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personavelvetroomdr2025-01-01 02:32 pm
paradisefraught) wrote in personavelvetroomdr2025-01-01 02:32 pm
Entry tags:
[ open ] welcome, dreamer, to the new dream
Buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz.
Akira, holding onto the train pole with one hand, fishes out his phone. It's that one group chat again, huh...he swipes at it, getting the ghost notifications off his screen. Futaba won't let him leave it, even though like, half the messages are just random blank texts...and she was weird about it...it's part of her software testing, right?
The train rumbles. His phone buzzes. The world settles.
Right. The metal is cold against his left palm; he can feel it through the leather. Futaba likes programming. She does this kind of thing all the time. Isshiki-san isn't here to rein her in. She's on a business trip. Futaba misses her.
Buzz, buzz. Bu--
Missing your parents...Akira can't relate. If anything, his dad, Takuto...nah. Akira loves his dad.
Akira, holding onto the train pole with one hand, fishes out his phone. It's that one group chat again, huh...he swipes at it, getting the ghost notifications off his screen. Futaba won't let him leave it, even though like, half the messages are just random blank texts...and she was weird about it...it's part of her software testing, right?
The train rumbles. His phone buzzes. The world settles.
Right. The metal is cold against his left palm; he can feel it through the leather. Futaba likes programming. She does this kind of thing all the time. Isshiki-san isn't here to rein her in. She's on a business trip. Futaba misses her.
Buzz, buzz. Bu--
Missing your parents...Akira can't relate. If anything, his dad, Takuto...nah. Akira loves his dad.
Hey, dad. I'm on the train right now. Can you imagine a world where everyone who needed one could always get a seat? That's part of your research, right?
Hazy memories of toddling around an academic conference, youngest there by far, researchers taking an interest in such a young kid, and--
Message not sent. Retry?
Huh? Akira taps the retry button.
Nothing happens.
Maybe...the metro has iffy wi-fi connection sometimes, doesn't it? He just needs to get off the train and...
The room is blue. It's so blue. His lone gloved hand, grasping nothing, falls limp by his side.
This...isn't the train station.
no subject
Me?The thought flies in and out of his brain like a slight breeze, leaving no trace behind.
"Not being able to do your research?"
no subject
"Oh no," he shakes his head. "I think I am getting my research done in a stead-fast manner- even with the complications I am currently starting to realize."
As if that isn't the understatement of the century.
"In a way...I suppose I am not doing my research the way I wish for it to happen."
He took a bite of his sandwich. "The worst part is that I am the only one here. Surrounded by different versions of you. Forced to come to terms with what my other selves could have done."
"Our situations are vastly different from each other."
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Me.He'stheonlykidintheroomagainhe'swonderingwhyMomdoesn'tlovehimhe'swonderingwhyhisfriendsthinkhe'ssoweirdhejustwantsthemtobehappy
"I...see."
And if this is how he feels...he never wants anyone else to feel this way, ever. A world without pain, a world where no one has to be unwanted-- yes. He sets his right, gloved hand on his lap and digs his fingers into his thigh. This is what he works toward with his dad.
A not-so-strange peace washes over him. What was he thinking about, again? "How's your research coming along?"
no subject
He suddenly doesn't have much of an appetite for whatever reason.
What he doesn’t understand is the presence of Azathoth within this Akira. Or some of the painfully obvious strange words and behaviors the man displays.
When the question follows up again his eyes widen- now feeling like he was once again sitting across Akira back in his own office. "It’s really thanks to the version of you in my world that I managed to come this far," he says. "And I am sure you helped your father in every way you can."
"I have a lab too now. In Odaiba. I can manipulate reality in a localised level- it's just.."
"...honestly something out of a comic book." He raises an index after snapping his fingers, as if catching the reference he was about to make. "Or something like a videogame."
no subject
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"I—" he started, his voice faltering as his brain scrambled to keep up.
The sheer brightness in Akira’s eyes made him pause. Was this genuine? A trick? Maruki wasn’t sure whether to be unnerved by the unbridled enthusiasm or overwhelmed by the rare sense of validation it brought. For a fleeting moment, he felt like a young researcher again, fumbling through his first presentation, unsure if his audience would be impressed or unimpressed—or, as it often turned out, indifferent.
"You... really want to see it?" he asked finally, his voice tinged with disbelief. He blinked, half-expecting Akira to laugh and tell him it was all a joke.
But he doesn't. He barrels on even further.
"Well," Maruki began, adjusting his glasses as a faint smile spread across his face, "I suppose... I don’t get many chances to show it off to someone who’s actually interested." Aside from Midnight and a few others who are neutral to him. He chuckled softly, a bit of his unease melting into something closer to wonder. "It’s not every day I meet someone who doesn’t just dismiss my work as... idealistic or misguided."
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"Okay," he stifles a chuckle as he raises his hands and watches as some of the cognitive customers stare at them. "I will give you a little sneak peek then," he winks mischievously as he leans forward and gestures Akira to sit down again.
"I am reading really interesting things about cognition. It's the very fabric of our existence. The way we perceive things," he starts and gestures at his half eaten sandwich. "Now I am not hungry anymore so there would not be any point for me to get a full sandwich but-!"
"I can see you like those muffins a lot. I could simply..." he picks up the muffin- carefully stare down at it then look back at Akira with the shy blueprints of Azathoth on him. "Manifest more for you."
He snaps his fingers as the half eaten muffin shifts back to its original state.
"You don’t ever have to go hungry. If you believe in my research you can forever enjoy the dessert you wish to have."
And perhaps never get stressed enough to turn to sweets in the first place!"And that's not even the start of it."
no subject
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Something feels wrong.He has always worked alone and while he was always grateful for his patients for believing in his cause- it was well, always within the walls of his clinic. Always related to the problems the others faced.
This was-
This was too new.
Like it was willing to cut right through his being and make him choke on the elixir he's searching for all this damn time.
"Okay-! I need you to pipe it down a little-" he stops and when he feels the tug on his coat Maruki actually nearly gets up his seat.
"Please let go of my coat, Akira." His words come undeniably harsh against the boy's blind optimism. "It’s not exactly the most glamorous place, mind you—labs rarely are. But...” Maruki hesitated, then gave Akira a thoughtful look, a small twinkle of excitement creeping into his expression. “If you’re really interested, I’d be more than happy to show you. In fact, there are a few experiments I’ve been meaning to run, and with your help, maybe we could get some fascinating results."
"But for now...there's another test I need both of us to do."
no subject
His fingers grip to Dr. Maruki's lab coat for a few lingering moments before he fully pries them loose.
"But...tests! I can't wait to do tests! What kind of test do you want to do first? I'm so excited!"
1/2
Whoever, or whatever, had brought this child into existence had done something extraordinary. It was both terrifying and humbling, and Maruki felt an odd ache in his chest that he didn’t know how to process. Parental instinct? Guilt? Curiosity?
He let out a slow breath, forcing himself to soften his gaze. “I… I’m not sure how to process this, Akira. It's not about trust its...” His voice was quiet, almost too quiet. But he managed to muster a small smile at the boy’s unrelenting excitement.
“Funny thing, though,” he began, trying to lighten the mood. “This might sound like a cliché, but... let’s start with the basics. You know, science stuff. Who doesn’t love a good experiment?”
2/2
The scene cut to a small, sterile hospital office. Maruki sat beside Morning, pinching the bridge of his nose, wondering how his “basic experiment” had somehow escalated into a literal paternity test. The awkwardness was suffocating, and the amused side-eye from the nurse wasn’t helping.
“Alright, Dr. Maruki,” the doctor said, stepping in with a clipboard. “The results are back.”
Maruki tensed, clasping his hands together in his lap. “Okay... let’s hear it.”
The doctor cleared his throat dramatically, clearly enjoying the theatricality of the moment far too much. “According to the test, you are, without a doubt...”
There was a long silence.