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[unhappy]

Hey, so, I don't know my birthday.

(If you want to know why, click here for all the bg info you need)

How do you pick one?

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[unhappy]

I don't want to be a burden. I'm fine if you take care of me normally, but asking you to babysit me eight days a month is asking too much, isn't it?

[glorifies]

But you'd be doing something you don't want to do otherwise.

[unhappy]

[ She thinks for a moment, leaning back slightly and glancing up at the ceiling as she does, then looking back at him. It's a difficult situation, and she knows he doesn't like when situations don't have a perfect result. ]

Everyone does things they don't want to do if it means doing something more important. To me, not becoming a burden on you and not hurting anyone because my anger issues are made worse by a moon in the sky are more important than feeling a little woozy. I wouldn't have asked about it in the first place if I didn't think that.

[glorifies]

[ He doesn't like this. He's not even worried about the side effects just yet. Who is this guy who's giving medicine to people? Is he legit? What if it's fake and does something else? He'd be fine with Emerald taking some sort of drug if it's been tried and tested.

And honestly, he'd talk to this doctor himself, but he doesn't want what happened last time to happen again. He doesn't want to get into any more arguments with Emerald. He's scared of hurting her again.

Emerald does make a good point though, so... ]

You'll stop taking it if the effects are too much to bear. Is that fine?

[unhappy]

[ She nods. She knows he's worried. She's worried too, honestly, but she's not sure what else to do that isn't going to cause more problems. Locking herself up for 8 days out of the month isn't working well either, and honestly? She has no idea how she could ever do something to Akashi or Mayuzumi, but Mercury's experience with someone who should've been a loved one hurt him has her on edge about that too. She doesn't even want to think of a world where she could hurt them (arm punches and friendly shoves aside), even on accident.

Emerald holds out a hand to Akashi, as if to shake on it. ]

Deal.

[ But.. she does want him around for what she asked before. ]

Will you still stay with me the first time? Just in case? Even if it's completely legitimate and I'm not allergic to anything I know about, I don't know what's even in it so... I'd feel better if you did.

[glorifies]

[ Akashi doesn't even think about shaking her hand. He takes hers to hold over the table. His thumb rubs the side of her palm in a soothing gesture. ]

I'll be with you for as long as you need.

[ He wouldn't be able to leave her alone after that, anyway... Hope she's ready to get mommed hard. ]

[unhappy]

[ Emerald is always up for a good momming. In fact, though she looks briefly surprised by the soothing gesture, she gives him a small smile. It's really earnest, though. ]

Thank you for supporting me.

[glorifies]

I wish I could do more.

[ But... that's all he can do now. It sucks, but... sometimes, just being there is supposed to be enough. Mayuzumi said so. ]

[unhappy]

You can. Kiss me.

[ She smiles and backs up and away from him though. She's heading for the bedroom!! ]

[glorifies]

Em— [ Ah, she's gotten up, so he follows?? He takes a quick glance back at the table though because he wants to clean up, but if Emerald is leading him upstairs, then he can't really take care of that now! ]

[unhappy]

[ The dishes will be there later. Emerald will even do them for him if he doesn't mind waiting. ]

It'll be Sanguis tomorrow, do you want me to stay over?

[ Because they could wake up and she could look like.. god knows what. ]

[glorifies]

Would Mayuzumi-san be alright with that?

[ The two of them live together, after all! He doesn't wanna ruin any plans the two of them might have, either. ]

[unhappy]

I'll just text him. I spend every night with him, unless we have something planned he'll survive.

[ Don't think that she isn't willing to come over 50-50, Akashi, she is.. he just never asked..... ]

[glorifies]

[ He doesn't ask because he doesn't want to take either of them away from one another!!!! ]

You can stay here if you'd like, then. I won't say no to having more of your time.

[unhappy]

[ Honestly, she would ask except she doesn't want to be Too Much. She knows she's crabby and that he doesn't like arguing, and that she piles her laundry in the corner of the room until she's ready to do it, and that she likes to leave the windows open at night and then complains it's too cold. It's one thing to take care of her for short periods of time and Emerald assumes no one actually wants to do that full-time, out of habit. It's one thing to make her milk, it's another thing to lose sleep all the time because of her nightmares and her late hours. Mayuzumi's fine because he sleeps through it or she'll get out of bed and sleep on the floor, but she's pretty sure Akashi will get sick of her shit if she moves in, and besides.. Mayuzumi is way more easily embarrassed about that kind of thing, whereas Akashi is romantic and embarrassing most of the time, so she figures he hasn't asked because he doesn't want that.

In the end, the only reason she would never actually ask to move in with Mayuzumi or Akashi is because her own self-esteem is low enough that she doesn't think it's her place to. Mayuzumi invited her. The only reason it isn't 50-50 with Akashi's is because he hasn't asked and Emerald would rather see less of him than have him want to see less of her.

That same logic is why she's a little too keenly zeroing in on the way he's answering. Mayuzumi's comfort with her being here is first-- which is fine, she knows that Akashi's very considerate of him in some ways. Then it's if she'd like, and that he won't say no. It's stupid, because she knows that he loves her but she still notices that he never actually says he wants her to stay. So she just slightly slows her roll. ]

Are you sure? If you had plans, you can tell me. I know I just came over..

[glorifies]

I'm sure.

[ Did she see the way he kissed her when she arrived? He's glad that she's here, and he would never turn down the idea of spending more time with her. Being in a place like this, though, there are so many open possibilities. There are so many things to do. He wants Emerald to see the world, too. He'd learned that trying to contain her would do neither of them any good. Not to mention, he doesn't want to impose on her so much anymore. Emerald's learned to make choices for herself, and she's become a little more independent. He wants her to make her own choices, rather than have him make her choices for her.

But beneath all that... while he loves both Emerald and Mayuzumi, and as selfish as he may be, he doesn't want to take them away from one another. The two of them liked each other first. Akashi's just a hanger on.

Emerald's dedication towards Akashi is something he doesn't doubt at all, but he has an idea as to where he's placed in this relationship. ]

I don't have anything planned. Like I said, I was just going to play shogi. I'm glad you came over.

[ Even though the conversation that led to that was... weird. ]

[unhappy]

[ Emerald definitely doesn't see him as a hanger on. To her, Akashi and Mayuzumi are two very different relationships that she needs both of. She loves them both, wants them both, but how that works out ends up being very different. Part of her is always going to look to Akashi for guidance, for comfort, for warmth and things she needs, yes. He's also the only person who's actually seen her darkness and still wanted her around, even if it scared him. Mayuzumi's only heard about it second-hand. He's never seen her and known she's seconds from killing someone. Akashi understands her in a way that Mayuzumi never will, but he also drives her to be better. She needs that, even if she makes her own choices. There's a depth of love there that she couldn't ever extricate herself from even if she tried, but she also feels like she's disappointing him so often.

Mayuzumi isn't disappointed in her, and he likes it when she's a little shit and he can take her teasing. There's a more natural chemistry there, but it doesn't mean that Akashi's is any less. Just because something is easier doesn't mean it's worth more, especially when the reason she wrote Akashi off romantically was because he wasn't an option. It took less than a month for them to fall into each other's faces that way once he was, that's part of what scared her when they first kissed. If anything, she would probably describe it as a dam that burst rather than something sudden and new. Mayuzumi or Akashi being "first" isn't really something she's thought about. ]

You said you weren't playing with Yukimaru, I thought you might have company over.

[ She still doesn't know how he can play a two player game with himself okay???

Either way, she plops down onto his bed. ]

[glorifies]

I was going to play by myself. It helps sharpen the mind.

[ Do you see why Akashi thinks too much now, Emerald... his hobby is thinking and imagining all kinds of possibilities...

With Emerald on the bed, he moves to get something from his closet. It's his tie-dye shirt. He also grabs a pair of lounge pants so Emerald can get comfortable. ]

Here, so you don't have to sleep with outside clothes on. I know you want to wear the shirt so badly.

[ :) He's being a little shit. ]

[unhappy]

Ah... [ She holds up the shirt in front of her, and in a quiet voice: ]

Hello darkness, my old friend.

[ Akashi lives to torment her with this shirt doesn't he

She starts taking her shirt off to put it on though. ]

[glorifies]

[ She brought this upon herself... ]

I'll hang your clothes so they don't get wrinkled.

[ And he'll start with her shirt once it's off. ]

[unhappy]

It's a tube, it doesn't get wrinkles.

[ But she hands it over anyway!! And then the onslaught of her belts and holster and guns and shoes and pants all at once. She isn't going to bother putting new pants on, his tie-dye is a ridiculous beautiful dress. She's just letting him put whatever he wants away wherever he wants to. Once the shirt's on, she starts pulling out her hair ties. ]

[glorifies]

[ He's quiet as he sets aside her clothes, placing them on a hanger then in his closet. He joins her on the bed once he's done. ]

You said I could kiss you.

[unhappy]

[ Then her jewelry because she wears a lot of jewelry!! She takes off anything except for the necklace Mayuzumi gave her and the ring that Akashi gave her. Those she won't take off no matter what. The rest she sets on the nearest nightstand, then rolls back over to face him. ]

Oh. Yeah, you could've scooped me up and kissed me in the hallway if you wanted.

[ Kiss her any time. But definitely kiss her. She smiles, then blows a kiss at him. Come get her. ]

[glorifies]

That's dangerous.

[ They could fall! Especially when his stairs don't have rails. He does inch closer to Emerald though, and he reaches to take her hand so she doesn't get away this time. ]

Stay close.

[unhappy]

I'm not going anywhere.

[ She scoots as close as she can get, then presses a little kiss to the corner of his lips, then a proper one. ]