Open rp, post Zi-O, please interrupt him at the quarry or three hours later or whatever

[kenzaki]

Kenzaki stands in the quarry, delighted, exhausted, and bewildered. Amane-chan is safe. Zi-O has their powers. That should keep both Jokers sealed, and, well, if it doesn’t, he can deal with it then.

For now? For now, he has a chance to actually build a life for himself again. He doesn’t have to hold himself back from contacting his friends. He scribbles his cellphone number on a scrap of paper and tucks it into Hajime’s hand (imagine, being able to touch Hajime again) and begins to stroll off.

He needs to find a place to stay. He hasn't exactly been here long; hasn't had time. Some human food. Oh, and a shower. A shower would be magnificent.

Right now, he wants to let Hajime and Amane-chan reunite without his interference. He’s not leaving town again. He just doesn’t want to be in the way, and maybe to take a couple hours to stare at a wall and let the shock of it all wash over him.

It could've been so much worse.

Comments

[triggerhappytraitor]

To move on, you needed something to move to, and the inner ability to keep going forward. After the Fight had been put on hold... Tachibana really didn't have either of those things. So much of him had been lost that he had felt like a hollow shell of himself afterwards. If it hadn't been for Karasuma's insistence that he should be the one to rebuild BOARD the way it should have been from the start, it was likely Tachibana would have simply faded out of existence with nothing left to keep him anywhere.

"Hirose had told me about your bank account trouble," he pointed out with a warm smile. "Making sure that that sort of thing didn't happen again was at least one thing I could do."

[kenzaki]

There's a blankness behind Tachibana's eyes that is worrying the shit out of Kenzaki, and he's spent the last fifteen years doing things he'd prefer not to talk about himself.

"That's good of you," he says gently. He can't help but smile back. "I didn't want to make it too obvious where I was, I have to admit."

[triggerhappytraitor]

Depression is a hell of a drug, even without the untreated PTSD that the Battle Fight and it's consequences had left him with.

"With how Hajime can be, I don't blame you." Even if it had hurt. Sometimes more deeply than others. That Kenzaki had felt the need to leave everything behind... it was only the thought of how much it had to hurt Kenzaki to be apart from those he cared for that kept Tachibana from resenting the abrupt departure. Instead, like so much else, he blamed himself. It should have been him, the one with nothing left to lose, that should have made that sacrifice. That was the role of the mentor, after all, wasn't it? To give everything that he could to those he was responsible to see to the future of...

[kenzaki]

They’re a hell of a pair just now. Kenzaki doesn’t have the vocabulary to be able to truly understand , not yet. He’s been too busy living moment to moment for the last fifteen years.

He wants to, though. Especially as he’s broadly aware that he’s at fault in some ways. Tachibana-san deserves better.

“I didn’t think he’d be happy, yeah,” Kenzaki agrees wryly. “Do you think he’ll hit me repeatedly or just once?”

[triggerhappytraitor]

A small snort escaped at the question. "I don't know if he would even know the answer to that," he smiled. "After he's done taking care of Amane... you will go and see him properly, right?"

The memory of seeing Hajime crying, clutching that phone... He hadn't know that Hajime was even capable of that sort of thing, and from the look on Hajime's face, neither had he. They'd both avoided eye contact, after that. And he'd avoided the restaurant for a good year after.

[kenzaki]

It’s good to hear that little bit of humour.

Kenzaki nods. He’s intimidated as anything about it. He can’t just drop back into his life like nothing happened. But he wants to see Hajime so desperately. “I will, yeah...”

Something Tachibana isn’t saying. Something about why he’s so emphatic that Kenzaki needs to see Hajime.

“What is it?” he asks softly.

[triggerhappytraitor]

"Hrm?" Tachibana blinked before realizing he was getting to swept up in flashbacks again. "Nothing, nothing. Just thinking," he assured, reaching out to give Kenzaki a warm pat on the shoulder. "Did you want to get something to eat? My treat."

[kenzaki]

He’s back from wherever he went.

There’s so much he’s missed. How can he even begin to insert himself back into their lives? Well, he’ll have to figure it out. Somehow.

Tachibana’s hand is gentle on him, and Kenzaki gives him a surprised look. “I can eat normally again,” he says, startled. “Yeah. Yeah, that’d be great.”

[triggerhappytraitor]

"...You couldn't before?" Tachibana blinked, worry starting to grow again before he paused and shook his head. The past was the past. No need to worry about that now.

"All the more reason to go all out, huh?" he smiled faintly.

(happy to timeskip forward! :) )

[kenzaki]

"It's weird when you're not human," Kenzaki says weakly. There should be a better way to explain it. He was Joker for almost as long as he was human. That's a ridiculous length of time.

And he's still startled that it's over.

"Yeah, you can catch me up on everything. Let's go!"

/Makes it so~

[triggerhappytraitor]

One jump cut later the pair arrived at the restaurant-- which really was more like a ramen cart with tables, but details, details.

"Bringing a friend this time, huh?" the owner greeted with a nod. "Another coworker?"

"Yeah," Tachibana nodded with a faint smile. "An important one."

The man gave a small snort. "You'd think you'd take someone important someplace a bit more upscale," he returned with a bit of a chuckle. "The usual for you?"

Tachibana nodded.

"And for Mr. Special Coworker?"

thank you kindly! XD

[kenzaki]

Kenzaki does a small double take at the 'important one' comment, breaking into a pleased smile.

"The miso with the ginger and garlic, please," he says fervently, ignoring as best as he can just how loudly his stomach just rumbled.

[triggerhappytraitor]

"Make it a double. He's had a long trip," Tachibana nodded with a warm smile at the loud rumble.

The cart-owner gave an amused snort, nodding before turning back to start cooking.

Tachibana moved over to the side of the counter, pulling out a pair of beers from the cooler before handing one to Kenzaki and heading to one of the small tables. "We have a running tab here, so anytime you're hungry just stop by and he'll put it on our bill," he offered warmly as he sat down, cracking open the can in his hand.

[kenzaki]

Tachibana-san is being so good to him.

He takes the beer with a nod of thanks, and sits down opposite. "Thank you. I'll have to find what work I can do for you, to repay you for all of this, Tachibana-san."

......damn, that beer tastes good.

[triggerhappytraitor]

"You don't need to repay it," Tachibana assured, relaxing in the chair. "Though I'm sure Hirose would have no problem finding you something to do. She's head of Operations now. Almost frighteningly good at it too," he half chuckled. Hirose's intensity had not calmed down over the years. Instead, it'd just gotten more refined and razor sharp. Most that had only ever dealt with her over email tended to be surprised on seeing her in person, and those who tried to dismiss her based on appearance very swiftly regretted it.

"Most days I'm just a figurehead to call in when someone doesn't realize that she's the brains of the operation. Gives me more time in the lab, which works out best for all of us, I think."

[kenzaki]

"She'd be amazing," Kenzaki agreed, taking in what Tachibana said about not needing to repay. That seems incredible, but if Tachibana says it, then it's true. "Oh, I bet you're more than a figurehead!"

[triggerhappytraitor]

"Outside of the lab?" Tachibana countered with a small, almost wry smile. "Unless it's a presentation that needs being given, Hirose's far more the head of BOARD than I am. Far better suited for it too."

[kenzaki]

"...nice," Kenzaki said eventually, because he was happy for her, and she'd do an amazing job.

He sipped at the beer. It tasted almost the same as he remembers.

"So what happened to you?" he asked, trying to keep his voice casual. Tachibana-san was incredibly down on himself.

[triggerhappytraitor]

Tachibana took another drink of his beer before answering. "Not much. Karasuma suggested I oversee BOARD's rebuilding and eventually had me take his place so he could devote himself more fully to doing his research in Tibet. Other than that, I mostly just work in the lab."

(Or live in the lab, if one listened to Hirose.)

[kenzaki]

He hasn't found anyone since Sayoko-san, has he.

"That's good," he says, wondering about how he could ever set about trying to improve Tachibana-san's view of himself. Or if he even has the right to. He's been away for fourteen years. He put aside all responsibility for them (but Tachibana-san has still been worrying about him).

[triggerhappytraitor]

Of course he hasn't. How could he when he'd left so much of himself in the past and didn't know how to get it back?

"So how about you? 15 years ronin has to have at least a few highlights, right?" Tachibana asked, shifting to sit more upright as the first pair of ramen bowls was set down on the table.

[kenzaki]

Kenzaki isn't unaware of what that's like... but he guesses he's never really known what he's doing with other people anyway.

He's worried.

A rueful snort at that. "I helped out a few people here and there. Was helped more than once myself, too. Ended up in Seoul for a while, working in a little grocery store. Really not that dramatic."

....except.

"Got called in to help with a couple Rider fights. I don't know if you heard."

[triggerhappytraitor]

Tachibana paused, blinking. "Rider fights...?" he repeated. "There were a few times that the Searcher went off, showing that you were fighting, but we couldn't tell what or why."

[kenzaki]

Kenzaki nods. He was involved with a couple more dramatic things, but Tachibana-san doesn't need to worry about those. He's all right.

"Yeah, every now and then when various people try to destroy the world. I end up fighting next to Ryuki, or Hibiki, or one of the others. And there was the time that Genm used my face to torture this poor doctor kid, Ex-Aid."

[kenzaki]

"Fine, fine," Kenzaki gives up with good grace, reaching over to squeeze Tachibana's shoulder. He's only been back for five minutes. He supposes he can't really try to tell the other man just how he's living his life. "Tell me what else has been going on. With you, or the others. Please?"