85/Don't Do That To Me Again

Don't Do That To Me Again
Date of Scene:	14 July 2023
Location:	Radiant Heart Academy
Synopsis:	Darien is big mad at Koji and says so.
Cast of Characters:	Mamoru Chiba, Koji Silvia

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Mamoru Chiba has posed:
It's about two hours after Koji and company ditched Darien and Usagi at the restaurant that Koji gets a text from Darien.

    Darien: where are you

Koji Silvia has posed:
When his phone buzzes, Koji puts down the rock he was aiming to throw at a thin tree.

Koji: Out by the woods, usual spot.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
There's no response on the phone, but the crunching leaves three minutes later are audible evidence of purposeful yet restrained footsteps.

When Darien steps into sight, he stops about fifteen feet from Koji and punches a tree, hard.

He doesn't go 'ow'.

Koji's Device is aware that there is something Very Wrong, here, and Darien's blue eyes won't meet the other boy's. He tells the ground -- grits it out, in fact -- "Don't do that to me again. I know you meant well but that was a really shitty thing to do to a friend."

Then he glances up, finally, and his eyes are full to brimming with emotions, and one of them is betrayal. "At least Takashi called me to give me an excuse to leave if I wanted one. He and Naru are the only two of you I'm not pissed at."

Koji Silvia has posed:
As the punch comes, Koji moves to stand up and take a half-step back, his eyes going semi-flat and his left leg goes back almost into a martial arts stance. He stops his hands from coming up, and then lets his hands unball to rest at his sides.

As his head cants to one side, the reflection of the sun adjusts over his glasses, partly obscuring his eyes, "Oh?"

He crosses his arms, and exhales, "Fine. I apologize."

There's a shake of his head, "I apologize for actually TRYING to help you. Unlike your FRIEND Takashi-san. Who just sat there agreeing with the WHOLE idea the whole time."

Suddenly he just throws up his hands in frustration, "Is it beyond the realm of possibility that someone who is a girl might actually get to LIKE you if you gave them more than just the handsome brush-off? Or are you so caught up in keeping everyone at arms length that it's bad habit."

And after a moment he settles, "Or would you happen to realize that THAT was the very first time I ever met your BEST FRIEND."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Darien's hands turn into fists at his sides and he takes a half-step forward before visibly restraining himself, taking that half-step back, shoving his fists in his pockets. But his eyes are flashing, and the dusk-song of birds and insects has gone silent, and it's like the low sun's gone behind clouds and stripped the place of its golden hour.

"Apologize for fucking DITCHING me, you asshole!" he cries out, aggrieved like only a teenager-- or a child-- could be. "I thought you weren't LIKE that!" A hand comes out again to whack at the tree next to him again; this time there's a cracking sound, and there are curls of shadow accompanying the hurt in his voice.

His hair's come loose from its little low ponytail.

"I don't care about the part where you were setting us up to have a good time together! We could have done that if everyone was there, too! And I can believe Takashi went along with it-- I don't trust him the same way I trusted you."

Koji Silvia has posed:
A brief bit of wind picks up and blows at Koji's bound up hair, whisking it against the background of the tree and the dark of the forest behind him.

Reaching up, he takes off his glasses, and looks right at Darien, that expression nothing of the affable and polite Koji the world gets.

The young man just stares for a long moment, "Darien. I am sorry. That wasn't what it was about. And I can see your point."

Turning his head, he looks half-way into the woods, "That girl. Usagi. Dozens of girls go by and you just give them all the smile, the nod, the nice comment, and sweep along like some prince in a cape... but the first thing you do to her..."

There's a sigh, and he closes his eyes, "What I did was selfish. I wanted you two to either figure out you wouldn't get along, or you'd have that moment. Something everyone deserves."

But this final bit comes out almost too quietly, "Chiyo and I aren't even in a relationship. She panicked. So I'm covering for her... because she's a nice girl and doesn't deserve to get teased over something as stupid as me."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Eyes to glasses-- Darien's glasses-- and then there's calm from Koji, and a sorry that isn't a fight, and an 'I can see your point', and Darien's hand curls lighter against the bark of the tree he was beating up. The fight goes out of him.

The same breeze catches at the taller boy's hair and seems to start clearing some of the darkness away, and Darien takes his own glasses off with his other hand. He rubs at his eyes, one after the other, with the heel of his hand-- and he listens.

He's silent for a moment, the darkness draining away, the red around his eyes just a leftover artefact instead of a sign of active upset, and he turns his face into the light wind and takes a deep breath of it.

"The first thing I did to her was try to keep her out of harm's way. The second thing, too," he says, finally, his voice a weirdly unsteady thing. "We keep a lot of secrets from each other. I guess you'd figure... what's one more, right? I'm sorry for not telling you more about Takashi. I-- we-- can talk a little about me later, if you want. And about your self-esteem problems too."

That's not even pointed, just tired.

This is smaller, almost eaten by the birdsong and the buzzing of summer insects that finally comes filtering back in with the orange-pink sunlight. "Some secrets I have to keep, but don't-- please just don't leave me like that again. Please."

Koji Silvia has posed:
Listening is a skill you take in over time, observing but also taking in what is said and not said. So Koji puts his glasses on, and nods once, "I never knew you felt like that. And you're right. We do keep a lot of secrets. It's easier on the both of us."

Leaning back and pushing his hands into his pants pockets, he brings up leg up to press his heel against it for balance, and then finally goes on, "It's not self-esteem... It's..."

The pause is PALPABLE for a change, "I'm so used to being lied to and lying for people. I lied to make friends before this school, not that they were really. I lied to stay out of trouble, and I lie to keep attention off myself. I lied because... I was sick of seeing disappointment. And then I found out people lie to me, and I figured it's just second nature for all of us."

"They're not us. They don't lie. And maybe... that's a good thing."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Darien leans sidelong against the tree he'd beaten up, and uses his shirt-tail to start cleaning his glasses, looking at that. He listens better, sometimes, if he's not also looking. The crunchy edge of the forest floor crackles a little as he shifts his weight, and he doesn't quite hold his breath--

He looks up at the pause, puts his own glasses back on, crosses his arms lightly over his chest.

When Koji's done, it's a considering silence, and Darien's watching his roommate; he watches for a moment more, but not long enough to make it awkward.

He breaks the silence slowly. "Then... don't lie for me anymore. Don't offer information, but if someone asks you -- even Counselor Inai -- then don't lie. And I won't lie for you, either. You can hide behind me if you don't want attention, though, that's fine." A beat. "I'm terrible at lying to you. If you ask me things I shouldn't answer, I give you half-truths. So maybe-- don't ask me those things. And if, after this..."

Darien looks at his hand, which should be bruising, which should be abraded from tree bark, which should have skinned knuckles and fractures. "I get it if you need to ask for a different roommate. I think you know why I keep people away. You can warn Usagi-chan if you think you need to, too."

Koji Silvia has posed:
If Koji sees what is happening to or with Darien, he's not saying anything about it, or he's geniunely missing it.

Pushing off the tree, he walks over next to Darien, standing side by side, his hands still in his pockets, "If I wanted to change roommates, I'd say. We spent too long breaking each other in to let something like this end a good thing."

There's another moment as he cants his head in thought, "And... I can try not saying anything for a bit. But expect some covering for you, mister I-Go-To-Work-Right-After-School."

But the smile is back now, "Here's the deal. One day, I'm going to have to tell you some things that you probably won't believe... some days I don't believe them. When that comes, I just want you to remember this talk. I will. For two reasons.

His pointer finger comes up, "One... never to leave you behind."

Then comes his middle finger, "After seeing Takashi-san... I realized... you have a type."

He gives off a brief chuckle, and then starts walking towards the campus, "I want my ramen, Darien-kun. See you later."