Neal is always happy to encounter someone else who enjoys cooking. Mutual exchange of tips and recipes--it's fun. And Ren seems very talented for a kid his age. He doesn't usually go to places uninvited--well, no, that's a lie, he does it all the time.
The fact that Neal caught Ren at home is a miracle in itself. Ren's been out a bunch for his vigilant work, as well as hanging out in A1 more often than not. He's not doing anything special, just lying in bed -- and who visits him, really? He fully expects it to be Akechi, so he doesn't bother hiding the infiltration tools on his desk before he opens to see a new friend.
A smile, and moving to his side so the other can come in.
Neal inclines his head in a polite little sort-of-bow before entering, hands tucked into his pockets. He peeks around the apartment with curiosity, wondering what kind of space Ren and his roommates share. It says a lot--personal bedrooms, yes, but common spaces sometimes even moreso.
Ren has no roommates, so everything Neal's eyes fall upon belongs to him. The tools atop the desk, along with a few lockpicks, the flowers, the clothes folded on the top bed, the shoes next to his door.
What does make Ren a little worried is the reason behind the fact that Neal is here at all - does he need any help? Is he okay?
[Akechi genuinely hadn't wanted to bother with the "real" Halloween party, but Ren had wanted to go, and after everything that had happened, he hadn't the heart to refuse. He'd put in his appearance, chatted with a few people, and as soon as Ren was ready to leave, followed behind him. Honestly, he doesn't know how Ren's even managing to walk so easily in those heels; were he in a better frame of mind, he'd even appreciate the way he manages to make the dress look so graceful on his slender frame. As it stands, he's exhausted, physically and mentally worn out, and the sight of the apartment is a welcome one as he opens the door for the other boy.]
Take your shoes off, [he says brusquely as he shrugs off his coat to hang by the door.] I don't want your heels scratching the floorboards.
(Ren had an interesting time. He's checked the people he cares about and even made new acquaintances. As exhausted as he is, he managed to laugh, be enchanted at someone's expression once he made coffee with beautiful flowers on the foam. All in all, he is pleased, and how Akechi was nice enough to come with him makes his heart feel a little warmer.
Once they make it, Akechi didn't even have to say it, he was already disposing of the heels and his feet touched the floor gracefully. Ren takes the cigarettes from his purse and gestures to Akechi that he'll be at the balcony for a while. There is no expectation that Akechi would follow - after all, he's dead inside, isn't he?)
[Akechi doesn't follow, not at first. He's not going to attempt making hot cocoa for them again -- not until he's had time to search online for a proper recipe, that is, and practice a few times -- but the night is still brisk, and there's something even he can do.
He heads into his own room to grab a few things, then strips a woolen throw off his bed to carry outside. The cigarette smoke means he'll need to wash it before letting it touch his sheets again, but that's a small price to pay. He's conscious to make noise as he opens and shuts the sliding glass door to enter the balcony, not wanting to startle the other boy.]
Here.
[He holds up the blanket in obvious offer, and unless Ren refuses, he'll drape it over his shoulders like a cloak.]
(Ren's definitely very sensitive towards the cold. His ears are red, his nose runny, but for the sake of style and grace, he's refused to wear something warm on top of his wonderful dress - it was a little expensive and it'd be a shame to have it buried under a coat.
Ren does look like something to admire. Red plump lips, pale legs crossed and stiletto nails holding a cigarette between his fingers as he puffs on it. The sight of a blanket is a wash of relief, and Ren takes it with a nod of his head.)
[The unexpected term of endearment makes Akechi snort derisively, though the tips of his ears flush red beneath his hair. How stupid. Doubly so that Ren would call him that after the torture they'd both experienced over the last few endless days.]
That's my question for you, idiot. You're the one who refused to dress for the weather.
[He extends a leather-gloved hand expectantly, waiting for a cigarette to be offered. It's become something he can share only with Ren, something that's at once paradoxically a form of rebellion, and a socially-acceptable form of intimacy.]
[Akechi doesn't often wake up feeling rested or refreshed, but when his alarm starts blaring it's cheerful(?) tune, he slaps it once to silence it and extricates himself from Ren's grip. Sure, it's tempting to just stay in bed with the other man (boyfriend, Ren had said, but that still feels at once too tentative, and not nearly strong enough of a label), especially in the wake of weeks of poor sleep, but he has a routine, damn it. If he could wake up every morning to bike, jog, or go bouldering before a TV shoot, he's not going to let something like a little exhaustion and fatigue stop him now. Besides, it gives him time to think.
When he returns, it's as quietly as possible to avoid waking his roommates. He leaves a travel container of coffees from a local shop on the counter, along with a selection of the most popular pastries an equally-as-exhausted looking clerk recommended. Just as quietly, he lets himself back into his room, leaves a cup of coffee and a small paper bag on his desk, and resumes his normal morning routine as if Ren weren't even there.
Eventually he has to stop putting it off and ventures out from the bathroom, towel around his waist, hair still damp from a basic consideration not to start blow drying it until Ren was awake. He hesitates for a long moment, watching the other boy sleep, before finally venturing over and pressing a knee into the bed. The kiss he leans over and presses to the other boy's forehead is uncharacteristically soft, the touch he presses to his cheek is surprisingly gentle, but hopefully it's enough to wake him up.]
(Tired doesn't really come close to explaining the exhaustion that Ren has been feeling - although he reckons everyone must be going through the same dragging mood after so long without proper sleep. It helps to sleep next to Akechi, though.
Ren wraps himself around the man, allows him to hear his tranquil heartbeat before they fall into slumber. For a couple that tends to get into discussions ever so often, and serious ones at that, it's always nice to know that they're together at the end of the day. Breathing in the same pace, holding each other's hand.
While Akechi keeps his busy morning routine, Ren doesn't have it in him right now to follow. The bed is too comfortable, and even in his sleep, Ren lets out a sigh of displeasure once he feels the weight of the other man dissipate on the mattress. It's worth waiting for Akechi to return, though. A kiss, a touch, and Ren's awake with a smile that might as well blind, an arm wrapping around the boy's waist before he presses a kiss to his close cheek.)
[It's a murmur, accompanied by a ghost of a smile that doesn't even try to compete with Ren's for brightness, but it's there nonetheless. A soft hand trails down Ren's cheek and cups it gently, even as wine-red eyes study Ren's face for any hint of lingering trauma or disquiet that could have accompanied a nightmare.
The sun is bright outside, but it had seemed bright more than once during the events of last month. He needs to know that Ren is truly awake and unharmed.]
(For once, Ren awakens in sheer peace and tranquility. It's been a fulfilling sleep, and slowly, he moves to sit and snake around the boy, burying his face in the crook of his neck.
Akechi smells nice, and his skin is still a little damp. Someone's had a busy morning.)
Dreamless, [he confirms. Pleasant dreams are a lot to ask for, and he rarely has those, but if he dreamed at all last night, he doesn't remember them at all. That's all he can ask for, it seems.
He exhales and shifts slightly on the bed to make it easier for Ren to wind his arms around him. It's dangerous not to be fully dressed near the other boy, but hopefully it's early enough, and he's still tired enough, not to get utterly... distracted.]
I brought you breakfast. You like spicy foods, yes?
[-Though, now he's second guessing himself. It's not like most coffee shops sell curry. Perhaps Ren only likes spice in curry, and the jalapeño-and-cheese bagel he'd bought after careful consideration of what he thought Ren's tastes to be was well off the mark.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
un: max
Date: 2021-09-03 01:37 am (UTC)Re: un: max
Date: 2021-09-03 01:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-09-03 01:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-09-03 01:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-09-03 02:02 am (UTC)Only if it's not actually a mess.
[she knows boys]
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From:SHIT I LOST THE NOTIFF SORRY
From:😔
From:ACTIONNN
Date: 2021-10-02 04:22 pm (UTC)Anyway.
Knock knock!
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Date: 2021-10-02 10:05 pm (UTC)A smile, and moving to his side so the other can come in.
"Hey, Neal."
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Date: 2021-10-07 01:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-10-10 12:11 am (UTC)What does make Ren a little worried is the reason behind the fact that Neal is here at all - does he need any help? Is he okay?
"How are you?"
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Date: 2021-10-31 01:19 am (UTC)That's when his attention lands on Ren's tools. His eyebrows go up. "...Nice kit."
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From:halloween after-party lol
Date: 2021-11-01 11:37 am (UTC)Take your shoes off, [he says brusquely as he shrugs off his coat to hang by the door.] I don't want your heels scratching the floorboards.
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Date: 2021-11-01 11:45 am (UTC)Once they make it, Akechi didn't even have to say it, he was already disposing of the heels and his feet touched the floor gracefully. Ren takes the cigarettes from his purse and gestures to Akechi that he'll be at the balcony for a while. There is no expectation that Akechi would follow - after all, he's dead inside, isn't he?)
no subject
Date: 2021-11-01 11:52 am (UTC)He heads into his own room to grab a few things, then strips a woolen throw off his bed to carry outside. The cigarette smoke means he'll need to wash it before letting it touch his sheets again, but that's a small price to pay. He's conscious to make noise as he opens and shuts the sliding glass door to enter the balcony, not wanting to startle the other boy.]
Here.
[He holds up the blanket in obvious offer, and unless Ren refuses, he'll drape it over his shoulders like a cloak.]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-01 11:59 am (UTC)Ren does look like something to admire. Red plump lips, pale legs crossed and stiletto nails holding a cigarette between his fingers as he puffs on it. The sight of a blanket is a wash of relief, and Ren takes it with a nod of his head.)
Thank you, honey. Are you okay?
no subject
Date: 2021-11-01 12:05 pm (UTC)That's my question for you, idiot. You're the one who refused to dress for the weather.
[He extends a leather-gloved hand expectantly, waiting for a cigarette to be offered. It's become something he can share only with Ren, something that's at once paradoxically a form of rebellion, and a socially-acceptable form of intimacy.]
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Date: 2021-11-08 01:00 pm (UTC)When he returns, it's as quietly as possible to avoid waking his roommates. He leaves a travel container of coffees from a local shop on the counter, along with a selection of the most popular pastries an equally-as-exhausted looking clerk recommended. Just as quietly, he lets himself back into his room, leaves a cup of coffee and a small paper bag on his desk, and resumes his normal morning routine as if Ren weren't even there.
Eventually he has to stop putting it off and ventures out from the bathroom, towel around his waist, hair still damp from a basic consideration not to start blow drying it until Ren was awake. He hesitates for a long moment, watching the other boy sleep, before finally venturing over and pressing a knee into the bed. The kiss he leans over and presses to the other boy's forehead is uncharacteristically soft, the touch he presses to his cheek is surprisingly gentle, but hopefully it's enough to wake him up.]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-08 01:21 pm (UTC)Ren wraps himself around the man, allows him to hear his tranquil heartbeat before they fall into slumber. For a couple that tends to get into discussions ever so often, and serious ones at that, it's always nice to know that they're together at the end of the day. Breathing in the same pace, holding each other's hand.
While Akechi keeps his busy morning routine, Ren doesn't have it in him right now to follow. The bed is too comfortable, and even in his sleep, Ren lets out a sigh of displeasure once he feels the weight of the other man dissipate on the mattress. It's worth waiting for Akechi to return, though. A kiss, a touch, and Ren's awake with a smile that might as well blind, an arm wrapping around the boy's waist before he presses a kiss to his close cheek.)
Hey, honey.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-08 01:29 pm (UTC)[It's a murmur, accompanied by a ghost of a smile that doesn't even try to compete with Ren's for brightness, but it's there nonetheless. A soft hand trails down Ren's cheek and cups it gently, even as wine-red eyes study Ren's face for any hint of lingering trauma or disquiet that could have accompanied a nightmare.
The sun is bright outside, but it had seemed bright more than once during the events of last month. He needs to know that Ren is truly awake and unharmed.]
Sleep well?
no subject
Date: 2021-11-08 01:38 pm (UTC)(For once, Ren awakens in sheer peace and tranquility. It's been a fulfilling sleep, and slowly, he moves to sit and snake around the boy, burying his face in the crook of his neck.
Akechi smells nice, and his skin is still a little damp. Someone's had a busy morning.)
Did you?
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Date: 2021-11-08 01:50 pm (UTC)He exhales and shifts slightly on the bed to make it easier for Ren to wind his arms around him. It's dangerous not to be fully dressed near the other boy, but hopefully it's early enough, and he's still tired enough, not to get utterly... distracted.]
I brought you breakfast. You like spicy foods, yes?
[-Though, now he's second guessing himself. It's not like most coffee shops sell curry. Perhaps Ren only likes spice in curry, and the jalapeño-and-cheese bagel he'd bought after careful consideration of what he thought Ren's tastes to be was well off the mark.]
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From:un: Aberration
Date: 2021-12-25 04:26 am (UTC)un: ren
Date: 2021-12-25 06:07 am (UTC)Points for handmade.
Re: un: ren
Date: 2021-12-25 06:10 am (UTC)I need specifics. I don't do this holiday.
Re: un: ren
Date: 2021-12-25 06:14 am (UTC)Can you write? I have just the thing in mind.
un: Aberration
Date: 2021-12-25 06:46 am (UTC)But fine, what do you suggest?
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