Washed Up

A/N: time for Momo to move out of his own shack.

Authors: Celianna (Momo) & Gottis (Ryoma)

Rating: K+

Events leading up to this log:
- Set directly after the last log

Date: July 14, 2012

Momoshiro wondered how he was going to tell Echizen he was going to be sleeping at Kaidoh's hut for a while … without seeming really inconsiderate. It wasn't that he hated being in the same room as Echizen, it was just, well, Momoshiro figured a little bit of space would be good for them. And it would be good for his back too; it was getting so stiff sleeping on the floor.

He hoped it would go well. Looking back at Kaidoh's shrinking hut, Momoshiro trekked over the sand, two rainbow roses clenched in his hand. They were for Echizen and Sanada—he had promised after all.

Nervousness settled inside of his stomach when he approached his own shack. Echizen was in there, probably completely clueless about Momoshiro wanting to stay over at Kaidoh's place for a while. He hoped it wouldn't go bad …

"Ryoma, look what I got!" said Momoshiro when he entered the shack again. He proudly showed off the multi-coloured rose in his hand. "One for you."

Ryoma lay on his stomach in the bed, iPhone in front of him and he scrolled through it lazily. As Momoshiro entered he sat up halfway, opening his mouth to ask about Kaidoh, but was caught off guard as the flower was shoved into his hand. "... It is pretty," he managed, baffled.

"Yeah, isn't it? I'm surprised it turned out so well. Guess Kaidoh can make something after all." Momoshiro walked over towards the bed and sat down.

He wondered how he was going to break it to Echizen; he really didn't mean to move out and leave him alone. But he also didn't want to stay there with tension constantly in the air. Momoshiro fiddled around with his fingers, pouting his lips as he did.

"Did you meet his brother yet?" Momoshiro asked instead. He gave Echizen a smile. "Cute kid, a bit jumpy and nervous, but he seems eager to help out. Turns out lots of people are actually looking for us out there—they just haven't found us yet."

Ryoma gave him a blank look. "Didn't even know he had a brother." He thought for a moment. "... Wait. That guy who posted on the journals? Oh. Okay. No, haven't met him." Something was bothering Momoshiro, the pout of his lip told him as much. He didn't want to ask, didn't want to hear if it was something that would make him annoyed or even angry again. Instead he looked at the flower, admiring it.

"Didn't know?" Well, it's not like Echizen was ever really interested in his teammates personal life. "Do you know I've got a sister at least?" he prodded at him with a weak smile. Momoshiro tugged at Echizen's shirt so he could sit down next to him.

It probably wasn't a good idea to start talking about other things, but Momoshiro felt weird, and sort of nervous (and he never feels nervous!), and the last thing he wanted to do was make Echizen feel bad. But the nights alone with him were really starting to grate on his nerves; Momoshiro wasn't fit to feel awkward around his best friend, when previously they'd been sleeping in the same bed just fine. He wanted it to go back to being normal. Where hugging Echizen felt normal, like it didn't have to mean like he was returning his best friend's feelings.

"She's a real brat," Momoshiro said. "Miss her though."

Ryoma thought for a moment. "Don't you have a brother too? Or am I mixing things up?" He couldn't really see what the big deal was - siblings were often overrated anyway, he thought. He looked up from the flower, a frown on his face. "Okay... What's up?"

"Oh, no, just a sister," corrected Momoshiro. He then looked away from Echizen, down at his lap, unable to find any words to say what he came here for.

"Uhm, Kaidoh's got a nice hut," said Momoshiro. What a great conversation starter! Idiot.

"... Yeah, I guess." He wasn't sure where Momoshiro was going with this, but he was pretty sure he didn't want to discuss Kaidoh... Even if it was logical, given that Momoshiro just returned from visiting him.

Spill it. Spill it out all at once. Like ripping off a bandage. "I'm going to stay there for a few days." He's not looking at Echizen, far from it. He didn't want to see his face.

Ryoma's face, which Momoshiro didn't see, went through several stages in the span of a handful of seconds. Blank, confused, hurt, angry and back to confused. And maybe a thought disappointed. "Really. Have fun with that."

"I ... uhm … just think …" Momoshiro swallowed; it's hard to get the words out. "It would be better for my back," he joked. "Argh, no, I mean—just a few days. Maybe it'll help both of us cool off. I just don't like how it's … like this, I guess." Too much tension, too much awkwardness. He missed his best friend.

"We've got lots of food still stored here, water too, you should be fine on your own for a few days. And maybe …" He could mull around and start hating Momoshiro instead of liking him. Which wasn't what he wanted either. But he didn't want to stay and cause a big rift between their friendship either.

"Just … I don't want to hurt you," whispered Momoshiro.

"That's funny, since you're moving in with him," Ryoma snapped, jumping to his feet. He knew it was simply jealousy that talked right now and he should better hold his peace before he said something he might regret, but... "If you want to get away from me that badly, why don't I just move back to the caves or something? Won't that be better?"

Momoshiro looked down at the covers on the bed. "Look, it's not that I want to be away from you." Far from it. "But I'm going to be frank here; right now we don't act like friends. And I hate that. I just want it to go back to normal … and I don't want to see that look on your face anymore either." He sighed. "You think this is easy for me?"

"No. I don't think so. But what do I know, huh? You easily enough run away from me to be with Kaidoh and you're doing things for him and with him and..." Ryoma kicked the sand underneath his feet as hard as he could, small grains spraying up, getting caught in the slivers of sunlight that filtered through the walls of the shack. "Why is it easier for you to hang with him?"

Momoshiro finally looked at him, and gave him this serious complex frown. "Because he's fucking Kaidoh, and he's not my best friend who kissed me and loves me."

"But...!" Exasperated, Ryoma rubbed his head with his hands. "But didn't he like you too? Why is that okay? You know what, forget it. You don't have to reply. Don't say anything."

"That was over five years ago," said Momoshiro. "He doesn't anymore … but you do. But, I'm just … well. I'm still friends with you, okay? And I want to stay like that, I don't want this to become worse …"

Maybe he doesn't. But I think he does. And you talk so much to him, don't think I don't see it. You're such a... Ryoma didn't say anything, however. He simply sat down on the bed, shoulders slumped. If Momoshiro felt that they needed some space... Well, then maybe they did, since Momoshiro usually was that sort of person who had no real sense of personal space to begin with.

Momoshiro leans his shoulder against Echizen's. "Just a few days, then maybe this won't feel so weird." He turned to him and gave him a lopsided smile. "Maybe we can even sleep together again."

Ryoma felt too depressed to fly off his handle again, and instead simply returned Momoshiro's smile with a weak, humorless one of his own. "We'll see."

"I'm still coming to bother you every day," said Momoshiro. "Just won't spend the night." He ran his hand through Echizen's freshly cut hair; the tips were healthy looking. "Had your hair cut already, huh."

Ryoma nodded. It was a little bit shorter, just enough so that it wasn't brushing against his shoulders and tickling him anymore. "Okay."

"And seriously, tell Sakuno I'm not going to cut your hair in your sleep! She still thinks I am. She probably thinks I cut this." Momoshiro grabbed a long lock of green hair, and rubbed it in between his thumb and index finger.

"Yeah, yeah." He tried to pull his hair away from Momoshiro's fingers, but only half heartedly. He wanted Momo to touch him, that was the worst part. He wanted it... But at the same time it was what he wanted least in the entire world. More or less. "Can you go now?"

And that was probably why Momoshiro felt like he couldn't stay with him anymore. Everything felt weird now, nothing was normal. He couldn't casually touch him like this without it meaning something for Echizen that it didn't mean to him. It sucked, it really did, and Momoshiro hated the fact that he didn't return his feelings. Then maybe things wouldn't be so weird, maybe Echizen would actually smile at him again.

"Yeah. Take care of the rose, it's yours now." Momoshiro stood up from the bed and walked over to his bag with his clothes in it. He swung it over his shoulder and stopped right at the door.

"Call me if you need anything." Which he probably wouldn't. Echizen never called for help. Which was probably why Momoshiro would check up on him several times a day when he wasn't watching. Yeah, he was still protective of his best friend, despite all the weirdness.

"See you tomorrow." Momoshiro finally opened the door again and left.