damned_institute | Day 62: Breakfast

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Day 62: Breakfast

A misplaced sense of familiarity met Barnaby the moment he opened his eyes, and the sight of the blank, white ceiling from yesterday morning greeted him. After rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands, Barnaby sat up and felt around for his glasses. Had he blacked out again and wasted an entire night? Where was Kotetsu? And what had become of the man who had seemingly vanished before his very eyes at the end of dinner?

Once Barnaby slipped his frames onto his face, the world came into clearer focus, even if he didn’t get any answers out of it. He was in his room, and someone had apparently stripped him out of his street clothes in favor of the hideous hospital pajamas. Barnaby wasn't sure what he found more offensive -- that someone here had once again touched his things without his permission, or that he’d been undressed while unconscious for the second time since his arrival.

The thought made his skin crawl.

Just as he looked over to find a lump in the bed next to him, though, his assigned nurse came to retrieve him. He would have to confirm Klavier Gavin's whereabouts later. For now, he had no choice but to allow the nurse to escort him into the cafeteria. Strangely, she seemed to be under the impression that he and the other patients had slept soundly the whole night. While he might have assumed it was an act, Barnaby got the feeling that she genuinely believed what she was saying.

Regardless of her intentions, he knew she wasn't going to be any help. Instead of trying to ask her anymore questions, Barnaby left a note on the bulletin board concerning his roommate. If his observations from yesterday were any indication, he'd get some responses, at least. While he could have taken the time to leave something for Kotetsu, Barnaby didn't feel inclined to do so, especially when he knew he probably wouldn't check the board anyway.

He had no appetite this morning, but his nurse wouldn't leave him alone until she'd assembled a tray of fresh, fluffy pancakes for him. Honestly, Barnaby didn't see why some people felt the need to butt into his personal choices like this. At least there wasn't anyone forcing him to eat -- for now, at any rate. He sat down at an empty table close to the wall after setting his food down, privately hoping that she wouldn't try to find a "friend" for him to eat with this morning. He was tucked out of the way, so maybe she would forget about him for a few minutes as long as he didn't draw any unnecessary attention to himself.

Hands neatly clasped on the table, Barnaby didn't look at anyone in particular as patients filtered into the cafeteria for their morning meal. There were too many questions buzzing in his mind for him to focus on the names and faces of people he didn't care about. If Kotetsu wanted to find him, he could. It wasn't like Barnaby was going anywhere.

[For Kotetsu.]

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"They'll heal all on their own," he grumbled. "I don't want any help from these people." It was their fault he had the injuries. Letting them patch him up would be an indignity he simply refused to bear. He could still function perfectly well, if somewhat slower than usual. There was no need for any medical intervention.

"I didn't throw anything. You dropped it." Under some duress, true, but still. What sort of swordsman couldn't keep hold of an eating utensil. It wasn't his problem. ...okay, so maybe that line of thought was somewhat needlessly defensive, but Souji's complaining was just as frivolous, so he found it very, very hard to care.

"I am not feeding you." He ate the fruit off the end of his fork for emphasis. "You can figure out some way to feed yourself." Souji wasn't a child, as much as he seemed to enjoy acting like one. He was not going to coddle him when it came to breakfast foods.

Edited 2012-03-06 07:51 (UTC)

"You can be so stubborn sometimes," he chided, knowing it was just all for show. He understood Hijikata's reluctance, even if it was a bit silly. Even Okita was forced to take things here and, despite his initial reluctance, found that it had helped. His fever was down this morning for one and he hadn't coughed this shift yet either for two. Puffing his cheeks out, he dropped his arms as he spotted the poor abandoned fork lying under the table, just out of reach and definitely unclean. He could never bring himself to eat with a utensil that had touched the floor. That was just gross.

"And you made me drop it," Okita corrected, dropping forward again and putting his chin in his hands once more. Hijikata made a show of eating the fruit himself and Souji, in turn, made a show of looking frightfully offended by Hijikata's refusal to feed him with their one functional fork. How could Hijikata deny him breakfast foods? Pancakes only came once a week. This was serious business. He needed his pancakes. And--

...Idea.

"But," he said nonchalantly, lowering his hands to the table. "If you insist." One hand snatched out, two fingers gracefully scooping up where the head of the fork met the handle and in one fluid movement, Souji swept the contested implement out of Hijikata's hand. He continued the movement by flipping it around in his fingers, stabbing a piece of syrup covered pancake and then sticking the food in his mouth as he smiled around it. A few bites and a swallow later and Souji was pleased as pie with himself. "Now I have pancakes and an indirect kiss~"

He would have snapped that he was not stubborn, only practical, but that would just have added fuel to the fire, and frankly, he just didn't have the energy. Fine. He was stubborn. So be it. He was perfectly fine with that, if it meant he could keep what little dignity he had left after being violently accosted by plant life. Which he was certainly never going to admit to. If anyone asked, he was going to say he was tossed around by something twelve feet tall with hideous fangs and claws. Certainly not by a flower while on an herb-gathering expedition. That was just horribly unmanly, really.

"I didn't make you do anything." He was just splitting hairs now, but he didn't really care. He had the fork and--

He didn't have the fork. Well, that was apparently what he got for mentally questioning a genius swordsman's dexterity. Forkless. Forknappd. Devoid of eating utensils. He was about to protest, loudly, but then the words 'indirect kiss' hit his brain, and his body apparently decided he'd be better off sputtering like a stupid, embarrassed teenager.

Oh, he really hated mornings.

There was something satisfying about being able to fluster the normally stoic Hijikata. Sticking the fork back in his mouth, Souji smiled around it, watching Hijikata sputter and possibly turn colors if his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. For someone so determined to be scary and grumpy, he was strangely honest about the weirdest things - this being one of them. Hijikata was a lady's man, there was no question about that. Charming, suave, composed, he had turned the heads of several women both in Hino and in the capitol. They loved him for his looks and his appeal and Souji wondered what they would think of him now as he tried to get the figurative floor back under his feet so his brain worked again.

Pulling the fork out, he quickly cut up the remainder of his pancakes and then handed the thing back to Hijikata. It was with great ceremony that he put it down on the man's tray and with no small amount of joy that he then went to eating his food with his fingers. If he couldn't have a fork, then he was going to make sure Hijikata couldn't either. He was certain after that little display that the vice commander would be far too embarrassed to eat with the fork Souji had just stuck in his mouth; unless his calculations were off and when it came to this, Souji knew Hijikata well.

With a grin that looked decidedly less than innocent, he picked a piece of fruit up between two fingers and brought it to his lips. "Aren't you going to eat, Hijikata-san?"

He sat there a moment longer while Souji had his way with his fork, and then put it back like there was nothing to it.

Clearly, he was being taunted.

Normally, he'd just leave the fork where it was and proclaim that he was full anyway. That was probably what Souji expected. But if Souji was going to do things to purposefully mess with him, he wasn't going to do what he expected. Instead of blustering or scolding or scowling, he just picked up the fork, and speared a chunk of pancake with it.

"Not with my hands."

And then he stuck it in his mouth. Indirect kiss that.

Well. He had apparently lit the fires in Hijikata's competitive spirit and instead of shoving the fork away and refusing to eat, Hijikata took the challenge and ran with it. Very literally. With the fruit hovering centimeters from his lips, Okita watched as his friend and vice commander ate the pancake with a vigor that practically shouted, "Take that." For his part, Okita could do nothing other than watch and marvel at how silly this competition was going to turn out.

However, as he smiled and took a bite of his fruit, he realized there was a problem. If indirect kisses didn't fluster Hijikata into giving up his fork, then what would? Really, the question here should have been why did Souji care so much, but considering that this was him, such a thought did not cross his mind. Instead, he swallowed his food and quickly returned the first retort that came to mind.

"Does it taste like me?"

He nearly choked on his pancakes.

Distantly, a part of his mind realized that Souji probably hadn't considered exactly how that would sound to Hijikata. It was probably meant to be silly and teasing in a very Souji way, and not teasing in the all-together far less wholesome way it actually sounded. Ways he wasn't going to think about. Nope. Not at all.

At some point, he realized he was just sitting there, staring, probably looking like a fool. He stabbed some more pancake, just to have something to do. "How am I supposed to know?" He finally managed to retort. Better late than never, right?

Okita Souji: 2
Hijikata Toshizou: 0.5

He could be nice and say that the surprise of him using the fork was enough to net him at least a half point. It could have been a full point, but the way Hijikata was staring at him after he nearly choked on his food meant that Souji had yet again found some way to bring the great demon strategist's brain to come to a screeching halt. He smiled as Hijikata looked on, dumbfounded, and continued to eat his fruit as if nothing in the world were wrong. It was easy to tease him when it came to things like this, especially since Okita knew that Hijikata, despite all his years and wisdom and experience in the area, still considered Okita to be quite the innocent child in some ways. Innocent in this alone, and to be honest, he really was.

But, that didn't mean he didn't know what he was saying. Yes, the retort had been thoughtless, but given time to process, even he could see where that train of thought went. Hiding embarrassment was something Okita did well, however, and he ate his fruit nonchalantly as Hijikata stabbed at his pancakes, snapping out a defensive reply.

Hm~ Now how to answer? Okita rolled the piece of fruit between his fingers, wondering if he should push this or simply laugh it off and let it be. He remembered suddenly, a conversation a very long time ago held in the chapel upstairs, and the way he had laughed even though he felt no happiness at the assumption presented to him. Yes, it was silly to think that Hijikata could think that way of him. And yet it also hurt. Which was why he tried to make his next comment as lighthearted and noncommittal as possible.

"You could always try and find out," he tossed back, popping the remainder of his fruit in his mouth before turning to his pancakes covered in syrup.

That was...

Well. It was certainly not the sort of reply he'd been expecting. While the original remark could be written off as Souji not thinking his words through, it was hard to ascribe that sort of innocence to what he said now. Nor was it teasing in the way he would have anticipated, given his own flustered outburst.

Hijikata ate the pancake he'd speared to give himself an excuse to say nothing for another moment or two while he tried to work out this strange turn of events. Just what the hell was Souji up to now?

Finally, he set the fork down again and propped his chin up on his good arm, looking Souji over in a way he usually reserved for eying up the women in his vicinity, just to see how Souji reacted. Because he couldn't really...

No. That would be ridiculous. "I doubt you'd actually want me to do that," he replied finally, just as casual as Souji had been a few moments before.

Eating pancakes soaked in syrup with just his fingers was hard. It was even harder when he was trying to do so while trying to look as if he wasn't watching Hijikata for a reaction. He picked a piece up, tried to roll it in his fingers, realized that wasn't working and let it drop, then picked it up again normally and stuck it in his mouth, turning to the side as he licked the syrup off the tips while looking for a napkin. Hijikata himself was simply eating his not-as-sugar-coated pancakes and--

Eying him apparently.

He stopped his search for a napkin and tilted his head curiously to one side, looking right back at Hijikata as if he wasn't being sized up in the same way he'd seen Hijikata do to women in Kyoto. It was strange and a little unnerving, but it was all a game, right? He picked up his napkin and wiped his fingers off, picking up a piece of fruit instead as he finally got an answer to this strange competition they had going.

It was getting far too close for comfort and Okita immediately swung back to his usual teasing and smiles, unwilling to face the not-quite rejection as a not-quite acceptance. Instead, he held the fruit out to Hijikata with a pleasant smile. "I suppose it would be weird to have you try and bite me to find out how I taste," he said, laughing as if he didn't know the dangerous line they were skirting. "I wouldn't mind it, but knowing you, you'd bite. You have such a terrible reputation, Hijikata-san. Here, you should eat fruit, not just pancakes."

Edited 2012-03-07 05:59 (UTC)

Well, that was... interesting. Suddenly they were back to the teasing, which meant something, he was certain, although just what, he wasn't sure yet.

Back to teasing, back to trying to feed him, joking about his temperament like biting him was ever really what was being implied there. Well. He'd back off a little, if only out of respect for their friendship. This was interesting, but he certainly didn't want Souji upset with him at the end of it all. He took the offered fruit as a way of placating him for a movement, though he wasn't going to completely let that jab at his reputation go.

"I don't bite," he replied, and ate the fruit, giving Souji a faintly amused look. "Not unless I'm asked."

Let him handle that.

Edited 2012-03-07 06:29 (UTC)

"Well, I don't think I'd like being bitten, just so you know." Okita laughed easily at Hijikata's joke and went back to eating his breakfast. It was a little awkward to eat the pancakes with his fingers, but it did mean he had the pleasure of sucking the syrup from his fingertips afterwards. Also, eating meant he had to look down to concentrate and that he didn't have to look at Hijikata. It was an easy escape, a natural one, which he was more than happy to use, smiling as if nothing were wrong. Because nothing was, he was certain of it. Their carefully balanced friendship hadn't been tipped one way or the other by his harmless teasing and not quite innocent flirting, and everything was exactly as it was before. It was for him at least. Hijikata was just being competitive and soon enough this would just be another story they laughed over.

Someday. Okita's fingers slowed as he realized just how far away that someday would be. He still hadn't told Hijikata about the decision looming in front of him and after all of this, he wasn't sure he wanted to do it. They would end on a high note this way, a laughing strange one, but one that didn't speak of darker times to come. He picked up a piece of fruit and ate it thoughtfully, realizing that no, today would not be the day. Hijikata would be angry at him when he found out, certainly, but to save this moment of peace, Okita would take any number of tongue-lashings later. To give Hijikata just a few more hours, a day, even a week of peace, Okita would do anything.

With that decided, he smiled again and finished off his fruit, wiping his fingers on the paper napkin. There were still eggs to eat, but those were definitely not going to be done with fingers alone and he doubted Hijikata would so readily give up the fork now. He glanced up at him and set his chin on the back of his hand, watching Hijikata for a long moment. "Do many people ask you to bite them?"

And just like that, it seemed, things slid back towards normalcy. Souji was, perhaps, a little quieter than he might have normally been, but that didn't mean anything.

None of it really meant anything. The morning had gotten a very rough start, and they'd needed this. That seemed reasonable enough. If he read any more into it than that, he'd get himself into trouble, and that was certainly not something he wanted for either of them.

He poked at his breakfast a little more, making a scoffing noise at that question. "Not lately." Or even vaguely recently, if he wanted to be honest. Being the Shinsengumi's feared vice-commander might have been good for keeping discipline, but it had been hell on his social life, and being stuck here certainly wasn't doing anything to improve it.

"That's too bad," he said, teasingly. "I'm sure you're very good at it." Not that he was certain how someone could be good at biting someone. It wasn't exactly a science. Open mouth, find skin, bite down, adjust pressure -- then again, when he thought of biting, it was in a fight and less in that capacity. He supposed biting someone to the point where they didn't bleed and when the occasion wasn't to keep them from stabbing you in the face took a bit of practice, charm and flair.

He looked at Hijikata suddenly, studying him as if estimating his skill in that area and then he laughed. "Actually, if it was you, maybe I wouldn't mind after all."

Sitting back, Okita folded his paper napkin and placed it on the edge of his tray. His appetite had been sated and the way the nurses were moving on the edges of the cafeteria signaled that the meal was almost at its end. It was also an excellent place in the conversation for Okita to take his leave and run before Hijikata asked any questions. Their friendship had a delicate balance and he wasn't about to ruin that because he had missed him so much. Okita pushed himself up out of his seat and reached over to take a leftover piece of fruit from Hijikata's tray. "I'll see you later today, hm?"

All Hijikata could really do was scoff at that. There was no witty remark to be made, and he flat out refused to be put off his guard by any more of Souji's teasing. Especially since he couldn't be sure Souji really knew just how horrible a tease he was really being.

Instead, he shoved all those vaguely unsettling thoughts away, pretending to be more interested in getting a last few bites of breakfast in before the nurses dragged him off for some hellish activity or another.

"Of course."

After all of this, he really needed to find someone worth flirting with, if only to take his mind off of everything for awhile.

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Day 62: Breakfast

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troooolololololo

This is hideous.

you mean ~beautiful~

Beautifully hideous.

w(;A;w) don't look at him like that hijipon

Pffff. He's asking for it. :P

okay yes, but iyaaaaan♥

<3

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Day 62: Breakfast

no subject

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no subject

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troooolololololo

This is hideous.

you mean *~beautiful~*

Beautifully hideous.

w(;A;w) don't look at him like that hijipon

Pffff. He's asking for it. :P

okay yes, but iyaaaaan♥

<3

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no subject

you mean ~beautiful~