(no subject)
WHO: Fuji Syuusuke & Allen Walker
WHAT: Resolving the conclusion of Dream Class
WHERE: School grounds in general and just outside before ending in the dorms
WHEN: Right after they both wake up.
WARNINGS: lol None? idk
Just before he could make contact, only millimeters away, barely any distance at all.. and the bead broke. So. After the three beads broke, he would wake up from this dream thing. Allen supposed it was a good thing he woke up before he could land the attack. Good for the other person, at least.
Was it really Fuji? Or was it just the dream and his eyes being deceived? He did say it didn't matter.. but that was in the dream. Outside, in the real world...
That had been a refreshing thing to do, though, to be able to fight and attack without hesitation. After all, a dream was a dream.. right? No harm done, it wasn't real, it wasn't real...
Real or not, he had woken with a strange feeling in his stomach, and it wasn't because of the realistic blood that he could feel on his hands even though it was a dream and those claws weren't really hands at all and--
Allen sighed as he reached the top of the steps and stopped, leaning against the wall in an effort to calm himself down.
The brunette sat up gasping for breath in the white bed he had fallen asleep in half an hour before. Fuji looked at the curtain surrounding him and sighed, hand on his smooth throat. It was all part of the dream and he wasn't injured at all. Still it was time to get out of the infirmary, out of a place that reminded him of bad times.
Fuji pushed the curtain aside and got out of the bed, nodding at the attending nurse as he walked towards the door. It had closed soon after he had regained consciousness, when he was still panicking. It opened quietly as his thoughts went back to the form he had faced, whoever it was had recognized him. Yet didn't care at all.
As far as he knew he had made no enemies on campus thus far, no one had a reason to attack him like that. He sighed as he walked up the stairs, quicker now to escape the closed in and claustrophobic feeling it gave off. Footsteps near the top halted his progress and he looked up, eyes open for a change. "...Allen?"
At the sound of his name, Allen looked back, blinking in surprise at the sight of his dorm-mate at the bottom of the stairs. So Fuji really was the one he had attacked... For some reason, it affected him less than he thought. Maybe it was because he sort of had no control over what he did in the dream?
"Fuji.." He was at a loss for words. What did one say to someone after nearly killing them in a dream world? Never mind the fact that they shared the same dorm, which only made it a tad more awkward. Allen cleared his throat and gave the other brunette a small apologetic smile. "Ah, I'm sorry about.. that. Really."
He smiled softly at his confusing roommate and tilted his head to the side, "Sorry? What have you to be sorry for Allen?" It briefly crossed his mind that it might have been Allen who attacked him but he didn't really seem that kind of person. Then again...the dream was where many did not act themselves, or so he had heard.
The teen walked around him and chuckled, "I'm curious as to what it is you're apologizing for that merited waiting here for me. Something that big?" He was walking now, slowly to their dorm so that Allen could catch up and walk beside him. Fuji ran a hand through his hair, almost seeing black liquid on his hand that had been his blood in the dream. He glared at it a little, shaking the memory from his thoughts.
Allen blinked. He rather thought that it was obvious who he was when the mask came off.. but then again, he never got to look in a mirror during the dream. He had half a mind to brush it off and act like nothing was wrong, but..
"I guess I didn't look the same, huh." Allen chuckled lightly and followed Fuji. When he caught up, he held up his left arm and pointed at it. "Can't say I know what I looked like, but I remember a black arm and claws. And.. I'd assume that making a, er, hole in your neck is a rather big thing."
Blue eyes glanced over at the movement the other teen made, considering the information he was just told. "...So it was you," his voice gave a cold tone though he really didn't mean it that way, Fuji was detaching himself from the feelings of rage and hurt.
"You did look a little different when the mask was off, white hair and an odd tattoo or scar on your face. I didn't get a good look at it." He frowned slightly and started muttering to himself, "Was it white though? Might have been any fair color. Everything was black and white..."
Fuji sighed heavily and looked down the path, customary smile back on his face, "It's alright Allen. After all it was a dream. I'm fine now aren't I?" He turned his smile to the other teen. "I suppose I looked odd myself, all black and white. What gave me away?"
"Yeah.. I'll try and not do it next time, if we ever end up bumping into each other again." Allen lowered his hand and looked ahead again, letting the smile drop a notch so as not to hurt his cheeks too much. He let his mind wander back to what he could remember of the 'dream', mostly consisting of the fact that he could almost defy gravity and not having a real body - and not being able to control that same non-existent body.
"Your eyes were still blue, but a lot of people have blue eyes.. I think it was the tennis. Maybe. You're the only person I know with blue eyes and plays tennis, so I just assumed it was you."
Fuji nodded as he looked forward again himself, wondering if the chance would come about again. "I was surprised myself to see a racket and ball in my hands." He chuckled softly, "Not much of a weapon compared to yours. ... Not that I mind. I'd rather not attack anyone if I didn't have to."
The school grounds were quiet but one could almost imagine it ringing with the noises of combat within the dream. "So what shall we do with ourselves now that we've been kicked out of class so to speak?"
"A weapon, huh..?" The fact that his own arm had turned into such a deadly weapon was interesting, yet also held some gave Allen a kind of ominous feeling. "I'd.. refrain from attacking you, at the very least."
It wasn't a lie; Allen really didn't want to maul his dorm-mate weekly, as that might create some tension between them. He wasn't, however, against attacking others.. provided he didn't know them particularly well. Judging by the recent dream session, however, it seemed he would only be able to strike three times at most before all the beads broke. Bummer.
"Hmm.." Allen made a thoughtful face and looked out the window as they walked, seeing his own faded reflection in the clean glass. "We could.. do homework.. or just walk around and kill time?"
He chuckled again, the sound of it echoing down the hallway and back to them, "To be honest I'd rather walk around. They didn't give us much homework today after all." Fuji mused further to himself, the possibility of a rematch; after all he did not lose to the same person twice. Though what would it be? A tie since they both disappeared or his own loss since he did "die" from injuries.
"But if you want to go back and get started on the work I don't mind at all." He did have some film that needed editing for his elective class, due tomorrow. Yet it was nice out, nicer than it had been lately with the winter chill.
"A walk sounds nice.. I haven't done that in a while." Allen remarked with a brief stretch of his arms and some flexing of his fingers - the same ones that had been stained in black blood not too long ago. He looked at them with a bit of disdain before smiling again. "I think I've been cooped up in the dorms for too long. That, and the music room." A second home away from home.
"Any place in particular we could go?" He asked, slipping both hands into the pockets of his coat. "Or just walk around aimlessly for God knows how long?"
"Well walking around aimlessly is rather limited within the school. We could go out in the town, there's a park I often cut through to go to the courts." The brunette fingered his zipper sliding it up and down a little, "Never finished exploring it when I first came here." Their path was taking them closer to the front of the school, closer to the doors nearest the gate. Though it was steadily growing darker outside, it might not be the wisest for them to go walking even in the cold.
"Then again...I haven't explored all of the school either. What say we see what the upper classmen halls have."
The cold air was always ideal for clearing the mind, though, and it reminded Allen of the time when he tried to go for a walk during a minor blizzard because he was so bored. He didn't succeed, though, as his foster parents at the time refused to let him leave the cozy confines of the house.
"Exploring sounds brilliant." He said as he looked up at the darkening sky. "I'd like to see what it's like some time before the year's over..."
Fuji chuckled at the stereotypical English term, at least the usage of it was unusual to him. "I don't think I'll ever get used to all the idioms this language has. Exploring the school it is then." Short as he was he lengthened his stride to his more comfortable pace, the one he used to keep up with his taller companions.
"If memory serves the junior halls are above ours. Correct...? And the senior hall is over the freshmen halls?"
Allen gave a sheepish smile and shrugged. "American slang means next to nothing to me, and I probably won't be staying in the States too long, so I haven't bothered trying to learn the language here as of yet."
Though a bit miffed at the change in pace and his own height, or lack therefore of, Allen managed to keep up with the other brunette. "I'm not sure. I've never taken a look around other than to find classes.."
"Do try and stay here long enough for the school year to end." He laughed slightly as he slowed his pace just a bit, "You're one of the few people I can have an actual conversation with without wishing to...suddenly leave with no word," he did it a lot over here. Fuji shook the thought from his head and continued, "I remember seeing the halls placed there on the map that came with my acceptance letter."
"I'm hoping I can, though I'm not terribly sure about being here for junior year." Allen sighed with a wistful smile. "I've fortunately made an effort to speak to a few people, you included.. so I can at least have a few memories."
At the mention of the letter, Allen was only reminded of how he came to be here at Hypnos. No warning, just a letter in the mail from God knows who - the same letters he'd been receiving every year for most, if not all, of his years of education - that he was to be transferred to another school. "Ah, really? I.. don't think I received one," he said with a light chuckle. "The map, I meant."
"Odd. Some didn't get one I suppose... But I hope you are here for junior year. Who else am I going to room with?" He smiled at his current roommate and opened the door to the stairs, "That reminds me... Any idea what happened to my old film camera?" The antique had disappeared from his work desk just the other day, the digital monstrosity left all alone.
"I'd like to have that one back if you happen to know where it is. I haven't taken a picture of you with that one."
"I think chances are higher that I won't be here junior year.." Allen trailed off a bit before skipping out the door a little too jovially and into the cooling embrace of the approaching night air, breathing in deeply. "I'm sure you'll get along with anyone you room with, Fuji."
Now, the camera, Allen was sure he hadn't done anything, and he raised his hands up in defense with a nervous smile. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's become of it. If you haven't taken a picture of me with it, then I've no reason to touch it."
"Hmm..." Fuji followed him out, zipping his coat up, "Actually I'm very picky. I try to get someone that won't bother me much. If I don't like them...well...they move out quick." He smiled innocently as they started walking again.
"I must have put it somewhere else then." Though he wasn't sure who else had been in the room and he had placed it there to clean the dust that had gotten in the lens. "I hope it wasn't stolen. Anyone been in our room lately besides us?"
"Well, I try not to be much of a bother." Allen stretched, again, and breathed in more of the fresh air, exhaling with a content sigh. Despite all the perks of a boarding school and all of the nice people here, his dorm-mate included, Allen couldn't wait to be back in the UK - well, he could wait, but that wasn't the point.
"Hmm," Allen tilted his head to the side and chewed at his bottom lip in thought. Lately he'd been spending more time in the music room instead of doing homework - yet he still managed to get by - so he wasn't sure if anyone had decided to drop by their room without notice. "..Not that I know of, no."
"Didn't mean it quite like that Allen, I'm just not quite sure how to word it in English." Fuji struggled a bit with the words, "By 'bother' I suppose I mean someone with a positive personality? Not rude or gloomy...well," he snuck a side glance at his walking companion, "Gloomy all the time I should say."
He had more than noticed Allen's disappearance lately and while the privacy had been nice at first it had grown old with all the silence. It almost made him miss a chatterbox friend from back home, "Odd. I'll look again then."
"Gloomy people are a tad..." Allen's face scrunched up in thought. "..bodgy, I'd say. I don't know of an American equivalent." He laughed and took a moment to look around as they walked, having never taken a single step off campus in a while. At least, not to go anywhere useful, unless you counted the casinos.
Allen, too, almost regretted spending so much time on the piano, but it helped relieve some of the stress and he was grateful for that. "If you want, I'll help look." He offered with a light smile.
He laughed at the word, "It's an interesting word. I must visit England if you get all of these fun terms." Languages had always interested him and he had almost mastered this one, "Though Europe has many languages doesn't it?" One for every country and then some if he recalled correctly. Fuji took a deep breath of the chill air and erased the remainder of sleep for the moment.
"I'd welcome the help but I don't want to distract you from your own studies. I saw that red-marked paper from Biology..." He hadn't even had to pry to see that in the rubbish bin when normally he had to sneak into his school bag while the odd ball of a phone stared at him.
"If you ever decide to, I could give you a tour!" If he didn't get them completely lost, first. Allen never did have a good sense of direction. "I do believe so. I myself don't know any languages other than a bit of Japanese."
Ah, Timcanpy, always playing the loyal watchdog - even if he was just a phone. He'd often been told to get rid of it and get a new one, one that didn't seem like it would start biting at anything that got near. "I thought I threw that one away," Allen mused, tapping at his chin with a single finger and then smiled with dismissive wave. "Ah well. And don't worry, I'll manage. I'd like to help, if only as payment for taking away your other camera at the beginning of the semester."
"I'll call you up then if I ever fly over there." When the school year ended he planned on flying back home going east instead of west like many did. "The languages are easy to pick up if you understand the root language enough. It's the idioms and grammar that often confuses everyone."
"You did, you did Allen. I just happened to see it by chance as I was cleaning out the trash. Your phone fell in quite by accident~" And it had though he might have lifted the book it was on not quite accidentally. "And I don't mind the digital disappearing quite as much, I love film better."
"I agree. Grammar is a nasty little bugger." English itself was tough at times, but nothing Allen couldn't handle if he tried. Which he did. Sometimes. Kind of.
"Really, Tim fell in by himself? I knew he could move!" Allen joked with a small laugh, covering his mouth with a hand. "Now if I could just train him to do my homework.."
Fuji nodded slightly, eyes closed comfortably even walking in the night, "It is. I've heard that one could study English for a lifetime and still not master it. Still not know what every word means..." Yet he was determined to learn at least one word a day other than the ones he used in normal conversation.
"He? Tim? ..." Fuji glanced at the other young man, "Allen you cannot be serious...you named your phone and gave it a gender? Is it like a boat to you then?" He had only heard of people naming boats and calling them her and she, "Like a Queen Mary?"
"Like listening to a diplomat and wondering exactly what the bloody hell they want to say." Not that Allen bothered listening to any, anyway.
Allen blinked. "All ships are, by default, female. And they are named." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Most of them. Anyway." Again, he waved his hand dismissively, as if it wasn't such a big deal. "Yes, I named my phone. I did give Tim a gender because I didn't feel like continuously referring to him as 'it'."
"Or just simply a politician. I can't understand a single thing when they come on the television." Diplomats and politicians opened a whole new can of worms, especially with language, "How is it that they can answer a question without answering it all, and if they do so vaguely yet leave you with the sense that they have answered the question completely." Fuji understood a bit of it yes, but only because he too was able to spin circles with words when he needed to.
"You could've said 'Tim' all the time though, the name itself is male isn't it?" He thought it was cute, naming inanimate objects like that. He did it frequently with his cacti although the prickly plants were hard to distinguish to the untrained eye.
"I tend to just.. tune out.. or turn off the telly." Allen said with a shrug. He tended to prefer straightforward answers - it was easier and less painful on the brain. And it didn't take up as much time, either. "I think it's kind of like, you know they've answered the question but you just don't know what they wanted to say." Or.. something like that.
"Eh.. I suppose so. I've gotten used to talking to him, though," He remarked with a sheepish smile. "Never had many friends I could talk to about problems.. so Tim's more of a friend than anyone I know. Even if he is just a, well, phone."
"Oh they said what they wanted, they just don't want to be straight forward or truthful with what they've said." Fuji ran a hand through his hair, fingering the ends of it, "But back to television... I don't understand half the shows they air over here. Most of them seem to be repeating the same thing or are mostly superficial. Or just rich and bored idiots trying to make themselves famous.
"You can always talk to me Allen." He smiled softly and looked up at the sky, "Not to bring up bad memories but did kill me so that makes us closer than a lot of people. After all who can say they've killed someone and then took a walk around the town with them?" Fuji watched his breath trail behind them as he spoke, wondering if it was going to snow.
"I haven't watched much television since I arrived, but some of the movies are okay," Allen made a thoughtful sound, briefly noting that his and Fuji's hair were almost the same shade. "I believe most of them are for entertainment purposes, though, if you can stand sitting through all of it." And for rich idiots to get richer.
"..Anyone who takes that weird class could?" Hummed in thought for a moment, and his hand went over his mouth again as he laughed lightly. "It's kind of humoring, when I think about it, everything that's happened since I transferred over. And thanks for the offer." Allen shifted his gaze to watch his feet as they walked. "I think I might actually enjoy Hypnos, now." Not that he had a choice if he didn't like it.
"Then how in the world can they be entertained by all this stupid drivel that they watch? Some of it is just plain disgusting or doesn't make sense at all. Though I did like some of the crime investigation shows." Such things had always interested him and some of the storylines they created were very unusual and made one think. It was almost enough to make Fuji consider going into that career field, "What do you watch when you do watch television Allen?
"Saa. But only if they knew who they killed hm?" After all he didn't know it was Allen who killed him until a few minutes ago, "Everything is odd over here...but an interesting odd." As per liking the school, he did like it himself but it was entirely too cold for him. While he liked the chill air all the snow was entirely unwanted.
"Ah.. I usually just watch what's on when I have time, just glimpses and pieces. I think one that I did manage to watch all of was.." Allen paused for a moment to try and recall the title. "Whatwasit.. Girl, Interrupted, I think." And it wasn't just to look at Angelina Jolie, either. Really.
"I guess so.." Allen tilted his head back to look at the sky again. With the temperature dropping, he was hoping it would snow. Unlike his dorm-mate, Allen loved the cold weather, especially the snow. "I've never had a class like that dream class, though. I wonder what it's for."
Fuji blinked and looked at the other brunette, "I don't think I've caught that show... Or is it a movie?" The title sounded like one to him but then again he wasn't an expert on American TV, nor did he desire to be. An active person by nature he was waiting impatiently for spring to come so he could get back to his training regiment.
The question, however rhetorical, rattled around in his own mind as he zipped up his coat against the chill. "Perhaps they think it a stress relief for students. But I remember seeing that odd statement within the pamphlet, if you find a key then you graduate." Fuji pursed his lips momentarily, "So we're stuck here in a way even though we become seniors and the year ends if we've not found the key."
"I believe it's a movie," Allen replied, scratching at the back of his head. "I don't remember when it came out, though." Allen himself didn't watch TV much, unless he was extremely bored or trying to catch the news.
"That's kind of unfair. What about those who don't take the classes?" But, this gave Allen another question to think about: if he couldn't graduate without a key, did that mean he couldn't transfer schools either? "As far as I could tell, there weren't enough beds for the whole school down there."
"Saa... I've not watched any movies lately. I wonder what's playing." Something soft and white floated down in front of him, leaving Fuji scowling slightly. Snow in the small and tight form, more than likely to pack onto what was already on the ground. "Lovely...just lovely," it came out as a mutter, low and barely hearable.
"There might be another class on another day. Or those that just attend normally might graduate normally. Who knows..." The nurse might, or maybe the headmaster. "Is there an actual teacher in charge of this class?"
"Hmm," Allen was still thinking about his own dilemma that would surely arrive at the end of the school year. "That one nurse, I think.. but I've never really seen her during the classes, so she might just be a supervisor." Stranger still, that they allowed such violent dreams to be played out when schools usually prohibited fighting on campus. He supposed that a 'dream realm' couldn't be considered 'on campus' though.
Something cold and wet landed on his head and he looked up as Fuji scowled. Snow. Allen actually stopped walking for the moment, his muddy brown eyes fixed on the small white dots circling downwards from the sky. Despite how chilly he was getting, the mere sight of snow brought a strange warmth to his body and he broke out into a genuine smile. "..It's snowing."
Fuji stopped walking when he noticed his companion disappear from his side, he looked back and sighed, "Yes. It's snowing."
He actually opened his eyes as he looked up at the sky, "And by the looks of the flakes it'll last a while and stick and cause more problems." A small part of him was angry at the groundhog that had 'predicted' six more weeks of winter, he wanted it to be spring to be coming now.
"Oh, but that makes it so much more fun!" Allen gave another laugh, covering his mouth again out of habit. "You don't like the snow, Fuji?" He looked over at his companion, still smiling, though by now it was a bit melancholic. "I used to be like that, too. I hated when it snowed, because all the kids would go out and play with each other..."
Shaking his head, Allen started walking again. "It kind of reminds me of home, now that it's starting to snow." Where ever home happened to be, that is.. Or if it even existed for Allen.
He sniffed slightly, "I don't particularly care for it, no. I've had too many spills in the stuff." But Fuji had fond enough memories of it, playing in it with his older sister and younger brother. "Some... Most of those spills were courtesy of my younger brother. Yumiko was the one often throwing snowballs.
"It's good that it holds such fond memories for you. Not much around here reminds me of home." Though he was far from being homesick he was starting to miss the foods and sounds of Japan.
"Your family sounds nice," Allen smiled, though it seemed a little forced, and he paused a bit on the word 'family'. The phrase itself held very little meaning to him, yet there was always a strange feeling that accompanied it. "And snowball fights are kind of fun, too!" That is, unless you were the only one they aimed at.
"There's always a few restaurants that might serve Japanese food." The brunette mused, rubbing at his arms in order to generate a bit of body heat. He hadn't realized it would get this cold.
"Yumiko always aimed at me. Figured she was making up for the anger Yuuta felt towards me." Fuji chuckled softly and put his hands in his pockets, trying to find a pair of gloves. "You can come with me over Spring Break if you want Allen, just for the experience." Did they have that at this school? The school year was so messed up here in his opinion; such a long break between years when really everything should be starting and ending in the spring. "Unless you already have plans..."
There were many restaurants, but the tastes just weren't quite the same. "Saa... How is it said... 'It's just not the same as mom's home cooking?' I think is the term...or something like that?"
"Hmm, I see what you mean.. Home cooking always tastes better than restaurant food." Most of the time. If you didn't burn the food, that is.
"U-uh.." If it wasn't so cold out, the light flush on Allen's face would have been visible, but his cheeks were already tinged pink because of the chilly air. Never had he been invited over to anyone's house, and he wondered how he should act - or react. "I.. don't have anything planned... much." Except maybe a poker marathon at the local casinos, buuuuut... "I'd, er, love to accept the offer, but I wouldn't want to burden you and your family." He said with a small smile directed at Fuji.
The food wouldn't be burnt or cold or prepared with spices that he wasn't used to having, that was what he loved the most about home cooking. "I am going to try to get some ingredients together to make some sushi, a friend of mine taught me the rudimentary skills of it." All this talk of food had made him suddenly crave the wasabi sushi he always ordered.
Fuji returned the smile a bit wider and a bit warmer despite the cold, "It's alright, we have plenty of room. Father is hardly ever home, he works overseas. And Yuuta stays at his boarding school... You'd be leaving me with two women and that's not a very nice thing. I'm already 'girly' I believe." He busied himself putting on the gloves, "Besides if you plan on giving me a tour of your countryside the least I can do is show you mine. Ne?"
"I.. see." Allen scratched lightly at his cheek. He really didn't know how to accept or refuse an offer like this. He'd heard that some would politely refuse until they were 'persuaded', while others jumped straight in. "I, um.. I'll.. think about it."
"No pressure!" He smiled reassuringly at the other teen, "We have a while before spring break after all." The temperature was dropping more rapidly now and although he was used to the cold temperatures by now he shivered, "Mind if we start heading back Allen? I don't want to be a popsicle." Fuji couldn't feel his nose anymore and he was sure it had started dripping a little.
"Eh?" Now that he thought about it, it was actually pretty cold. Coming from a rather cold climate himself, Allen almost felt comfortable in this kind of weather - but Fuji was right. Any longer out here without adequate clothing wouldn't be a good idea. "Ah, sure. It is getting pretty chilly out."
"We'll take another walk then another time, preferably during the day time when it might be a little bit warmer." Fuji laughed slightly as he stopped walking and turned around, "I'd like to take the pictures of the snow in the sunlight anyways..." He shot a quick glance at Allen, "But not of you. I promise." Of course...when Allen wasn't looking all was free for gain.
Allen followed him, hands in the pockets of his coat as the snow continued falling. The abundance of flakes were tempting, and were he alone, he would have tried to catch one of them on his tongue like he had as a child. "Ah.. Well, if you'd like to, you can." He said with another smile and a shrug. "If it's in the snow, I don't mind a few pictures."
Fuji smiled and raised his arms up, palms facing the sky, "Lucky day~ I'll resist filling up an entire memory card with Allen's snow-face." The snow was falling a bit faster now and clung to every bit of cloth and even his hair as Fuji tilted head back to look for any stars. They were of course hidden by the city lights but the flakes reminded him enough of them. "I've heard of something some people make with the snow, they call it snow cream."
"Snow cream?" The thought of food caught Allen's attention in less than a second - what could he say? He just loved food. "Hmm.. it sounds interesting." At the mention of this 'snow cream', Allen suddenly had a craving for ice cream, despite the temperature. He shook his head to get rid of some of the snow from his hair and brushed the ice off his clothes. It wouldn't do to have snow melt on your clothes while still out in the cold. "Maybe we could try making it sometime."
"I'll put a bowl outside then when we get back," Fuji grinned at the child that instantly came out at the mention of food, "Maybe a big bowl considering your endless stomach." He wasn't quite ready to rid himself of the snow clinging to his body, it made all his memories of hurt disappear with the chill. "Of course I don't know how we'll keep it frozen to make it."
"Or we could put more than one bowl out," he suggested. "More than one big bowl." But there probably weren't any bowls big enough to match the ones Allen was thinking of. "But it's not like I'll eat that much, though. I'm not terribly fond of brain freeze." His self-consciousness of his appetite was just another of the many things that kept him from accepting the visit to see Fuji's family.
"We'll put out as many as we can find then," Fuji smiled at his roommate's insatiable appetite. He found it odd that one's journey to a location could seem so long yet the return trip could be so short. Already they were at the gates to the school grounds again, not having wandered far. "What we don't eat we can share with others no?"
"Well, I don't suppose we can freeze and store them anywhere if there is any left." Allen shrugged and blew into his hands to keep them warm. The faster they got back to the dorms, the faster Allen could don thicker clothes and go out again, if only for a few more minutes. If not, then he could always watch the snow fall from the dorm room. "I guess we'll have to share if we don't want it to go to waste."
He laughed again, more than he had since coming to the school, "Sounds to me as if you don't like sharing food dear Allen." Despite the cold creeping into his bones Fuji started to walk a little bit faster, in his own mind he wasn't quite ready for snow cream. Hot chocolate was more of his own liking at the moment, "Might I suggest we stop at the cafe before we go into the dorms? It might defrost us."
It was one thing to hear laughter. It was another to be the reason for the laughter. And it was another to know that he wasn't being laughed at. For that, Allen smiled. "I'll share just about anything. Except food. Unless it's a life or death situation, of course." Allen had to shake his head again to get rid of the snow in his hair, lest he end up looking like that thing he was in the dream. "I'd have to agree. Some hot chocolate does sound nice right about now."
Fuji nodded and shifted their path towards the school's cafe, starting to shake off his own snowy load. "Perhaps we'll be able to get a few bowls out of them. We could carry them on top of our heads while we walk to the dorms to gather snow." He grinned at the though of it, reminded of an old Disney movie set in a jungle. "Do you know if they have any hot spices to put in the hot chocolate there? I have odd food preferences."
"One of us could carry the drinks and the other carries the bowls?" Allen suggested. He, of course, would be holding the bowls, otherwise he'd be tempted to drink the hot chocolate on the way, and maybe even Fuji's, which was what he wanted to avoid. "I've never noticed the spices in the cafe.. I believe they might have some pepper. Why, I haven't a clue."
He made a face at the mention of pepper, "I've never really developed the taste for that spice. I mean more of the ones similar to cinnamon on a higher level. I'll ask the clerk then." Fuji opened the door to the cafe and they both went in, the line not being very long this late at night. They got their hot chocolate and the bowls they promised to return, with some of the snow cream safely chilled inside. Within the span of five minutes they were back outside in the cold, his own hands warm with the drinks bundled against the weather. And some spices tucked away in his coat pocket to add in later.
Allen held onto the bowls that would be his ticket to some of this supposedly tasty snow cream as they made their way back to the dorms. The smell of the hot beverage was sweet and comforting even though it was followed by the sharp nip of cold air. He wouldn't be able to have any, though, until the bowls were set down somewhere. He turned back to Fuji when they reached the dorm building. "Where should I put these?"
"Aa... The window sills in the living room?" There should be room where flowers were supposed to be, the little boxes screwed into the brick walls. By the looks of things there was already a good deal of snow in the two top bowls in Allen's hands. "If we leave them out there then they shouldn't melt from the inside heat." Somehow between the two of them they managed to open the door to the dorms and to their own room, away now from the chill air.
Allen did as was suggested and carefully balanced the bowls over the dinky boxes. After all, it wouldn't do if they fell down in the middle of the night and all their efforts ended up useless. After making sure they would stay put, Allen closed the window and eagerly took his cup of hot chocolate from Fuji's hand. "Hmm, I hope the wind doesn't knock them over, somehow."
"It shouldn't. I don't remember any wind being forecasted. I'll check again before I go to bed." And if there was he'd put something around them to keep the bowls stable. Fuji put his cup on the table and took his coat off, emptying the pockets of spice. It took him a moment to hang it up and take his own shoes off before he could thoroughly enjoy his hot beverage. The petite brunette sat down in one of the chairs in the living room, mixing in a few of the spices. "I think this one cup will do me in for the night." He smiled and took a sip, not minding the tongue-burning heat from it at all.
Allen looked slightly curious at the spices being put into Fuji's drink as he shrugged off his own jacket and shoes before taking a seat across from his dorm-mate and sipping his own beverage. It burned at his tongue, but he ignored it in favor of the heaven that was hot chocolate on a cold winter day. "I wouldn't mind another, but I don't fancy the idea of trekking through that snow again, as much as I love it."
He chuckled softly and shifted into a more comfortable position in the easychair, "We could always get some packets to make in the little kitchenette." Fuji took another sip and shifted his gaze out the window, he liked this view of the snow much better. "It won't taste the same most likely but that's what you get when you face homemade off against big company brands..." He sighed wistfully and shut his eyes a little, reminded of the comfort of home with just a sweet drink and warmth.
"I kind of prefer homemade, sometimes," Allen murmured around the cup in his hands. "There's nothing to stop you from adding as much or as little of the powder as you want." With another gulp, he drained the rest of the hot chocolate and have a satisfied sigh. "Though buying it isn't too bad, either. Easier than making it, at least."
Through his eyelashes he watched the other teen drain his cup, amazed yet again at the solidity of his stomach. Even he had limits of how much of a hot thing he could handle at once. Fuji inclined his head a little, agreeing with what had been said, "Yes but not when you have to traipse through Lady Winter's ball gown late at night." He though briefly, "Maybe we can look up the recipe and make it here. It might not be as good but we'll at least have it when we want it without having to venture out."
"Sounds like a plan," Allen smiled and stood up to deposit the styrofoam cup into the trash, now starting to head for the window again. "I think I'll watch the snow fall for a little while longer, before I go to bed, so I'll say goodnight right now." Of course, he planned on staying up late and falling asleep while watching the snow drift down, and not just into the bowls, either. Even though he needed the sleep, tomorrow was a Friday, and after that was the weekend. Plenty of time to sleep and recharge.
He hummed indulgently, watching Allen's movements sleepily, the cup warming his hand pleasantly. "Just make sure you don't fall asleep out here eh? I'm not lugging you into bed if you do." Fuji smiled and drank more of the steamy liquid. "I'll probably head on to bed as soon as I finish this cup."
"Oh, I won't. Wouldn't dream of it." Liar. If one paid attention, they'd see it in his eyes and past his little smile. Allen pulled up a chair from somewhere, most likely the kitchenette, and sat down in front of the glass window that separated the warm and cozy room from the chilly night air. Despite his words, though, he knew he'd be lost in thought for the next hour or so and then fall asleep where he was. "I'm sorry if I do, though, but I wouldn't mind sleeping out here maybe once."
Something in the tone of his words didn't leave him believing Allen's words. But he secretly agreed about letting him sleep out here just this once, "You'll get a God awful crick in your neck." Fuji murmured it softly so that it wouldn't disturb Allen's snow watching. In less than fifteen minutes he had finished the hot chocolate and went to get changed for bed.
When he came back to turn off the lights and lock their door he saw that Allen had indeed fallen asleep. He chuckled softly and plucked a blanket off the other's bed, covering him up before flicking the lights off. "Good night Allen," Fuji's smile was still on his face as he wandered back into his own bedroom and slipped into bed. He was asleep not soon after, dreamless after the dream class.
WHAT: Resolving the conclusion of Dream Class
WHERE: School grounds in general and just outside before ending in the dorms
WHEN: Right after they both wake up.
WARNINGS: lol None? idk
Just before he could make contact, only millimeters away, barely any distance at all.. and the bead broke. So. After the three beads broke, he would wake up from this dream thing. Allen supposed it was a good thing he woke up before he could land the attack. Good for the other person, at least.
Was it really Fuji? Or was it just the dream and his eyes being deceived? He did say it didn't matter.. but that was in the dream. Outside, in the real world...
That had been a refreshing thing to do, though, to be able to fight and attack without hesitation. After all, a dream was a dream.. right? No harm done, it wasn't real, it wasn't real...
Real or not, he had woken with a strange feeling in his stomach, and it wasn't because of the realistic blood that he could feel on his hands even though it was a dream and those claws weren't really hands at all and--
Allen sighed as he reached the top of the steps and stopped, leaning against the wall in an effort to calm himself down.
The brunette sat up gasping for breath in the white bed he had fallen asleep in half an hour before. Fuji looked at the curtain surrounding him and sighed, hand on his smooth throat. It was all part of the dream and he wasn't injured at all. Still it was time to get out of the infirmary, out of a place that reminded him of bad times.
Fuji pushed the curtain aside and got out of the bed, nodding at the attending nurse as he walked towards the door. It had closed soon after he had regained consciousness, when he was still panicking. It opened quietly as his thoughts went back to the form he had faced, whoever it was had recognized him. Yet didn't care at all.
As far as he knew he had made no enemies on campus thus far, no one had a reason to attack him like that. He sighed as he walked up the stairs, quicker now to escape the closed in and claustrophobic feeling it gave off. Footsteps near the top halted his progress and he looked up, eyes open for a change. "...Allen?"
At the sound of his name, Allen looked back, blinking in surprise at the sight of his dorm-mate at the bottom of the stairs. So Fuji really was the one he had attacked... For some reason, it affected him less than he thought. Maybe it was because he sort of had no control over what he did in the dream?
"Fuji.." He was at a loss for words. What did one say to someone after nearly killing them in a dream world? Never mind the fact that they shared the same dorm, which only made it a tad more awkward. Allen cleared his throat and gave the other brunette a small apologetic smile. "Ah, I'm sorry about.. that. Really."
He smiled softly at his confusing roommate and tilted his head to the side, "Sorry? What have you to be sorry for Allen?" It briefly crossed his mind that it might have been Allen who attacked him but he didn't really seem that kind of person. Then again...the dream was where many did not act themselves, or so he had heard.
The teen walked around him and chuckled, "I'm curious as to what it is you're apologizing for that merited waiting here for me. Something that big?" He was walking now, slowly to their dorm so that Allen could catch up and walk beside him. Fuji ran a hand through his hair, almost seeing black liquid on his hand that had been his blood in the dream. He glared at it a little, shaking the memory from his thoughts.
Allen blinked. He rather thought that it was obvious who he was when the mask came off.. but then again, he never got to look in a mirror during the dream. He had half a mind to brush it off and act like nothing was wrong, but..
"I guess I didn't look the same, huh." Allen chuckled lightly and followed Fuji. When he caught up, he held up his left arm and pointed at it. "Can't say I know what I looked like, but I remember a black arm and claws. And.. I'd assume that making a, er, hole in your neck is a rather big thing."
Blue eyes glanced over at the movement the other teen made, considering the information he was just told. "...So it was you," his voice gave a cold tone though he really didn't mean it that way, Fuji was detaching himself from the feelings of rage and hurt.
"You did look a little different when the mask was off, white hair and an odd tattoo or scar on your face. I didn't get a good look at it." He frowned slightly and started muttering to himself, "Was it white though? Might have been any fair color. Everything was black and white..."
Fuji sighed heavily and looked down the path, customary smile back on his face, "It's alright Allen. After all it was a dream. I'm fine now aren't I?" He turned his smile to the other teen. "I suppose I looked odd myself, all black and white. What gave me away?"
"Yeah.. I'll try and not do it next time, if we ever end up bumping into each other again." Allen lowered his hand and looked ahead again, letting the smile drop a notch so as not to hurt his cheeks too much. He let his mind wander back to what he could remember of the 'dream', mostly consisting of the fact that he could almost defy gravity and not having a real body - and not being able to control that same non-existent body.
"Your eyes were still blue, but a lot of people have blue eyes.. I think it was the tennis. Maybe. You're the only person I know with blue eyes and plays tennis, so I just assumed it was you."
Fuji nodded as he looked forward again himself, wondering if the chance would come about again. "I was surprised myself to see a racket and ball in my hands." He chuckled softly, "Not much of a weapon compared to yours. ... Not that I mind. I'd rather not attack anyone if I didn't have to."
The school grounds were quiet but one could almost imagine it ringing with the noises of combat within the dream. "So what shall we do with ourselves now that we've been kicked out of class so to speak?"
"A weapon, huh..?" The fact that his own arm had turned into such a deadly weapon was interesting, yet also held some gave Allen a kind of ominous feeling. "I'd.. refrain from attacking you, at the very least."
It wasn't a lie; Allen really didn't want to maul his dorm-mate weekly, as that might create some tension between them. He wasn't, however, against attacking others.. provided he didn't know them particularly well. Judging by the recent dream session, however, it seemed he would only be able to strike three times at most before all the beads broke. Bummer.
"Hmm.." Allen made a thoughtful face and looked out the window as they walked, seeing his own faded reflection in the clean glass. "We could.. do homework.. or just walk around and kill time?"
He chuckled again, the sound of it echoing down the hallway and back to them, "To be honest I'd rather walk around. They didn't give us much homework today after all." Fuji mused further to himself, the possibility of a rematch; after all he did not lose to the same person twice. Though what would it be? A tie since they both disappeared or his own loss since he did "die" from injuries.
"But if you want to go back and get started on the work I don't mind at all." He did have some film that needed editing for his elective class, due tomorrow. Yet it was nice out, nicer than it had been lately with the winter chill.
"A walk sounds nice.. I haven't done that in a while." Allen remarked with a brief stretch of his arms and some flexing of his fingers - the same ones that had been stained in black blood not too long ago. He looked at them with a bit of disdain before smiling again. "I think I've been cooped up in the dorms for too long. That, and the music room." A second home away from home.
"Any place in particular we could go?" He asked, slipping both hands into the pockets of his coat. "Or just walk around aimlessly for God knows how long?"
"Well walking around aimlessly is rather limited within the school. We could go out in the town, there's a park I often cut through to go to the courts." The brunette fingered his zipper sliding it up and down a little, "Never finished exploring it when I first came here." Their path was taking them closer to the front of the school, closer to the doors nearest the gate. Though it was steadily growing darker outside, it might not be the wisest for them to go walking even in the cold.
"Then again...I haven't explored all of the school either. What say we see what the upper classmen halls have."
The cold air was always ideal for clearing the mind, though, and it reminded Allen of the time when he tried to go for a walk during a minor blizzard because he was so bored. He didn't succeed, though, as his foster parents at the time refused to let him leave the cozy confines of the house.
"Exploring sounds brilliant." He said as he looked up at the darkening sky. "I'd like to see what it's like some time before the year's over..."
Fuji chuckled at the stereotypical English term, at least the usage of it was unusual to him. "I don't think I'll ever get used to all the idioms this language has. Exploring the school it is then." Short as he was he lengthened his stride to his more comfortable pace, the one he used to keep up with his taller companions.
"If memory serves the junior halls are above ours. Correct...? And the senior hall is over the freshmen halls?"
Allen gave a sheepish smile and shrugged. "American slang means next to nothing to me, and I probably won't be staying in the States too long, so I haven't bothered trying to learn the language here as of yet."
Though a bit miffed at the change in pace and his own height, or lack therefore of, Allen managed to keep up with the other brunette. "I'm not sure. I've never taken a look around other than to find classes.."
"Do try and stay here long enough for the school year to end." He laughed slightly as he slowed his pace just a bit, "You're one of the few people I can have an actual conversation with without wishing to...suddenly leave with no word," he did it a lot over here. Fuji shook the thought from his head and continued, "I remember seeing the halls placed there on the map that came with my acceptance letter."
"I'm hoping I can, though I'm not terribly sure about being here for junior year." Allen sighed with a wistful smile. "I've fortunately made an effort to speak to a few people, you included.. so I can at least have a few memories."
At the mention of the letter, Allen was only reminded of how he came to be here at Hypnos. No warning, just a letter in the mail from God knows who - the same letters he'd been receiving every year for most, if not all, of his years of education - that he was to be transferred to another school. "Ah, really? I.. don't think I received one," he said with a light chuckle. "The map, I meant."
"Odd. Some didn't get one I suppose... But I hope you are here for junior year. Who else am I going to room with?" He smiled at his current roommate and opened the door to the stairs, "That reminds me... Any idea what happened to my old film camera?" The antique had disappeared from his work desk just the other day, the digital monstrosity left all alone.
"I'd like to have that one back if you happen to know where it is. I haven't taken a picture of you with that one."
"I think chances are higher that I won't be here junior year.." Allen trailed off a bit before skipping out the door a little too jovially and into the cooling embrace of the approaching night air, breathing in deeply. "I'm sure you'll get along with anyone you room with, Fuji."
Now, the camera, Allen was sure he hadn't done anything, and he raised his hands up in defense with a nervous smile. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's become of it. If you haven't taken a picture of me with it, then I've no reason to touch it."
"Hmm..." Fuji followed him out, zipping his coat up, "Actually I'm very picky. I try to get someone that won't bother me much. If I don't like them...well...they move out quick." He smiled innocently as they started walking again.
"I must have put it somewhere else then." Though he wasn't sure who else had been in the room and he had placed it there to clean the dust that had gotten in the lens. "I hope it wasn't stolen. Anyone been in our room lately besides us?"
"Well, I try not to be much of a bother." Allen stretched, again, and breathed in more of the fresh air, exhaling with a content sigh. Despite all the perks of a boarding school and all of the nice people here, his dorm-mate included, Allen couldn't wait to be back in the UK - well, he could wait, but that wasn't the point.
"Hmm," Allen tilted his head to the side and chewed at his bottom lip in thought. Lately he'd been spending more time in the music room instead of doing homework - yet he still managed to get by - so he wasn't sure if anyone had decided to drop by their room without notice. "..Not that I know of, no."
"Didn't mean it quite like that Allen, I'm just not quite sure how to word it in English." Fuji struggled a bit with the words, "By 'bother' I suppose I mean someone with a positive personality? Not rude or gloomy...well," he snuck a side glance at his walking companion, "Gloomy all the time I should say."
He had more than noticed Allen's disappearance lately and while the privacy had been nice at first it had grown old with all the silence. It almost made him miss a chatterbox friend from back home, "Odd. I'll look again then."
"Gloomy people are a tad..." Allen's face scrunched up in thought. "..bodgy, I'd say. I don't know of an American equivalent." He laughed and took a moment to look around as they walked, having never taken a single step off campus in a while. At least, not to go anywhere useful, unless you counted the casinos.
Allen, too, almost regretted spending so much time on the piano, but it helped relieve some of the stress and he was grateful for that. "If you want, I'll help look." He offered with a light smile.
He laughed at the word, "It's an interesting word. I must visit England if you get all of these fun terms." Languages had always interested him and he had almost mastered this one, "Though Europe has many languages doesn't it?" One for every country and then some if he recalled correctly. Fuji took a deep breath of the chill air and erased the remainder of sleep for the moment.
"I'd welcome the help but I don't want to distract you from your own studies. I saw that red-marked paper from Biology..." He hadn't even had to pry to see that in the rubbish bin when normally he had to sneak into his school bag while the odd ball of a phone stared at him.
"If you ever decide to, I could give you a tour!" If he didn't get them completely lost, first. Allen never did have a good sense of direction. "I do believe so. I myself don't know any languages other than a bit of Japanese."
Ah, Timcanpy, always playing the loyal watchdog - even if he was just a phone. He'd often been told to get rid of it and get a new one, one that didn't seem like it would start biting at anything that got near. "I thought I threw that one away," Allen mused, tapping at his chin with a single finger and then smiled with dismissive wave. "Ah well. And don't worry, I'll manage. I'd like to help, if only as payment for taking away your other camera at the beginning of the semester."
"I'll call you up then if I ever fly over there." When the school year ended he planned on flying back home going east instead of west like many did. "The languages are easy to pick up if you understand the root language enough. It's the idioms and grammar that often confuses everyone."
"You did, you did Allen. I just happened to see it by chance as I was cleaning out the trash. Your phone fell in quite by accident~" And it had though he might have lifted the book it was on not quite accidentally. "And I don't mind the digital disappearing quite as much, I love film better."
"I agree. Grammar is a nasty little bugger." English itself was tough at times, but nothing Allen couldn't handle if he tried. Which he did. Sometimes. Kind of.
"Really, Tim fell in by himself? I knew he could move!" Allen joked with a small laugh, covering his mouth with a hand. "Now if I could just train him to do my homework.."
Fuji nodded slightly, eyes closed comfortably even walking in the night, "It is. I've heard that one could study English for a lifetime and still not master it. Still not know what every word means..." Yet he was determined to learn at least one word a day other than the ones he used in normal conversation.
"He? Tim? ..." Fuji glanced at the other young man, "Allen you cannot be serious...you named your phone and gave it a gender? Is it like a boat to you then?" He had only heard of people naming boats and calling them her and she, "Like a Queen Mary?"
"Like listening to a diplomat and wondering exactly what the bloody hell they want to say." Not that Allen bothered listening to any, anyway.
Allen blinked. "All ships are, by default, female. And they are named." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Most of them. Anyway." Again, he waved his hand dismissively, as if it wasn't such a big deal. "Yes, I named my phone. I did give Tim a gender because I didn't feel like continuously referring to him as 'it'."
"Or just simply a politician. I can't understand a single thing when they come on the television." Diplomats and politicians opened a whole new can of worms, especially with language, "How is it that they can answer a question without answering it all, and if they do so vaguely yet leave you with the sense that they have answered the question completely." Fuji understood a bit of it yes, but only because he too was able to spin circles with words when he needed to.
"You could've said 'Tim' all the time though, the name itself is male isn't it?" He thought it was cute, naming inanimate objects like that. He did it frequently with his cacti although the prickly plants were hard to distinguish to the untrained eye.
"I tend to just.. tune out.. or turn off the telly." Allen said with a shrug. He tended to prefer straightforward answers - it was easier and less painful on the brain. And it didn't take up as much time, either. "I think it's kind of like, you know they've answered the question but you just don't know what they wanted to say." Or.. something like that.
"Eh.. I suppose so. I've gotten used to talking to him, though," He remarked with a sheepish smile. "Never had many friends I could talk to about problems.. so Tim's more of a friend than anyone I know. Even if he is just a, well, phone."
"Oh they said what they wanted, they just don't want to be straight forward or truthful with what they've said." Fuji ran a hand through his hair, fingering the ends of it, "But back to television... I don't understand half the shows they air over here. Most of them seem to be repeating the same thing or are mostly superficial. Or just rich and bored idiots trying to make themselves famous.
"You can always talk to me Allen." He smiled softly and looked up at the sky, "Not to bring up bad memories but did kill me so that makes us closer than a lot of people. After all who can say they've killed someone and then took a walk around the town with them?" Fuji watched his breath trail behind them as he spoke, wondering if it was going to snow.
"I haven't watched much television since I arrived, but some of the movies are okay," Allen made a thoughtful sound, briefly noting that his and Fuji's hair were almost the same shade. "I believe most of them are for entertainment purposes, though, if you can stand sitting through all of it." And for rich idiots to get richer.
"..Anyone who takes that weird class could?" Hummed in thought for a moment, and his hand went over his mouth again as he laughed lightly. "It's kind of humoring, when I think about it, everything that's happened since I transferred over. And thanks for the offer." Allen shifted his gaze to watch his feet as they walked. "I think I might actually enjoy Hypnos, now." Not that he had a choice if he didn't like it.
"Then how in the world can they be entertained by all this stupid drivel that they watch? Some of it is just plain disgusting or doesn't make sense at all. Though I did like some of the crime investigation shows." Such things had always interested him and some of the storylines they created were very unusual and made one think. It was almost enough to make Fuji consider going into that career field, "What do you watch when you do watch television Allen?
"Saa. But only if they knew who they killed hm?" After all he didn't know it was Allen who killed him until a few minutes ago, "Everything is odd over here...but an interesting odd." As per liking the school, he did like it himself but it was entirely too cold for him. While he liked the chill air all the snow was entirely unwanted.
"Ah.. I usually just watch what's on when I have time, just glimpses and pieces. I think one that I did manage to watch all of was.." Allen paused for a moment to try and recall the title. "Whatwasit.. Girl, Interrupted, I think." And it wasn't just to look at Angelina Jolie, either. Really.
"I guess so.." Allen tilted his head back to look at the sky again. With the temperature dropping, he was hoping it would snow. Unlike his dorm-mate, Allen loved the cold weather, especially the snow. "I've never had a class like that dream class, though. I wonder what it's for."
Fuji blinked and looked at the other brunette, "I don't think I've caught that show... Or is it a movie?" The title sounded like one to him but then again he wasn't an expert on American TV, nor did he desire to be. An active person by nature he was waiting impatiently for spring to come so he could get back to his training regiment.
The question, however rhetorical, rattled around in his own mind as he zipped up his coat against the chill. "Perhaps they think it a stress relief for students. But I remember seeing that odd statement within the pamphlet, if you find a key then you graduate." Fuji pursed his lips momentarily, "So we're stuck here in a way even though we become seniors and the year ends if we've not found the key."
"I believe it's a movie," Allen replied, scratching at the back of his head. "I don't remember when it came out, though." Allen himself didn't watch TV much, unless he was extremely bored or trying to catch the news.
"That's kind of unfair. What about those who don't take the classes?" But, this gave Allen another question to think about: if he couldn't graduate without a key, did that mean he couldn't transfer schools either? "As far as I could tell, there weren't enough beds for the whole school down there."
"Saa... I've not watched any movies lately. I wonder what's playing." Something soft and white floated down in front of him, leaving Fuji scowling slightly. Snow in the small and tight form, more than likely to pack onto what was already on the ground. "Lovely...just lovely," it came out as a mutter, low and barely hearable.
"There might be another class on another day. Or those that just attend normally might graduate normally. Who knows..." The nurse might, or maybe the headmaster. "Is there an actual teacher in charge of this class?"
"Hmm," Allen was still thinking about his own dilemma that would surely arrive at the end of the school year. "That one nurse, I think.. but I've never really seen her during the classes, so she might just be a supervisor." Stranger still, that they allowed such violent dreams to be played out when schools usually prohibited fighting on campus. He supposed that a 'dream realm' couldn't be considered 'on campus' though.
Something cold and wet landed on his head and he looked up as Fuji scowled. Snow. Allen actually stopped walking for the moment, his muddy brown eyes fixed on the small white dots circling downwards from the sky. Despite how chilly he was getting, the mere sight of snow brought a strange warmth to his body and he broke out into a genuine smile. "..It's snowing."
Fuji stopped walking when he noticed his companion disappear from his side, he looked back and sighed, "Yes. It's snowing."
He actually opened his eyes as he looked up at the sky, "And by the looks of the flakes it'll last a while and stick and cause more problems." A small part of him was angry at the groundhog that had 'predicted' six more weeks of winter, he wanted it to be spring to be coming now.
"Oh, but that makes it so much more fun!" Allen gave another laugh, covering his mouth again out of habit. "You don't like the snow, Fuji?" He looked over at his companion, still smiling, though by now it was a bit melancholic. "I used to be like that, too. I hated when it snowed, because all the kids would go out and play with each other..."
Shaking his head, Allen started walking again. "It kind of reminds me of home, now that it's starting to snow." Where ever home happened to be, that is.. Or if it even existed for Allen.
He sniffed slightly, "I don't particularly care for it, no. I've had too many spills in the stuff." But Fuji had fond enough memories of it, playing in it with his older sister and younger brother. "Some... Most of those spills were courtesy of my younger brother. Yumiko was the one often throwing snowballs.
"It's good that it holds such fond memories for you. Not much around here reminds me of home." Though he was far from being homesick he was starting to miss the foods and sounds of Japan.
"Your family sounds nice," Allen smiled, though it seemed a little forced, and he paused a bit on the word 'family'. The phrase itself held very little meaning to him, yet there was always a strange feeling that accompanied it. "And snowball fights are kind of fun, too!" That is, unless you were the only one they aimed at.
"There's always a few restaurants that might serve Japanese food." The brunette mused, rubbing at his arms in order to generate a bit of body heat. He hadn't realized it would get this cold.
"Yumiko always aimed at me. Figured she was making up for the anger Yuuta felt towards me." Fuji chuckled softly and put his hands in his pockets, trying to find a pair of gloves. "You can come with me over Spring Break if you want Allen, just for the experience." Did they have that at this school? The school year was so messed up here in his opinion; such a long break between years when really everything should be starting and ending in the spring. "Unless you already have plans..."
There were many restaurants, but the tastes just weren't quite the same. "Saa... How is it said... 'It's just not the same as mom's home cooking?' I think is the term...or something like that?"
"Hmm, I see what you mean.. Home cooking always tastes better than restaurant food." Most of the time. If you didn't burn the food, that is.
"U-uh.." If it wasn't so cold out, the light flush on Allen's face would have been visible, but his cheeks were already tinged pink because of the chilly air. Never had he been invited over to anyone's house, and he wondered how he should act - or react. "I.. don't have anything planned... much." Except maybe a poker marathon at the local casinos, buuuuut... "I'd, er, love to accept the offer, but I wouldn't want to burden you and your family." He said with a small smile directed at Fuji.
The food wouldn't be burnt or cold or prepared with spices that he wasn't used to having, that was what he loved the most about home cooking. "I am going to try to get some ingredients together to make some sushi, a friend of mine taught me the rudimentary skills of it." All this talk of food had made him suddenly crave the wasabi sushi he always ordered.
Fuji returned the smile a bit wider and a bit warmer despite the cold, "It's alright, we have plenty of room. Father is hardly ever home, he works overseas. And Yuuta stays at his boarding school... You'd be leaving me with two women and that's not a very nice thing. I'm already 'girly' I believe." He busied himself putting on the gloves, "Besides if you plan on giving me a tour of your countryside the least I can do is show you mine. Ne?"
"I.. see." Allen scratched lightly at his cheek. He really didn't know how to accept or refuse an offer like this. He'd heard that some would politely refuse until they were 'persuaded', while others jumped straight in. "I, um.. I'll.. think about it."
"No pressure!" He smiled reassuringly at the other teen, "We have a while before spring break after all." The temperature was dropping more rapidly now and although he was used to the cold temperatures by now he shivered, "Mind if we start heading back Allen? I don't want to be a popsicle." Fuji couldn't feel his nose anymore and he was sure it had started dripping a little.
"Eh?" Now that he thought about it, it was actually pretty cold. Coming from a rather cold climate himself, Allen almost felt comfortable in this kind of weather - but Fuji was right. Any longer out here without adequate clothing wouldn't be a good idea. "Ah, sure. It is getting pretty chilly out."
"We'll take another walk then another time, preferably during the day time when it might be a little bit warmer." Fuji laughed slightly as he stopped walking and turned around, "I'd like to take the pictures of the snow in the sunlight anyways..." He shot a quick glance at Allen, "But not of you. I promise." Of course...when Allen wasn't looking all was free for gain.
Allen followed him, hands in the pockets of his coat as the snow continued falling. The abundance of flakes were tempting, and were he alone, he would have tried to catch one of them on his tongue like he had as a child. "Ah.. Well, if you'd like to, you can." He said with another smile and a shrug. "If it's in the snow, I don't mind a few pictures."
Fuji smiled and raised his arms up, palms facing the sky, "Lucky day~ I'll resist filling up an entire memory card with Allen's snow-face." The snow was falling a bit faster now and clung to every bit of cloth and even his hair as Fuji tilted head back to look for any stars. They were of course hidden by the city lights but the flakes reminded him enough of them. "I've heard of something some people make with the snow, they call it snow cream."
"Snow cream?" The thought of food caught Allen's attention in less than a second - what could he say? He just loved food. "Hmm.. it sounds interesting." At the mention of this 'snow cream', Allen suddenly had a craving for ice cream, despite the temperature. He shook his head to get rid of some of the snow from his hair and brushed the ice off his clothes. It wouldn't do to have snow melt on your clothes while still out in the cold. "Maybe we could try making it sometime."
"I'll put a bowl outside then when we get back," Fuji grinned at the child that instantly came out at the mention of food, "Maybe a big bowl considering your endless stomach." He wasn't quite ready to rid himself of the snow clinging to his body, it made all his memories of hurt disappear with the chill. "Of course I don't know how we'll keep it frozen to make it."
"Or we could put more than one bowl out," he suggested. "More than one big bowl." But there probably weren't any bowls big enough to match the ones Allen was thinking of. "But it's not like I'll eat that much, though. I'm not terribly fond of brain freeze." His self-consciousness of his appetite was just another of the many things that kept him from accepting the visit to see Fuji's family.
"We'll put out as many as we can find then," Fuji smiled at his roommate's insatiable appetite. He found it odd that one's journey to a location could seem so long yet the return trip could be so short. Already they were at the gates to the school grounds again, not having wandered far. "What we don't eat we can share with others no?"
"Well, I don't suppose we can freeze and store them anywhere if there is any left." Allen shrugged and blew into his hands to keep them warm. The faster they got back to the dorms, the faster Allen could don thicker clothes and go out again, if only for a few more minutes. If not, then he could always watch the snow fall from the dorm room. "I guess we'll have to share if we don't want it to go to waste."
He laughed again, more than he had since coming to the school, "Sounds to me as if you don't like sharing food dear Allen." Despite the cold creeping into his bones Fuji started to walk a little bit faster, in his own mind he wasn't quite ready for snow cream. Hot chocolate was more of his own liking at the moment, "Might I suggest we stop at the cafe before we go into the dorms? It might defrost us."
It was one thing to hear laughter. It was another to be the reason for the laughter. And it was another to know that he wasn't being laughed at. For that, Allen smiled. "I'll share just about anything. Except food. Unless it's a life or death situation, of course." Allen had to shake his head again to get rid of the snow in his hair, lest he end up looking like that thing he was in the dream. "I'd have to agree. Some hot chocolate does sound nice right about now."
Fuji nodded and shifted their path towards the school's cafe, starting to shake off his own snowy load. "Perhaps we'll be able to get a few bowls out of them. We could carry them on top of our heads while we walk to the dorms to gather snow." He grinned at the though of it, reminded of an old Disney movie set in a jungle. "Do you know if they have any hot spices to put in the hot chocolate there? I have odd food preferences."
"One of us could carry the drinks and the other carries the bowls?" Allen suggested. He, of course, would be holding the bowls, otherwise he'd be tempted to drink the hot chocolate on the way, and maybe even Fuji's, which was what he wanted to avoid. "I've never noticed the spices in the cafe.. I believe they might have some pepper. Why, I haven't a clue."
He made a face at the mention of pepper, "I've never really developed the taste for that spice. I mean more of the ones similar to cinnamon on a higher level. I'll ask the clerk then." Fuji opened the door to the cafe and they both went in, the line not being very long this late at night. They got their hot chocolate and the bowls they promised to return, with some of the snow cream safely chilled inside. Within the span of five minutes they were back outside in the cold, his own hands warm with the drinks bundled against the weather. And some spices tucked away in his coat pocket to add in later.
Allen held onto the bowls that would be his ticket to some of this supposedly tasty snow cream as they made their way back to the dorms. The smell of the hot beverage was sweet and comforting even though it was followed by the sharp nip of cold air. He wouldn't be able to have any, though, until the bowls were set down somewhere. He turned back to Fuji when they reached the dorm building. "Where should I put these?"
"Aa... The window sills in the living room?" There should be room where flowers were supposed to be, the little boxes screwed into the brick walls. By the looks of things there was already a good deal of snow in the two top bowls in Allen's hands. "If we leave them out there then they shouldn't melt from the inside heat." Somehow between the two of them they managed to open the door to the dorms and to their own room, away now from the chill air.
Allen did as was suggested and carefully balanced the bowls over the dinky boxes. After all, it wouldn't do if they fell down in the middle of the night and all their efforts ended up useless. After making sure they would stay put, Allen closed the window and eagerly took his cup of hot chocolate from Fuji's hand. "Hmm, I hope the wind doesn't knock them over, somehow."
"It shouldn't. I don't remember any wind being forecasted. I'll check again before I go to bed." And if there was he'd put something around them to keep the bowls stable. Fuji put his cup on the table and took his coat off, emptying the pockets of spice. It took him a moment to hang it up and take his own shoes off before he could thoroughly enjoy his hot beverage. The petite brunette sat down in one of the chairs in the living room, mixing in a few of the spices. "I think this one cup will do me in for the night." He smiled and took a sip, not minding the tongue-burning heat from it at all.
Allen looked slightly curious at the spices being put into Fuji's drink as he shrugged off his own jacket and shoes before taking a seat across from his dorm-mate and sipping his own beverage. It burned at his tongue, but he ignored it in favor of the heaven that was hot chocolate on a cold winter day. "I wouldn't mind another, but I don't fancy the idea of trekking through that snow again, as much as I love it."
He chuckled softly and shifted into a more comfortable position in the easychair, "We could always get some packets to make in the little kitchenette." Fuji took another sip and shifted his gaze out the window, he liked this view of the snow much better. "It won't taste the same most likely but that's what you get when you face homemade off against big company brands..." He sighed wistfully and shut his eyes a little, reminded of the comfort of home with just a sweet drink and warmth.
"I kind of prefer homemade, sometimes," Allen murmured around the cup in his hands. "There's nothing to stop you from adding as much or as little of the powder as you want." With another gulp, he drained the rest of the hot chocolate and have a satisfied sigh. "Though buying it isn't too bad, either. Easier than making it, at least."
Through his eyelashes he watched the other teen drain his cup, amazed yet again at the solidity of his stomach. Even he had limits of how much of a hot thing he could handle at once. Fuji inclined his head a little, agreeing with what had been said, "Yes but not when you have to traipse through Lady Winter's ball gown late at night." He though briefly, "Maybe we can look up the recipe and make it here. It might not be as good but we'll at least have it when we want it without having to venture out."
"Sounds like a plan," Allen smiled and stood up to deposit the styrofoam cup into the trash, now starting to head for the window again. "I think I'll watch the snow fall for a little while longer, before I go to bed, so I'll say goodnight right now." Of course, he planned on staying up late and falling asleep while watching the snow drift down, and not just into the bowls, either. Even though he needed the sleep, tomorrow was a Friday, and after that was the weekend. Plenty of time to sleep and recharge.
He hummed indulgently, watching Allen's movements sleepily, the cup warming his hand pleasantly. "Just make sure you don't fall asleep out here eh? I'm not lugging you into bed if you do." Fuji smiled and drank more of the steamy liquid. "I'll probably head on to bed as soon as I finish this cup."
"Oh, I won't. Wouldn't dream of it." Liar. If one paid attention, they'd see it in his eyes and past his little smile. Allen pulled up a chair from somewhere, most likely the kitchenette, and sat down in front of the glass window that separated the warm and cozy room from the chilly night air. Despite his words, though, he knew he'd be lost in thought for the next hour or so and then fall asleep where he was. "I'm sorry if I do, though, but I wouldn't mind sleeping out here maybe once."
Something in the tone of his words didn't leave him believing Allen's words. But he secretly agreed about letting him sleep out here just this once, "You'll get a God awful crick in your neck." Fuji murmured it softly so that it wouldn't disturb Allen's snow watching. In less than fifteen minutes he had finished the hot chocolate and went to get changed for bed.
When he came back to turn off the lights and lock their door he saw that Allen had indeed fallen asleep. He chuckled softly and plucked a blanket off the other's bed, covering him up before flicking the lights off. "Good night Allen," Fuji's smile was still on his face as he wandered back into his own bedroom and slipped into bed. He was asleep not soon after, dreamless after the dream class.