Work Text:
....Sigkin opened the door of the house to Fukurou rolling around on the carpet on the floor, essentially screaming incoherently, while Uie was simply continuing to work away at their desk, completely unfazed.
"...Ah, Sigkin." Uie put their pen down, turning around in the chair they sat at to greet him, voice barely audible over Fukurou's continued yelling. "What brings you here?"
"Uhh, yeah, hi - I got a noise complaint." Sigkin grumpily motioned at the numa rolling around. "The hell is this about!?"
"Right." Uie turned to look as Fukurou began sobbing into the carpet. "Some of the guys from Fukurou's magic academy class back in the day are hosting a reunion of some sorts."
"I DON'T WANNA GOOOOOOOO!!!" Fukurou cried out loud, banging her fists against the floor repeatedly.
"....Then.... don't?" Sigkin suggested.
"But, but...!!! But that'd be rude....!" Fukurou's voice was muffled by the carpet fibers she buried her face in. "They-- They already invited me, so it'd be common courtesy to go..... But-- But I don't wanna go...!!"
"The invitation said she can bring someone else with her to the party," Uie said, handing the mailed invitation letter to Sigkin for him to look over, "but I have a work meeting on that day, so I can't go. Meeting's about the book printings and first drafts, all that stuff; Can't really skip it."
"Why not, Uie-sama....??"
"Them's the rules, Fukurou, my sincerest apologies."
"Waahhh...!!!"
"What about you, Sigkin?" Uie decided to ask. "Are you free on that date?"
"Uh..." Sigkin stared down at the invitation's details. "...Hm. Osaar and Amber need me for a job that day," he muttered. "Me, Kashikin, Otsukin, Adukin.... I think Amber said he wanted to get some more of the others on board, too. That old abandoned mine is dangerous enough to be a dungeon at this point, I guess."
"Bummer." Uie just turned back to Fukurou. "Looks like you're going alone."
"wAAAHHHH...!!!!!"
"I mean, it's your old class from the magic academy you studied at, right? You... You know them," Sigkin spoke to Fukurou.
"But that-- That was ages ago...!! It-- It's not like I really got close with anyone there a-anyway.... I-- I don't know if I even remember anyone from class-- A-And it's been so long, they're all basically strangers at this point...!!! A-- And-- And I'm..."
"....bad at talking with strangers. Right." Sigkin just nodded in understanding.
"Odd - Aren't you alright with talking to customers when you're working at Maidon Lunch, Fukurou?" Uie asked.
"That-- That's different!! Th-- That's work, this.... This is, like... socialising...!!!" Fukurou began rolling around again. "No, no, I don't wanna go....!!"
"...then... don't," Sigkin suggested.
"....b-but that's....... rude......"
"Then just be rude," Sigkin flatly suggested.
".......but th-that's........ rude........."
Sigkin sighed exasperatedly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Fukurou, you clearly don't want to go to this... thing. So don't. Simple as that."
"....b-but... i di-- didn't go during the last class reunion, so.... if i don't go during this one too, th-that's..... extra r-rude--"
"Is being rude the end of the damn world for you!?" Sigkin snapped in frustration.
"I'm-- I'm sorry....!!!" Fukurou cried in response to the burst of anger.
"Hm." Uie had been quietly thinking to themself. "Damned if you go, damned if you don't.... That's the situation you've found yourself in, haven't you, Fukurou? If only you had a companion to go with you, perhaps the event would be a bit more tolerable in some way... Well. Too bad neither Sigkin or I here can do that."
"Surely there's someone that could accompany her." Sigkin mulled over it, thinking about whoever wasn't also going to be busy with Osaar's job on that day. "...Hm. You think Marikin might be free?"
"Perhaps." Uie nodded in approval.
"Eh!? But-- Don't you think he'd be busy with work!?" Fukurou called out.
"I'm sure he could take some time off from all the usual stuff." Uie had already pulled out their phone and begun typing into it.
"B-But... I-- I d-don't want to be a bother...." Fukurou started embedding herself into the carpet again.
"Fukurou, if you're not gonna not go, then this is the next best thing," Sigkin reasoned. "I'm sure he'll understand.... Probably."
"......" Fukurou just buried her face in the carpet fibers. "....but...."
"....He's free that day," Uie declared, putting their phone down on their desk. "I think you've just scored yourself a date with him~" they teased, looking at the numa on the floor.
"...!?"
".....Uie," Marikin spoke up as Uie adjusted the collar of the jacket he was wearing. "Is this really necessary...?"
"Of course it is," Uie replied, finishing the adjustment before moving back to packing their bag on the desk. "You two have to at least wear something - Everyone else is gonna be wearing clothes."
"Everyone else is human...."
"Anyway, I gotta go." Uie hastily threw their bag over their own shoulder, ready to rush over to their work meeting. "You two have fun," they said as they reached for the door to leave the house. "And, uh. Try and get Fukurou to loosen up, Marikin."
"Yeah, no worries, I'll figure it out. Hope your meeting goes smoothly~"
"Seeya~"
Uie shut the front door as they left.
.....
"....Fukurou," Marikin called out, turning to the open bedroom door. "You ready?"
......
....Marikin sighed, heading to the doorway and seeing Fukurou hiding herself in the darkness under her bed, dress and all.
"Oi." He walked over and squatted down, peering under the bed frame. "Class reunion. C'mon."
"....i don't w-wanna......" Fukurou's tiny voice was hardly audible.
"Hey, we can just walk in, say hello to the hosts, steal some food and drinks, and walk out. Simple pleasantries, no need to stay any longer than necessary. We show up, hang around a bit, we leave. Okay?"
"......"
"....Reckon they've got some nice desserts," Marikin hummed. "Pudding, pastries, cakes... Y'know, the good stuff. Food's the best part about parties, ain't it? Can't eat that food if you don't show up, though."
"......."
...Very slowly, Fukurou began crawling out from under the bed. "....c...cake...."
"Yeah, I'm sure they've got good cake stuff." Marikin took her by the hand and stood up with her, before looking her over. "....you, uh, you look good, by the way," Marikin decided to say, choosing to stare at a distant wall as he scratched the back of his head. "...that dress suits you."
"Oh, uh-- th-- thanks...." Fukurou seemingly wasn't expecting the compliment, her free hand now fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve. "Y-- You look nice too..."
Marikin just shrugged. "Uie's got good taste in clothes. Nice of 'em to lend these to us... Heck, I think they coordinated our outfits - We've got a bit of the same colours, kind of..."
They stared at the mirror on the other side of the room, seeing their own outfits in the reflection. Fukurou's green and orange dress reached past her knees, with loose half-length sleeves, while Marikin's dark brown jacket over his light green shirt had sleeves that had been rolled up, with his hand holding--
Marikin very suddenly and abruptly let go of Fukurou's hand, as though he just realised that he had still been holding it. "A-- Anyway!" he said out loud, almost in exclamation. "We-- We're burnin' daylight, let's-- Let's just go eat things."
"Uh, y-yeah...!!"
...Marikin had to jog away from the tables at the outdoor party location, over to the tree that Fukurou was hiding behind.
"Dude, what are you doing back here - You were s'posed to be with me as we walked in," he huffed as he reached the tree.
"Th-- There's so many people....." Fukurou just continued hiding behind her tree of safety.
"Yeah, enough to fill a classroom. What a bloody coincidence, ain't it?" Marikin rubbed his own face with his hand as he exhaled. "Listen, it's your old class, not mine."
"I mean, I-I... Ev-- Everyone's so different, I don't really... know these p-people anymore...." Fukurou said quietly.
"But you know their names, right?"
"......."
"....knew. You knew their names, but not anymore I guess--" Marikin grumbled, throwing his arm out to motion towards the party area. "Look, they got red velvet cake over there, cupcakes, I think I saw some cream swiss rolls... You want yummy stuff, right? Go get it."
"....you c-could get it..."
"I am not doing that for you - If you want them sweets, you need to get 'em yourself," Marikin stated bluntly.
.....
Marikin exasperatedly threw his hand out towards her. "Do you need me to hold your little hand and walk you over there."
"I-- I'm not in preschool..."
"Really, you're not in preschool - Because you sure are acting like you are."
"I am not--"
"Yes you are--"
"I don't like h-- having to talk to people...!"
"You're talkin' with me just fine aren't you? You can talk with Sig and the others too."
"No, well, that-- That's just different..."
"What about when we're workin' at Maidon Lunch? You talk to customers."
"That-- That's also different...."
"Listen, either you walk there with me to the yummy food table, or you walk there by yourself." Marikin hand remained outstretched towards her. "Which would you prefer?"
"......"
Marikin motioned his hand again, raising an eyebrow.
...Fukurou gripped the hand that held hers as he led the way.
"Did you have to say to them that I 'had some form of memory loss'?" Fukurou sighed, sipping away at her drink.
"Hey, you told me you basically don't remember anyone here. This way they can't blame you." Marikin swirled the drink around in his cup, leaning back against the drinks table behind them. "A little lie doesn't hurt a fly, Fukurou."
"You're awfully comfortable with lying like that..."
"'Course I am. Little lies don't hurt anyone." Marikin downed the rest of his drink. "You should learn how to lie, Fukurou, it's a good skill to have."
"Is this a skill you use a lot?"
"And what answer would you like me to tell you? Yes? No? Who's to say whether I'm lying or not in that answer...?"
"........"
"Oh please, don't give me that 'Lying Is Bad' sort of look." Marikin waved his hand around in a carefree manner. "Sure, some lies are bad, but white lies are fine, y'know? Pretty much every lie I tell is a white lie."
"Including my 'memory loss'...?"
"Yeah! White lie. You need me to give you the definition?"
"No, no, that's not necessary...."
"Good. Have some more cake."
Fukurou wordlessly took the plate that Marikin gave to her.
"....Anyway. You want me to go steal some swiss rolls and come back?"
"...d-- don't leave me alone...."
"Eh? It wouldn't take long, really. You said you wanted some of the strawberry ones, right? They seem to be startin' to run out of those." Marikin shrugged, beginning to move. "Just hang around here for a bit, I'll be ba--"
Marikin's motion away from the table was halted by a hand gripping his arm.
"......."
"....."
....Marikin broke into a light chuckle, settling back into his place next to her. "Alright, alright, I won't leave you all alone by yourself; Won't let anyone come by and assassinate you, princess."
"...m'not a pr..ncess..." Fukurou mumbled.
"You'd like to be one, though," Marikin teased.
"That's not true..."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say~"
"The food was good~" Marikin sang as they left the area. "And those drinks - These guys know how to party... I mean, obviously nothing close to what could intoxicate a numa, but I'm pretty sure I saw some dudes all tipsy and starting to black out; I can appreciate the hustle."
"......"
"...What, nothing?" Marikin turned to Fukurou silently walking next to him on the path. "Normally you'd start going on about how 'Alcohol Is Bad' and all that."
"...o-oh, um, sorry...." Fukurou looked up from the ground. "I was just, uh, thinking, I guess..."
"Hm?"
"...how do you... talk with strangers like that, so... naturally...?" Her voice was quiet, unsure. "...even with people you're not familiar with, you can just talk and... yap with them like it's the m-most... normal thing in the world. Mea-- Meanwhile, I... c-can't even say more than a few sentences before shutting down... How... How do you do it...?"
"...Hm.... I dunno."
"eh."
"I dunno," Marikin repeated. "It, uh... It sorta just happens for me? I am a bit of a yapper, I'll yap to anyone that'll listen. And you're not a 'yapper' like me; You'd only really talk a lot during specific situations or topics, and only with people you know well..." He coughed as they continued walking. "Anyway, people have different strengths and weaknesses. One of my strengths is 'yapping with strangers', one of your weaknesses is 'yapping with strangers'. One of your strengths is sitting down with a novel for more than an hour or two, one of my weaknesses is trying to sit down with a novel for more than 20 minutes."
"....so...."
"So it's fine if you can't socialise that well with people you're not familiar with," Marikin stated, finally getting to his main point. "It's a part of you, part of your personality, and it's something your friends accept about you. It's something I accept about you. So it's.... okay."
...Marikin's walking gradually slowed to a stop, and he averted his gaze.
"....?" Fukurou stopped as well, turning to face him. "Marikin-san?"
"...i'm sorry if... i'm sorry that i got a bit frustrated with you earlier." His voice had become quiet, eyes staring at distant tree roots as an excuse to avoid eye contact. "...i shouldn't have.... let that happen. i'm sorry."
"....Aw, Marikin-san...."
.....
...Fukurou took Marikin's hands, turning him towards her and lifting his palms up towards herself. "Marikin-san, you have been very nice to me today. And I thank you for that."
"...?"
"Do I need to explain it to you?" Fukurou gave a gentle laugh. "Accompanying me to my class reunion, helping me with talking when people would approach, walking with me... being with me, when I needed someone I'm comfortable with. It means a lot to me." Her smile was soft, sincere. "Thank you."
".....y...y-- yeah, n... of course, i... yeah."
Fukurou gave his hands a light squeeze, and Marikin subconsciously returned the gesture.
...Marikin looked at their hands. "How many times have we held hands today?"
"Eh...?"
"...B5."
"Miss. H3."
"Hit. E2."
"Miss. H4."
"You're cheating."
"Am not - You just have predictable placements, Fukurou. Anyway, that was your last ship, right?"
"Again."
"Again?"
"Yes, one more round-- You can't win every round of this!"
"You like Battleship that much?"
"I'm going to kill you, Marikin-san."
"Whoa, whoa, violent words from the cute li'l princess."
"I told you that I am not a 'princess'."
"So you're just cute then?"
".....Are you flirting?"
"...I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're lying."
"Am not."
"You are."
"Define 'flirting'."
"I'm not doing that."
"Okay, guess I'm stayin' clueless then."
"You're not actually clueless, you're just messing with me."
"I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about."
"Sure you do."
"I really don't."
"Is this fun to you--?"
"How long are you two going to continue arguing like an old married couple?" Uie asked almost exasperatedly, having opened the front door of the house and watched them ramble in front of the Battleship board on Fukurou's desk.
"We had a great time at the reunion party, thanks for asking," Marikin casually stated, turning around in Uie's chair to face them.
"Good, good - Why are you guys still wearing the clothes?"
"We don't know how to take them off," Marikin said blankly.
"Eh?"