savetheearth | (no subject)

Who: Bakura & Toushirou
When: Saturday, early
Where: The Locke City Red Hat Society Fall Harvest Charity Fair
What: Bakura and Toushirou get to help their grandmothers set up a charity fair. And then hang out during it because guess who's also going to have to help take it down again?

Bakura hadn't been planning on helping set up the fair when his grandmother had first mentioned it. But he hadn't been in quite so much trouble then.

Not that he technically was in trouble now. His grandparents were very understanding, after all. No punishments had been handed down, just more appointments with his therapist (which was punishment enough on its own, honestly, but that was something different) and a long talk.

In some ways, that was worse than just being punished. The tired, almost lamenting looks, the overheard worried conversations... It weighed far more heavily on him than anything else did. He didn't like upsetting his grandparents. He hated that they worried about him so much and that he caused them so much trouble. It wasn't as if he intended this stuff to happen! Sometimes everything just got away from him, was all...

So he had volunteered to help out at the fair, even though it was pretty low on his list of things he'd rather be doing. But if it helped make things go more smoothly for his grandmother... (and grandfather, really, since he would likely have gotten suckered into helping as well) he would do it.

He flopped down on the sidewalk after, giving a deep exhale and leaning back on his palms as he looked up at the cloudy sky, zoning out.

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Toushirou hadn't been planning on it either, really. But he'd kind of involved himself in dangerous stuff lately and helping Granny out seemed like a way to make up for it, at least in his own mind. It wasn't like she knew what he'd been up to. Besides, who knew when her arthritis would act up and make it hard for her to do things? He was just being logical here. Really.

It had been mostly smaller tasks, helping set up the tables and everything. Because hey, what else was going to be expected of him? But now that he was done, he'd told Granny he needed a little fresh air. Since she was pretty comfortable letting him do his own thing, she hadn't said a word about it and just told him not to go too far. It was a welcome break. You try being a small boy in a room full of old ladies. All the sweet smiles and sickening praise of what a sweet, helpful little boy he was. Man, was he glad to get out of there.

He notice Bakura sitting by himself out there, and was honestly a bit surprised, though maybe he shouldn't have been. "You got suckered into this too, huh?"

Bakura glanced over with a sigh. "Something like that," he half mumbled. "You'd think they'd realize that if they don't have muscle they shouldn't bring such heavy things to set up..."

Not that he minded, even if he put on that he did. Physical activity had always helped and he was pretty strong for his build because of it. Still. If he didn't protest, he'd get roped into this all the time, right?

Of course. Protesting had to be a thing or the grannies would walk all over you. It wasn't like they already did, or anything. That was just silly.

He huffed. "And it's not like what I was doing was anything special. I swear, if I get called 'sweetie' one more time today . . ."

... He would do nothing. Because he couldn't bring himself to be mean to old people.

"What'cha gonna do, scowl at them more?" Bakura grinned. "They'd likely think that it was cute."

More scowling? Yeah, he could do that. While sullenly stuffing his hands into his pockets in what was obviously a completely adult manner. "Tch. Shut up."

The older teen covered a small laugh. "Hai, hai, whatever you say, 'Shirou~chan~" he teased in return.

He wasn't really sure what that meant beyond being a stupid nickname; he was still in the very early stages of actually learning Japanese. But he didn't need to understand it to think it was stupid. And clearly he didn't need to understand it for something else to happen.

Of all the things to trigger that hollow feeling, that heartbeat thrumming through his whole body, this had to be one of the most ridiculous. Yeah, he needed to get off his feet for now. He sat down in the grass, the signs of what just happened to him plain enough for any of the numbered to recognize.

"Don't ever call me that," he snapped. "And it's Captain Hitsugaya."

... Crap. It managed to slip out this time.

"...Captain? Captain of what?" Bakura blinked, only barely managing to keep from making a munchkin joke.

"...did you seriously just get a flashback from that stupid nickname?"

Refraining from a munchkin joke was good. That probably spared him a punch in the face. Instead, Toushirou would just go with continued scowling. "It's not like we can control when these things happen."

That was the stupidest damn thing to get a pulse from. The stupidest. But someone in his other self's life had called him that. A lot. Even though he'd always hated it. If he ever met this person, he'd smack them upside the head or something.

"And I don't know what of. The title came on a delayed reaction from the lights. Gotta be some kind of military; any context I've managed to get points in that direction."

And the last thing either of them wanted was to be fighting when grandmothers were about!

"It's still a pretty damned stupid thing to get a flashback from." Bakura shook his head slightly. "Sometimes I swear these things are just trolling us..."

He leaned back on his hands again. "Military, huh? Only with magic. Some kinda RPG world, maybe? Any sign of airships or anything like that?"

Fighting with grandmothers about would be a hundred kinds of wrong. No fighting. None. They were perfectly peaceable boys. Just look at them.

"If I ever wind up meeting whoever used to call me that, I'm going to smack them upside the head or something."

Stupidest nickname ever. Regardless of the fact that he wasn't sure what it meant. If Bakura used it, that meant it had to be something dumb and humiliating. That was all he needed to know.

He shook his head. "Not that I've seen. But my first pulse was the feeling I was in charge of something important, and now the title. Plus the powers, and the fighting skills, and the sword . . . Can't really be much else."

"Kinda explains the always serious all the time, huh?" Bakura smiled idly. "Though that was you before hand too, so maybe just a coincidence."

Have a little eyeroll. "Military doesn't have to mean serious. My first flashback was yelling at someone working for me about being hungover on the job."

Surrounded by idiots, no matter the life, clearly. He didn't know why he didn't fire or demote or discharge this person. From the sounds of it, the drinking had been a habitual thing.

"And you don't call that serious?" Bakura grinned. "Or just saying that you had to be because everyone was stupid?"

"Considering the person working for me would have to be military, too, I doubt they were serious if they came to work drunk half the time. Somebody needs to be responsible."

What kind of moron showed up to any job like that, much less one that involved fighting? Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why did his old self put up with that?

"Maybe they were like a drunken master! Only competent when they were drinking."

What the hell was he supposed to say to that? And yeah, he was familiar with the concept, but he couldn't fathom it working in reality. It didn't make sense.

Really, there were no words. A flat look was all he could muster for it.

Bakura covered a small laugh. "Hey, in a world where ice magic is a thing, why not?" he grinned.

"If it made them competent, I don't think I'd be yelling at them for it."

This was simple logic, thank you.

"Could be if you were a rules lawyer," Bakura countered.

He did kind of tend to be one, but really? Why wouldn't he want someone able to do the best job they could? People were supposed to do their best at things.

"The memory wasn't even a combat one. I don't think I've ever heard of somebody being a drunken master of office work."

"Don't think I'd heard of anyone being a lot of things we know are possible now~" Bakura pointed out with a grin. "Human logic doesn't apply to stuff like that. Besides. They say that you remember best if you're in the state you were in when you learned, so if that person was drunk off his ass when he learned how to do office work, maybe he's only good at it when he's back in that state?"