Washed Up
A/N: the day before Momo's birthday, which is also when he'll perform a fire dance with a couple of other people at a bonfire at night. He spends some time relaxing with Kaidoh the day before.
Authors: Celianna (Momo) & Happiestwhen (Kaidoh)
Rating: T
Events leading up to this log:
- Momo, Kaidoh, Chitose and Tachibana practice their fire dance routine every other day
- Momo gets into a bit of a fight with Ryoma sometime before this log (Ryoma gets jealous over Kaidoh), and Ryoma starts ignoring Momo
- Momo gets Kaidoh to call him 'Momo-chan' for his birthday, he also asks for other presents
- Before all of this, Momo has decided to sometimes call Kaidoh 'Kaoru-chan' to mess with him
- Hazue has created a little shelter for himself (to prove he's not a burden) and moved out of Kaidoh's hut, leaving Momo and Kaidoh alone
- Momo finds a nice cove on the beach, and thinks it's a great fishing spot. He asks Kaidoh to come with him
Date: July 22, 2012
Momoshiro drags his feet through the sand; they've been walking for a while now. The place they're going is pretty far, and the only reason why Momoshiro discovered it in the first place, is because he was going out on a very long walk (probably further than what Kaidoh runs on his route), and he discovered it. A cove with a really nice view of the ocean, and there's even a waterfall falling down from the cliff. It looks really pretty, and Momoshiro is feeling a bit down, so he decided to invite Kaidoh to come see it with him.
He still acts a bit normal, talks about random stuff to Kaidoh on their way there—but he's a lot more mellow. The sun was almost starting to set too, and it felt a bit chilly. Good thing he brought his jacket.
After half an hour of walking, they're there; Momoshiro stands on the cliff, fishing spear in hand like he's some kind of Tarzan, and looks down below. The cliffs form around a crescent moon filled with beautiful blue water, washing up on the beach. The waterfall plunders down onto the sand, and slips into the ocean. It's about 80 feet high. Momoshiro stands in some tall grass and blue flowers, and he turns to look to Kaidoh.
"What do you think?" he asks. "I'm calling it Dumbnuts Cove."
"It's really cool," Kaidoh admits. It's really surreal, actually. Kaidoh didn't expect to find something like this on the island. It feels so far removed from the beach he's gotten so used to seeing every day and the daily-increasing number of people who are crowding it, whom Kaidoh has to avoid encountering when he's out running, because smalltalk isn't really his strong suit, nor is it his hobby.
Here, it's quiet and calm except for the sound of the water, like a private little harbor, and Momoshiro chose him to share it with, which makes Kaidoh feel warm and good and content.
He looks at Momoshiro, who looks like the protagonist from some weird action movie, standing like that with a spear on a cliff. Kaidoh tries to imagine Momoshiro as an action hero but it just makes him snort and he says, "I guess the name fits."
"We're not here for training though," warns Momoshiro. Just in case Kaidoh is thinking of doing some kind of training out here. Catching fish is okay, but Momoshiro is really just looking for a day to laze off somewhere secluded.
"Come on, let's go down there." Momoshiro starts to walk down the cliff with the spear in his hand. It's a bit steep, but he can manage, and he's sure Kaidoh doesn't need any help either. He looks back just to make sure Kaidoh isn't tripping over his own two left feet (something which he has discovered since they started practicing for their fire dance), but the snake seems to be doing fine, following right behind him. They trail all the way down until they reach the golden sand of the beach.
In front of him is the ocean, and the sun is slowly going down, everything is looking slightly tinted with orange. Perhaps now is not the best time to fish, Momoshiro wouldn't be able to see the damn fish anyway.
"I wish I knew about this place before I made my shack," says Momoshiro. He digs the spear into the sand, then goes to sit down where the sand isn't wet, and the water won't reach him. He looks out at the sea, his legs curled up against his chest, and his arms resting on his knees.
"Kinda pretty, huh?"
"Yeah," Kaidoh says. "Not bad." He toes his sneaker into the sand and looks up at the way the cliffs tug in around the water, hiding the cove from the rest of the island, and adds, "But if you build your shack way out here you'd be pretty far from everyone else." Which is something Kaidoh thinks he would be fine with, but Momoshiro likes people too much for that.
"I guess that wouldn't be too bad," replies Momoshiro. "Too many new people are coming onto the island, it's getting pretty crowded." Not to mention they're people Echizen seems to want to hang out with, but not with him.
Momoshiro throws some sand onto Kaidoh's shoes. "Sit."
"Idiot," Kaidoh says, with no force behind the insult. He stomps the sand off his shoes before dropping to the ground next to Momoshiro and stretching his legs out in front of him. He glances over at Momoshiro and then back ahead at the sun which is still dipping into the horizon and making everything appear kind of sparkly. Which Kaidoh thinks should be annoying, but is instead just really pretty.
He looks back at Momoshiro, and even he isn't immune to the weird sparkly sunset effect, which makes Kaidoh have to swallow like there's a lump in his throat. Instead he asks, "Why did you come all the way out here in the first place?"
"Ehh," says Momoshiro, not really knowing what to say. "I just kind of walked all the way over here and came across it by accident? I think I walked further than your stupid training route." Momoshiro is sure of that; he was pretty absent minded when he came across this small cove.
It's a little bit weird for Momoshiro. Usually he feels energetic, especially when he's surrounded by so many people. But lately, not so much. In fact, it's getting kind of tiring. He probably brought it upon himself; Momoshiro did move out of his own shack—and that had been what, a week ago already? Something like that, probably. He thought everything was going to be better, less awkward, when he decided to stay with Kaidoh for a while.
There was nothing wrong with Kaidoh's place, Momoshiro likes hanging out with him, especially here, right now, where it's quiet and no one is bothering him, or reminding him of things. It was something else … Momoshiro thought perhaps his friendship with Echizen wouldn't crumble to dust if he moved out and gave the both of them some space. He didn't count on being half ignored by the smaller man. Momoshiro did stress the fact that he wasn't going to stop talking to him; he was simply not sleeping with him in the same room at night.
Momoshiro sighs. It feels way too tiring. And he kind of feels bad for Kaidoh too, since he has no idea what's going on. Not that Momoshiro really knows all that well either.
"Talked to Echizen lately?" Momoshiro decides to ask. Since Echizen seems to talk to everybody but him lately.
"Uh," Kaidoh says. "We don't really talk, no."
Momoshiro laughs at that. They really don't. Even back when they were all on the same team, Momoshiro can hardly remember a time when Kaidoh and Echizen exchanged words. It seems years later, that sort of anonymity still persists between them. Maybe they really don't have anything to talk about—which is weird, since Momoshiro can get along just great with the both of them, he's always got something to talk about.
"Heh, I guess not. Sorry for making you stay with us, must have been pretty awkward for you if you don't even talk to Echizen." Momoshiro tries to imagine himself exiting the shack, and leaving the two behind, and hearing nothing but crickets chirp in the background. It's kind of funny, and it makes him chuckle a bit; at least it's improving his mood.
He lightly punches Kaidoh's upper arm. "Glad we're not like that. Can you imagine? Me. Not saying a word to you. Hah! Maybe when hell freezes over."
Kaidoh snorts. "Yeah, I can't imagine that either," he says, "because then it would actually be nice and quiet and I wouldn't have to listen to your annoying voice."
"You mean the annoying voice you fell asleep with?" teases Momoshiro. He's referring to what happened years ago; when they were talking to each other on the phone late at night and fell asleep. Not only that, Kaidoh had admitted he didn't mind—which is something Momoshiro doesn't hear quite often from the snake. He's usually too grumpy to admit anything is nice or fun.
Suddenly, Momoshiro is reminded by the harsh reality of exactly why Kaidoh didn't mind: it's because Kaidoh back then had a crush on him.
Oh yeah.
Well, that makes things … a lot more awkward. Momoshiro hopes Kaidoh didn't do anything weird when he fell asleep on the phone. Like creepily listen to him breathe or something. It's kind of weird how he never noticed Kaidoh's affections. He knew that he could get Kaidoh to do just about anything with him, and he could call him anytime he wanted—but it just never got through to him that it was because Kaidoh liked him. Right.
Then why wasn't Echizen like that? It's confusing. Having his former rival like him, and his best friend in love with him, it was all very confusing.
Momoshiro was just too awesome, he guesses.
Kaidoh punches Momoshiro back in the shoulder. "Dumbass," he says, his cheeks going pink, or maybe just orange in the sunset light. It's weird for Momoshiro to bring that up, not because Kaidoh has forgotten about it, but because he hasn't. Can't, really. But he kind of thought Momoshiro would have by now. Something inside Kaidoh's chest seems to flutter. It's weird to think that Momoshiro might still remember conversations they had such a long time ago.
Momoshiro sort of wants to ask Kaidoh what exactly he likes about him, or what made him like him in the first place. But that's a weird question, and it can't be anything less than 'you're simply awesome', right? Well, it's a dumb question anyway. And Kaidoh doesn't like him anymore.
He hopes.
Because then everything would be really, really weird. He already moved out of his shack because of Echizen, he didn't want to move again because of Kaidoh! Then again, Kaidoh isn't Echizen, maybe Momoshiro can just punch him in the face if he says anything. Maybe it'll give him amnesia and forget the whole thing. And then he can call him names. He can't call Echizen names or punch him in the face. Which sucks. It's easy to do those things. Kaidoh is simple, Echizen is way too complicated for him. Like why is he suddenly avoiding him? Momoshiro doesn't get it.
"Kaidoh …" starts Momoshiro, "what would you do if I started ignoring you right now?" And don't say ignore you back.
"What the hell kind of question is that?" Kaidoh's face scrunches up in thought and then flattens out again as he replies, "That would be stupid. I'd punch you."
Again, Momoshiro laughs. "Good. I'd punch you too if you ignored me. Or maybe talk your ears off, that's for sure." He leans his chin onto his arms, contemplative. "I can't punch Echizen though," he mumbles.
Kaidoh looks at Momoshiro and feels a little confused. "Do you, uh, want to or something?" he asks.
"What? No. Of course not. I don't hit anyone but you." And that's sort of meant to be affectionate as well, and Momoshiro hopes Kaidoh knows this too. "I mean, if someone just started ignoring me, I can't just punch 'em like I'd punch you. Which reminds me." Momoshiro lifts his chin from his arms, then faces Kaidoh. He smacks his knuckles against Kaidoh's cheek; it's not hard, it's mostly just a slight push.
"For ignoring me years ago." Momoshiro pulls away. He really doesn't like to be ignored.
Kaidoh's eyes narrow and then soften again and he blinks. Then he says, "Guess that was a long time coming." His face feels warm from Momoshiro's touch and he feels weirdly content for someone who's just been hit in the face. He almost wants to smile.
"Yeah, way overdue," says Momoshiro while grinning. "Ah, who cares if Echizen is ignoring me. I probably deserved it or something. At least I've got you to bug." Momoshiro shifts his weight and then lies his back against the sand, staring up at the orange sky. He pushes the spear down with his right hand and watches it fall into the sand with a soft plop.
"I don't like it though."
Kaidoh hisses, not really knowing what to say. He doesn't feel like it's really his place to weigh in on what Echizen is or isn't doing.
Momoshiro places his arms behind his head. "You know, when I went back to him that day? To tell him I was staying at your place. He was just so … hmm … let's just say he wasn't happy and acted as if I just told him the worst possible news. I told him just because we're not sleeping in the same room together anymore, doesn't mean I won't talk to him." He sighs heavily, he doesn't really want to tell Kaidoh about any of this, but Momoshiro doesn't like feeling like this. Like his best friend is hating on him.
"I was still gonna talk to him and stuff, and do things with him. But now … feels like he's ignoring me. I hate being ignored. Especially by my best friend. Makes me want to punch someone." Momoshiro looks at Kaidoh for a second, then shakes his head. "Never mind, I just want things to go back to normal."
"Yeah," Kaidoh says simply. He's bad at this kind of thing. He's not bad at listening to Momoshiro talk though. That's something he's actually pretty well-practiced at, thanks to Momoshiro never shutting up. He can manage that much.
"Do you think I made the wrong decision? Like moving in with you—oh, he was talking about you too. Like I don't know, called you him and stuff. Didn't pay much attention to it, since he was being a brat. You two didn't like, get into a fight, right?" Momoshiro is pretty sure Kaidoh and Echizen hadn't talked for a while, but the way Echizen kept talking about Kaidoh as if he's been keeping tabs on him, made him think otherwise.
Kaidoh's brow creases. "I don't think so..." he says, voice uncertain. There was something weird about his conversation with Echizen last week, namely the fact that it had even happened in the first place—they really don't talk much, but Kaidoh didn't think it counted as a fight. They didn't punch each other or anything. They didn't really do much of anything at all.
"Yeah … thought so, you're way too clueless to get into a fight with Echizen." Momoshiro snorts. "I guess that's a good thing, not like you have anything to do with this. I don't know why he even brought you up. You haven't really been doing anything besides be typical Kaidoh. Except with more running."
Momoshiro pokes his elbow into Kaidoh's butt. "Way too much running."
"Shut up," Kaidoh replies, shooting a glare at Momoshiro. "It's not too much." To Kaidoh, there is no such thing.
"Seriously? And then you tried to make your brother run that much! Insane!"
"He could've handled it, you know," Kaidoh says, his voice low.
Momoshiro huffs. "Do you think I could have handled it?"
"No," Kaidoh snorts. "But that's because you suck."
"Dude, I have a higher endurance than your wimpy looking brother. If I'd die doing that, he'd die twice all over, then come back from the dead as a zombie and still follow your orders. But then you'd be too scared and run off. Haha."
"The hell? Don't call my brother a zombie." Because it's creepy. "And that wouldn't happen. He's my brother. He can do whatever I do."
"Turn into a zombie?" asks Momoshiro. He chomps his teeth at Kaidoh. "Rawr?"
Kaidoh snarls at him. "I'm not a zombie, you asshole."
"With all that mindless training you do, you might as well be. I'm surprised you even decided to come with me to this place. Didn't you say you were going running?"
"Yeah, well, you were probably going to drag me either way," Kaidoh says flatly. At least, that's what he hopes Momoshiro would do.
Momoshiro shrugs. "Eh, true. I don't really care if you have plans. You better make room for Momo-chan." Then he suddenly remembers something. "Hey, weren't you going to call me that? Starting on my birthday? Don't take it back now! You said it yourself!"
Kaidoh grimaces. "I didn't mean that seriously..."
Momoshiro turns his face over, so that one cheek is buried into the sand, and he looks at Kaidoh with a trembling pouty lip, and big saucer-like eyes.
"You're an idiot," Kaidoh says. A really manipulative idiot.
"Hehehe." Momoshiro smiles at him, already forgetting about all his troubles, and now he's simply being stupid with Kaidoh. "Don't forget the chan. That part is very important!"
Kaidoh just groans.
Momoshiro wiggles his eyebrows at him, and scoots a bit closer to Kaidoh. "How about Mo-chan?"
"Don't push it," Kaidoh replies curtly.
"Fine, fine," Momoshiro smirks at Kaidoh, "Kaoru-chan."
Kaidoh's lips purse together. "I hate you," he says grumpily. "Don't call me that, it sounds weird."
"Aww, but it's only fair, right? Momo-chan for Kaoru-chan!" Momoshiro snickers when he puts it like that. "You sound like such a girl."
"And you sound like such an asshole!" Kaidoh growls back.
"And you're still such a girl!" fires Momoshiro back, but he's smiling and laughing. And he prods Kaidoh's butt again with his elbow.
"Dumbass, stop that!" Kaidoh squawks, slapping at Momoshiro's arm.
Momoshiro retreats his arm while laughing still. He's feeling better. A lot better. This is just so much easier to understand, Kaidoh that is. He can always count on Kaidoh to tell it to him like it is, to not hide anything, to not make passive aggressive jabs at him. He's simple and straightforward. And even though he lies left and right about certain things, Kaidoh is so bad at them, that Momoshiro sees right through it. He just sees Kaidoh trying to awkwardly have fun spending time with him, and knowing just that, makes Momoshiro feel a lot happier already.
He spends a minute lying in the sand, still laughing, until it mellows out, and he's looking at Kaidoh, his cheekbones still high from smiling, so his eyes are narrowed, but he's happy. He's a lot more content.
"Hey, uhm." Momoshiro scratches his nose. "Thanks. For being such a dumbass." Because Kaidoh the dumbass is probably the person he understands best, and most probably, the person who understands him best as well.
With Kaidoh, he at least doesn't have to worry about hurting his feelings. Or worry about how his actions might create some kind of weird unnecessary 'hint' to him that could be taken the wrong way. Or simply acting like a dumbass and saying stupid things doesn't matter, because Kaidoh simply calls him an idiot, and then he laughs, and Kaidoh hisses, and nothing of importance has been said. And he likes that. Saying useless stuff. Stuff that doesn't really mean much, especially when they're insulting each other, because Momoshiro knows neither of them mean it. Well, most of the time anyway. Though he doesn't hate Kaidoh's stupidity either. Or his grumpiness. Or just his way of saying as little as possible. It doesn't really matter with him.
Kaidoh just really isn't like anyone else. And Momoshiro is glad for that. Because he might have otherwise gotten a tiny little bit insane, having to deal with people who hide secrets, talk behind his back, or say things that mean something entirely different. With Kaidoh he doesn't have to worry about that. The guy is way too simple. And so is he.
He giggles this time. "You idiot," he says. And don't ever stop being one.
Kaidoh yanks on Momoshiro's collar, tugging him up out of the sand. "Who's the idiot, idiot?" he growls half-heartedly. It isn't really a threat, and Kaidoh doesn't really want to fight. In fact, he isn't feeling annoyed or irritated at all. He just feels comfortable. This is easy.
It shouldn't be what with everything that's happened and every confusing, stupid thing Kaidoh feels, but this always is; the easy insults and taunts and shoving each other around. It's something Kaidoh can rely on, and it's something Kaidoh doesn't want to let go of or mess up, so if that means trying to keep all the jumpy static in his stomach in check, then he can do that.
He twists his fingers into Momoshiro's shirt and then shoves him back into the sand and lets go.
Momoshiro growls at Kaidoh, but it's a playful growl, one that says he's not really angry, he just wants to mess around. He twists his body around so that he's behind Kaidoh's back, then wraps his arms around Kaidoh's neck, put him under a headlock, and pulls Kaidoh's entire body against him, bringing the both of them down into the sand, with Kaidoh on top of him and locked in Momoshiro's hold. He yanks off Kaidoh's bandana while he's at it and messes up his dark brown hair.
Kaidoh's hair tickles his cheek once it springs loose. "Heh, do you think you could do that and get away with it," says Momoshiro while grinning at him.
Then Momoshiro wraps his legs around Kaidoh's waist, so he can't escape, and twists and turns the bandana into a small rope-like shape, and wraps it around Kaidoh's head. He puts it in front of his eyes and quickly ties a knot in it, blindfolding him. Momoshiro's arm is still wrapped around Kaidoh's neck, and they're still pressed together in the sand—simply being idiots.
Well, so much for keeping that damn static under control, Kaidoh thinks.
He can feel Momoshiro's body pressed against his back, and around his torso, and he can't see a thing, which only sends his other senses into overdrive.
"Stupid idiot!" Kaidoh grumbles, twisting against Momoshiro so he can elbow him in the stomach. Then he reaches up and yanks the bandana off, flinging it back into Momoshiro's face. He tries to disentangle himself from Momoshiro's legs, as well as his arm, all of which still have him locked in place.
He finally just rolls them both over so that Momoshiro is above him on his back now and is able to gain some leverage to pull free and shove Momoshiro off. Then Kaidoh scowls petulantly and slings a clump of sand at him for good measure. He runs his other hand through his hair, which is a bit wild now. Where'd his bandana end up?
Luckily, whatever sand Kaidoh flings at Momoshiro, it hits his bandana (which is nicely covering his face), so he's not choking on some dirty beach sand at the moment. He slips it off, then glares at Kaidoh, but finds he's not really that angry—even if his stomach is throbbing in pain from getting hit—he's kind of happy instead. He leans back on his arms, his fingers digging into the sand, and he huffs, blowing away some black hair from his eyes. He looks at Kaidoh for a little bit, who is looking around for his bandana, and he's all orange and glowing, and Momoshiro thinks for once staring at his face doesn't give him this urge to punch it at all. He's kind of content.
"Idiot, I've got it," says Momoshiro. He throws the bandana at Kaidoh's feet. "Why don't you just glue it onto your head so you don't ever lose it?" Or so that Momoshiro won't feel compelled to rip it off his head and see his dark brown hair glistening in the orange sun?
"Or you could just stop touching my head!" Kaidoh retorts, as the blush on his cheeks flares and then dies down. He picks up the bandana and shakes it off. It's rumpled now. He smoothes it out, then flips it up onto his head and re-ties it, all in a single motion. It only takes him a second, and once he's finished he feels comfortable again, no longer exposed.
Momoshiro pouts. "I wasn't. I was touching your bandana." He's a tiny little bit impressed how fast Kaidoh can tie a bandana, but he's got years of practice after all.
"How do you tie it so fast anyway?" Maybe there's a trick to it. A trick that Kaidoh is keeping secret.
"It's not that hard..." Kaidoh replies, giving Momoshiro a flat stare. "I tie it all the time. My hands just know what to do."
Momoshiro ends up half snorting and half laughing at that. "Really now?" he asks, a goofy expression on his face.
Kaidoh, not seeing what's so funny, just blankly says, "Yeah."
That goofy expression just turns even wilder, and Momoshiro laughs at Kaidoh. "You idiot." Way too naive. "Let me try it. Sit down. I'm sure I can work some magic too if I practice a little bit."
"It's not magic," Kaidoh says in low monotone, but he complies anyway, giving Momoshiro and his hands a skeptical look.
"Magic trick?" Momoshiro shrugs. He positions himself directly behind Kaidoh's back, then pulls his legs up and folds them over each other. He grins at the back of Kaidoh's head, and then grabs the ends of his bandana to slip it off.
"Okay, so …" Momoshiro leans closer, and reaches over Kaidoh's head, the palm of his hand brushing over his hair, and he spreads the bandana between his hands to press it up against Kaidoh's forehead. "Oh, how's your hair?" he asks, forgetting about that, and drops the bandana for a second. "Well, you keep it sitting there anyway, so I guess that doesn't matter." He puts it back up against Kaidoh's forehead, and his knuckles dig into his hair when he pulls it tight and wraps it around his entire head.
Momoshiro is pretty sure he ends up ripping out a few hairs from their roots as he tries to tie a knot in the bandana while still keeping the smooth look of it all, but it's pretty tricky. Kaidoh's got a lot more hair, smooth and long, and it's sort of in the way. Momoshiro huffs when his first knot fails, and he tries again, this time blowing at Kaidoh's head to get rid of any stray hairs—sometimes using his thumb to brush it away as well, and he gets his first knot in. He blows again, and ties the second knot, and tightens it pretty hard so it won't slip from Kaidoh's head.
"There, how's that?" he asks. Then he adds, "You need a haircut."
"My hair's not the problem," Kaidoh replies flatly. The bandana definitely isn't going anywhere, but it also doesn't feel the same as when Kaidoh ties it. It feels new and weird and a little wrong, but maybe that's just because Momoshiro had his hands all over Kaidoh's head and his mouth blowing cool air against the back of his neck. That part is definitely new and weird and kind of gave Kaidoh a lump in his throat.
"You just suck at this," he points out, although at least the thing isn't falling off his head or stuck with half his hair tied into the knot.
Momoshiro sighs, then folds both his arms on top of Kaidoh's head, and leans his own chin on it. "Guess I do. I'm never wearing those things. Or at least, not putting them on myself. You can tie me one tomorrow, right?"
Kaidoh smiles a little, not that Momoshiro can see it. "Yeah, I can do that."
"Then I won't catch my hair on fire—though it's you who thinks that in the first place. I think I'll be awesome, I won't do anything wrong." He tilts his head to the side to look at Kaidoh and smirks at him. "You on the other hand …"
"Shut up," Kaidoh says weakly. Momoshiro may suck at bandana-tying, but Kaidoh sucks even more at dancing, and he's not looking forward to making an ass of himself in front of everyone. Maybe they'll just look at Momoshiro instead. It's what Kaidoh usually does, which might be why he can't remember any of the steps. That, and he thinks dancing is stupid.
"I'll be fine," he says. He hopes. Hey, he's trying at least! He could have easily just refused to do it at all. No, that's not true. Not easily, anyway. Not with Momoshiro.
"Hehehe, of cooourse you'll be," coes Momoshiro. He wiggles his arms back and forth on top of Kaidoh's head, then squishes his cheek against it. "It's okay, I mess up too. But it's all for fun you know. Not like we're performing on … I don't know, what's that famous place called in America? Boredway?"
Kaidoh snorts. "You mean Broadway, you moron." There's fondness creeping into his voice, so he adds in a growl, "And that feels weird," referring to the way Momoshiro is touching him. Well, weird would be one word for it.
"Broadway, whatever," says Momoshiro. "What feels weird?" he asks, and leans back away from Kaidoh. "The bandana? Argh, I know, I suck at it. Here, just take it off and re-do it yourself then." He starts tugging at the ends of Kaidoh's bandana.
Kaidoh reaches back behind his neck. "I can do that myself," he says, and his hands cover Momoshiro's. He feels a warm zing against his palms that only lasts a moment and then he pulls the bandana free and quickly re-ties it on his own.
"That's how you should do it," he says, throwing a glance back over his shoulder.
Not even getting a good enough look despite being so close, Momoshiro simply shrugs, then he leans back on top of Kaidoh's head. "Whatever. That's your thing. Don't forget to do mine tomorrow." Then he smiles and pinches Kaidoh's cheek. "I'll put your skirt on."
"What the hell, no you won't!" Kaidoh squeaks, turning red.
"I kinda have to, I'm the one who made it, so I'm putting it on you." It makes sense to Momoshiro. He knows how delicate the strings are, and how to tie them together. If Kaidoh ties his bandana, Momoshiro will tie his skirt. Fair trade, no?
Kaidoh's face scrunches up and he's still blushing. "Fine," he finally says, defeatedly.
"Hehe, that's the spirit!" Momoshiro pinches his cheek again, just because (and because Kaidoh isn't punching him away). "As long as you actually, you know, wear something underneath it … I don't want to, well. You know."
"Ew." Kaidoh pulls a face. "Obviously. That would be gross."
"Haha, I know! But I think, you know, those two were planning on it …" Momoshiro pouts his lips against Kaidoh's bandana. "And ugh, gross, I just remembered what Echizen said about that."
Kaidoh hisses, still feeling disgusted. "Huh," he says, which is basically all he can say since he doesn't want to ask what Echizen said about something weird like that.
Momoshiro shakes his head. "Yeeahh, I don't want to remember that again. That's gross. Change of subject. My birthday is also tomorrow, you know that, right?" Kaidoh kind of has to, doesn't he? He'd feel insulted if he didn't.
"Of course I know that, stupid," Kaidoh replies. He knows a lot of things.
"Hmmm, do you also know what I like for my birthday?" Momoshiro asks as he plays with the ends of Kaidoh's bandana, twirling it around his finger. He's still resting his chin on top of him, staring out at the ocean, at the sun setting in the distance and slowly disappearing. It's actually really kind of pretty, all orange and pink.
Kaidoh shrugs his shoulders. "Stupid stuff?" he guesses.
"Uhh." He's kind of got a point there. "It's not stupid!" Momoshiro immediately dejects. "Just because I don't like training stuff, doesn't mean the things I do like is stupid." He wrinkles his nose in disgust. "Don't you dare give me dumbnuts."
Kaidoh snorts at that. "I won't. You'd never use them. Lazy idiot."
"I totally would," says Momoshiro. "I'd use 'em to juggle."
"That's not what they're for!" Kaidoh protests. His lips purse into a scowl. "Take them seriously."
Momoshiro laughs. "What—how can I take those things seriously? They look ridiculous."
"They just look like dumbbells," Kaidoh replies grumpily. "You look ridiculous."
Momoshiro growls against his head. "They look like coconuts on a stick. Aka; dumbnuts. Like your stupid nuts on a stick." He drops one hand and points at Kaidoh's crotch.
"Asshole," Kaidoh growls right back, smacking Momoshiro's pointing arm. "Don't be stupid."
Momoshiro puts his arm back on top of Kaidoh's head. "Then don't make stupid things. Simple. Unless it's meant for me, then it's okay I guess. As long as it's not stupid."
"Whatever," Kaidoh replies. "Nothing I make is stupid."
Momoshiro hums softly. "We'll just have to see about that. You are gonna make me something, right? Right? I made you a pillow! How's that working out for you by the way? Your head makes a great pillow for my arms." He snuggles closer.
"My head's not a pillow, dumbass," Kaidoh says, but doesn't push Momoshiro off of him. "Yeah, it's fine though. It's pretty soft."
"Hehe." Momoshiro is happy to know Kaidoh hasn't thrown his pillow out into the sea, and actually sleeps on it every night. It makes him feel warm. "Oh, you know what would be great? Like this big ... pillow ... swing! Kind of like a hammock I guess. Anything you can sit down on and just rock back and forth sounds good to me. Has to be soft of course. Or anything soft to relax in, that works too."
"Of course you'd want something like that," Kaidoh says, and raises a fist to knock into Momoshiro's arm. "You're so lazy."
"Hah, leave me be. It's my birthday. I can be whatever I want on that day." Momoshiro nudges Kaidoh's fist away with his elbow. "I bet you would want a treadmill or something. Like you're some kind of stupid hamster running around in circles because you've got nothing else to do."
Which is true; Kaidoh really doesn't do much other than running a lot. Momoshiro is seriously starting to doubt he knows how to do anything for fun. Though maybe this counts—hanging out with Momoshiro is always fun. Or at least, he thinks so. No, it is fun to hang out with him, always. Even Kaidoh thinks so, otherwise he wouldn't be here, sitting in front of him, and letting Momoshiro hang all over his head.
Actually … that's kind of strange. It's strange because it's, well, it's not strange! It feels normal, as if Kaidoh really doesn't mind. Usually he'd punch him or throw him off, or something else that would physically hurt. Momoshiro sort of wants to ask why Kaidoh is being so lenient with him, but he doesn't want to spoil the mood either. Chances like these didn't come by very much (if at all!), so he'll just keep quiet and … rub his chin on top of Kaidoh's bandana and lower his arms to rest them right on top of Kaidoh's shoulders.
"Did you try fishing with that spear you made me?" asks Momoshiro.
"Yeah, I tried it out," Kaidoh says. "It's not bad, but there's a trick to using it." Which is Kaidoh's way of saying he didn't catch anything on the first try. "I'll show you."
The sun's dipping lower now into the horizon and Kaidoh stretches his legs out in front of him into the sand. He rolls his neck back, which is weird because moving his head also means moving Momoshiro, who's like a warm weight above him, behind him, and around him with his arms at the sides of Kaidoh's head. Momoshiro seems really relaxed and it's making Kaidoh let his guard down and relax too. Maybe the whole sparkly sunset light has something to do with it too. Kaidoh just feels content. It feels natural.
He grumbles, reminding himself not to get too comfortable, not to read meaning into this. Momoshiro's probably just tired.
"You're heavy," Kaidoh says, although he doesn't mind the weight against him at all; just feels like he should.
"Your point being?" asks Momoshiro with a snort. He doesn't move, nor makes any attempts to pull away from Kaidoh. Not that he even wants to, sitting like this is relaxing, and it sort of makes him tired as well.
"Show me later," he grumbles. He really doesn't feel like moving. Not now. Not when everything is pink and orange, and his arms are brushing against the side of Kaidoh's warm and slender neck. It's a one-in-a-million kind of chance; Momoshiro knows Kaidoh would be the last person to allow him to be all friendly and touchy-feely. Which is why he feels like he should stretch this for as long as he can, because it's nice for once, to not be fighting, to not be yelling, but to simply sit there, comfy and relaxed.
Not that he minds the fighting all that much.
An idea creeps into Momoshiro's mind. He finally retrieves his right arm, sliding it across Kaidoh's shoulders, slowly and at his own leisure. He slowly pulls it all the way back, until he drops it next to himself, and takes out his phone from his pocket. This time a little faster, Momoshiro leans forward, pressing his chest against Kaidoh's back, and giving him a sort of headlock with his left arm, as he stretches out his right in front of them both, his phone flipped open and turned to them.
"Smile!" says Momoshiro. He pops his head above Kaidoh and gives a big wide grin at his phone before he pushes the button, and snaps a picture of them both.
"What!?" Kaidoh is in the middle of shouting as the phone's camera clicks, his eyes wide and darting sidelong in surprise.
After it's taken, he twists around a little to glare at Momoshiro over his shoulder. "What the hell was that for?"
Ignoring Kaidoh's death glare, Momoshiro doesn't move from his position, but reels in his arm and looks at his cellphone. On the illuminated display, it shows a picture of Kaidoh's legs, his chest, and half of his surprised and embarrassed face, being choked by Momoshiro's arm. The rest is out of frame.
"Whaaaat—I cut off my face!" whines Momoshiro. "Well then, one more time." More determinedly this time, Momoshiro lowers his face and rests his chin right on top of Kaidoh's shoulder. He uses his grip on Kaidoh's shoulder to push the snake closer to him so they can both be in frame. He stretches out his arm again, readying the phone in his hand.
Kaidoh just lets out a sulky sounding huff, because Momoshiro is really close and it's making him blush and Kaidoh pulls his mouth into a scowl, wishing he could hide his face under a paper bag. But he doesn't pull away because, as disgruntled as he must look, inside his chest, his heart is pounding hopefully, happy at the feeling of Momoshiro there with him.
Snap.
Momoshiro turns the phone over and brings it closer to his face to look at the picture. This time they're both in frame, though it's more aimed at Kaidoh, and Momoshiro's left side is mostly cut off. But it's fine, because they're both in it, and Momoshiro is smiling like the dumbass he is, because he really sort of is. Then his eyes shift over to the left, and he sees Kaidoh.
He quickly snaps his phone shut and pulls himself away from Kaidoh, grinning at him innocently. Momoshiro sits next to Kaidoh this time, looking down at the sand and he fiddles around with his cellphone.
"That one was—" Embarrassing? Amateurishly done? Something which Momoshiro won't delete from his phone, ever? "—better." It felt like some dirty secret that Momoshiro wasn't really allowed to see, hence why he doesn't want to look at Kaidoh right now either. Hence why he's not touching him.
And he can't stop fiddling around with his phone.
Say something else, Momoshiro. Change the subject. Don't focus on the picture. Get it out his mind. Don't think about it.
"Nice weather," he says dumbly. He can hear a pin drop in the background; he's the lamest person on earth.
Momoshiro punches Kaidoh's arm. He shifts his eyes over the sand and tries to look at Kaidoh, but feels like looking at his face is forbidden territory, so he ends up looking at the back of his nicely tied bandana.
"Running weather," adds Momoshiro.
Kaidoh punches Momoshiro back in the arm too, for making him blush like that—like he probably still is, and for taking a picture of it. Now Momoshiro will have that stuck on his phone, to look at, and think about how much of a freak Kaidoh is. Maybe he'll get lucky and Momoshiro will be so disgusted by Kaidoh's weird face that he'll delete it. It's embarrassing … Kaidoh kind of wants a copy.
"Do you want to run or something?" he asks, tugging his legs up in the sand and resting his arms across his knees. "I don't think you could keep up."
Running. A word that comes out of Kaidoh's mouth more than Momoshiro would like to hear. It's a word that he hears more than 'hamburgers'. A word frequently used when Kaidoh feels awkward, nervous or embarrassed—or a combination of all three.
"I could," he protests. It actually doesn't sound all that bad right now. Yeah. Momoshiro can run. With Kaidoh. Maybe it'll cool them down. They can go run back home before it gets dark. His cheeks flare a little with heat when he thinks of 'home' and Kaidoh in the same sentence. That's stupid. It's just a lame hut.
"Let's run back?" suggests Momoshiro. He quickly stuffs his cellphone into his pocket. No one is seeing that picture. Ever.
"Yeah," Kaidoh agrees, and climbs to his feet, brushing sand off his shorts. He turns to look down at Momoshiro, and feels a little bit like they're back in middle school and about to run laps around the tennis courts. There's the same, familiar edge of challenge in his voice when he says, "We'll see how long you last."
Momoshiro bats at Kaidoh's ankles before getting up himself. "Longer than you!"
The sun is getting redder and bigger at the horizon, simply fading away. Momoshiro stares long and hard at the sunset, and then his gaze shifts towards to Kaidoh, who is looking right at him. The sound of the ocean waves quiets down, and his ears start buzzing and ringing from the silence. There's this unexplainable need to keep his eyes on Kaidoh, to not break eye contact. Maybe it's a challenge, maybe it's because they're rivals. That would make sense at least.
It's not because he doesn't want to look away.
Probably.
He picks up his spear from the ground. "Come on, let's go, stop staring at me," says Momoshiro. He smirks.
Kaidoh's cheeks flare up with heat and he drops Momoshiro's gaze immediately, and starts jogging across the beach back to where they'd first climbed down. Everything is tinted red now; maybe Momoshiro didn't notice. It's getting harder for Kaidoh to come up with excuses.
It's a little bit steeper going back up, and Kaidoh has to grab onto a boulder twice to steady himself, but soon he's reached the top again and waits for Momoshiro to join him. He's ready to focus on running because at least that won't ever shake or confuse him.
Momoshiro is right behind him, after all, he's the one that found this cove, and he knows how to get back up already, so it takes little effort to catch up to Kaidoh who is fleeing away.
Like a real gentleman, Momoshiro steps in front of Kaidoh, his back turned to him. "I'll lead." Because he knows the way, but he also just likes messing around with Kaidoh. Without even stretching properly, he simply starts to jog down the grassy and flowery trail along the cliffs so they could get back home.