prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .017

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You awaken amidst the darkness with only a faint light to greet you. Your body is hemmed in by shards of crystals, gently sparkling and possibly pricking your skin. The surrounding landscape is dyed in the pinks and purples of the dusk filled with crystals protruding from the ground, some as large as a skyscraper. After an hour or two of wandering through the crystal wilderness, a group of people find you worse for wear. They are the gallant Moon Knights from the planet of Prismatica. Because of the strange phenomena during the past months when scientists observed the sudden appearance of rainbow crystals in the sky, the government has been feverishly combing through the moon for more Moonblessed to be rescued. You’ll eventually be brought into Iris’s moon government center.

You all may have your usual inquiries — Where are we? Who are you? What's going on? — and the Prismals are almost too eager to answer. They tell you about their world and about the first appearance of the Moonblessed as the medical staff give you an examination to make sure you’re not carrying any viruses or biological hazards. If you react violently, you may be restrained and nerfed with a specialized neurotransmitting gun that releases a numbing agent through the top of your spine. Once the examinations are over, you’re informed that you will be provided accommodations on their planet during your stay. You will then be escorted to the docks, and led onto a large transport vessel that makes frequent trips back and forth between the Iris moon and the planet. Faces onboard vary from both old and new Moonblessed as well as the local Prismals.

The next destination: Prismatica.

▶ Welcome to the Jungle
07/08 - 07/15 | Iris Moon, Government Center (Arrival) and Planet Prismatica, City of Lunatia | top

Welcome to Prismatica’s hub, Lunatia, the city of your dreams! A bustling metropolis lush with bright lights, vibrant colors, luxuriant plant life, and all the conveniences of technology absent from your own world… It seems like paradise to all the uninitiated. After a quick tour of the city, new arrivals can find themselves getting cozy in their new homes.

A Settle in your new home at Level 2 to find new roommates and say hello to your neighbors! City officials will give you directions to the designated districts across Level 2 and instruct you to pick out a unit. Each apartment complex has a different aesthetic, some may look cozy, some stylish, and some bizarre. The free accommodations have a basic living space that can only fit two or three people at most in one unit.

Starter Chromaspace furnishings are provided which can be controlled with the touch of a built-in panel. Examples are color-changing curtains, transforming sofa beds, cabinets turning into tables, etc. Customizing your apartment or moving out will have to wait until you earn more chroma. Until then, why don’t you check out your new neighborhood or explore the city levels? Maybe your new roommates or neighbors can give you a “hand” with allowance for dinner.

▶ You’re as Cold as Ice
07/08 - 07/15 | Level 2, Crystal Beach | top

Summer strikes Lunatia with record high temperatures as the city is wracked by an unnatural heatwave. Residents will feel the burn the moment they head outdoors, kissing their skin pink as it drenches them in sweat. For a hot and sticky day like this, it's the perfect time to head to Crystal Beach for a refreshing dip in the water. All sorts of new stands have popped up by the shore, selling icy treats and frozen cocktails.

The morning news recommends befriending those blessed by Cordis, who can keep people cool with their magic touch. They also warn of overheating machinery and electronics! Establishments and residences may end up dealing with broken air-modulating units if they use them too much.

Having cleared their names, Suzaku and Kaya of former *BTSB fame have decided to reform as a rock band duo called The Nine Tails after leaving their boyband roots. They will be performing their most chill new summer jam, “Fox Girl Summer,” while incorporating Cordis magic of their own to keep the listeners feeling cool and refreshed.

B Those listening to Kaya and Suzaku’s summer anthem might find their beats too chill to relax and party to. And by that, we mean literally. Ice may start to form around the limbs of happy local beachgoers, filling them with unfortunate shivers that will send them running into the arms of another Prismal to thaw. Even more troubling is that some portions of the oceanfront may also start to freeze, trapping some unsuspecting swimmers inside and leaving them in need of rescue. If anyone goes unnoticed, a Prismal lifeguard will be quick to rescue them.

In a panic, Kaya winks at Suzaku, who reassures his worried partner and ends their performance by summoning a mighty phoenix above the stage. Of course, it is only an illusion for the audience as Kaya thaws the partygoers and the ocean with his magic. Suzaku might have gotten carried away with their debut...

▶ Boom, Badoom, Boom, You Got that Super Bass
07/08 - 07/15 | top

The heated beach waters have brought a large onslaught of aggressive super bass close to the shore. Needless to say, the boys with the booming system were not ready for the sudden and alarming increase in population of this particular fish. In response, the beach committee is hosting a fishing competition to see who can catch the largest super bass. They will be providing extremely durable fishing gear and sufficient bait to all worthy competitors, so come to the Crystal Pier with your best fishing know-how and try and break a record or two!

Due to the competition, job openings for lifeguards have become available. Their main task is to keep an eye on participants and the audience. They should be ready to pull them out in case they have trouble swimming back to the pier. Lifeguards will be provided official beach committee high-tech swimsuits (in the form of tankinis and speedos of your choice) that enhance their performance by allowing them to swim faster and breathe more easily underwater. In the dark ocean depths, they glow with patterns easily recognizable to the Prismal eye. They also accentuate the Moonblesseds’ assets very nicely.

C Although they are no different from sea bass in appearance, super bass are known for their monstrous strength and penchant for mischief. They like to fly in the air and slap whoever tries to catch them and their fellow fish with their tail fins. You think you like them better when they dolo? Think again. These fish will purposely grab a hold of something eye-catching such as rainbow-colored sea pearl or other treasures from the ocean and pull the unsuspecting fishers into the watery depths.

▶ Put on Your Red Shoes and Dance the Blues
07/08 - 07/23 | City of Amegahara | top

The city of Amegahara is in preparation for the annual Vulpus Astra Celebration which is coming up in a few weeks. This year is special as the foxes of Amegahara have never celebrated this occasion with the dragons of Lyestellus, making it the first time all three cities in the alliance will be celebrating together. This is all thanks to the Moonblessed, who not only healed their lands but also brought the Prismals closer.

And so for this special year, the upcoming event promises to be an even larger and more extravagant affair. In order to address the extremely high demand for traditional dress and other materials needed for the celebration, many job openings become available in Amegahara. Among these are tailors, glassblowers, florists, and dancers.

D The tailors will be sewing traditional clothes, such as lovely-patterned yukata, kimono, haori, and obi. Glassblowers will create pearl glass plates, cups, and trinkets such as hair accessories and festive souvenirs. Florists will be heading to work at Inari Highway’s greenhouses, caring for flowers and putting together flower crowns, colorful bouquets, and floral arrangements to use for street and interior decorations. It is encouraged to make use of pearl glass vases!

Lastly, dancers will be auditioning for a group of strict Amegaharan foxes who will not shy away from hurling insults if you underperform. The traditional Amegaharan dance features many layers of intricate fan work that is difficult to master, or dancers can choose to take part in the more uproarious Amegaharan drum dance. Be prepared for long and grueling rehearsals after passing auditions, where you will be forced to partner up with one another to bend each other’s bodies as flexibly as it could then dance until every single person in the room has the movements and timings memorized perfectly. Moonlacing will keep one another from collapsing in exhaustion, but your bruised ego may require more tender care.

▶ Questions

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

On some level, Midorima had known that it was inevitable that Takao would arrive in this place. He'd been stuck here for over a year, and his Tanabata wish had been decidedly something he would never share with Takao in a million years because he's fairly certain its selfishness has been granted. (He was homesick, and Takao getting out of this is unfair. Tanabata wishes are proven legitimate now.)

What he hadn't expected upon trying to approach was the first words he heard to be about freezing his balls off.

"How are you standing outside in this heat and freezing, you fool?"

What a greeting. Midorima certainly isn't winning comfort king on any planet. Well, at least with his words. Takao may find comfort in the fact that while he's freezing, Midorima has distinctive tanuki ears atop his head and a bushy, fluffy tanuki tail coming out of his back. And sure enough, Prismaticans are into horoscopes and therefore Midorima is able to get a lucky item forecast of sorts, so today's lucky item is: a cooler bag, which is slung over his left arm.

Tanabata wishes have nothing to do with it Midorima! However, yeah he never wants to let Takao know that he missed him enough to wish for him to be here. He'll never live it down, constant teasing about how he has to take responsibility now since he can't live without Takao and so on. Better keep that secret locked tight.

What Takao won't admit is the utter sense of relief he feels at that voice, he was not expecting it but he is more than happy to hear it. At least he's not the only one stuck here.

"Ask the freaks......" He turns frost sprinkling past his eyes, turning to water and sticking his hair to his forehead. Yet he is still freezing, clear in how he has tiny trembles running up his spine. Except.....

"Shin-chan..." It's done, he's done, Takao is doubled over laughing as if he has not a care in the world " Oh my god, what are you wearing?" It's too good, this is way too good and he needs a picture, no one is going to believe.

Hold on, freezing or not, goodbye personal space Midorima, he is invading, right in his face, reaching up and rubbing one of those ears, still sputtering with laughter "It feels so real, you're really into this aren't you, who knew you were into cosplay." It is said with amusement and affection and dripping with so much teasing it should be sticky.

Then there is the cooler bag and his blue balls are not amused, not amused at all. Some sense of humor that horoscope has, he knows any weird stuff like that in Midorima's hand is his lucky item and it is not funny at all to be a cooler bag when he is standing here, freezing, amused, confused and twenty other emotions.

Edited 2020-07-09 21:48 (UTC)

Midorima, of course, keeps a straight face as Takao laughs it up. For a few seconds, anyway, before his frown deepens and despite being away from Takao for a year he falls back into old habits almost instantaneously. He's as tightly wound as a rubber band and snaps like one too.

"I'm into no such thing! Freeze in the streets!"

If he was planning on helping Takao in any way, he's certainly reluctant to now. At the very least he doesn't storm off, though. Fists balled and attitude high, he scoffs and bristles for a moment before turning his nose up.

"It happens every month. I wouldn't be surprised if you sprouted a beak come August."

Well, what do you know even in a strange place and freezing his ass off, he can still get to Midorima, Takao admires his own skill. Such a tsundere this friend of his. He could storm off, he also knows, Takao will tag along. Good luck getting rid of him now.

Especially when he realizes one thing, he's not warm warm but boy he sure is warmer than Takao. Maybe personal space invasion is beneficial. Because if his teeth chatter he may just throw something at someone.

Damn it, now he kind of feels bad, only kind of, he'll get over it...

"What, seriously, they're real? Wait, how do you know that?" Something is strange here, for all his teasing of the other, he knows him and while sure this Midorima he is far too matter of fact about things to have just arrived here like Takao. No way is he getting a beak, he'll get something cooler than that. He's too cute for a beak, in his opinion.

Never mind he is not moving, he is going to not so quietly try to leech some body heat without physically wrapping himself around his friend.

Takao may notice that by now, the tanuki ears are lying flat against Midorima's head in annoyance. They're somewhat reactive, so it's a little easier to tell Midorima's emotions than it might be otherwise. At least 8 days out of the month it is, with a couple of exceptions where he's ended up with cat features (much to his annoyance).

"Typically within a month of arrival, each person finds themselves reactive to a specific moon. That's what they call a 'moonblessing.' Mine is Cordis moon, so don't get too close or you're going to have problems."

Takao hasn't even gone for a full space invasion yet, but Midorima's certainly noticed. Midorima typically has pretty strong pheromones, so being indoors or in close proximity to him can cause problems for some people. It's obvious to him that Takao didn't really pay attention when he was getting processed by the Lunatians (Midorima can't really blame him, it's hard to focus when you've been kidnapped to another planet and lost in the wilderness for a while), but whether or not he heeds his warning because of it or gets a face full of pheromones is on Takao now.

He notices but, he has never worried too much about annoying Midorima because they both know when it comes down to it, he may pick but he has the guy's back. Takao is going to love this, eight days of the month he is going to be more annoying than usual. Remember Midorima, careful what you wish for.

Yeah, well, I'll get something way cooler than a beak..." His teeth chatter and if this was some random stranger he would not do what he does next but, it's Midorima and even if he pisses him off beyond recognition they'll get over it and still be friends. He really should have paid better attention, he did, but some part of him thinks its Shin-chan, everything will be normal. That is the problem with being comfortable with someone, when something changes it can be a surprise.

He steps forward, pushes his head face against Midorima's chest grumbling "If you say a word I will kick you in the knee, I am freezing" And he tucks himself there right as the word Cordis sinks through... "Shit...." This is unfair, he is fine, nothing to see here folks go away, he is never moving his head because this is utterly embarrassing, Midorima better not move because his expression is not one he is showing to anyone, even this guy. Stupid giant and his stupid good smell and stupid Takao for acting without thinking, he did not learn after getting frost on the beach?

Midorima has been here for a year now. He's gotten used to some moonlacing with very specific people and.. typically won't touch anyone else, even if they need it. It's lead to him being a little more open to casual touches with friends like hands on the shoulder or headpats (his personal preference when someone needs chroma, with him doing the patting) even if there are things he does with certain people that comprise the majority of his increased Cordis chroma needs.

None of it could've prepared him for moonlacing with Takao on any level, on threat of knee kicking.

"You're cold!"

He shouts it in objection, but doesn't immediately shove him away. He's obviously tense, and knowing that his pheromones have done some.. dangerous things to people, he's comforted by it only being regular Cordis time right now and not the triple moon. Chroma may do Takao some good, so he lets him hold on for about five seconds. Well, ten. He gives him ten. Cordis makes him a little more generous, and Takao obviously needs chroma to deal with whatever affliction he's gained. Ten seconds of Midorima being stiff as a board and not quite being sure how to deal with Takao holding onto him like this and actually needing it so he can't just shove him off right away.

...Then he pulls his hair to try to pry him off. Hopefully that will stave any.. inappropriate-for-public reactions Takao might end up with.

"Get off, we're going home!"

To Midorima's home, anyway. He has a big bathtub he can ~~drown~~ let Takao soak in to warm up.

Takao can not even imagine this, honestly, till today he would never have guessed Midorima would be doing those things, whatever they may be. He is in for more than a few surprises today. Also, he never expected himself to leech on to Midorima like this or feel like a weirdo because of it.

Because it is weird, it is so weird. But he is so damn cold that he takes all ten of those seconds "I told you I was!" He warned Midorima of his issues, stupid beach concert anyway. That band totally sucks in his opinion now because he is in a place he never expected to be and feels halfway like a pervert for it. It is definitely not his lucky day...

"At ta AH SHIN-CHAN!" He flails at those hands because really, hair pulling. Today is a bottle of unfair filled with a heap of haha Takao on top. Hair pulling... Oh, that was, well geeze, now he's had his hair pulled and still no kiss, aliens are cruel, really cruel. Oh crap, he shakes his head. He feels marginally warmer, the problem is he can feel it want to creep back in slightly. Ugh...

"Fine, but you don't get to rip my hair out to do it." He is not blushing, there is nothing to see here folks. He would so shove past and walk ahead if he knew where the hell they were going.

"Don't take me there to kill me..." He knows those thoughts, it's not his fault, he's freaking frosty the snowman over here!

Edited 2020-07-10 01:31 (UTC)

"Takao, I've been here over a year. I have a townhouse with a proper bath. If you need to warm up, you'll be better off doing that then relying on my body heat in the middle of the city."

He says it as if it's just a Matter of Fact. He's done well for himself here, between that and.. well, joining this planet's basketball league. What else was he going to do? He had no intention of falling behind on practice. Even if it isn't Shutoku and the competition isn't quite as steep because the league was formed based on Lunatian enthusiasm for moonblessed sports and so on, it's basketball and it's a means for Midorima to keep up his practice. It's not a brag, he knows he doesn't need to brag to impress Takao, Takao is always impressed. He also knows it's entirely possible that only giving him chroma is going to solve this problem, but he'd rather do that in private than let someone cling onto him in the middle of public.

"Try to contain yourself, this is only half as bad as it will get if you're Sanguis or Iris. Let's go."

If he's a fellow Cordis, at least they'll just have to deal with that together. If he's Sanguis, there are going to be problems with Kise and an enhanced sense of smell. If he's Iris, Midorima's likely to send him into heat like he had Akashi.

At some point, he should also warn Takao about the different... age range of lucky items on this planet. Most days it's still inane, but at this point he's not looking to let Takao wander around his lucky item room. But for now, he'll simply lead him to his home.

"What, you mean you've been here a whole year and have.... that means you've been getting Chroma, Shin-chan you freak~" Oh, he is side-eyeing Midorima, better to focus on teasing his friend versus everything else happening right now. From being cold to being, yeah he is not saying that word. Why does Midorima have to smell like so many familiar things, stupid smell, maybe he needs a bath. Of course, as he always is, he is impressed by Midorima because sure he can be kind of weird, but he is also kind of awesome at the same time. Even if he is totally stupid right now for pulling Takao's hair. Rude.

"Contain myself, oi, what do you think I am some kind of pervert, I'm fine, I'm just cold. Nothing else." Yeah, the repeated denial does not help his cause in the slightest. "What's so wrong if I'm Iris." Hypothetically speaking because, well, crap. That does not bode well for him apparently, Midorima is too blunt for it not to be serious. By now he is not teeth-chattering cold, but he can sure feel it through his body again.

For now, Takao is following along behind Midorima, it could be any day of the week back home except he keeps shivering, finally folding his arms so he can rub them as they walk.

Then they get to the house, he stops "Seriously...what have you been doing?" Yes, still going with the teasing. It's his safety blanket, do not take it from him, please. OF course, the lucky items get weird here and of course, Takao will not be able to resist getting in that room at some point, warning or no warning, it's too tempting.

Edited 2020-07-10 02:19 (UTC)

"And demi-chroma, which can be gained from working."

He quickly adds onto that list, to distract from the obvious fact that yes, he has to have a source of chroma to have more than a starter apartment. Takao isn't ready to handle the fact that until recently he had two boyfriends and a girlfriend at the same time. That news will come in time.

Or maybe he just won't tell him and Takao will find out because one of them shows up, he isn't sure yet. He's trying not to think about losing Eichi right now anyway, and Takao's arrival is more than a welcome distraction from dealing with those emotions. Eichi was the person he'd been with longest and been through a lot with here. His first.. a lot of things. Takao's timing couldn't be more comforting if he'd tried to do it on purpose.

This question again though.. why is he the one people always ask about Iris?! He said Sanguis too! Let him talk about Sanguis. He clears his throat slightly, obviously reluctant to answer, and decides to simply give a clear explanation about all of them so he can bury the answer to Iris in that. It's probably the only reason he's giving all this information at once.

"The first through fifth of the month is the Sanguis moon. Those aligned with Sanguis are more aggressive and gain super strength and smell, so Cordis pheromones are overwhelming. Cordis is the sixth through tenth. We have an increased metabolism and need to generate more chroma than either of the other blessings or else we get in danger of crystallizing. We have pheromones and supernatural speed."

So if Takao thought he was fast on the court already, it's another thing when the right moon is out. He gets out his keys as he continues.

"Iris moon is the eleventh through the fifteenth. Those aligned with Iris go into sexual heat, regenerate and have a high tolerance for pain, and some self-lubricate. From the sixteenth through the eighteenth, all three moons are present at the same time, which can cause significant combined effects."

And at that moment he opens the door, through which barrels a very small ball of perfectly round sunshine to greet them. A wonderful distraction from what he just said.

"Merlin, inside."

The little dog gives Takao's feet a sniff then darts about three feet back inside of the house before turning around excitedly and waiting for Takao to follow in so he can continue his greeting. Midorima starts taking off his shoes in the gekkan, of course. There are some guest slippers there too that Takao can use, because Midorima may not have a lot of people over but he's prepared just in case. There's an obvious girl's pair too, but it's definitely too small for Takao. Maybe if Midorima focuses on the dog, Takao won't have time to process what he said until he's already three feet under water in the bath.

Edited 2020-07-10 02:25 (UTC)

"Not to get a place like this..." He already considered that and figured till he got his feet as long as he could he would stick to starter housing because he would at least like to know the person as more than a hey I just met you in an alien land, let's moonlace.

If Midorima were to tell him what happened Takao would tone down his teasing, not stop entirely but at least give him some actual friend comfort. He'd be happy to know that him showing up can do that, even if he is not sure he is glad he showed up. This place is something else, even for a fun-loving guy like him.

He is slowly freezing and dying inside at the same time as he listens and hears the explanation of the moons. This does not look good for him at all "What's the date today?" He is just curious, no real reason to wonder why. He is positive he can handle this, it's all going to be okay.

And then there is the most adorable ball of fluff ever and Takao is blinking "You got a dog..." It's not even a question as he follows Midorima in. Really, what has this guy been doing? Takao actually feels bad for him, if it is this hard on Takao he can only imagine what Midorima went through here at first. Oh are those female slippers, he gives a snicker, so Shin-chan has a girlfriend, does he. Takao wonders if Midorima will tell him or is he going to have to pry it out of him. He will pry when his teeth aren't threatening his tongue in a totally impolite manner. He dons the guest slippers, it's reflexive and like his smell, Midorima's house feels comforting.

Familiar. His teeth knock a little as he crouches down still shivering but holding one cold hand out to the pup "Come here you, how did you get this weirdo to let you in his house huh?" It is too cute and much easier to focus on the puppy than how cold he is, what he can faintly smell in this house and the fact that he thinks he may be royally screwed in terms of moon blessings.

"Shut up, Takao."

He hopes that ends the questions about his moonlacing life, but he knows they'll come up again eventually even if it doesn't. It's inevitable in a place like this, but Midorima doesn't quite know how to have That Talk with Takao yet. He's barely hanging on with explaining what an Iris is. (Though at least he didn't stutter through trying to imply it this time.)

"July 9th. You missed my birthday," and Midorima isn't going to guilt him about that besides that one little dig, as if it's Takao's fault somehow. "If you are Iris, you'll experience that in a couple days. It was dramatic enough for Akashi that we had to postpone meetings more than once. There is a danger of not being able to resist urges, which I learned with both he and a former roommate."

Sometimes you wake up with an Iris underneath your covers giving you a surprise "wake up"...

Midorima glances over at Takao, wondering briefly if he's an Iris-blessed and... the possibility that he'll get into one of those circumstances with him. Cordis and Iris are such a dangerous combination. Neither of them is as forceful as Sanguis, but with Cordis's indulgence making Midorima a lot less likely to hold steady to his stubbornness and just go for what he wants even more than usual, and Iris's heat... well. For a brief moment the idea of Takao popping his head out from underneath his covers pops into his mind and sends Midorima into a bristling huff. Focus on the dog.

"I had a day where Cancer's lucky item was a dog. I dog sat for some neighbors. The neighbors turned out to be criminals and were arrested for a heist, so they never came back. I checked with the moon knights and they said to keep him or give him to a shelter."

Midorima fills the electric kettle with water and turns it on. If Takao is cold, he'll get tea. Even Midorima can plop a bag into a cup of hot water, and the electric kettle means it won't overboil. Merlin seems happy to come lick Takao's fingers and sniff at him, then roll onto his back to be given belly rubs. Takao better give them, Merlin is as spoiled as Midorima is.

"Go get in the bath, it's back there. I'll bring tea in a minute, so you'd better be under the water by the time I get in there."

"That never works Shin-chan~"

Of course, when his teeth are chattering it does. It is a conversation that is going to happen, Takao is not one to take no for an answer. Which considering it seems he is Iris moon blessed could be problematic for him in the grand scheme of things. As it is, right now, he has so much in his brain that the actual serious conversation being on hold is okay with him.

"As if I could help it, geez, I'll make it up to you." How's that, one dig is all it took and he'll fix his not being here on Midorima's birthday. Of course, he has to get some means of buying something first so there is that. But he will do it, only because Midorima will deny it but he is Takao's closest friend. Nevermind that he is muttering something about two days over here. He has exactly two days, what a rip.

He is already scratching away, loving on the pup without reservation until he snaps his head up, blinking at Midorima, bossy much. It is comforting, because well, Midorima is always bossing him around and telling him to shut up. It's their dynamic and it works, even this place can't change that. He laughs shaking his head as he tries to ignore his shivering "Only you would get a dog as a lucky item and keep it."

Midorima will be Midorama wherever he is.

"Awww Shin-chan, already trying to get me naked, you work fast~" But that thought of warm water is too tempting to resist, even if it means scratching puppy belly and watching Midorima make tea, what? Takao is surprised he was not set to the task to be honest but he is going to let that all go and shiver his way to the bath.

He calculates how long tea will take, then something hits him, wait Midorima is coming in here? Well, it's not like they haven't done this part before, his head needs to clear as much as his body needs to warm up and he sinks into the water with a sigh.

Except, sure it feels warm on his skin but really why is he still cold inside. Right up to his nose he goes, raven locks fluttering into his eyes he leaves them there, clearly pouting.

Takao is lucky he's run off to the bath with that comment, because an oven mitt is coming smacking against the wall near his head right after he turns the corner for it. He doesn't pursue him, however, and Takao will see Merlin pick up the oven mitt with a little nub of a tail sticking out of the fluff waggling back and forth before running off. (He will later be able to see it in the hamper and not the kitchen, because it was in Merlin's mouth.)

Midorima focuses on making the tea. Takao didn't really go inside his home much as a guest back home, for reasons involving Midorima's weird protectiveness of his sister, so he doubts he expects tea. But Midorima is for tradition, and in Japan you serve your guests tea. But more than that, he also doesn't actually want Takao to get sick on his first day here and have to deal with that and potentially a moonblessing if he turns out to be Iris at the same time. That sounds like a huge pain in the ass.

Midorima and Takao have bathed together before, so he isn't particularly concerned about being in the room with him in the bath. He's not even undressed himself, there's nothing to be concerned about on his part.

"Here."

It's just plain green tea, the bag is still in it in case Takao wants it stronger. It should warm him up on the inside, hopefully, unless moonlacing is what's necessary to cure the freezing. Then they'll have to deal with that once he gets out.

"You still look like a popsicle."

None of it, right down to the oven mitt in the hamper and the tea being given to a guest surprises Takao. It would surprise him not to see these things truthfully and while he may be freezing, kind of miserable. At least, he does not have to feel homesick on top of it.

As long as Midorima stays clothed and out of the bath Takao figures he is alright too. The problem is, he is tired of being cold, it is exhausting and when he was hugging Midorima, he was warm. But the scent made him itchy and yes, stay over there Midorima, just hand over the tea.

His hand trembles a little as he takes it, glaring up from the water at the taller male.

"Thank you...I'm not a popsicle, I'm an iceberg." See, he is floating in the water, get it. He is not to be licked, he is not thinking about licking. Actually he isn't he is thinking about that in two days' time he is supposed to be going into what basically counts as heat and he could self lubricate, what does that even mean? What's going to lubricate.

He grits his teeth to stop the chattering, he feels ridiculous enough as it is shivering in a hot bath as he drinks hot tea, which is actually pretty good, if not taking away the chill, it at least gives him somewhere to keep his hands. "Hey, Shin-chan, what do you mean by self-lubricating, what's going to lubricate?"

He really needs to figure out what could happen to his body in a short period and then figure out how not to be out here being weird with it.

Takao takes the exact right moment as Midorima takes a sip of his own tea to ask that question, and it rather spectacularly results in him coughing into the liquid, his face getting splattered with tea. Thankfully it was at a good temperature to drink, so he isn't wholly burned, but he does put the tea down on the sink and get a towel to wipe his face off.

"Use your head and answer that for yourself! What do you think might need that for moonlacing, moron!?"

Midorima doesn't think he can answer that while looking at Takao. He can barely look at Takao while answering that.

"Iris have a tendency to be prepared for.. reception."

That's as close as he's getting. Takao is a teenage boy, he really hopes that Takao gets it. It isn't as if it's a requirement or anything, of course. It's useful for that, but Midorima doesn't really like to define roles by anything other than the person.

Without Midorima saying a word he already nows, because of the sputtered tea. Seriously? That is going to happen. How is that even possible and for a moment he does not speak or look at Midorima instead he turns his head and looks behind himself, down into the water. Great, so his entire body is going to betray him, that's fun!

Yeah, he may be going from shivering to shuddering but he is going to go all the way under that water without saying a word. One, he is glad that he has Midorima here to ask these things, it is strange enough learning it from him. But to have to ask someone he barely knows, that would be ten times worse.

Never mind that though, he is set on becoming a dead iceberg popsicle of a basketball player under this water right now, never mind those bubbles coming up, ignore the floating iceberg to your left, please.

Takao's attempt at drowning himself gives Midorima some time to recover and get back to a more neutral state. It's good, because he's not prepared to think about Takao's ass self-lubricating yet. Midorima's had a similar talk with Kise, but he wasn't as close to Kise back then. Takao is, despite all verbal denials that Midorima may make, Midorima's closest friend. This world tends to make that line very, very confusing.

When he doesn't come up after a certain amount of time, Midorima has a very simple reaction: Three-point shoot the bath sponge at the back of his partner's head. He has no doubt that will get him to resurface. If it doesn't, he'll try a bar of soap. Takao knows he has no problem escalating and making the same shot over and over until he gets what he wants.

He can almost feel the shot before it comes, it's what happens when two people play a sport as a team like these two. It is also why having Midorima here feels like a double edge sword because he already cares about the guy. Now there is all this weird stuff around them and what is he supposed to do. He'll figure out, find his footing, and probably do fine here. For now, he is glad to have a place to hideout. Even if by now he is sure his body temperature is going to freeze the bathwater.

He pops up after the sponge, shaking his head as he dribbles water down his shivering back "Put down the soap!" He runs shaking fingers over his face, turning in the water to face Midorima again.

"That's not fair, couldn't let a guy die of embarrassment in peace, I just found out I am going to go into heat like an animal in two days you know. And I'm still cold! What is this place, Antarctica."

Edited 2020-07-10 05:17 (UTC)

"If you drown, I have to deal with your body. It would be too annoying."

Midorima sets the soap down after Takao requests it, at least. He's above the water, so it's not necessary to make the shot. At this point, Takao would catch it anyway. Even after all this time, he still has confidence that the hawkeye would catch anything he threw at him.

If he's still cold, that means that there's only one solution that's going to stop it. Typically, anyway. They could always take him to a doctor, but there's a far more simple solution. The problem is Midorima's pheromones.

"Get out and dry off. A number of ailments on this planet can only be solved one way."

They can try just.. sitting back to back. That might work. He doesn't know how drastic what Takao's going through is, though. He pushes his glasses up as he goes to put his teacup away in the kitchen sink.

"Don't let my death be such an inconvenience." Say it all he wants, Takao knows Midorima would miss him if he died, good thing he has no plans to do that any time soon. Damn right he would come on, he knew the soap was next and that Midorima already had it in hand. This hawkeye is not missing a single pass from the Three-Point King.

This is so much work, really, all in one day he feels like he has been through some kind of movie.

"Well, this should be fun..." Great, the problem isn't that it's not nice hugging onto Midorima's chest, the problem is it was too nice and that is too weird for Takao to process at the moment. For now he tries not to think about it and instead gets out of the bath, dried off and back in his jersey and shorts.

What he would not give to be on the court right now, that makes more sense than his life at the moment. He is polite so of course, he brings his cup with him, taking a death grip on it. Yes the all-over body cold sucks but the worst part, his hands shaking, his bread and butter require steady hands so this shit has got to stop. By now he is not sure what he feels like when there is not a constant shiver, maybe he should not have sat in the water that long, too little too late. Instead, he just rinses his own teacup and sits it there. Turns to Midorima and tries to bluff his teeth chattering way through any awkward.

"This is your birthday present I hope you know." It's not, it's really not but sarcasm is so much easier. Also much more effective when he is not shivering with wet hair slicked back, that one strand deciding his forehead is nice and getting in his eyes a bit.

By the time Takao has trailed after him, Midorima has the dishes in the sink and is over at the closet pulling out a blanket. He'll consider pulling out the rest of the guest futon later if this whole situation isn't too embarrassing, but for now he wants to keep himself warm while dealing with Takao's more mystically sourced coldness.

"You're the one getting a favor done, Takao." He states it simply. In this case, it's easy not to get flustered because Takao is the one who actually needs help here.

Though he pauses with the blanket tucked under his arm to check his device. Scorpio's lucky item today is a beetle, which Midorima.. decidedly doesn't keep in his house. He puts his device away.

"There's a kotatsu upstairs. Come."

It's summer, so it isn't as if he's been using it and the blanket isn't in it, but they can just like.. lay there normally under the blanket and Midorima can keep warm touching this snow hawk while Takao gets chroma from him.

Midorima being his normal self actually helps Takao's nerves, weird place, or not they are still friends. That is a clear thing to hold on to as his lips refuse to give a smirk to his partner. Rude, lips are rude.

"Who says it doesn't benefit you too." Yeah, he himself actually considered finding his lucky item today. He is starting to think maybe he needs it as much as he teases Midorima about his. It couldn't be something like a blade of grass that is right at hand.

He snickers at the mention of the kotatsu, his mirth is part fondness, part amusement "Of course there is, your such a traditional guy Shin-chan"

Sure, totally normal to just lay under a blanket with Shin-chan absorbing Chroma that can be only had if they are in physical contact with each other. Then again, this snow hawk is so cold he would tackle those pheromones (and beat them he swears) at this point to just be warm. At least, if he has to have this happen so soon after getting here, it's with someone he trusts. It's awkward but it's safe, he isn't going to find himself in some weird position.

Right?

"I have people I can call over if I need chroma."

That's all the details he gives about that comment. Anything more and Takao will have to pry more out of him. For now, he thinks it's best to establish that Midorima doesn't need Takao for.. that. Though it's pretty obvious, given the nice living situation they're inside of right now. He thinks establishing that they don't have to be dependent on each other for that is a good idea though, even if he's willing to do this to make sure that Takao doesn't die or stay hurt. He doesn't know how bad whatever this Elsa nonsense might get untreated, and Midorima distinctively remembers what it was like when he arrived. He almost crystallized multiple times, only not because people like Weiss and Eichi gave him alternatives. Headpats from Weiss. He would give Eichi sports massages for health reasons, until the triple moon made that.. a situation he very much enjoyed and is grateful for, but wouldn't want to unleash upon Takao.

Needless to say, he spent weeks here with the absolute bare minimum moonlacing to survive because of his own reluctance to let anyone close to him. He was lucky he didn't get injured or cursed with anything during that time.

"If I'm going to have my own home, I'm going to design it the way I want it."

Merlin seems to have wandered off to go find a toy at this point, so the two of them will be left alone. When they get to the top of the stairs, there are three doors in the hallway. One is open- the living room of sorts, where the TV, the kotatsu, and a grand piano are. The other two doors are his bedroom and his lucky items room, which Takao is not allowed in lest he find the box that contains the more embarrassing items Cancers have been told to use in the past.

"Let's try back-to-back first. If that doesn't work, we can..." He trails off, taking a deep breath before saying the most embarrassing thing he's ever said Takao, somehow more embarrassing than explaining Iris before. "Spoon."

And with that, he resigns himself to setting up the kotatsu.

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