Post-Once Upon PSL Post

[gemuinemanagement]

[Welcome to Azakawa.

It's a small village tucked away in the mountains. There's really nothing particularly notable about it, except maybe for the more spiritually sensitive who will hear the hate and resentment coming from the spirits of the forest if they get near. (But Suga will tell you not to get near.)

The museum is usually near-empty save for Suga and C-ta, and sometimes Pericles if he's visiting. Suga will foist glowstone charms off on anyone who visits - he has enough to spare and he's happy to finally be able to do something to protect his friends. You can read about the history of the village and the Kotori Obake.

Every now and then you'll overhear something unpleasant - like a village official telling Suga to give up on his superstitious nonsense and let the museum be torn down already, it's not his problem that Suga is too creepy to get another job. Suga seems entirely used to this kind of treatment.

It's not a big deal. He has friends here now, and he's happy. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of him.]

Comments

for c-ta

[gemuinemanagement]

[Most people in the village either dislike or ignore Yuuta because of his association with Suga. Most, but not all.

There is a young man. He's around Yuuta's age and objectively cuter than Suga. He keeps talking. Asking Yuuta about how he likes the village, offering to show him around. Touching his arm. Smiling.

Suga spends a solid five minutes vibrating in growing fury before physically grabbing Yuuta by the other arm and pulling him away. He doesn't care to where, just away.]

[mearry]

[ for someone that basically thrived on people’s approval until recently, the negative attention from the village has become one of the biggest hurdles to overcome for yuuta. he’s used to it from his time in that fairy tale world, but… still not easy. even with suga around.

which is why, when a young man close to his and suga’s age starts chatting with him, flirting with him… yuuta doesn’t necessarily stop it. he doesn’t have it in his mind to be unfaithful to suga but…it’s an opportunity. an opportunity to get them both out of that pit that suga had dug himself into before his arrival.

he just didn’t expect suga to respond so violently. ]

H-hey! Koutarou! What’s wrong?!

[gemuinemanagement]

[Is he serious? Does he not know? No, there's no way Yuuta would have missed something that blatant.

Which means he must have liked it, right? He liked that someone cute was flirting with him. He probably wanted it to happen again, and maybe-]

Nothing. Let's just go.

[It really doesn't sound like nothing.]

[mearry]

…

[ yuuta’s not dumb enough to think that it’s “nothing”.

but he also knows that the last thing they need right now is to get caught fighting in public.

he gives an awkward wave as he’s dragged away, keeping his mouth shut and his gaze neutral until they’re in private. and once they are… ]

What is it? Are you feeling sick?

[ he knows very well that’s not it. but he might as well test the waters. ]

[gemuinemanagement]

...No. I'm not sick.

[Of course he's not. Yuuta knows that. What is he playing at right now? Is he telling Suga not to make a big deal out of something he should have known was coming ages ago?

Suga settles in the chair at the museum's front desk, head in his hands. He can't look at Yuuta right now.]

Post-Flirting Incident

[hellochildren]

[Pericles is enjoying having a chance to rest. He is genuinely not sure when was the last time he just took a day to not do anything-even after they left the Hell that was Aira Niluc, he wasn't about to sit down and do nothing when there were a couple friends who's worlds were in danger. Especially when there wasn't anyone else capable of finding the cure to a brain disease, among various other things.

But now that it was over? Now that he was home-or in his new home, anyway? Professor Pericles had it in mind to sleep for a full on week if he had the chance.

Then Koutarou said something about flirting and Yuuta and someone else and-]

I'm sorry, zey dit vhat.

[Oh, if looks could kill...]

[gemuinemanagement]

[Wanting a long nap is valid, and Pericles deserves it for all his hard work.]

He was flirting with Yuuta right in front of me. [If Suga looks grumpy, it's because he is.] He wasn't subtle about it either.

[hellochildren]

[Somehow, hearing it more clearly seems to make him both calmer and angrier. What's that trope called again? Tranquil fury?

Pericles feels tranquil rage.]

Alright zen.

[He takes to the air for a moment to perch on Suga's shoulder.]

I woult like to see zem, if possible.

[gemuinemanagement]

[Suga should probably speak up in this person's defense - he knows how dangerous Pericles can be when angered - but honestly? That guy can get fucked.]

He shouldn't be too hard to find.

[Let's see, usually at this time, he's at the village's one park practicing his baseball pitching, right...?

Sure enough, when they reach the park, there he is. Still more handsome than Suga, in Suga's opinion, although to anyone else they're probably not that far apart.]

That guy.

sometimes you go into the forest—

[mearry]

[ don’t go into the forest.

that was the main rule that suga gave everyone that visited his world. especially yuuta.

yuuta had no reason not to follow it, for the most part. the forest had nothing for him, and he didn’t want to give anything to it either. from the faces that suga would make some nights and from the sickening feeling that he would have every once in a while… yuuta figured that it was the best thing to do.

but suga had been in that forest for too long, tonight. long enough to make yuuta panic, taking the glowstone pendant and whatever he could use as a weapon. a kitchen knife, in this case. of course, that hadn’t been enough. even though he couldn’t see anything dangerous, the atmostphere had been so oppressive… he could feel the panic threatening to overwhelm him.

it might have at some point. no, it definitely did. he could almost hear something, but he’s not sure if that was his own voice or the spirits’… he just knows that he’s being led back home by suga, and he is no longer holding the knife. the pendant, too, is broken. ]

[gemuinemanagement]

[Sometimes Suga has to go into the forest.

It's his job. If he isn't quick enough to keep children from entering, then he has to go in to rescue them before they're caught by the Kotori Obake.

He was lucky, this time. The girl - about Sakuma's age - had passed out in fright, but Suga was able to cut down the spirits surrounding her. He was just starting to carry her back out when-

I found him

That boy

That boy you like so much

Let's bring him home to Mother

Suga finds him shivering with a shattered pendant. It did its job, and Suga nearly collapses in relief, but - not yet. First he has to get them all out of here.

He's quiet as he walks, carrying the still unconscious girl. If Yuuta didn't know any better he'd think he was mute again.]

[mearry]

[ it takes a while for yuuta to realize that he’s shivering. his green eyes are wide as he continues to walk beside suga in tense, fearful silence.

…

he lowers his head in shame, holding back tears. ]

I’m sorry.

[gemuinemanagement]

[Inhale. Exhale. He's angry and afraid and frustrated and everything in between all at once, and he knows he should reassure Yuuta right now, but.]

I'm glad you're safe.

We'll talk about it later.

[But they will talk about it.

They leave the forest. Suga hands the girl over to the waiting police officer and asks him to take her home.

Then it's just them.]

emergency bf hugs

[gemuinemanagement]

[The voices of the spirits of the forest never silence, not completely. Suga's learned to tune them out, more or less, having heard them for the past twelve years.

He's grateful that Yuuta doesn't need to learn that. He only gets chills up his spine when he steps into the backyard, and as long as he doesn't do that, he doesn't notice a thing.

Sometimes, though, the spirits are loud enough that even Suga can't ignore them completely.

Detestable boy, worthless boy
You broke your promise
What will we do to promise-breakers?
You're too scary, too awful to touch
But that boy you love
We'll bring him home to Mother
We'll make you remember that you've never saved anyone
They would be better off if you were dead

Suga is trembling. He knows this. But he shouldn't be - he should be used to being taunted like this. And if he shows how badly he's hurting, then Yuuta will know, and he'll hurt too.

It's hard to pretend everything is fine when he's shaking so badly that he can't keep working on the charm he's trying to make.]

[mearry]

[ the reason yuuta knows things aren’t right is because he can’t concentrate.

though he can’t hear a thing, the feeling that he has is alarming enough to make him worry about suga. and when he goes to check on him, it seems that his worries are validated. ]

Koutarou? Can you hear me?

[gemuinemanagement]

[It takes Suga a second too long to respond, and when he does he jerks as if Yuuta's presence had startled him.]

H-hey.

[mearry]

…

[ that bad, huh…

yuuta’s gaze narrows, though not directed at suga. his anger is directed towards those things in the forest, that he wishes they could both leave behind. suga deserves more than this—this village could burn for all he cared.

he places a hand over suga’s, his expression and tone even. ]

Are they loud today?

no, welcome to OSTANIA!!

[laytorest]

[She'd given him directions of landmarks for visits. After all, it would be quite difficult (and potentially dangerous) if he appeared right in her home - so instead she directs him to a café she often passes by, along with instructions and a phone number to use at a payphone to contact her on the occasion in which he does drop by.

Hopefully he remembers it all!]

[gemuinemanagement]

[Of course he remembers! Visiting Yor-nee is important.

It's a good thing he has his voice back or the 'phone call' part of this would be really difficult...]

Yor-nee? I'm at that cafe.

[laytorest]

[This is why those instructions were given after the envoicening!!

The initial "Hello?" is fairly demure and formal, though you can hear the smile in her voice once she hears his voice.]

Oh- already? Okay, I'll be there soon. Just wait in front a moment!

[gemuinemanagement]

See you soon.

[He's very excited to meet Yor's wonderful family~]

hi bf

[gemuinemanagement]

[It's been three years. Three wonderful years - not without their challenges, of course, but Suga is so much happier than he's been in the rest of his life combined.

Today, though. Today Suga is vibrating nervously for no apparent reason. Nothing important is on the docket, although he did mention wanting to go stargazing that night - the weather is nice enough for it. But he's squeaked several times just from Yuuta reminding him of his presence - it can't just be stargazing on his mind.]

[mearry]

[ something is...off.

yuuta's first thought is that he's being paranoid. even after three years, a great therapist, and some medication, yuuta does have his occasional bout of paranoia and anxiety. so he tries to not think much about suga's weird behavior...and fails spectacularly. why would he take him here? is something wrong? what could be wrong in the first place?

...well, there's no reason to keep it bottled inside. yuuta laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. ]

You look like you've seen a ghost. [ ... ] You haven't, have you?

[gemuinemanagement]

[Bless Yuuta's therapist, honestly.]

No, no ghosts. I'm just... nervous, I guess.

[mearry]

[ they do their best.

but sometimes, such as times like these, even that isn't enough. what's suga nervous about? was it something he did? was it something that suga did?

yuuta forces a smile, crossing his arms to keep himself grounded. ]

Oh~? Did you do something wrong, Koutarou?