the family disappointment™

NOT WORTH IT. ichimatsu matsuno. indie & private rp written by leelee art by viria

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

Vasco nodded his head and told the waitress that they were going to be ordering those two items off the menu.

       “Could we also get a box for some bread sticks?”

She must have been used to such a question because she easily nodded her head and went to procure a box really quickly before she made her way to the kitchen to take their order. While they waited, they could sit at a table and wait for their food to come out. 

Vasco started thinking about how long he’d been out of the apartment and how much damage Hanako may be causing right about now. How many pillows could he expect to have been thrown around the apartment? How many feathers are going to be flying all around as she throws the pillows around?

       “Yeah… i’m sure Hanako is making a big mess right now.          I hope she doesn’t end up hurting herself.”

That was what he was mainly worried about considering she was blind. While cleaning up her messes could get a bit tiring, he was more worried about her well being than anything.

He adopted her on the premise that he was going to take good care of her and make sure she didn’t hurt herself. He didn’t want to fail that and show Ichimatsu that he wasn’t doing a good job. It was through Ichimatsu that he found and adopted Hanako, so he didn’t want to show his friend anything bad.

You could argue that showing him how fussy she could get was something bad, but it was cute, wasn’t it? That somewhat makes up for it?

       “Are you going to head back to your place first to get Esper?         I’m sure Hanako would be happy to see him again.”

The two pets were starting to get along just fine and that was always a sigh of relief.

The waitress disappeared for a few moments then returned with a box, before vanishing to carry on with her work. With a lowered head, Ichimatsu watched her out of the corner of his eye before looking up properly when she was finally ‘gone’. Lifting the bread stick he’d already taken, he continued to munch on it freely. 

“Ah... I hope not.”

The fourth-born was familiar enough with Hanako’s temperament and personality by now to know she had a hidden wild streak -- usually when she got a bit too excited over things -- but maybe she was used to Vasco leaving the house irregularly whenever he and Ichimatsu went anywhere by now. 

It was... unlikely. But he could only pray he wouldn’t be bowled over in a flurry of chaos the second the door was opened. 

Glancing over as Vasco suggested to bring Esper along, the fourth-born slowly nodded. 

“I could do that. Esper likes visiting you. Plus... I could probably stay a little longer that way. U-uh, if you don’t mind me sticking around, that is...”

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

Seafood alfredo? That sounded pretty good to him. He read it over and he nodded his head but he looked at Ichimatsu for confirmation. They had shrimp, and salmon in the pasta dish it seemed. Lots of vegetables. It also came with a house side salad.

       “Are you okay with this too?         I like it, and it comes with a side salad.”

Apparently they did offer a bigger size that feed two people, or you could get the smaller size that would feed just one person. He wasn’t that surprised about that because the serving sizes were usually big when you went to an Italian restaurant.

Though a bit more expensive, it was going to be yummy, and the serving size was going to be big, so really, it’s worth it. At least, he thought so.

He looked through once more to see if there was anything else he’d be interested in, but he recalled there was still food at his place, and snacks were always plentiful. If they got hungry for more, they could always just procure more food.

       “Should we stop with just Calamari and pasta?”

“I think it sounds good.”

Ichimatsu nodded, hands still resting against his lap as he peered at the menu where the waitress had pointed. A lot of the dishes were italian, so reading it was almost useless anyway -- he wasn’t entirely sure what alfredo even meant -- but the suggested dish had seafood, and he liked pasta and salad, not to mention the bonus of calamari so what could possibly go wrong? 

Choosing a dessert could take some time, though in what may have been a surprising move from the fourth-born who was usually so fond of sweets, Ichimatsu shook his head this time. Dipping a hand into his pocket to fetch the small amount of money he had left, he grimaced as he counted up the few little bills. 

“I don’t think we could even afford much more, could we? It already sounds like a lot, anyway...”

Pocketing the cash once more, he watched as the waitress busied herself with jotting down the order on her notepad. 

“Besides, the sooner we get home the better.”

Vasco’s home, he meant. Though the fourth-born spent enough time there for it to feel like a secondary one for himself.

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

He didn’t think they’d have an issue with them taking some breadsticks with them, it was probably part of the service anyways. If he asked about it, they could probably be provided with an extra box to put them in, so there wouldn’t be a need to stuff them into pockets. That was the thought process, anyways.

       “Calamari and seafood pasta sounds good to me.”

Could probably treat Esper to some of that, he thought. He didn’t know how healthy it would be for the cat, but a bit of cheat food was okay every now and again, right? Even he gave Hanako some human food every now and again, so he wasn’t too against the idea of treating the pets to some Italian.

The waitress walked over with a notebook in hand and Ichimatsu did his best to order pasta, but he didn’t specify the type, which earned a confused look from the waitress.

       “Is there a seafood pasta that would go well with Calamari?         There is a lot on the menu, it’s hard to choose.”

He showed her the menu, hoping she’d point something out. He tried to follow up Ichimatsu’s attempt, but he didn’t know what kind of seafood pasta to go with on such a short notice and so he defaulted to ‘hey, can you help us choose?’ Can he be blamed?

He did good, right? That works, right? Vasco nervously looked over at Ichimatsu for confirmation of him doing good. Do praise him if he did good, friend. You may not tell if you weren’t paying attention but he’s shaking a little bit from the nerves.

As if he still expected to get in trouble from it, Ichimatsu slowly lowered the breadstick he’d taken a bite out of until it was underneath the table and out of sight. The whole time he kept a cautious eye on the waitress -- more out of nerves and a regular inability to socialize than politeness -- though she clearly didn’t care that much. If anything, she eyed the pair as if they were a little strange, but nothing worth feeling bothered about. 

Vasco followed up his ‘order’ with a more specific explanation, which was another relief. Glancing over to him, the fourth-born met his gaze with a rapid nod of encouragement. Good! This was somehow going good despite sticking out like a pair of sore thumbs in this place!

Lowering her notebook to look at the menu the other pointed out, the waitress tapped a finger against something labelled as seafood alfredo. 

“There’s this one,” she explained. “It’s more expensive than other dishes, but good if you want something special?” 

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

It was lucky that Vasco was around to field the awkwardness of talking to the waitress. He was a big child at heart and he honestly didn’t feel any shame in talking to someone even when wearing face paint. It honestly helped that the cute face paint acted as a deterrent in some way to keep her from feeling scared of him.

This was the guy who could actively run about calling himself a hero. Simply talking to a waiter with cute face paint on was NOTHING. Too bad it was usually his friends who had to take the brunt of the embarrassment for him.

Luckily for them, they could look over the menu and order their food to go. Taking a menu from the waitress, he moved over to an empty table after Ichimatsu nudged him. They both sat down at a free table with Vasco looking over the menu while Ichimatsu was plotting a devious bread heist.

     “It’s a free service, right?”

They supplied the breadsticks and people could eat them as they waited for their food to arrive and they could even request for extra bread… for free. Though, he wasn’t so sure if that still held for people who were ordering take out.

      “We could ask to make sure it’s alright to take the breadsticks.         Putting them into your pockets wouldn’t be very wise, I think.”

Your pockets are going to end up having crumbs and stuff all over them. It would probably end up smelling too.

Was it going to be a weird thing to ask? Yeah, but free is free, right? Any college kid was unabashed to make the best out of any ‘free’ kind of situation. For now, he looked over the menu, contemplating on what to order.

      “Want to do a white pizza?         Calamari or the lemon butter herb salmon looks good.         Pasta is always a safe option, like Lasagna.”

He was throwing out some suggestions to start.

Vasco didn’t appear to be objecting to the planned bread ‘stealing’, though he did have a point about it not being too great of an idea to shove them all in his pockets. Stashed away with the cat treats he already kept in there, the additional flavour wouldn’t be too great. Hand already halfway towards the breadstick basket, Ichimatsu settled with taking just one of them instead, taking a small bite before offering it towards Vasco in case he was hungry enough to take the bait as well. If they were free, and they were definitely going to order food to take with them, then it wasn’t a problem, right? 

“Calamari... that sounds good.”

To be fair, so did everything right about now. 

“Maybe we could get some kind of seafood pasta to go with it?”

Just as his question trailed off, after a few short moments the waitress re-appeared beside them with a small notebook at the ready for any orders that came her way. Looking between the two expectantly she cleared her throat, prompting a soft “Um...” from the fourth-born. 

“P-Pasta? Can we get some pasta?”

A nervous response, but an attempt was made.

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

Vasco essentially had the same reaction as Ichimatsu as the scent of the food wafted into his nose. He was basically salivating over the scrumptious smell, swallowing with excitement.

      “It really does, I’m excited to have some.”

The place was a bit away from where they lived, but it wasn’t too out of the way—maybe they could visit together on a later date. He could feel that Ichimatsu was wiggling on his back so he knelt down before he let go of Ichimatsu so he could step back onto the ground.

With the waitress walking over, Vasco stared at the stack of menus she was holding in her hands.

      “Can we take a look at the menus?         We’d like to look things over before we decide.”

See if there was anything on the menu that he could get for Hanako first, and then he can try to decide for himself.

      “Also, do you allow take outs?”

They could sit down and wait for their food to get finished before they head back to the apartment building to say hello to their pets.

His feet now back on the ground, Ichimatsu tucked his hands into his pockets for comfort, still lingering fairly close to Vasco even though he’d been put down. Even if he was... somewhat used to receiving odd stares when out and about with his brothers (so many identical people in one place often warranted a double take from the majority of passers by) he still couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. 

Self-conscious, perhaps? It was quite an entrance they’d made. The face paint they wore wasn’t helping them blend in either. Thankful that the younger male was doing all the talking right now, Ichimatsu kept his gaze fixed firmly on the menus to spare himself from any potential strange looks from other diners. 

Fortunately, the waitress didn’t care enough to ask any questions -- only answering them instead. With a nod, she handed a menu to each of them. Ichimatsu took his with an awkward mumbled thanks. 

Prompting them to take as much time as they needed (Ichimatsu suspected that was a lie, but whatever) the waitress gestured them towards a small table they could sit at while making decisions, assuring that she’d come back soon if they decided they wanted to get take outs. 

The fourth-born wasted no time in gently nudging Vasco towards the seats. Maybe they could blend in better that way.

“... Do you think the table breadsticks are free?” Ichimatsu asked once the woman was out of earshot. “You pick things from the menu, and I’ll see how many of these I can fit in my pockets.”

He was hungry enough for that to not even be a joke.

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

       “Yeah, sounds like a good idea.”

He turned to walk towards the restaurant to see that it was open. It was a bit small but it had a homey sort of feel? He had a good feeling about it already. There were people inside the restaurant enjoying their food and that was always good to see.

Walking through the door, some people looked over at them oddly because of the fact that:

They had face paint on.

One was being carried

The one doing the carrying stared at a chair wondering ‘how do I set him down?’

Vasco stared at an empty chair and thought to himself. He couldn’t just drop Ichimatsu. Should he just kneel down and set him down on the chair? What if he wanted the other chair? No, just set him down and have him choose a seat?

It was the stupid things that Vasco thought about and worried on his own about. Why don’t you save him, Ichimatsu? The poor puppy was lost.

Did they necessarily have to sit down? Well, no, but otherwise, how was Vasco going to pick up a menu? His hands were occupied, and it wasn’t like Ichimatsu could reach for a menu when his arms were what was keepign him steady on Vasco’s back.

Inside they went, and with the scent of freshly cooked food all around them, Ichimatsu’s stomach growled in response. Bags of snacks picked up from stalls during the event were fine and all, but aside from those, neither have them had really eaten today. Glancing around at the dishes already set out for customers at tables, he almost felt his mouth begin to water.

“It smells good in here...”

It was only after he looked up again did he notice the few odd stares the pair were receiving. Suddenly self-conscious, the fourth-born loosened his hold around the other, wriggling a little so Vasco would let go. He didn’t mind just dropping to the floor from here. Cats always land on their feet. 

“Oi, Vasco--”

Before he could even finish, something ( or rather, someone ) caught his eye, head turning a little to glance over at the person who curiously approached. A waitress, looking at the both of them a little oddly, but polite enough to not bring anything up as she tried to get on with her job. A bunch of menus gathered in her hands, she asked if the pair would like to be shown to a table for two. 

Awkwardly, Ichimatsu just grabbed at Vasco’s sleeve a little as if silently asking whether or not they should stay. The food didn’t seem so bad, but it would start to get late soon, no doubt. 

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

       “Yeah, just like that.”

Vasco didn’t feel anything in particular by it aside from a sense of security. He wouldn’t want his friend falling after all, though he couldn’t help but admit there was a small twinge of something? Not sure what it was, but he secretly smiled to himself, not that Ichimatsu would be able tos ee it.

       “Haha, she gets treats because she’s cute and fluffy?         I can agree to that.”

She was the fluffiest and the cutest dog in the world, and it didn’t matter what anyone told him– he knew it to be fact. She deserved a treat because of that. He’ll do his best to find something that she could eat so she could be praised for being a good girl, home alone.

Vasco was walking with Ichimatsu on his back for a few minutes before his feet stopped.

       “Ah, over there.         That’s an Italian place, isn’t it?”

He was going to assume that it was because right outside the door of the restaurant was the Italian flag. That enough should be a sign that they’d found what they were looking for.

Resting comfortably against the other as he was carried, Ichimatsu lazily kept an eye out for a restaurant that would fit their current tastes, only half distracted by the idle conversation about their pets. It was safe to say both Hanako and Esper could be pretty spoiled sometimes, but after a long day such as this one, they deserved it. 

Soon enough Vasco came to a sudden stop, prompting the fourth-born to look down at him in confusion. Ah, so he’d seen somewhere? Lifting his head to follow the other’s gaze, the assumed restaurant didn’t look so bad from the outside. It wouldn’t be so bad to investigate a little more closely. 

“Eh?” So it was. “Good job.”

A little praise for finding somewhere so quickly. And with that, Ichimatsu settled comfortably once more, chin resting against the other as his hold around him loosened ever so slightly. It was... kind of nice to be carried like this, he thought. Better make the most of it while he could before he’d be put back down again.

“Let’s go check out the menu. They might make things to take out?”

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

       “Yeah, that’s okay.”

Vasco felt Ichimatsu clambering onto his back and he made sure to hold onto Ichimatsu’s thighs.

       “Make sure to hold on tight around my neck.         You don’t want to fall or anything.”

If you did fall, either you’d bring Vasco down with you, or you’d simply fall back and hit your head while he kept a firm grip on your thighs. Neither sounded good, so please do keep a firm hold.

Once he was sure Ichimatsu was secure, he continued walking, on the look out for the closest Italian place that they could find.

       “Hmm maybe.          I’d have to make sure there wasn’t anything bad for her in it.”

Things like garlic, alcohol or onions were bad for dogs. Things that he thought was commonly found in most Italian cooking. Though maybe there would be something she could chew on. Maybe something like bread? Could she eat that? He couldn’t remember, so he’d have to look into that.

       “Esper would probably enjoy the seafood.”

“Ah...”

Hold on tightly? It was a little embarrassing, but the best thing about being carried in such a way was the fact that Vasco wouldn’t even be able to tell. Hesitantly he wrapped his arms around the other a little tighter as if he were hugging him, soon finding that it was more comfortable to just rest his chin atop Vasco’s head while he was there instead of trying to sit up properly somehow. 

“Is that... better?”

As they kept on searching for somewhere to eat, Ichimatsu couldn’t help but glance around from where he was resting, as if it were a whole new perspective he’d gained. Vasco wasn’t too much taller than him, but he was even higher up than that now that he was being carried. Maybe this was what Esper felt like when he decided to leisurely ride on the fourth-born’s shoulder.

“You’re right.” He mumbled quietly, finding no need to talk too loudly since he was so close. “Maybe I should buy something for him to bring home with me. As a reward for behaving all alone... You should get something for Hanako too. So cute and fluffy.”

She deserved to be rewarded for that alone, clearly.

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

       “Yeah, really.”

Vasco was confident in himself and he didn’t even hesitate with that answer of his. When he was ‘challenged’ (at least, he took it as one), he dropped down to one knee and looked back at Ichimatsu.

       “Get on.”

He figured this would be the safer way of going about it than doing something like a Princess carry. He didn’t know if Ichimatsu was a light weight or not, but if you’re going to throw up, it would be healthier for you to let it out rather than accidentally choke on it.

Remember kids, you should always leave your friend laying on their side if they’re super drunk and passed out! That way they don’t end up choking to death! He’s waiting for ya, Ichimatsu.

       “I wonder? I guess we’ll find out.         They normally have big portion sizes, don’t they?”

Isn’t it like, a thing? To go to an Italian restaurant, get shocked by the serving size and come out of the restaurant with a food baby?

So it would be like a piggy back ride? Ichimatsu didn’t have any problem with this, preferring it to just being lifted without warning like a sack of potatoes or something. Vasco sounded confident, so the fourth-born shuffled behind him a little, hesitating momentarily as if trying to figure out the best way of going about this before simply... clambering onto his back, arms draped loosely around his neck.

“Is this.... Okay?”

If Vasco could just stand up and carry on walking as normal, it’d be pretty impressive, wouldn’t it? On the plus side, now that Ichimatsu didn’t have to spare any of his concentration on actually walking, it’d be easier for him to spot somewhere for them to eat -- as if he were on some kind of watch tower.

“I think I can manage, at least.” It wasn’t like him to leave much food behind no matter the portion size. “But I think Hanako might appreciate leftovers as a snack, even if there’s too much.”

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

Ah, that’s true, they’ve been out for a while. Ichimatsu didn’t seem like the outgoing type, so he probably felt more at ease when he was indoors. He nodded his head, keeping that in mind, hoping to find something soon so Ichimatsu could rest.

      “Hm? I’d figure something out.         I could probably do it, and take breaks if I need it.”

No shame in taking a break if your arms or legs were aching for one. There was no sense in pushing yourself too far when you could simply take a break and relax. The two could just sit down somewhere and talk while they relaxed. Forcing it would likely result in them toppling over, and that wouldn’t be good for either of them.

      “Just let me know if you need to take a break.         We can always sit somewhere until you’re ready to move again.”

The two were still walking as they were talking about taking a break or being carried around. It was a weird sight, probably. They’d already walked past a lot of the booths, and the crowd was starting to thin out as they approached the exit. They could finally have some breathing room to walk freely through.

      “You’re okay with Italian right?         Seafood and pasta makes you think of Italian.”

Italian shouldn’t be too hard to find, would it? Maybe a Pizzeria? There were some that sold things other than pizza. He knew a place that sold pasta, sandwiches, or even salads.

“Ehhhh, really?”

Spoken in his usual monotonous drawl, though his eyes had a glimmer of curiosity to them. Unlike the topic of how well he currently felt, this was most definitely a result of the lingering alcohol in his system. It wasn’t like him to be so... bold? If that was even how one could describe the request that followed.

“Then you should do it.”

Carry him, he meant. It wouldn’t be the first time ( he’d even ridden on Karamatsu’s back when he’d been too tired to walk home once before, and Vasco had at least lifted him before ) and honestly, the less moving he had to do right now, the better. 

“Italian sounds good. I wonder if it’d be too much to order both...”

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

Seafood or pasta… both were good options. Carbs were good for energy, and Seafood was healthy for you if you were looking for a good source of Omega-3.

       “I’d be good with either, honestly.         Guess we can go into the first restaurant we see with pasta or seafood.”

Probably an italian place if you thought about it. That’s where you’ll find a lot of pasta, and they usually had a lot of seafood dishes as well. Looks like they were going to be doing italian.

       “Are you okay? Not feeling well?”

Vasco stopped in his tracks to look over Ichimatsu. Did he drink too much? Maybe someone stepped on his foot.

       “Should we go back to the apartments first?         I could carry you.”

They could always get take out if Ichimatsu wasn’t feeling well enough to stay outside for a long period of time. It’s never good to force yourself, and Vasco wasn’t about to make someone who was drunk walk around to feel sicker.

Looks like their meal options were going to be decided by fate, in the form of whatever semi-decent restaurant they stumbled across first. Ichimatsu had no complaints. He wasn’t much of a picky eater, and the sooner they could sit down somewhere comfortable ( for the first time that day, no less ) the better.

His grumbles were nothing more than an expression of his general mood -- really, were there many moments where the fourth-born didn’t proclaim to be tired -- but it seemed as though Vasco had taken them to heart. The other stopped, and so did Ichimatsu once he felt his hand being pulled back with the small distance between them. 

“... Eh?”

For a moment, he almost seemed dumbfounded. The offer was a bit of a surprise, though it managed to warm his heart, in a weird way. It wasn’t often he was treated with such a level of care after all.

“I’m... fine. Just tired. It’s... We’ve been out for a long time, that’s all.”

He wasn’t exactly drunk, just a little buzzed. Not enough for him to feel ill at all, no matter how much of a lightweight he may have been. 

“.... Are you sure you’d even be able to do that?”

He actually looked a little curious about it. Ichimatsu didn’t doubt Vasco’s strength, but it was a long way to walk.  

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

If his presence and overall optimistic nature was of any help to Ichimatsu, he would be happy. No, he was happy. He didn’t think he was hurting Ichimatsu by any stretch of the means so that had to mean he was either not changing anything or making things go for the better.

It was his pride of being a ‘hero’ that told him that he wasn’t doing anything negative. (Also, if he were doing something that hurt the fourth born, he’d surely say something, right?)

       “Somewhere new would be nice.          I like trying out new places.”

It’s like adventure to go into a new place and hopefully find something that your palate enjoyed. Like Ichimatsu was thinking, they went out to eat at different places all the time, so finding somewhere new may not be the easiest endeavor. Still, they were ready to tackle the challenge, he’s sure!

       “We usually don’t come out this far, so we’ll find something.”

He didn’t even flinch at the hand holding since it was such a common thing between the two of them and they set off, with Vasco trying to lead the way, being mindful that Ichimatsu doesn’t get separated from him.

“Seafood? Or maybe pasta...”

At this point the fourth-born was just muttering to himself, any previous thoughts of self-loathing temporarily pushed aside as his stomach rumbled for actual food, and not just some snacks from a cart. Hand feeling comfortably warm in Vasco’s own, the two started their hunt for some kind of restaurant -- one that hopefully wasn’t already too full with people gathered in the city centre for the days events. 

“Ugh.”

A somewhat dramatic sound ( tipsy? most definitely ) followed Ichimatsu’s realisation that the two may still have to venture out a little bit if they were to find something peaceful, head tossed to the side as his brow crinkled into a soft frown. 

“I hope so. You’ll have to drag me along the floor like a sack of meat if we don’t find anything nearby soon.”

It had been a long day so far, and Vasco was probably well aware of how easily drained the fourth-born could get with so much commotion around them at this point.

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

It was still bad. Vasco nodded his head absentmindedly, vowing to himself that he’ll do whatever he can to help things get better for his best friend. He didn’t know what he had to do, but surely Ichimatsu could lead him in the right direction if he does ever need any help from him. Vasco was always more than willing to help a friend, and he was sure that Ichimatsu knew that.

       “That’s good, some progress is better than none.”

It’s the positive way of looking at it, anyways. If you keep working at it, maybe you’ll get to a point when you can proudly say that things have gotten better.

       “Yeah, we’re still even, and we’ll continue that way.”

Friendship wasn’t so much about the give and take in equal amounts, but like… enjoying each other’s company, and doing what you can– right? You don’t make friends because you were after some kind of ulterior motive, anyways.

Vasco finished off his cup of alcohol and he nodded his head. He still had some snacks, but that’ll be finished by the time they find a place to eat at.

       “I’m ready, let’s go.”

He walked over to a trash can that was almost overflowing to throw away his cup, and he looked around for an exit. There was so many people and booths, it was hard to tell where the exit was.

Ichimatsu only nodded at Vasco’s words, unable to properly answer. Progress, as small as it was, was still good, though it was hard for him to recognise that on the days that were truly terrible. A positive attitude such as the other’s done a world of good, however. Even if the fourth-born was pessimistic by nature, the encouragement and reassurance from his friend was... actually pretty soothing to hear. 

They were still even, and they would continue that way, he said. There was no need to worry about anything else right now. Perhaps it was the last few cups of alchohol he’d drank, but Ichimatsu felt an odd rush of emotion which he quickly ( as usual ) attempted to shove back down. Shaking his head as if to refresh himself, a glance back at Vasco told him they were both ready to up and leave to somewhere a bit more quiet. 

“Did you want to go anywhere in particular? Maybe... somewhere we haven’t been before.”

Automatically, without really thinking, he reached out to grab carefully at the other’s hand. It was a pretty normal thing while they walked at this point, right?

“That might be hard, though...”

They grabbed lunch fairly often. It wouldn’t be long before they ran out of new places to try.

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

Did he do anything special? He didn’t think so, but if Ichimatsu thought that he did, he wasn’t going to trample over his feelings by arguing about it. So, Vasco simply nodded his head. It made him happy to know that Ichimatsu thought that he was helpful.

       “Were they bad?          Are they still bad, but better?”

He didn’t know what Ichimatsu meant by bad, but past experiences will tell him that there was more to this than meets the eye, like he was secretly being bullied and it lessened after the bullies saw that the two of the became friends? That’s the kind of life he lead before moving abroad.

IF Ichimatsu was being bullied, there is only one way to stop it once and for all, find the bullies, and beat them up to make them stop. It’s the only way.

       “You’re welcome, always glad to help.          You’ve helped me a lot too, so it’s only natural.”

To return the favor, that is. Also, what kind of friend doesn’t try to help out whenever possible? He was quickly finishing off his drink, and he was going to finish off his snacks in no time. Should they start going so they can find food? He’ll finish off his snacks by then.

There was a small pause as Ichimatsu mulled it over, gaze lowered and head tilted ever so slightly to the side in thought. It was unnerving for him to even be talking about this kind of thing ( his brothers were used to it at this point surely, yet with anyone else he’d kept the reality of his depressing burden shackled up rather tightly ) but at least Vasco didn’t look annoyed... 

           “It’s, uh--”

It was fine. He was fine. It was okay.

          “Bad. Still bad... but better.” 

Repeating the others words with a small nod, the fourth-born exhaled with a sigh. A hint of a smile curled at the corner of his lips, though he didn’t really feel any joy. Something resembling relief, maybe? It wasn’t as if he’d shared a lot just now, but after so long of trying to pretend he wasn’t the fuck up he truly was so Vasco would ‘like’ him more, admitting he wasn’t doing great felt like the tiniest of weights had been lifted from his shoulders. 

           “I guess in that case... we’re even?”

Lifting a hand to awkwardly scratch at his cheek, he noted that the other had quickly finished off his drink, leaving only a small handful of snacks behind. His own cup had been emptied long before, and the rest could easily be pocketed, so Ichimatsu wasted no time in standing on his feet, hands tucked into his pockets for comfort. 

          “Shall we go?”

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

It was good that Ichimatsu was being less vocal about how he thought he didn’t deserve things like Vasco’s support. If he did say that, he would’ve been pretty upset, since it made him happy to be able to support people, especially his friends. He was the kind of guy who would visit his friend at work to show his support. He’s helping out by giving you business, so can he get a chocolate milk? Ahh… good times with Bumjae and the café.

      “I don’t think I do all that much.”

All he really does is ask Ichimatsu to join him for walks, right? They hang out as well, but that’s mostly it. Vasco doesn’t really do all that much for Ichimatsu—he thought. It was common to try to support a friend, right?

      “You do a lot for me too.          So it only makes sense I do things for you too.”

Ichimatsu supported Vasco in many ways, explaining things to him, and joining him on little excursions that Vasco wouldn’t be brave enough to go to by himself. Sometimes Ichimatsu would visit him at work if the younger of the two was unable to break away to get food for lunch. You do a lot for him too, you know?

      “That’s what friends do, help each other out.          If you help me when I need it, that’s all that’s needed.”

Friendship isn’t that complicated so think about it simply! Simple is good!

          “No... that’s not true.” 

If Vasco didn’t see how much he really helped, then it was only Ichimatsu’s fault. He hadn’t exactly been completely honest with him about a lot of things, mostly out of the fear that he’d only end up driving Vasco away. Nobody wanted a friend who was so miserable all the time, right? 

          “Before I met you, things were... kind of bad. I guess.”

In a way, they still were. Ichimatsu’s moods could spiral quickly, and on some days he just felt nothing at all, but at least with a supportive friend around ( someone other than the family he’d spent every moment of his life with ) it made the burden easier to bare. Even if the other wasn’t doing much outside of what he felt was normal, it was still something the fourth-born had never really had before. 

          “So, uh... Thanks. I mean it.”

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

Vasco probably had no idea just how important he was to the older male. He didn’t think too much about himself at some times. He wasn’t very smart, and all he had going for him was his strength. He would scare everyone around him, and sometimes he was the reason why trouble started in the first place. Maybe he started the fight himself, or someone thought he was giving them the stink eye and they gave him beef.

At the very least, he was able to notice that Ichimatsu was improving over time. He would join him for walks, and he’d go out with him to various events. Sometimes it was even Ichimatsu doing the inviting! That’s quite the improvement compared to how Ichimatsu was when they first met. Instead of simply volunteering at a shelter, Ichimatsu got a job—still, working with animals.

He could understand that though. It was like how Vasco spent a lot of his day working out and he gets a job— helping others work out. He just couldn’t escape it, it seemed. They were pretty similar in some aspects, Vasco and Ichimatsu.

      “You’re welcome.         I’m your friend and I’ll do my best to support you.”

A hearty pat on the back, but it was not hard enough to actually make Ichimatsu lurch forward. See? Even Vasco has learned a thing for two, like how much strength he could put into every pat.

      “Just let me know when you’ll like to try again.         Then we can start wherever you are more comfortable.”

Vasco was thinking that they could get started with actually going out for a jog rather than only walking around together. If Ichimatsu could handle a brisk jog, then surely he’d be able to handle going to a gym and working out?

Rather than being knocked aside with the hearty pat to his back, Ichimatsu only swayed slightly in his seat, taking comfort in the small act of encouragement given by his friend. Mouth opening as if to say something, the fourth-born soon decided to hold his tongue instead, remaining silent other than the gentle sigh that followed.

Part of him still wanted to argue that he didn’t really deserve Vasco’s support, but as it turns out, his influence has helped in that regard as well. Ichimatsu’s deep rooted self-deprecation wasn’t so easily cured, but he at least knew better than to say it out loud where the younger of the two could hear. And perhaps the less he said it, the less he’d start to think it, as well. 

“You already... do a lot for me.”

Any more would just be excess, surely? Gaze focused on his own hands as he wrung them together, Ichimatsu continued on, his voice only hinting at the nerves he felt over speaking so honestly.

“... I want to be able to do the same for you too, you know.”

[ichinyatsv]

heromanvasco‌:

Vasco didn’t really understand. He didn’t want to do it, but he was trying to do good? Is it like having no interest in something, but still trying to do well in it anyways? Reminds him of a certain friend back at home—except that Hyungsuk was actually good at just about everything. Though… the smaller Hyungsuk wasn’t the greatest at things, he did try his best. Admirable.

Maybe Ichimatsu was the same. He didn’t exactly want to do it, but he tried to better himself? Could be like he was embarrassed having to do little exercises around other people? He noticed that was a common thing with a lot of people. If they thought they were going to get judged by a lot of people, they’d choose to not walk into the gym.

He didn’t get why he was poked on the cheek without a warning either. Today was full of confusion, wasn’t it?

      “Everyone starts somewhere, so don’t worry about it.”

Was Vasco still not seeing the big picture here? Probably so.

      “Next time, we can try exercises alone.         That way you don’t have to feel embarrassed.”

Yep, he definitely was misunderstanding something here.

      “We can try again when you’re ready to.”

He won’t try to push you into trying to do something you don’t want to. Just tell him when you’re good and ready to try again and he can help you try different exercises. Though if it were left up to Ichimatsu, there was a high chance that he would never tell Vasco he was ready to try again. Still, Vasco was going to leave it up to Ichimatsu to decide. He didn’t want to push his friend.

It was surely difficult to understand, and just as difficult for Ichimatsu to try and explain. In his defence, he didn’t fully quite get it either. It wasn’t as if he actively cared about trying to better himself -- for the longest of times, he was certain there was no point, he’d wasted his life anyway and it was useless to attempt to fix something so far gone now -- but lately any motivation for even trying stemmed from Vasco’s influence. 

If you looked closely enough, you could almost say it kind of worked. Compared to where he was in the past, Ichimatsu had improved a lot in ways he hadn’t really considered. They went outside a lot together, even if it was only for small walks or trips to get something to eat. The fresh air and good company even on his worst of days done a lot to improve his mood, and the want to spend more time with each other and go to more places resulted in getting a low-paying yet still very viable job, all things that he’d thought of as completely impossible when it was just himself and his brothers.

Quietly, he wondered if Vasco was even aware just how much he’d done for him just by existing -- how important he actually was to the fourth-born. 

           “Yeah, that’d be better... thanks.” 

Dropping the hand that had poked at Vasco’s cheek, Ichimatsu instead balled it into a fist, using the base of his palm to rub at a dark-circled eye with a small sniffle. Sometimes you’re just overcome with love and appreciation for your best friend, you know?