tenipuri_xp | RP Log: Kaidoh & Ohtori (Reply)

Date: Tonight (Tuesday, Nov. 22), right after the log with Ohtori & Yanagi
Rating: G
Synopsis: Ohtori goes to find Kaidoh and try to make things right. Angst --> Fluff! Orsomething. ^^;

Kaidoh took a few deep breaths, wiping the sweat from his forehead carefully with the bare part of the back of one arm. He glanced up at the clock – it was almost 8:30; he’d been here at least hour already. Maybe it was time for a break. Picking up his waterbottle from the floor, he sat heavily on the weight bench, taking a few more deep breaths before draining a good fourth of the bottle and setting it down again.

He wasn’t sure why he kept training – it wasn’t as though he could play tennis anymore. He’d given his rackets to Inui-san in exchange for information, and he didn’t have enough money yet to buy even one new one. But training was all he seemed to have, anymore, and besides, it was… normal. Routine. It made him feel better. Though he had to admit, it was much harder with bone sticking out in places that it hadn’t been a year ago.

He looked back at the weights, pulling the pin out and adding another 5kg to the load.

Ohtori had taken a little longer than planned packing up and finishing his talk with Renji. If the other was serious about alerting the staff of his presence, he had a little over an hour to find Kaidoh-kun and settle things as best as he could. Tightening the jacket around his shoulders, and pushing his sunglasses up he found his way to the gym. He rarely had gone there during the time he was a student at Ryuhana, but knew Kaidoh-kun would most likely be training in there, as he ran in the mornings. He was hoping his ex boyfriend was still a person of routine and habit.

Opening the door hesitantly, he again pondered leaving without a word. He could never even begin to fix what he had done, and was afraid he could only make things worse now. Swallowing a rising sense of nausea, he entered the gym, making note it was just Kaidoh and himself. That would be best. "K-Kaidoh-kun?"

Kaidoh started – he hadn’t expected anyone to be here – he was here every other night at this time and no one ever came – that was half the reason he felt comfortable enough to wear an old, ripped tank top and not something baggier to hide his mutation. (He still loathed his training uniform – or what Hanamura-sensei had called a training uniform, he wasn’t quite sure his qualified – but that really wasn’t the point right now.) He looked over to the doorway to see that no, his ears had not deceived him.

The person standing there in the doorway, staring at him and looking vaguely ill, was Ohtori-kun.

“Ch- Oh…tori-kun?” Immediately he felt his cheeks grow warm – what did Ohtori-kun want? How could he possibly want to talk to Kaidoh anymore – he’d called, once, a while ago, but their conversation hadn’t exactly gone well. “I… um…” Suddenly he didn’t know what to say.

"Yeah…it's me." He swallowed again; he could hear his heart beat thundering in his ears. He half hoped Kaidoh would be mad, furious even. It would make it easier to leave that way. Blushing slightly at how awkward this all was, he pulled his hood down and pocketed the dark sunglasses. Moving along the floor in hesitant steps, he reached the machine the other was at, and looked to the next bench press. "May I sit?"

He didn't want to intrude on the other's space, he wouldn't be surprised to be told to leave, but at least he had to try. Setting down his duffle bag with the last of his things, he awaited a decline in his request, anything.

Sit? Ohtori-kun wanted to sit? “Huh? Y-yeah – it’s fine.” Kaidoh watched as the other sat, trying to figure out what he could possibly want? It didn’t sound like he wanted to yell – and he could’ve done that from the doorway. Kaidoh glanced at the bag sitting at Ohtori’s feet – he must have come back for his things, then. He guessed it made sense – the other had left without taking everything, and Kaidoh hadn’t known what to do with it so he’d just… left it where it was. The school had come and taken anything they’d issued, like the sheets, but everything else they’d left alone.

“I guess you came to get your stuff,” he said quietly, glancing up at Ohtori – and then away again. He felt stupid. He still didn’t know what it was he’d done wrong, and he didn’t know if Ohtori was ever going to tell him, any more than he knew what the other wanted to talk about now. But it must be important, if he’d come back. “Did you, um, find everything okay?”

Settling on the edge of the bench press machine, he draped his arms between his knees and sheepishly studied the floor, trying to think of what he had to say to the other. It was an awful lot to cover in such a short time. "Yeah, I thought I should probably get it…and I found everything fine. I left a present for Neko too, I hope that's ok…" Licking his lips, he took a deep breath.

"Look…I wanted to…apologize." Great, well it was a start…"For a lot of things. Firstly for how I left, I shouldn't have done that to you. It was cowardly and wrong…" He scratched at the back of his neck, and sighed. "And also for what I said on the phone- I was still angry and confused…I am so sorry." He shut up, not daring to so much as breathe while he waited for the bomb to hit.

Kaidoh nodded – he’d figured Ohtori-kun was mostly just back for his things. “Y-yeah, it’s okay,” he said, “he misses you – ”

But wait. Apologize? Why was Ohtori-kun apologizing to him? “W-wait – you don’t have anything to apologize for!” he blurted out, feeling his cheeks grow hotter. Ohtori-kun didn’t seem like he wanted to look at Kaidoh, either. “I – I mean, it’s okay. You didn’t want to… um. Be around me anymore. I understand,” he said softly, even though a small part of him wanted to admit… well. How much it had hurt. How much it still hurt.

But Ohtori-kun didn’t need to hear that – he had other things to worry about. And he’d obviously don’t what he’d done for a reason. Kaidoh couldn’t argue with that. “I just… are you okay?” That seemed more important right now – if what Ohtori had said to him on the phone when they’d spoken was any indication… he wasn’t.

"I do have a lot to be sorry for, Kaidoh-kun…please let me." He finally dared to look up at the other, he just hadn't wanted to cry in front of the other, and needed a chance to prepare himself for what was ahead. "It's not that…I still want you in my life, Kaidoh-kun. It's just…I don't think we were meant to be together --- like that." He knew he was blushing horribly right now, and his nails were starting to leave pink marks down the back of his neck.

He knew the strange thing he had said on the phone were probably still upsetting Kaidoh, and while he still did believe some of it, he was not as hardcore a human hater as one could believe a member of Team Doom should be. "I'm getting better. I'm not quite alright yet, but working on it. How are you….these days?"

“… Oh,” Kaidoh said after a moment. But… what was Ohtori-kun saying? That he still wanted Kaidoh around at all, even after –

He suddenly remembered something Ohtori-kun had said, a long time ago. That he was willing to try dating Kaidoh, but that they had to promise to be friends even if things didn’t work out. He’d forgotten all about it – maybe conveniently – after Ohtori had left, and figured he didn’t want to see Kaidoh at all ever again. “W-well… that’s okay,” he said slowly. “I – I mean… I don’t blame you for… not wanting me.” He gave the other a weak smile – because really, honestly… he couldn’t blame Ohtori. Or anyone. So it was all right, in the end.

“M-me? I’m… okay, I guess. I mean… stuff is the same around here, mostly.” And it was true – aside from the entire incident with Inui-san, Kaidoh had just been training and going to classes. And that was it.

"It's not that- it really isn't." He didn't know how to explain it at all…the heart wants what it wants, no compromising. "I just- sort of feel more like you are…sort of a big brother to me…I think that was what completely freaked me out…" Really, the way Kaidoh doted over him and took such good care, it made sense in a way.

"I'm glad it's going okay here. I was worried about you after I left…" Ohtori blinked a few times before shaking his head and prodding at the bag lightly. "I-if you still wanted to try being friends…I'd like that a lot…if not, I'll understand completely…"

Kaidoh blinked. A big brother? “Oh – um,” he said, trying to process that. Well… he guessed he was okay at being a big brother – Hazue didn’t seem to complain much, at any rate. Maybe… that was what he was best at. And he’d just pushed it much too far, trying to get something he shouldn’t have. “I – I guess that’s not so bad…” At least it didn’t sound like Ohtori never wanted to speak to him again after this.

Especially not after he said he still wanted to be friends. Kaidoh found himself nodding – “Yeah,” he said. “Y-yeah, I… I still wanna be friends.” He wasn’t sure how easy it would be – but he was still worried about Ohtori-kun. And he figured the other probably needed all the friends he could get. And he still wanted to help in any way he could.

Not so bad? He didn't want to lose Kaidoh over anything like that, he still wanted to keep his friend if nothing else. "Okay- we can uh- hang out and things." He'd have to explain not being allowed on campus anymore, but that could wait. For now he was just happy to have his friend back.

Hopping up, he hugged the other quickly. Ohtori had gotten very good at dodging those spines and could do so without even artfully dodging anymore. "Thank you, Kaidoh-kun. This means so much to me!"

“Y-yeah – ” Kaidoh said – finally beginning to smile for real, and mean it – but then Ohtori hugged him and he jumped. No one had really touched him since Ohtori had left – it was kind of strange all over again. He felt the blush that had just started to go away return with a fervor.

“Yeah,” he said again. “I j-just want to help.” Even if Ohtori-kun didn’t want to be with him, if he would have Kaidoh as a friend… that made everything seem much better. And maybe Kaidoh could help him see that being afraid and angry at the people who’d done things to him was not the same as hating all humans. Because that wasn’t the Ohtori-kun he’d known.

Finally letting Kaidoh go, he moved to the bench again, blushing and fidgeting slightly. That had been a bit awkward. He liked the small smile still remaining on the other mutant's face, and had to smile back. Just then the alarm on his watch started to beep. Blinking at it, he frowned. "I have to leave for now…I'm going to be reported to the staff soon-" He bit his lower lip anxiously, "and you probably shouldn't be caught consorting with the enemy…I have my cellphone now if you ever want to talk or anything…"

Kaidoh jumped again as Ohtori’s watch alarm went off. He nodded – he’d thought that maybe the other couldn’t afford to stay long. “Okay,” he said, nodding. He frowned though as Ohtori-kun called himself “the enemy.” “You’re not the enemy,” he said quickly.

But the other was already standing; Kaidoh stood too. “B-but if you should go… then yeah. Uhm. Be careful. A-and you have my number too and stuff.” At least now he could probably call himself and see how the other was, which was kind of good. He didn’t have anything else to offer to Inui-san as payment. “D-do you need help?” He could carry Ohtori’s things if the other needed him to – he wasn’t sure how badly hurt the other had been.

"I kind of am…" Ohtori mumbled quietly while he fought with his hood and sunglasses. "Yanagi-san only gave me a short time…" Finally fixing his clothing, he shouldered his bag and smiled slightly, lifting a brow. "But I guess maybe he knows the both of us better than I thought."

Turning to the door, he started walking toward it. "I'll call. I swear," he had every intention of keeping his promises, he'd grown to hate being 'Bolt' and wanted to try and rebuild the person he had been before this whole nightmare started. "I think I can manage, it's not too heavy."

Yanagi-san…? Kaidoh wondered what he had to do with any of this, but figured he could always ask later. He watched Ohtori pick up his bag and head for the door. “Okay,” he said softly, nodding. If Ohtori-kun said he’d call… he would. “J-just be careful then,” he repeated. “If you ever, um, need anything. Just let me know. N-no matter what time it is.”

"I will…you too, okay?" He hurried out the door, only to take a few steps before jogging back to the gym door. "Missed you too." With a small smile, he hurried his way off of campus, feeling a lot happier about things, and certain everything was going to work out fine.

Kaidoh blushed. Again. But… somehow he found the smile sticking as Ohtori-kun turned and left again. He nodded, gathering his waterbottle and the towel he had stuffed under the bench. He wouldn’t get any more training done tonight. But that was okay.

Somehow… A lot of things seemed like they might start being okay now.