[Week 5, Tuesday: Max]

[purrtagonist]

[COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE--]

Take your coffee to go today, Max. We're going shopping.

[uh]

[okay]

Comments

[concertmaster]

[uh]

... This better be for ice cream, Joker.

[purrtagonist]

[hm. well]

We can stop for ice cream on the way there.

[concertmaster]

...

[hrmmmmmmm]

Eh, fine. I'll take it. Lead the way.

[purrtagonist]

[hooray! buckle up Max they are going to the SHIBU DEPARTMENT STORE]

You've been wearing that hoodie ever since we got here. Don't you own any other shirts?

[concertmaster]

[hrm. glaring]

Maybe it's my comfort item, Joker. Way to be fucking rude.

[purrtagonist]

I'm not saying you should get rid of it. And it is very fashionable.

[it's a fucking hoodie]

[concertmaster]

Yeah, my parents bought it for me. [a beat] About five times.

[... which is probably the most his parents ever tried so we'll pretend that's a good thing]

[purrtagonist]

[. . . oh. uh. hm. yeah. he gets it]

Ah. . .

Sounds like something my parents would've done.

[into Pegaso they go!!]

[concertmaster]

[akira you might be rich but there is nothing in here that is his style and his side-eye says so]

I thought your parents lived solely in the camp of throwing you to the wolves and going "not it!" but then accidentally getting you adopted by some coffee guy? [hm] No, wait, I see the similarities now.

[it's a joke?? clearly]

[purrtagonist]

[IT WAS EITHER THIS OR THE HIPPIE SHOP]

Yeah, but before that happened, they had to at least pretend to care. That's one way of doing it, I guess.

[W. . . WRY. also a joke?? also a joke. hm]

[concertmaster]

Yep. Gotta make sure to look good in case anyone else is watching and at no other point in time.

[please stop them from these jokes i have depression]

[purrtagonist]

[why did we let them have CR]

To maintain that image of a perfect little nuclear family where everyone is happy and smiling and completely and utterly normal.

[. . . plucks a blazer off of the rack with juuust a tad too much force]

[concertmaster]

[it's fine, it's exactly that kind of anger that made them have cr in the first place. which is. horrible when i say it out loud.]

And if you tell anyone otherwise, they just think you're making shit up, because they can't possible be that bad. Why can't you just be grateful and shut the fuck up?

[okay this is getting too much so he's going to squint at the blazer]

That thing is like twice my size. Unless you're going for a full dapper look this week yourself?

[purrtagonist]

[they're just two kids who are angry at the woooorld]

[. . . Akira goes kind of quiet at what Max says first, his expression softening, turning distant]

Until you're the one asking yourself why you can't be grateful, right?

[or is that just him?]

[. . .]

[anyway]

I was thinking about it. The last outfit I bought got ruined by a giant gecko, and this blazer has blood on the sleeve.

[miiiight as well get a new one, right?]

[concertmaster]

[his hands curl up into fists and he gives a violent one-shouldered shrug, which is an answer all on its own, probably. he goes with the subject change a bit too fast.]

Honestly, I've seen pictures of your whole PT get-up? You can just say this fits your aesthetic a hell of a lot better than the snakeskin obsessed store. I won't judge. ... Too much.

[purrtagonist]

[they've both been there. Akira drops the topic like it's a hot potato, too]

Only a little bit? I think that's acceptable.

[juuuust kind of pushing the rest of the blazers aside on the racks, like he's idly browsing]

This isn't really your kind of store, is it?

[concertmaster]

You think?

[gestures at all of his hoodie]

Besides, I heard a rumor this store's the favorite brand of prissy snobs.

[purrtagonist]

[ew gross]

That makes me feel better for tracking my grubby teenage rebel heels all over this place's carpet.

[anyway he's finding a blazer in Max's size and handing it to him?]

At least try it? You're wearing a shirt under the hoodie, right?

[concertmaster]

[he's laughing at the "grubby teenage rebel heels" at first, but then comes the blazer offer.]

... Theoretically.

[i mean. obviously he is, since there's always that Peek of yellow, but make it weird, max. go for it. he's staring at the blazer with a lot of squinting. i mean, at least he did grab it! but that is such squinting.]

You're definitely gonna make this weird.

[purrtagonist]

[. . . uh]

[now he's giving Max a dubious look]

"Theoretically."

I wasn't planning on making this weird, but now you've got me worried.

[concertmaster]

[a DRAMATIC SIGH]

See? Already making it weird.

[but he lovingly takes off his hoodie to reveal his cute yellow shirt!

did i say cute. i lied. it looks fucked up. it's super old and faded, with tears here and there, and it's kind of. uh. maybe someone should teach max how to get blood stains out of fabric. Yikes.

then he casually puts the blazer on over it]

If I'm gonna wear this, I feel like I should either become a rich kid, join a private school or get my ass kicked by bullies in a parking lot somewhere. I'm not sure which.

1/2

[purrtagonist]

[. . . . . . . . . oh]

[purrtagonist]

[okay normally Max's comment would get a witty response from Akira, but. uh]

[sorry he's going to make this weird]

[POINTS TO BLOOD STAINS LIKE HOLY SHIT WHAT HAPPENED?]

[concertmaster]

[extremely defensively:]

What. It's not mine.

[purrtagonist]

[concerned noise???]

What happened?