HOME/LAB [maruki family thread tracker]
Jan. 15th, 2025 01:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
takutomaruki
╰┈➤ ❝ When we get to the pearly gates. You'll get the green light, I'll get the old door in the face ❞
╰┈➤ ❝ When we get to the pearly gates. You'll get the green light, I'll get the old door in the face ❞
date
type
link
desc
status
02/01
Toplevel
Welcome, dreamer, to the new dream
closed
15/01
Thread
Rank 1: Glass, nightmares and Hopes.
closed
27/01
Thread
Quick adjustments.
closed
03/02
Post
Rank 2: Before my goodwill crumbles away in these sterile lands.
closed
01/05
Top level
Rank 3: A gift
active
no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 01:03 am (UTC)The door clicked shut behind them, and for a moment, he just blinked at his entryway, vaguely aware of how surreal it all felt. Huh. He hadn’t even had Shibusawa over this late, not really. And Morning had already half-bolted toward his room the moment the door opened, mumbling something indistinct. Poor kid was probably more drained than he let on.
Maruki bent down to straighten the pair of borrowed sandals kicked to the side, then slipped off his own, neatly lining them up. His keys jingled softly as he hung them on the little wooden key holder mounted by the door—a whimsically carved branch with four painted white birds perched on it, mid-chirp. It clinked against the background of Ichinose’s off-tune humming.
He followed after her, fingers moving absentmindedly to the collar before pausing—no tie. Right. Yukata. The satchel stays on across shoulders.
The living room was warmly lit, the kind of gentle amber glow that filtered in from a half-shaded lamp and the streetlights outside the balcony doors. A window was cracked open to let the night air sweep in, bringing with it the faint scent of city spring. A few boxes still sat along one wall—overflowing with stray research papers and half-sorted files—and two familiar notebooks lay open on the coffee table like forgotten thoughts.
But it was the plants that dominated the space.
Clusters of potted greenery lined the kitchen windowsill, the tops of bookcases, and a few end tables. Pale orchid blooms peeked out from beside a stack of psychology journals. A tall fiddle-leaf fig rested stoically beside the TV. Nestled among them were decorative odds and ends: a tiny ceramic watering can, a wind-up owl clock, and a coaster shaped like a cat hanging from a tree branch, with the words “Hang in there!” in cheerful lettering along the edge.
"What can I say—" Maruki said with a small, sheepish smile as he came to stand beside the couch, one hand briefly ruffling through his hair. "I get lonely without them."
He gingerly pressed his fingers to his temple as the room tilted a little too enthusiastically, but he caught himself before it became an issue, adjusting his stance with practised care.
"Back in my world last summer, one of my neighbours was moving and planning to get rid of some of her tsuwabuki—Farfugium japonicum, that is," he added absently, academic habits kicking in. "And some hozaki-nanaka? Nanako?" He stumbled over his tongue.
"Nanakomada. Ah, still got it."
"Beautiful shrubs—Japanese rowan. I couldn’t let them go to waste, so I ended up adopting them."
He motioned toward two of the more vibrant pots by the windowsill, one with glossy, rounded leaves and yellow blooms, the other dotted with tiny clusters of berries.
"Pretty sure I’ve got at least half her garden now," he chuckled, a bit dazed but clearly fond of the memory. "They’re good company. Very judgement free."
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Date: 2025-05-14 01:14 am (UTC)A small laugh!
"I would need something that screams at me that it's hungry or thirsty," she laughed self-deprecatingly, setting down her kinchaku on her lap and opening it up, taking the kanzashi out of her hair and taking off her earring to tuck them safely inside. "But then again I would get called on extravagant tours and meetings and la-dee-dah parties that pull me away from home, so that wouldn't be any good either. Oh well."
It made for a quiet work space at home, at least. Both the home she had before in Shibuya and the one she took closer to the uni. Having the music going was a nice way to make it feel like her own space.
"Your plants all look healthy and vibrant - you really are quite the caretaker, aren't you?"
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Date: 2025-05-14 11:15 am (UTC)Her admitting that she couldn't commit to the bit made some of that nervousness shift. Someone who could scream their wants and needs.ike a pet, huh? He could understand that. With tours and meetings that she seemed to be quite busy with, he listened to her grievance. Her schedule was packed and constantly on the move then.
He was incredibly static in that regard. From home, to clinic, to the nurse's office in Shujin- Takuto usually made time for himself to work on his ongoing thesis in between counselling sessions.
Before all that...he got pretty busy too. There's a reason why he didn't have a pet, even if he bought pet food for the strays he came across occasionally.
Maruki turned to her at her question, raising a brow before shaking his head. "I am not much of a caretaker, just- okay I do like trying to look up each plant's wants and needs and try to accommodate as much as I can," he caught himself with his correction paired with a laugh. "It is pretty rewarding to see them grow against all odds. Like defying the set busy life I get caught up in sometimes."
"I won't deny I made my own mistakes. Still do, really, I am trying to get the perfect soil type for Azaleas, cause it turns out I didn't add mulch and then that Japanese maple doesn't like the hot sunlight so I need to figure out a space that it gets sunlight but not so much otherwise it will get sunburn." It's a lot of work, given that you need to either shift that plant from the morning light to the afternoon shade.
2/2
Date: 2025-05-14 11:16 am (UTC)"Um- uhhh would you like me to get anything? Water, tea or-?"
He looked half a second away from dropping onto the couch either way.
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Date: 2025-05-14 01:56 pm (UTC)"Just a pillow and blanket, I don't think you'll survive long enough for anything else," she teased, adjusting the couch cushions and humming a song to herself as she fluffed it up to sleep on. "Crashing on couches... I haven't done couch surfing since college!"
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Date: 2025-05-14 04:50 pm (UTC)"Oh, you don't need to-" he speaks before he thinks and spasms with the blush now climbing up his cheeks from the alcohol as he jabs a finger at the hallway. "Let me show you the bed."
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Date: 2025-05-14 06:05 pm (UTC)Ichinose blinked in some surprise, looking up at Maruki. The flush on his face, the gesture to the bedroom... that was definitely an invitation.
For a beat, Ichinose's gaze walked up and down her host. Soft expression, broad shoulders, the parted yukata showing the undershirt...
...
no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 06:06 pm (UTC)"If we're hooking up, I would rather be sober. So ask me again in the morning~"
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Date: 2025-05-14 06:26 pm (UTC)...
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Date: 2025-05-14 08:40 pm (UTC)Hooking up.
Maruki's face ignited like someone had struck a match directly against his cheeks. The blood rushed so fast to his head that he swayed again, and this time he did have to sit down, flopping beside her with all the grace of a damp towel.
"I—!" he squeaked. Yes, squeaked. "I—I mean, no—I mean, oh my god—wait—not like that! That’s not—!"
He buried his face in his hands for a beat, fingers dragging down to rest at his jaw as he blinked wide-eyed at the ceiling like it might open up and kindly swallow him whole.
"That sounded—oh no, that sounded so wrong, didn’t it?” he groaned. “I—I promise I wasn’t propositioning you! I just meant you would probably get uncomfortable on the sofa, and I figured—like, logically, beds are more comfortable for actual sleeping, and I just—oh my god.”
He laughed, but it was the kind of laugh that sounded like someone dying a little inside, shoulders hunched, hands helplessly spread in front of him like he was physically offering the apology to her.
"I wasn’t trying to come on to you, Ichinose-san, really!" he added, eyes darting to her with genuine panic before he turned beet red again.
When he saw his clavicle being all too exposed even through the undershirt, he tugged his yukata more tightly around himself like that would somehow restore his dignity.
no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 08:46 pm (UTC)He was redder than a tomato. Hah! And the sheepish way he covered himself up, like he was trying not to come off as a harlot - even more hilarious!
"Like I said! You can come on to me when we're sober," she laughed, jovial. "If the couch is so uncomfortable, then you better not sleep there either."
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Date: 2025-05-14 09:01 pm (UTC)He pressed his palms together and shook his head when Ichinose kept teasing him.
After a moment of very carefully not looking at her, he cleared his throat, still glowing warm. "Nah, I'll take the sofa. It's not uncomfortable for me because it's familiar. I like the sofa. The sofa and I go way back."
And with exaggerated delicacy, he patted the armrest like it was a dear friend who had just bailed him out of jail.
He smiled sheepishly, a little lopsided and sheepdog-tired now that the mortification was beginning to fade. "Really, don’t worry. You take the bed. I’ll be fine here."
He hesitated, then added with an almost inaudible mumble, "...And thank you. For being nice about it. Even if I sounded like a total creep."
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Date: 2025-05-14 09:04 pm (UTC)"Now. I won't be taking your bed from you. Come on~" she insisted, taking a hold of his wrists and tugging him upright, fully intending to lead him to his own bedroom.
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Date: 2025-05-14 09:49 pm (UTC)He covered his face again, muttering into his palms.
"...I’m going to stop talking now."
The shield is pulled away when he feels his wrists in her grasp. Soft, is his first thought. What is the second question that is permitted into the pocket of his mind as his cheeks flush yet again.
Now what Ichinose was doing felt contradictory to what she said earlier.
"Hmm~ Ichinose-san, I mean it- you are not taking anything from me," his brows furrowed as he nearly got up. Maybe he got up a little too well, swaying before his head ended up falling face-forward onto her shoulder.
"..." His hands straightened down as his head only reeled from the whiplash. "Went overboard again.."
no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 09:58 pm (UTC)Once she got him to lift his head, she started walking him down the hall, giggling a bit to herself in a drunken giddiness. Men! Absolutely ridiculous, sometimes.
Ah hah, this looked like a bedroom, not the room Morning had gone to. Into the room she pulled him until she could sit him on his mattress.
no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 10:19 pm (UTC)Still, he ended up obediently following her anyway, saying light protests along the way before he was inevitably led back to the subtle cosiness his bedroom offered. The satchel Hamuko made had joined Ichinose's kinchaku company, the ribbon glinting like Maruki's glasses that were slightly askew on his nose.
He chuckled weakly, a sombre smile taking over his lips. "...been a while since I have been lead into my bedroom," he commented as he planted one hand behind him to stay upright and not just sink into the goddamn mattress which was calling his name-
"Thank you," he continued sincerely as he looked up at Ichinose.
no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 10:23 pm (UTC)Really, the more mystifying thing was how she found that so endearing. Like rescuing a kitten from a storm drain.
"Your back will thank me in the morning," she chuckled, untying her obi and walking to the other side of the bed. She didn't let the yukata fall open, but she very well couldn't sleep with a snug obi on, right?
no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 10:45 pm (UTC)At her pulling away and walking to the other side, he sighed as he remained silent, not falling suit with Ichinose's preparation just yet.
Except his gaze had lowered, and then his head hung down, rubbing his clammy hands together as he closed his eyes.
The warmth of the room faded into something distant. Not cold, not unwelcome—just... muted. Like he’d slipped underwater. Ichinose’s soft movements at the other end of the bed no longer registered as something he was a part of. They were distant, happening in the periphery of a life that suddenly didn’t feel like his anymore.
He exhaled slowly, the sound shaky. Alcohol loosened the tongue, but in his case, it loosened memory. And now that her laughter had died down, and the night didn’t have anywhere else to go, his mind began to drift.
Rumi.
The name hovered behind his eyes like light through stained glass—familiar and too precious to look at for long. She’d be laughing if she could see him now. Not mocking—never that. But in that gentle, knowing way of hers. The way she used to when she caught him fussing over minutiae or apologizing too much to a barista.
Or staying up late nights for his research.
"..."
no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 10:52 pm (UTC)"Hmm hmm, hmm hmmm...♪"
Ahh, she's gotten that favorite song stuck in her head again. It really was such an earworm!
Once she was comfortable enough, she sat down on the other side of the bed, scooting herself onto it. Mmm, yes, good comfortable size! It fit both of them just fine. And there was not a single thought or doubt in Ichinose's mind - Maruki wouldn't do anything to her.
1/2
Date: 2025-05-14 11:25 pm (UTC)Her name barely would have made a sound in his mouth. But in his chest, it echoed.
He wasn't sure what had brought her to mind so suddenly. Maybe it was the quiet. The kind of quiet that only shows up when you're with someone else, but neither of you is talking. Maybe it was the bed— suddenly too wide, too soft, too new for someone who had gotten used to the awkward, half-collapsed sprawl of couch cushions or dozing off with the ringing in their ears because they stayed up too late typing away at their laptop. Maybe it was just how his heart always seemed to find its way back to her when he wasn't watching.
He rubbed his palms together slowly, like friction might burn the thoughts away.
She’d believed in his dreams—until those dreams took her away.
Now, dreams only visited in pieces. In voices. In memories that snuck up on him like this.
But—
Something shifted in the air. Like a soft wind picking up. Or a memory trying to replace itself with something new.
He blinked, the hum reaching his ears slowly, threading its way through the fog in his mind.
Ichinose.
She was humming.
He paused. Still.
His head turned slightly, just enough to glance behind him—just enough to see her scooting onto the bed. The blankets dipped with her weight, and the sound of fabric shifting, of something quietly domestic, filled the space between them. His gaze caught on her for a beat too long.
And in that moment, he realised he hadn’t remembered to fix his face.
He didn’t even know what kind of expression she might’ve seen on him. But it must’ve been sad. It usually was, when he let himself drift.
2/2
Date: 2025-05-14 11:28 pm (UTC)"...Four times," he said softly, almost more to himself than to her.
His hand came up to tug at the fold of his yukata. The motion was casual—half teasing, half methodical—as he started to undress in turn, slipping out of the outer robe and settling into the lighter, more breathable layer beneath. His movements lacked their usual anxious polish, a sign that the alcohol hadn’t entirely let go of him yet.
He folded the yukata neatly beside him, mimicking her care without even realizing it.
"I’ve heard you hum that song four times now," he continued, casting a sidelong glance her way. "Once in my Palace, when I showed you to your room. Second, when you were focused on whatever you were typing away at your desk. Third, in the party—though that one was more a... performance."
He gave a small, knowing smile.
"And now. The fourth time."
A pause.
He looked down, untying the sash around his waist with an exaggerated slowness.
"Only 3,496 times left before I catch up to your streak," he muttered with faint amusement, referencing the number she’d offhandedly mentioned (and was rather proud) about at the party. "So I guess I’m a little behind."
He leaned back, bracing himself with one hand as he stretched his legs out.
"But... I think I can manage. With time."
no subject
Date: 2025-05-14 11:51 pm (UTC)...He was listening.
Ichinose looked down at him, studying him, a bemused smile on her face as she tilted her head. He was keeping little details like that about her? That gesture... he really did take her seriously, then. He really did listen and dedicate her to heart.
Why was that, Maruki?
For the moment, Ichinose looked at him like she was truly seeing him.
Well, then... time for a gesture in return. Gently, she reached to his face and took off his glasses, folding them neatly and reaching over Maruki to set them safely on the nightstand. "I'm sure it'll get stuck in your head in no time, too."
♪♫♩
Date: 2025-05-15 12:28 am (UTC)The expression he gave back to her was weakly amused but ultimately lost in thought—lopsided, tired, and not nearly convincing enough to hide the weight still dragging behind his gaze.
He didn’t say anything right away, letting her study him as he slowly shifted, easing himself further back on the mattress with a quiet exhale. His eyes briefly flicked downward—catching the more relaxed, simplified way she’d tied her yukata, the absence of the obi, the little moments of comfort she had allowed herself.
And then she leaned forward.
He went still.
A flicker of panic passed through him—reflexive, anxious. The kind of uncertainty that came with not knowing how to interpret someone else’s nearness. His fingers twitched as if preparing for flight.
But she wasn’t reaching for him.
His glasses.
She was taking his glasses off.
He blinked—eyes rounding a little, caught off guard by how careful her fingers were, how gently she folded the arms and leaned past him just slightly to set them on the nightstand. He followed her motion with his eyes, expression softening with the realization.
"...Oh." A pause. Then, the faintest of chuckles. "A noble rescue."
He tilted his head slightly, eyes following her face now with something lighter than before. "You just saved them from an early death by getting smushed to the mattress. Again. You may not know this, but I... tend to forget they’re there until it’s too late."
His smile deepened, lazy but warm.
"My hero," he added, mock dramatic.
Without the frames, his face looked subtly different—softer, more exposed. The faint tiredness around his eyes, the small slope of his brows, the way the alcohol had left just a faint pink across his cheeks. Ichinose, blurry or not, would see more of him than most ever did.
He let his body finally rest, easing onto his back and sinking into the pillow like it had been calling him this whole time. The bed sighed beneath his weight.
For a few seconds, he just lay there in silence, breathing in the calm.
no subject
Date: 2025-05-15 12:34 am (UTC)With a small chuckle, she pulled her hair into her hand so it didn't go every which-way as she laid down next to him, her back to him as she settled in and got comfortable. She wiggled under the blanket but over the sheets, curling up and letting out a long, comfortable exhale.
His face looked adorably naked without his glasses, less guarded but also less of that magnified glimmer to them... what a funny thought.
"Good night~"
1/2
Date: 2025-05-15 10:50 am (UTC)"Friends don't keep tallies," he murmured back, voice already trailing toward sleep as he finally closed his eyes. So much happened today, he needed to get back to writing all of it down in his diary so that he could recall it all when he was sober.
"Good night, Ichinose-san."
The word was soft, not performative—just something he needed to say.
He shifted just enough to get comfortable, back turned to her as well, careful not to jostle the blanket too much. His hair, normally combed back into some semblance of order, was now a loose mess, slightly flattened on one side, sticking out in odd directions. Even in sleep, some part of him honored her space without realizing it—keeping to the farthest edge of his side of the bed, arms tucked close to himself, legs instinctively curled inward and away.
He was out cold within seconds.
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