[ He doesn't even give her time to react before scurrying up her tree and shouting up at her. Hibiki practically jumps out of her skin, scrambling to throw something over her night clothes before opening a window to peer down at him.
Why does he look so irritated? ]
I'm right here! [ Duh. ] How did you even get out here so fast?! It could've waited until morning.
[ But he nods in acceptance. The sound of water flowing outside can be heard momentarily. No footsteps accompany it.
Once Hibiki opens the door, she'll find Kaito with his hands in his pockets, golds glancing around. Traces of a faded blue glow around his irises dissipate, but he cuts in with a— ]
[ Good thing she didn't hear that, or he would have gotten the biggest side eye. Hearing him completely misuse his magic from the outside causes her to pause briefly, but she can ask him about that weird noise later (wait, since when were his eyes blue).
Holding the egg carefully in the crook of one arm, she shifts to hold it where he can see it. Hibiki takes a few steps back to give him room to enter. ]
I think so? I was watering everything before going to bed and found it with my plants.
[ Maybe now he understands why she texted him in a panic. Wasn't there chatter around town about dragon eggs? ]
But I don't have any-- [ ... ] Oh. Oh, you think you're funny huh?
[ Hibiki, you were the one that panic texted him and made him think you were in danger. Any teasing she gets is probably justified. Her face turns a bright shade of pink when he congratulates her on her new-found motherdom, as she clearly flusters. She's too young to be a mom! ]
Th... If you've heard about them, then you know I can't hatch this one on my own!
[ She was serious when she said he was the only one she could turn to for this! Does she have to spell that out for you, Kaito? ]
[ Don't stammer at her like that?! Her ears now burning red along with her cheeks, Hibiki goes out of her way to avoid his gaze. ]
...You're the only one I can trust with this...
[ Don't make her repeat herself! This is already embarrassing enough, especially after that kind of reaction. Look, she doesn't want to be an egg parent either, but-- ]
I-I can't do this by myself! If I could, I would! I know it's just one egg, so maybe it's not that important to anyone else, but it's important to me.
[ She knows what it feels like to be abandoned. That's the last thing she wants for this little dragon. ]
[ The tension in her shoulders starts to melt when he agrees to help, even if her complexion remains the same. With a sheepish but quietly thankful smile on her face, Hibiki moves enough to give Kaito space to step inside.
The small treehouse looks the same as it did a few years days ago, when Meowsworth (not Kaito) last visited. The highest structure among a cluster of houses below hers, it looks more like a wizard's tower than a house from the outside. The small collection of plants she has been amassing in clear view from the front door, a certain cat wizard's makeshift bed hangs underneath a table among them. The kitchen and living area make up the circular living space on the first flower, and a wooden staircase leads up to a loft bedroom. For having so little space, she manages to make the most of it. ]
You can come in if you want. I'd give you the tour, but this is pretty much it. Are you a tea drinker? I have some I can make.
[ All this to try to avoid talking about the logistics of hatching this egg of theirs. ]
[ Huh, that was easy. And here she thought he would put up more of a fight when she invited him in. Still holding the egg, she watches as he makes his way toward the mini-garden, crouching down and poking at the cat bed. Hibiki tilts her head curiously before brightening. ]
Oh yeah! Meowsworth comes over pretty often and likes to sit in the sun, so I wanted to make sure he'd be comfortable. That's actually where I found the egg.
[ It's among the plants like she said. Did he think someone deposited it in one of the pots? ]
You'll keep that part a secret, right? I don't know how he'd feel if there was something like this sitting in his bed.
[ For once, she isn't the one moving--not that she has much in the way of stuff to relocate. Having someone move in with her is completely new, but Kaito has pretty much been living at the tree house since she got back unofficially, so they might as well make that part official too. Besides, this place is too big for one person, even with her steadily-growing garden of plants, so it makes sense logistically and logically. It's a good plan!
That doesn't mean she isn't completely overthinking things. Feelings flitting between nervousness and excitement despite her being keenly aware that he has a front-row seat to the chaos (at least he doesn't get the headaches anymore?), Hibiki isn't sure if she could apologize or willfully ignore those dokis. The latter's never failed her before, so... ]
Hup--Alright, I've got this one. Got a little more room in here if you wanna toss something else in.
[ Picking up a small, wooden crate of items, Hibiki looks over her shoulder toward her partner with a smile, a golden ponytail trailing down her back. Give her more stuff to carry, it's a good use for some of this buzzy energy she has going here. ]
[ Kaito proceeds to drop a little black meowmeow into the crate before dumping some socks over him. Meowsworth squints from beneath the new pile over his head...
Truth be told, he's trying not to use his powers so frequently around Hibiki. It isn't often mentioned, but being able to so blatantly read another's emotions is a rather strong breach of privacy, and that's being generous. Unfortunately, being conscientious means he also can't tell how the blonde is feeling past her body language, and he for one is nervous as all hell. How well he hides those nerves behind his easy smile is anyone's guess.
Moving in is a pretty big step in... Whatever they have is. They've kissed, and there are clearly greater feelings than friendship between the two, but they're also idiots and experts at burying said feelings under everything else that's keeping them busy. Even if Somnius wasn't a thing and they were just two young adults in Tokyo...
Sensing his thoughts, Meowsworth conjures a silver hand and baps his creator over the head. ]
Ow. You little shit. [ The dragon reaches over and gives himself ear scritches. Man, this is getting weird.
Golds flit to Hibiki. ]
It's gonna be weird leaving this little house behind. I have... memories of it. I can't say they're good or terrible. I really only just slept and maintained my plants here.
[ Speaking of, he's got one of said plant pots in hand: sunflowers. ]
[ The crate sinks briefly briefly with one catte construct deposited unexpectedly, topped with a stack of socks for garnish. It isn't quite what she asked for but it's exactly what she needs, something just random enough to pull out a brief but genuine laugh. Those have been in somewhat short supply from her since she's found her way back to Somnius, even if she hasn't noticed that herself.
So the comedic duo of Kaito and Kaito Meowsworth has her cracking up, temporarily melting some of the nerves she's been feeling over the past few days. There is plenty of time for her to be a complete mess or get stuck in her own head over worrying about how he feels about her. Thinking about whether they're friends or more is 3 AM Hibiki's problem (and his if he's also lying there).
Turning toward him, the small blonde gives him her full attention. She listens, hears a bit of hesitation and tilts her head slightly as she offers up a warm smile. ]
Having second thoughts? It's okay if you are, you can tell me.
[ He may not be lying, but he certainly might be delaying. Though, said delay (and all of his delaying before) takes a wicked blow when her smile hits. ]
Of course I'm not. I'm just... [ Meowsworth stands on hind legs to bat his beans against Hibiki's cheek. Attention. Attention now. Kaito glances between the two of them before his eyes flash blue and a watery portal lifts off the ground, revealing the inside of her treehouse within its borders. ]
...Thinking, I suppose. It's going to be a full house with you, me, and the plants.
[ There he goes again with a sucker punch, accompanied by a quick assist from his meowmeow wingman. Huh? Did they have some kind of telepathic link? Her gaze falters only to give Meowsworth a look before sheepishly smiling back at Kaito, a faint brush of pink on her face.
The portal summoning never gets old, even if she's only seen it a handful of of times, the look of childlike wonder on her face says it all. Magic is just so, so cool. Even with all of the Awful Shit going on in her world (and in this one tbh), at least there are a few bright spots out there. Like this. And him. Ahem. ]
And Meowsworth, technically, but I'm pretty sure he's got a couple places he calls home. [ Answered with a quick giggle. Fickle cats amirite?
Tentatively stepping through the threshold and leading them into the treehouse, she nearly stops traffic by turning around to look at the mush house from the other side of the portal. Watch out, Kaito, she forgot to put her signal on. ]
Following behind Hibiki, Kaito opts to drop a crumb. ] Yeah, I already included—!
[ Whoops! Even with his empathy on he'd have been too distracted to stop in time. Kaito slow-crashes into the blonde, yelping. A pair of silver hands pop up behind her to stop them all from falling.
In the heat of the moment, two voices call out in unison: ]
[ This car crash isn't completely her fault. It's a testament to his own power that Hibiki has to stop what she's doing to gawk at the spectacle, so really Kaito's the one who should take the blame here. Also take the compliment. But anyway.
If she had her powers like she did the last time she was here, she could have avoided this kerfuffle. She also yelps as the trio crash into each other and she hears Kaito and Meowsworth yell in stereo-- ]
[ Slowly, Hibiki looks down at the feline in the crate that she's holding very intently, a deep frown spread on her lips. Storm-colored grays focus on sea-colored blues before flicking up to grip Kaito's gaze tightly.
Whether or not his eyes still glow the same intense blue means nothing; she's seen that enough times to draw this (admittedly crazy) hypothesis. It's probably wrong, he's going to tell her she's overthinking it, but they literally sound the same. ]
You two have the same eyes.
[ Said very pointedly. Busted. Probably. Or she's going to sound like an idiot. ]
[ She refuses to take half the blame for this. If he had told her sooner, this wouldn't have been an issue!
Speaking of which! As she watches Meowsworth perch on Kaito's (his own??? this is weird) shoulder, she has a dawning realization in spite of the cute voice the catte throws her way. If he was having a problem with the flush from earlier, Kaito is going to have a hard time with the absolute cherry-red blush that spreads across her cheeks and paints the tips of her cheeks. ]
S-so that was you the whole time?! Every time I talked about stuff back home or I poured my heart out...
[ She wants to crawl under a rock and die. There aren't any rocks in her tree house for her to crawl under, but maybe if she wishes hard enough, she can manifest one?! ]
[ Yes, she most certainly did pour her big bleeding heart out for him on many a visit. And like he'd silently promised, he never once let those secrets slip. At least, that's what he remembers.
Meowsworth's body flashes a warm gold. As he hops off, he transforms into a perfect clone of Kaito, down to the threads. The double waves before melting into a liquid state and vanishing.
The real deal smiles sheepishly. ]
Nyeah.
[ A beat. He clears his throat. ]
I'd been keeping the act up since I first came to Somnius. It started as a joke, but kinda ballooned out of proportion after people started telling me their innermost thoughts...
I haven't told anyone a thing. Y'know, if that's any reassurance.
[ The added spectacle isn't lost on her, even if she's still mortified at the associated revelation. He knows things she would have never told anyone here...
Would she? ]
...You know, there's already a guy here offering up free therapy sessions. [ Not saying he needs to stop! But if he needs an out, he can use the man with the juice boxes.
Her face still flushed, still incredibly embarrassed by everything about this, Hibiki shifts a bit, sidestepping enough to bump her shoulder against his. She's at a disadvantage here; she can't even look at him, especially when he throws a disarming smile like that at her. ]
And by the way, you're making it up to me. Just because you kept all of that to yourself doesn't mean we're square. [ Keep going. ] I told you a lot about me. I want you to do the same.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text ↪ un: songbird
hey
are you up?
you're awake right??
i know i shouldn't be texting right now but you can pay me back later or somethig
you're sleeping aren't you?
i can probably handle this on my own but i don't know who else to turn to
i need help
[ You're going to make this man have a heart attack, Hibiki. ]
???? > action
He looks pissed. ]
Oi! Hibiki!
Where are you?!
no subject
Why does he look so irritated? ]
I'm right here! [ Duh. ] How did you even get out here so fast?! It could've waited until morning.
no subject
[ Kaito holds his Oracle up, looking ready to chuck it at her face. ]
DON'T WORD YOUR TEXTS SO DESPERATELY, THEN!
[ He will not be answering her question. ]
no subject
Which she almost immediately contorts into the biggest pout. She's going to apologize! ]
But I need your help! You're the only person I can trust with this!
[ Not before clarifying, apparently. Hibiki huffs a sigh. ]
Look, I'm sorry. I should've specified but I panicked. Just. Come around to the front, I'll get the door.
[ And just like that she pulls her head back inside, scooping up something gold before rushing to open the door. ]
no subject
[ But he nods in acceptance. The sound of water flowing outside can be heard momentarily. No footsteps accompany it.
Once Hibiki opens the door, she'll find Kaito with his hands in his pockets, golds glancing around. Traces of a faded blue glow around his irises dissipate, but he cuts in with a— ]
—Wait, is that an egg???
no subject
Holding the egg carefully in the crook of one arm, she shifts to hold it where he can see it. Hibiki takes a few steps back to give him room to enter. ]
I think so? I was watering everything before going to bed and found it with my plants.
[ Maybe now he understands why she texted him in a panic. Wasn't there chatter around town about dragon eggs? ]
no subject
[ He says it with such a straight face, yet it's clearly a tease... ]
Yeah, I've been hearing bits and pieces about dragons leaving their eggs all over town. I guess this one's yours now.
[ A beat. ]
Congratulations, you're a mother.
[ Kaito. ]
no subject
[ Hibiki, you were the one that panic texted him and made him think you were in danger. Any teasing she gets is probably justified. Her face turns a bright shade of pink when he congratulates her on her new-found motherdom, as she clearly flusters. She's too young to be a mom! ]
Th... If you've heard about them, then you know I can't hatch this one on my own!
[ She was serious when she said he was the only one she could turn to for this! Does she have to spell that out for you, Kaito? ]
1/2
[ Kaito beams a grin, clearly amused at his own joke.
It doesn't last long, because he eventually realizes what she's insinuating. ]
2/2
You want me to help you hatch it?!
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...You're the only one I can trust with this...
[ Don't make her repeat herself! This is already embarrassing enough, especially after that kind of reaction. Look, she doesn't want to be an egg parent either, but-- ]
I-I can't do this by myself! If I could, I would! I know it's just one egg, so maybe it's not that important to anyone else, but it's important to me.
[ She knows what it feels like to be abandoned. That's the last thing she wants for this little dragon. ]
no subject
The softness of her voice rips Kaito out of his flabbergasted state.
This isn't a simple inconvenience. This is an unborn child abandoned by its parent.
In a way, isn't that perfect for her? For him?
For them?
Sighing, the empath walks over and places his hand on the egg's top. ]
Okay, okay.
I've got a duty to help those who the world won't bother to.
We'll take care of it together.
no subject
The small treehouse looks the same as it did a few
yearsdays ago, when Meowsworth (not Kaito) last visited. The highest structure among a cluster of houses below hers, it looks more like a wizard's tower than a house from the outside. The small collection of plants she has been amassing in clear view from the front door, a certain cat wizard's makeshift bed hangs underneath a table among them. The kitchen and living area make up the circular living space on the first flower, and a wooden staircase leads up to a loft bedroom. For having so little space, she manages to make the most of it. ]You can come in if you want. I'd give you the tour, but this is pretty much it. Are you a tea drinker? I have some I can make.
[ All this to try to avoid talking about the logistics of hatching this egg of theirs. ]
no subject
—And realizes, mid-stoop, that it does not fits. He cannot sits. Ears flare a shade of crimson as he... pokes at the cat hammock. ]
Um.
Tea is good.
You've really made accommodations for that guy, huh?
[ This is a Good Distraction, probably. ]
no subject
Oh yeah! Meowsworth comes over pretty often and likes to sit in the sun, so I wanted to make sure he'd be comfortable. That's actually where I found the egg.
[ It's among the plants like she said. Did he think someone deposited it in one of the pots? ]
You'll keep that part a secret, right? I don't know how he'd feel if there was something like this sitting in his bed.
action / sometime in june
That doesn't mean she isn't completely overthinking things. Feelings flitting between nervousness and excitement despite her being keenly aware that he has a front-row seat to the chaos (at least he doesn't get the headaches anymore?), Hibiki isn't sure if she could apologize or willfully ignore those dokis. The latter's never failed her before, so... ]
Hup--Alright, I've got this one. Got a little more room in here if you wanna toss something else in.
[ Picking up a small, wooden crate of items, Hibiki looks over her shoulder toward her partner with a smile, a golden ponytail trailing down her back. Give her more stuff to carry, it's a good use for some of this buzzy energy she has going here. ]
no subject
[ Kaito proceeds to drop a little black meowmeow into the crate before dumping some socks over him. Meowsworth squints from beneath the new pile over his head...
Truth be told, he's trying not to use his powers so frequently around Hibiki. It isn't often mentioned, but being able to so blatantly read another's emotions is a rather strong breach of privacy, and that's being generous. Unfortunately, being conscientious means he also can't tell how the blonde is feeling past her body language, and he for one is nervous as all hell. How well he hides those nerves behind his easy smile is anyone's guess.
Moving in is a pretty big step in... Whatever they have is. They've kissed, and there are clearly greater feelings than friendship between the two, but they're also idiots and experts at burying said feelings under everything else that's keeping them busy. Even if Somnius wasn't a thing and they were just two young adults in Tokyo...
Sensing his thoughts, Meowsworth conjures a silver hand and baps his creator over the head. ]
Ow. You little shit. [ The dragon reaches over and gives himself ear scritches. Man, this is getting weird.
Golds flit to Hibiki. ]
It's gonna be weird leaving this little house behind. I have... memories of it. I can't say they're good or terrible. I really only just slept and maintained my plants here.
[ Speaking of, he's got one of said plant pots in hand: sunflowers. ]
no subject
So the comedic duo of Kaito and
KaitoMeowsworth has her cracking up, temporarily melting some of the nerves she's been feeling over the past few days. There is plenty of time for her to be a complete mess or get stuck in her own head over worrying about how he feels about her. Thinking about whether they're friends or more is 3 AM Hibiki's problem (and his if he's also lying there).Turning toward him, the small blonde gives him her full attention. She listens, hears a bit of hesitation and tilts her head slightly as she offers up a warm smile. ]
Having second thoughts? It's okay if you are, you can tell me.
no subject
Of course I'm not. I'm just... [ Meowsworth stands on hind legs to bat his beans against Hibiki's cheek. Attention. Attention now. Kaito glances between the two of them before his eyes flash blue and a watery portal lifts off the ground, revealing the inside of her treehouse within its borders. ]
...Thinking, I suppose. It's going to be a full house with you, me, and the plants.
no subject
The portal summoning never gets old, even if she's only seen it a handful of of times, the look of childlike wonder on her face says it all. Magic is just so, so cool. Even with all of the Awful Shit going on in her world (and in this one tbh), at least there are a few bright spots out there. Like this. And him. Ahem. ]
And Meowsworth, technically, but I'm pretty sure he's got a couple places he calls home. [ Answered with a quick giggle. Fickle cats amirite?
Tentatively stepping through the threshold and leading them into the treehouse, she nearly stops traffic by turning around to look at the mush house from the other side of the portal. Watch out, Kaito, she forgot to put her signal on. ]
1/4
Following behind Hibiki, Kaito opts to drop a crumb. ] Yeah, I already included—!
[ Whoops! Even with his empathy on he'd have been too distracted to stop in time. Kaito slow-crashes into the blonde, yelping. A pair of silver hands pop up behind her to stop them all from falling.
In the heat of the moment, two voices call out in unison: ]
Warn a guy, will you?!
2/4
3/4
4/4
Looks like someone dropped the whole sandwich instead. ]
1/2 probably
If she had her powers like she did the last time she was here, she could have avoided this kerfuffle. She also yelps as the trio crash into each other and she hears Kaito and Meowsworth yell in stereo-- ]
OhmygodI'msor--
Okay never mind I'm a liar
3/3
Whether or not his eyes still glow the same intense blue means nothing; she's seen that enough times to draw this (admittedly crazy) hypothesis. It's probably wrong, he's going to tell her she's overthinking it, but they literally sound the same. ]
You two have the same eyes.
[ Said very pointedly. Busted. Probably. Or she's going to sound like an idiot. ]
1/2
He knows he's caught the instant her eyes linger on the cat's for more than a few seconds. This wasn't how he wanted the confession to go... ]
no subject
Tail swishing lazily like a pendulum, he adds in his normal(?) voice (a good octave deeper than his human self): ]
Welp.
I was gonnya tell you later, but I guess it's gonnya have to be sooner!
no subject
Speaking of which! As she watches Meowsworth perch on Kaito's (his own??? this is weird) shoulder, she has a dawning realization in spite of the cute voice the catte throws her way. If he was having a problem with the flush from earlier, Kaito is going to have a hard time with the absolute cherry-red blush that spreads across her cheeks and paints the tips of her cheeks. ]
S-so that was you the whole time?! Every time I talked about stuff back home or I poured my heart out...
[ She wants to crawl under a rock and die. There aren't any rocks in her tree house for her to crawl under, but maybe if she wishes hard enough, she can manifest one?! ]
no subject
Meowsworth's body flashes a warm gold. As he hops off, he transforms into a perfect clone of Kaito, down to the threads. The double waves before melting into a liquid state and vanishing.
The real deal smiles sheepishly. ]
Nyeah.
[ A beat. He clears his throat. ]
I'd been keeping the act up since I first came to Somnius. It started as a joke, but kinda ballooned out of proportion after people started telling me their innermost thoughts...
I haven't told anyone a thing. Y'know, if that's any reassurance.
no subject
Would she? ]
...You know, there's already a guy here offering up free therapy sessions. [ Not saying he needs to stop! But if he needs an out, he can use the man with the juice boxes.
Her face still flushed, still incredibly embarrassed by everything about this, Hibiki shifts a bit, sidestepping enough to bump her shoulder against his. She's at a disadvantage here; she can't even look at him, especially when he throws a disarming smile like that at her. ]
And by the way, you're making it up to me. Just because you kept all of that to yourself doesn't mean we're square. [ Keep going. ] I told you a lot about me. I want you to do the same.