[His lips twitch again, curling upward at the corners. He likes that Arisu is teasing him a little. It’s fun when he’s not the only one in the conversation doing some trolling. ]
Maybe you should.
[He takes a cookie out of the bag and pops it into his mouth.]
( leaning back in his chair, arisu stretches his long legs out, tucking them somewhere under chishiya's dangling feet. )
Oh, yeah. Any day of the week. ( he looks at chishiya, head tilted, with a thoughtful expression. learning things about him is like sifting for gold. ) Are cookies your favorite?
( grinning, arisu holds his hands up, as if admitting defeat. chishiya’s point has been proven, at least where cookies are concerned. )
So.
( drinking some coffee, he sets his feet more firmly on the ground, scooting into chishiya’s legs, although he’s more careful to look at the desk itself than chishiya, who’s in a somewhat advantageous position. )
You work here. ( it’s about what he expects — not especially unique to chishiya in anyway other than its meticulousness. arisu kisses his teeth. ) No pictures of me. What a bad husband.
[He sounds vaguely awkward, because that hadn’t occurred to him. But thinking about it now, he supposes that spouses do things like that, normally. Have pictures of each other. It’s times like that this he’s reminded how cold the home he grew up in was. Sentimental family photos haven’t really been a typical part of his life.]
Do you have any of me?
[He doubts it. He hasn’t given Arisu any photos of himself, either, for the same reason he never thought to ask for any of Arisu.]
( almost like he didn't hear the question, arisu doesn't answer, instead pulling from the tote bag containing their lunches an alien version of a polaroid camera. not skipping a beat, he turns it on, aims it at chishiya sitting primly on his desk, and — click. )
Yes.
( he holds the evidence, a slowly developing photo, up between his two fingers. )
Because I'm a good husband.
( grinning while he says it, he looks inordinately pleased with himself. )
[He raises an eyebrow as Arisu turns his attention to his bag instead of answering the question. And then, when he sees the camera he blinks again, this time in surprise, as Arisu snaps the picture.]
Did you plan this?
[He eyes the slowly developing picture for a second before he puts the bag of cookies aside. He lets Arisu keep the photo, though he doubts it'll be especially flattering. He reaches for the camera. He can't help it, he’s curious.]
I got it for you, at one of the thrift shops. I thought you'd like it.
( chishiya loves these weird, vintage-y bits of tech. plus, he gave arisu the gameboy. he owed him.
he offers up the camera easily, focusing instead on the picture. contrary to chishiya's belief, he looks extremely cute in it, and very competent in his lab coat. it's a little treasure. )
[His tone actually betrays his surprise. He's gotten used to letting his guard down around Arisu and he is, honestly, too surprised to try to cover it.
There haven't been many people who have bothered to get him gifts, particularly thoughtful ones that take into account his likes or interests.
He gives the camera a cursory inspection, although he's a little distracted by the warmth blooming in his chest.]
[Why should Arisu be the only one with a candid photo?
But then he quirks an eyebrow at the invitation. It feels bold somehow, in spite of Arisu's little moment of hesitation. Chishiya, though, doesn't hesitate. He may not have spoken of his feelings since the night of the party but they're still there. It's why he never pushes Arisu away when he snuggles up to him at night.
He pushes himself off the desk and moves to settle into Arisu's lap.]
( he was under the very misguided belief that overexposure to chishiya pretty much this whole mission was building him up a resistance to shyness. turns out, there's no real immunity to the effect of chishiya being near him — arisu ducks his head and avoids making eye contact, covering up his blush by reaching for the camera instead. he has longer arms, so it makes sense for him to be the one to hold it up, aiming it back at them. )
Okay. Here we go.
( arisu doesn't smile at the camera — he smiles at chishiya, pressing his nose against chishiya's cheek, before taking the picture. )
[Chishiya's lips twitch slightly, noticing the way Arisu shyly avoids meeting his eyes. It seems like perhaps he didn't think inviting Chishiya into his lap through entirely, but he also doesn't seem to be regretting it, exactly. As for Chishiya, he's immediately more interested in Arisu gently nuzzling his cheek than he is in the camera. As Arisu snaps the picture, he's already started to turn his head, so the picture will either be Chishiya's face being a blur of motion as he turns or a candid image of them touching noses.
He smiles faintly as their noses brush together.]
Ryo-chan. [His voice is soft and amused. Playful.] You're tempting me at work. [It doesn't sound like a complaint.]
( arisu has literally never tempted anyone into anything. the idea alone is silly. if he didn't have a camera in his hand, he'd tickle chishiya's waist in reprimand.
as it is, he just stays in chishiya's personal space, oddly comfortable there. he gives chishiya a singular bounce on his knee, which makes arisu's lips curve up, putting effort forward into not laughing literally in his face. )
( arisu tuts, taking chishiya in tow while he leans over to deposit the camera and photo on his desk. it's easy to keep him balanced with both hands on him, snagged around his waist. )
Maybe insatiable is what I meant.
( his lip curves up wryly, but — well. if chishiya isn't leaving his lap, arisu isn't going to make him. )
[He hums, sliding an arm around Arisu's shoulders as he shifts foward, though it's not really necessary. Arisu does a good job of holding him steady.]
Ah, well...
[His gaze lingers on Arisu's mouth for a moment before he lifts it to meet his eyes.]
That might be true.
[It's definitely true. It feels like there’s always been a sort of hole inside him that he’s constantly seeking to fill with…something. Satisfaction, would have been preferable, but when he couldn't find that he settled for bitterness and cynicism. Now he's found hope again for something more positive, at least for a little while. For the time he has left. He tries not to dwell on the possibility that it may not be much.
Idly he runs his fingers through Arisu's hair, very pointedly not getting up from his lap. He considers asking Arisu if he'd like a demonstration of just how insatiable he really is, but decides instead to show him a little mercy. He doesn't have to fluster his pseudo husband at every opportunity. ]
( it kinda seems like, for a second, chishiya was going to kiss him. arisu is not opposed.
but he doesn't, and arisu doesn't know what to make of the fissure of disappointment in his chest. just having him close is plenty as far as gifts go — arisu wonders if wanting for more is selfish, or the simple desires of a man who was never given much affection to begin with. )
Oh, yeah. Your lunch. It turned out good today.
( every day since the party has been an exploration of arisu's bad, but steadily increasing, cooking skills. he wouldn't be shocked to hear chishiya throws it out every day, considering what a disaster it is. but today it's acceptable — arisu snags chishiya's bento box from his tote and hands it to him. inside is a humble meal of white rice, sliced omelet pieces, and little sausages cut and cooked to look like octopi. each little octopus has a kitty face, cut out of seaweed. when chishiya unveils it, arisu points it out, excitedly. )
[His lips twitch a little and he raises an eyebrow.]
You say that like it didn't turn out good yesterday.
[It wasn't too bad yesterday, in facgt. Chishiya has willingly eaten everything Arisu has made for him. It's not something that's been done for him often and he's not quite a big enough asshole to reject it out of hand. At least, not any more. And he does recognize the effort. Arisu has definitely improved since the party. Chishiya hasn't eaten a single charred yaki onigiri in well over a week.
He plucks up one of the kitty octopi and studies it. It is pretty cute, actually.]
It's like the character from that game in the Game Boy I gave you.
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Maybe you should.
[He takes a cookie out of the bag and pops it into his mouth.]
So you like chips over pocky.
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Oh, yeah. Any day of the week. ( he looks at chishiya, head tilted, with a thoughtful expression. learning things about him is like sifting for gold. ) Are cookies your favorite?
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He hums affirmatively at the question. He finds he doesn’t mind answering Arisu’s questions when he asks them. He’s earned his answers.]
For snacking, yeah. But if I want something savory I usually choose rice crackers.
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Arisu-kun, are you a health nut?
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I’m a cardiologist.
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( he wonders if chishiya has any vices at all. other than lighting game boards on fire. )
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I like junk food.
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So.
( drinking some coffee, he sets his feet more firmly on the ground, scooting into chishiya’s legs, although he’s more careful to look at the desk itself than chishiya, who’s in a somewhat advantageous position. )
You work here. ( it’s about what he expects — not especially unique to chishiya in anyway other than its meticulousness. arisu kisses his teeth. ) No pictures of me. What a bad husband.
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Well, you haven’t given me any.
[He sounds vaguely awkward, because that hadn’t occurred to him. But thinking about it now, he supposes that spouses do things like that, normally. Have pictures of each other. It’s times like that this he’s reminded how cold the home he grew up in was. Sentimental family photos haven’t really been a typical part of his life.]
Do you have any of me?
[He doubts it. He hasn’t given Arisu any photos of himself, either, for the same reason he never thought to ask for any of Arisu.]
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Yes.
( he holds the evidence, a slowly developing photo, up between his two fingers. )
Because I'm a good husband.
( grinning while he says it, he looks inordinately pleased with himself. )
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Did you plan this?
[He eyes the slowly developing picture for a second before he puts the bag of cookies aside. He lets Arisu keep the photo, though he doubts it'll be especially flattering. He reaches for the camera. He can't help it, he’s curious.]
Where did you get that?
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( chishiya loves these weird, vintage-y bits of tech. plus, he gave arisu the gameboy. he owed him.
he offers up the camera easily, focusing instead on the picture. contrary to chishiya's belief, he looks extremely cute in it, and very competent in his lab coat. it's a little treasure. )
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[His tone actually betrays his surprise. He's gotten used to letting his guard down around Arisu and he is, honestly, too surprised to try to cover it.
There haven't been many people who have bothered to get him gifts, particularly thoughtful ones that take into account his likes or interests.
He gives the camera a cursory inspection, although he's a little distracted by the warmth blooming in his chest.]
What's the occasion?
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( he scratches the back of his head, shyly. he didn't really consider how embarrassing giving a gift to chishiya would feel. )
I just thought you'd like it. It's not a big deal.
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I do like it.
[He holds up the little Polaroid picture after it pops out.]
And I hate being bad at things.
[Meaning, he won't settle for being a bad husband.]
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Wait, I wasn't ready.
( he hesitates, apparent in his shyness. after a second, he pats his lap invitingly, nodding his head at chishiya. )
Let's take one together.
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I wasn't ready when you took mine, either.
[Why should Arisu be the only one with a candid photo?
But then he quirks an eyebrow at the invitation. It feels bold somehow, in spite of Arisu's little moment of hesitation. Chishiya, though, doesn't hesitate. He may not have spoken of his feelings since the night of the party but they're still there. It's why he never pushes Arisu away when he snuggles up to him at night.
He pushes himself off the desk and moves to settle into Arisu's lap.]
Like this?
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Yep. Right.
( he was under the very misguided belief that overexposure to chishiya pretty much this whole mission was building him up a resistance to shyness. turns out, there's no real immunity to the effect of chishiya being near him — arisu ducks his head and avoids making eye contact, covering up his blush by reaching for the camera instead. he has longer arms, so it makes sense for him to be the one to hold it up, aiming it back at them. )
Okay. Here we go.
( arisu doesn't smile at the camera — he smiles at chishiya, pressing his nose against chishiya's cheek, before taking the picture. )
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He smiles faintly as their noses brush together.]
Ryo-chan. [His voice is soft and amused. Playful.] You're tempting me at work. [It doesn't sound like a complaint.]
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( arisu has literally never tempted anyone into anything. the idea alone is silly. if he didn't have a camera in his hand, he'd tickle chishiya's waist in reprimand.
as it is, he just stays in chishiya's personal space, oddly comfortable there. he gives chishiya a singular bounce on his knee, which makes arisu's lips curve up, putting effort forward into not laughing literally in his face. )
I think you're easily excitable. That's all.
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That might be the first time anyone has ever said that to me.
[Chishiya knows exactly the vibe he gives off. He's cultivated it. Calm indifference generally considered the opposite of "easily excitable."
But after a moment of thought he adds:]
Although, I guess there are different kinds of excitement.
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Maybe insatiable is what I meant.
( his lip curves up wryly, but — well. if chishiya isn't leaving his lap, arisu isn't going to make him. )
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Ah, well...
[His gaze lingers on Arisu's mouth for a moment before he lifts it to meet his eyes.]
That might be true.
[It's definitely true. It feels like there’s always been a sort of hole inside him that he’s constantly seeking to fill with…something. Satisfaction, would have been preferable, but when he couldn't find that he settled for bitterness and cynicism. Now he's found hope again for something more positive, at least for a little while. For the time he has left. He tries not to dwell on the possibility that it may not be much.
Idly he runs his fingers through Arisu's hair, very pointedly not getting up from his lap. He considers asking Arisu if he'd like a demonstration of just how insatiable he really is, but decides instead to show him a little mercy. He doesn't have to fluster his pseudo husband at every opportunity. ]
Did you bring anything besides cookies for lunch?
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but he doesn't, and arisu doesn't know what to make of the fissure of disappointment in his chest. just having him close is plenty as far as gifts go — arisu wonders if wanting for more is selfish, or the simple desires of a man who was never given much affection to begin with. )
Oh, yeah. Your lunch. It turned out good today.
( every day since the party has been an exploration of arisu's bad, but steadily increasing, cooking skills. he wouldn't be shocked to hear chishiya throws it out every day, considering what a disaster it is. but today it's acceptable — arisu snags chishiya's bento box from his tote and hands it to him. inside is a humble meal of white rice, sliced omelet pieces, and little sausages cut and cooked to look like octopi. each little octopus has a kitty face, cut out of seaweed. when chishiya unveils it, arisu points it out, excitedly. )
I found a stamp! Aren't they cute?
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You say that like it didn't turn out good yesterday.
[It wasn't too bad yesterday, in facgt. Chishiya has willingly eaten everything Arisu has made for him. It's not something that's been done for him often and he's not quite a big enough asshole to reject it out of hand. At least, not any more. And he does recognize the effort. Arisu has definitely improved since the party. Chishiya hasn't eaten a single charred yaki onigiri in well over a week.
He plucks up one of the kitty octopi and studies it. It is pretty cute, actually.]
It's like the character from that game in the Game Boy I gave you.
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