streetwalkers | ROLESWAP AU MASTER POST

I guess...

[He sighs, pressing his face against Shinji's shoulder for a moment before sitting up suddenly with a yawn. The closeness is nice, but the floor's a bad idea.]

Let's go to bed, then.

[Shinji can take that as a compliment. Byakuya almost never sleeps. Usually he hangs around awake until he falls asleep in the middle of something, and then only dozes fitfully. "Going to bed" is a rare and unusual sign of relaxation.]

[ lucky you, byakuya. shinji has just enough dexterity to crawl into the bottom bunk, where he's fully intent on staying. though he grumbles and complains as he pulls himself off the floor, even the thin mattress underneath him feels worlds better. aching and dizziness from the night's events are settling in and he feels like maybe he could sleep for several days.

mumbling while he pulls off his lightly blood stained shirt, he opens his good eye. ]

You gonna sleep, too?

[ shinji had sort of hoped that byakuya at least slept during the day while he was gone. he wasn't a very deep sleeper and woke up frequently, almost always seeing byakuya sitting around with a book or looking out the window. the rings around his eyes told shinji that byakuya didn't really get enough rest, but he still hoped that maybe he would. despite not being great at it, shinji likes sleep. even when he has a shitty dream, it can't be worse than having a shitty day, right?

he rolls over, allowing byakuya some more space on the mattress.
this is also something they haven't done in a really long time. ]

Yeah. I'm tired...

[He's always tired, but this time he thinks he could actually sleep. He carefully gets into the bed with Shinji, ignoring the fact that this isn't their routine at all. A smaller bit of closeness is a fine compromise for earlier. He'll just snuggle in close and take advantage of the warmth.]

Good. [ the farthest from their routine they could get, really. though shinji is inviting and oddly docile, if only from the stress of the day begging him to shut down for a few hours.

a rare occasion, shinji sleeps without dreaming. rather, it's heavy and comfortable. warm. maybe the best night of sleep he's gotten in weeks. it's unfortunate that it has to end, groaning before his eyes open just a while after sunrise. sore. everything is sore. his ribs; arms; forehead; his eye. though it just means that he's alive, isn't he? though he grimaces to himself, thinking he probably looks like hell.

he's tangled with byakuya and despite everything, it's oddly comfortable. maybe he should stay like this a while longer... ]

[Shinji only has to move the slightest bit to wake his brother up. Byakuya's a light sleeper, after all, and he's already woken and forced himself back to sleep a time or two or three by now.

Normally he'd have gone off to do his own thing, but he didn't want to bother Shinji before he was ready to get up on his own. Not with that injury. But when he opens his eyes and Shinji's are open too, he immediately makes a face and attempts to roll out of the bed.]

[ ah, yep. that sure is a cute expression. damn. looking a little smug, he smirks as much as one can with a huge black eye and exhales. okay, fine. he's up. they untangle, slowly and shinji rolls onto his back to try to stretch his aching muscles. ]

Mmmnngh. [ owwww. yeah, ok no more pickpocketing people taller than himself. fuck that. ] There's enough food for breakfast, right? [ since neither of them had dinner. ]

It's Monday, so I think I can get a delivery job today. [ he hasn't looked in the mirror. as far as he's concerned he's devilishly handsome anyway. ]

You should probably wait until your face doesn't look like a bruised melon.

[ come say that to my face you bitch ]

It can't be that bad! [ except it feels that bad. it definitely is that bad. ] I'm low on cash, okay?

So we'll be hungry today. You're gonna stand out, like that.

[ he grumbles and rolls over with no small amount of effort, thoroughly fucked up from his failed excursion the night before. now he really doesn't even wanna look to see. ]

Maybe one of the dock workers needs a loading crew overnight.
I could do that and no one would see -- [ as loathe as he is to admit he'd willingly deprive the public of his typically beautiful face. ] Don't just say "we'll be hungry" like it's fucking not a big deal. It's my job to make sure you've got food.

I don't care if we miss dinner, Shinji...

[It's not like he eats much anyway. Byakuya has never taken care of himself, and he hasn't gotten any better since they've been away from home.]

[ don't think shinji doesn't notice these things! he does. and it only makes him feel like he needs to work even harder to make money. they're supposed to be identical, but byakuya has always been smaller. it makes him feel inwardly guilty. ] Hmph.

[ but he's exhausted. so maybe if he sleeps all day, he can find a graveyard shift to take until "his face stops looking like a bruised melon". rude. ] I care. It fucking bothers me, alright?

Then I'll go out today. It won't ruin your husband image or whatever if it's just once in awhile, right? Besides, I'm getting sick of sitting in the same spot all the time.

Husband image, huh? So that's what you think. [ he groans, stretching. ] You don't have to.

[ he's scowling. it's a nice thought, but he's not sure exactly how hard byakuya will have to push himself. ]

It's fine. I'm bored anyway.

[Shinji can grumble and frown all he likes. Byakuya's going to grab for the coat anyway, fully intending to go. It's tough, but he figures he can manage for one day. If Shinji can do it over and over, Byakuya can't be so pathetic and useless as to be unable to scrounge up dinner money just once.]

I don't see how you could be. My company is electrifying.

[ he's gonna be irritable about you leaving either way. but maybe around dinner time he'll feel slightly more appreciative. ]

I mean bored of waiting while you're gone, stupid.

[He rolls his eyes as he closes the door behind him.

The city is scary, of course. Part of him likes sitting at "home" and never going farther than the convenience store down the block. That safe, and doesn't involve talking to people he doesn't like. The idea of being pampered and letting someone else take care of him is definitely more than a little appealing. Still, there's nothing to do in the hostel and it's starting to get monotonous. He can feel his mind going dull in order to cope, and he doesn't like it. So he goes out, determined to do something worthwhile and get some mental stimulation while he's at it.

He comes back around dinner time looking pretty proud of himself, with pockets full of change and two plastic bags full of groceries.]

Hey.

[ the best way to ignore things is to sleep!! shinji this figures out quickly. better to ignore his concern for byakuya being out by himself; better to ignore the fact that it's been well over twenty four hours since he's had anything to eat. he's back in byakuya's bed by the time he gets back in, a couple of scattered books on the bed spread jostling when he sits up to greet him. ]

Ah -- [ he's slow to open his eyes. especially the fucked up looking one. hey there, squinty. ] You were gone a while, I --

[ oh. it looks like he did well. shinji's impressed and maybe a little at a loss for words. ]

I...

I brought food. Had to kick someone in the junk once, but I think I did a pretty good job. Right?

[ he can only be stunned in a good way, seeing byakuya smile like that. and while he was currently in the mind set that he would be content looking after him for the foreseeable future, it was good to see him with some confidence about him. it'd been much too long. he swings his legs over the side of the bed, leaning in to get a better look.

yes, byakuya. you did. ]

Only once, huh? [ ok that's worrisome actually ahgdjasgd ]
I mean, y-yeah.

Of course you did good.

So we're having instant noodles and melon bread.

[It's food, anyway. He sets the bags on the table and shrugs his coat off -- there's a bruise around one wrist, but it doesn't seem to bother him. After all, he hit back and "won" and he feels like it was a victory of a day overall.]

And you can take something for your face.

Mm. You got aspirin? [ whoa, big spender. he's definitely curious as to what sort of scuffle byakuya got himself into, knowing full well that things can get more than a little rough out there. especially among freeters and the genuinely unemployed. byakuya definitely wasn't suited for any physical labor that they offer down at the docks, either.

shinji gets up, curiously rifling through the grocery bags. ]

Where did you go today? [ who hit you he'll kill them. ]

[The aspirin is the most expensive thing int he bags, let's be honest. Everything else is the cheapest of the cheap, but it's food. He empties his pockets, too -- not much, but there's a little bit left.]

A few places... [He rattles off a couple of neighborhoods -- nicer ones than Shinji might generally get away with working in.] I'm no good at the stuff you're good at, so I figured I'd just look pathetic at rich old ladies all day.

[ no complaints here. while shinji used to bitch and moan about the abrupt change in his lifestyle, it's to the point where melon bread is a delicacy meant to be enjoyed on a good day. meaning, if there is melon bread, then it's a good day. and especially because he knows the aspirin likely took most of his day's pay, he can't help but look appreciative while he pops off the cap to the bottle. ]

That's... smart thinking. [ he's pleasantly surprised, but also in a "why didn't i think of that" sort of way. maybe because he's been smacked by rich old lady purses one too many times. ] Heh. I see it worked in your favor, you can probably get away with that until you're twenty.

[ he dry swallows three aspirin, trying not to grimace too much. the best way to get the taste off his tongue though, would be to take a bite of melon bread. he unwraps one, trying not to seem to hasty -- and failing. whatever. ]

Only because I'm not as forceful as you.

[He's tired, so he plops down on the bed with his own snack, tearing into it with no regard for the crumbs he's getting on the sheets. He doesn't care right at the moment. He just wants to lie there and rest his weary feet.]

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