tealeafs: (seasons pass)
chizuru yukimura ( 雪村 千鶴 ) ([personal profile] tealeafs) wrote in [community profile] deercountry2023-03-07 07:13 pm

(closed) march catchall

Who: Ange ([personal profile] entreats), Chizuru ([personal profile] tealeafs), Daniel ([personal profile] miyagimagic) and various others.
What: March shenanigans.
When: During all of March.
Where: Locations vary.

Content Warnings: Nothing right now, specific warnings will be in headers when they come up.

( starters in the comments! if you want to plot anything with me, feel free to either pm the journal or contact me at [plurk.com profile] queeningsquare, i'm always open to new ideas and threads! )
strongroots: (head loose)

[personal profile] strongroots 2023-03-16 10:05 am (UTC)(link)
[ Robby doesn't want to be misunderstood. And yet--he does, it's safer if he is. That not everything if he's brushing up against is seen, that some feelings--or some possibilities--should take time. When you're put in a box like son, it's fine if other boxes aren't considered. But it's--fine too, right, if they are? Like they were never seen, or maybe...

(Or maybe you're exactly like the outcast in normal society you've always felt, destined to be the lower dredges. He doesn't even feel that guilty about the idea. Why should he feel guilty if he can make Mister LaRusso happy?)

But he doesn't want to dishearten the man, is the thing. Like he's someone lesser, just the safer option between him and his dad. Robby watches Mister LaRusso, his eyes on him, and hopes--for now--he doesn't see any deeper. His gaze ducks a few sheepish times (yeah, maybe the dad thing is complicated to a guy like him, and putting Mister LaRusso on the same level as Mister Miyagi feels...wrong), and though Mister LaRusso seems to understand, it doesn't feel like enough.

No, just seeing himself as safer isn't enough. ]


You don't have to be jealous of my dad. [ Robby chuckles on a breath, rocking on his feet. He could say so much more, how good it is living here, how he's never felt as close to someone as Mister LaRusso in a long time; go on a few more spiels to make the man break, face beaming with his smile. The wrinkles, the weathering skin, and Robby's taking in that face now as he considers what it is he should say. Do.

He acts quickly, once he knows. A single step, his body leaning in, and his hand rests on the older man's arm gingerly, just for support--so he can set a kiss on Mister LaRusso's cheek, lingering no longer than a second before he pulls back. His insides are frantic, his skin heating, and he wants to look at Mister LaRusso and his reaction, but his own embarrassment sinks his head.

...which might be a good thing, though he would have felt it: the way there's ice forming on his right hand, expanding around his palm and sneaking up his fingertips. A small 'Ah' escapes him, and Robby fiddles to brush it off, but now the ice just wants to cling to his other hand.

Hold on, let him take the bracelet off entirely, hands fumbling at the work. Oh no, this is so uncool.......!! ]
miyagimagic: (152)

[personal profile] miyagimagic 2023-03-16 10:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Make that a double embarrassment.

Even if Daniel's is a little different. It's not one that has to do with knowing you carried out an action, like on Robby's end, but instead it's something that's much more wrapped around surprise. If there was anything he didn't see coming in this moment, it was this. Sure, the action itself may not be totally foreign to him - Sam did it often enough, after all. But it's one thing to expect it from the daughter you've watched grow up for all her life, and it's another thing to expect it.. well, here.

Not that it makes it a bad thing. Just a thing that momentarily stuns Daniel, even as what just happened slowly seeps through into his brain, coupled with the fond words added before it. You don't have to be jealous of my dad.

He turns to look at the boy while Robby is busy freaking out over the sudden ice on his hands. Despite the surprised fluster that initially came over Daniel, still lingering somewhere within him, the man seems so much calmer than Robby himself as he reaches out to grab the boy's hands, the ice retreating underneath Daniel's touch so naturally until it disappears entirely.

It's at that point that he's smiling over at Robby. Maybe it's not a wide ear-to-ear grin, but it's mostly since there's something a little more to this smile. Something so warm and fond.

Daniel is a man who pours so much of himself into everything - and especially into the people around him. His family, his students, his employees, his clients-- all the people he meets, even here in Trench. And there are enough times where all that goodwill and helpfulness is just taken for granted, or never reciprocated. Daniel is used to it by now, and he's never let that stopped him from doing the right or the kind thing in the first place.

But that doesn't take away that it makes this always feel extra special. Feeling such strong emotions about someone else, and knowing that it's mutual. That someone cares just as much about you as you care about them.

If Robby can stand at all to look at Daniel while the man is staring at him, he may notice that a sensei's eyes are getting a little shiny in the watery sort of way-- b-but pay that no mind, he's just feeling a lot right now, okay..

There probably isn't much time to see it anyway before Daniel uses the way he's holding the boy's hand to pull him in closer, one arm moving around Robby's back to pull him closer into a hug, and the other hand moving up higher to ruffle the boy's hair at the same time. ]


.. thanks, Robby. [ There's an only barely contained emotion in that tone.

There have been many times, even here in Trench, where Daniel felt he didn't deserve this sort of thing. Not coming from Robby of all people - the person Daniel maybe let down more than anyone else in his life.

He's not questioning it right now though. He's just wholeheartedly accepting it, as overwhelming as it is. ]


Never forget how lucky I feel to have you here.
strongroots: (sup)

[personal profile] strongroots 2023-03-16 11:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The ice is an embarrassing distraction Robby doesn't want right now, the pair of hands that slip within his vision, taking a hold of his, draining it away into nowhere. Robby looks up shyly, a flickering gaze he struggles to keep--because this too is embarrassing, the way Mister LaRusso's eyes are settled on him. His smile that makes Robby want to turn away, so sincere.

He doesn't. Robby looks back at him instead, a shy smile on his own lips, his heart knocking against his ribcage as it grows. Until he's pulled in, closer than he'd been just a second ago, the firm wrap of an arm around his back noticeable and warm.

(Chilly, but warm. The contradiction of Mister LaRusso's touch.)

And this is it, isn't it? An example of what he was talking about, his uncertain mind, his inability to keep Mister LaRusso in the same box. When he messes with his hair, speaks so fondly near his ear, and Robby feels a kind of déjà vu. A mom he hasn't seen in so long: the way she would kiss him, or he might kiss her, and suddenly, so easily, he falls for his own lie.

This parental echo isn't what he wanted just moments before, but it releases hesitations he'd had before the kiss, after it; words that seem so logical to say, that he wants to. And while Mister LaRusso talks about being lucky, Robby lifting his own arms to wrap around Mister LaRusso's back-- ]


Love you too, Mister LaRusso. [ --he buries himself into the new temptation, and into the embrace. There's still certain words he might not have the courage for, but others, they're more familiar. Not the first time spoken, and not used for another man that Mister LaRusso had spoken about being jealous over.

And this feeling--Robby knows it's similar enough, one they might share for real. ]
miyagimagic: (084)

[personal profile] miyagimagic 2023-03-17 08:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Lucky was a spot-on word to use, wasn't it. It's all Daniel can think about in this moment, his earlier sulking mood melting away like snow basking in direct sunlight. Robby not just accepting the hug, but outright returning it. The earlier kiss on his cheek. These words, and the way they now come without Daniel having to prompt them by saying it first.

This isn't something everyone gets with Robby, and Daniel is well aware of it. Isn't this exactly what a bond between a parent and a child is like? He could imagine Robby doing this with Shannon during better moments - but he doesn't feel a jealousy there, never has - but with Johnny? This casually? No way. Maybe Robby was right that Daniel has nothing to be jealous of.

And isn't this exactly what he wanted? If Daniel could freeze one moment in time in this place, it'd be this one, he thinks, and the way it lights up his heart.

He doesn't think it's something he has to express though. It's something Robby most likely already knows, the sort of thing they don't need a bond to feel.

It instead shows in the way Daniel lightly and fondly squeezes the boy in his hold.

Or in the way he fondly jokes: ]
'Too'? Hmm, I don't remember saying it just now though.

[ Please, Daniel, like every inch of you isn't saying that all the time around Robby.. You're the most transparent dad to have ever lived.

There's a tiny pause, almost like the man is wondering whether or not to do something here. He's thought about it before, but always voted against it, feeling like it'd probably be too embarrassing or too weird for Robby when he can't be used to that much parental affection, but.. well, if Robby was the one to first give him that son kiss on the cheek..

.. might as well then, right? ]


Or did you just want to hear me say it again? [ Because Daniel is a weak, weak man, unable to not give his kids what they want. Hence-- ] Love you.

[ Twisting his body just slightly in the hug in order to be able to get a better angle, he moves to plant the briefest and small fond kiss on Robby's forehead. ]
strongroots: (pup)

[personal profile] strongroots 2023-03-17 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Way to embarrass him, Daniel. He teases him about that too, and Robby knows what he's doing, but it still tickles at him anyway. As if they haven't exchanged these words before (in a heavier, more emotional time), nor is he clueless that there's love in their relationship. What being lucky means, can peel it away and see what the man feels.

He would get him back, but Robby misses the chance to before the man speaks on, the final words that sizzle out the need for any jokes. That would be enough alone, but Mister LaRusso gives, and he gives, and what he gives is a touch that may be brief, but is more than recognisable to Robby. Familiar, as long as it's been, and it works swiftly to lift his heart into his throat as his brain processes it. Cheeks already coloured from the heat of his emotions, and now--

And now he feels the pinprick of tears that can't escape as Robby presses his head against Mister LaRusso's shoulder, eyes tightly shut, rubbing his head against it in slow shake. It's a good kind of tears, an acceptable bittersweet sensation in his chest. He just needs a moment, the thought of the woman inspired, before he can tilt his head to face Mister LaRusso; one of his hands moving to rest near the crook of his neck, his body leaning comfortably against his. ]


My mom always did that. [ His voice sounds damp around the edges, but he isn't crying, and his tone isn't outright sad in sharing that fact. Just somehow, Mister LaRusso knew, hit the right mark, and it's so embarrassing to be seen.

(But there is a little part of him thinking of her. Missing her.) ]


Do all parents do that?

[ You know, parents who aren't...absent. Just ignore that for now, and enjoy the implication in the question. ]
miyagimagic: (036)

[personal profile] miyagimagic 2023-03-19 12:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The boy's reaction very much makes sense in the light of what he says next. There's a moment where Daniel mistakes the reaction for typical teenage embarrassment, similar to the kind Robby showed after planting that kiss on his cheek - but as it continues, Daniel does realise it's a little bit more than that. Something more emotional.

He kind of figures it's about Robby's mother before the boy says it. He may not have been able to see Shannon and Robby together a whole lot, and he knows that things can't always have been easy between them either - especially not with her just casually abandoning him by himself in an apartment while going on vacation herself - but there must have been some love there. Robby never seems to speak of her in the same way he used to speak of Johnny, after all.

And what sensation is more familiar to Daniel LaRusso of all people than missing family?

It leaves him with a hum of acknowledgement at the statement about his mother, a hand moving to idly rub the back of Robby's neck before the fingertips instead reassuringly brush through the ends of his hair. ]


I'm not sure. [ That's the first answer, but quickly followed by: ] Guess yours do though, huh?

[ Okay, yeah, maybe Johnny doesn't, but this statement isn't about discounting him as Robby's parent at all. It's about acknowledging the implication hidden in Robby's words, the implication that makes Daniel's heart melt inside of his chest, and seizing hold of the implication. Taking the spot that Robby is willing to grant him here, the one Daniel has been longing for. ]

Unless you're saying you dislike it.

[ Daniel doesn't think Robby is disliking it even the slightest bit. ]
strongroots: (ayyyye coca coca)

[personal profile] strongroots 2023-03-19 01:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It was a bit of a pointless question, asked just to say something; a silly call-out that all parents are like this, surely, and it's not like Mister LaRusso could know what he's weak to. It's an excuse to still be standing here with him like this, where Robby can't compare the man's touch on his neck this time to anything his mother does. With his fingers different, a gesture more his. She strokes his hair, Mister LaRusso always touches him around the neck.

Though, the embarrassment is real, when his brain acknowledges Mister LaRusso's own implication, 'Yours do though, huh?', and it feels like his Trench birthday all over again. Hi, he'd like to die from embarrassment and live in the sea for a while, thanks. How do people survive this kind of attention?

Unfortunately, being a squid person still doesn't allow for disappearing into the ground--bummer. ]


It's okay, [ Robby says, does instead, with no alternative granted to him. Tone aloof, like he doesn't have any strong feelings about it. ] As long as you're not forcing anything.

[ A little payback? As a treat? Don't mind Robby if he does. ]
miyagimagic: (052)

[personal profile] miyagimagic 2023-03-20 10:38 am (UTC)(link)
[ Daniel lets out a sound that somehow manages to hit the perfect balance between amused and offended. ]

Alright. [ His tone, however, lacks the offense, even if the humor in it is a little tight. He's not removing his hand from Robby's neck just yet though, so clearly it means he isn't bothered by it. ] You got me there.

[ He sees what you're doing there, Robby. He'd say he can't believe you'd use his words against him like this, but it does seem to be a teen's favourite way of teasing an old man.. ]

But.. you know, I feel a whole lot better right now.

[ It's a tiny bit embarrassing to admit, just like how it was a tiny bit embarrassing to admit to sulking over something like this in the first place, but.. ah, whatever. If he admitted to one thing, he can admit to two things, and Robby does deserve to know he's done a good thing here, going out of his way to help him. ]

So I suppose I'll forgive you for that one.
strongroots: (ohhhhh yeahhhhhhh)

[personal profile] strongroots 2023-03-20 12:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[ You're right, Robby does deserve to tease an old man with his own words. Constantly.

But as Mister LaRusso speaks on, Robby does finally lift his head from the man's shoulder to look at him, if with a shy gaze he needs to battle with. There's some colour to his cheeks, though there isn't anything like tears that can be found. But he hums what's more of a huff, giving the man a lopsided smile. ]


Thanks. I dunno if I forgive you for trying that, buuut.... I'll think about it come dinnertime. I got you a bunch of stuff to play with, too.

[ Truly, Mister LaRusso's cooking skills will decide his fate over doubting Robby's feelings. But he looks over to the crate now that's been rather forgotten on the kitchen counter behind them with its assortment of foods.

(...nevermind the cookies that have also probably been forgotten. For five minutes, yes, but do you trust unsupervised cookies to not burn??) ]
miyagimagic: (011)

[personal profile] miyagimagic 2023-03-21 07:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Stuff?

[ Daniel repeats the word, slowly removing his hand off Robby as he turns to look at what the boy is talking about, the crate having gone completely unnoticed in the middle of his Ultimate Sulk Mode shifting into Ultimate Dad Mode..

.. but, indeed, Daniel realises something else as he actually turns towards the counter. It shows in his eyes, the way they widen at the sudden realisation, and then Daniel basically diving at the oven to pull it open, frantically grabbing an oven mitt - more out of habit than actual necessity given his blood - to take out the tray of cookies to put on the counter.. S-Sorry, Robby, he'll get to the crate in a moment, he's just got cookies to save!

If Robby looks at them, they-- well, they definitely look a little burnt at the edges due to Daniel losing all sense of time in the middle of getting affection from his son. But.. ]


They're still salvageble, right? [ T-The center is still okay, right? Even though the edges Daniel taps on with a finger sure sound rock solid..

The shapes are cute though, at least. All shaped like the flower on Daniel's headband and the Miyagi-do belts. Papaw was putting some effort into his stress-sulk baking.. ]
strongroots: (GET GET GET GET)

[personal profile] strongroots 2023-03-21 08:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Why does Mister LaRusso look like tha--oh.

Here's another point for 'people who forgot about the cookies' side of the graph--which, unfortunately, leaves the cookies in the state that the older man rushes to take them out of the oven in, which is: a touch too loved. By the oven, and not by them, with the plume of smoke that follows with their release.

And it's not a big plume, but, hm. Hm.

Robby moves over to see the damage done, winces for the edges, but it's a small wince. Really, they're not bad-looking--they're even cute, reminding him of Christmas gingerbread biscuits without the icing.

But Mister LaRusso is asking a very important question, and carefully examining the snacks....Robby grabs for one, meaning to speak, but the cookie is still hot and he hisses as he sits it on a palm, flipping it between his two hands. ]


I'll tell you in a sec! [ Let him blow on this bad boy...!!! ]
miyagimagic: (061)

[personal profile] miyagimagic 2023-03-23 02:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Look at the way Daniel's jaw drops almost instantly. ]

Robby!

[ Yes, at least this is a definite case of Dadniel over here fussing just a little bit too much. It's not like touching a slightly hot cookie will absolutely murder Robby, after all.

But Daniel is clearly a gentle soul who fusses even at this. Even if it's at least left at him calling Robby's name like that, rather than making any real attempt to take that cookie he's juggling away from him. It mostly just makes him look very dramatic over here.

Daniel LaRusso: putting the stress into stress baking. ]


They have to cool first! You're going to burn your hands!
strongroots: (wweeoeoeownff keywording sucks)

[personal profile] strongroots 2023-03-23 04:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Do you know what some people do when they're caught with their hands on a cookie? If they're weak, put it back. Bold? Gobble it down.

And the option Robby goes for now, with a fussy old man hovering near him sounding (even if he won't) like he might take this cookie away from him if he doesn't put it down himself?

He pinches the cookie between his fingers and gives it a wiggle, eyebrows raised as he looks directly at Mister LaRusso, while also starting to dart off. ]


See ya, dad!

[ Time to use that sacred title so cheekily so he can make his escape with the goods...bye!!!! ]
miyagimagic: (073)

[personal profile] miyagimagic 2023-03-24 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's so effective. Robby has zero idea - okay, maybe a little bit more than zero, if he's using it here on purpose - of just how much power he's got over this man. It's not even like Daniel was that insistent on making such a big deal over these cookies and the potential of Robby burning his hands on them, but the moment he hears that?

He freezes. Not even in a bad way, more a way that makes Daniel look kind of stunned. Stunned enough that Robby can easily escape from the kitchen with that cookie while Daniel is way too busy staring. Processing.

D-Did Robby just call him dad? Voluntarily? Out of nowhere?

Daniel's soul will be right back, thanks, he's way too busy having an internal crisis about this of the best kind. He doesn't even realise that he's smiling down at his slightly-burnt cookies.

Dad.

Does he expect to hear this regularly, especially in contexts where Robby isn't just trying to be cheeky? Definitely not. But-- that doesn't mean he can't enjoy it when it does happen, right? ]