i have cut to the feeling on repeat

[keeptrucking]

[Scene: two losers go to a shopping mall, because Daichi was wandering around looking disappointed in himself yet again and Joe has Better Ideas Than That. Daichi can't remember if he was actually asked if he wanted to be here, or if he was simply dragged along for the ride again and couldn't refuse once they were already at the mall. Joe just happens so much at once, despite all of Daichi's half-hearted complaining, so... here they are.

At the mall. Daichi is, at least, not sulking about whatever he was feeling inadequate about before. Instead:]

Man, my feet hurt... [Here, he affects his best (worst) Joe Voice:] Let's go shopping, Daichi! It'll be fun! —It's been nearly three hours and all we have to show for it is one magazine. C'mon, you could have done this without me.

[This menace... Why is he here, Joe? Why??]

Comments

[keeptrucking]

[So it's Daichi's fault for being kind of... dim... oh. Yeah. Okay.

Anyway he's still not sure how to feel about this suit thing - friends buying each other food or cheap crap, sure, but a suit? How is he supposed to pay back a whole suit?? When is he even going to wear a suit—ah.

Hands touching. He makes a face and pulls his hands back quickly. Aaah.]

I, uh... ["nghjnfg" - daichi 2017] I don't get you at all.

[armanyo]

Eh? Get me?

[ there's a blank expression and joe doesnt at all look offended at the reaction to the hand thing. instead, he simply looks puzzled and is running through a series of thoughts on infinite loop. ]

What'd I do?

[ this time goes unsaid and he chuckles, albeit hesitantly? as a hand clasps the back of his own neck. ]

[keeptrucking]

Seriously? Buying me a suit doesn't seem like a little bit much to you?

[Is that what it's like to be an adult... Joe is barely an adult!! Maybe he should just resign himself to this fate.]

Forget it, let's just get this taken care of and go someplace else.

[armanyo]

[ go somewhere else. well all right!

joe goes about finishing up paperwork with jacques before he heads to the front of the door. it's around that time that he drops the hat (again) back on daichi's head. ]

Where to then?

[keeptrucking]

[Ah, hat 2: return of hat. He'll resign himself to this, too, as long as they can get away from this old man... Joe has to pick up the suit alone, Daichi can never come back here.]

Somewhere with food. [......hmmmMM] My treat?

[nice.]

[armanyo]

[ SMOOTH.

but joe will give him that. he won't argue and totally be dominating today. instead, the grin will grow in size and he clasps daichi on the shoulder. ]

I'm starving. You read my mind. Absolutely famished.

[ the hand doesn't budge. ]

[keeptrucking]

[Everything's Coming Up Daichi

Or: neat, now he just has to silently pray that he actually has a decent amount of cash on him and pick a place to eat that isn't a convenience store. All this, while Joe's stupid hand distracts him again?? The worst!]

Right... Well, come on, let's get... un-famished? [just. just walk. in the end it's probably going to be burgers.]

[armanyo]

Heh. A dream come true. Lead on, McDuff.

[ joe likes a lot of foods. burgers are fine.

the hand slips away from his shoulder, as these things tend to happen when you're walking side by side with your best bud at the mall. however, what doesn't normally happen that is quite indeed happening right now is said hand knocking ocassionally against daichi's hand. what do you know. ]

[keeptrucking]

[For a brief few moments, Daichi can confidently (he thinks) lead the way to this burger place. A whole short time. He can casually ignore the first hand bump, but after that... is... is Joe doing this on purpose? Is Joe also 12—]

S..so, like I was saying, they have this soda machine that looks like it came off a space station... [you know, that kind with like 50 flavors??

He is in Crisis.]

[armanyo]

[ joe is twelve. ]

Yeah? You can really add vanilla to anything?

[ joe please no. the twelve-year-old hand bumping continues, never manifesting into anything more even as they near the burger place. but by god does he look entrenched in this ridiculous conversation. he's so entrenched in whatever daichi is saying it's surreal. ]

[keeptrucking]

[12-year-old hand bumping is surreal enough without Joe being so apparently fascinated by vanilla soda flavoring. This is probably the longest anyone has listened to Daichi talk about total inane nonsense... ever? Besides Hibiki who has a Best Friend obligation.

Anyway, he's going to go crazy if Joe hand bumps him one more time.]

Sure! Not, like, water - but the rest, yeah. Come on, I'll show you.

[They're near enough that he can just... reach over and... and no, he grabs Joe's elbow to steer him toward the space soda machine. A nice try.]

[armanyo]

[ the effort is what counts.

joe stands there, marveling at the thing, reading over the display menu with a lazy grin. it's truly a work of art. after a moment, he reaches for daichi's hand and actually uses it to begin guiding daichi's index finger to the screen. vanilla soda please! ]

You were right.

[ he's so fascinated. so fascinated he couldn't use his own hand. germs? something? there has to be an excuse. ]

[keeptrucking]

[Joe????]

Why wouldn't I be— what are you doing...? [He... will press the vanilla flavor for him, but also, why? Joe is losing his mind, one vanilla icon press at a time.

But Daichi is also twelve, and very much not pulling his hand away like he's been burned or something this time. What level of intimate hand holding does this count as??]

Hellooo, earth to Joe? Are you still in there?

[armanyo]

[ he looks as if he's spacing out, stuck in thought.

admittedly, his hand is warm in daichi's and it's been awhile since he's held hands with someone, even for something as mundane as this. hell, there might even be a slight squeeze to daichi's hand before a true smile breaks through and.

and could this be? could he finally be getting his head out of his ass and confessing in a fast food joint - ]

We're going to mix all the flavors.

[ god save the burger joint. ]

[keeptrucking]

[Daichi hardly holds hands with anyone outside of buddy system field trip type situations - you know, when he was actually 12 for real, so this after the rest is kind of doing weird flippy things to his heart that he can't say he knows what to do with. He's no stranger to the inner workings of passion...!!

But for Joe, really? This is his taste now? That thought is cut short when Joe smiles - oh yeah, definitely. goddamn it. - and Daichi is nodding before really listening to what the plan is.]

Okay, sounds... waaaaiit, why? You might as well just drink sugar.

[armanyo]

[ why he asks. why! joe doesn't actually know the reasoning behind that besides the fact that he's just insanely curious what all those flavors will create. ]

Eh, where'd your sense of adventure go?

[ the hand remains firmly grasped around daichi's and is slowly pressing the pour option on the machine. there's a drizzle of vanilla! ... now to guide it to the cherry.... ]

[keeptrucking]

[A mess. They're going to make a mess. A primordial sugar ooze.]

I'm adventurous! I'm sooo down for adventure. When it isn't going to turn my insides into candy, anyway...

[Here's an idea: only Joe drinks the bad idea drink. Great! That's settled; Daichi dutifully selects the cherry flavor.]

[armanyo]

[ he was just going to sample it! not consume it in its glorious, glucose entirety. have some faith!

after the cherry comes the orange and then the grape. this is a hideous mess already but joe seems delightfully entertained by guiding daichi's hand around on the screen, watching the drink contents turn grosser and grosser. ]

Only a few more. Heh, I wonder if there's a Challenge built around this? Or a Medal? I wonder if we could convince Ronnie or Yams to try this?

[keeptrucking]

[Wait, wait. There's an intriguing idea.]

Or both. Can you imagine either of them on a sugar high? [Because this monster drink will definitely knock out anyone who takes more than a couple generous gulps. Now Daichi's kind of getting into it, nudging Joe's hand over to add strawberry and then watermelon, for originality. These should never be soda flavors.]

Maybe Yamato will loosen up. We'd be heroes.

[armanyo]

[ only in sprite. only in sprite would those flavors ever work well! ]

Let's do it. Let's deliver it straight to the Chief's Office.

[ he's aggressively slamming the watermelon button for posterity! and of course that means holding daichi's hand harder to accomplish that. ]

We get his favorite bunny to deliver it and presto! He'll never suspect a thing.

[keeptrucking]

[Is there just a normal lemonade here? That ought to go in too. Really spice things up. Allow Daichi to provide.]

Ooh, good idea! I'll shoot him an email... after this.

[After this very intense handholding. Also, he's still getting a burger even if it takes another half hour.]

Maybe we should have put ice in first...

[armanyo]

[ burgers are great. terrific. what if they held hands during the burgers. ]

Huh. Well, the ice would dilute it. That'd be too generous.

[ JOE. either way, he's going to smirk at the lemonade and then go for the grape soda. whoa there buddy. that's escalating far too quickly. ]

Eh.... the guy at the counter is glaring at us. I think we're almost done anyway?

[keeptrucking]

[They could do that. They might make another mess and have to add this fast food joint to the list of places they can never go back to, but would it be worth it?]

Huh? What guy? [He mercifully remembers to stop pressing buttons before he looks away from the machine to the counter... oh, that guy. Oh yeah, this is a public establishment and not a hold hands and plan sweet pranks establishment... Daichi gives that guy a sheepish look and waves his free hand at him a little, like that will make them less obnoxious.]

Maaaybe we should order our stuff to go.

[armanyo]

[ crisis averted with that little hand wave. you're a genius, daichi.

joe just laughs under his breath and squeezes daichi's hand one more time before he lets go. ]

Lemme go sweet talk him and order our food. Finish up our science experiment and then we can head to my place.

[ and just like that, he heads over to the counter!! to order some food!! ]

[keeptrucking]

[Hand squeeze: nice. Science experiment task: will do. "We can head to my place": uh...

Handle it, Daichi. Be an adult. An adult currently mixing a dozen kinds of fizzy drink (and lemonade) into one cup. He makes a vague noise of... agreement? Or something like it, hastily grabbing the correct lid for this monster drink and a straw. Two straws? Yamato might actually drink it if he can get Hibiki to show up with two straws...

Two straws. Now, loitering.]