♢ diamond

If I take all of you, you'll no longer see anything but me. Or, will you break instead? If I can't protect you, should I break you? I believe that I'll still love you.

[nirdaya]

　▬▬　shadowplay. [ toma & shin. ]

[nirdaya]

      It’s innocent enough — Toma slips past his test with no trouble at all, leaving Shin wondering, but considerably calmer. After a short pause, he sets the package aside to finish untying his boots, still a little curious about its contents. Truth be told, he expected Toma to open it immediately — judging by the spark of interest in his eyes, it’s something he’s been looking forward to. Shin knows better than to pointlessly intrude someone’s privacy, though, and keeps himself from bringing it up, at least for now; there’s still plenty of time to talk, considering he had a tendency to stay overnight more often than not (sleeping in Toma’s apartment and bed always — for some odd reason — proved to be much easier than in his own). All he knows is that it must’ve been something personal — and he leaves it at that, sliding his boots off his legs and dropping his bag on the floor, everything left by the door.

      ”Ah, I guess,” his shoulders rise in a small shrug as he enters the kitchen, heading straight for the fridge. “You know how work gets.” They’ve been blessed with a lot of kind customers: alas, there’s always that one person who can’t keep their hands to themselves. It happens sporadically, more often to Chaika than to him; nevertheless, it’s usually up to Shin to get rid of the offender, assuming Toma and Ikki aren't around. With a sigh, he reluctantly reaches first for the coffee, and then for a bottle of melon soda, changing his mind at the last minute.

      Unscrewing the cap, he wanders out of the kitchen and into the living room, flopping down on the couch lazily. Unconsciously, his mind wanders back to the package — instead of voicing his thoughts, he takes a sip, settling into a comfortable position. “Anyway, what have you been up to lately? I came over yesterday, but you weren't home,” it’s not that he wants to pry — although he does feel a little selfish for asking. Over the years, he had gotten a little too used to Toma always being around; accepting the fact that they weren’t kids anymore was rather tough, even despite his mature attitude. 

      ”Did you finally find a girlfriend?” His lips curl into a small smile, head tipped to the side.

[cagedere]

     "I see." His hands fold over each other, gaze narrowing slightly in concern. "I hope it wasn't anything too serious." The corners of his eyes crease, his tone soft, and somewhat gentle, though as he leans against the door of the refrigerator, he watches Shin's hand carefully, observing what it hovers over. Toma practically feels his heart stop when Shin considers the coffee, though he soon exhales in relief when he sees Shin remove a bottle of melon soda — something that he keeps stocked only because Shin comes over to his apartment so frequently. Personally, Toma has no taste for it. (He finds it difficult to tamper with, often wondering how he could possibly imitate the way the factory seals the cap onto the bottle, though that would warrant some more research — it's already in the works.)

     Selecting a can of Coke for himself and grabbing a snack on the way out, he shuts the fridge door, heading from the kitchen to the living room, where he finds that Shin has seated himself somewhat unceremoniously on his sofa. Toma sits on the other end of the couch, popping open the can with a flick of his index finger, though he's surprised to hear that Shin had stopped by yesterday. "Did I miss you? Sorry about that." Digits tap thoughtfully against the cold, metallic exterior of his drink, gathering up a response (an incomplete truth), trying to mask his growing alarm. "College, studying, you know. Finals are coming up soon, and I want to do well. I'm sure you understand, right?" His smile is sweet and disarming, and he's sure that his answer is flawless, that it fits well into his given profile.

     "A girlfriend?" He echoes the term like it's something foreign, trailing off curiously at the end. "Aha — of course not, Shin. Don't be silly, I don't have time for a girlfriend." But his actions are well-placed, from the way his smile sheepishly turns upwards, to the way he ducks his head and glances to the side. Light laughter spills from his lips, as his hand rubs at the back of his neck, completing the image — as if there really was something to hide. (Well, there is; but it's not what Shin has in mind.)

[nirdaya]

　▬▬　shadowplay. [ toma & shin. ]

      There’s really no telling what brings him here so often; be it the convenience or the presence of a person whose company he didn't have to force himself to enjoy, fact is, he made sure to go out of his way to visit Toma as often and for as long as possible. Naturally, nowadays, it’s much more sporadic than it used to be: there’s no time to spare when lives get hectic, and as years pass, there’s really no helping it.

      Toma used to be a symbol of tranquility, but he tends to be gone from time to time, too: much more often than he used to be, at least. Shin doesn't recall him saying anything about getting a new job or a new hobby (and he’s fairly positive Toma would tell him if he got a girlfriend or anyone to attend to), and so, it leaves him wondering. Most of the time, he decides to drop the subject — everyone deserves their privacy, after all.

      It’s dark out already and the lights in Toma’s apartment are on, though, so it seems like he’s in the clear. Without any particular haste, he makes his way towards the door, eyes set so high up he doesn't notice the little package laying right underneath his feet. In result, he ends up stumbling over it clumsily, just barely managing to catch his balance before a fall.

      With a groan, he picks it up — who leaves these things on the ground, anyway? — squinting a little before noticing his friend’s name written on it in a horribly messy handwriting. In a short burst of curiosity, he shakes it next to his ear, hearing a rustling, harsh sound when the packets hit the cardboard; it’s hard to guess like this, though, so he just leaves it for later, as he’ll probably find out when Toma opens it upstairs, anyway. Reaching for his pocket, he pulls out the key given to him some time ago, and opens first the front door — and, after a minute of climbing up the stairs — the door to the blond’s apartment, simply barging in without any previous notice.

      ”Hey, I’m home,” the words roll off his tongue easily, the package cast aside for the sake of getting his boots off. “There was something for you laying underneath the door. Did you order anything online?” That couldn't be it, considering the package wasn’t addressed properly, but — well, it was a good way to see if someone is lying.

[cagedere]

     If there's one thing that Toma loves, it's taking care of people. Of specific people, a small category that Shin immediately falls under. But that had been more expensive than he'd previously estimated, though the discrepancies between his monthly bills and his income is nearly indistinguishable, and, under anyone's watch, would go unnoticed. (But Shin isn't just anyone, and it's why Toma has to hide his work on the side. That, and the fact that it isn't exactly legal to begin with.)

     He hears someone at the door — hears someone fumble for some keys and then click open the lock would be more accurate, and there's only one other person who has the key to his apartment — and he instantly swivels around in his chair, closing a particular file of papers, but leaves the calculator on his desk, complete with its inputted equations. He's quick in sliding the folder into the nearest open desk drawer, sliding it shut and sauntering out of the doorway of his room, to greet the person who'd just arrived. As his orange gaze slips over the boy's face, affirming that it was Shin and not some lucky burglar, it rests upon a label-less package in Shin's hands, and his eyes widen in surprise (in delight) for a split second, though the expression soon fades.

     "Ah, no... I didn't. But I was still expecting a package." Although Toma slips successfully out of Shin's first lie test, his reasoning behind his answer is different than expected — it's not that he knows that Shin is trying to test him (Toma honestly doesn't have a clue about Shin's suspicions; he's smart, but not like that.), but it's that he hates lying to Shin, in particular. But he doesn't like to tell the whole truth, either; though to him, withholding parts of the truth is a smaller sin than lying. The package's origins are dubious, but he's not willing to disclose that sort of information to Shin just yet; he knows the day will come, but that day isn't necessarily today.

     "Just put it next to the door, for now." His tone is light and amicable as he responds, making it seem as if the package in question wasn't that big of a deal. Turning on his heel, he begins to head to the kitchen, expecting Shin to do as he says. The apartment is small enough for them to carry a conversation from two different rooms, so he opens the refrigerator, looking inside as he calls out a question. "I'm sure you've had a long day — do you want something to drink? Come here. I'll let you pick something out."

[youkas]

Amnesia characters → Toma