Work Text:
[Location: Titan Tadokoro’s fortress, in one of the bedrooms. One of Akira’s projections is sitting at a table with Yun. Yun is wearing a yellow bathrobe and has a purple towel wrapped around his head. Akira is wearing a jester’s outfit; his face is white, his jacket is purple with pink lining on its inside, his pants are red with white stripes, his gloves are blue, his wristbands are yellow, his shoes are pink, his hair is green with purple highlights, and his scarf is orange. A mug of tea, a bowl of stew, and two small ceramic animals (a yellow rabbit with purple ears and a teal cat with black limbs) are sitting on the table. Yun is taking sips and bites of the stew every so often]
Yun: Thank you for making this meal with me! It’s delicious!
Akira: Yeah.
Yun: And thank you for showing me what a bath is! Ah, I feel so refreshed…
Akira: Uh huh.
Yun: [gesturing to the ceramic animals] And look at our tea pets!
Akira: They do look quite nice.
Yun: [reaching out to the animals] I’m going to play with them.
Akira: Eh, I think a doll might be better suited for you…
Yun: [putting his hand down] Hmm, yeah, I don’t want to break these objects…that match your beauty.
[Akira raises an eyebrow]
Yun: Oh, um…
[Yun takes a few sips of his tea as he drums his fingers on the table with his free hand. He glances around the room until his gaze focuses on a neat pile of colourful tarot cards]
Yun: And…and that tarot card set turned out very nicely.
Akira: I will admit that it’s something I’m…I’m proud of.
Yun: Well, you should be proud. It took many hours of hard work! You did such a good job!
[Akira rubs the back off his neck as he averts his gaze from Yun]
Akira: You worked on those cards, too! Don’t ignore your achievements!
Yun: Of course, of course!
[Yun takes more bites and sips of his stew]
Yun: (Good heavens, there’s so much chicken and fish here that I can barely see the broth!)
[He takes a few more bites and sips of the stew]
Yun: (Oh, there it is. Hey, there’s some other stuff in here, too! What are they, again?)
Akira: Carrots and penne pasta. I would have used other vegetables, but they might have been too bitter for you.
Yun: Ooh, how kind of you! How did you know of my distaste for bitter foods?
Akira: You’re a kid, and kids can’t stand bitter foods because of their sensitive tongues. Also, you specifically told me that you like sweet foods and hate bitter foods.
Yun: Oh, I guess I did say that…
Akira: [muttering to himself] Isn’t it stupid how adults expect you to eat bitter foods? What if that food is poisonous? Poisonous food is bitter, isn’t it? Like, nice going, asshole. You made your child sick because you didn’t listen to them when they said that the food tastes horrible. Make something less bitter, won’t you? Or, what, you think you know better because you’re older? Fuck off. And liking sweet foods is not “childish”, thank you very much. It’s called “having different taste buds”, so there.
[Akira blows a raspberry. Yun blankly stares at Akira for a few moments before going back to eating his stew. He finishes about one-third of the stew before Akira clears his throat]
Akira: You know…I was honestly expecting to get a combination of 881 or 294.
Yun: Why? What do they mean?
Akira: The number 881 means “dangerous”, while the number 294 means “hatred”.
Yun: [rubbing the back of his neck] I’m glad you didn’t get those numbers.
Akira: Yeah. I’m going to put...write down...what we got earlier, and I’m going to figure out what the hell is going on with these cards. Well, my psychic powers. I’m going to find out what my subconscious mind is telling me…
Yun: Of course, of course.
[Yun takes a few more bites and sips of his stew]
Yun: Um, so…
[He sips more of his tea]
Yun:…what are some other good number combinations for cards? Aside from 888 or 999?
Akira: Uh, the number 9 is unlucky in Japan because it means “to suffer”.
Yun: Oh, dear…
Akira: But anyway, in Japan, the absolute best combo is 777.
Yun: Hmm.
Akira: Other good numbers are 5 and 3. Which is funny, because 53 means “trash”.
[Yun snickers]
Yun: In China, two good numbers are 6 and 2. I don’t know of any funny meanings regarding those numbers. But, uh, aside from 777…what are some other good number combinations?
Akira: The number 227 can mean “safety”.
Yun: Ah, that makes sense.
Akira: And, uh, the number 836 means “handsome”.
Yun: Oh, that makes a lot of sense!
Akira:…What makes sense?
Yun: I mean, it would make a lot of sense if you got those combinations.
Akira:…Right.
[An awkward silence fills the room. Yun slowly eats more of his stew until two-thirds of it is gone. He also drinks his tea until it’s about half-empty. Yun then takes a deep breath]
Yun: So…uh…what do you call this meal again?
[Akira (?) folds his hands together]
Akira (?): Chankonabe stew. Very useful for gaining weight and nutrients. Also useful for people who want to be sumo wrestlers.
Yun: What are sumo wrestlers?
Akira (?): Really big and heavy guys that try to knock each other out of a tiny ring. Very popular here in Japan.
Yun: I see, I see. (Why is he suddenly talking like that?)
[Akira blinks a few times]
Akira: Um…I…I have no idea.
Yun: So, uh…could you teach me how to make more meals?
Akira: Uh, I’m pretty sure the ingredients won’t be available in your time…
Yun:…Can you teach me anyway?
Akira:…Sure, why not.
Yun: Oh, gan xie, qin’ai!
Akira:…Just eat your food.
Yun: You don’t need to tell me twice!
[Yun happily wolfs down the rest of his stew. He then chugs down the rest of his tea and slams the empty mug on the table]
Yun: Oh, that was absolutely delightful!
[Yun lets out a squeak]
Yun: Oh…oh, dear, that wasn’t very polite of me, was it? My apologies, I…I just—
[Akira chuckles out of amusement]
Akira: No need to apologize for eating food, especially when you’re hungry.
Yun: Oh, um, gan xie.
[Yun takes a deep breath]
Yun: I’ve been meaning to ask…
Akira: Yeah?
Yun:…what are you supposed to be dressed as again?
Akira: A clown. Or a jester. I see myself as more of a jester, though. Their job was to tell the king everything wrong with his kingdom…and the jester would never get punished for it. Sounds like my kind of job!
Yun:…I’ve never heard of any jesters in my time…
Akira: Ah, that’s because they started appearing in the Middle Ages. That’s the time period of knights, dragons…and many other things. There’s a knight wandering around this city, maybe we should have a little chat with him at some point.
Yun: I’d love to meet more people! We would all be less alone!
[Akira (?) folds his hands]
Akira (?):…Interesting. Your response to seeing a total stranger in a strange new world isn’t one of aggressiveness. Rather, you’re just relieved to see that you’re not alone.
Yun:…Yes?
Akira (?): Interesting. Very interesting.
Yun: (Oh, he’s talking in that…odd way again.)
[Akira blinks a few times]
Akira:…So I am.
[Akira spreads his hands out a bit]
Akira: So I am. But enough about me. Behold…me!
[Eight colourful snowballs suddenly appear close to Akira. Akira then starts juggling the snowballs…without moving his hands. Yun finds himself mesmerized by what Akira is doing]
Yun: Wo kao…!
Akira: Yeah, I can create ice from my hands. Isn’t that cool?
Yun: Absolutely!
Akira: It’s been said that some people like it hot. Well, some others like it really hot!
[The snowballs suddenly turn into fireballs]
Yun: Wo cao!
Akira: Hey, you want to know something that’s really funny?
Yun: What? What?
Akira: Me! I mean, I was the only maladjusted kid at my orphanage! Everyone else was happy! Everyone else enjoyed themselves! I, on the other hand, was emotional, outspoken, and profane! What do you get when a mix an outspoken kid with brutal social norms? You get a slap on the cheek, a whack on the head, you lose your eating privileges, and you get locked outside in the rain!
Yun: Eh, what…?
Akira (?): That’s not the funniest part, though! This loser right here forgot about his good memories! Like, he’s pretty damn sure that he had a lot of good memories! He’s pretty damn sure the other kids liked him! And humans, as far as I can tell, aren’t malicious on purpose! They do awful things out of ignorance, necessity, or because it’s just difficult to break out of bad habits! It’s likely that nobody meant to give this boy a hard time! But this boy is just way too stubborn and egotistical to understand that!
Yun: Um…okay…
[Four of the fireballs turn into snowballs]
Akira (?): You know the worst thing that his caretakers did? They scolded him for not washing himself! Or for not cleaning his sleeping space! Or for coming home with a lot of blood and dirt on his body! The adults were just doing things that good adults are supposed to do! But Akira is a reckless and stupid boy, you see! Very stubborn and arrogant! He hates getting fussed over like a little kid! He’s the kind of guy who would wave to pedestrians on his bike just to get their attention! He’d see a big gaping wound on his chest, and he’d just try to fix it himself instead of going to the fucking hospital! In fact, he already did that!
[The fireballs and snowballs vanish. Akira (?) very abruptly goes limp as his eyes lose their colour]
Yun: Akira?!
[The holographic body flickers. Now his body is shiny blue, his eyes are solid yellow, his hair has turned gold, his jacket is now red with black lining on its interior, his gloves and scarf have turned silver, his wristbands have turned grey, his shoes have become shiny black combat boots, and he now has a gold crown sitting on his head. Akira(?) slowly sits up, folds his hands, and gives Yun a sad smile]
Akira (?): Yun, was it? It appears Akira won’t listen to anybody. Not even himself. He’ll listen to you, though. He likes you. He likes you very much. He’ll be just fine with you. Maybe he’ll decide not to destroy the rest of humanity. Maybe he won’t isolate himself for the rest of existence.
Yun: Excuse me?
Steel Titan: Ah, my apologies. I forgot to introduce myself. I am the Steel Titan. Akira did mention that he was overtaken by a giant robot, yes? Well, I am that robot. Me and Akira…I think our wires have been…crossed. Too much, it seems. Specifically, in our minds.
[Yun blinks a few times]
Yun:…Uh…yes, okay…?
Steel Titan: Akira is using my power. He is lashing out at the world. He is a very angry teenager. He decided to bring you and some other beings here. He wants to be stopped. But will you pick the violent option? Or the peaceful option? I can already see which option you’re going for.
[The Steel Titan gives Yun a thumbs up]
Steel Titan: Let’s give this boy the ending he deserves. I’m eager to see how this will play out.
[The Steel Titan stiffly drops his arm and gives Yun a blank expression]
Yun:…What the fuck just happened?
[Akira blinks several times as his body slowly changes back to its jester form. Akira holds his head]
Akira:…I’m going to go lie down…
[Akira goes over to the bed, lies down on it, and covers himself up with the blanket. Yun turns his head to face Akira]
Akira: [muttering to himself] I can’t believe I let myself get…affected like that…for being such a determined guy, I sure give up a lot. Maybe I am just a bad kid that’s too difficult to deal with…
Yun: Akira…?
[Akira covers his head with the blanket]
Akira: This was supposed to be a pleasant conversation, damn it…I just had to ruin this good day by being a whiny bitch…
[The blanket suddenly falls through Akira, who is revealed to be hugging his legs]
Akira: I should have just stayed quiet…
Yun:…But didn’t you say holding in your emotions caused this whole mess?
Akira:…Probably.
Yun: Sometimes, you just have to…talk about whatever’s on your mind. Or you could do some painting. Or you could dance, or sing, or weave. You have to do something to get your feelings out.
Akira:…Are you a therapist or something?
Yun: What’s a therapist?
Akira: I’m…I’m just trying to say that your advice was something I needed. It wasn’t “hey, just cheer up” or “there’s nothing to be sad about” or “why the hell did you ruin our lunch day, you whiny bitch”.
Yun: Who…what kind of person would call you…such a horrible thing?
Akira: [closing his eyes] A number of people…
Yun: Oh, Akira…xingan…
[Akira abruptly opens his eyes]
Akira:…What did you just call me?
Yun: “Sweetheart”…?
Akira: I know what you said. It’s just…I told you, I’m a bad guy.
Yun: And…and I told you to…to stop lying about yourself! You…you want me to hug you? Because…I’m going to hug you!
[Akira’s irises shrink]
Yun: (Oh…maybe that wasn’t such a good thing to ask…)
[Akira’s irises go back to their normal size. He is giving Yun an expectant look, and he looks like he wants to say something]
Yun: (Oh, I must have said the wrong thing…)
[Akira very slowly and stiffly opens his arms]
Akira: Hurry up before I change my mind…
[Akira blinks and makes an odd noise when he sees that Yun is lying right next to him]
Akira:…Oh, okay.
[Yun snuggles up to Akira and rubs his face against Akira’s chest. Akira chuckles as he wraps his arms around Yun]
Yun: Xingan, if you want a hug, then just tell me. [squeezing Akira] I’ll hug you as much as you want. I think you need a lot of hugs. Your body is so cold…
[Yun places soft kisses around Akira’s chest scar. With every kiss, Akira lets out a wheeze. Then Yun starts tracing his finger around Akira’s scar]
Yun: (What a gorgeous boy…I could spend all day doing this…)
[Yun giggles]
Yun: (Maybe I should start smooching that lovely face of his…)
[Akira lets out a very loud wheeze. Yun looks up at Akira. Akira’s face is bright red, his amber irises have turned pink, and his face shows…an expression that Yun hasn’t seen from Akira before. Yun can also see heart-shaped blue embers coming out of Akira’s hair]
Yun: Akira, are you alright? I think your hair is on fire…?
Akira: [speaking in a wheezy voice] Don’t…don’t worry about it…
Yun: But you look very unwell…
Akira: You ever heard of this thing called “shyness”?
Yun: You get shy, too?
Akira:…I think “flustered” is the more…appropriate word. Or…or “shocked”.
Yun:…Why would you be shocked?
Akira: Isn’t it obvious?
[Yun stares at Akira blankly]
Akira: I’m not human.
Yun: That’s not a nice thing to say about yourself…
Akira: [gently shoving Yun away] No! I mean it! I’m not human!
[Akira’s face turns shiny grey, and his hair stops spewing embers]
Akira: See?! I’m a fucking robot!
[Yun blinks a few times]
Akira: I’m a cyborg...hologram…delinquent…thing. I’m…just pretty shocked that you still want to spend time with me.
[Yun cradles Akira’s cheek. Akira stiffens up, but quickly leans into Yun’s touch]
Yun:…Akira, I know nothing about robots, cyborgs or holograms. But I know you’re still a good boy at heart. You do seem quite sad a lot of the time, but if I had to live through such awful bullying, I’d be really sad, too.
[Yun slowly moves his hand up a bit. He then uses his fingers to stroke Akira’s temple]
Yun: And may I just say that you have amazing powers. Are you sure you haven’t been meditating a lot?
Akira: I’m sure. I suck at meditating.
Yun: Hmm.
[Yun softly kisses Akira’s forehead]
Akira: I…uh…
[Yun then nuzzles Akira’s forehead]
Akira: Ooh, okay…
[Yun giggles as he kisses Akira’s forehead again]
Yun: Ni zhen ke’ai, laotie~
[Akira just finds himself growling]
Akira: Has anyone told you that you’re really fucking clingy?
Yun: Yes. My mama, my baba, and my waopei. When I was very young, it seemed like I didn’t want my family to let go of me. I always cried and whimpered when my family had to let go of me.
Akira: And then there was me. A fussy little bitch.
Yun: What?
Akira: Okay, I did mellow out when my dad wrapped me in a soft blanket…and when he pulled me into his tight hugs…
Yun: Wait, what about your mama?
Akira: I don’t know what happened to her. She just…vanished one day. She must have had a good reason for it.
Yun: Like what?
Akira: I…I don’t know, maybe I was just…too fussy to deal with. Or maybe she was scared of the fact that I could have been possessed by a fox spirit.
Yun: What?!
Akira: Yeah, I was pretty horrible.
Yun: [tearing up] No, no you weren’t! I refuse to believe that! Your mama was probably working a lot! I just…can’t believe that your mama would be a…a…horrible parent! I can’t believe that you would be a horrible child! An energetic one, yes! An adventurous one, yes! But a fussy little…brat?! Absolutely not!
[Akira says nothing]
Yun: Good heavens, you really do need a lot of hugs! Please let me hold you, Akira! I…I don’t want you to feel like you’re alone…
Akira:…Okay.
[Yun gives Akira a tight hug and buries his face in Akira’s neck. Embers appear from Akira’s scalp again, but this time they’re pink and red]
Akira:…Thanks.
Yun: Oh, your body feels a lot warmer now…
[Akira strokes Yun’s back]
Akira:…It is.
End