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[Souji allowed himself another second to collect himself and then he snapped the fan shut and slipped it into his kimono. The haori was probably not going to be a great fit, but it would be enough to get Cliff home for now at least. Back to wear he could get real clothes.

Reaching out, but avoiding direct eye contact, Souji took the haori and moved fluidly behind Cliff.]

Arms down and behind please. They wear much like your jackets, although the sleeves will likely be a bit short on you.

Hm...? Aye, aye.

[He nodded in acknowledgement of the orders and quickly obeyed, adjusting his stance so that Souji could work. Short would be workable, and the haori was a more tasteful option than sneaking into the clinic and stealing their bedsheets again. A repeat of last winter wasn't necessary.

While Souji maneuvered, Cliff decided to fill the silence with his own words.]

...Actually, there was something I was meaning to tell you before-- I mean, I probably should have said it before, but I just didn't realize it until recently. It doesn't need to be anything big, but....well.

[Rambling. He hadn't actually planned out how he would broach the topic once he figured it out, but it never seemed like it could have any chance. After their encounter that afternoon, Cliff wasn't certain any longer.]

[He slipped the haori up along Cliff's bare arms, unaccustomed to seeing his friend without his gloves on. Then he stood on his tiptoes as he tried to pull the haori up onto the man's shoulders. He had to sweep Cliff's hair out of the way to do so and, as if on auto-pilot, took out a small hair tie and began gathering the hair up to put into a ponytail. Automatic actions meant he didn't need to think, and he didn't want to think - he just wanted to be as normal as possible and then avoid ever feeling this heartache again. He didn't want to hear what Cliff wanted to say, so he tried to distract him with a silly question.]

Hm? Do you need me to cut your hair? It's getting quite long and I'm used to cutting hair by now.

No. The hair's fine.

[He tried to look over his shoulder despite Souji's work in an attempt to meet the other man's gaze despite the attempted distractions. There were times when ignoring the situation were fine, but ignoring anything in the long term was never a good idea. Despite anyone's best efforts, such acts could lead to far more frustration and heartache than anything else.

It was strange, but Cliff wanted to at least try.]

And, like I said, it doesn't need to be anything big but-- I dunno. I've had a lot of time to think recently. [There wasn't much else that he could do during those weeks he was gone, after all.]

[The hair tie in place, Souji tied a little bow in it and quietly smiled to himself. Cliff would never see it, so there was no harm, no foul.

But now with nothing to do with his hands and nothing to distract him, especially with how Cliff kept trying to look back at him, he dropped back down from his tiptoes and began brushing glitter off the wool haori - starting at the back.]

Yes, everyone was very worried while you were gone. [Souji had panicked at first. Another friend missing, another friend who might go to the Malnosso and never come back... He swiped his hands across the fabric lightly, barely touching it enough to get the glitter off - mostly so he wouldn't be felt touching Cliff underneath it.]

All in all, you were lucky to come back uninjured. I-- We were all worried you'd been hurt.

Uninjured? Uh...yeah. That's right.

[Partial lies. He hadn't told anyone that the Malnosso wanted to test just how durable Klausians were. Suffice to say, the most detail that he would have given anyone who dared ask was just one phrase: 'The whips here hurt too.

Cliff wasn't prepared to tell that to Souji, of all people. After that conversation on the mission, Cliff wasn't certain how he would react.]

I made a mess of their stuff, which might be why they kept me for so long-- but that's not my point.

[Cliff turned around and grasped Souji's smaller hands in his, looking for all intents and purposes like a kid half his age that was getting ready to say something important.]

Souji. I was wondering...

...Do you wanna go to the Springs sometime? It's cold, and it's been a while since I last visited.

[...

That wasn't quite what he had in mind.]

[The pause worried him and his hands stopped working at the glitter. He didn't agree outright which meant the Malnosso hurt him before returning him to the compound. They could do awful things to people, Souji knew that well, and the thought of his friend suffering like that made his fingers freeze and the rage begin to boil in his blood. They were untouchable, but the next time Souji was taken...

He couldn't finish his thoughts again as Cliff turned and grabbed his hands suddenly, looking like he was about to confess some great secret. Souji's heart leapt into his throat and his stomach dropped, frozen on the spot, staring up into Cliff's eyes like a man expecting bad news.

...

Only it didn't come.]

...

T-the hot springs? [He'd seemed so serious and then that? His incredulous expression at the question faded along with the tension he'd been feeling and he laughed, shaking his head.]

You don't have to be so serious about asking me to join you out there. Onsen were quite common in my country and going to them a luxury. I'd be very glad to accompany you if you don't want to go alone.

[...It wasn't 'no'.

Those weren't the words he expected, though he hadn't asked the right question, but the answer wasn't 'no'. Cliff straightened his stance, grinning sheepishly, looked away.]

Oh, is that right? [A short laugh.] The last time I was up there was Valentine's Day, and that's something I've been trying to forget. But it's cold, and I never did have much chance to get used to winters. Those springs seem like one helluva way to beat the freeze to me.

They're really that normal for you?

Edited 2014-01-09 03:26 (UTC)

[Cliff was acting strangely again and for a moment Souji worried that what he had feared was actually a possibility.

But then he explained himself and Souji smiled his usual, patient, understanding smile. Of course Cliff wouldn't be used to the cold. His normal attire was obviously for something warmer and it wasn't until recently that he'd been exposed to such frigid temperatures. And if he was trying to forget an experience on Valentine's then what better way than to go with someone who was just a friend.

...Just a friend, like it was supposed to be. The smile never faltered, but inside Souji felt that familiar ache.]

Oh, yes. People go to them to cure illnesses, some are said to remove scars and improve a person's health exponentially. My people bathe together regularly in public baths, so onsen are just like outdoor versions of them.

Public bathing, huh?

[He didn't know the proper rules or etiquette regarding the springs. Last Valentine's day, both Fayt and himself wore their swimming trunks into the water and played a few rounds of Marco Polo before they pissed off enough people and settled down. Souji's words seemed to imply the complete opposite of a recreational venue in his mind.

Bathing was always something he preferred to do on his own, after all. It was hard to fit multiple people into washrooms on a space vessel, and showers were far more economical in terms of water conservation than any bath.

Suddenly, his off the cuff idea became far more intimate than he realized.]

I didn't know that people used them for bathing.

It seems most people here don't.

[Which made him realize something and he smiled, reaching into his kimono to take his fan out and tap it lightly against Cliff's haori to help dislodge more glitter.]

I also know most people from the future aren't comfortable bathing together, so I don't mind if you change your mind. It must be something unique to my culture that it's fine for strangers to share a bathing area.

[He was getting a distinct feeling that Cliff no longer wanted to go now that he knew how onsen really worked, and Souji didn't want to push. He'd never been because of his health, but it wasn't such a big deal to him. Besides, it was just an idea between friends. Nothing more.]

If that's all you were thinking of during your stay with the Malnosso, maybe you'd feel more comfortable going with Fayt-kun?

No, it's gotta be you.

[Uttered far too quickly, the words belayed the point that Cliff had meant to make in their prior discussion, the one that he had fallen just short of reaching. He watched Souji work with the fan, utilizing every ounce of his patience to hold himself back from just grabbing Souji by the shoulders and telling him everything in the most in-your-face tone imaginable.

Tact was still a thing that he needed to practice in order to cross this strange cultural gap that kept appearing along with everything else. Whatever Souji's era, there were parts to it that simply seemed strange to Cliff.

But, after coming this far, he would just have to persevere.]

Believe me when I say it's gotta be you. I need someone to show me how to do it properly, man.

[Because Vegeta and Rei were his only other options, and he never even thought of them as such.]

Besides... [He added the next words on as almost an after thought.] I was wondering if something happened to you while I was gone. How long's it been since we last met?

[Rei had been there for training with Fayt or something, and she'd seen the exchange from the gallery. The words carried too, and she just sat there with an annoyed look on her face.

What the hell were they talking about? Onsen were for friends, sure, but also a place for things to move from friendship to something more. At least that was her experience.

Arms crossed, she looked from them to Fayt then back to the two knuckleheads.]

...they really are thick-headed, aren't they Fayt-san?

[Fayt looks completely unimpressed by the exchange down below, sighing as he scowls, crossing his arms.]

Cliff can be selectively perceptive, But I hoped he'd be a bit better at this than that.

[The deadpan disappointment is thick in his voice. Come on man.]

It's not him, really. I think it's Souji-san.

[Rei glowers down at the Shinsengumi with irritation plain in her eyes.]

He's just convinced of certain things. I mean, listen to Cliff. He is trying.

...Yeah, you're right but... [That's a really lame way to ask someone out on a date. But Souji's avoidance is the real problem.]

Why doesn't he just say it outright? Souji can't misinterpret it if he does.

Maybe he's nervous? Even the big tough guys get afraid of rejection at times. And...well...Cliff-san's never seemed the type to really outright say how he feels.

[She gestures at him and sighs.]

Seriously, look at him. It's an act.

Depends on the subject, really. Sometimes he's pretty vocal about his 'hunches'. [He shrugs, staring down at the two in the dome.]

But when it comes to personal things? Yeah, kind of. But he isn't going to get anywhere if he doesn't, you know? Souji seems like he's not going to make this easy.

Wait, did he just say that?

[Rei gestures again, this time flippantly.]

Did you hear that? Apparently he thought Cliff-san was your sister. Clearly Souji's just as oblivious.

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