pslplz | Forget-Me-Nots

[ Omi adds his own coin to the slot and moves his hands into position over the controls. The difficulty selection screen appears. Omi hesitates and watches Nagi's side to match whatever he chooses. ]

[Well hopefully Omi is well prepared, because Nagi doesn't even have a chance to think about what to choose. It's like he does it automatically without any actual input from his mind.

Good luck with the hardest difficulty, Omi.]

[ Wow, right for the top! Omi is so startled that he almost fumbles his own controls in matching the difficulty setting. Already, he feels his heart starting to quicken from the adrenaline.

The game starts up with the tiles nearly to the top of the scrolling screen. It's going to take some fast thinking to clear out enough space to deal with the combo attacks from the opposing player. And that's okay-- Omi is used to that. Like Nagi, he's quite practiced at this game, even if Nagi doesn't remember that part.

Within seconds he's cleared several rows from his window and sent a couple of impediments over to Nagi's side. And he's fast at work to clear out more as well. It was lethal to not take care of that backlog immediately. ]

[If there's one thing that Nagi would be hard pressed to forget, it's that of his muscle memory. Even without remembering playing this game often with Omi necessarily, his body hasn't forgotten. He's probably not as quick or as ruthles as he would have been at 100% (he's still recovering from his injuries so he can't move his hands across the controls as fast as he maybe once did), but he's still a force to be reckoned with.

Even when Omi sends obstacles to his side, Nagi doesn't hesitate or allow himself to become flustered. He just takes them in stride, working to clear it out while sending back just as aggressive as an assault as he'd received.]

[ It's an intense game, but Nagi's incomplete recovery gives Omi an advantage, and in the heat of the battle, he's not thinking about things like whether it was unfair to play at 100% himself. Omi's own muscle memory (and actual memories) are wired to go all-out without hesitation against Nagi or else lose. ]

[It probably feels like the game lasts for a long while, when in reality it's over within the span of just a few minutes. And the winner...

Is Omi, believe it or not. It's pretty close, but in the end Omi had managed to gain ground on Nagi that he just couldn't catch back up. He leans back slightly with surprise when he's shown the loss screen while the winner screen flashes on Omi's machine. He doesn't seem angry or disappointed at having lost, though. Just mildly surprised.]

You won. Good job.

[ It would've been a little embarrassing if he'd lost despite Nagi's handicap, so it's a small relief when he wins. And for all the bluster he showed up front, after securing the victory, when Nagi congratulates him he just has a bashful smile. ]

Thanks. You had me worried for a while!

Worried...why, worried that I would beat you?

[Nagi almost smiles as he says that. Almost.]

[ Omi issues a soft, bashful laugh. ]

Maybe a little. I had fun, though. You?

Yes...it was fun.

[That laugh causes Nagi to duck his head forward, just a little. Even if he can't quite remember, the familiarity rings through strongly.]

I'd like to do it again, sometime.

Yeah. Me too.

[ Oblivious to any impact his laugh had, Omi tips his head towards the rest of the arcade. ]

Is there anything else here you want to try? I don't mind watching, if it's single player.

[Anthing else? Hm...Nagi scans the immediate vicinity, looking over the nearby arcade cabinets waiting for coins to be deposited.

Nagi had always been drawn to the more retro style games, even if many of them tended to be more simplistic, like tetris. It's why when he reaches for his cruches to make his way a few cabinets down, he winds up at a cabinet for Pac-Man that's probably older than both of them combined.]

This one.

Okay.

[ Omi settles himself nearby where he can watch without being in the way of other gamers. This used to be one of Nagi's favorites, too, so it's unsurprising he gravitated towards it again. Even if it doesn't help trigger more memories, he should at least have fun with it. After all Nagi's been through, that's important too. ]

[Nagi props himself up beside the machine similarly to the way he'd done with the last one, letting his crutches lean against it while he uses the machine itself for support while he's playing. Once he's put in a coin and started up a round, it's readily apparent that his muscle memory for this game hasn't left him either. He's just as adept at playing it as he was the last one, if not perhaps even better.

He plays with total concentration, paying little attention to his surroundings. So little, in fact, that he doesn't eventually notice a small crowd of nearby patrons forming when they realize just how high of a score he's gotten.]

[ Charisma is a mysterious thing, huh? Usually, it's social skills you think of as the driving force behind someone's magnetism, but in reality, sometimes it's simply talent. Not wanting to distract Nagi, Omi keeps quiet about the crowd of onlookers that has amassed until he's finished the game. After the Game Over screen, though? He lends Nagi his full enthusiasm. ]

That was amazing! You blew the last record out of the water.

[The game ending is a slight disappointment, but Nagi is no less thrilled for having beaten the resident high score, even if it doesn't show as easily in his expression. He is surprised when he turns to a full crowd of cheering onlookers spearheaded by Omi, who is congratulating him with all of the enthusiasm a friend like him should have. Maybe even more than.

Nagi even has it in him to look pleased- surprised, but pleased- as he reaches back out for his crutches.]

Thank you...when did all of these people get here?

[ Omi's smile doesn't falter. ]

You were really focused, weren't you? They've been gathering bit by bit while you played.

[Nagi inclines his head a bit, his gaze still lingering on the crowd even as they begin to disperse.]

Yes...I guess I was. I didn't even notice them.

[He might have been more bothered by the crowd before, but right now he has so little frame of reference for how much he dislikes most other people...other than Omi, that is.]

[The crowd may be thinning out as onlookers move on with their days, but Omi of course stays where he is.]

It's understandable. Anyone would need to give all their focus at that level!

What do you think-- ready for some lunch?

[Nagi gives a soft sound in affirmation as he reaches for his crutches again. It's a good thing Omi is here, because he wasn't even thinking about eating until he brought it up.]

Do you know of someplace we can go?

Yeah. There are a few good places nearby. What are you in the mood for?

[Ever since Nagi woke from his ordeal, he'd been eating anything that was given to him...eventually, anyway. The truth is, he didn't eat much at all at first, and it took a bit of coaxing to get him to have an appetite again. Maybe he was just like that before, but he can't remember...

...and thus, he can't remember if he had anything he really liked to eat. Any sorts of favorites...]

I'm...not sure.

[...]

Was there someplace we used to go, Omi-kun?

Forget-Me-Nots

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/celebrates 100 comments

THROWS CONFETTI

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