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[It was cloudy, almost about to rain, when Ken looked out the window this morning while waiting for Dipper. They were going to be indoors and out of the state, though, so he wasn't so worried. Now, as Ken comes back in the afternoon -- alone -- it's pouring buckets and thundering, and Ken is soaked.

Dipper never came to pick him up. His communicator was disconnected.

Ken's different from Minato. Minato shuts off completely from his emotions when he's about to get upset, but Ken feels his strongly. Right now, he's gone slightly numb from all the feelings he's experiencing right now, so he finds himself oddly clear-headed once he arrives at the house. Water drips from his bangs, trickles down his face, weighs down his clothes, puddling on the concrete below him as he stands there with the door open.

It's funny how mundane thoughts hit in moments like this. Like how he shouldn't get the floor wet; it'll damage it.]

... Kaneda-san, [he starts. He's home, right?]

Kaneda-san, can you get me a towel?

[Kaneda is home, cooking in the kitchen and attempting to read a recipe in English to to it. You'd think pancakes would be easy enough on their own--and hell, America was the land of convenience and made it come in a nice shakeable bottle, but Maya insisted he learn the hard way. He'd just been learning what to do after mixing it all up, piecing each sentence together by hunting and pecking and writing onto a notebook when he hears the door open.

Capsule's ears perk up, having been lying by his feet the entire time (storms frighten him). It isn't until Ken speaks that Capsule gets to his feet, and Kaneda's own ears metaphorically perk as well.]

I told you to wear the one with the sleeves, you know!

[But nevertheless, as if it wasn't even a question, he moves himself towards the hallway where Bull and Nick's room sat opening the closet to pull out a towel. With so many dogs, and mud now in the backyard instead of snow, it was no surprise they'd have a nice stockpile.

Unfolding it, he saunters into the living room, shaking his head and putting on that smirk he always had. The kind that knows when he's right. The one that's going to immediately let Ken know--

...

He stops when eyes cast up, catching Ken in the doorway and looking at his face. It was mostly Ken's eyes, which showed his emotions way more than he spoke them, brown hair plastered to his face and yet making no motion to move it out of the way.

Kaneda walks over, confusion dripping down his own expression more heavily than the water on Ken's face.]

Told you to take my hoodie. [He'll keep that smile though, although it's desperately trying it's hardest to stay there.]

Yeah.

[Ken's answers are automated and dull while his mind spins, trying to process what happened today. Dipper's communicator is disconnected. So is Mabel's. Their house had been empty. This happened once before the same time that Ken disappeared in October, but could they come back again like they did then?

"You have to have hope," Jaime once said, but Ken can only think about what Dipper said about Bill.

He shakes his head, and when he looks up at Kaneda, he forces a smile too.]

I forgot.

[Kaneda's hands fan out that towel, instinctively wrapping it around Ken's shoulders and ruffling it a bit to collect the water dripping off his clothes. It's silent, as he's still trying to figure out exactly what to say. He's not stupid...he knows something is wrong.

It's obvious in the hollow responses Ken's giving.]

C'mon.

[A knuckle brushes against Ken's cheek as he gives that towel one last ruffle.]

You can dry off in the kitchen. Can't have Maya throwing a fit that you trekked water in, right?

[And I can figure out what's wrong.]

[Ken's cheek is cold to the touch, telling of just how long he spent out in the rain. He's still standing but he's almost limp under Kaneda's hands as he's toweled off, and he doesn't move yet. There have been hundreds of jokes that Ken's like an old man, but right now he's like an old, overloaded machine, taking seconds to process every simple input.

Function. He has to function. Dipper wouldn't want him sad over this. He might come back.]

Mm.

[He mechanically takes off his shoes and squishes past Kaneda toward the kitchen. Koromaru was with him the entire time, too; he whines softly as he walks into the house after shaking off most of the water on him on the porch, smelling like rain and wet dog as he paws at Kaneda's leg.]

[Kaneda watches Ken go, staying behind to shut the door after Koromaru makes his way in. There's something about the way Ken's moving, the robotic way he's walking that makes it seem like he's doing it more out of muscle memory than actually paying attention. In fact, everything about Ken seems so stilted.

Something's definitely wrong.

Koromaru paws at his pant leg, and he crouches without taking his eyes off the boy, hand reaching out to pat just between the dog's ears.]

...

How long were you guys out there, huh?

[Koromaru's fur is damp and cold. They'd been out for hours -- it was still morning when Ken ran out of the house, and if the clouds weren't in the way, the sun would be low above the city right about now. It's only better than the time Ken ran around looking for a kidnapped Minato for two days straight. The dog sighs, ears folded against his head, then he nudges against Kaneda so they could follow Ken to the kitchen.

The kitchen, where Ken's toweling off his own hair after having taken off his socks and vest. They're deposited in a corner out of everyone's way, kept from puddling on the floor by being tossed into a shopping bag they kept for just in case. He's being methodical. Thorough.

His voice is calm as he says,] Dipper is gone. Mabel and their uncles, Pacifica too.

[Kaneda's quick to follow into the kitchen, observing Ken more than anything as he shrugs off the vest and takes off his socks. If Koromaru weren't setting the bar, Ken would look like a drenched dog right about not.

Kaneda doesn't move towards him, more making his way to the counter where the bowl of pancake batter is, setting it gently to the side. Those could be for Tetsuo...he had something else planned for ken, and its a good thing the frying pan was out and ready. Methodically, he gets the rice cooker out, some broth and chicken from earlier in the week, green onion, and egg.

Slowly getting it ready before Ken drops that bomb.

His hand lowers, about to crack that egg into a bowl...only just stopping a hair before the rim. His eyes aren't focused on it at all, either, staring up and out at the lamppost in the distant window, pupils contracted and his teeth grit.

Oh no.]

They've gone back before. [There's a small uneasiness in his voice, but he's masking it with as much confidence as he can.] They'll be back by tomorrow, alright? Don't worry so much.

Edited 2016-05-02 23:06 (UTC)

Mm.

[Again with the hollow answer, immediately after opening up. Ken stares down at his bare feet, watching the water continue to drip from his hair despite his (half-hearted) attempts to dry it. As he responds to Kaneda, he's trying to drill the words into his own mind, to not think any other way.]

They'll come back. I know... and he wouldn't want me sad, either.

I'll be okay.

Right.

[Kaneda's voice hitches up a little, as if trying to bring a cheerful side to this. That egg cracks, splitting and letting the whites and yolk fall into that bowl as he starts to stir it with chopsticks.]

It's Dip's job to worry about that kind of stuff, not yours!

[But he knows Ken, and he knows that tone he takes when he is only SAYING he's going to be okay.]

...

Just keep an eye on the comm. You know them, we ALWAYS know when they're back from one of those little trips home.

Yeah, I know.

[Ken's going to have his comm on him all the time, without fail. It'll be glued to his hand, and he'll sometimes be so caught up in watching it he'll forget everything else.]

... I think I'm gonna go get--

[changed, is what he wanted to say, except when he turns, he doesn't realize that Koromaru is right there. He also forgets that the floor is wet, and that his feet are slippery. Completely caught off guard -- and not thinking quickly enough to react to his own situation -- Ken falls on the floor with a splat and a thud as he also hits a chair going down.]

[The 'thud' makes Kaneda drop everything he's working on, practically spilling the egg onto the counter as he sets the chopsticks down and pivoting on his heel. What the--oh god.]

Oh, hell.

[Ushering Koromaru gently out of the way, he scrambles over to Ken's fallen body, leaning down to scoop the kid up easily from the hard floor. You'd never guess, but his heart may have skipped a few beats there.]

Today's just not your day, is it.

[For how small and frail he can look, Ken's pretty sturdy. He's not hurt badly and would insist he isn't hurt at all, save for hitting his face on the floor when he went down. Already some red is rising in his forehead and nose, and he rubs at the latter in a disgruntled manner as Kaneda sits him up.]

... I slipped, [he announces unnecessarily.]

And I think I'm kind of cold... Are you making dinner?

Mmmhmm. Keihan.

[Once Ken's at least situated himself for the most part, Kaneda helps him to his feet, grabbing that towel off the chair and handing it to him.]

So you better hurry and change--

[Shit.]

...On second thought, take your time.

Huh?

[Ken was just considering changing into his pajamas, making some tea, and warming up with Koromaru. But Kaneda is making him food, and whatever it is, it sounds and smells delicious. He looks up at him in confusion, wondering why the change of mind.]

Um... okay. I can shower, then?

Yeah, just don't rush. You'll trip and break your face.

[He smiles down at Koromaru, giving him a nod as if to say "Look out for him."]

I'll have it on the coffee table, yeah?

[Koromaru responds with a wag of his tail, already trotting off to go make sure there's nothing in his room Ken's going to fall on.]

Yeah.

... Thanks, Kaneda-san. I'll be down in a bit.

[With a smile, his hand ruffles that hair, directing him towards the stairs.]

Off you go.

[As he moves to retreat to the kitchen once more.]

[Ken moves slowly upstairs so he doesn't trip over a cat or his own two feet. Fortunately, there's no sudden crash or scream while he's gone; he's got some semblance of a hold of himself now, so he's able to navigate the shower safely. He'll come back downstairs in fifteen or so minutes, warmer and cleaner and a little bit calmer. He remembers to go to the coffee table instead of wandering aimlessly.]

Kaneda-san?

[By the time Ken makes his way back down to the ground floor, a bowl of food has been left on the coffee table as promised--two, actually, although one is currently in Kaneda's hands as he sits on the opposite end of the couch, feet propped up on said table and watching...some kind of samurai show.

He forgets which one. They all have something to do with honour.

The bowl consists of keihan, with chicken and mushrooms and egg sliced up, with vegetables and then rice underneath it all. Something simple and divided so Ken could eat a little bit of everything.]

Hmm?

[It looks... normal. The way Kaneda is just sitting there and eating, the television blaring some show that'll run again next week, and the week after that. Like routine. But Ken knows well that even something like this could vanish in the blink of an eye. It's nighttime soon. If they go to bed tonight and wake up tomorrow, how many of them would be here?

He doesn't say anything. Just watches him for a few more seconds -- the samurai on the television yells and slashes at his enemy, who falls in a dramatic, flailing mess -- before he tears his eyes away, shaking his head and shuffling over. When he sits next to him on the couch, he sits just a little bit closer than usual.]

... Thanks.

[Kaneda notices, and watches as Ken makes himself comfortable on that couch, watching the way he shuffles closer to him than he usually did. It's not unexpected--he knew that Ken would need someone close to him.

But that doesn't mean Kaneda should draw attention to it either way.]

Didn't trip or anything, right?

[His eyes search Ken's face, both looking for new redness and trying to read it or anything underneath.]

No. I was okay.

[That one fall was enough to jolt him into functioning enough for that. Instead of the proper manners he usually was adamant about -- keeping the bowl near the table, not slouching -- he picks up the bowl and draws his feet up on the couch as is most comfortable for him and starts to dig in.]

We were supposed to meet up today.

[At least Ken doesn't have to worry about impressing anyone--Kaneda's the trashbag with his feet on the table, anything Ken does is a step up from that. But seeing him eat is a good sign, and he can't help but let his shoulders relax a bit once he sees him start to dig in.

It's not much, but he can stop the poor guy from slacking on his basic needs.]

You'll just have to give him hell when he's back.

[He speaks so confidently...hoping that some of it will reach Ken.]

[Even Ken knows he has to eat the minimal amount. He's not allowed to stop moving. He always has to keep moving forward, and Kala-Nemi is there to keep him going. He has no real desire to eat, still, but the food is good and he was physically hungry, so he eats. But while his eyes water as he does and little tears drip into the bowl, he stays silent, holding on tightly to himself because he isn't sure he could come back together if he fell apart right now.]

... Yeah. [His voice comes out strained and he takes a big mouthful of rice to avoid talking.]

action; May 1

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