if you were."

"Ah... A little, yes." Now that she's paying attention, she can actually smell the- is that ramen? She recalls mentioning it vaguely to Avitus, in terms of spending some time with her friends enjoying the meal. It wasn't something she'd had often by any means, but her memories associated with the soup were all good ones.

"Did you... go out of your way to find this?" Not that it was particularly hard to find in a city like Hinoto-Ri, considering the cultural aspects it shared with the Tokyo she was familiar with, but still.

"Of course not. Making sure you're cared for is never out of my way." He lowered his head to hide the deepening blush as he retreated to the kitchen to go fetch some of the soup for her.

"Avitus..."

She bowed her head in gratitude, lingering just a little longer by the flowers before finally moving to the dining table. After all he had done to prepare this for her, it would be horrible for her not to partake, even though she was beginning to feel almost... overly pampered by all of this.

"Mm?" He was frowning a little at the big container of soup, cupping it in his hands... and then put it into the microwave. It was probably for the best that he'd figured out that appliance, honestly. He used it a lot.

"Sorry, it's... lost its heat faster than I anticipated. I really should've been keeping it warmer."

When it beeped, he removed it carefully, quickly setting it on a tray, and brought it over, setting it down on the table to ladle some of it into a bowl for her, spoon and fork and chopsticks nearby so she could use whatever she wanted. He was pretty certain that with all those long noodles in the broth, a fork would make sense; he vaguely remembered doing similar, back when he was a human himself, sipping broth from the bowl's edge and scooping the solid bits out with bread....

"I do hope I picked the right one." There were so many types of food the humans had here, it was a little confusing sometimes, honestly!

She shook her head at his apology. "No, it's fine. You've already done so much."

She immediately reached for the chopsticks, giving a small nod at the food and murmuring thanks before she began.

"...It's very good. Thank you so much, again. I'm really happy." Her smile was soft and earnest.

He simply gave her a little bob, something between a nod and a bow, as he was inclined to, and watched how she handled the sticks for a moment. It was interesting, seeing someone use them, and surely not a skill he'd seen back at the Citadel... but he tore himself away from that to head to the fridge. Seeing her eat reminded him that he really ought to have dinner as well.

"I think," he said, pulling out one of the containers of blood he'd bought from the grocery store earlier, "I would appreciate it if you told me when you were having a bad day. Helping out is what I came here to do, after all."

Edited 2013-05-29 10:09 (UTC)

And then a ragged, exhausted redhead wandered out in the midst of their exchange, not even changed out of his street clothes. Apparently they had become repurposed as pajamas. It took him a moment to process that yes, there was someone other than Aoi here and...

...

And maybe Otonashi was very, very sick, because now he saw blue people. Funny, that. Usually that isn't what he imagines. Turning off to the side, he felt his own forehead--he had gotten pretty beat up during the Taurus event, maybe he was running a fever now--but nothing.

"Ahh... hello, M..." Mister? Miss? Oh no. "...Misato and um, friend." Saved! "I can... uh. I can go..."

"Oh-- Otonashi!" She quickly stands, although not before setting the chopsticks down over the bowl.

"I'm sorry, I never found the opportunity to introduce the two of you... Otonashi, this is Avitus. He lives with me as well."

She gestures towards Avitus as she speaks.

"And Avitus, this is my friend Otonashi. I didn't quite have the time to explain it thoroughly, but he is staying here temporarily." No need to go into detail about the whys, since part of the reason Otonashi was there in the first place was... well, because of that awkwardness.

Avitus gives him a bow as well, bobbing down as he dips his head, again almost more a curtsey than anything. "Pleased to meet you. I-- oh!" His eyes widen a little, his smile following suit, and he quickly sets the container of blood down on the counter before he turns and heads back to the other room. "One moment! I have something for you!"

He's back after only a few seconds at most, re-folding his wings behind him, looking pleased... and making some quiet sound under his breath, barely audible a few feet away. Sounds like cooing, actually.

He holds the shiny little gift out to Otonashi. "Here. I thought perhaps you could use a smile as well."

Dare he accept it? ...open it?

Oh. Oh, he. Okay, so it was indeed a good thing that he steered away from guessing at gendered pronouns.

"Ahh, okay... You're a friend of Misato's," Otonashi bows in turn, though his is distinctly more stiff. "And you--" He soon quiets, swearing he can hear a bird nearby, unless that's coming from Avitus. It sounds as if it might be. Can he fly? Admittedly, that would be appealing to the teenage boy in him. Just like something out of one of his old JRPGs.

Alas, he never does manage to finish that now old, lingering thought when he is presented with a neatly wrapped gift.

"A-ahh, you don't have to give me anything..!" He turns to Aoi, as if seeking her guidance. Accept it? Open it here? "I don't have anything to give back..."

Ah... She'd wondered who the second gift was for!

"So you got something for the both of us, then? You really are too kind..." Even now, she's trying to think of a way to properly show just how much she appreciates the thought Avitus put into all of this.

"I was just as surprised as you are, Otonashi. I wasn't expecting this as all when I came home."

He just smiled more, shaking his head. "I'm not doing it to get gifts in return. I just wanted to cheer you up. Go ahead." He offered the little package again, and looked back to the table and Aoi.

"And I think I brought back enough of the soup for both of you, if you're hungry as well...?" More like enough for three people to have their fill, but leftovers were a thing that could happen too; he knew how to put stuff into the fridge for later consumption! Or they might both just be hungry enough to have bigger bowls of it, or seconds, or... who knew. Better to have too much on hand, and finish the rest later, than for either of them to be potentially left hungry!

Given so much assurance, he peels the wrapping away from the oddly-shaped gift, almost shyly as if he had never seen a gift before. Untrue, but it had all been so unexpected.

"Ah--" Is it acceptable for him to laugh? Not maliciously, no, it's far more weak and innocent, but it's a sort of smile he didn't expect all the same. "What's this..?" He holds out the gift card. Massage parlor, what on earth? Isn't that for the pampered populace and not him?

"Thank you... I feel a bit bad accepting it. I've never had anything like this..." All in orange color and flavor too? How oddly matchy-matchy of Avitus.

"F-food too..?! No, really, I don't need that. I don't want to take it from you and Misato when I'm just the visitor."

"Otonashi, I meant it when I said you are staying here as a friend. I am fine with sharing food and other supplies with you. Plus, I... don't believe Avitus can eat this." She looks to him for confirmation on this.

"If you leave it all to me, I'm not sure I'll be able to finish it..."

Avitus nodded a little, looking back to Otonashi. "She's right, I can't. I tried a little bit of the broth, but it's full of solid things, and... ah...."

He gestured to the container of dark liquid from the counter again, giving him a sheepish smile. "....Vampire." He pulled the lid off of it, revealing the deep red color, and then reached for a little bottle of something from the spice rack, a liquid... cinnamon extract? And then he proceeded to dump a fair bit of it into the blood, to mix it in.

"Besides, I brought back so much of it because I wanted to be certain that you had something nice for dinner too. If you were hungry, I mean. Please, help yourself."

"... Eh?" He might be ragged and weary, but not to the point of being unable to discern what that dark liquid might be. "A-ahh... I see, of course... h-haha, I guess this would make you sick if that's true..." What he doesn't say, at least not now, is that his knowledge of vampire lore is limited to shounen manga and video games.

"I guess I could have some, then. It looks good..! But, uh, I have a question..." As he walks over to the table, he holds up the gift. "Uh... what do I do at a--"

He trails off, hesitant. Hm. Is it possible to ask this and not show how uncultured he is compared to them?

"What do you do at... ah, you mean the massage parlor?" Aoi appears to give it a little thought.

"I never went to one myself before," although her father had sometimes called massage therapists to the house itself... "but I think if you were to just walk in, they would probably explain the process to you. It's a good way to relax."

Avitus nodded. "It's quite nice, actually. I went there a little while ago, to make certain it was what I had in mind. Essentially, you... well, you get a massage. They rub your muscles until you feel better. One of my brothers at home does it for me on a fairly regular basis... and I usually fall asleep by the time he's through. It never fails to help my mood."

He paused to lift the container of blood to his mouth, taking a small sip, considering it... and then put more of the flavoring in, mixing it again.

"I hope it does as well for you too. And if not, I can always find something else."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject