time to feel better

[sky_protector]

Who: Touma and Shin
When: March 1st
Where: Touma's apartment
Style: Up to you
Status: Closed

As soon as he'd realized that Sirius was gone, Touma had become concerned. He was aware that Shin could wear his pain out in the open and knew that he would be impacted by the loss. That was more than enough for him to want to check in on him, maybe try to help him feel better. Of course, he wasn't always the best at that so he'd settled for telling Shin to come over to his place.

He'd obtained this apartment so he could have a place to be alone. He liked being around other people but sometimes they were just too overwhelming all at once. It was easier to focus if he had quiet when he needed it. Besides, it was the eighth floor of the Yutopil apartments, just the kind of thing that he enjoyed. Height.

The goal for today was to have snack foods and video games. It worked for him so he could try to cheer Shin up the same way.

...He was at least trying here.

Hearing a knock at his door, he went over to answer it. "Hey, Shin. Come in."

Comments

[shounenphelps]

"Hey, Touma," Shin responded easily as he entered. "How are you?" He slipped off his shoes at the door and started scrutinizing Touma's expression. "Are you all right?"

Shin didn't sound that broken up - he was actually wondering if there was something wrong with Touma - but there was a reason behind that.

The first time Sirius had disappeared - no, even before then, the first time Sirius went into a coma - Shin had panicked outright. They hadn't even been dating at that point, but Shin had been both intensely worried and deeply upset.

By now, Shin had become grudgingly accepting of what it meant for people to disappear for days at a time. Not having Sirius around did throw off his daily routine, but Shin was still treating the situation the same way he had all the others: Sirius would come back. If his spirit was strong enough to survive a month-long coma, he'd return.

Thus why he wasn't his usual vibrant self, but he also wasn't crying at every turn.

[sky_protector]

"I'm fine. You're the one who isn't. So, I had you come over to play video games with me."

He'd figured Shin might refuse if he actually said that was what they were up to. By inviting him over, he'd managed to trap him here. It was a risky move in a way but worth it.

Shin didn't have to cry for him to figure out that he was hurting.

"Come on. I got us some things to snack on while we do." Touma smiled a bit then went to walk back into the interior of his apartment. He was fairly sure that his friend was going to stay here even after finding out what he'd done. This would be good for him, a break in his routine.

1/2

[shounenphelps]

Shin blinked. "Eh?" He instinctively pulled out his armor orb and examined it. The symbol was visible and bright. "Why do you think something's wrong with me?"

2/2

[shounenphelps]

All the same, he followed Touma through his apartment. "And what do you think video games and snacks will do to fix it?" That sounded more like Shuu's line of logic than Touma's.

[sky_protector]

"It seems to work when Shuu does it." And Shuu wasn't here. That left Touma to find a way to help even if he had no idea how he was going to go about doing it. Comforting people after they lost boyfriends wasn't really his forte. He was still adjusting to the whole 'this is how you treat friends' thing.

"I'm not going to flail about and pout at you like he does though."

Just so Shin knew that ahead of time.

[shounenphelps]

"I'd have to worry if you did." Shin smirked a little as he said that and then sat down in front of Touma's entertainment set-up.

That's when it came to him, his smirk turning to a wistful smile. "If this is about Sirius... he'll come back. I know he will; he always has."

[sky_protector]

Touma sat down and went to hand Shin a controller, not even blinking when his plan had been seen through. That was just like the other though. Always so positive about things.

"It still hurts that he's gone though, right? You care about him enough to give him that nickname. So it would make sense that all of this still bothers you despite the positive outlook."

[shounenphelps]

He fiddled with the controller in his hands. "The first time... for a month I watched over him. He didn't disappear that time, just fell asleep. I found him collapsed on the floor of his apartment and feared the worst..." He held tight to the poor plastic device.

"This isn't so bad." Not yet. "And praying at the local deity's shrine helps. It's what I've always done when this happens."

... Which was all a round-about way of saying that Touma was right and Shin was clinging to hope so he wouldn't have to think about the alternative.

[sky_protector]

As usual, his instincts had been spot on. Touma wasn't even surprised by this while he listened to what Shin had to say. His friend would cling to hope until the very end while the realist in Touma's own mind said that Sirius might not ever come back.

Somehow, he found the tact not to say that out loud.

"It's a shooting game. We work together to take out the targets and you're on the bottom screen." It seemed like the best topic change.

[shounenphelps]

That brought a twinge of a smile back to his face, then he looked up as the smiled broadened. "So you picked a game you're naturally better at than I am."

The fact that he was willing to be led off-topic was telling, regardless.

[sky_protector]

"I played the whole game last night and liked it."

Honestly, he'd forgotten that Shin wouldn't be as good at the game. In the only way that Touma could manage to forget anyway... He just hadn't considered that possibility.

"Playing the games makes you better at them though." He was trying to tell Shin that he could get better. Really he was.

[shounenphelps]

"Not the point! That's true of anything." Well at least he was being less formal now. "At least tell me what's what." He held up the controller again.

[sky_protector]

Scooting closer, he started to point to the buttons while he explained them. "This will move you around the screen while this will change your camera angle. If you press this hear you can fire your weapon and this will help you reload and this will allow you to change weapons. Everything else will be shown on the screen as a command."

A pause. "I set it up to put you on my team so I can save you when you die."