outfields | open post ; reunited meme

Entry tags:

meme: themed

open post ; reunited meme

THE "REUNITED" MEME

for all of your shipping multiplied by time and distance needs.

I. atmosphere:
01. bittersweet: you parted with unfinished business, or circumstances are less than ideal. whatever it is, this isn't a fairytale reunion of long lost lovers.
02. angry: whatever happened last still has you itching to tear someone's head off, or you're outraged by what they did while you're apart, or you're going to set the record straight once and for all--!
03. excited: you can't wait to see them again.
04. anxious: what if things have changed too much? what if you're not the person they liked before? what if? you might know this is irrational, but that isn't going to stop you.
05. hurt: they left you behind, or in a time of need, or without saying goodbye, and you're anything but over it.
06. tender: you've been apart, but you care about them, still. always.
07. distant: whatever separated you, you've decided to protect yourself, and if that means pretending not to care that you've seen each other for the first time in five years, then so be it.

II. circumstances:
01. accidental: you ran into each other at the grocery store, you rang a number you can't bear to delete from your phone without meaning to, you stumbled on their twitter and followed because the app is shit, wait shit we both changed our online handles and made friends all over again.
02. new information: you haven't spoken to them in months or years, but something you've only just found out changes everything.
03. purposeful: you sought them out, for one reason or another.
04. set up: someone else is pulling the strings, and arranged it to put you together again.
05. in a crowd: it's your class reunion. you knew you might see them there, but even when you do reunite, there's people who know you both around.

III. wildcard.
what it says on the tin. make it yours!

as usual, drop top-levels with or without a starter, or let me know if you want someone in particular and i will provide!!

the tumblr post i stole the concept for this from is here if you want ideas.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[a detail of life that nori came to grips with quite some time ago is that it tends to simply take what it wants; sometimes in a literal fashion, sometimes in the sense of sending people in opposite directions when they wanted to stay alongside each other. it's rarely as simple as that-- one has to take into account not just one's own feelings, but the feelings of people around them, and sometimes things don't match up. sometimes people aren't in exactly the same place at the same time, and it's okay-- or not, whether they say it is or not.

but... such is life. people go their separate ways. there's life after high school, and while life in high school robbed nori of a lot of things, it gave him a few things as well-- things that he missed, once they were gone, once they'd been taken by the passage of time. there were requisite promises to stay in touch, and most were never seen through. it was to be expected, but it was absently disappointing anyway.

with miyuki there had, perhaps unsurprisingly, not been much to take-- for a too-brief time at seidou they'd hovered in a state of sort of, not really, but maybe and then they'd been out of time, having to move on from that place and keep on living and doing whatever came next, which came along with silence and trying not to dwell on what could have been. it meant moving on, if moving on from something that had never come to pass was something that could actually be done. it was fine, there was university and... well, still baseball, even if he already knew he couldn't go as far as some of his teammates (past and present) would. now he wonders occasionally if he'll see miyuki on tv, someday in the future, and wonders if he'll rue not being brave enough-- for any of it; baseball, dating-- despite how far he's come since the beginning.

naturally, he's not expecting unexpected eye contact on a train platform. things like this only happen in movies, don't they?? you don't just look up from checking the time on your phone to see the guy you were so stupid in love with a couple of years ago standing a few feet away like he belongs here, it's so... is there a word for this? but here they are, looking up at the same time and each just happening to look in the other's direction at exactly the right moment, and the train they're both (???) waiting for could come right now and nori wouldn't so much as blink.

after what feels like a lifetime of spent chances and missed connections, he has to wonder how this is going to go sideways, and there's a painful tug in his chest as he stares, unable to help himself.]

[ people slipping away from him is an experience kazuya first had at seven years old. for better or worse (mostly worse, if other people are to be believed), that parting has informed the way he's dealt with every relationship he's had since. he's not proud of being afraid to let anyone close enough that their inevitable departure would hurt him that much, but he can't change it. skipping the draft out of high school and going for college instead had been his father's idea, his quiet voice speaking firmly across the dinner table over new year's about having enough security to let yourself fly, tired lines written deeply on his face and the worn cuff of his work jacket catching kazuya's attention where it was barely visible, laying across the back of his father's chair. he'd known what his father meant. dad had always done so much without asking for anything. he'd wanted to do that one thing, meant as it was for his own sake, anyway.

he hadn't predicted that he'd injure himself midway through sophomore year and put himself out of the game for nine months, but who could? it's that injury that has him on a train platform today, taking the trip back from his physical therapist and really glad he's past the crutches period as he fiddles with his tablet. he'd looked up by chance - but he keeps looking up when he meets the eye of someone he hadn't thought he'd see again.

he'd hoped, if he was being honest with himself, that he'd be able to keep up with people, nori especially. but it hadn't happened. he still speaks to kuramochi, to zono, to nabe, still gets text messages from nishi and calls incessantly with mei. but he hadn't pursued nori, even knowing he tended to hole up, afraid that the fragile what-if they'd been to afraid to even say out loud would get in the way. he still thinks it might. in fact, he knows it will - at least for him, if the way he feels like he can't breathe for one beat, two, then three, before he forces something shuddering through his nose is any indication.

fear could rule him: fear has ruled him, for years. but even on a bad knee he's learning to take steps, and it's a first step he takes right now in nori's direction, mouth quirking and eyes bright. ] Nori!

[until approximately two seconds ago, he'd thought he couldn't really get more surprised. as it turns out, though, he can be much more surprised than that, evident in his body language as his shoulders raise in surprise, eyes widening slightly. it wasn't so much that he'd forgotten miyuki's voice (it was never a possibility) but that he hadn't really expected to hear it in person again, close to him. it's different now, too-- essentially the same in pitch and tone, but a little bit older-sounding; nori figures his own has changed similarly, but it's strange to think about, when it feels like seidou was simultaneously yesterday and a decade ago.

the shine in miyuki's eyes gets him, too, and a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth like an old, forgotten habit, because regardless of any what-ifs or missed opportunities, he's happy to see him. he hasn't so much grown out of being shy and awkward as grown with it, but those things are cast aside for at least this single moment. this single moment is for moving forward to meet him, actively seeking him out, for perhaps the first time. it would feel symbolic, if he were thinking about it at all.] Miyuki--! [they're a little shy of toe to toe, when they've met in the middle, but it feels just fine, somehow.] You're-- here??

[ he cracks a full smile as nori gets close. it doesn't seem like he's gotten taller, but he seems... bigger. more present. and not just because he's literally, physically there after years of not being around. college was good to norifumi kawakami, at least a little. that's nice to know, that nori's done just fine without him, even if it stings a little to know he's missed out. he's getting the end product without being around to support the building of it.

he shifts to slide his tablet in his bag, tugging the strap across his chest to resettle the bag behind his hip, and nods, lifting his hands with a flourish. ] Well, if I'm a mirage, no one told me, so yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm here.

[ he rubs awkwardly at the back of his neck. ] On my way back to my apartment, specifically.

[it was sort of a silly thing to say, in hindsight, and now he feels kind of dumb, but it was a very characteristic thing to do-- get startled, point out the obvious, shyly withdraw. except he's not literally withdrawing, he probably couldn't do it even if he wanted to. which he doesn't. at all.

regardless, his smile goes a little sheepish, like, well, duh.] Oh, yeah. That makes sense. [with the train platform and all. from there, though, his expression shifts more toward curiosity.] Are you-- are you nearby? [that's a better question.]

[ he laughs, soft, and makes eye contact, holds it. ] Ish? Twenty minutes or so.

And you? Have we been like three neighborhoods apart for years? [ wouldn't that just be their luck. half an hour from seeing each other all that time, and it's only luck putting them together again? ]

[he's agog for a moment, which is an answer in and of itself, probably. but, he collects himself:] Um-- I guess we have, I'm... well, here.

[go figure. he smiles again, as though any past weirdness between them has been forgotten. it hasn't, but he's too excited about seeing him again to fully give into it, and shakes his head, disbelieving.] I guess it feels kind of fitting that we're only just now running into each other, though...

[ the snicker he can't hold down is probably more than a little familiar. it's not the one he usually pointed at sawamura or furuya, though, barbed as that one had been on the underside. ] Haha, it does, doesn't it!

[ he sticks his hands in his pockets as a train enters the station going the other way. once the noise settles he clears his throat. he could get on his (their?) train when it comes, nori's number in his pocket, sure, but that feels like it's not enough. he doesn't want to let a chance to at least - hang out, or share space, or something - slip away over a train schedule. ] Are you heading home? [ are you free, or am i out of luck? ]

[he does remember that little laugh-- and the distinction between it and the others of its ilk. this is bizarre, too coincidental, but since it looks like they're going to be on the same train in a minute it feels like it'd be a waste to not try to stretch out this unlikely reunion.]

Yyyyeah, I am, did-- do you want to catch up? [the inquiry is small, tentative, shy, much more like the nori that miyuki used to know. he's a little afraid that spending more time together will reopen old, mostly healed hurts, or prove that it just wasn't meant to be, but the boldness he's gained more recently coupled with honest interest in seeing how things have been ultimately push him to ask anyway.

maybe things will even be different now-- despite everything, he does believe in serendipity a little bit.]

[ oh. for a moment he's almost still. the overlapping visions of the teenager he didn't let himself open up to in high school and the young man he doesn't quite know yet are identical, and it sticks in his throat.

he nods the beat after the question is out of nori's mouth. if that seems too eager, well, whatever. he is eager, to see more of nori. one corner of his mouth quirks up. ] I'd love to. We can find a coffee shop? Or you can come over, as long as a little mess isn't gonna bother you...

[ at least, he's pretty sure his apartment is largely acceptable... mostly. if he shoves his laundry basket into a corner and moves the stack of textbooks off the couch. ]

[eager is good-- better than good, it's reassuring. he's beyond second-guessing himself at every single possible turn, but... well, if there ever were a good situation to do that, this would probably be it.

additionally, there's probably some sort of shared camaraderie involving young men and not-exactly-spotless apartments, and nori just shrugs. it almost seems too forward to just agree to this, but where the abject fear of failure or rejection no longer hold him back consistently, a sense of curiosity and ability to follow through with it have formed to take its place. he doesn't look completely confident in the decision, but anyone who could, in this situation, would probably be bluffing.

his hands draw together and he worries them a little, an habit made easier by hypermobile finger joints, but he's still smiling, simultaneously shy and daring-- much more self-motivated than he used to be, at any rate.] Mess doesn't bother me.

[ tension lines his back while he waits for an answer, and it eases when he gets the one he'd been hoping for. and then he smiles properly, honestly and sincerely. it's not that he would have minded the coffee shop, if that's what nori had been okay with, but there's a stiffness he attributes to being in public that he doesn't think would serve them well - they've had enough problems with holding each other at arms' length. ]

I figured you wouldn't... you did live in the dorms long enough. [ and his place is cluttered, but there is absolutely none of that gross sweaty teenage jock funk hanging around. ] My place it is, then! [ he pauses to look for the clock hung on one wall, then turns his head away to watch for the train. it wouldn't be much longer, if the train was on time, and he can count on one hand the amount of times it hasn't been in two years of taking it.

he wonders if asking nori to stay for dinner would hedge him in too much. he's got chicken waiting to make it out of his fridge instead of into the trashcan, after all. after a second more of thought - of glancing at nori's small gestures of nerves, unsurprisingly centered on his hands - he decided to leave that kind of question for later. ]

[his own smile widens somewhat, but maybe the change isn't so much size-related as pertaining to luminosity. all of that initial shock has worn off and is leaving him in a more manageable state-- or more usual, at least, with somewhat firmer resolve offsetting his long-time nervous tells.]

That sounds good. --I can't believe you've been close this whole time? [he uptalks, trying to keep himself from babbling in anxious excitement, trying to rein in his rapid pulse because now that he's not so surprised to see him, he's realizing he's pretty much just as attracted to miyuki as he ever was. not exactly an ideal train of thought to pursue at this particular moment, but it's there, even if he's trying to shelf it for a more appropriate time, or until it goes away if there ends up not being an appropriate time again.

he tilts his head to glance down for the train as well, with an any minute now sort of air, but then he focuses back on miyuki's face, wondering about all the ways this could possibly pan out.]

Haha, right? Just our luck.

[ there's a shade of legitimate complaint there, directed not at nori but the universe. maybe it's good they've been apart so long, giving this reunion a better feel, but he'd missed nori and he hadn't even really known how much.

it doesn't help that nori's only gotten harder to tear his eyes away from since high school. ]

At least it isn't rush hour, then we'd be talking and trying not to get crushed, right?

[ he reaches out to bump his curled fingers against nori's shoulder, a casual gesture that becomes a lot less casual when he's interrupted by the screech of their arriving train, distracting him with his fingers lingering.

he notices after they've been there a beat too long, and pulls back to stuff his hand in his pocket. ] Sorry. [ he chucks his head toward the train. ] Shall we?

[he was chuckling a little at the second statement when that hand touched his shoulder, and the laughter simultaneously fades and is drowned out by the noise of the train, and miyuki's knuckles are still resting gently against him; he can feel them even after he takes his hand back.

some things really don't change, he thinks to himself.

not for the first time, he wishes he'd had time to return the gesture.]

Well, unless we want to stand here until the next one, but if we're going to hang out anyway... [he's joking, gently, and moves forward to board the train, but he glances back as if to verify that miyuki is really going to accompany him, or even to verify that he was real to begin with.]

[ he laughs, small, and takes a moment to follow, making sure his bag is closed. he looks up in time to catch nori looking back, and his expression softens before he smiles and hurries to catch up, close to nori's elbow as they pass from the platform into the train car. after a moment of looking around to double-check there's no grandmas or anybody with a baby to worry about, he finds a seat on the bench. he picks a spot close enough to a standing rail nori can stand if he wants, holding his bag in his lap. ]

So, how's school? [ yeah, it's arguably cringe-worthy small talk, but there's bright interest in his eyes. ]

[nori is grateful to the entire cosmos that there's room for him at miyuki's side, because right now he just wants to be... well. right here. it might be an excuse for casual, unavoidable physical contact, it might not, but it's where he is, either way.

he can't complain about small talk being cringe-worthy, it's not like he's really any better at it. besides, miyuki's looking at him like he actually wants to know, and that makes it feel good.]

It's, uh... well, it's school. [he laughs quietly and shakes his head.] It's fine, though, just nothing out of the ordinary.

[ playing baseball at the university level is really, really fun.

it's not quite the same atmosphere as seido, but it's still as good. haruichi works hard and plays with all his might, swings his bat twice as much and bonds with his teammates with all the skills that he can. it felt almost nostalgic to be a first year again, reminiscent of his first days chasing in his brother's footsteps, a path he still walks to the side of, ever present in the back of his head. with national scouts watching his every move he studies hard and practices harder, following a dream that even ryousuke hadn't achieved. and it's nice--if a little lonely.

haruichi's always been careful to keep in contact with eijun and furuya. he's caring towards his friends above all else, and treasures the two of them in ways that he can't describe, but some of the others fell to the wayside. you-san, he still talks to--he comes for dinner at the kominatos sometimes when everyone's home for christmas--and a few of the others, but haruichi mourns the losses that come with the strenuous training of professionals.

its why a chance meeting in the grocery store has him pausing in his tracks.

haruichi's former roommate has always carried a certain presence. he's a big guy, and in the--its been three years, four?--since haruichi last saw him, he's grown a little further, broad, familiar shoulders wider, stretching out a blazer of a suit jacket. it's almost comical to see him dressed so nicely, and haruichi stares at him for a second, holding the milk he'd run out to get in his left hand, in his grungy post practice sweatpants and a too big t-shirt, strangely choked up.

should he say something? this moment could just pass, haruichi at his back, and be gone again. how long has it been? would he be glad to see him as haruichi was, something warm in his chest he can't quite describe with words?

there's only one way to find out. when haruichi speaks up, his voice cracks initially, and it makes him flush. ] Z--Zono-san?

Edited 2016-01-18 06:39 (UTC)

[ in the last six months, kenta has found that he likes working. it's tough, to be making phone calls and going to meetings - those are things adults do, and he doesn't feel like an adult, even though he pays his own bills and rides a train in rush hour traffic almost every morning and plays first base for a company team - but it's interesting. the energy he used to put into swinging his bat into the night is used on daylight hours. he's the low guy on the totem pole, but the company is small, and young, and they've all got big plans for bigger contracts.

he hasn't lost touch with most of the people he'd called friends - kuramochi is on his speed dial, and he'd scolded miyuki through that knee injury back in the fall, and nakata was his roommate when he first moved back out of osaka - but haruichi kominato had slipped out of his life as quietly as he'd installed himself in it, a quiet fixture at his elbow and across the room. he wishes it had gone otherwise, but he hadn't quite known how to track him down.

he'd spent two years putting himself past a crush instead, so when haruichi's voice finds his ears, he dismisses it as his ears tricking him. haruichi's face has been on the news in the university ball reports, which he still pays attention to, so it's probably just that, right? nonetheless, he turns from scanning the eggs. just in case.

and he freezes. he very nearly drops his basket, full of yogurt and a package of riceballs, as he forces his voice out. it's too loud for the aisle, surprised, and he pulls it back down, red-faced in return. ] Kominato?!

[ okay, play it cool, kenta, play it cool-- ] The hell're you doing here? [ he's never been cool a day in his life.

it's kind of unfair that haruichi manages to look cute in clothes he's probably owned since they were sweaty teenagers. probably, because haruichi is bigger than he'd been when kenta left seido in the hands of his juniors. maybe not much taller - though he thinks he might be, a little - but certainly broader, or stronger, maybe, and more importantly, older. even if he is still blushing when someone looks at him wrong. ]

[ haruichi blinks at him as he reacts, and it's just so familiar--the bark of kominato taking him back to high school almost immediately that he's not even sure what to say. for a brief moment, he wishes for his bangs again, something to hide his face with, but he's been without his security blanket for years now and thus his wide eyed reaction plays out clear as day.

he glances down at the basket in his own hand. ] Um... milk. [ which is arguably the least smooth and comfortable answer he's ever given in his life, and he gives the container in his hand a little shake to gesture to it. milk. is why he's here. wow. okay, try that again: ] Our practice facility is right up the street...

[ it's just a local grocery store, which means that zono's local? how long have they been this close to each other? suddenly, haruichi has a thousand questions and apologies to match, and this time he can't help the smile from spreading out on his face, beatific and surprised and a little flame of delight playing out on his pink cheeks. ] It's good to see you, Zono-san--you're wearing a suit!

[ and he can't help but scoot a little closer, now, warm with the reunion and the reminder of years of camaraderie, of two years being roommates and batting partners and friends, certainly, of haruichi cheering for his achievements and finding him a support when he needed it most, motivating his practice skills and coming out of his shell in twain.

the milk in his hand feels lighter, forgotten. suddenly, the atmosphere doesn't matter so much, even if haruichi still wants to apologize for losing contact with someone who was always there for him. ]

Maki never intended to come back like this. Five years into a self-imposed embargo from both cycling and his high school friends, and he's now a design assistant... High enough in the fashion designer's stable to go to Japan's fashion week. He's been trying to stay away from walking around too much outside, even though running into someone he knows is nearly impossible, right? It's not like he's been hiding from his friends... He's texted them, and Toudou still calls him... If his responses are a little rushed and terse, it's normal to be busy when you're building a career in fashion.

The messages petered out after a while, though. Most of his contact was through Tadokorocchi and Toudou, and... Well, the bottom line was that he'd lost contact with Onoda. He'd come back for a summer, and... things were different. Onoda was older, and he was... It was awkward. It was Onoda he was avoiding, really. For everyone's sake. He was hung up on an underclassman and it was embarrassing for everyone. He could only mess Onoda up even more if he saw him and then went back to England.

He clears his throat and stands up, waving the model whose hem he'd been pinning up towards the sewing machines. He needs a little bit of fresh air. There's fibers flying up from the sewing machines and hovering in the air and his throat is parched. He grabs a water bottle and ducks out into the hotel's hallway. There's a breeze outside, so he walks into the first floor lobby and out onto the sidewalk. The angle of the building is perfect to get the full impact of the breezes.

The hotel's not too far from Akihabara... It's stupid, Maki's sure Onoda can't be going there any more... But he still scrutinizes every person riding bikes in front of the hotel, with a mixture of nerves and excitement.

In high school Sakamichi hadn't thought much about what came after. It was why Makishima's departure had been such a bone-deep, affecting loss: he hadn't known what he was losing until he lost it, and then he had to rebuild around a hole Teshima had helped him sew closed. Those stitches remained through years of unanswered letters and unreturned phone calls, scabbed over through failed entrance exams, became knotted scar when he was scouted professionally while practicing. These days, Sakamichi's bought his mother a house, rented an apartment in Tokyo, and learned a new route to Akihabara.

He's home for a few weeks of vacation, in a city more alien than Paris and Munich despite his questionable command of German and French, humming a years-old anime theme song as he sails along the bike path downtown, when he looks up and spots a form so familiar he thinks it's a mirage. It wouldn't be the first time wishful thinking had him chasing down someone who didn't know him, leaving an ache in his throat nothing like the one that starts to sting when he looks again, taking in a hunch of shoulders almost unchanged from high school, and then he looks ahead of him, forcing his pedals back with a squawk so he doesn't crash into either the old woman on a mommy bike ahead of him or the streetlight on his other side.

It's a close thing, but as soon as the bike's stopped he's putting his weight on his foot, letting the bright yellow road bike between his thighs lean sideways.

Makishima - it has to be him, doesn't it? - hasn't moved. Hasn't disappeared. A smile so wide it almost aches spreads across Sakamichi's face, and he raises his voice. "Makishima!"

If Sakamichi's smaller glasses, newish yellow helmet, and stylish cropped blue pants and tan cardigan combo made him unrecognizable from a distance, his voice is a more mature timbre of the one he'd had in high school, and the sparkling pink aura that he almost physically gives off probably give him away.

Sakamichi moves to smack the button on the machine at the crosswalk, and takes off as soon as the walk sign changes, bike zipping around pedestrians until he can hop off of it, walking it gradually slower. His initial excitement hasn't gone anywhere, but now anxiety thrums in his chest. Makishima had stopped talking to him after that last, awkward summer, and he had to have had a reason for that. Maybe he wouldn't be as happy to see him as he was to see Makishima.

Oh God. He hears him before he sees him. At first he thinks it's got to be an illusion, somehow. He doesn't realize it's something he's hearing with his ears, instead of being called back into his heart from the memory of the tousle-headed kid with the huge glasses. He trembles and reaches into his vest pocket and his eyes laser in on Onoda. His heart sinks, but sings. He looks different, just a little bit. Not enough so that he couldn't recognize him, of course. His smile is exactly the same... He's so tall.

He doesn't smile as he watches Onoda slither through the crowd, just draws a pack of cigarettes from his vest and shakes one out, trying hard to look casual. He catches Onoda's eye and gives him a brief, two-fingered wave. God, he looks good.

But he's only here for a few weeks, and Onoda must be on vacation, too. Of course he'd heard about Onoda's being scouted. And he's busy, he's so busy... He can't... He resolves to shut it down before it has a chance to start, and even though he can feel his cheeks burning (when did Onoda's legs get so LONG) he pinches the end of his cigarette and forces his feelings down.

He opens his mouth to speak, and manages a shaky, "O-O-Onodaa...! You- don't have to bowl people over!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

open post ; reunited meme

kazuya miyuki | m/m

1... and 1... fudges details what am I even doing here

what are we doing: the subtitle of our rp partnership?

the answer is usually "killing each other" though

everybody needs a hobby

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

LORD I almost forgot about this one but here it is, killing me

i couldn't pass up a chance at murder

no subject

masamune hongo | ota

madoka kaname | f/f

shiro iori | ota

hisashi watanabe | ota

kenta maezono | ota

3/6ish... + 1... ill be back for kanemaru later

rubs hands together

♥

shinji kanemaru | ota

tsubasa ono | m/f

junta teshima | ota

sakamichi onoda | m/m

NYE HEH HEH 7 and 1

arrives ten years late

YOU'RE HERE TO DESTROY ME

??/02; furuya dropped out of college to go pro and didn't tell sawamura, oops