RP Log: Fuji / Eiji

[feelingmaker.livejournal.com]

Date: Recent
Rating: G, blissfully so. Unless you're afraid of strawberry cake.
Summary: A picnic. In the middle of winter. Only Fuji and Eiji could do this. ^_^


Eiji hummed to himself as he hopped about in the kitchen, climbing up nimbly to reach a picnic hamper on the top shelf. Who was it putting things on these really high shelves! he thought to himself. Not that it mattered too much to Eiji right now, since his agility and balance had been improving steadily.

He sang to himself in that slightly off-key voice of his, feeling on top of the world. He'd been awake since early morning, baking, but he hadn't needed a nap! It had felt strange at first, but Eiji found he had so much more energy to do everything now. He bounced a little, tail swishing happily as he wrapped up the slices of strawberry cake carefully and placed them in the hamper. Perhaps he should get some pocky, too! He hadn't met Fuji in person before, but Fuji said he looked like his LJ icon, so it shouldn't be that hard to find him, nya?

Fuji had told Kikumaru-kun -- Eiji, as he preferred to be called -- what his room number was, and where to meet him, but he also suspected that the other boy might be too easily distracted by shiny things to retain this information, so he decided to head down to the kitchen himself.

Eiji wasn't hard to spot. Besides being the only one in the kitchen at the time, his ears and tail gave him away. Fuji suspected that he must be one of the younger students -- though one could never tell; he'd thought his own Bunta was younger than himself when he'd initially met him, and he turned out to be three years his senior. And speaking of Bunta, Fuji recognised the smell of one of his boyfriend's favourite treats. "Strawberry cake?" he asked, passing over a greeting.

"Nya?" Eiji said, turning to greet the newcomer. He'd heard the footsteps, but hadn't paid them too much attention until they entered the kitchen. Oh, he mused, that must be Fuji, he did look exactly like his icon! But wasn't Fuji was supposed to wait for him somewhere else ... oh well. He was here, and he could help carry things, Eiji thought happily.

Tail flicking, Eiji turned to Fuji with a grin. "Nice to meet you, Fuji-san! Yes, it's strawberry cake and it's freshly baked. Ayu-nee's secret recipe. I hope you like strawberry cake, I made it myself this morning!" He beamed proudly, very pleased with himself. It looked and smelled like it was going to be just as delicious as Ayu-nee's cakes. Turning back to the counter, Eiji carefully put in two tumblers, some paper plates and plastic forks, and a bottle of apple juice beside the carefully wrapped cake slices.

He wasn't exactly a fan -- he preferred spicy food to sweet -- but it was better than being bored. And cake would hold up much better than ice cream, winter temperatures notwithstanding, not to mention be easier to transport in the basket Eiji swung as the pair walked outside.

Fuji wasn't even sure why he was doing this. What had possessed him to ask an undeclassman to an on-campus outing that was sure to be nothing but pure fluff? Certainly it wasn't worthwhile, and it solved none of the problems that had weighed on his mind in the past few months. Aah, but that was it, wasn't it -- that it was meaningless was meaning enough in itself. Fuji's brain had been too heavy, and Eiji was just the one to lighten it. Who knew? Maybe the catboy could offer some sort of savant insight.

He pushed open the door to the campus greenhouse, inhaling the heady scents of hothouse plants in bloom. It wasn't a large space, but there was enough room for a makeshift picnic, and it was much warmer beneath the glass roof than it was outside.

Eiji found a nice spot and set the basket down. Fuji had been quiet on the way over, and even though it was his first time meeting Fuji, Eiji wondered if that expression meant something was bothering him. Fuji's smile didn't seem like a real smile to Eiji. Did he not like the cold and missed summer? Was that why they were having a picnic in the greenhouse?

It was at times like this Eiji wished he had been born a receiver instead of a projector; then he would be able to tell what other people were thinking or feeling, or who knows, maybe both. Then he thought of his roommate, who was suffering from some rather nasty headaches ever since they'd been "cut off", as Eiji called it. Eiji's headaches were mild and infrequent, and they went away quickly, so Eiji just considered them a minor annoyance. Oishi didn't seem to be having as easy a time. Eiji had left cake and juice in the room for Oishi, on Oishi's table, but Oishi hadn't been around. Maybe he was in medbay? Eiji could probably check in on the way back. Eiji wondered if Fuji was getting headaches too, and how severe they were. He wasn't sure what the other boy could do, to be honest.

"Ne, Fuji-san ... Thanks for this, even if it's not really outside off-campus. I never thought of a picnic in the greenhouse, nya! I wonder if Oishi will like this idea." Eiji opened the basket, setting it down and sitting on one side. "How've you been? Oh ... and maybe this is a little abrupt, but what are your powers?" He tried not to sound too concerned, the habit of needing to always feel happy for the people around him persisting even though he wasn't projecting. Who knew when his powers might come back and let him help Fuji to feel better?

Fuji blinked, a bit surprised at the sudden question. Hadn't Eiji known already? No matter. "I'm a telekinetic," he explained simply. "Ordinarily I'd offer a demonstration, but ..." A dry chuckle escaped his lips. Certainly Eiji did know about the astral rip -- it was affecting psionic mutants all across campus, Hanamura-sensei included. "Well," he concluded. "Aside from that, I suppose I've been doing well." He smiled pleasantly, and took another bite of cake. It was too sweet.

Fuji didn't seem to be enjoying the cake very much, so Eiji took a bite of his own. Sweet, the way he liked it ... but maybe he shouldn't have put in extra sugar. It was close to the high range of sugar Eiji found acceptable, and he realised with a start that Fuji probably didn't have as great a sweet tooth as he did. Not many people liked their strawberry cake this sweet. He probably should have made some sandwiches, or asked Fuji what he liked to eat, Eiji thought. Oh well, it was a learning process--he'd never actually planned a picnic menu by himself before! "Sorry, nya, it's too sweet isn't it? Don't eat if you don't want to, I'll make some sandwiches with whatever you want, later. We can't just eat cake anyway, nya."

Eiji chuckled sympathetically. "It's okay, you don't have to demonstrate--well, not like you can right now, nya. Are you getting horrible headaches like Oishi? I have some painkillers for that." The feline teen wondered how bad it was for Fuji. His tail swished a little sadly as Eiji leaned over the basket, concerned. "Ne, Fuji-san ... is that why you're so sad? Because you were so quiet, and you don't look like you're happy even though this is a picnic in winter. Don't be, they have things for the pain in medbay, and the pain does go away ... "

Fuji offered a sympathetic look as Eiji kept talking, trying to look for a way he might be able to help. He was a cute kid, really, and the catlike appendages only amplified the effect. Shuusuke wished that he had an answer, though, for any of Eiji's questions.

With a sigh, he selected a few. "Thank you," he said absently, in reference to the painkillers available in medlab. "The headaches aren't so bad, though; and the cake is very nice." He affected a smile, and poured himself a glass of juice.

"Nya," Eiji said, a little put out. He wasn't used to not cheering people up immediately. This was hard without his powers, he thought with a little frustration. Still, he had made a promise to himself, and even if he wasn't projecting he should still try.

Maybe if he found a subject Fuji liked to talk about, Fuji might get happier. His ears twitched expectantly, and his tail swished a bit as Eiji thought for a moment. "What's your favorite food, Fuji-san?" Eiji said, putting his cake aside as he watched the sandy-haired boy pour himself some juice. At least the juice wasn't touched, and this brand wasn't as sweet as some others. "How long have you been here? What do you like to do? Are there any good places to nap? Do you have a roommate?"

Whoops, too much talking. Eiji just cut himself off after the last question, giving Fuji a chance to respond.

More questions. Fuji knew that Eiji was just trying to be helpful -- maybe trying to get him to open up a bit -- but he had forgotten what even the first one was by the time Eiji stopped talking. At least he realised what he'd been doing?

The question freshest in his mind was the one most recently asked. "I do have a roommate," he said slowly. "Marui Bunta -- have you met him? Well, her, I suppose; he's managed to turn himself into a girl and seems to be, ah, stuck." A short laugh, because Fuji supposed it was amusing when one thought about it in more removed terms.

Eiji blinked at that. Someone who turned himself into a girl and then got stuck that way? He checked his arms and feet and felt his face. Well, he wasn't getting anymore catlike on the outside. "Wow ... nya, is h-- is she-- ... um, is Marui-san a morph? I don't think I've met h-- Marui-san, but I haven't been around. How long have you been roommates?" Eiji wondered if you had to move to the girl dorms if you changed yourself into a girl.

And here they were, on a subject that Fuji both loved and dreaded discussing. Hopefully the question of Bunta's sanity wouldn't be approached, but he doubted it wouldn't. "Not long," he said, "just a month or so. But we've been involved since October." He took a thoughtful sip of his juice -- yes, that was better than the too-sweet cake, with a more natural flavour. "He's an illusionist. I guess an illusion just got stuck after the ... incident." He wasn't sure what else to call the psionic rip.

Fuji sounded just a little sadder, and Eiji wondered if they were getting closer to painful subjects. But he didn't like seeing people sad, and Fuji's smile, even though it was so sweet, seemed sad to Eiji for some reason or other. Still, Fuji seemed to like the subject, so Eiji continued.

"What's Marui-san like as a roommate? Is h-- Messy? Neat? Noisy? Oishi's neat, and he's always cleaning up after me, nya. Why did Marui-san want to change into a girl anyway? Was it fun?"

"I suppose he thought so," Fuji replied. "I don't --" I don't like it much, he was going to say. He covered. "I don't mind," he said instead. "It's very ... interesting." His smile broadened, slightly less affected at the thought of Bunta's hobbies. Fuji decided to leave out the more colourful interests. "He likes to cook, I suppose the same as you do? And he'd certainly enjoy the cake. We have a rabbit that lives with us as well; her name's Harley."

Eiji might be self-centered and generally used to people being happy, but he'd heard his sisters make that same pause in their words too many times. Fuji didn't want to say something, and it was probably making him feel sad. But if he didn't want to tell Eiji, then that was that. At least he could try and make Fuji happy, like it seemed he'd done for Kirihara.

"Nya, another cook! We should bake cake together. I hope Marui-san likes strawberry cake!" Eiji said happily, tail flicking swiftly back and forth. Fuji's roommate sounded like fun. Eiji thought that he'd get along great with Marui. Which made him think of Fuji and Marui being roommates and involved, which just made him think of Oishi. He hoped Oishi was doing okay. He should make something for Oishi, Eiji realised, remembering the too-sweet cake he'd left in the room. But what did Oishi like to eat? Speaking of that, what did Fuji like?

"Ne, Fuji-san, what's your favorite food?"

And Eiji was back on another question, though Fuji realised that it didn't necessarily mean that he'd forgotten everything he'd just been told. He was ... trying, Fuji thought. He was genuinely trying to cheer him up, and he couldn't fault that.

So he humoured him. "Usually spicier than this," he answered with a short laugh. "Cajun, curry, wasabi ... tell me, Eiji, have you ever tried wasabi ice cream?" He was willing to bet that he hadn't, though he was asking more to see what the other boy's expression might be.

Wasabi ice cream ... Eiji made a face, his ears flattening and his tail flicking decisively in a way that no one could mistake as anything other than a "no". Ew! Wasabi was horrible in anything other than very small quantities on sushi (and then only tolerable because there was anago and Eiji loved anago sushi).

He shook his head. "No, and I don't think I ever want to, nya! Wasabi's not allowed to pollute something nice like ice cream. Do people actually sell wasabi ice cream, nya?" Eiji hadn't ever seen wasabi ice cream before. His mother always brought neopolitan ice cream because that was the only ice cream all his sisters could agree on.

But he had seen some wasabi in the fridge earlier. "Hoi, Fuji-san, I can make you wasabi sandwiches. With eggs, if you want!" Eiji was good at frying eggs, everyone in his family let him do that because he knew how to get the eggs just right.

Excited now, Eiji jumped up ... forgetting he had put his cake on his lap. It flew into the air, and Eiji realised almost too late. Reflexively, the feline teen made a quick grab for both cake and plate, and saved both ... but now had a fistful of what used to be strawberry cake, all over his left hand. For a moment, he stood there, ex-cake in one hand, plate in the other, looking sadly at the wasted cake as his tail swished sadly.

Fuji had been ready to reply with something like a mild affirmative, bordering on neutral, but the sudden flight of cake stopped him. He wasn't exactly horrified so much as amused, and couldn't help but laugh at the incident, and hope Eiji didn't take his chuckle personally.

He spared a thought for his absent powers, which might've been able to catch the cake without harming it, but they'd gone, so the point was moot. Instead, he reached into the picnic basket for some spare napkins, which he offered politely. "Here, this should help a bit."

Eiji stared a bit as Fuji laughed, then joined in the laughter. "Hoi, Fuji-san, no one would believe I'm a cat, that was so ungraceful nya!" It was worth accidentally squishing a half-eaten slice of strawberry cake all over his hand if it cheered the other teen, Eiji thought, putting down the plate and accepting the napkins gladly. He licked off what cake he could, grinning at Fuji as he cleaned up. "You laughed, nya," Eiji said happily.

"I'm not made of stone," Fuji explained, smile a little more genuine as it crossed his features this time. He took the crumpled, frosting-covered napkins from Eiji and stuffed them back into the picnic basket, along with the dirtied dishes. He wasn't stone, and Eiji was sort of cute, in an endearing kind of way; it wasn't surprising that he'd done at least a little to cheer Fuji up.

Eiji helped Fuji pack up, humming happily now. "Ne, let's go back to the kitchen, Fuji-san, and let me make you eggs and wasabi sandwiches, nya." The red-haired teen grabbed the basket with one hand and Fuji's arm with the other. "And you can tell me about your bunny-chan while we walk!"