#ajin week

[funyarinqa]

day 7: favorite pair kei and kai

[epic-potato-crisp]

Ajin Week 2017

27.07. Day 4: The Chariot / favourite friendship / Lobelia

I think it’s no big news just how much I love the parental/mentor-esque friendship between Kei and Tosaki.

During the first season, I once had this thought: “Well, imagine if Tosaki and Izumi ended up more or less befriending Kei and Kou and they started working together? Even though Tosaki despised them, what if it turned into an alliance, first out of necessity, and then because they genuinely liked and cared for one another? Wouldn’t that be totally crazy?”

And BOY was I happy when I realized that that was WHERE THE STORY WAS HEADED, dear God. Second season was a blessing.

So yes, the mentor/almost father-son like relationship between Kei and Tosaki is the best thing that has happened to me in 2016 (same goes for Kou and Tosaki,, and Izumi’s relationship with the boys)

[epic-potato-crisp]

Small changes

Day 1: The Fool / favourite character / Lily 

Her condition hasn’t improved.

That’s essentially what Tosaki hears. No amount of “no measurable change.” can gloss over the fact, and he leaves just as quickly as he had come.

He wasn’t quite sure what he had been thinking. Perhaps not coming to the university hospital for two weeks and leaving Ai’s faith in the hands of God and the doctors would be a better idea than coming here every day. But there haven’t been any improvements, and he is craving a smoke more than before.

Izumi is waiting by the car, and after seeing the look on his face, she doesn’t ask any questions.

Neither do Nagai and Nakano, who prod around him cautiously, after they arrive “home”- it’s what Tosaki calls it, for the sake of simplicity.

Ogura greets him from where he is working on his laptop, a pack of FK’s lying beside him, taunting him.

Tosaki wonders if he has family. The thought isn’t as ridiculous on closer observation. Ogura, with his laid-back attitude, surely had one or a couple of partnerships. Perhaps he even has children waiting for him at home, and a partner, alive.

He tells himself Ogura doesn’t deserve the anger he is projecting on him at that very moment. It’s not the researcher’s fault. It’s nobody’s fault. He would have told himself it was karma getting back at him, if not for the fact that he had committed all his sins after she slipped into a coma, precisely because she slipped into a coma. He rejects that thought, as well.

It isn’t Ai’s fault. He made his own decisions.

He doesn’t realize he has his hands clenched into fists, until he meets Nakano’s eyes.

The teenager is staring at him with a hint of fear.

Of course, they’re terrified of him.

Has he given hem any reason not to be?

Immediately, he unclenches his hands, clearing his throat, and avoiding having to look at any of them.

“I need to make a phone-call.” he says, and then he is up the stairs, not stopping until he has reached the sanctuary of his office.

He doesn’t come out to eat, and Izumi leaves him alone, merely sending him a text message asking if it’s alright if they start without him. He doesn’t reply.

The conversation of the afternoon keeps replaying in his mind.

“No measurable change.” the doctor says, flipping through her files, “Unfortunately. However, we are positive-”

The rest of the conversation is forgotten. Tosaki does not care for fake hopes and reassurances.

Ai will remain in a coma. That is all he derives from their conversation.

Perhaps it’s better that way, he tells himself, as he logs into his email account, although his head is spinning and his throat feels as dry as though he hadn’t touched a drop of water in a week.

It’s more than an hour later that he finally drags himself down. Having only responded to the two most urgent inquiries does not exactly fill his successful quota. He blames it on a lack of caffeine and sleep.

The background noise of a TV program travels in from their conference room, and, with curiosity overtaking him, he goes over to investigate.

The sight that greets him is a surprise, to say the least.

“Oh...Tosaki-san.” Izumi is the only one that speaks up.

Oh, indeed.

Nagai and Nakano glance over at him with some surprise, and Ogura waves at him with a spoonful of icecream.

“Did I say we could take time off?” he says, but it comes out not nearly as irritated as he tried to make it sound.

His protests are drowned quickly, as  Izumi rises and just as quickly comes back, with a bowl of matcha icecream just for him.

Not without showcased reluctance, settles down into one of the chairs to join them in what is certainly not watching the news.

“I didn’t get a say.” Nagai responds  defensively, when he glares at the two boys, but even he seems engrossed in the TV drama playing out on the screen at the late hour.

Nakano, quickly and enthusiastically, starts explaining all the relationships between the characters and their unfortunate and ridiculously coincidental happenstances to him, until Nagai snaps at him to shut up, he can’t hear what they’re saying.

“Whose idea was this?” he throws in Izumi’s direction, and she blushes a fiery red, turning towards her selection of vanilla and chocolate.

He should have known

“Next time we’re watching an American show.” Ogura throws in, “They’re some really good ones.”

“There will be no next time.” Tosaki grumbles, half-heartedly.

He looks around at all of them, wondering how he himself got caught up in the midst of all of this.

The idea that they have started to become more than allies to him is something he certainly doesn’t like to dwell on for too long.

But it helps ease the pain.

(late for Ajinweek, forgive me. I’m just back from exam hell! 

Hope you enjoyed : ))