rekindleme | [Closed] Birthday Noodles!

[Closed] Birthday Noodles!

Who: Junpei Iori and Akihiko Sanada

Where: Ramen Noodle Restaurant, District 3

When: Jan 16th

Summary: It's Junpei's Birthday, and what better excuse to catch up with his senpai than going to a noodle join having having some nice, hot ramen (Akihiko's treat, of course)
Warnings: Junpei's got a dirty mouth, maybe punching? ...Maybe.

It was funny; they'd lived in the same dorm for so long, that sometimes Junpei forgot that Akihiko's and his rooms were no longer side by side. He had to seek his senpai out if they wanted to chill out together, but in the last few weeks it had been a bit of a blur.

But this? This was the perfect opportunity to hang out with his senpai annnnd get a free meal off of it! Not to mention ask a few questions he'd had for two months now...

"Man, some of this stuff looks kinda weird..."

He was still getting used to this weird combo of Saeng Seong and Japanese food...

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“Hey, you’re the one that hates studying so much,” Akihiko quipped with a quirked brow. “Back home, I was gonna start taking university classes, you know…”

And then he was suddenly pulled away to this world. He wasn’t anywhere nearly as studious as Mitsuru, but he didn’t like being left in the dark. Felt uncomfortable with the unknown, because it meant he couldn’t adequately prepare a proper response, or even formulate a game plan.

Though Junpei, for all of his terrible studying habits, had more than enough street smarts to survive and try to make the best of the situation. Akihiko had faith in him, trusted that he didn’t need to be babied and watched over, constantly. Still, Junpei had his share of moments when incessant nagging was absolutely necessary. And because he was the first one to discover his Potential, Akihiko couldn’t help being protective of his kouhai. Like he was responsible for making sure he was all right, even now.

“…Singing in the rain?” He repeated with a bit of an incredulous look. Shinji hadn’t mentioned anything about it… not that Akihiko would really expect him to. “More weird events, huh? Heh, maybe they’re finally stepping up their game.”

Only Akihiko would actually get excited about being challenged like that. Of course.

“Webula? Is that like the internet?”

"Oh yeah, that's right... "

Akihiko and Mitsuru were now graduated, and he was supposed to go into 3rd year himself. But being in Saeng Seong sort of felt like time had stopped; and somehow it had slipped his mind that his two senpai's weren't going to be with him in school anymore. ... Shinjiro-senpai was probably gonna be held back a year once he got better, on the other hand.

"Oh man, you didn't notice it?! It was back during those rainstorms in November..."

Junpei let out a sigh. How could his senpai NOT have noticed it?

"For like, a couple of days, if you went outside without an umbrella, you'd end up singing in the streets!"

The rainstorms… He cocked his head to the side a bit, and then nodded. He did remember those. The boxer had to do his training indoors instead, because he wasn’t fond of cold weather. Getting sick would just mess up his routine even more.

“Why would anyone go outside and not bring an…” oh, wait… So that was why people started randomly singing around him? Akihiko had noticed, and found it a little unusual, but he wasn’t to judge them for that. “It sounds kinda annoying, for sure. But you can handle it, right?” He reached across to nudge Junpei on his shoulder. “Everything’s a hell of a lot easier here than it was before, with the Shadows and the Dark Hour.”

Before the appetizers arrived and they got all caught up with food, Akihiko retrieved the box that he had brought, and handed it over to the other teen. “By the way, here… I got this for your birthday.” The gift was practical rather than intended for entertainment, but he had gotten it because he cared about Junpei’s health and well-being.

"Well, yeah, I can handle it! It's just--"

It's just the singing ended up with him and Fuuka having a duet with a really sad song and she had a cute voice but--

"Y-ya know, you're right, heh. I'd rather take that than the Dark Hour again, no question!"

Was he blushing? Shit why was he blushing? But Akihiko gave him a convenient out when he offered him the box.

"Oh... hey, you didn't have to, senpai!"

Junpei tended to not get many birthday gifts; his mom would send a cheque, and his old man, well. That was another story. So getting something from a friend meant a lot to him. He carefully opened the box, not wanting to accidentally rip anything...

"Heey, awesome! It's like the one I have back home!"

He grinned wide, pulling the jacket out of the box to properly inspect it.

"Thanks, senpai! This'll keep the frost off me for sure, hehheh."

“It’s just what?” He asked, and then noticed the reddened cheeks. He immediately wondered if Junpei was getting sick, or felt bothered by the heat inside the restaurant. “Uh, are you okay?”

While he was inspecting the jacket – and he had opened the box a lot more carefully than initially assumed – Akihiko kept watching his face. He was trying to find any other signs of illness, without having to flat-out test his temperature.

“You’re welcome, man,” he replied with a kind smile, “I know you’d probably rather have games, but the cold’s a little more important than that.” It wasn’t like Junpei had a whole lot of money anyway, considering he just recently got that job. If he hadn’t been eating properly, then winter clothes would most likely be a problem too.

Speaking of which, “…Do you have everything else that you need?”

"Fine!"

That was a bit fast, wasn't it? Was senpai staring at him? Shit. At his mention about games, Junpei shook his head, hoping to really REALLY get Akihiko off this subject.

"Nah, man, it's all cool! I'm still trying to figure out which games are worth playing in Saeng Seong anyway. There's a lot to go through, heheh!"

At Akihiko's next question, he nodded.

"Yep! I'm doin' alright now... especially after I got my gamestation charge cable at Christmas time, that was pretty awesome."

“…You don’t seem fine. What’s wrong?”

Nice try, Junpei. Don’t ever underestimate a trained boxer’s ability to read body language. It could mean the difference between victory and defeat, inside the ring. That, and Akihiko was good at being observant in general, even if he was slow on the uptake when it came to certain subjects.

He shrugged slightly. “I wouldn’t know. I never really paid attention to those kinds of games back home. Though if you see one of those sports simulators, let me know.”

He started to feel relieved, until Junpei brought up the games again. “Actually, I was talking about warm clothes and shoes, stuff like that. Food, especially.” Shinji got on his case often enough about eating instant noodles. He might do the same to their kouhai, if their habits were similar.

"J-just, uh, some... strangeness, I guess?"

How the hell did Junpei even word what was happening? He barely even knew himself!

"It's nothing really bad senpai, honest. And sure, if I see somethin' I'll tell you!"

Hey, maybe they had one of those 'test your strength' games, or something... Oh, hey, food time! Junpei thanked the cook as the appetizers were placed in front of them, before diving into the gyoza.

"I'm doing alright that way too. And Akihiko-senpai, seriously, I've been eating okay! No cup noodles anyway, that's for sure..."

He needed to get this conversation off of himself! So, deciding to be blunt as hell...

"Soooooo... how long have you and Shinjiro-senpai been dating?"

His brows furrowed with concern. Even if Junpei claimed it wasn’t bad, Akihiko still felt worried. Being friends with Shinji and Mitsuru, he was used to people that hid their problems from the public. Though if Junpei felt like this was an issue he’d rather handle himself, Akihiko could let that slide – for the time being. If it got any worse, he would definitely be hounding Junpei a lot harder in the future.

“All right, if you’re sure.” Not that he could really tell, one way or another.

Akihiko had picked up a gyoza with his chopsticks and started to bring it toward his mouth, but then that unexpected question caused his grip to loosen. The gyoza dropped down into his plate as he turned to Junpei with a confused look on his face. “Wh-What? Me and Shinji? D-Dating?”

"Well, yeah! I mean, you don't need to keep it a secret from me or anything senpai. I know you guys were super close, and after everything that happened, there's no point in holding back, right? Only got one life to live!"

Junpei reached out to take some of the tofu; let's see if it stood up to Akihiko's claims!

"I know I might've been an ass about that sorta thing way at the start, and maybe I don't dig dudes myself, but I'm happy for you two!"

…Junpei was pulling his leg, right? Akihiko definitely knew he had a mischievous side, and liked to push people’s buttons sometimes. But because it was his birthday, he wasn’t going to hit him. Just stare and try to figure out if he was messing around, or… actually being serious.

“Uh… Is this some kinda joke? We’re not going out.”

Sure, they were close, and it wasn’t like people at school had never spread rumors about them, but… Shinji never showed that kind of interest in him. (As if Akihiko could really figure it out, though, given how oblivious he was.) From the talks they had shared before, he suspected Shinji liked Minako. They had hung out a lot, and she even convinced him to cook for the entire dorm. It was definitely possible.

Frowning a little in confusion, Akihiko glanced back at his plate, even as he asked, “Where’d you get that idea, anyway?”

"What, really? You serious?"

Aw man, he'd practiced that speech for nothing, then!

Chewing his tofu (which was really good actually), Junpei frowned in confusion himself. But he'd been so sure...

"Well, you were nuzzling one another at that meeting we had back in like... November? December? And since you were living together, I just figured everyone else there knew, so..."

His expression should have been answer enough, as to whether or not he was serious. While chewing through his food, he was trying to figure out if it was something strange that he did, as usual. But then Junpei helpfully answered his question.

“Well, yeah, but…” he went back to looking confused again, “is that weird, or something? I touch him all the time. We have that contact requirement, remember?”

If it was, or Shinji just plain didn’t like it, he would have told him not to do it.

“We’ve lived together before, when we were kids.”

"..."

Akihiko senpai, you're such a dense, dense derp.

"Dude, okay; around here, hands on shoulders or a handshake, or even short hugs are one thing between two dudes-- but nuzzling? That's like, super affectionate; couples back home don't even do that in public too often! And sure, we weren't in public, but there were a few new people around... And you just did it without thinkin', didn't you?"

If you’re just now learning that, Junpei, then you’re a little slow on the uptake. ~~Too many baseballs to the head.~~

He was going to have to take his word for that, since Junpei knew more about relationships than him. Some couples were reserved, sure, but Akihiko had seen others acting affectionate, even in public.

“No, I didn’t think about it beforehand,” he replied with a slight frown, “Why does it matter, anyway?”

He had a close friendship with Shinji. It wasn’t like he couldn’t do the same with, say, Mitsuru. Just that she wasn’t as openly affectionate, so their interaction seemed more professional than friendly, to most onlookers. Their friendship was different, but no less significant.

“So if I ever did something like that to you, it’d freak you out?”

Edited 2014-04-01 05:42 (UTC)

Oh no, he knew it already, but sometimes you just need a fresh reminder of how MUCH of a derpface Akihiko is.

"It matter's cause it's instinctual; you just did it. Hell, you both did it, so that's gotta say somethin'..."

That's right, Shinjiro-senpai had gone along with it too, didn't he? So maybe...
--Okay, what?

"I... dunno if it would freak me out or just weird me out, man. I mean, we're buddies and all, but, I wouldn't think you'd want to do that to me. That's the thing, right? It's just not... how we act around one another."

Their ramen arriving, Junpei turned to counter again, not diving in yet due to not wanting to burn his mouth.

"That make sense?"

Thinking back to the way they had acted when they were children, Akihiko started to open his mouth, intending to recall those memories out loud. Yes, it had felt natural to him, just like running or boxing. It was something familiar that he enjoyed doing. But then he closed his mouth, wondering if maybe Junpei had a point? Their behavior seemed strange to outside people because they didn’t know how their bond had been, before.

Shinji didn’t like talking about the past with anyone, though. Might not be a good idea to disclose any of that info.

“Hell, I wouldn’t be doing it to hit on you,” Akihiko grumbled, still looking at his friend a bit askew, “I might’ve read about that technique though. Don’t girls usually-ah, never mind.”

No one knew he had perused magazines for advice after Yakushima, and he was planning to keep it that way.

He shook his head. “I’m pretty sure Shinji didn’t take it like that, anyway. He likes girls.”

"... Don't girls what?"

He was gonna let that drop though, when Akihiko continued. So, he knew Shinjiro perferred ladies? Well, him and Minako had been sorta close, but he also talked about girls being a waste of time, considering Shinjiro's comments on Chidor--

... There was a long pause as an long coming realization hit Junpei, which made his chopsticks stop mid swirl. Knowing what he did about Shinjiro now, it was likely he knew something of what Chidori had been up to; that she was involved with Strega, and knew what crimes Strega was committing. It made sense, after all; he knew about the drugs Chidori had to take, saved her from her own Persona killing her. So all along, when he was making those comments about Chidori, he might have really meant...

...The thought wasn't a pleasant one, and he decided to push it to the side for now.

"Just cause he likes girls doesn't mean he can't like guys too, right?"

That was a natural follow-up question, but Akihiko casually waved him off. Most likely, Junpei still remembered how hopeless he had been with girls, and if he said anything stupid now… Like hell he needed to give Junpei anymore ammo to rag on him.

Akihiko fell quiet to keep eating and listen, then took some time to think about his answer.

“Dunno. I never asked.” It wasn’t a common topic of conversation for them. They had other subjects to dance around, like anything in relation to their past. “He told me girls complicate things.”

But that didn’t mean Shinji really had anything against them. It could be part of his defense mechanism, his desire to push people away. Besides, Junpei hadn’t been there when he asked Shinji about his relationship with Minako. He had tried to brush it off in a way that only Shinji could, but Akihiko wasn’t stupid when it came to his best friend. Minako meant more to him than just a casual companion, considering the short amount of time they had, to become acquainted.

"...Heh. Guess he wasn't totally wrong..."

That came off as a lot more rueful than Junpei meant it to, and shook his head.

"But life is just complicated man... so why not just uncomplicate it and ask? ...I mean--"

Here, Junpei turned to look at his senpai, putting his chopsticks down for a moment.

"You don't seem to dislike the idea, after all..."

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[Closed] Birthday Noodles!

it's not that hard! i know how to make it :3

Recipe, gimme!

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