outfields | open post ; reunited meme

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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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

open post ; reunited meme

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

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

i couldn't pass up a chance at murder

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