iaijutsu | [exitvoid] ic inbox.

[He was damned well about to not be there, but as soon as Saitou opens the door - with angry, businesslike posture that suggests he's on his way to - somewhere -

He stops, and his posture just...melts.]

...Souji.

[He steps back and to the side, no longer blocking the door.

He doesn't ask what happened. If Souji wants to share that, he more than likely will of his own volition, and if he doesn't...well, Saitou's not going to be the one to push him.]

[ souji lifts his head up and can't even bring himself to smile like he usually does. he drags a whole rain cloud with him as he enters the room, barely looking at saitou before plopping on the bed. the other bed, not the one they had been sharing.

it takes a while before he finally says anything. ]

Were you headed somewhere?

...I don't know.

[Because he really doesn't. Somewhere...probably, yes? But as for where, he never thought that far ahead. He just needed to not be sitting there stewing in it.

He closes the door.]

[ meanwhile, souji remains where he is and causes a puddle to form. there's even water in his eyes. ... he really needs to change out of these clothes sometime soon. ]

It's not any better out there.

It doesn't have to be.

[What's out there isn't the point, so much as being unreachable is.

But that's clearly taken a back seat.]

You should get those wet clothes off.

Do you have anything I could borrow?

[ he places his swords on the mattress before he gets to work shrugging off his clothes away, starting with the sash, then the arm warmers. ]

[He did, at one point. Before COMPASS completely wrecked all the supplies they had, and he hadn't yet acquired more clothing - other things took precedence, especially with the way the weather had shifted since he and Hijikata first arrived.

...well, okay, there's still one thing.]

Only this.

[His haori's been hanging over in the closet; he's been more inclined not to wear it this week, when he's had every reason to lay low. He crosses the room to snatch it from the hanger and moves close to pass it over.

Try not to get your stank on it, Souji.]

[ he's going to rub his cooties all over it, watch out.

souji takes one look at the offered haori before accepting it. he sets it aside for now—on the dryer parts of the bed—before rising up to continue stripping off the rest of his clothes. the pants stay though, because wow. can't go that far on the first date— ]

This sure is nostalgic.

[ he slips on the haori, feels the familiar texture of the fabric on his skin. he hasn't worn it in what feels like forever. ]

[First date pls like they aren't already sleeping together.

Though as Souji says that, Saitou realizes - he never did ask precisely when Souji arrived from. Partly because he never wanted to hear that far about the future; he's afraid of what he might hear, even if he feels that (unlike Hijikata, unlike Kondou) he could ask Souji, if he really wanted to.

Partly he never asked because here, when everyone came from never seemed as important as the fact that they were here, and they were all each other had.]

How long has it been?

... Who knows.

[ souji hasn't thought about it, mostly because he's spent much of that time recovering from silver bullet wounds (thanks kaoru). all he really cares about is that it was a really long time. ]

Longer than it should have been.

[There's not an awful lot to say to that, really - especially not for someone as naturally taciturn as Saitou. So rather than try to come up with something, he just takes a seat next to Souji. Close enough to be awfully convenient, if Souji wants him to be, but not quite close enough to be invading his space, if he doesn't.]

[ souji appreciates the proximity. he doesn't move to get any closer or anything because this is enough—plus he's sure saitou won't like it if he got him wet, his hair is still soaked after all. ]

It's fine, you know. [ pause. ] But I might keep this for a while.

[ this, being the haori he now wears. it's his now. ]

[If he remains wet long enough to need body heat, Saitou will take one for the team.

But in the meantime he'll just look slightly dumbstruck at that.]

Why?