Of course there's still a lot of work left. [There are few people who can do a '...well, yeah, what did you expect?' tone or expression quite as well as Spanner. Without much infliction, and the slight raise of an eyebrow, it's amazing how thoroughly he can call Shoichi's unreasonable personal goals into question.] You've been working alone, under constant surveillance, this whole time. It's amazing you were able to do anything at all. Now that you're free and have help, everything will go a lot faster.
[He lifts a hand to lightly pat that bright red hair.] And what does it matter if Byakuran expected this to happen? You got away with it. Everything so far has been going according to what you arranged. I don't know if whether you got away with it because he had no idea, or whether you got away with it because Byakuran's eccentric enough to humor you for some reason, really matters. All that matters is where we are now.
[He pauses.] ...besides, in a way, this might be better. If you'd really caught Byakuran off-guard, and he became unstable and angry...things could have gotten really bad. As it is, he's still taking his time and being indulgent because he's still confident. It may be better if he doesn't get really shaken up until the Vongola are ready.
[But then, Shoichi knows that’s part of why he likes him so much. He’s not prone to flights of fancy, or transparent white lies. He’s… just honest. Realistic. Sometimes Shoichi thinks his head is going to fly off his body from how much anxiety fills it, but Spanner has always felt the opposite, a grounding presence. It gives what he say weight, enough to keep Shoichi from flying off the handle.]
[So, he can’t argue against everything he’s just said, but there’s still a soft sigh.]
Yeah…. Yeah. We’re still here, so…
[They can do something. There’s still a chance to succeed.]
God, Spanner… I’m so tired.
[And he doesn’t mean in a physical way, either. Just… in every definition of the word.]
[Spanner's voice has that particular tone of 'and you know it's true, don't argue with me' that only one best friend heckling another over their bad habits can achieve. Still, it's also gentle.]
Forget the coffee. You need to relax, not get more jittery. [He nudges Shoichi lightly.] Come back to my room. I can show you stuff about my Moscas until you fall asleep.
[Not his plans and ideas and schematics for tomorrow. He thinks Shoichi needs to be able to stop thinking about Byakuran and everything that needs to be done in relation to him for awhile. What he's suggesting instead is something a lot like the relaxed times they've spent hanging out together.]
[So does just laying somewhere, listening to Spanner talk, and not having to think. He lets himself be nudged, trying to stand a little on his own so he’s not as much of a burden. From beneath his bangs, he glances up at Spanner sheepishly.]
Of course it does. I bet you can't remember the last time you took one.
[He looks down at Shoichi in faint surprise at the gratitude, but he smiles after a few moments.] ...I'm just glad we aren't enemies. After you knocked out the Cervello and started talking like yourself again, and not like Byakuran's right hand...I don't think I've ever been that relieved in my life. [And it had nothing to do with the situation he or the Vongola were in, or the fact that if the threats had all been real then Spanner would have been in every bit as much danger of being killed as any of the Vongola. Those things didn't matter to him. Friends are considerably rarer than the threat of imminent death, and thus much more worth worrying about.] I still haven't really gotten over it.
[He'd felt as close to giddy as someone of his largely unflappable personality could ever be; he's been brimming with energy and ideas ever since. The feeling's still fresh in him now. The coffee had been much more to force his body to catch up with his brain than because he's feeling any kind of sleepy.]
So...you don't have to thank me. I'm not over feeling grateful myself. [Not for anything Shoichi did, precisely. Just...for who Shoichi is. For who he still is (a conscientious, stressed-out nerd) and who he isn't(a cold Millefiore captain). And for where he is, which is right beside Spanner, leaning somewhat against his shoulder.]
[The admission that this has affected Spanner so deeply- Spanner, seemingly so distant to everyone else, reserved in emotions until he’s not, lost in a world made up of robots and programming- nearly has Shoichi trip over his own feet. A blossoming warmth is wrapping around his heart, embarrassing as it is to say, and he ruffles his own already messy hair.]
Jeez, Spanner… [But there’s a clumsy little smile on his face.] ...I’m glad too. Before it got figured out what you were up to, I still hadn’t really figured out how to get you out of the Millefiore or anything… Or even if you’d really want to get out.
[Not that it would have been hard, in hindsight, but he’d been so swamped with everything, Shoichi is amazed his brain remembered he needed basic things like food.]
[Spanner shrugs at that, using the shoulder Shoichi's not leaning against.] You know I never cared a whole lot about the Millefiore specifically. I just went where people needed weapons and robots, people could give me a lab and supplies to make things. The specifics didn't really matter. And between hearing you were working with Byakuran, and seeing what he did to people who didn't work with him...it seemed like a smart enough choice.
I wasn't really loyal to them or anything, though. I didn't like most of them. And not many of them even understood my work, much less appreciated it.
Ha… Yeah, we did work with a bunch of jerks, didn’t we?
[Even if he hadn’t been dedicated to wiping out the Millefiore from the inside, Shoichi can’t imagine himself liking most of his coworkers. Byakuran really had a talent for picking out the worst in the bunch…]
[Something suddenly occurs to him, and he abruptly stops, eyes going wide. It takes him a moment to verbalize his revelation.]
...I can speak as badly about Glo Xinia as I want without having to worry about inner-Family conflicts ever again.
[Or until the world ends because they’ve failed to stop Byakuran, but, whatever, either or is fine by him.]
[And it is. Spanner has been, for ages now, been his one little bit of relief while he’s been working as a double agent, even if he could never tell his best friend the truth. At least, not until now.]
[It has him letting out a breath, brushing a little more against Spanner now.]
It’s not a lot… but having that weight off my shoulders is nice.
Yeah. And it explains a lot of things that didn't make sense to me, back before I knew. [Judging by how relaxed Spanner is as he says this, it's clear that the revelations of it have put his mind at ease more than anything.
He opens the door as they reach Spanner's room, beckoning Shoichi in. Despite the fact that he's only just set up in here, there's already a bunch of machinery and tools spread out on one section of the floor, opposite his bed, his laptop sitting in pride of place amidst it.
[Shoichi sighs out his laugh when the door opens and he sees Spanner’s room. Of course.]
Always so quick to make yourself right at home…
[But he doesn’t argue against Spanner’s order or fight against the nudge, merely goes with it as he flops down against the bed with a bounce. Beds. Beds are such a good thing. He’s missed beds.]
The boss already has a Vongola mechanic, and he doesn't seem to like me butting in on his turf much. I need to make myself useful if I'm going to be here. [Spanner shrugs, not seeming too bothered by this, but the fact that he's thinking like that at all, now that he's Vongola, speaks for how long he was working for Byakuran and the Millefiore. He views Gianinni's displeasure as a serious matter, one that could possibly affect him to a serious degree, and evidently considers his place with the Vongola to be contingent on not just his work, but the quality of it and the immediacy of his producing it.
He's spent time with Tsuna, but not enough of it to really understand him. Not enough to really parse that Tsuna would still consider Spanner a friend and a valued member of the Vongola, and would defend him as such, even if Spanner never so much as turned another screw for the rest of his life. Spanner's much more accustomed to a meritocracy arrangement and is still operating under the assumption that he's in one.
He sits down with his back against the side of the bed, grabbing his laptop and bringing it onto his lap. Shoichi can easily see over his shoulder.] I've been thinking about the contacts I made for the boss, and they work fine for what they are. But it takes time for him to charge up his X-Burner - time he's completely still, focusing on the balance of his flames, basically a sitting duck. It's not really ideal. I had the idea for some kind of device that would automatically calibrate the level of flame output, synchronize it between each hand by restricting or increasing the flames until the level matches up. In concept, it'd let the boss fire his X-Burner without a long charge time, or having to take the time to manually balance the flame output.
[He frowns.] It's still only in the conceptual stages, though. Impeding flame output through technology is a lot different, to say nothing of being more complex, than just measuring it.
[As Spanner goes to settle besides the bed, Shoichi adjusts himself, curling up on his side to watch Spanner without getting up. It takes a little bit, honestly, because he has to make sure his glasses aren't digging into the side of his face, but he manages.]
Sky's attribute is "harmony"... Do you think it would be possible to create something that would work with his flame- optimizing that attribute to more immediately find balance between the two flame types?
[Admittedly, he's heard that Sky flames in practice can be a lot more vicious, but at the same time... That kind of thing couldn't be impossible, right? It's a mysterious flame, and, to Shoichi, it almost seems like it's a little different for every boss he's seen who's held that flame. Byakuran's ability to connect with parallel universes, the mystery which are the Giglio Nero matriarchs, the infamous Vongola Intuition... Anything is possible with such an unpredictable flame.]
Maybe. [Spanner tilts his head as he considers the matter.] The only problem with that idea is that it'd require heavy long-term collaboration with the boss in pretty much every stage of testing and construction. It's not something I'd be able to tinker with on my own, and we couldn't do the project at all until after we deal with Byakuran. The boss won't have time for it before then. And of course, once Byakuran's dealt with, the boss will go back to his own time with his ring.
That'd be the best way to do it, definitely, but we won't have a chance of getting it done within the timeframe. No project that requires working closely with the boss will be something we can get done. So if I'm going to make this, I have to figure out how to make it work without the boss being involved. And I have to be quick about it, too.
[It's completely unrealistic, but Spanner's always pushed the envelope when it comes to mechanical projects.]
[Fondness, exasperation, concern, all of it intermingles in Shoichi’s voice as he reaches over to bump his knuckles against the back of Spanner’s neck.]
You’re going to die trying to push yourself to finish that in time.
I probably won't be able to. [Spanner shrugs.] If I don't have to do anything else for the Vongola until the showdown with Byakuran, maybe. But I get a feeling I'll be needed before that for other projects. But it won't hurt to make an attempt. And it gives me something to do until my next project comes along. Maybe I'll make enough progress that it'll be useful somehow.
[For instance, maybe the knowledge will travel ten years back into the past to his younger self.]
[Still, for now, he just taps his fingers along Spanner’s back. He’s not even really thinking about it; his mind is halfway into sleep.]
When I’m more awake… I’ll help then. Not doing anything makes me fidgety…
[After all, he’s too deeply entrenched into a habit that’s had years of cultivation, aggressively doing his research on time and space along with doing his duties as a Millefiore Captain. A break almost doesn’t seem like a real concept to him at this point.]
[Spanner smiles as he feels those fingers against his back, glancing over his shoulder at Shoichi.] When you're more awake, I'll let you. It'll be nice working on stuff together with you; I always wondered why you weren't a mechanic for Byakuran, but I guess I know now.
[Spanner watches this performance of stress-induced narcolepsy with fond amusement. He stays still for a minute or so, letting Shoichi sink deeper into sleep, before quietly setting his laptop aside. Then, once he's able to get to his feet, he carefully removes Shoichi's glasses to set them on his bedside table, then tugs a blanket out from beneath Shoichi to drape over him. (He's not particularly worried about waking him; he's not sure anything short of a direct missile strike or a particularly vivid nightmare which is to say Byakuran could wake Shoichi now.)
Then, once his friend is settled in to Spanner's liking, Spanner sits down on the floor again, sitting cross-legged, laptop balanced on his knees, and resumes his work. If he knows Shoichi at all, it's that the gentle tapping of his keyboard is probably as good as any lullaby his friend could ask for.]
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badliifechoiice22016-09-14 09:12 am
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There's still so much work to do... And how much did I really do if he was expecting me to turn traitor on him this entire time?
[Tangling his fingers through his hair, Shoichi leans forward to bump his head into Spanner's shoulder again.]
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[He lifts a hand to lightly pat that bright red hair.] And what does it matter if Byakuran expected this to happen? You got away with it. Everything so far has been going according to what you arranged. I don't know if whether you got away with it because he had no idea, or whether you got away with it because Byakuran's eccentric enough to humor you for some reason, really matters. All that matters is where we are now.
[He pauses.] ...besides, in a way, this might be better. If you'd really caught Byakuran off-guard, and he became unstable and angry...things could have gotten really bad. As it is, he's still taking his time and being indulgent because he's still confident. It may be better if he doesn't get really shaken up until the Vongola are ready.
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[But then, Shoichi knows that’s part of why he likes him so much. He’s not prone to flights of fancy, or transparent white lies. He’s… just honest. Realistic. Sometimes Shoichi thinks his head is going to fly off his body from how much anxiety fills it, but Spanner has always felt the opposite, a grounding presence. It gives what he say weight, enough to keep Shoichi from flying off the handle.]
[So, he can’t argue against everything he’s just said, but there’s still a soft sigh.]
Yeah…. Yeah. We’re still here, so…
[They can do something. There’s still a chance to succeed.]
God, Spanner… I’m so tired.
[And he doesn’t mean in a physical way, either. Just… in every definition of the word.]
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[Spanner's voice has that particular tone of 'and you know it's true, don't argue with me' that only one best friend heckling another over their bad habits can achieve. Still, it's also gentle.]
Forget the coffee. You need to relax, not get more jittery. [He nudges Shoichi lightly.] Come back to my room. I can show you stuff about my Moscas until you fall asleep.
[Not his plans and ideas and schematics for tomorrow. He thinks Shoichi needs to be able to stop thinking about Byakuran and everything that needs to be done in relation to him for awhile. What he's suggesting instead is something a lot like the relaxed times they've spent hanging out together.]
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[So does just laying somewhere, listening to Spanner talk, and not having to think. He lets himself be nudged, trying to stand a little on his own so he’s not as much of a burden. From beneath his bangs, he glances up at Spanner sheepishly.]
Thanks. For everything.
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[He looks down at Shoichi in faint surprise at the gratitude, but he smiles after a few moments.] ...I'm just glad we aren't enemies. After you knocked out the Cervello and started talking like yourself again, and not like Byakuran's right hand...I don't think I've ever been that relieved in my life. [And it had nothing to do with the situation he or the Vongola were in, or the fact that if the threats had all been real then Spanner would have been in every bit as much danger of being killed as any of the Vongola. Those things didn't matter to him. Friends are considerably rarer than the threat of imminent death, and thus much more worth worrying about.] I still haven't really gotten over it.
[He'd felt as close to giddy as someone of his largely unflappable personality could ever be; he's been brimming with energy and ideas ever since. The feeling's still fresh in him now. The coffee had been much more to force his body to catch up with his brain than because he's feeling any kind of sleepy.]
So...you don't have to thank me. I'm not over feeling grateful myself. [Not for anything Shoichi did, precisely. Just...for who Shoichi is. For who he still is (a conscientious, stressed-out nerd) and who he isn't(a cold Millefiore captain). And for where he is, which is right beside Spanner, leaning somewhat against his shoulder.]
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Jeez, Spanner… [But there’s a clumsy little smile on his face.] ...I’m glad too. Before it got figured out what you were up to, I still hadn’t really figured out how to get you out of the Millefiore or anything… Or even if you’d really want to get out.
[Not that it would have been hard, in hindsight, but he’d been so swamped with everything, Shoichi is amazed his brain remembered he needed basic things like food.]
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I wasn't really loyal to them or anything, though. I didn't like most of them. And not many of them even understood my work, much less appreciated it.
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[Even if he hadn’t been dedicated to wiping out the Millefiore from the inside, Shoichi can’t imagine himself liking most of his coworkers. Byakuran really had a talent for picking out the worst in the bunch…]
[Something suddenly occurs to him, and he abruptly stops, eyes going wide. It takes him a moment to verbalize his revelation.]
...I can speak as badly about Glo Xinia as I want without having to worry about inner-Family conflicts ever again.
[Or until the world ends because they’ve failed to stop Byakuran, but, whatever, either or is fine by him.]
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[But Spanner's accustomed to Shoichi talking a lot more freely around him about things than he ever did with anyone else in the Millefiore.]
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[And it is. Spanner has been, for ages now, been his one little bit of relief while he’s been working as a double agent, even if he could never tell his best friend the truth. At least, not until now.]
[It has him letting out a breath, brushing a little more against Spanner now.]
It’s not a lot… but having that weight off my shoulders is nice.
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He opens the door as they reach Spanner's room, beckoning Shoichi in. Despite the fact that he's only just set up in here, there's already a bunch of machinery and tools spread out on one section of the floor, opposite his bed, his laptop sitting in pride of place amidst it.
It's the bed Shoichi gets nudged at.] Lie down.
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Always so quick to make yourself right at home…
[But he doesn’t argue against Spanner’s order or fight against the nudge, merely goes with it as he flops down against the bed with a bounce. Beds. Beds are such a good thing. He’s missed beds.]
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He's spent time with Tsuna, but not enough of it to really understand him. Not enough to really parse that Tsuna would still consider Spanner a friend and a valued member of the Vongola, and would defend him as such, even if Spanner never so much as turned another screw for the rest of his life. Spanner's much more accustomed to a meritocracy arrangement and is still operating under the assumption that he's in one.
He sits down with his back against the side of the bed, grabbing his laptop and bringing it onto his lap. Shoichi can easily see over his shoulder.] I've been thinking about the contacts I made for the boss, and they work fine for what they are. But it takes time for him to charge up his X-Burner - time he's completely still, focusing on the balance of his flames, basically a sitting duck. It's not really ideal. I had the idea for some kind of device that would automatically calibrate the level of flame output, synchronize it between each hand by restricting or increasing the flames until the level matches up. In concept, it'd let the boss fire his X-Burner without a long charge time, or having to take the time to manually balance the flame output.
[He frowns.] It's still only in the conceptual stages, though. Impeding flame output through technology is a lot different, to say nothing of being more complex, than just measuring it.
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Sky's attribute is "harmony"... Do you think it would be possible to create something that would work with his flame- optimizing that attribute to more immediately find balance between the two flame types?
[Admittedly, he's heard that Sky flames in practice can be a lot more vicious, but at the same time... That kind of thing couldn't be impossible, right? It's a mysterious flame, and, to Shoichi, it almost seems like it's a little different for every boss he's seen who's held that flame. Byakuran's ability to connect with parallel universes, the mystery which are the Giglio Nero matriarchs, the infamous Vongola Intuition... Anything is possible with such an unpredictable flame.]
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That'd be the best way to do it, definitely, but we won't have a chance of getting it done within the timeframe. No project that requires working closely with the boss will be something we can get done. So if I'm going to make this, I have to figure out how to make it work without the boss being involved. And I have to be quick about it, too.
[It's completely unrealistic, but Spanner's always pushed the envelope when it comes to mechanical projects.]
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[Fondness, exasperation, concern, all of it intermingles in Shoichi’s voice as he reaches over to bump his knuckles against the back of Spanner’s neck.]
You’re going to die trying to push yourself to finish that in time.
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[For instance, maybe the knowledge will travel ten years back into the past to his younger self.]
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[Still, for now, he just taps his fingers along Spanner’s back. He’s not even really thinking about it; his mind is halfway into sleep.]
When I’m more awake… I’ll help then. Not doing anything makes me fidgety…
[After all, he’s too deeply entrenched into a habit that’s had years of cultivation, aggressively doing his research on time and space along with doing his duties as a Millefiore Captain. A break almost doesn’t seem like a real concept to him at this point.]
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[Also a part of him isn’t entirely uncertain that Byakuran didn’t give him the job just to see him be stressed. His romantic tastes need a tune up.]
[Pulling his hand back, he rakes his through his hair, destroying what little form it’s been keeping up until this point.]
Seriously, make sure to get some.. Rest… okay?
[And then, just like that, his hand halfway to his glasses, he’s out like a light.]
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which is to say Byakurancould wake Shoichi now.)Then, once his friend is settled in to Spanner's liking, Spanner sits down on the floor again, sitting cross-legged, laptop balanced on his knees, and resumes his work. If he knows Shoichi at all, it's that the gentle tapping of his keyboard is probably as good as any lullaby his friend could ask for.]