rekindleme | [OPEN] Deer in the Headlights

Entry tags:

[OPEN] Deer in the Headlights

Who: Kanji and anybody he runs into!
Where: District 5, with a break in District 1 to... talk.
When: July 22nd
Summary: Kanji's job at the District 5 theater has him busy with an upcoming production, meeting new faces along the way! But with something else stewing at his mind, he turns to friends for advice in downtime.
Warnings: Sex talks.

The hustle and bustle of folks was in fuller swing than usual for a weekday; seems some people felt they hadn't quite had their fill after the Festival ended. The rollercoaster, ferris wheel and merry go round always had butts in the seats, popcorn was eaten by the ton and groups crowded around the cotton candy machine. The attendant wowed the crowd with an impressive display, moving this way and that as he weaved the melted sugar in various arcs and showy display before handing it to an awaiting hungry spectator.

Kanji couldn't let himself be distracted, however, even if the cotton candy smelled awesome and popcorn was freakin' tasty. He was on the clock and was armed with a stack of fliers. He was also dressed like a bard, the hood of his cloak drawn over his head, treading on leather boots. It felt kinda cool to be in costume all told- it was like halloween almost every day at his job as the costume tailor for the actors and other performers.

"Flier? New shows all next week! Flier? Different show every night! Flier? Tell your friends, take 'em to a show!" It was annoying to disturb people walking down the street, but one less flier in his hands meant he was one step closer to taking his break and getting a little extra free time to himself.

"Sing us a song, dear bard!" Someone crowed. Kanji frowned, turning his head. His boss had told him he may need to sing to advertise and be 'in-character', but he never thought someone would actually ask him to do so.

Damn it. BAIL.

He pretended not to hear them, and hurried away to the next group. But he may be unable to dodge requests forever...

[ooc: Got two threads for Shura and Yu for planned things, but as it says on the label, this is open. COME AT ME and tag y'self in, lovelies.]

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After her return and the festival, Kanji'd been checking in a lot. There wasn't much he could do but listen, say what he thought, and be a shoulder if she needed it. He would've liked the same, in her shoes.

But today was different. In a weird way it was his turn, and he... he needed a chick's perspective on the whole thing. He just hoped she wouldn't get all weirded out about the whole thing, but the way he saw it, she hardly flexed shame when it came to, uh, body stuff.

Case in point, when she opened the door of her apartment, Shura was wearing light pink PJ capris with cartoonish unicorns on them and nothing else that he could see.

She smiled when she saw Kanji and stepped aside to let him in, door wide open. Her apartment was completely bare and undecorated, like the first time she had came to Saeng Seong, but this time at least it was more because she was saving her stipend for food and clothes. Good sports bras are expensive as shit.

That was THE CUTEST SET OF PAJAMAS EVER, are you kidding me-

"Oh, uh- sup, Shura?" Kanji was mildly distracted, but snapped out of it when she stepped aside. Fighting to unbunch his shoulders, he stepped inside and let his mind run on how exactly he was gonna go about this whole thing.

"Wh-where'd you get those?"

That's also what Shura thought about dem pajamas!

"Not much. Went out to run, had a shower, now I'm just enjoying my new pj." She pulled on the right leg a bit to show them off.

"Y'know the nightwear store down the block from the fruit market? They have lingerie in the window usually? If you go inside and to the back though they have more stuff for actually sleeping in. Right now they're having a sale on the cutest freakin' pjs in Saeng Seong. I could not resist." Seriously if she is kicked out of this world again she has to find a way to bring these along, fuck the interdimensional police. She is more than happy to help Kanji get his hands on some of these.

"Yeah... yeah, I know the place you're talkin' about! Never went in, 'cause... uhm..." Well, the lingerie kind of puts to mind a certain style of store.

But he shook his head to clear it and leaned against a counter, rubbing the back of his neck as his eyes moved to the floor.

"So, uh- I-I was in the neighborhood and I figured I'd ask you about... stuff, and..." He was slowly circling toward the subject. Give him time.

"I wanted- I wanted a chick's perspective. A-about... mmh." This was a helluva lot easier to plan that it was to go through with.

She nodded. "Yeah, I can totally see why. I wasn't even originally going in knowing about these pjs, but these beat lace panties any day. Way comfier."

At first, Shura was a apprehensive. Maybe Kanji wanted to figure out her world and what she had done exactly in more details? But she relaxed when Kanji talked about a girl's perspective.

Well, as long as this wasn't gonna be about periods...

"Sure, go ahead."

Kanji was now visibly sweating, and was pretty sure he wasn't ready to hear about lace panties, especially considering what he wanted to talk about.

"Me n' Naoto, y'know, we had a... d-date, real recently. But I started havin' these weird thoughts, like... I wasn't thinkin' much about the Festival, y'know? You wanna experience the event alongside the person, but I wasn't really."

A deep breath. He felt Yukiko's hand whip across his face all of a sudden, the flash and burn of it. Maybe he'd wind up feeling that again in a minute.

"I-I thought about her, like... how awesome the yukata was on her, how it all fit. I used to be so scared of lookin' at her when I first met her, but I was just lookin' at her a bunch without really knowin' it. I felt like I wanted to get her outta the Festival, get us home... but I had no idea why at the time. But... I-I think I do."

With a swallow, he decided to let his mouth run. He'd come this far, and he couldn't chicken out on it now. Be a man, Kanji...

"Since then, I've been havin' weird dreams. She's..." The color rushed to his face and he paused, unsure if he should finish it. But his previous thought rushed back to mind as well. He'd come here to talk to her. So talk to her.

"She's kinda... o-on me... doin' some'a the stuff we do in private sometimes, but she's pullin' my hair and has this really cool look on her face that I can't really put to words. I think... I think we were rarin' up to... to that kinda stuff, but I-I always wake up before anything happens! I swear!"

He risked it. He looked up at her.

"Senpai told me to talk to her about it, but what if she freaks out? Would she freak out? I could always just- just forget I thought about any'a that stuff and go on like normal..."

Was Kanji telling him that he had sexy thoughts about Naoto? Because Shura was pretty sure he was telling her about having sexy thoughts... AND wet dreams... about Naoto. And Shura didn't really needed to imagine them naked right now. Especially with Naoto topping Kanji. Bad brain, no cookie.

"Okay," she said, hoping her red cheeks weren't too obvious now that Kanji was looking at her. "Okay. I... think I see what you want to know, and... hm." Shura looked to the kitchen, then the living room, which were pretty much on room anyway, and decided the sofa would be comfier and make the conversation easier because they wouldn't be face to face all the time. She walked to it, sat down, then patted the cushion next to her. "Have a seat. I'm gonna tell you all about girls."

Kanji winced a bit. What'd that mean? "I know about all that- that birds n' bees stuff already, if that's what you're gettin' at!"

But maybe that wasn't it. Maybe she'd give him that perspective he needed to help him gather the courage to talk to the girl in question. Kanji walked almost robotically, but showed a surprising delicateness when he lowered onto the cushion. His hands remained tightly balled, resting on his knees and he looked pointedly ahead.

"..."

God, this was gonna be just as embarrassing, wasn't it?

Shura nodded when he sat down so carefully, then looked down at her marked toes, thinking she really ought to cut her nails again.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell you about all that puberty and sex stuff all over again. I'm gonna say that your thoughts and dreams are normal. And Naoto is smart, I don't think she'd freak out. I mean. ... You love her and she loves you, right? I mean, you went on a date together. Hell you live together!"

He was two for two for 'normal'. Really? Did everybody start acting weird like he was? Then again, they were approaching a half year since they'd gotten together... were they supposed to have done something by now? Did he mess up?

But the L-word had his shoulders hitch. Neither of them have really said the word. Okay, well, they attempted, but they were both too shy to just blurt it out. But there was no doubt in his mind that it was true, and he nodded. He didn't think he could be... y'know, loved. It was one of those things, deep down, that he'd always wanted. Even when he hugged that giant cat plush she'd won for him at the Festival, she smiled and didn't pick on him. She really did accept him, as he did her.

"Well, y-yeah..." Going up and downstairs to see each other was starting to turn ridiculous when they spent so much time together. To them it just felt natural to move in together. But...

"I-I ain't ever done that kinda stuff before. Hell, I never really thought of or really talked about it. But that night, it... ha... I kind've..." He looked down again, looked sheepish.

"I noticed she was kinda checkin' me out, too. At least, I think so. I dunno, I don't wanna make her think I ain't down for it, y'know? Do guys make the first move? I always tried in the dreams I had, but... i-it didn't feel right. I think I liked it more when she did. Waaay more. Do, uh... do girls like that?" Maybe he should stop talking. When did TMI happen? Maybe he should leave before she kicks him out for being gross.

'Do girls like that' was, all things considered, a strange thing to be asking of Shura. Then again, she was not going to blame Kanji for his choice: they did get along surprisingly well, and what with the shirtless thing, Kanji probably thought Shura knew her way around sex and all the related stuff. Which, she did... with demons. But that wasn't gonna convince her not to help her friend.

"I think girls like it. Personally, I do. I think Naoto would too... hey, if girls never made the first move, how would lesbians get together, right?"

"I mean... if there's one thing the Vortex taught me relationship-wise, it's that if you don't ask for what you want, you're never gonna get it. It's weird at first, because I remember when I fell in love and I tried to hint at it, I thought I was being all subtle and romantic and crap, but honestly? Nothing beats going up to up to someone and telling them flat out 'I wanna have sex with you'."

Okay, maybe a bit too direct, she thought as she looked at Kanji with eyes wider than usual. Did she really blurted it out like that?

"Shit."

It seemed she did. Commence flailing.

Well, that made sense, he guessed. A world going to hell like that, you had to stop fuckin' around and be up front with people or you may not have the chance tomorrow.

But his heart stopped with those six words. His color drained slightly as he stared at her, before he clapped a hand to his nose to prevent anything unfortunate from happening. Naoto would probably shoot him if he went straight to her and asked those exact words!

"I-I don't think that'll-- th-that ain't--!!" He stammered, his voice cracking.

"Shit man, don't even try that!!! That'll freak Naoto right out!!! Hell it freaked me out enough when big male demons would tell me that!" Shit, this had escalated quickly.

"Okay. Okay. What I'm trying to say is... you can't just hope she'll read your mind and see you're 'down for it'. I mean as a girl she probably assumes you, as a boy, are down for it. But girls do get horny too, but for all you know she's not sure about how to approach it, jut like you. So, I think, you should gather up your courage and tell her something like 'If you want to take our relationship further, I'm ready to do it.' Something to the effect that you're ready to try out sex, but that also lets her decide if she's okay with all that and then she can take the first step like you'd love to see happen."

All this talk was making her think of her own girlfriend, and how stupid she had been to wait until it was too late to tell her, but also how much she loved her and missed her. Fortunately for Kanji, right now it was more lust than grief, so he wouldn't deal with a sad Shura again.

"You're lucky you already live together in a relatively stable world. Trying things out she be easier and safer than having a bunch of demons keep watch while you try to figure things out." She chuckled a bit at that.

Kanji breathed his relief, kicking his heart back into gear. Any indignant shout telling her to get the male demons to fuck off if they're gonna be up front like that was lost in the knowledge that he wouldn't be doing such a thing.

He nodded, taking it all in despite the averted gaze. What if she was thinking about this stuff too, and was stuck like him in wondering if she'd scare him with it? But it sounded so weird, thinking about being 'ready'. It made intimacy seem like something you had to stretch for or train before a marathon or a battle, and-- ...

Zaiten rumbled in challenge somewhere in the back of his mind, and Kanji quickly silenced him.

"Uh, m-maybe. Man, both you n' Senpai make it sound so much easier than it's gonna be."

Don't worry, Kanji, after a while she got the balls to tell them to fuck right off when they did that.

"I'm not saying it's gonna be easy at all," Shura pointed out. She remembered very well how her feelings for Futomimi made the Manikin leader very intimidating once she realized what she was feeling for her. "You don't have the same urgency that I did back in the Vortex World, but even there I was too late in telling Futomimi about how I felt. Naoto is in no danger of dying or going insane tomorrow, but she might be sent back. And I don't want you to be left here alone to kick yourself over not making a move sooner. I know that feeling all too well and it's horrible." Shura tries not to show it too much, but she can't help it; she cares about you two a whole damn lot.

The relief and humor died on his face pretty quickly. She wasn't going nuts or dying, sure, but people came and went all the time. One day he might wake up and her room will be empty.

Just the thought of it clenched his stomach and stopped his heart again. But he pushed through it.

"I get whatcha mean- don't push, but don't spend yer life hesitating." He nodded. Nobody's called him weird or creepy for this. Both Yu and Shura had given him good advice, and if he took a little time, he could work up the courage and approach Naoto sooner, rather than later.

"I admit it sounds way less scary now than it did the other day. She's- she's cool, so..." His upper half lowered, and he rest his face in his hands for a bit.

"Whew... man..."

Shura patted his back gently. Kanji understood. She was glad.

"You'll do all right, I'm sure. You're a good guy, Kanji."

"We won't know that 'til I grow the balls to tell 'er."

A nervous laugh. But he quieted soon enough.

"...Thanks. I wasn't sure if I should'a gone to anybody about it, but after the third cold shower I figured enough was enough."

"I'm sure you will." He did figure out how to ask her out in the end, after all.

"You can always come to me for help. I mean, my experience's a bit, uh, out of the ordinary? But I've done 'it' before and such and I'll do my best to help you out." Another friendly pat on his back. "It'll be my way of paying back all you've done for me when I came back."

He looked relieved, but despite all that he shook his head. "S'what friends do, Shura. Ya don't owe me shit!"

He tried sitting up straighter again, if anything to make himself look confident and in turn feel it. "What mattered is ya bounced back. Seein' somebody in a shape like that scares the hell out of a guy."

"I know," Shura said. "It's just..." my best friends in the world summoned gods to kill the shit out of me "... demon friendship doesn't always work that way."

She grinned. "Yeah, I promise not to punch the sun out again."

He chuckled a bit. "I'll hold ya to it. And Saeng Seong may be full'a weirdos, but at least there's no demons walkin' up lookin' to sc--"

Kanji paused, frowned. "Damn bear. I almost said 'score'."

Okay, that made Shura outright giggle. "Bears looking to score? Man and I thought your world was normal compared to mine."

"Long story, but I got this friend... who's a bear... and-" Okay, this wasn't gonna make any sense, but he had to try and sum it up in a way that didn't sound out-of-this-world.

Even if it was.

"He was really a Shadow the whole time, but he wanted to be around people. So he showed up lookin' like some kinda bear-clown and got himself a mind n' personality instead of tryin' to kill us. The minute the damn bear learned about 'scoring', he wouldn't shut up about it. He wouldn't give the girls a minute's peace in tryin' to flirt. He's a pain in the ass, but... gotta love Teddie, man. I miss him."

[OPEN] Deer in the Headlights

Shura

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