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I didn't know I had to pay.

[ If he did, maybe he would have had some restraint, but he ate enough to feed a family of four so... yeah, maybe it was a little worth it. ]

You know how restaurants work.

[Sex island or no, money makes the world go.]

Alright. Tell me his name.

But it's a free cruise.

[ What kind of free cruise doesn't also provide free food??? Does that make sense to you. ]

I don't know his name.
His username has the word rabbit in it.

That's obscene.

[Yeah, he bets he wants to fuck Minato like a rabbit, but too fucking bad. Akira has so many issues with this and none of them are things he's willing to admit even to himself. Not yet.]

Anyway, I'll find him. You can make it up to me later.

[haha, make what up]

?

[ Why type many words when just one question mark can do it all? Why does he need to make it up to Akira later? What is going on. ]

You saw what I said.

[YA HEARD HIM, only with words on a screen.]

Don't accuse me of being a prude, but don't you think you're giving yourself away a little too easily? You can get more than a large meal with a single square.

[ What the heck is going on. Minato has absolutely no idea why Akira cares so much. ]

It's not a big deal.
I'd get one of my squares done too.

[ So, doing this for Noiz is more than just repaying back the tab. It's also a way Minato can check off a square as well. ]

But it is a big deal. Your body isn't a meal ticket.

[Love yourself a little, Minato.]

There are better ways to check your squares off. It's your choice, but you should be more considerate towards yourself.

I didn't think you'd care so much about what I do.

[ Yeah, what's up? ]

[hmm mm m]

I get the impression you don't care what happens to yourself, good or bad. Am I wrong?

[Someone has to care, motherfucker.]

I don't know.

[ It's not that he doesn't care, it's just that he doesn't sweat a lot of things. No need to be so flustered or up in arms about something. ]

[He doesn't know? How could he not?

...No. To a degree, Akira understands. Minato may be worse than himself, but Akira understands putting oneself so far down on the list of priorities that you no longer are a priority. He's been there, but this feels different. This is different.

Akira's response comes after a significant delay. He had some calming down to do, yo.]

That's alright. Sorry for getting on your case.

Can we talk? In person.

[That would be easier than doing Whatever The Fuck this is.]

[ Minato doesn't quite understand what's going on. In the time before Akira texts back, he has just been lounging around, not doing much. There's definitely a weird and tense air between the two of them, though he's not sure why. ]

Sure.
When?

[What's going on: someone is having a Moment, and in realizing that, Akira's dialing it back significantly. Only he, the protagonist, is allowed to not care what happens to himself in the name of supporting his friends. What's Minato's excuse??]

ASAP.
If you're free, I'll come to you.

Okay.

[ Unfortunately for Akira, it will be 30 hours before they can speak in-person. While some might become more anxious as time goes by, Minato takes it relatively easy. He's not really concerned about what Akira wants to talk about, so when he sends a text to notify his arrival back, it's casual. He writes the general area that he's in then wait. ]

[ Okay, let's see what was so important for them to meet face-to-face. ]

[Fortunately for Minato, Akira isn't the type to scold. He does take those thirty hours to ask himself why he's so bothered by Minato's willingness to sell himself out for a meal and eventually settles on a half-convincing answer. Akira sees the worst of himself in Minato's lack of consideration for his own wellbeing, and... that's all it is, really. He's positive, and yet it still feels like there's a sizeable chunk of the puzzle missing.

In any case, Akira doesn't let that stop him from meeting up with Minato at their designated meeting place. He's fine, see? He's neatly compartmentalized his feelings and stored them all away. He can't let nebulous feelings cloud his judgment.]

Hey. [Akira extends a cup of coffee to Minato. He made it himself! It's... a peace offering.] I don't know how you like your coffee, so I played it safe and added a little cream and sugar.

[ Akira will find the meeting spot to be the new boathouse. Minato texted him as soon as he arrived and stayed in one spot like a good boy. He's found himself a bollard to sit on and so he waits, hands in pocket. He would put on his earphones and listen to something on his mp3 player, but water + electronics don't mix very well. He's not tech-savvy enough to figure out how to dry them and make them useable again, so they're pretty much accessories at this point. ]

[ When he sees Akira, he doesn't get up from his spot. ]

Hey.

[ Oh, a free drink. Nice. Minato will take one hand out of his pocket to take the cup. He hasn't had coffee in a while and the smell is relaxing. He takes a small sip and pauses for a second to enjoy the taste. Mm, nice. He'll keep the cup close to his mouth so he can drink it whenever he needs to pause. ]

So, what's up?

[So his peace offering was accepted... Good. Akira can't imagine Minato would say no to free coffee given, you know, what he almost sold his ass to pay off. As much as it sucks to see Minato sulk (that's totally how Akira sees this), he's here to dispel the awkward air between them.

He's here to try, at least. Akira leans against the bollard to Minato's side and sips from his own coffee, his sights focused on the horizon. It's easier to talk when they don't have to make consistent eye contact, but even so, Akira's sitting on the side of Minato with less hair in his face.]

I wanted to talk to you about the other day. First things first: I'm sorry for going off on you. In all honesty, I was just concerned.

[ He doesn't move when Akira sits next to him. He glances at him from the corner of his eyes as he stares off at nothing really in particular. He doesn't reply right away, choosing to sip the coffee as an excuse for a pause. Hm, he doesn't know how to feel about this. ]

Mm. Heard that you contacted the rabbit guy to pay for me.

[ Noiz was supposed to meet up with him in his room, but the knock never came. ]

[Akira doesn't hesitate to give Minato an honest answer, though his inflection remains flat, almost monotone, as he speaks. His eyes remain lost somewhere along the horizon, but if he's thinking long and hard about something, it's not apparent in the look on his face.]

That's right. He wanted a fair trade for that meal, so I completed one of his squares.

[And Akira got away with picking an easy one (kissing), but even if his options had been significantly slimmer, he still would've picked off a square in Minato's stead. That said, he doesn't leave room for the obvious question of "why go that far for me" to come up before continuing on. Huh. It's almost like he doesn't really wanna think about it!!]

Your debt's all cleared. No thanks necessary.

[ He glances in Akira's direction as he listens, holding his coffee cup close to his mouth. This is... a really peculiar situation. They've only known each other for a day, give or take a few hours, so what's up with the overprotectiveness? He doesn't really get it. ]

Why?

[Akira would love to answer that question with another, more important question, but now isn't the time. Why Minato seems to care so little about his own wellbeing wasn't a question he could answer easily before, so he doubts that's changed. Now isn't the time to push.

For now, he finally turns to look Minato in the eye. He said he wouldn't scold Minato, and he won't, but Akira delivers his answer firmly. He doesn't want to leave room for doubt even if he's spent the last thirty hours calling his own understanding of "why" into question.]

It bothered me seeing someone give themselves away so easily for nothing. People who truly love themselves don't do that. They won't.

[ Hm... He meets Akira's eyes, but he doesn't have a response right away. That answer only leads to more questions. ]

Do you believe that I don't love myself?

[ Although the question may seem defensive, his tone is neutral. There's no change of expression on his face and he maintains eye contact. This is quite a serious topic to have with someone he's only just met. He's... intrigued. Perhaps even curious, but that's too strong of an emotion. ]

[A little bit of defensiveness would've been warranted, really. Akira had given his answer just as plainly, but there was an assumption being made there, right? Still, he shakes his head and pulls on a thin smile, though it's just a little wry.]

Everyone's different. In my experience, the only people who'd make a trade like that are people with nothing to lose.

[But he doesn't know Minato. He doesn't know if he falls in line with Akira's assumptions or if he simply goes with the flow as effortlessly as water down a slope.

As if to dismiss the suggestion that there may be something ever so off about Minato, Akira shakes his head, making an effort to iron out the concern in his smile. If anything, he looks just a little apologetic.]

I'm sorry for butting into your affairs, Arisato. You just reminded me of an old friend.

[One who is no longer alive, and one who certainly didn't see much value in his own life. This conversation is already A Lot, so Akira leaves that off the table. It's egotistical, but Akira can only wonder if he'd have been able to save Akechi if he'd only met him sooner.]

[ Minato listens attentively, showing a level of attention and awareness that he rarely displays. Since arriving in Erku, he hasn't thought too much about what his actions may imply. It's not that he doesn't care about himself. It's just that he doesn't have any strong feelings to do one thing or another. Even after spending an entire year in Tatsumi Port Island and doing what he did for his friends, ten years of apathy is hard to break from. ]

[ It's only after Akira finishes speaking that Minato breaks eye contact and looks off at nothing again. He takes a long sip from his drink and then just sits for a silent second. ]

... lucky friend.

[ To have someone worry about them so much. He tilts his head slightly so he can look at Akira at an angle. His expression has softened and there are the faintest traces of a smile. Yeah, Minato tried his best to be a good friend, but he knows that in the end that he was still kind of shitty. ]

Thanks for worrying about me.

[ A corner of his lips curve upwards into a melancholic smile. ]

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