[ The second snowball hits him in the face, but he hardly notices. The crumbles slide right down his face, chased away by the radiant warmth of his joy. ]
Aki! You can see again!
[ She can probably guess what's coming next: here he comes to try and scoop her into a hug, smattered with snow. ]
Now that she remembers him, she remembers him not being a part of her life for a while. As far back as July, she hasn't really spoken to him in a way that wasn't entirely transient. It was as if he was gone entirely.
And now...
(Maybe it's not so bad...if I say I missed you too, you dumb dog.)]
[ And she said his name!! The fleeting hug is worth the knee to the gut... and the brief moment where she allows the hug to happen doesn't go unnoticed. Yato lets go with a little oof, but he ignores her scolding effortlessly. His chest puffs out and his hands go to his hips, as if Aki's renewed ability to see him is something to be proud of. ]
The fact that Aki is coming to him again for her survival needs isn't a surprise, exactly, but a small part of him wondered if she might prefer a different person to contract with the second time around. But Aki doesn't do anything she doesn't mean, so there's no need to doubt; she's chosen him a second time, the highest compliment she's paid him yet. ]
... Of course. As many times as it takes. Ready when you are!
[ He pushes up the left sleeve of his generic sweater (the tracksuit's dead, Jim), the better to see the tattoo when it appears. ]
[She neglects to mention that's really lame because he's doing her a favour.
But with that, the familiar sensation of his old command seals burning into the back of his hand should be immediately apparent, and after it's followed by a different, less burning sensation. The feeling of their connection returning.
"To tell you the truth, it was like a part of me I never knew was missing got filled. It wasn't bad at all..."
Their connection feels just as familiar as the day it disappeared. A pleased warmth radiates from Yato's head and heart, which isn't much of a hidden emotion when Yato looks just as pleased on the outside. A thought slips out of his head. ]
(I missed this feeling...)
[ He looks at the old tattoo burned into his skin before pulling his sleeve down over it. ]
Great! So what've I missed with you? We have so much to catch up on!
But I wanna hear about everything from your own two lips! Watching isn't the same.
[ That's what he says, but he keeps right on talking, not giving her a moment to respond. He starts ticking points on his fingers. ]
A lot of stuff's happened. I joined a couple classes at the university. Theatre's real fun! I saw a bunch of stuff in that fog that was hanging around for a while and remembered a bunch of stuff. Turns out I was a traitor to Heaven in my other life. Whoops! Speaking of Heaven, Minako made a shrine for me. Come check it out with me sometime, okay?
What else? I could've sworn Chuuya and I killed each other, but we turned out okay somehow. Maybe I can't die? I went into a coma for a week afterward, but I can't complain too much. If I went kaput, the Inkwell would really be in trouble. We haven't been the same lately, what with Zoro gone and Toshi off Retrospec...
[ Then she can probably feel him managing to be even more pleased when her concern hits him. He isn't surprised that she would care, just happy to feel it in truth. ]
Chuuya punched a hole in me right here. [ He pats his stomach. ] A big one, y'know? Not the kind of thing most people bounce back from. Next thing I knew, it was one week later and I was waking up in the hospital without a scratch.
[ He rubs his chin thoughtfully. ]
And, see, when we fought, I cut him up and stabbed him in the neck, so he should've been as dead as a doornail. But it turns out that he showed up as good as new a few days later with a bunch of memories missing. He wouldn't even believe me when I said we fought.
[ He shoves his hands into his pockets. His tracksuit is dead and gone, replaced by a more sensible (if just as fashion-worthless) sweater for winter. He looks up for a moment, thinking. Then decides there's not much point in withholding anything from Aki. He feels a little wistful, a little sad, but mostly okay. ]
I used to feel pretty anxious about losing people. A lot of people have dropped off Retrospec, y'know? Yuuko, Mikoto, Ryoji, Dirk, Toshi... It was you, and one day it might be Anya. I dunno how much room I have to be any more upset than I have to be.
[ Yato understands that too. Even if he were given the choice to leave Retrospec, he doesn't think he would be able to take it. He has people like Aki relying on him, however sporadically. One day, he might have Yukine to take care of too.
He thinks Aki must be just as mindful about him. He doesn't hug her again, but he makes no effort to hide the warmth fluffing up in his chest. ]
I already want to hurl. You're too high energy and it's only been ten minutes.
[BUT...let's face it, between him, Sakura and Yuuko, Aki clearly doesn't mind. Not really.]
Speaking of, where do you hang around anyway? I couldn't find you at the park. I had to go snooping and intercept your route to work just to find you here.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
idk man maybe 4/12
When he turns around to find the culprit, he'll see none other than Aki, with a snowball still clutched in her other hand too.]
Surprise, bitch.
[She tries to nail him in the face with the second one, once he does turn to face her...]
1/2
What the f--
[ And then he sees Aki. She's looking right at him(!!). ]
2/2
Aki! You can see again!
[ She can probably guess what's coming next: here he comes to try and scoop her into a hug, smattered with snow. ]
1/3
[GODDAMMIT. DON'T HUG HER IN PUBLIC.]
no subject
Now that she remembers him, she remembers him not being a part of her life for a while. As far back as July, she hasn't really spoken to him in a way that wasn't entirely transient. It was as if he was gone entirely.
And now...
(Maybe it's not so bad...if I say I missed you too, you dumb dog.)]
no subject
Enough! If I get any of your sweat on me I'm gonna need another shower!
[She'll keep that feeling close to her heart.
And it's because it's such a precious feeling that it'll stay so closely guarded.]
no subject
Does this mean you're a spirit again?
no subject
Seems that way. I went through a whole tiger loaf on the way over here.
[Did she explain that without a Master she needs like 7 million calories to survive?? Oh well.
Either way--]
Can I rely on you again, Yato?
no subject
The fact that Aki is coming to him again for her survival needs isn't a surprise, exactly, but a small part of him wondered if she might prefer a different person to contract with the second time around. But Aki doesn't do anything she doesn't mean, so there's no need to doubt; she's chosen him a second time, the highest compliment she's paid him yet. ]
... Of course. As many times as it takes. Ready when you are!
[ He pushes up the left sleeve of his generic sweater (the tracksuit's dead, Jim), the better to see the tattoo when it appears. ]
no subject
[She reaches out with her hand to take his, her grip firm.]
I ask of you...are you my Master?
[Summoning servant process ultra condensed version.]
no subject
Yes. May we walk together, closer than kin.
no subject
But with that, the familiar sensation of his old command seals burning into the back of his hand should be immediately apparent, and after it's followed by a different, less burning sensation. The feeling of their connection returning.
"To tell you the truth, it was like a part of me I never knew was missing got filled. It wasn't bad at all..."
Anime flashbacks aside, she lets go of his hand.]
That should do it.
no subject
Their connection feels just as familiar as the day it disappeared. A pleased warmth radiates from Yato's head and heart, which isn't much of a hidden emotion when Yato looks just as pleased on the outside. A thought slips out of his head. ]
(I missed this feeling...)
[ He looks at the old tattoo burned into his skin before pulling his sleeve down over it. ]
Great! So what've I missed with you? We have so much to catch up on!
no subject
[Because aside the new apartment...everything about her life that isn't a shared retrospec experience isn't very eventful.]
Rather, I should be asking you that. Nothing you told me really stuck, y'know.
no subject
[ That's what he says, but he keeps right on talking, not giving her a moment to respond. He starts ticking points on his fingers. ]
A lot of stuff's happened. I joined a couple classes at the university. Theatre's real fun! I saw a bunch of stuff in that fog that was hanging around for a while and remembered a bunch of stuff. Turns out I was a traitor to Heaven in my other life. Whoops! Speaking of Heaven, Minako made a shrine for me. Come check it out with me sometime, okay?
What else? I could've sworn Chuuya and I killed each other, but we turned out okay somehow. Maybe I can't die? I went into a coma for a week afterward, but I can't complain too much. If I went kaput, the Inkwell would really be in trouble. We haven't been the same lately, what with Zoro gone and Toshi off Retrospec...
no subject
But seriously, this is a lot to take in, so it's time to prioritize.]
Okay, okay, one thing at a time.
You died...or something?
[She's concerned. He can probably feel it.]
no subject
Chuuya punched a hole in me right here. [ He pats his stomach. ] A big one, y'know? Not the kind of thing most people bounce back from. Next thing I knew, it was one week later and I was waking up in the hospital without a scratch.
[ He rubs his chin thoughtfully. ]
And, see, when we fought, I cut him up and stabbed him in the neck, so he should've been as dead as a doornail. But it turns out that he showed up as good as new a few days later with a bunch of memories missing. He wouldn't even believe me when I said we fought.
no subject
no subject
[ He doesn't feel especially distraught about it now though, seeing as how Chuuya came back... ]
Anyway, here's hoping it doesn't happen again. I don't think the Inkwell can stand much of both me and him missing work.
no subject
Yeah about that...]
You seem pretty chill about it, all things considered.
no subject
[ He shoves his hands into his pockets. His tracksuit is dead and gone, replaced by a more sensible (if just as fashion-worthless) sweater for winter. He looks up for a moment, thinking. Then decides there's not much point in withholding anything from Aki. He feels a little wistful, a little sad, but mostly okay. ]
I used to feel pretty anxious about losing people. A lot of people have dropped off Retrospec, y'know? Yuuko, Mikoto, Ryoji, Dirk, Toshi... It was you, and one day it might be Anya. I dunno how much room I have to be any more upset than I have to be.
no subject
[It's not exactly the kind of answer she'd expect from him, but...
There's a ping of something in their connection, even if the exact emotion is a little hard to pin down.]
Yeah...I know how you feel.
It's a lot more peaceful to be off the network...but I don't want to lose anyone else, either.
1/2
He thinks Aki must be just as mindful about him. He doesn't hug her again, but he makes no effort to hide the warmth fluffing up in his chest. ]
2/2
You're here now, so welcome back! We've got tons of lost time to make up for, so you're gonna start seeing so much of me that you'll wanna hurl!
no subject
[BUT...let's face it, between him, Sakura and Yuuko, Aki clearly doesn't mind. Not really.]
Speaking of, where do you hang around anyway? I couldn't find you at the park. I had to go snooping and intercept your route to work just to find you here.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
1/2
2/2
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
1/2
2/2
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)