[his hand's hovering over the pudding option on the vending machine like he's got it all queue'd up and ready to go
but at the sound of someone talking to him he whIRLS AROUND LIKE HE WAS CAUGHT READ HANDED AND COVERS UP THE SCREEN LIKE HE'S HIDING SOMETHING MUCH WORSE]
[well mineo is still sloshed out of his fucking mind, as is what happens when you're a goddamn lightweight
but he seems like he notices the purple of molly, sits up like an excited puppy, and starts running. why is he running. what is he holding in his hands, it looks like something wrapped in a towel]
Wah....!
[he
he doesn't stop and goes right past molly and bonks into a wall
stands there, arms crossed, looking mildly amused at this whole scene playing out in front of him, head following mineo's movement right up until he hits the wall
only then does he come over and grip him under the arms and help him up]
[it's almost easy to forget that just a few days ago mineo was a useless lush || this close to sleeping on the ground because he couldn't be assed to get up.
since right now - and since the announcement - he's been an angry, growly mess. the disdain emanates from him in waves, even as he seems to be checking every single doorway, every corner of every room for - anything? he's not even sure what he's looking for. a corpse, maybe.
and he's on his way out of the room, almost like he doesn't even see molly - and that's why he bumps shoulders with him.
... but he's just aware enough to reach out to steady the other just in case, and offer - ]
[Molly is just sitting outside the simulation room for now. Maybe Beau is speaking to someone else for a moment. His big, extravagant coat isn't on, so maybe he's left it somewhere for now. There's still blood on his face, from the nose bleed, and it's starting to darken now with bruising. Monks hit awfully hard.]
Hah. Contrary to appearances, I'm not actually much of a . . . punch out my emotions person.
[Yo whatup. Where's Mineo at. Molly is coming to find him at some point after the festivities have died back. He isn't a big fan of the quiet now that the noise has faded a bit.]
[mineo has been standing in the doorway of the kitchen for twenty minutes - not even so much as moving? that's fine. he's just there, looking over ever inch like something might suddenly appear. it's hard to say whether or not he's spaced out or entirely focused.
This man is your idol, and he is your friend. Earning his praise makes you beam, and you feel like there’s a little sun inside your chest that gets brighter when he smiles at you. The teases feel friendly and comforting, as if they’re verbal hugs rather than anything malicious. You want to make him proud, and want to share every success with him.
Your heart breaks worse with every passing gunshot.
. . .
Weeks after.
You’re sitting in the small apartment living room and sitting opposite you, there is an elderly woman wearing black. White flowers sit on the side tables, and you know that even though the funeral was weeks ago, they’re still grieving.
Your friend’s face still smiles in pictures around the house, and you keep thinking that maybe he’ll barge into the room suddenly with a laugh and a story. He won’t. Dead men tell no tales and all.
“We’re happy you came to see us, Enomoto-kun. Yuuta was so fond of you, after all,” the woman says, patting your knee with affection.
Despite everything that’s been weighing you down - a sense of dread curled around your throat like it will snap at any moment - you put on a smile for her. You hope it fits your face correctly. It’s hard when you can’t remember the last time you felt happy.
She doesn’t comment - so it must look fine.
“Yeah... Fuji-senpai was an inspiration to me, too. He always took good care of me.”
“Really…” Her tone is quiet, thoughtful. “He was saying that he felt like his junior kept surpassing him – you got promoted to Field Operations a while ago, didn’t you? He would tell us about that too… He said that he wanted to catch up to you.”
Your throat feels a little tighter. You manage the words -
“Up to – me?”
She nods in confirmation and doesn’t notice the way you feel like you’re coming apart.
“He was working so hard, trying to get his promotion… What he said was that he needed more accomplishments. He may have made a few missteps along the way – but how could he be condemned as evil when he only wanted to help….”
Few missteps.
Words flash before your eyes: Mistaken Arrests.
To catch up to - you. Stupid, reckless, lucky, breathing you.
The rest of the conversation passes in a daze - but you must have said the right things, must not have started screaming like you ache to. At the door, Yuuta Fuji’s mother sees you out.
“Take care, Enomoto-kun. I know… Yuuta would have been happy to know that you’re thinking of him.”
As she closes the door, you hear her sob from the other side - a muffled noise. She must’ve been holding in her grief too.
In the absence of her kind voice and sad eyes, you feel the weight of understanding and guilt settle on your shoulders like a shroud.
he's just sitting in the rec room though, trying to get the cactus needles out of his hand. there's a bunch just in front of him to show his progress at least. he looks up when someone else comes in]
going to be honest with you, mineo had his hands full with gojou's breakdown so he probably missed all the chaos with molly! but then molly makes it to the med bay and mineo's heart stops with worry and concern. he freezes, and suddenly he's staying in the room until molly gets out of the pod. the second that it stops doing its thing, he's sitting up and headed closer]
[molly is in the medbay - he'd clambered out of the pod probably earlier than he should have, but hey. not actively dying anymore. maybe still sort of wheezy and his face is bruised, but. it's like fine. he's washing something off in the sink.]
Mineo.
[...]
I assume-- everyone made it out alright. Was a bit out of it at the end there, myself.
[wow! all of that happened! mineo looks like he's - well, he's having an existential crisis like he does every saturday! but this one looks smaller? so he's not carrying this horrible dread with him
but he is in the kitchen and he's making some tea. when he turns at the sound of someone approaching, he tilts his head]
because mineo understands the sentiment and he probably has actually received these deets by now but he's literally running directly to the house all out of breath because he's scared something new and horrible happened and this was mollyo's sos]
[what a fUCKING TRIAL anyway mineo is just going to be wandering around after that - we're in the kitchen??? sure. he'll turn when he hears molly approach - ]
Hey - you're looking after Harrow-san today, right? Or - well, I'm hoping someone will.
but i need you to know that mineo is just going to find molly wherever he is! he wanders over with - less absolute excitement like normal days, but more of a confident stride? weird. anyway it's a small detail so surely it's nothing]
Ohh, Molly, there you are - can I borrow your hand for a moment?
[well. it's opium den time? we love opium den bad ideas and by that i mean mineo is absolutely just going to ram his shoulder against the door from the hallway.
he'll give him a little time to cool off and then coming to find him in the observing room? he's brought a lil something in a to-go container, holding it out.]
[yeah he's - well, he mostly just looks tired now, kicking back in the observing room and looking at the stars. real stars, presumably? he takes the to-go container, not really hiding his surprise at both the company and the gesture, before nodding his head]
[it's like everything here conspires to make mineo angry? he still looked peeved and i'm setting this wherever molly would be because he's probably just angry pacing - ]
[molly is smoking again, for the record. It's been a weekend!]
Yup. Dumped his ass on the floor, which is probably more than deserves, but what can you do. Shi Qingxuan looked like she was about to cry, so, can't have that.
[well mineo's making the rounds - there's a general sense of caution and anxiety coming from him as comes with most fridays, but.... today there's also an odd, conflicted little ball in his stomach. he wanders into the observing room during his investigations and -
honestly when he sees molly, the other emotions die out a little. mostly he's just happy and relieved to see him even though they woke up in the same place]
[hiyo mineo. if he's in the observing room again, molly will just come in like he did last week and . . . rest a to go container on top of mineo's head.]
mineo's - stewing, to say the least. he's having his own whole mess of difficult emotions. the guilt, the uncertainty, the worry over others and whether he did the right thing. but his hand comes up to steady the to go container and when he turns to face molly there's just
[molly is just vibing near the shrine - he's taken up a seat under one of the shady trees, sitting on his coat and just sketching in what looks like the pages of a coloring book. Or he's just using the coloring book to support whatever he's actually drawing on.
He's also smoking? this is fine. Nothing seems obviously off at first glance, but, weirdly, the red eye tattoos on his neck and hands have now turned gold. And there's the odd tint to his horns that isn't quite their usual color.]
[LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT THIS PRE OR POST MEETING, ALLI????? so much is happening. anyway mineo's going to be wandering in at some point! but he's going to peer over his shoulder.......]
W0 - SATURDAY
So. Ramen. What is it? You said this was your favorite?
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but at the sound of someone talking to him he whIRLS AROUND LIKE HE WAS CAUGHT READ HANDED AND COVERS UP THE SCREEN LIKE HE'S HIDING SOMETHING MUCH WORSE]
R-R-Ramen! Yeah! Love ramen!
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week 0, post-mini event
but he seems like he notices the purple of molly, sits up like an excited puppy, and starts running. why is he running. what is he holding in his hands, it looks like something wrapped in a towel]
Wah....!
[he
he doesn't stop and goes right past molly and bonks into a wall
i'm sorry]
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stands there, arms crossed, looking mildly amused at this whole scene playing out in front of him, head following mineo's movement right up until he hits the wall
only then does he come over and grip him under the arms and help him up]
Bit too much time with the bar?
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week 0, friday
since right now - and since the announcement - he's been an angry, growly mess. the disdain emanates from him in waves, even as he seems to be checking every single doorway, every corner of every room for - anything? he's not even sure what he's looking for. a corpse, maybe.
and he's on his way out of the room, almost like he doesn't even see molly - and that's why he bumps shoulders with him.
... but he's just aware enough to reach out to steady the other just in case, and offer - ]
... my bad.
[so at least he still has his manners!]
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It's-- fine. Did you see the elevator?
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week 0, post-trial
wherever the heck molly is going to be, mineo's actually going to seek him out rather immediately and just]
.... you wanna hug, or you wanna punch it out?
I can do either - or both.
[he can't even imagine what molly must be feeling even if there's some creeping, distant understanding in his expression]
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Hah. Contrary to appearances, I'm not actually much of a . . . punch out my emotions person.
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W1 - TUESDAY
Mineo! Distract me.
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[HE ANNOUNCES LIKE A MISSION, saluting to even punctuate the point.
and then he'll OFFER HIS ARM like a proper gentleman]
Let's go on a field trip!!
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week 1, post-trial
but he is also
very much in the way
please shove him if you need something]
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Not our finest.
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week 2, monday [1/3]
that means he's totally gonna run into people. but at least of all of them, molly isn't so bad he thinks so he just softly intones - ]
Oh, Molly-san.
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This man is your idol, and he is your friend. Earning his praise makes you beam, and you feel like there’s a little sun inside your chest that gets brighter when he smiles at you. The teases feel friendly and comforting, as if they’re verbal hugs rather than anything malicious. You want to make him proud, and want to share every success with him.
Months later.
A video. (16:40 - 17:35)
Your heart breaks worse with every passing gunshot.
Weeks after.
You’re sitting in the small apartment living room and sitting opposite you, there is an elderly woman wearing black. White flowers sit on the side tables, and you know that even though the funeral was weeks ago, they’re still grieving.
Your friend’s face still smiles in pictures around the house, and you keep thinking that maybe he’ll barge into the room suddenly with a laugh and a story. He won’t. Dead men tell no tales and all.
“We’re happy you came to see us, Enomoto-kun. Yuuta was so fond of you, after all,” the woman says, patting your knee with affection.
Despite everything that’s been weighing you down - a sense of dread curled around your throat like it will snap at any moment - you put on a smile for her. You hope it fits your face correctly. It’s hard when you can’t remember the last time you felt happy.
She doesn’t comment - so it must look fine.
“Yeah... Fuji-senpai was an inspiration to me, too. He always took good care of me.”
“Really…” Her tone is quiet, thoughtful. “He was saying that he felt like his junior kept surpassing him – you got promoted to Field Operations a while ago, didn’t you? He would tell us about that too… He said that he wanted to catch up to you.”
Your throat feels a little tighter. You manage the words -
“Up to – me?”
She nods in confirmation and doesn’t notice the way you feel like you’re coming apart.
“He was working so hard, trying to get his promotion… What he said was that he needed more accomplishments. He may have made a few missteps along the way – but how could he be condemned as evil when he only wanted to help….”
Few missteps.
Words flash before your eyes: Mistaken Arrests.
To catch up to - you. Stupid, reckless, lucky, breathing you.
The rest of the conversation passes in a daze - but you must have said the right things, must not have started screaming like you ache to. At the door, Yuuta Fuji’s mother sees you out.
“Take care, Enomoto-kun. I know… Yuuta would have been happy to know that you’re thinking of him.”
As she closes the door, you hear her sob from the other side - a muffled noise. She must’ve been holding in her grief too.
In the absence of her kind voice and sad eyes, you feel the weight of understanding and guilt settle on your shoulders like a shroud.
It was you. You killed your idol. ]
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week 2, post-trial
he's just sitting in the rec room though, trying to get the cactus needles out of his hand. there's a bunch just in front of him to show his progress at least. he looks up when someone else comes in]
... hey, Molly-san.
You holding up okay?
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... He once openly threatened to make my face less handsome.
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W3 - WEDNESDAY
Whatcha doin'?
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mineo is
reading this book. i wish he wasn't, but he is. he jumps a little bit when molly shows up though]
Wha - oh, hey, Molly....!! Hmm... Just thinking about the new task we've all been given...
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week 3, thursday
going to be honest with you, mineo had his hands full with gojou's breakdown so he probably missed all the chaos with molly! but then molly makes it to the med bay and mineo's heart stops with worry and concern. he freezes, and suddenly he's staying in the room until molly gets out of the pod. the second that it stops doing its thing, he's sitting up and headed closer]
Molly....!
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Mineo.
[...]
I assume-- everyone made it out alright. Was a bit out of it at the end there, myself.
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week 3, post-trial
but he is in the kitchen and he's making some tea. when he turns at the sound of someone approaching, he tilts his head]
Ah - want a cup, Molly? It's just some tea.
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[Honestly Molly doesn't seem all that fucked up this week. What a day!]
This stuff goes through me crazy fast though.
[dont talk about peeing,]
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W4 - FRIDAY - TEXT
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because mineo understands the sentiment and he probably has actually received these deets by now but he's literally running directly to the house all out of breath because he's scared something new and horrible happened and this was mollyo's sos]
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week 4, post-trial
Hey - you're looking after Harrow-san today, right? Or - well, I'm hoping someone will.
[he's worried]
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Vira or Sheila may take over at some point, but I'm keeping an eye out. She shouldn't be alone - that particular curse is fucked.
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week 5, monday
I've got a question and also just wanna see you
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spa
[woah spelled correctly! wow. it's only three letters though so kinda hard to fuck that one up]
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week 5, wednesday
but i need you to know that mineo is just going to find molly wherever he is! he wanders over with - less absolute excitement like normal days, but more of a confident stride? weird. anyway it's a small detail so surely it's nothing]
Ohh, Molly, there you are - can I borrow your hand for a moment?
[this'll be fine]
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Last time this happened to me I got handcuffed, so.
[fine, offering a hand?]
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week 5, friday
nothing happens of course but.]
Well... fuck.
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Fuck indeed.
[...]
Poor Aoi. Lenore. Fuck.
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W5 - SATURDAY
he'll give him a little time to cool off and then coming to find him in the observing room? he's brought a lil something in a to-go container, holding it out.]
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... thanks.
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week 5, sunday
.... you get him to the medbay, Molly?
[like
what do they even do now]
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Yup. Dumped his ass on the floor, which is probably more than deserves, but what can you do. Shi Qingxuan looked like she was about to cry, so, can't have that.
[He seems to mean that.]
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week 6, friday
honestly when he sees molly, the other emotions die out a little. mostly he's just happy and relieved to see him even though they woke up in the same place]
Ah, Molly... Hey. Find anything?
Re: week 6, friday
Ah. Well-- only the things that you felt too. To be honest with you, I'm not trying too hard.
W6 - SATURDAY
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mineo's - stewing, to say the least. he's having his own whole mess of difficult emotions. the guilt, the uncertainty, the worry over others and whether he did the right thing. but his hand comes up to steady the to go container and when he turns to face molly there's just
fondness.
god there's just so much fondness.]
... careful or I'll get used to this.
[being delivered food by a friend]
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W7 - MONDAY
He's also smoking? this is fine. Nothing seems obviously off at first glance, but, weirdly, the red eye tattoos on his neck and hands have now turned gold. And there's the odd tint to his horns that isn't quite their usual color.]
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Are you working on something, Molly...?
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week 7, post-"trial"
Hey how is she
Do you two need anything
Water food medicine?
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so probbly fine for now
thanks
thank you
for a lot of things
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