perfectmatch | week three

[THE WAY HE ACTUALLY PROBABLY COULD SPONSOR BECAUSE HE MAY ACTUALLY BE LOADED. . .]

[a dry snort]

Hah! You're more money-grubbing than some of the greediest swindlers I know.

[but it's a half-hearted jibe. more of a tease!]

. . . I'll think about it.

[he hasn't forgotten the EASY MARK comment after all. or the post-game invoice he is sure he is going to get!!]

[ EDAMURA'S SUGAR DADDY ERA INCOMING????? 😳 ]

That's harsh, Edamura-san.

[ So he says, but he's mostly just going along with the tease. ]

Maybe you're underestimating how tough it is running a business on your own? There's always a lot of costs I need to cover -- video equipment, merch production, travel costs ... [ A brief pause before he continues. ] ... and it's expensive prototyping and producing all the anti-ghost tools I sell and use. I'm not careless about my craft, you see? Research and investigation are time-consuming as well. I do well enough, but once all the costs and time spent are taken into account, my profits aren't that high.

[ How serious is he being? That's for him to know and the audience to guess. ]

So any support would go a long way! Besides -- what else will you be doing with your free time? Do you have any plans for after this show's over?

[help he would make such a terrible sugar daddy???]

[stifling a bit of a yawn as he pillows his chin more comfortably against his arms]

I briefly thought about opening a cafe, just to make people happy with my coffee. . . but it's like you said! Owning a business is a lot of work. Way too much work.

[. . .]

[. . . . .]

Before I came onto this show, I got a call from an associate about another job.

[Laurent knows he is always up for another, no matter how retired he may be. it's an unfortunate weakness. he hates how well his partner knows him]

So that's probably waiting for me when I get back.

[ A job, hmm? ]

Haha. It's tough being a freelancer, isn't it. You can never rest for too long.

[ Of course, by this point, he knows what Edamura means with that vague phrase -- and he wonders, too, how many people know about what lies beneath that facade. Rom pauses briefly, absently ducking his head to scuff some sweat away on the shoulder of his shirt. ]

... I've heard clients can be fairly unpredictable, working odd jobs like that. You never know who you'll run into. So. [ He'd been sitting hunched, but Rom straightens up a little bit -- just so he can pat a hand at Edamura's shoulder. Brief, but there. ] Please do be careful. Unfortunately, I can't offer you anything to protect against unruly clients.

[comfy as Edamura is like this, he does tilt his head slightly to watch Rom move from the corners of his vision. not for any particular reason, except. . . maybe to note that as the conversation continues, his companion looks even more and more miserable, sitting completely covered in the sweltering heat of the onsen pools as he is]

[. . . frowns!!]

I can trust my associates to have my back. [it took him a while to truly understand how deeply that trust ran. but after his job in Tokyo. . . he doesn't think anything could shake his trust in them now] So I'll be okay. If you're really that worried about me, I'll keep in touch.

[and before Rom can really think about that--]

I know it's not proper etiquette, but since we're all in swimsuits, you could probably get in the water just as you are.

[please. stop suffering]

Edited 2025-06-21 16:00 (UTC)

[ Hello?? That's Rom's usual tactic, you can't just use it back on him?????

Though ... the matter of associates isn't something he can speak about as much, anyway. Exorcists are a rare breed as far where he's from, with no overarching organization like the school Shoko speaks of. Individuals only cooperate when appropriate for a job, then tend to disperse afterwards. And while a part of him wonders how much one can trust 'associates' when it comes to Edamura's line of work ... he's good at handling people in the end, isn't he? He'll trust Edamura's judgement on that front.

So anyway -- ]

Mm? Like this? [ He gives a deadpan laugh at that, a hand rising to idly brush a few sweat-slick strands of hair away from his face. Also deadpan: ] It's not even about etiquette, to be honest. ... I'm just more embarrassed about these sorts of things than you might assume.

[OR CAN HE. . .]

[. . . at any rate. . . there's a brief pause while Edamura focuses on that movement, on the brush of fingers through damp bangs, just]

[a little]

[too much]

[-- a shake of his head and he is normal again]

There's nothing wrong with embarrassed. [even having grown up in a community where public bathing is normal, Edamura gets it!] But you're seriously going to pass out like this. . .

[hm. what would help]

Maybe we can find you a more private bath, where no one else can see you?

Edited (the typos i find an hour later. . .) 2025-06-21 22:48 (UTC)

[ For better or for worse, Rom is completely oblivious to the staring. He's just making sure his right eye is still covered, nothing to see here? ]

A private bath ...

[ A thoughtful hum as he considers the option just for a moment. ]

Apologies if you're inviting me on a date [ ????? Edamura wasn't saying this???????? moving right along ] but it's not so much everyone else as it is the cameras I'd be embarrassed to undress in front of. I have an image to maintain outside of the show, and this sort of thing is best left ambiguous unless I have something remarkable to show off, you know?

I'll be fine, though. No need to worry. [ hehe ] I'm sure you'll keep me from drowning if I happen to faint.

[the way he needs to ask about that at some point but for now just assumes it's the way Rom's bangs fall. . .]

[a prickle of heat not from the bath warms Edamura's cheeks as he pushes himself upright, sending a few splashes Rom's way, but not on purpose]

I wasn't--!

[but truly, denial matters not when they've already gone out twice. . . with their most recent excursion having been on Edamura's invitation. so he sinks back into the bath, all the way up to his nose, blowing a few angry bubbles as he glowers in his fluster]

[but a few moments pass. . . and he sits up again]

I could break the cameras.

[bean gone wild]

[ That earns a laugh -- brief but genuine.

It's sweet, after all. The consideration is sweet. Even if it's purely that Edamura doesn't like the unfair circumstances, the fact that he'd get incensed at all is terribly sweet. ]

Now, now, Edamura-san. You'll get in trouble if you did something like that.

[ And while it's not the sort of thing he'd ever do under normal circumstances ... maybe it's the heady heat of the onsen, maybe it's a spur of the moment impulse, maybe it's just because these sorts of interactions are all so novel. He permits himself to reach forth, ruffling Edamura's hair for a moment. (Fond.) ]

I'll be fine, really. But thank you. Just the fact that you'd consider it is clearing my head considerably. [ It's only after he's withdrawn his hand that he feels a little self-conscious, and Rom tries not to think about the sensation lingering at his fingertips. ] Just join me in getting a cold beer after this is done. I'd appreciate that very much.

[h]

[. . . eh??]

[with as damp as Edamura's locks are, they stick out in all sorts of random directions when Rom pulls away. and yet. . . he doesn't lift a hand to smooth them out, instead spending a few quiet seconds just. . . staring. what was. . .]

[. . .]

[no. he's overthinking it]

[a sharp exhale, brows knitting together, and Edamura stands up in the pool, positioning himself right in front of Rom with arms folded]

. . . sure. I will.

[even if beer will not be the hydrating solution that Rom will need after SWEATIN' IT OUT]

But first: lean forward.

[???]

[ Wow. That isn't suspicious at all.

Even if it's usually his style to let any sort of manhandling happen without protest, Rom hesitates for a moment, giving Edamura a weary Look. ]

... Edamura-san. I trust that you aren't about to just pull me into the water.

[ Then he obligingly leans forward, gripping his hands at the edge of the pool to make sure he doesn't just tip in. Do your worst, Edamame-chan??? ]

Tempting!

[IT IS. . . but at the same time he isn't that much of a scamp. only enough of one to cup a palmful of water into his hands and]

[unceremoniously]

[dump it all on top of Rom's head]

[naturally, he gives no time for Rom to recover before he buries his fingers into those unruly black locks and ruffles VERY AGGRESSIVELY. maybe when the hotsprings water naturally cools in the air, it'll help! isn't that science]

[or something]

[ Perhaps as expected, Rom doesn't even flinch when he feels the splash of water down on his hair. It's only when he feels hands scuffling aggressively into his hair that he gives a startled jump -- probably the first Edamura's seen from him. ]

Ah -- wah -- [ Maybe it's a little uncharacteristic, the unguarded and very human noises he makes in surprised response. ] Edamura-san?!

[ It's only when the hands finally retreat from the mess of his hair that Rom looks up -- one hand reflexively pressed against the right side of his face to press down his long bangs there, but his visible eye open wide in owlish surprise. Given how fluffy his hair is by default, probably unsurprising that it's almost doubled in volume from the scuffing, sticking out in all directions in unruly spikes.

Rom blinks, and it's almost completely natural when he ventures -- ]

... what was that for?

[. . .]

[huh. . . that's. . . cute. . .]

I figured if your hair was damp, it'd cool in the night air. It might give you some relief from the heat. Right?

[is that how science works?? no?? whatever!! though. . . for the very first time, Edamura's gaze flickers towards the right side of Rom's face, tracing the way his companion reaches up to flatten bangs against his right eye. one brow raises in curiosity, but. . . maybe it's just how he likes his bangs to fall??]

[ One more owlish blink before he gives a low laugh. ]

... haha. I don't know if it works like that, Edamura-san. [ Vaguely, he wonders if it would be more normal to get mad at that? Annoyed, at least? He doesn't want to, though. Something about that gesture feels okay to let slide, and not in the way he usually lets people's treatment of him fall away like water off a duck's back. This feels ... permissible, in a strange way. ] But I'll accept the thought behind the gesture, at least.

[ Even before he's finished speaking, he's started combing through his hair with his fingers to try and tame it back into some semblance of order. But he does notice Edamura's curious stare after a moment and smiles. ]

-- did you want to do it again?

Do you want me to do it again?

[another light tease, before he shakes his head]

That's not it, though. . . I think I just noticed that you style your hair in a very specific way.

[the moment the words leave his mouth, he semi-regrets them, if only because it makes it obvious just how much he was looking. a little more non-bath-related pink flushes his cheeks as he turns away, arms folded again]

. . . not that it's any of my business! I just-- . . . you know.

[he noticed!]

[ Of course, he makes the inference that this means Edamura must have been looking. But that's nothing he takes personally -- his style is deliberate, after all, and he usually gets the exact reaction he's fishing for. If Edamura is curious, that's nothing odd.

But while he'd normally brush the matter off with a laugh, saying he just has his preferences ... ]

... please let me warn you first. [ This is so ominous????? A dramatic pause in his usual style before he continues: ] You have no reason to feel bad about anything. Okay?

[ And only then, he says something that Miru pulls the first plausible answer out of her fucking ass because the canon has provided zero answers so far: ]

I was injured there when I was much younger. It's rather unsightly. That's all.

[the warning helps, but only partially; Edamura's features grow slack anyway, mouth parting slightly. his next verbal response is a simple, breathy]

. . . oh.

[Rom said he had no reason to feel bad, but there's still a small, creeping sensation of guilt gnawing at his stomach. that had been rather blunt of him, hadn't it?]

[the implication that Rom had dealings with malevolent spirits even in his youth is. . . also not surprising, considering the things Edamura has learned thus far. but it is a stark reminder of how different their worlds are]

[. . .]

. . . this is going to sound weird, and you can just say no.

[. . .]

[fingers twitch with the urge to reach out, before Edamura curls them into a fist, holding them tightly at his side]

Can I see?

[he has a reason for asking. he swears]

[ How easy it'd be to say 'no.' To evade, to make some obnoxious comment that'd turn the conversation back on Edamura and drop the subject. It's what he'd do for most people. After all -- what reason would there be for anyone to want to look, other than morbid curiosity? For as much as Rom is comfortable crafting an image for himself, he'd draw the line at making himself some sort of circus freakshow.

... that's not what this is, though. Is it?

He's reminded of how Edamura had indulged him, listened to his description of what he sees, without ridicule or disbelief. The depths of his empathy, despite being thrown into this chaos, surrounded by unknowns.

He'd been leveling his usual owlish stare for a moment, quiet, and there's no warning before Rom abruptly reaches forward -- snags his hand around Edamura's wrist to tug him closer. Not roughly, he doesn't want any sudden movements or splashing to catch the camera staff's attention. But he pulls Edamura around and in, to form a little bubble of space for them, and to position Edamura so his back blocks the nearest camera.

Then he leans forward and cants his head. Other eye looking aside. ]

Don't take too long. The cameramen will notice.

[ Beneath the mess of his hair, Edamura will find a jagged scar -- not large, but deep, with rough edges. Like something long ago tried to gouge the eye out. ]

[Rom moves so quickly that Edamura nearly trips as he is tugged forward, mostly out of surprise rather than by the force of the pull. it's gentle enough that he doesn't splash or pitch to the side with sudden imbalance. . . perfectly subtle that the nearby cameramen miss it. even so. . . he gets the hint, and with back arched, makes sure to crowd his fellow contestant as much as he can to prevent any curious cameras from getting a sneak peek]

[. . .]

[. . . except now, they're awfully. . .]

[. . . there's something about that hand around his wrist. . . it sends a few sparks of electricity coursing up his arm. or maybe it's the way Rom is leaning in now? so freakin' close that Edamura can see the small irises of his one good eye, and the way sweat-soaked bangs plaster against his forehead. little things that give him pause. tiny details that he finds his gaze lingering on for. . . reasons. . . ? what reasons??]

[his mouth suddenly feels a bit dry, but he swallows that sensation down quickly with a curt nod]

Y-- yeah. All right.

[. . .]

[with his free hand, Edamura lifts his fingers to carefully brush aside the fluffy bangs from Rom's right eye]

[. . . . . . his features harden almost instantly]

[he hadn't asked to see out of a sense of morbid curiosity, nor out of a desire to stare and gawk. their worlds are different-- so diametrically opposed that he has never seen an injury this bad before. he is sure even normal people could get hurt this badly back in his world, but. . . not for the same reasons as Rom. not fighting for their lives against supernatural beings hell bent on releasing their long-standing grudges against those who perceive them]

[he asked to see because. . . he wants to understand]

Shit, Shindou.

[a quiet mutter]

. . . I get it now.

[it puts. . . everything that he was told the other night into perspective. it informs him of the exact nature of the dangers Rom deals with on a daily basis. the ones that he combats completely alone, with no one else to have his back]

[. . .]

week three | mingle

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