[log] Home Again [Kotsuki, Yuugao]
[[Set two days after this thread.]]
He ignored the sweat he felt starting to form at the edges of his hair and struggled onward. He'd made it to the palace with Kureno's help and Yuugao was determined to see at least one of the Paper Dolls. The crutch was awkward and starting to irritate his armpit, but it was better than falling on his face and turning to crawling.
After a nod or two at people as they gave him curious glances, he was nearly there. Yuugao could see the edge of Kotsuki and Izume's desk and he took a breath to steady himself and pushed onward.
Kotsuki was there, looking aimlessly over some reports. Izume's seat was mysteriously empty and the other woman didn't look up as he approached. He called on his silent grace, though most of it failed him, and he leaned close, not far from Kotsuki now.
"Psst, got any time to spare a gimp?"
---
Kotsuki looked up, startled.
“Yuugao-kun!”
Her eyes narrowed. She had gone to the hospital as soon as she heard he was back, only to be informed that he had gone home. His apartment had been empty, so she had to be satisfied with the fact that he was alive and that he would have some explaining to do when she found him.
Eyebrows rising at the sight of the crutch, Kotsuki put down the reports and gestured towards Izume’s empty chair.
---
"Thanks," he took the extra half step and managed to make his collapse into the chair not entirely painful or pathetic looking. He rested the crutch against the desk and smiled. "I heard things have been...a little crazy since I left."
He paused for a moment to see if she was looking agitated at him, but since she wasn't, he continued. "Kureno let me crash at his place and I finally talked him into helping me get here. So..." he shrugged and smiled a little broader. "How are you holding up?"
---
Returning his smile with one of her own, Kotsuki shrugged.
“Not too bad.” Which was mostly true. “So you’re staying with Kureno-sensei? How come?”
Why hadn’t he just come home?
---
"Oh, you should've seen me..." Yuugao sighed. "I crashed on Asuka's couch because I was so exhausted and then well...then Hanato overreacted, and as you can see, he fixed up my nose." It felt odd to repeat the story over and over. At least his nose didn't sting as he recalled the memory this time. "But Kureno helped me to the hospital, then let me sleep on his couch. I was really out of it and just slept."
He looked to the pile of unfinished reports on Izume's desk and sighed. "I was worried about you guys, but Kureno said he'd take me to see you. Sorry I didn't come earlier, I've been a little, well..." he gestured to the crutch and shrugged.
"Hope I didn't worry you too much."
---
“It’s fine.”
Kotsuki followed his gaze, knowing that she would eventually have to talk to him about what had happened between her and Izume. Unless Kureno had already told him. The jounin had probably figured out something was wrong, if only because the Paper Dolls hadn’t been seen together for a while.
There was always the not-entirely-unlikely possibility that Izume had gone to him for comfort, though Kotsuki preferred not to think about that.
---
Something was definitely wrong. Kotsuki was the more sedate of the two, but this was getting ridiculous.
"Fine?" he raised an eyebrow and sat up a little more. "You and Izume aren't talking and it's fine? Come on, Kotsuki...you can tell me. What's going on? Kureno told me a little bit, but...what's going on?"
---
“I told Izume to forget about her mother, who disowned her just because she failed her first Chuunin exam,” Kotsuki replied bluntly.
---
Oh. Well, that was certainly something that made sense. Izume was sensative about it and Kotsuki was...hm. Not exactly justified, but he could definitely understand why she would just tell Izume to tell off her mother.
"I see," he nodded and smiled softly. There wasn't any reason to press her further. She'd said her opinion, Izume had said hers, and...there was no way Yuugao was getting in the middle of it. Especially not if he didn't know the details from both sides.
"Where are you staying at? I heard Izume's at my place still." Getting back to business felt good.
---
That wasn’t everything, of course. There was more to it, but it was Izume’s story and Kotsuki wasn’t going to go around telling everyone.
"Here, mostly. I sneaked back in a few times, to take a shower and get fresh clothes and stuff, when she wasn’t around.”
---
He nodded again. "I doubt you can sleep very well here." Yuugao idly toyed with a pen that Izume had left behind. "Do you...am I distracting you too much? I've got a long leave," he gestured to his broken wrist. "So I can come bother you later, or...something." He lowered his eyes and got quiet, speaking in a soft whisper.
"I just wanted to see you. It...was a bad mission."
---
"No! Not at all…" It wasn't like she had actually been doing anything when he turned up. That, and she could really use the company.
Her expression softened a little at his next words, and she reached over to take his hand. Then, after a moment's consideration, she pulled him into a gentle hug. While Izume was the only person Kotsuki would hug willingly, Yuugao had somehow become an exception.
"I'm glad you're back."
---
He smiled and pulled her in tighter. "I'm glad to be back, too." He sighed and loosened his grip enough so that she could pull away when she wanted to.
Yuugao personally wouldn't mind the hug to be a little longer, but Kotsuki wasn’t as fond of physical affection and it had never been his right to impose on hers.
---
Yuugao apparently knew her better than she had thought. Pulling away when he loosened his grip, Kotsuki gave him a sheepish smile.
“You’ll be okay, right?”
---
“Of course I will,” he winked. The stack of paperwork was large and foreboding. And Kotsuki likely was more than a little tired of them. Besides, he didn’t want to distract her for too long and he could help her out.
“But...I’m risking the ills of idle fingers. What do you say I help you with all that paperwork?”
He ignored the sweat he felt starting to form at the edges of his hair and struggled onward. He'd made it to the palace with Kureno's help and Yuugao was determined to see at least one of the Paper Dolls. The crutch was awkward and starting to irritate his armpit, but it was better than falling on his face and turning to crawling.
After a nod or two at people as they gave him curious glances, he was nearly there. Yuugao could see the edge of Kotsuki and Izume's desk and he took a breath to steady himself and pushed onward.
Kotsuki was there, looking aimlessly over some reports. Izume's seat was mysteriously empty and the other woman didn't look up as he approached. He called on his silent grace, though most of it failed him, and he leaned close, not far from Kotsuki now.
"Psst, got any time to spare a gimp?"
---
Kotsuki looked up, startled.
“Yuugao-kun!”
Her eyes narrowed. She had gone to the hospital as soon as she heard he was back, only to be informed that he had gone home. His apartment had been empty, so she had to be satisfied with the fact that he was alive and that he would have some explaining to do when she found him.
Eyebrows rising at the sight of the crutch, Kotsuki put down the reports and gestured towards Izume’s empty chair.
---
"Thanks," he took the extra half step and managed to make his collapse into the chair not entirely painful or pathetic looking. He rested the crutch against the desk and smiled. "I heard things have been...a little crazy since I left."
He paused for a moment to see if she was looking agitated at him, but since she wasn't, he continued. "Kureno let me crash at his place and I finally talked him into helping me get here. So..." he shrugged and smiled a little broader. "How are you holding up?"
---
Returning his smile with one of her own, Kotsuki shrugged.
“Not too bad.” Which was mostly true. “So you’re staying with Kureno-sensei? How come?”
Why hadn’t he just come home?
---
"Oh, you should've seen me..." Yuugao sighed. "I crashed on Asuka's couch because I was so exhausted and then well...then Hanato overreacted, and as you can see, he fixed up my nose." It felt odd to repeat the story over and over. At least his nose didn't sting as he recalled the memory this time. "But Kureno helped me to the hospital, then let me sleep on his couch. I was really out of it and just slept."
He looked to the pile of unfinished reports on Izume's desk and sighed. "I was worried about you guys, but Kureno said he'd take me to see you. Sorry I didn't come earlier, I've been a little, well..." he gestured to the crutch and shrugged.
"Hope I didn't worry you too much."
---
“It’s fine.”
Kotsuki followed his gaze, knowing that she would eventually have to talk to him about what had happened between her and Izume. Unless Kureno had already told him. The jounin had probably figured out something was wrong, if only because the Paper Dolls hadn’t been seen together for a while.
There was always the not-entirely-unlikely possibility that Izume had gone to him for comfort, though Kotsuki preferred not to think about that.
---
Something was definitely wrong. Kotsuki was the more sedate of the two, but this was getting ridiculous.
"Fine?" he raised an eyebrow and sat up a little more. "You and Izume aren't talking and it's fine? Come on, Kotsuki...you can tell me. What's going on? Kureno told me a little bit, but...what's going on?"
---
“I told Izume to forget about her mother, who disowned her just because she failed her first Chuunin exam,” Kotsuki replied bluntly.
---
Oh. Well, that was certainly something that made sense. Izume was sensative about it and Kotsuki was...hm. Not exactly justified, but he could definitely understand why she would just tell Izume to tell off her mother.
"I see," he nodded and smiled softly. There wasn't any reason to press her further. She'd said her opinion, Izume had said hers, and...there was no way Yuugao was getting in the middle of it. Especially not if he didn't know the details from both sides.
"Where are you staying at? I heard Izume's at my place still." Getting back to business felt good.
---
That wasn’t everything, of course. There was more to it, but it was Izume’s story and Kotsuki wasn’t going to go around telling everyone.
"Here, mostly. I sneaked back in a few times, to take a shower and get fresh clothes and stuff, when she wasn’t around.”
---
He nodded again. "I doubt you can sleep very well here." Yuugao idly toyed with a pen that Izume had left behind. "Do you...am I distracting you too much? I've got a long leave," he gestured to his broken wrist. "So I can come bother you later, or...something." He lowered his eyes and got quiet, speaking in a soft whisper.
"I just wanted to see you. It...was a bad mission."
---
"No! Not at all…" It wasn't like she had actually been doing anything when he turned up. That, and she could really use the company.
Her expression softened a little at his next words, and she reached over to take his hand. Then, after a moment's consideration, she pulled him into a gentle hug. While Izume was the only person Kotsuki would hug willingly, Yuugao had somehow become an exception.
"I'm glad you're back."
---
He smiled and pulled her in tighter. "I'm glad to be back, too." He sighed and loosened his grip enough so that she could pull away when she wanted to.
Yuugao personally wouldn't mind the hug to be a little longer, but Kotsuki wasn’t as fond of physical affection and it had never been his right to impose on hers.
---
Yuugao apparently knew her better than she had thought. Pulling away when he loosened his grip, Kotsuki gave him a sheepish smile.
“You’ll be okay, right?”
---
“Of course I will,” he winked. The stack of paperwork was large and foreboding. And Kotsuki likely was more than a little tired of them. Besides, he didn’t want to distract her for too long and he could help her out.
“But...I’m risking the ills of idle fingers. What do you say I help you with all that paperwork?”