[ The hand-eye coordination is going to be the hardest part here, probably. Getting used to the motions of the joystick actually moving the character around.
Once or twice Juzo reaches over to gently guide Sholmes' hands with his own, explaining the purpose of the power ups and other such things. But yes, he's definitely carrying this. And he's good at it too. ]
[He is-- definitely better at this than Sholmes, which somehow manages to stoke the fire of the man's competitive nature, while simultaneously being very impressed at how quickly Juzo's picked it up. After awhile, it's an obvious conclusion that his friend is going to outpace him by the time the game's over.]
Ah, blast!
[He says with a contradictory smile, clearly having fun. The stage they're on now is quite fast-paced; the little squid-ghosts sprint around at a blazing speed.
Sholmes playfully leans over and knocks his shoulder against his friend.]
[ This is... fun. A carefree sort of enjoyment that Juzo hasn't allowed himself in, well, possibly ever. It shows in his voice, a lighthearted tone to his words that is utterly new and surprises even himself. He laughs, really laughs, for the first time in years. ]
Not cheating. It's just skill.
[ Though the fact that he was built with superhuman reflexes probably gives him an advantage. It's fine. ]
[Grinning wide, Sholmes’ eyes are still focused on the screen, the maze interspersed with little pixel dots, trying to puzzle out the best way to maneuver his avatar in their direction. But then Juzo laughs — and it is so unfettered, so jovial, that he pauses, tears his eyes away from the game, and glances up at him.
He does not think he’s ever heard him laugh that way. Really enjoy himself in this manner. And there is an indescribable, interminable feeling of warmth that coils around Sholmes, hearing it. Seeing him lit up by the fluorescent glow of the arcade in this way.
Gratitude, even, that he alone gets to witness it.
…eventually, his tiny pac-man avatar gets eaten by a ghost. The cabinet emits a sad, warbling sound effect to denote it.]
…Ah. [Finally flicking his gaze back to the screen.] Damn.
[ He can feel the other man's eyes on him all of a sudden, and he feels a split second of self-consciousness, like perhaps he's let himself go a little too much. But the instant he angles his barrel to look at Sholmes, well, that thought gutters and goes right out.
He finds himself caught, looking at this man who is looking at him in a way that Juzo cannot begin to decipher save for how it causes something warm and sweet to bubble up in him.
The game warbles sadly at both of them, then, because for a split second, Juzo had forgotten there was even anything else needing his attention. ]
[And his score is so laughably low compared to Juzo's, indicated by the flashing numbers on the Game Over screen. It blinks again, asking if the two would like to continue the game, to press any button to begin a new one. But Sholmes only looks back up at his friend, smiling at him warmly.]
One game in, and you're already having more fun than I've ever witnessed from you, dear fellow. Is this arcade really so much to your liking?
[ No matter what happens here, he's got his team, and Sholmes is irrevocably a part of that. Has been since the moment Juzo arrived. ]
My pick, huh?
[ He casts around, looking for something that aligns with what little bit of video-gaming Sholmes has done so far. He doesn't want to throw too much at the guy at once, after all. At last, his barrel angles at an Asteroids knock off. ]
Never met a real-life spaceship, so I couldn't tell you. Lotor probably knows.
[ That guy is all about Living In Space.
He steps up to take the controls. They're relatively simple, as with the last game. He cocks his head at Sholmes, light playing across that steel smile of his. ]
Loser buys dinner.
Edited (forgot to pick an icon whoops) 2022-08-08 17:42 (UTC)
[Lotor? A man who wheels and deals in spaceships? Sholmes commits the name to memory, but it is fleeting at best when Juzo is the one taking up the lion’s share of his attentions today.]
Then you had best prepare yourself to buy me dinner, Juzo. I am quite acclimated to this machine now.
[GAME START
And Sholmes is absolutely not more acclimated; the controls are similar, but the game is so different that his little spaceship is wheeling around in circles laughably fast.]
[ Juzo is READY to give his all, but then he looks over at what Sholmes is doing and... oh my god. ]
Stop that, you're gonna crash.
[ He just sort of abandons his own ship, leaving it to scatter into little pixelated pieces when a meteor inevitably collides with it, and steps up to the other man.
His hands close around Sholmes' on the controls, guiding him and the little ship safely through the sea of space rocks. This is just how they're playing this now, apparently. ]
A little goes a long way with these things. Be gentle with it.
[But Juzo, this is how Sholmes approaches everything — wildly, until some semblance of sense or control is wrought from his impulsivity.
He doesn’t note how his own ship is spinning out of control—or rather, he doesn’t mind it—but his eyebrows raise as soon as Juzo’s ship collides with an asteroid in a pixel explosion.]
Mr Inui, your ship—
[But this is exactly the moment in which his friend’s hand guides itself over his own, aiding Sholmes’ control over his ship, and the detective seems to still beneath his touch.
It should not be unexpected; Juzo has always been a helpful fellow, but something about this moment feels more intimate than normal. The way his whole form engulfs him, suddenly aware of how close he stands from over his shoulder.
[ Juzo may be oblivious about a lot of things, whether by choice or true ignorance, but he would have to be especially dense to to realize what he's doing. He'd liked holding hands with Sholmes before. Likes the brief moments of contacts that they share for some reason or another, whether it's a friendly hand on a shoulder or a pair of linked arms.
Sholmes stills under his touch and he feels like he's stepped up to the precipice of something, his all-too human heart hammering away beneath layers of synthetic skin and steel and impossible machinery.
Maybe it's easier this way, standing behind the other man with the bright lights dancing in their faces so he doesn't have to try and read Sholmes' expression. ]
Finally figured it out. When we negotiated with Yatagarasu... why it had to be you.
[The game is just background noise at this point. The ship firing at asteroids hurtling its way is a minor distraction in the face of where his focus keenly lies: with Juzo's presence, his whirring mind now hooking onto every word he hears from behind him. The intonation of voice, the warmth of their bodies radiating between them. Good heavens, surely this heat is not all his own, his brain supplies unhelpfully -- this thought is discarded with all the rest.]
Oh?
[His words rarely fail him, and even now, they come, sounding tinged with excitement having nothing to do with the arcade.]
[ The words seem to catch in his throat, and Juzo grimaces to himself. Of course he would stumble now, right at the finish line. He takes a moment to collect himself, pick himself up, brush himself off, and keep going. His fingers curl around Sholmes' hands, just a little tighter. ]
I care about the whole team, of course. [ He's getting there. ] But it's... different with you. Da Vinci called me out for it, said the choice I made was instinctive. Emotional. Felt like she saw right through me but for the life in me I couldn't figure out why.
I guess, in the end, I wasn't followin' my gut after all. It was my heart.
[His heart? That moment had not been so far away departed from now, but it is one that still sits clear in his mind for how poignant it had been — even if Sholmes, at the time, had been discontent with the result of that particular parley. But Juzo’s admittance of his stubbornness being something born of more than just practicality, it makes his own breath still in his lungs.]
Juzo…
[Sholmes forgets about the game. His hand slips away from the controls, from beneath his friend’s touch, and he turns around to face him, to look up at him. His little ship is doomed to be destroyed by space debris; he doesn’t care. The lip of the arcade cabinet presses against his lower back; he doesn’t notice.]
Had I known then, I would not have… [Been so hard on him, he thinks. Sholmes trails off.] I hardly know what to say, other than… other than my heart feels like it is lodged in my throat.
[ Now that they're looking at each other, Juzo has no idea what to do with himself. His hands hover awkwardly, like he wants to rest them on Sholmes' arms, but he can't quite muster the courage to do it. His fingers flex. ]
That a good thing?
[ He tries for a joke, but his tone is brittle with nervousness. What now? What now? ]
[Oh, he cannot get that past the great detective: the fragile nervousness in his voice, the hovering way Juzo doesn't know where to place his hands. Sholmes instinctively reaches out to steady them with his own.
He does not precisely answer his question, but—]
My dear friend. Will you lean closer a bit for me?
[Perhaps it is clear what his intent is, then, but Sholmes wants it to be clear. This isn't something he'd spring on him without ample readiness first and foremost.]
[ it's not like Juzo is trying to hide his nerves from Sholmes. he recognizes that the other man would see through him in an instant, but more than that... Sholmes is one of the few people he's ever allowed himself to be wholly honest with.
He's not about to stop now.
With the other man's hands on his, a steadying presence, Juzo leans in. ]
[Sholmes' hands don't remain on his friend's for much longer. When Juzo leans in, he drifts them upwards, so that they rest at the nape of the other's neck, encouraging him gently closer. He continues to ignore how his face feels warm, and the throbbing of his heart in his throat that he noted just moments earlier.
And then, without another word—because surely words are unneeded at this point—he closes his eyes, tilts his head up, and offers him a gentle kiss.]
[ Despite how he may act, this isn't the first time Juzo's been kissed. He's had grateful clients plant kisses on his barrel before, or certain acquaintances press their lips to the steel of his face in an attempt to rile him up. It most certainly always worked. And then... nothing else would come of it. The weight of expectation always hung over those moments for him. Always made him feel like he was destined to disappoint any prospective partner.
This is different. Sholmes knows and understands Juzo's limitations, the reason for his hesitance, and has accepted them. At the soft press of those lifts, his heart flutters and lightens, instead of sitting heavy in his chest.
His arms circle the smaller man before him, and Juzo angles his head to gently brush his barrel through Sholmes' hair. ]
Thanks.
[ He probably doesn't need to explain that. ]
Edited (noticed a typo sssh) 2022-08-11 23:55 (UTC)
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Once or twice Juzo reaches over to gently guide Sholmes' hands with his own, explaining the purpose of the power ups and other such things. But yes, he's definitely carrying this. And he's good at it too. ]
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Ah, blast!
[He says with a contradictory smile, clearly having fun. The stage they're on now is quite fast-paced; the little squid-ghosts sprint around at a blazing speed.
Sholmes playfully leans over and knocks his shoulder against his friend.]
Are we certain you're not cheating somehow?
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Not cheating. It's just skill.
[ Though the fact that he was built with superhuman reflexes probably gives him an advantage. It's fine. ]
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He does not think he’s ever heard him laugh that way. Really enjoy himself in this manner. And there is an indescribable, interminable feeling of warmth that coils around Sholmes, hearing it. Seeing him lit up by the fluorescent glow of the arcade in this way.
Gratitude, even, that he alone gets to witness it.
…eventually, his tiny pac-man avatar gets eaten by a ghost. The cabinet emits a sad, warbling sound effect to denote it.]
…Ah. [Finally flicking his gaze back to the screen.] Damn.
[He’s not too upset by it.]
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He finds himself caught, looking at this man who is looking at him in a way that Juzo cannot begin to decipher save for how it causes something warm and sweet to bubble up in him.
The game warbles sadly at both of them, then, because for a split second, Juzo had forgotten there was even anything else needing his attention. ]
... Oh. Looks like we're both out.
[ Yeah, he's not upset either. ]
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[And his score is so laughably low compared to Juzo's, indicated by the flashing numbers on the Game Over screen. It blinks again, asking if the two would like to continue the game, to press any button to begin a new one. But Sholmes only looks back up at his friend, smiling at him warmly.]
One game in, and you're already having more fun than I've ever witnessed from you, dear fellow. Is this arcade really so much to your liking?
[What a perfect date spot, then.]
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Guess so. It's... nice, I guess, not havin' anything looming over us right now. I know that's not gonna last but...
[ He shrugs, as if to say, You know. ]
The company doesn't hurt either.
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The company will last, I should hope. No matter what this place throws at us.
[He holds out his hand, stepping back, a beckoning, teasing kind of gesture.]
Come, Juzo. Another game? You choose this time.
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[ No matter what happens here, he's got his team, and Sholmes is irrevocably a part of that. Has been since the moment Juzo arrived. ]
My pick, huh?
[ He casts around, looking for something that aligns with what little bit of video-gaming Sholmes has done so far. He doesn't want to throw too much at the guy at once, after all. At last, his barrel angles at an Asteroids knock off. ]
How about that one?
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And what is it?
[Not that he waits for a response, moving closer to the cabinet with a beckoning gesture for Juzo to follow.]
A little triangle… firing at rocks!
[Not wholly wrong.]
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Kinda. It's a spaceship. You gotta navigate around and shoot the rocks before they hit you.
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[Oh, he’s heard of one of those by now.]
I should hope that real-life spaceships are not assaulted in such a way by flying debris!
[He laughs, looking down at the controls. This version also has a two-player mode.]
Shall we, then? I will do better than you this time, I just know it.
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[ That guy is all about Living In Space.
He steps up to take the controls. They're relatively simple, as with the last game. He cocks his head at Sholmes, light playing across that steel smile of his. ]
Loser buys dinner.
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Then you had best prepare yourself to buy me dinner, Juzo. I am quite acclimated to this machine now.
[GAME START
And Sholmes is absolutely not more acclimated; the controls are similar, but the game is so different that his little spaceship is wheeling around in circles laughably fast.]
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Stop that, you're gonna crash.
[ He just sort of abandons his own ship, leaving it to scatter into little pixelated pieces when a meteor inevitably collides with it, and steps up to the other man.
His hands close around Sholmes' on the controls, guiding him and the little ship safely through the sea of space rocks. This is just how they're playing this now, apparently. ]
A little goes a long way with these things. Be gentle with it.
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He doesn’t note how his own ship is spinning out of control—or rather, he doesn’t mind it—but his eyebrows raise as soon as Juzo’s ship collides with an asteroid in a pixel explosion.]
Mr Inui, your ship—
[But this is exactly the moment in which his friend’s hand guides itself over his own, aiding Sholmes’ control over his ship, and the detective seems to still beneath his touch.
It should not be unexpected; Juzo has always been a helpful fellow, but something about this moment feels more intimate than normal. The way his whole form engulfs him, suddenly aware of how close he stands from over his shoulder.
Ah. His face feels warm.]
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Sholmes stills under his touch and he feels like he's stepped up to the precipice of something, his all-too human heart hammering away beneath layers of synthetic skin and steel and impossible machinery.
Maybe it's easier this way, standing behind the other man with the bright lights dancing in their faces so he doesn't have to try and read Sholmes' expression. ]
Finally figured it out. When we negotiated with Yatagarasu... why it had to be you.
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Oh?
[His words rarely fail him, and even now, they come, sounding tinged with excitement having nothing to do with the arcade.]
And what is it you figured out?
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[ The words seem to catch in his throat, and Juzo grimaces to himself. Of course he would stumble now, right at the finish line. He takes a moment to collect himself, pick himself up, brush himself off, and keep going. His fingers curl around Sholmes' hands, just a little tighter. ]
I care about the whole team, of course. [ He's getting there. ] But it's... different with you. Da Vinci called me out for it, said the choice I made was instinctive. Emotional. Felt like she saw right through me but for the life in me I couldn't figure out why.
I guess, in the end, I wasn't followin' my gut after all. It was my heart.
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Juzo…
[Sholmes forgets about the game. His hand slips away from the controls, from beneath his friend’s touch, and he turns around to face him, to look up at him. His little ship is doomed to be destroyed by space debris; he doesn’t care. The lip of the arcade cabinet presses against his lower back; he doesn’t notice.]
Had I known then, I would not have… [Been so hard on him, he thinks. Sholmes trails off.] I hardly know what to say, other than… other than my heart feels like it is lodged in my throat.
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That a good thing?
[ He tries for a joke, but his tone is brittle with nervousness. What now? What now? ]
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He does not precisely answer his question, but—]
My dear friend. Will you lean closer a bit for me?
[Perhaps it is clear what his intent is, then, but Sholmes wants it to be clear. This isn't something he'd spring on him without ample readiness first and foremost.]
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He's not about to stop now.
With the other man's hands on his, a steadying presence, Juzo leans in. ]
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And then, without another word—because surely words are unneeded at this point—he closes his eyes, tilts his head up, and offers him a gentle kiss.]
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This is different. Sholmes knows and understands Juzo's limitations, the reason for his hesitance, and has accepted them. At the soft press of those lifts, his heart flutters and lightens, instead of sitting heavy in his chest.
His arms circle the smaller man before him, and Juzo angles his head to gently brush his barrel through Sholmes' hair. ]
Thanks.
[ He probably doesn't need to explain that. ]
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