[ With another giggle, ] It doesn't count because the answer's obvious. Of course!
[ He won't admit it if not pressed, but he's having a hard time imagining falling asleep any other way too. It's so much easier like this, Haruaki's soft breath and steadying pulse a tactile lullaby more effective than any over the counter sleep aid. He may very well go right back to his old habits with it gone...
But it's never productive to fall asleep melancholy if one can help it. So he laces his fingers behind Haruaki's back, a show that he's locked in and staying right where he is. ]
[ It is his turn, and Haruaki goes quiet as he thinks it over.
He's never been terribly skilled at letting silence fall easily, unused to having people around who don't make him feel the need to fill space with chatter. But he was learning with Miki and Hatanaka, and he's still learning now, every time he and Akira merely exist around one another without pattering on and on. It helps him feel more comfortable like this, ensconced in the quiet of his darkened bedroom, nothing more than the sound of their breathing filling the room as he sifts through question after question.
Finally, after some time: ]
If you could see a vision of your future, or maybe even just know something about what's coming for you... would you want to?
[ Weird things happen all the time here, and wishes don't come free, no matter how frivolously he uses his own. He does keep wondering if they'll be offered something like that next. Visions of those big, abstract wishes that brought them here fulfilled, maybe. Or just little details that might make them want to stay here instead of going back home. His gears are always turning. ]
Or would you rather not know what will happen to you and be surprised?
[ Akira on the other hand has a much easier time letting calm, comfortable silence fall between the two of them. His own mind is never silent after all, noting every little detail he can see, hear--and in this case feel, with the lazy hold effortlessly adding itself into their nightly routine. Even now he's still filing everything away for thinking over, now or later, which tiny mannerism is the most interesting about Haruaki as he thinks this over?
Then there's the question, which shuts those mental files for now. Asking him of all people about a vision from the future? He can't help but chuckle. ]
Whether it's the smart decision or not, I'd always want to know.
[ He would gaze into the eyes of any forbidden abyss with no hesitation if given the chance. There's a good chance it'll drive him mad one day. (If it hasn't already, judging by some of the more colorful nicknames he's gotten.) ]
Depending on the severity of the outcome, it could be used as a test for if fate really is inevitable. Although, mm...
[ A thoughtful furrow of his brows, ] Aren't there quite a few stories about figures trying to avoid a prophecy they only end up fulfilling? How accurate are those, do you think?
[ No matter how obvious the answer seems, Haruaki listens with rapt attention as if it were a completely new discovery. It is, in its own way, every single time. He doesn't presume to understand absolutely everything about Akira, so hearing the truth straight from his mouth is always preferable to his own assumptions.
Besides, the way he phrases things is so... endearing. Of course he'd want to use it to test fate. What a dork...
Haruaki hums and nods, fingers tracing an idle pattern along Akira's shoulder blade. ]
Yep, that's a pretty common trope! What's the saying? You meet your fate on the road you took to avoid it? Something like that.
[ As for how accurate that is to real life, though... who knows, really? That kind of thing would seem too convenient to be true, if someone asked him a year ago, but now that he knows his ancestor has seen how his whole life will unfold... well, Haruaki's not exactly the best judge of whether fate can be defied or not. ]
Maybe... it's not really about fate being inevitable, but about learning to accept what happens to you instead of trying to fight against it. You learn more lessons that way, right?
[ It's not like he has all that much tension running through him at this moment, but with those patterns from Haruaki's hands there's even less. Just another point towards not being able to imagine getting to sleep any other way than the surefire method of being handled so gently... ]
I never thought about it like that, but you raise a good point. There's something to be said about being adaptable.
[ His next move comes without much thought. His tone is teasing, but the look on his face oh so very fond, softly bumping their foreheads as if to emphasize his point. ]
You'd know that best out of us, wouldn't you? Life is always throwing such strange things at you!
[ As much as he'd to soak up some praise, Haruaki's self-image is too honest. ]
I try, but I'm not always great at it either! For a long time I cried and wanted to run away every morning when class began!
[ He's certainly become more resilient and adaptable since then, but there's a reason his first reaction to strange new things is usually to flee like a coward. ]
[ Well, that's true too. Haruaki was quite flighty when they first met again, and while he's made progress there's still pieces of that left in him. There's another saying...a tiger can't change its stripes? There will always be a frightened little tiger cub in there somewhere, or something along those lines.
Akira doesn't mind. It's cute. ]
Maybe we could all use that lesson.
[ He could, he'll admit that, even if it probably won't sink in any time soon. He can adapt in a moment, but it's usually to serve a single stubborn purpose. Haruaki is still more flexible than him in that regard.
Once again, though, he wasn't always like that. It takes significance for something to sink in, be it hours upon hours of study or one fateful event.
Clearly lost in thought for a few moments, his eyes softly slide back into the present once more with his forehead deciding to continue resting against the other's. ]
What would you say is the hardest lesson you've had to learn?
[ They've become so comfortable with one another, spend so much time in close quarters like this, that at first the gentle pressure of Akira's forehead against his doesn't register. It's not as if he hasn't bumped his own against Hatanaka's or Miki's in moments of pure happiness, nuzzling like an excited puppy – but Akira only rests there, even as their conversation continues, and that prickles some strange heat up the back of Haruaki's neck.
Akira really is the only person with whom he's ever done anything like this. What does that mean, at the end of the day...?
He fidgets with the fabric of Akira's sleep shirt, but he doesn't pull away. Novel and strange as it is, he kind of likes it, cuddling up this close. ]
The hardest? Ooh, that's tricky...
[ There were some difficult subjects he struggled with in university, and his mother has given him some lectures that weren't so easy to hear, and of course the lesson that he won't be able to save every sailor uniform from wear and tear was a hard pill to swallow, but...
Haruaki hums to himself, thoughtful, hand flattening out against Akira's spine once more. It travels up, up, up, until it rests against Akira's nape. ]
You really put me on the spot! Can I think about it for a minute?
[ Both of them could be forgiven for drifting off to sleep, for how long it takes Haruaki to come up with an answer.
It's not a lesson that was taught to him by one singular person. It feels like a lesson that slowly built up throughout his life, then exploded onto the scene when he came to Hyakki Academy. It's simple, too. It shouldn't keep hitting him in the face, and yet–
It's happening again in this strange world, too.
Haruaki's voice comes whisper-quiet through the darkened bedroom. ]
No one is alone. Even when it feels like you are, maybe even for years... there are people out there who care about you, and who would be sad if you got hurt, and if you're patient, you'll keep finding more of them.
[ Be reckless in a way that won't worry anyone dovetails nicely into it. It would be so easy for Haruaki to just be reckless if he still was as intensely lonely as he was growing up, or living as a futon ghost at the shrine with his family.
But Principal already knew him. Akira and Yamazaki and Ibara already knew him. Miki and Hatanaka already knew him...
It feels silly now that he was ever so lonesome. He had people waiting for him to reappear in their lives, even if they didn't know it at the time either. ]
It doesn't sound like it would be a hard lesson to learn, huh? It's definitely a nice one! But I guess if you're so used to thinking or feeling a certain way, something like that can take a while to sink in.
What a very Haruaki-like answer. Akira's heard bits and pieces about his life before the academy, but it's still so difficult to imagine this man somewhere he hasn't wormed his way into the hearts of every single person he meets, even if it takes one or two tries. He just seems so...so intrinsically built to be connected to those around him.
But not everything in life is a straight road, is it? We're born in odd cities, in odd families, among odd neighbors. Maybe not everything slips into place as well as it should right away. ]
Mm, I can see how that would be hard to really internalize.
[ He spent an awful long time waiting himself, after all. If a certain someone hadn't come along his own ability to connect would have... ]
I'm glad you did, though. You of all people should know how dear you are to so many of us around you.
[ If he had his hands free, he'd literally wave it off. As it stands, he only squeezes Akira where he's holding him, one hand still at his nape, the other tucked up against his chest where he balls the fabric of his sleep shirt into his fist. ]
You compliment me way too much, Akira-kun! I'm just lucky to have everyone in my life now, that's all...
[ It's not that Haruaki doesn't realize his own importance in their lives. It's just that he can't go around thinking like that. It's totally antithetical to how he's always been!
He rears his head back just enough to knock his forehead against Akira's, a light bonk, then grinds it there. ]
Those were nice questions, huh? I'm glad we do this.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ He won't admit it if not pressed, but he's having a hard time imagining falling asleep any other way too. It's so much easier like this, Haruaki's soft breath and steadying pulse a tactile lullaby more effective than any over the counter sleep aid. He may very well go right back to his old habits with it gone...
But it's never productive to fall asleep melancholy if one can help it. So he laces his fingers behind Haruaki's back, a show that he's locked in and staying right where he is. ]
It is your turn to go first tonight, though.
no subject
He's never been terribly skilled at letting silence fall easily, unused to having people around who don't make him feel the need to fill space with chatter. But he was learning with Miki and Hatanaka, and he's still learning now, every time he and Akira merely exist around one another without pattering on and on. It helps him feel more comfortable like this, ensconced in the quiet of his darkened bedroom, nothing more than the sound of their breathing filling the room as he sifts through question after question.
Finally, after some time: ]
If you could see a vision of your future, or maybe even just know something about what's coming for you... would you want to?
[ Weird things happen all the time here, and wishes don't come free, no matter how frivolously he uses his own. He does keep wondering if they'll be offered something like that next. Visions of those big, abstract wishes that brought them here fulfilled, maybe. Or just little details that might make them want to stay here instead of going back home. His gears are always turning. ]
Or would you rather not know what will happen to you and be surprised?
no subject
Then there's the question, which shuts those mental files for now. Asking him of all people about a vision from the future? He can't help but chuckle. ]
Whether it's the smart decision or not, I'd always want to know.
[ He would gaze into the eyes of any forbidden abyss with no hesitation if given the chance. There's a good chance it'll drive him mad one day. (If it hasn't already, judging by some of the more colorful nicknames he's gotten.) ]
Depending on the severity of the outcome, it could be used as a test for if fate really is inevitable. Although, mm...
[ A thoughtful furrow of his brows, ] Aren't there quite a few stories about figures trying to avoid a prophecy they only end up fulfilling? How accurate are those, do you think?
no subject
Besides, the way he phrases things is so... endearing. Of course he'd want to use it to test fate. What a dork...
Haruaki hums and nods, fingers tracing an idle pattern along Akira's shoulder blade. ]
Yep, that's a pretty common trope! What's the saying? You meet your fate on the road you took to avoid it? Something like that.
[ As for how accurate that is to real life, though... who knows, really? That kind of thing would seem too convenient to be true, if someone asked him a year ago, but now that he knows his ancestor has seen how his whole life will unfold... well, Haruaki's not exactly the best judge of whether fate can be defied or not. ]
Maybe... it's not really about fate being inevitable, but about learning to accept what happens to you instead of trying to fight against it. You learn more lessons that way, right?
no subject
I never thought about it like that, but you raise a good point. There's something to be said about being adaptable.
[ His next move comes without much thought. His tone is teasing, but the look on his face oh so very fond, softly bumping their foreheads as if to emphasize his point. ]
You'd know that best out of us, wouldn't you? Life is always throwing such strange things at you!
no subject
[ As much as he'd to soak up some praise, Haruaki's self-image is too honest. ]
I try, but I'm not always great at it either! For a long time I cried and wanted to run away every morning when class began!
[ He's certainly become more resilient and adaptable since then, but there's a reason his first reaction to strange new things is usually to flee like a coward. ]
I guess I could use that lesson too...
no subject
Akira doesn't mind. It's cute. ]
Maybe we could all use that lesson.
[ He could, he'll admit that, even if it probably won't sink in any time soon. He can adapt in a moment, but it's usually to serve a single stubborn purpose. Haruaki is still more flexible than him in that regard.
Once again, though, he wasn't always like that. It takes significance for something to sink in, be it hours upon hours of study or one fateful event.
Clearly lost in thought for a few moments, his eyes softly slide back into the present once more with his forehead deciding to continue resting against the other's. ]
What would you say is the hardest lesson you've had to learn?
no subject
Akira really is the only person with whom he's ever done anything like this. What does that mean, at the end of the day...?
He fidgets with the fabric of Akira's sleep shirt, but he doesn't pull away. Novel and strange as it is, he kind of likes it, cuddling up this close. ]
The hardest? Ooh, that's tricky...
[ There were some difficult subjects he struggled with in university, and his mother has given him some lectures that weren't so easy to hear, and of course the lesson that he won't be able to save every sailor uniform from wear and tear was a hard pill to swallow, but...
Haruaki hums to himself, thoughtful, hand flattening out against Akira's spine once more. It travels up, up, up, until it rests against Akira's nape. ]
You really put me on the spot! Can I think about it for a minute?
no subject
Mhmm, you can think about it all you like. I'm not falling asleep until you tell me.
[ Bold words for someone with sleep slipping so sneakily into his voice. ]
no subject
It's not a lesson that was taught to him by one singular person. It feels like a lesson that slowly built up throughout his life, then exploded onto the scene when he came to Hyakki Academy. It's simple, too. It shouldn't keep hitting him in the face, and yet–
It's happening again in this strange world, too.
Haruaki's voice comes whisper-quiet through the darkened bedroom. ]
No one is alone. Even when it feels like you are, maybe even for years... there are people out there who care about you, and who would be sad if you got hurt, and if you're patient, you'll keep finding more of them.
[ Be reckless in a way that won't worry anyone dovetails nicely into it. It would be so easy for Haruaki to just be reckless if he still was as intensely lonely as he was growing up, or living as a futon ghost at the shrine with his family.
But Principal already knew him. Akira and Yamazaki and Ibara already knew him. Miki and Hatanaka already knew him...
It feels silly now that he was ever so lonesome. He had people waiting for him to reappear in their lives, even if they didn't know it at the time either. ]
It doesn't sound like it would be a hard lesson to learn, huh? It's definitely a nice one! But I guess if you're so used to thinking or feeling a certain way, something like that can take a while to sink in.
no subject
What a very Haruaki-like answer. Akira's heard bits and pieces about his life before the academy, but it's still so difficult to imagine this man somewhere he hasn't wormed his way into the hearts of every single person he meets, even if it takes one or two tries. He just seems so...so intrinsically built to be connected to those around him.
But not everything in life is a straight road, is it? We're born in odd cities, in odd families, among odd neighbors. Maybe not everything slips into place as well as it should right away. ]
Mm, I can see how that would be hard to really internalize.
[ He spent an awful long time waiting himself, after all. If a certain someone hadn't come along his own ability to connect would have... ]
I'm glad you did, though. You of all people should know how dear you are to so many of us around you.
no subject
You compliment me way too much, Akira-kun! I'm just lucky to have everyone in my life now, that's all...
[ It's not that Haruaki doesn't realize his own importance in their lives. It's just that he can't go around thinking like that. It's totally antithetical to how he's always been!
He rears his head back just enough to knock his forehead against Akira's, a light bonk, then grinds it there. ]
Those were nice questions, huh? I'm glad we do this.