Kento Nobuo's Strange Life

Kento Nobuo | 18 | Class 3-3 | Affiliated with Yamaku Academy Subjects Taken: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Physical Education

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Fortress of Solitude || Kento, Hanako, and Lilly

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"I…I’ll tell…Lilly…" Hanako offered, her fingers following the contours of her hairline, smoothing them over her face. "Tonkatsu…and…f-fried fish are easy…" She explained with an unease in her voice, trying to take command of the conversation, to circle it back and bring her thoughts together. "You…s-should really taste her cooking…A-and she’d love having…another friend over…" 

[dignifiedblindness]

"Tell me what?" Lilly wandered slowly toward the beanbag chairs, prodding around with her cane as to not accidentally trip over a beanbag or two. Of course, she already knew what Hanako was talking about. She and Kento were cheerily talking, and both of them were loud enough for her to track through the library. The fact that it was half an hour past closing time also helped, since there were no other students left to disturb the two of them. She towered over the pair, leaning onto her cane with both hands, tactful enough to not admit that she was eavesdropping.

"You had me worried that you got lost, Hanako." Lilly frowned. "Yuuko informed me about your whereabouts as soon as I got into the library, but I think she did not really need to tell me. One could hear you from outside the door." She smirked. " I suppose there’s no harm done. Everyone’s quite safe and sound, it seems."

She turned to Kento with good spirits. “It’s a pleasure to meet you again, Kento. I’m glad you kept her company for the past few hours. She’s never spent more time with anyone else other than me.” But with the way she was smiling it was almost as if she was saying “And that’s a very good thing.”

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Having Lilly suddenly appear behind him surprised Kento, making his heart leap into his throat. The way she talked was pretty daunting, too. He felt like he was being reprimanded by Hanako's very young adoptive mother. Her intimidating height wasn't helping, either. He just sat there and gulped, waiting to get chided by someone he'd only met twice.

Thank goodness she didn't seem actually angry at him, just concerned for her. He let out a silent sigh of relief, and blushed when Lilly smirked; her implications were clear to him. "It's n-nice to s-s-see you again, Lilly... Urp, I-I m-mean...!" He blushed even more out of embarrassment. "H-hi..."

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Fortress of Solitude || Kento and Hanako

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Hanako merely nodded, a little hesitant as the questions and conversation moved back in her direction. Her affection for Lilly was very easy to pick up on. He phrased it as a statement, not a question for a reason, after all. As Kento moved the topic to her cooking prowess, she glanced toward the front desk of the library, as if keeping an eye out for Yuuko. A slight blush hit her cheeks, and  Hanako turned her gaze back just enough to view Kento with one eye, right hand to her face. 

Was it a roundabout way of asking her to cook for him? Something so intimate so soon? Or just a chance to sample a meal that wasn’t instant or cafeteria food? It did come right after hearing how she was planning the meal for Lilly…Oh. And he did seem to be fond of her. Want to run into her again. "Oh…I…" her voice drifted off wistfully, a sudden mixed emotion in her words. Hanako nodded softly, folding her hands together in her lap. "W-what sort of….f-food do you like…?" 

[shakinglaughter-blog]

An astute eye caught Hanako's blush and Kento's heart went aflutter. He gulped. Was this really what hanging out with girls feels like Or was it a little bit more? Being without prior experience, he decided that it was probably normal to feel like that about a friend. But he really can't shake the fact that she looked much better with a smile on her face and maybe even with flushed cheeks.

"What k-kinds of f-food do I l-like?" he repeated, thinking that this was a strange question to ask when the both of them were talking about Lilly. But it would be rude if he were to ask as to why she gave that question in the first place. Out of politeness, he replied. "Well th-there's sp-spicy Korean stuff, like m-maybe kimchi o-or barbecue or jjamppong." He held a few fingers up as he enumerated. "You could n-never go w-wrong with tonkatsu, I-I guess... I l-like all of those, but they're not r-really my favorites." Kento thought long and hard. "B-but I guess my favorite f-food i-is... uhh... p-plain fried fish." He felt slightly ashamed that his choice of food was probably too simple for most people. "It's n-not that special... The food that I l-like, that is."

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Fortress of Solitude || Kento and Hanako

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Hanako’s expression sunk at Kento’s initial reaction, mentally chiding herself for even bringing up such an obvious topic. Her chin dropped against her chest, and she was almost ready to seal away conversation completely when he brought up Lilly. It was a surprise, yet at the same time seemed obvious to her. Everyone knew Lilly, to some extent. 

She kept her right hand up by her face, turning to listen to Kento’s musings with a warm smile in her heart. The topic switch made her voice a little clearer, and Hanako spoke with a deep respect when it came to her best friend. “Lilly…She is v-very nice. H-her English is…very g-good. And she…she h-has years of…experience… cooking. I…I’m not as good. I…screw up…It’s so n-new…to me.”

[shakinglaughter-blog]

"That's t-true, she's really good with English." The way Hanako talked about the girl brought a smile to Kento's face. This was probably the only time Kento saw her talk like she was genuinely interested in the topic. She was so into it, he believed that the two of them were really close. It was very refreshing, seeing this new side of her. "Y-you must like Lilly a lot, huh..."

"And I'm s-sure your cooking is f-fine. It's probably better than mine, to be honest. I can b-barely even fry an egg! Eh heh... J-just pair me up with instant stuff any day." He scratched his head with embarrassment. "I'd love to try and get b-better. B-but if you're gonna ever do any cooking, please tell me in advance. I'd v-very much like to try tasting some of it. Th-that is, if it's alright w-with you..."

[achangeofgears]

Shift || Yasu and Kento

[achangeofgears]

Yasu lashed around, eyes wild and defensive, only to immediately regret such a violent action. The speaker held out his bag at arm’s length and, perhaps startled by his reaction - or by positioning of his arms, if the flitting gaze was anything to go by - tried hastily to stutter and stumble his way into a conversation. He tried to soften. Relax. Breathe. Breathe…

Envisioning a balloon in his chest did little to help. Yasu took the bag gingerly from the student and smiled a wiry, stiff smile. “Thanks. I, uh, I’ve never seen you before in my life. I haven’t seen anyone… anyone like us. Well, except in hospital.”

He fidgeted and wrested the strap back onto his person, triple-checking its security before diverting his attention anywhere else. “Thanks again. Who are you?”

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Keeping his composure, Kento gave the stranger a polite smile. "S-sorry, I think I m-must've mistook y-you for someone else. Is the f-first day of class g-getting to you? Don't w-worry, it's always l-like that." He could sense the kid's tension. Hopefully his calm demeanor would relax the other guy. "M-my name is Kento. Kento Nobuo. A-and you are?"

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Fortress of Solitude || Kento and Hanako

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"I-I’m reading recipes…" Hanako blurted out about ten minutes later, stirring the stillness that surrounded the pair of literates. Her own words made Hanako flinch. She’d been thinking of what to say, staring at the cover of her book ever since Kento sighed in relief at the acceptance of friendship. 

"Lilly…a-always cooks…a-and she’s so…much b-better…" Hanako clenched her jaw, her whispered statement fading out into nothing as it sunk in how terrible her attempt at friendly conversation was. Her eyes peeked up and Kento, then locked back down on her book, embarrassed by her poor choice of words pulling him away from his reading. He probably had no clue who she was talking about. Nor any interest in what she was reading and the why of it. 

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Already comfortable with the wall of silence they built, Kento flinched as well when it suddenly came crumbling down with an abrupt declaration of what Hanako was doing. His eyes darted around with nervousness before eventually training back on her. "I c-can see th-that... I m-mean, you're reading a book w-with... uhh... y'know."

He almost fell back into quiet, a bit guilty from his tactless jab at her stating what was apparent, until she started talking about Lilly. "...Lilly? You m-mean Lilly Satou? Sh-she's nice..." His ears started getting hot, as to why Kento couldn't really answer. "Sh-shes helped me w-with s-some English homework a w-week ago, and I j-just met her b-by then." He added the most sincere smile he could muster, but it faltered as soon as it appeared. "I d-don't think we're quite f-friends yet, anyway. J-just acquaintances..."

His thoughts trailed back to cooking. "Oh, I'm s-sure you c-cook as g-good as her. P-probably b-better, even. N-not that I've ever tasted her cooking, b-but still..."

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Parks and Recreation || Kento and Saito

Being one of the lucky students of Yamaku that could actually attend Physical Education, Kento diligently attended every class without fail, believing that not attending something that others couldn't was being ungrateful for the body that he had. He supposed that after he could move around as normally as any human, he should at least do so properly. Naturally, PE was physically taxing, but it happened during Saturdays, and Saturdays meant he got the rest of the day off after class. Freshly drenched in a light sweat, he decided to cool himself down in the early summer breeze with a walk in the school's park, and maybe rest in the shade of his favorite tree.

To his surprise, someone else managed to steal his spot. A frowning kid in a wheelchair, actually. The removal from his typical routine jarred him for a second, and he meekly walked toward the other guy, half-wanting to assert his dominance, and half-wanting to leave the wheelchaired one to his own devices. He practically stood beside the boy for a good two minutes before finally speaking up. "Uhh... e-excuse m-me... B-but would y-you mind if you scooched over t-to the side a b-bit? J-just a bit... I m-mean, if w-we could sh-share the sh-shade, that'd be g-great."

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Fortress of Solitude || Kento and Hanako

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"I…" Hanako froze for a moment, absorbing the question and everything that pertained to it. Her hands rested on top of her book, left hand covering her scarred right from view. Fingers gently tapping on the back of her hand as she thought to herself. Kento…he wasn’t a bad guy. He explained himself fully, and wasn’t trying to force himself into her life…he seemed just as nervous about the entire ordeal as she was. 

 ”F-friends…I-I’d…like th-that…” She spoke quietly. Though her voice sounded glad, her eyes became a bit watery, and she turned herself to the side in her bean bag, pretending she suddenly had a huge interest in the cover of her cook book. 

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Kento was used to being quiet. For most of his life, he's lived while barely ever talking. He was always comfortable with silence. At least, until he met Hanako. All the silence between them felt like it was physically eating him alive. What if she said no? He never really expected to talk to people and have them treat him like a human being, much less make friends like a normal person, so his expectations would normally be low. But it happened. People treated him like he was normal. His hopes were raised so high, he was scared to know what rejection felt like now. He-.

"I-I’d…like th-that…”

She would? She does? We're friends? Kento let the pressure in his chest dissipate, so much that he didn't quite notice Hanako shrink away just a bit. Lying down on the beanbag, he lets his arms hang on the sides and breathes out a sigh of relief. "I-I-I'm g-g-glad," he managed to stutter, before pulling the book out from behind him and returning to reading.

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Fortress of Solitude || Kento and Hanako

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She nodded slowly in agreement, more than willing to put the uncomfortable incident in the past behind her. “O…..o-okay…” Hanako whispered in accord, speaking no more than that one simple word on the subject. There was relief visible on her shying away face, knowing that Kento didn’t fault her for those reactions, but it hardly seemed to last. New doubts and fears rose up to replace it, another strong wave crashing over Hanako from the turbulent sea of anxiety that dwelled within her. 

Kento wasn’t expecting her to tell her side of the story, was he? Or to…suddenly open up? He told her all about his condition, so it would only be fair and polite…but the mere thought of reciprocating made Hanako’s stomach drop. He could see her scars. Knew how she acted. He seemed smart enough to piece it all together on his own…hopefully that would be the end of that.  Hanako took her book out from behind her back, setting it gently on her pressed together knees. ‘What now?’ her silent expression seemed to ask, deep eyes glancing up at Kento. She was socially indebted to him, in a way, and the long haired girl seemed to hesitate, asking his permission in what to do next. 

[shakinglaughter-blog]

As the silence washed over the both of them, Kento was slightly expecting Hanako to at least say something. Maybe something along the lines of "Thanks for explaining your side of the story," or maybe "I appreciate it," or even "Maybe we should go back to reading books now that I know all this." All he got was more quiet. Which, in turn, made him feel a bit awkward again.

Well, Kento, you started this. You might as well take initiative. C'mon, boy, think! Though he was almost tempted to sink back into his beanbag, or bury his face inside his book again, he finally gathered up enough courage to ask her just one question. "D-does this m-mean... Are we f-friends now? C-can we b-be friends?"

[alphonsewruble]

Louder than Thunder (Alphonse and Kento)

[alphonsewruble]

Alphonse smiled at Kento, enjoying the conversation.  The trip to the stairs was a short one but Alphonse was glad that Kento didn’t mind making sure he didn’t fall again.  He nodded to the boy as he gave a nice smile.

"alright, once again, thank you Kento.  I really appreciate you helping me."  alphonse put out his left hand, needing his right to keep his body stable.

[shakinglaughter-blog]

"You're welcome, A-alphonse." Kento took the other guy's hand and shook it rather awkwardly; using his right hand to shake a left one tends to not be natural. " And if y-you decide to go on another trip, c-call me next time. I'll be more than w-welcome to help you with it." He let out a laugh this time, and it rang through the halls like a train through a station, but he realized only late that he might've been disturbing students who were studying. "Err... S-sorry about that," Kento mumbled.

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Fortress of Solitude || Kento and Hanako

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Her mouth opened, bottom lip trembling ever so slightly, but Hanako said nothing. She raised her hand up to help cover the right side of her face, not sure where to settle her wandering gaze as her mind raced over each and every word he said to her. 

"W-why…? "Y-you…laughed…a-at me." She mumbled weakly, her soft voice breaking the silence that fell after his explanation.  "Th-then…left." Hanako swallowed hard, her left eye focused on Kento with a piercing sadness behind it as she recalled their last encounter vividly. "You…c-can m…make better f-friends…"

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Laughed at her? I don’t… Tucking his book behind him, he stopped and thought about the first time they met. Oh right… “I g-guess I did s-sound like I w-was laughing at y-you,” he said with a matter-of-fact tone, and his face slowly degenerated into an embarrassed smile.

"W-well, y-you see, I have T-t… Tou…" His smile is still forcibly plastered on his face, but he could barely manage to spit out the word. Breathing deeply, he dished out one last effort to spit it out. "…Tourette’s," he finally managed, and he wiped some sweat off his brow. "I s-sometimes get t-tics like th-this." Kento pointed at his cheek while he kept on smiling, and one could the corner of his mouth visibly twitching involuntarily. "It m-makes talking hard, es-especially if I f-feel unc-comfortable with th-things…"

"The l-laughing, th-though… It’s a bit of a special case f-for me. Y-you see, wh-when I laugh my h-hardest, all my n-nervousness g-goes away and I f-feel a lot better, s-sometimes t-to the point where I d-don’t st-stutter any m-more. B-back th-then? The s-situation was g-getting t-too out of h-hand f-for me so I… I t-tried to calm m-myself d-down." He sighed and his smile eventually thinned into a line. "S-s-sorry if I m-made it s-seem like I was laughing at y-you… T-to be fair, I d-don’t find you f-funny at all. I actually s-s-sorta l-look up to you. Y-you manage to d-do well in class even th-though you d-don’t interact w-with others. I th-think that’s pretty cool…" Not that I see you in class all the time, he thought, deciding to leave that conclusion to himself.

"S-sorry," he apologized again. "F-for the r-rambling. And f-for me b-being w-weird."

[artificiallyisolated-deactivate]

The purple haired girl hugged her book to her chest, listening intently to Kento’s explanation. His side of the story and about his condition, and the praise toward her academic prowess all came out in one monologue . Her wide eyes gave away her every reaction to his words, silent with only the occasional nod to show she was listening.  The initial sadness in Hanako’s eyes melted with relief, as if a weight that was hanging over them since that first chance meeting had been lifted. He wasn’t laughing at her, nor mocking her by calling more attention…it was just nervousness. The crippling sort she was all too familiar with, and it had gotten the best of them that day.  Hanako reflexively mimicked Kento’s pose, arms behind her back while holding on to her book, subconsciously removing the barriers between them. Hearing his condition made her wince a bit, a wave of guilt making Hanako’s head sink into her shoulders. The following compliments, as honest and nice to hear as they were, only strengthened how nice and polite he was, and how selfish she’d been. She hadn’t stopped to consider the laughing, the stutter were symptoms of anything…and she reacted so poorly to things he couldn’t help doing. Hanako tried to force a smile, but the upward turn on her lips was brief as doubt clouded her eyes once again.  "Y-you aren’t….w-weird…" Hanako mumbled, averting her gaze to stare at Kento’s feet. "I-i’ve been…s-so…rude…to y-you…" She fought to whisper out each word, as if the words had to physically break into the air to leave her mouth.

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Somewhat surprised that Hanako actually showed him a slight glint of a smile during his rant, Kento smiled back, though it came out awkward and half-baked. At least she was warming up to him. Maybe.

Her last few words, though, troubled him a bit. "R-rude? I d-don't see how av-voiding a c-complete st-stranger is r-rude. M-maybe it's a little... isolating." He fell quiet and nibbled on his cheeks a bit while the both of them basked in the silence. "B-but to b-be honest, if I w-was in y-your shoes, and a g-guy just w-walks toward me and s-starts stuttering l-like a motorb-boat and laughs w-without warning, I'd m-make a break for it." He chuckled at his self-depreciating jab as he readjusted his glasses. "W-well you know my s-story. We don't h-have to make such a big d-deal about what happened a f-few days ago."

[alphonsewruble]

Louder than Thunder (Alphonse and Kento)

[alphonsewruble]

Alphonse slowly and carefully used his crutches to get out of the Nurse’s office, the Nurse giving them both a friendly wave.  The hallway looked pretty setrile but he was glad to be able to get out of the office.  He gave a smile to Kento, starting to walk out of the building with him.

"Well, I’m in class 1-4 so it won’t be too long of a journey."  Alphonse took a nice breath of fresh air, his head spinning a bit as he wobbled a bit on his crutches, his injured leg shaking slightly along with his other one.  Alphonse seemed a bit shaken from the episode and quick operation.  He looked over to Kento, "So, Kento was it?"  Alphonse tried to quickly think of something talking about, going to classes, "What class did you miss to help me?"

[shakinglaughter-blog]

So he doesn't need my help, then. Thank goodness. He's better off than I thought he'd be, considering he almost lost a lot of blood.

Kento let himself drift into thought. "Hnnh, I th-think I m-missed English." Wanting to confirm his answer, he dug into his bag and pulled out a mostly-unread schedule. Peering closely, he nodded to himself. "Y-yep. It's E-english." He chuckled. "It's a-alright, I g-guess. I th-think I can get s-some supplim-mentary help with a b-batch mate, or c-class m-mate."

Their conversation led them to the school lobby, then eventually to the first floor classrooms. "Th-this is m-my stop, I th-think," he declared, pointing at the ramp that led upstairs. "I b-better n-not skip on m-more classes," he joked and chuckled.

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Fortress of Solitude || Kento and Hanako

[artificiallyisolated-deactivate]

Her mouth opened, bottom lip trembling ever so slightly, but Hanako said nothing. She raised her hand up to help cover the right side of her face, not sure where to settle her wandering gaze as her mind raced over each and every word he said to her. 

"W-why…? "Y-you…laughed…a-at me." She mumbled weakly, her soft voice breaking the silence that fell after his explanation.  "Th-then…left." Hanako swallowed hard, her left eye focused on Kento with a piercing sadness behind it as she recalled their last encounter vividly. "You…c-can m…make better f-friends…"

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Laughed at her? I don't... Tucking his book behind him, he stopped and thought about the first time they met. Oh right... "I g-guess I did s-sound like I w-was laughing at y-you," he said with a matter-of-fact tone, and his face slowly degenerated into an embarrassed smile.

"W-well, y-you see, I have T-t... Tou..." His smile is still forcibly plastered on his face, but he could barely manage to spit out the word. Breathing deeply, he dished out one last effort to spit it out. "...Tourette's," he finally managed, and he wiped some sweat off his brow. "I s-sometimes get t-tics like th-this." Kento pointed at his cheek while he kept on smiling, and one could the corner of his mouth visibly twitching involuntarily. "It m-makes talking hard, es-especially if I f-feel unc-comfortable with th-things..."

"The l-laughing, th-though... It's a bit of a special case f-for me. Y-you see, wh-when I laugh my h-hardest, all my n-nervousness g-goes away and I f-feel a lot better, s-sometimes t-to the point where I d-don't st-stutter any m-more. B-back th-then? The s-situation was g-getting t-too out of h-hand f-for me so I... I t-tried to calm m-myself d-down." He sighed and his smile eventually thinned into a line. "S-s-sorry if I m-made it s-seem like I was laughing at y-you... T-to be fair, I d-don't find you f-funny at all. I actually s-s-sorta l-look up to you. Y-you manage to d-do well in class even th-though you d-don't interact w-with others. I th-think that's pretty cool..." Not that I see you in class all the time, he thought, deciding to leave that conclusion to himself.

"S-sorry," he apologized again. "F-for the r-rambling. And f-for me b-being w-weird."

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Fortress of Solitude || Kento and Hanako

[artificiallyisolated-deactivate]

Hanako tried to keep Kento out of sight, out of mind by burying herself in her book, but years of paranoid hiding had given her one special skill: to know when someone was glancing in her direction. It wasn’t frequent, but she would catch Kento’s head move, those eyes focus in her direction just long enough for her to notice. Any other girl might take it as a compliment, or at least a boy admiring her appearance, but for Hanako, a stare in her direction meant someone peeking at her scars. That thought carried a lot of self defeating nervousness with it.

So it wasn’t a big surprise when Hanako jumped at the sudden exclamation, letting out a surprised meep as her cookbook snapped closed in a loud paper clap. The string of cause and effect noises brought a small chorus of shushes from the few other students scattered about the library, and the long haired girl sunk deeply into her beanbag, her face flushing red with embarrassment.  Hanako peeked over at Kento before snapping her eyes back down to her closed book. A trembling hand rifled at the fore edge, trying to guess her placement, though she couldn’t quite bring herself to open it back up. 

[shakinglaughter-blog]

With all his concentration gone after the huge verbal tic, Kento couldn't focus on his book again and he sat straight up, using a finger as a bookmark and letting his book hang between his knees. "I'm n-not b-bothering you or a-anyth-thing, am I-I?" he asked quietly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "B-because if I am, I c-could leave. I m-mean, if y-you want."

He let out a long sigh and his head drooped down. "I'm s-sorry if I s-seem like I'm h-hovering around y-you. I j-just want to be f-fr... friends, y-you know?" His hands gestured around as he talked. "B-but for c-certain r-reas-reasons, I r-really can't v-voice out what I w-want to s-s-say."

[alphonsewruble]

Louder than Thunder (Alphonse and Kento)

[alphonsewruble]

Alphonse looked over to Kento, giving a slight smile.  He handed the boy the pass as he looked over to his hockey stick, not wanting to leave it behind as he though of a way to take it with him,  sliding it through his belt on his pants to keep it on his back so it wouldn’t get caught on anything.

"Actually, I hate the bother you further but think you could help me to my class?  I’m feeling a bit woozy from everything that’s passed."  Alphonse looked a bit embarrassed, he didn’t want to be a burden to anyone but he had to admit he needed help.  He knew he had a problem and there were going to be times he needed help and he accepted that, but that didn’t mean he didn’t think less of himself during those times.

[shakinglaughter-blog]

He expected this. And he didn't mind. Shrugging, he smiled and let out a couple of chuckles before nodding. "A-alright, I'll c-go with y-you." Turning toward the Nurse, he bowed, keeping himself at 90 degrees while he let out a few words of appreciation. "Th-thank y-you for p-patching Alphonse up!" He barked dutifully, and stood back straight with a smile on his face.

Getting out the doorway first, he contemplates while standing in the marble-tiled hallway on whether or not to use himself as a living crutch for Alphonse again, but he decided to wait for the other to act first and make the choice for him. "S-so, what r-room are you in? I'm g-going up to the th-third f-floor."

[alphonsewruble]

Louder than Thunder (Alphonse and Kento)

[alphonsewruble]

The Nurse’s quickly finished up with Alphonse’s injury.  They cleaned it thoroughly and bandaged it up, keeping his prosthetic off.  The Nurse then checked it, seeing that it was in fact too small for Alphonse’s leg and due to that had been slicing up his leg recently.  He wasn’t sure why it had just starting cutting now but he cleaned off the prosthetic.  He then turned to Alphonse and looked at him.  ”Alphonse, do you have any idea why this happened?”

"W-Well, my leg’s been hurting a lot recently.  And a while ago I….I had memories of my accident.  When I did my leg just….I hurt just like back then."  Alphonse’s face was white as he looked to the Nurse, finishing his explanation with when the pains in his leg were.  The Nurse seemed pretty angry at how he just forgot to come to him earlier and gave hime a small talk on the importance of his health as Alphonse listened to it all with a slightly guilty look on his face.

"Well, since your prosthetic is too small I’ll send for a bigger one.  Until then," The Nurse went into a cabinet and got out a pair of crutches, "you’ll have to use these."  The Nurse handed them to Alphonse as he stood on them, testing his balance and walking a bit with them.  "If you have any pains come back and see me immediately.  Now, let me get a pass for you two…"  The Nurse waved Kento to come in.  "I’d like to thank you for getting Alphonse here safely.  You probably saved him for more damage to his leg."

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Walking in while barely getting any information on Alphonse's injury, Kento found himself mildly surprised when the Nurse praised him. His eyebrows raised slightly before realizing what was happening, blushing lightly. He wasn't used to being praised, or to getting any form of good attention for that matter. "Th-thanks..." he muttered with an embarrassed smile while scratching the back of his neck. "It w-was the l-least I c-could d-do."

Knowing full well that people with limb problems tend to prefer their independence (at least he could believe Kensei had a limb problem), Kento eyed Alphonse while he took his pass. "I-is it f-fine if I g-go on ah-head?" he asked. "I m-mean, the w-worst has passed, r-right? I c-can come w-with you if you don't mind."

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Fortress of Solitude || Kento and Hanako

[artificiallyisolated-deactivate]

"I-it’s okay…" Hanako let her voice melt into the silence that enveloped over them, returning to her own reading after watching Kento do the same. It was hard enough for her to engage in conversation, but even more so when they panicked at the slightest comment, worried about offending her. If anything, it only made the situation worse. Apologies. then apologies for offending. For the silence. For the conversation. 

Self deprecation clouded their little corner of the library, plaguing the pair with nagging little thoughts and worries. Hanako peeked from her book, shifting uncomfortably in his presence, now. 

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Time flows and the rest of the afternoon goes by without incident, maybe except for a quick glance at her every once in a while. At one point maybe Kento stared a little too long, though not at her scars. Eye catching as they were, for some reason he couldn't bring himself to stare at them, finding himself drawn to her deep cool purple eyes and-.

Huh? What was he doing again? Blinking twice, he finds himself face-to-face with a small wall of words. He could smell the scent of old paper around him. Oh right, he was in the library. Realizing his folly, he let out a loud "HA!" before realizing that it, in turn, would be more folly, and he clapped his face with his book. Sometimes he hated Tourette's, certain times more than others. "S-sorry," he mumbled.

[alphonsewruble]

Louder than Thunder (Alphonse and Kento)

[shakinglaughter-blog]

  "G-good morning," were the first words that Kento said to the Nurse, bowing slightly before he breathed steadily and led Alphonse to the clinic’s sterile bed. It was better to do that first before answering any questions. Lingering at the door wasn’t going to be good for a kid with a hurting leg. "Uhh… I w-was walking to c-class when I f-found h-him on the g-g-ground. H-he looked l-like he w-was in p-p-pain, and h-his leg w-was bleed-ding." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose during a pause. "I w-was glad that I f-found him as s-soon as I c-could…"

"I-is he going t-to be fine?"

[alphonsewruble]

The Nurse gave a slight pause, looking at Alphonse’s injury as he pulled his pants up, seeing the injury as he let out a slight grimace at the amount of blood.  The first thing he did was take off the prosthetic, setting it aside as he grabbed some rags to use to stop the blood flow.  The Nurse looked back to Kento, “Hey, take the bucket in the corner over there and fill it up with some water, on your way back see if you can’t get another nurse to help.”

Alphonse sat on the bed, his prosthetic off as fresh air hit his wound, letting out a small yelp as the Nurse pressed something against his leg.  He took deep breaths to calm himself, looking up to the nurse behind a curtain of slightly damp hair.  The pain was spiking up his leg and right up his side, making talking basically im;possible with out letting out any pained noises.

"Come on Alphonse, you’ll be fine.  Just take deep breathes alright?"  the Nurse tried to calm Alphonse down and it was working to an extent.  Alphonse no longer looked like he was going to throw up though the pain was still, very much there.

[shakinglaughter-blog]

Nodding once, Kento took the small bucket that the Nurse pinpointed and went to the sink to fill it with water. He was a bit lax; he didn't feel the urgency since they were already in the clinic, but he didn't dawdle too much. Handing the filled bucket to the Nurse, he takes his leave before walking out to the rest of the medical building to look for another nurse to help. And so he did. A female nurse happened to be walking through the next corner that Kento happened to walk into. Getting her attention and telling her to go on over to the clinic was easy enough.

All alone in the hallway, he contemplated on whether or not to leave for class or to stay around and see what develops. ...I didn't get a nurse's letter yet. And besides, the next class is still 20 minutes away. He shrugged to himself and went back into the clinic, standing near the doorway as he spectated.