maskormenacelogs | I BELIEVE IN POSSIBILITY

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I BELIEVE IN POSSIBILITY

WHO: Josuke Higashikata and Hazel Lockwood
WHERE: Heropa, Residence #011
WHEN: After this conversation on June 7th.
WHAT: Josuke and Hazel haven't seen each other since he got back from his trip, so it's time to rectify that! And give gifts! ...after shouting.
WARNINGS: Probably a lot of yelling and feelings and stupidity. Otherwise, nada.

[Hazel's place isn't far from Josuke's; typically, he can get from Point A to Point B in about five minutes if he's not dallying. And, if he's factoring in a slow gait or other interruptions, maybe fifteen minutes...tops.

So he's not long before he's standing outside Hazel's place, his gifts tucked under one arm and in a bag to keep from dropping them, his phone in his other hand. Why the phone? Because the whole way there he's had one thought, and it has everything to do with Hazel's last text message to him.

Deciding what he'll say, he turns the phone off and stuffs it into his pocket before giving the door a sharp knock. As for the first words out of his mouth when she answers? They're a little something like...]

Cosmo got a fucking key and I didn't! What the hell, Hazel!

[...or they're exactly like that.

Yeah, that point is really just dawning on him now. After all the time that's passed.]

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[and here Hazel had been all excited enough to actually get the door for him herself rather than be a lazy fuck and shout for him to enter on his own. she's greeted with shouting, which is kind of normal, but it's a sentence that doesn't really make sense at all and thus for a few seconds she's just staring at him blankly.

Cosmo? the...the dumb green cartoon fairy from that program she used to watch in middle school? when the fuck was she handing out keys to anything to something like that-

wait a minute. finally she figures it out, and her features fall into something a littler wryer now. this is what's been filling up his brain while he was standing on the stoop?]

You're not even trying to get his name right anymore, are you.

[aaaaand she's attempting to shut the door on him now. nope she changed her mind this is one of those times she doesn't want to see him (lies) go home and take your imported gifts with you]

[Fortunately for Josuke, he's always been quick to act. Before Hazel has a chance to shut the door completely, he slides his foot forward to keep it from shutting all the way in his face. A crack remains that he can peer at her through...]

I don't really care what his name is, so why would I try?

[He's pouting now, in a way. Josuke's pouts tend to resemble cringes more often than not!]

I came here to see you, anyway! Not him. Come on, let me in.

Why should I? You look like you're having a seizure.

[ah Hazel, so thoughtful and sensitive when her friends are trying to emotionally manipulate her through facial expressions. she tries to get the door shut all the way, just to prove a point, but the fact of that matter is that she doesn't have much force to apply; even with the limited opposing pressure, all she's really serving to do is make her feet slide further and further across the floor.

she scowls down at her traitorous body for a moment before relenting and letting the door swing open again. it's not like she actually wants to shoo him off, anyway.]

Alright, fine, whatever.

[Josuke opens his mouth to say something smart right back, but then nearly laughs instead when her feet start sliding across the floor. It's a wonder he doesn't start braying on the spot, that he maintains his composure long enough to see the door swing open and get invited inside!

And you can bet he accepts that invitation.]

...so how come I didn't get a key, though?

[Asked as he starts to remove his shoes, bent over against the wall and peering up at her, the bag of gifts still tucked under one arm.]

Are you still on about that?

[she tilts her body so that she's looking at him from the same angle he is because...because she's Hazel, basically. there's something equal parts amusing and baffling that he's still talking about this, and it's what keeps her from noticing how close he came to guffawing about her lightweight issues.]

You know I only gave it to him because I didn't want to think about him being here, right?

[having to answer the door for her blackmailer every time he decided to crash here felt like the ultimate humiliation. it was easier to pretend it wasn't happening when he could slip in by himself.]

Uh...yeah, I am.

[He blinks at her as she matches his angle which prevents him from standing up right away.]

And why would I know that? How does that even make any sense? You don't give someone a key to your place if you don't wanna think about them, you give them a key if you want them there!

[How can she not understand that?

Also, with her having said she might as well give him a key, what's he supposed to think? That she doesn't want to think about him being here? That she doesn't really want him around at all?

...why are girls so complicated.]

[YOU'RE THE ONE COMPLICATING THIS JOSUKE]

Because I've told you before and I assumed you were listening for some reason!

[she scowls lightly, because this is a conversation they've had in bits and pieces before, and it irks her that she needs to repeat herself. but the expression doesn't last too long, evaporating with a little sigh.]

He was going to be here anyway, regardless of what I did. I just...I didn't want to have to open the door ever time he waltzed in like his fucking butler, alright? I needed to keep something for me.

[she stands abruptly, possibly because she realized she's obstructing him but probably not, and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear before proceeding to finally get out of the hallway. she assumes Josuke will probably follow her because otherwise they'll be shouting and that's just awkward.]

I was listening...

[It's muttered defensively as he stands up, and more to her back as she walks away than anything else.

Honestly, the way Hazel tends to overreact to any mention of Kangmo led Josuke to believe that she was masking having romantic feelings for the guy. All this time he thought she was putting on a big show the way she often does about practically everything! Except now...

...maybe he really did have the wrong impression all this time?

He takes a deep breath before following her down the hallway, socked feet pretty quiet on the floor as he comes up behind her. The bag rustling under his arm, of course, gives him away.]

Woulda been better to keep your whole place for you and just find him a cheap motel or something. [A beat, and then, hesitantly...] You really don't like him?

[she spins on her heel to face him, staring up at Josuke with an expression that is more intensely serious than the irritation that might have been expected from such a gesture.]

Ever since he found out what I am he's made me feel like some kind of godawful horror. He's used everything I hate about myself to keep his ass safe and talked shit to me the whole time like I'm the bad guy for being upset.

He's told me I'm probably fucked if anyone who could fix me ever shows up because of the way I am, for god's sake.

[does she want to go the whole way on this? Hazel's already halfway there, so she just plunges on. maybe getting it all out will finally put whatever weird problem he has to rest.]

And when he had the Flare, I had to make him chase me just to get him to the hospital. I wasn't looking at the end because we were so close so he caught up to me and he was on top of me and screaming and he wouldn't stop -

[she has to cut herself off and drop her gaze. it surprises her how difficult that moment is to revisit.]

And it was New Orleans again.

[she looks up again now, lips pressed together as she recollects herself.]

So, yeah. I don't like him.

[Hazel rounds on him and Josuke goes absolutely still. Even before her first words leave her lips, he knows he's in trouble. The same way he's always known. He has a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach...and all around them there is an intensity in the air that can only be described as having the power to suck the breath out of his lungs. His chest feels tight...

Or maybe that's just the pressure of the guilt he feels barreling down on him? Because he sure does feel like an asshole by the end of her outburst. As he should.]

I...

[A simple apology doesn't seem like it will suffice, but it's a place to start at least.]

...I'm sorry. I should have believed you the first time. I really thought you were just trying to hide having a thing for him or something. A totally messed up and super weird...thing. 'Cause I know girls like that. And I just thought...you deserved a lot better.

[He chews his bottom lip a moment before feeling his mouth pull up faintly at the corners and into a smile.

Gently lifts his free hand and lets it fall atop her head.]

...I'm really glad you don't like him.

[and now her cheeks puff out and she looks sullen and petulant, because even just the idea of him thinking she could ever possibly see Kangmo like that makes her skin crawl. she reaches up and covers his hand with her own, like she's going to pry it off, but just ends up letting it rest there as she frowns even more intensely at him.

it's certainly comical, and maybe a little sweet in its own way. as long as you discount the sulky grimacing.]

You are thicker than two short planks stacked together, I swear to god.

[he also sounds kind of like he's the boyfriend in this situation, but she refrains from saying that. it's something she can also throw out later when she needs it.]

We could have been mutually happy that I never liked him months ago! Christ. Don't make me tell you all the shitty things just so you'll believe me.

[she's happy you're happy too, Josuke.]

I wouldn't have had to if you'd been straight from the start and didn't have some kind of aversion to telling the truth.

[He does sound that way, doesn't he? But even if he's not aware of it, he's aware that he's invaded her personal space enough for the time being and he lets his hand drop.]

Seriously, though...if we're on the same page now, it's all good. I'll stop bringing him up. But what about this key business? Am I getting one?

I told the truth! I actually tell you the truth when it's about how I feel!

[she waves the hand that had formerly been covering Josuke's dismissively, because he's content and she's done with that line of conversation. it's all good now.]

But, yeah, if you really want one. I've already got a copy hanging around - although I guess the devil keychain's not as appropriate anymore...

[she trails off thoughtfully before flopping onto the couch. yes, she was actually that petty and passive-aggressive when she turned that key over for its original purpose.]

[Josuke opens his mouth entirely prepared to argue her point, but then thinks better of it a second later. It's an argument that can go nowhere, as most arguments tend to with Hazel! And while sometimes that's fun, right now he'd rather avoid stepping on another landmine of sorts.]

'Kay, if you say so.

[He'll follow her to the couch before dropping down a seat away and canting his head to the side at the mention of 'devil keychain'.]

Yeah, that's not really my style...but if you want to give me a key, that's cool. Unless! This is some kind of sly trick so I'll give you mine in return and you can paper my walls in gross printouts without my roommates being suspicious!

As if I'd look perfectly innocent if I only had a key in my hand.

[FUCK THAT'S SUCH A GREAT IDEA THOUGH...why didn't she think of that? Hazel looks mildly disappointed with herself without even realizing it.]

I dunno, you might. That is, Mr. Shade probably wouldn't bother getting involved enough to ask questions, and Hime'd probably just be glad I had someone over.

[The other girl, Reika, well...Josuke doesn't know her well enough yet to think she'd care either way.]

But uh... [Long pause. As he debates giving his roomies a heads up not to allow pranks but to allow Hazel if she's well-behaved.] ...you maybe want a key?

What, you'd actually trust me with one? [with an outstanding dick wallpaper bet and her usual demeanor? she's teasing, but it seems a little ill-advised even without her usual insecurities.] Sure, alright. Just try not sound like a little girl if I ever pop up in your shower.

[but she looks...kind of quietly content with the whole thing. it's so normal, so very much something out of her old life. Hazel catches it this time, however, and soon after she's making grabby motions with her hands to rapidly move along to another topic.]

Now give me those apology gifts before this turns into an entire conversation on locksmithing.

[yes, they're apology gifts now. that's just how it is.]

Of course I would. [He grins as he sets the bag between them.] I know where you live, after all.

[The 'threat' is just for play, though, and before she can throw down a challenging quip, Josuke begins to lay out before Hazel the things he brought her from his vacation. Each item is individually wrapped, and rather well at that! Someone might not have spent time with his huge family when he was younger, but he sure does know a lot about presentation. And gifts in Japan...well, the giving of them's kind of important, so he'll pass each one to her in both hands, one at a time.

The first, of course, is the thickest: a book with over 1000 different origami patterns. The second is the thinnest: a selection of decorative stationary from Italy and Japan for origami folding. The third is the heaviest though it is not very large: an artist's black metal box containing: 3 graphite pencils of different softnesses, 4 black sketching pencils, a graphite stick, 2 hard pastels (white and black), soft putty eraser, and a blending stick. And the last is the smallest and the lightest: ...an omamori charm for good luck.

It's not as much as it looks like. None of it was expensive. But it wasn't the cost that struck Josuke or convinced him to purchase these things for Hazel. It was that he was sure she could make use of everything, especially in the very early hours of the morning when the rest of the world was asleep and she had time to whittle away...]

...so?

[Hazel used to be the sort of person that would brutally murder presents in order to reach the coveted gift inside; but that was another time, when something as simple as a present wasn't the kind of thing that floated outside the realm of expected actions from the people she encountered.

and so she sits, legs folded beneath her, carefully dissecting each gift as it's handed over like a surgeon. it's done partially out of respect for the nice job he's done wrapping it up, but mostly because she wants to prolong this moment as much as she can. every fold she undoes, every crinkle of paper set aside - she wants it all engraved in her mind, no matter how long she ends up existing.

there's a part of her that recognizes how pathetic this all is, what it says that a few months in her own world could erase nineteen years of habits and expectations, and she attempts to curb her expressions and the reason behind her meticulousness for a time.

it doesn't last very long past the second present. she manages to limit herself to appropriate curiosity for the origami book and its accompanying paper (although she begins to browse and becomes so absorbed the third gift is poking into her knee before she realizes things aren't over, and it remains against her chest the whole time after) but the moment she realizes he's given her art supplies the fragile mask cracks neatly in two.

she doesn't take the last present until she's investigated every last item in the box - perhaps it's rude but her mind is elsewhere, gauging quality and color and running through her mental stock of previously owned equipment to decide what projects this could kickstart. several times she simply sits there, running a finger idly over whatever pencil is in her hand at the time as she cants her head to the side and visualizes.

the irony of a good luck charm startles a laugh out of her, breaking the busy silence at last. she looks up at Josuke, finally, like she's come out of another world and back into reality.]

I'm going to end up folding fucking curtains of these things, do you realize that?

[it's a joke that is trying so hard to be cool and flippant, but with the way her voice cracks several times through the delivery and her lower lip wobbling out of control there's no way anyone would buy it. even when she leans forward a little to shove at his knee (carefully, so careful not to bruise any of the treasures in her lap) there's no additional believability.]

[It's funny, for all the customs surrounding gift-giving in Japan, for as respectful as Hazel is being as she accepts each artfully wrapped present one-by-one, there is a certain barely masked excitement beneath Josuke's own surface, the sort of excitement that continues to bubble and reach for the light as Hazel's own face grows brighter. Before he can help himself, he's positively beaming, glad that she's pleased with what he's gotten her, even humored by her playful jab!]

Origami curtains, huh? I think I like the way that sounds, stylish and original! I say go for it.

[Even if she's kidding, he's not! He thinks it'd look great!]

I'm glad you like them, though. It was a lot of fun, but I learned something while I was gone! First off...Giorno and Jolyne are really cool to travel with! Second, and this one's kinda weird, but my hometown doesn't exist here at all. No Morioh anywhere. And third...I missed you. You didn't get up to too much shit without me, right?

Who, me? I don't know what you're talking about, I'm the most boring person around here.

[says the girl who prompted this entire meeting by semi-publicly antagonizing a necromancer on the network. even Hazel can't keep a straight face throughout her facetious comeback, and before she finishes she's already breaking into laughter - which still wobbles, because she's feeeeeeling. god dammit Josuke, why'd you have to go and say that last one.]

[Because it's funny when she gets all worked up about it? And because it's honestly how he feels!]

Yeah, right, and I wear hand-me-downs. So it looks like we've got some catching up to do, mischief to make up for and all that...

[NOBODY ASKED HIM HOW HE FEELS KEEP THAT SHIT TO YOURSELF JOSUKE]

You're gonna need way more than a month to do that.

...are you kidding me? Did you seriously get caught up in that much?

[As if he wasn't jealous enough already!]

I headbutted the King of Kings, apparently. Oh! And I adopted a mom just in time for Mother's Day.

[JUST TO NAME A FEW. now the dilemma of trying to work the Raina thing into this life update casually...]

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