puppycrush2 | week three

It's time... to go bowling!

Classic date night behavior!

Highlights:

- they have to wear the bowling shoes
- there are nachos and sodas
- whoever wins gets one of those cheap medals saying "first place" intended for children

[ ... Mark wanted to go out with Akechi again. He didn't want to leave things just hanging where they did. But now that they're here, the awkwardness feels palpable.

He's just going to, uh, be putting on his bowling shoes right now, all the while saying a silent prayer that this be normal. That this please go normally.

Looking up at Akechi as he finishes tying them up, ] Have you ever done this before?

I've played. It's not my favorite game. I prefer darts and pool, really. But I enjoy the the math behind it. Speed of the ball, angles, force... If you know your own self well enough you can almost always get a perfect game. There's no accounting for a bad angle from time to time but...

[He knows, since he doesn't play often that he won't score perfectly. It'll take some warming up, gauging the wight of the ball and how he throws.]

If I can score over two hundred I'll be satisfied, I think.

[He is, deep down, a nerd at heart.

He slips on his own shoes as he talks, wrinkling his nose a bit as this is probably the worst part of bowling but it is what it is. This is a much more subdued and closed off Akechi. Speaking mater of factly about the math of the game and not much else.]

[ Mark looks up in alarm; nobody told him there would be math involved? ]

... Two hundred would be pretty good. [ And he wasn't entirely sure what he was expecting. Akechi had been so proper and perfect when he'd first met him; of course that's how he would carry himself outside of the house. The only one here who's going to make this weird is him, so he resolves: he is not going to make this weird.

Hopefully.

He stands up, waiting for Akechi to join him. ]

I've always, uh, just thrown the ball as hard as I could.

[ Nerd meet jock. And this is almost certainly the first time he's gone bowling since he got super strength, so that's an... interesting strategy he's going to have to reconfigure. ]

[Akechi shucks off his school uniform coat and rolls up the sleeves on the shirt beneath. He blinks, in slight alarm, at being told that Mark just throws the ball as hard as possible.]

That's... a strategy. [He goes over to the balls and tests their weight. He doesn't want the heaviest ball but something that has some weight to it.] But I don't recommend it.

The harder you throw the ball the more random the pins will be knocked and they will be less likely to knock each other over.

[Once again... he will try and help this guy. He knows from rock climbing that he's a fast learner. Someone that he's certain he can keep up with.]

[ See, it's not like Akechi needs to give him bowling tips, further cementing in Mark's mind that there is a good guy in there. Sure, he's committed atrocities, but... fuck it, he's going to have a good time. ]

Got it. That, uh, makes a lot of sense, actually. [ The... the math involved... he swallows before going to find his own ball. The weight is negligible to him; he's really just going to test the first ball he grabs and deem it acceptable. They're all just bowling balls, right?

That said, in a moment of self-awareness, ] You should probably go first.

[ Maybe he can at least try to copy him... ]

Sure. [He gives an analyzing side eye to the other boy. Mark is, quite literally, a good guy. One he has no ill will towards, he just... It's easier to lash out and push away then dare let someone close. It's pointless anyway. Which is quite the shame. Mark is a fast learner. He'd have been a good rival.]

So... You see these lines on the floor? They're to help with your aim. They arrows and the lines themselves which represent things like foul lines and distance. You'll want to use these arrows specifically as a guide to throw your ball so you have optimum trajectory.

Like this. [Akechi rolls his shoulders and releases his ball with a throw with some heat behind it. The ball rolls perfectly down the one line that's slightly off to the right. It curves near the end, just slightly, to hit the center pin at an angle and...

The sound of pins being hit is always satisfying and when they settle not one remains standing. A strike. (Akechi of course rolled a 6 first. Embarrassing.)]

Huh. [It's kind of like when he pocketed every ball in front of Joker that one time. Sometimes you just get a little lucky.] Well. Just like that.

[ Mark nods along as Akechi lays it out to him. He'd really never paid attention to the lines before, never wondered what their actual purpose was. But it makes sense that they'd have one, why would they be there just for decoration...

And he lets out a low whistle at the strike. Just like that, huh... ]

That was amazing. Okay, so I should do... exactly what you did, huh? [ With an awkward little laugh. Like it would be that simple. ] Okay, let's see...

[ And it's his turn, so Mark steps up, ball in his hand. He knows it should feel heavier than it actually does to him, but he's just going to try to take it light... it's not like it'll stop in the middle of the lane for him, right? That would be embarrassing on so many levels...

Okay, enough thinking. He rolls his shoulders. Swings his arm back, lets go of the ball when he's at what he hopes is the right angle.

Winces, because he definitely threw that way too hard. To his credit, it's not like he damaged the lane or anything, but it should... not be going that fast...

The ball rolls down further to the right. Flirts with the gutter for a moment. And then swings back to hit the middle pin, and... another strike. (squeezes eyes shut, Mark also rolled a 6.)

He's kind of just frozen in place for a second, because that should not have happened, before turning back to Akechi. ]

Um. Beginner's luck?

[Mark may be flabbergast but there's a pleased smile on Akechi's face. Just like rock climbing Mark seems to be a natural at whatever he does. Such a thing is, naturally, a little irritating but he can't deny that a challenge is interesting. If things weren't so raw he might suggest another bet. But... they are and he has no interest in giving his opinion for the upcoming booth. He couldn't care less who gets called.]

Maybe that's all it is.

[He takes his ball back and rolls it again in as similar a way as he can to how he threw previously. (Closes my eyes.) Another strike. The pins scatter pleasantly and he shakes out his hand to ease the strain on his wrist that bowling presents.]

The real test will be if you can do it again.

[ ... He really doesn't know what to make of Akechi now. How he could go from borderline feral, screaming his soul at him to that pleased smile that just makes Mark want to. Impress him? It's night and day, and Akechi can genuinely be so cool, so fun to hang out with, why can't he be like this at the match ceremonies—

Nevermind. Not helping here. He's just going to have some fun and, uh, concentrate on throwing the ball less hard. So he gives Akechi a little smile, still nervous, before his mouth makes a little o shape at another strike.

He really is dealing with an expert. ]

We'll see...

[ Mark is kind of hoping he can't do it again, because for as much as he wants to impress Akechi, he doesn't want to slip up. And surely it would be suspicious if he did it again, right? So this time he's going to just... roll it straight down the middle. No angles. Just see what happens.

He gets four pins — the two down the middle and the back two behind them. And he lets out a quiet exhale of relief before turning to face Akechi again. ]

Okay, maybe not. [ And yet, his body language is much more relaxed this time. (Complete with no shaking of his hand — there's no strain for him.) ] Guess I gotta go again, huh?

[He watches Mark roll, the angle off, but he'd never expect that to be on purpose. As far as he's aware this is an ordinary guy whose got a knack for things. He shrugs at the few pins hit.]

Even the best struggle to do the same thing over and over again. To reign in your own strength perfectly is not an easy feat. There's a bit of chance to it to. Certain pins can fall a certain way but they won't always fall the same way. Two pins hitting each other instead of hitting others can be the difference between a strike and a spare.

[He crosses one leg over the other and reaches for the drink that's on their little table to take a sip of it before gesturing for Mark to continue.]

That's right. If you manage to hit the rest it'll be a spare. That's pretty good too.

[ Don't mind the way Mark pales at the idea of reining in his own strength. Did I slip up does he know flits through his mind, even though he really has been trying to avoid using his powers here. But Akechi continues, and—

he's smart, so either Mark did slip up and Akechi is just waiting to spring it on him, or he's just being paranoid. And there's nothing he can do about the former, so he's just going to hope it's the latter, and he nods. ]

Right. [ He picks the first ball he sees, really not caring whether he has the same one or not. ] Right, I can do this.

[ Be normal. He can be normal — and not throw a spare, because he did not roll high enough for that. He sends the ball down the lane, really just hoping to get one side of the remaining pins (calculating the angle he'd need to get all of them is not going to happen) — and does just that, sending another three down, leaving three standing.

He turns back to Akechi, shrugging, but smiling. ]

How about seven out of ten? [ That feels... average? He wants to be average. ]

That's pretty average, really.

[He really just thinks you're normal, Mark. But he does note a thing or two. He picked a different line. And a different ball. Which is curious but not suspicious. The man said he'd not done this before so...

When Mark's pins are replaced with fresh ones Akechi picks up his same ball, gloved fingers moving along the smooth surface before slotting into the holes. He tries the same roll with the same power but that's hard to do perfectly over and over again and so the ball veers a little too much in one direction hitting the pins straight on and leaving one on each end. The dreaded 7-10 split. He clicks his tongue in annoyance, knowing it's not impossible to get a spare but that's a difficult shot.

The second roll does only hit one leaving a remainder to stand.]

I still don't know how to correctly roll to fix that. [He shrugs his shoulder.] Hitting it's far side, I presume. But that does risk you rolling a gutter ball.

[He returns to his seat, rolling the shoulder that's been throwing these heavy balls.]

Your shot.

[ Now Mark's left wondering... if he rolled a ball hard enough, could he get enough force to send one pin in a 7-10 split into the other one? He has no idea how else anyone would do it, but he also definitely can't try here. ]

That'd take a lot of finesse, huh? [ So, the opposite of what he can do. He heads up, again picking up the first ball he sees — they really do all feel the same to him — and tries to replicate his first throw.

He doesn't quite get the angle on it, though, and only manages to knock down six pins. Which is fine by him, because the other four are grouped together, and surely even he can do this.

He sends his second roll straight into the group — no angles, no fuss, just a ball that was once again thrown a little too hard, going a little too fast — and emits a little puff of satisfaction watching them all go down.

Mark heads back to their seats, picking up his own drink to sip from, absolutely no worse for the wear. ]

That's a spare, right? When you get all of them in two tries?

Quite a bit, yes.

[He again watches as Mark picks a ball at random and throws it, earning himself a spare. Akechi's fingers tap at his chin as he watches the scene unfold, gaze flickering upwards towards Mark and he gives him a wry smile at the question.]

That's right. If you get it in two throws you'll have a spare. But you know... You might have better luck if you kept using the same weighted ball. I note you never pick up the ball you used previously. I can't speak for the weight but it is interesting. There's quite a difference between a five pound ball and a twelve.

[Akechi pushes himself up and grabs the same eight pound ball he's been using. He lines himself up and rolls it down the lane, earning himself another strike. He nods in satisfaction, clapping his gloved hands together. Two hundred point game might not be too unlikely!]

[ shitshitshitshit—

Mark goes from feeling cool and comfortable to his eyes widening at Akechi's observation and subsequent helpful tip. He'd been so focused on the strength with which he threw the ball — had to make sure he didn't put a hole in the lane, or in the back wall, or anywhere, really — that it's the little details that have been slipping his mind.

Like the fact that, in hindsight, Akechi has been using the same ball the entire time. What else is he missing... surely that's the only thing... ]

Okay, I think I see your point there. [ laughing, totally normal, brushing it off, totally normal. ] Let's see then...

[ He's just going to... pick the coolest-looking ball he sees, and stick with that one, then. Blue and yellow — like his costume, so, easy to remember — and a fourteen-pounder, not that he's aware of that. And then he's just going to roll it, and...

... in the gutter it goes, and he puffs out a sigh, waiting for the ball to come back. No no no, this one is his now, he can make it work...

On his second go he just sends it right down the middle, earning himself a 7-10 split in the process — but that's it for his turn, and it still was kind of(?) a successful frame for him, so. ]

Alright. I'm definitely not beating you, [ happy to concede that point already, ] but let's see if I can at least keep up now.

[He really doesn't think anything of it despite Mark's internal panic. Akechi honestly thinks he's that new at the game. So he gives a light chuckle.]

You never know. I think you're doing quite well.

[Akechi slides out of his seat to grab the ball he's been using. He gets a spare this time, knocking three the first time and the rest after. Again he shakes out his wrist as he heads back.]

A few bad throws from me and you'll be right back in this. [Akechi continues to adjust his gloves as he takes a seat.] No matter what we do you seem to have a knack for it. You're a talented individual.

[ ... See, even knowing what he now knows of Akechi, getting a compliment from him still feels like a badge of honour (even if Mark is, essentially, cheating, but it's not like he can help it).

So he smiles, and sits back to watch.

And looks away at the idea that he just seems to have a knack for things. ]

I guess I'm just lucky. [ small shrug, looking back up at Akechi. ] I mean, this is only our second time going out, right? We got two things you're great at, too.

[ But alright... his turn. Using the same ball this time and everything!

It's a spare for him as well, knocking half and then the other half of the pins over. Turning back to retrieve his drink, still absolutely no worse for the wear, ] I'm just happy if I can keep pace with you.

Ha. I'm not good at bowling but I understand it which, I can admit, does give me an edge.

[At Mark's remark Akechi offers what is truly a genuine smile. A little pleased, a little embarrassed. People, at this point, know what he's like so... Any sort of praise is a bit of surprise. Who would like him when he's not pretending to be someone else?]

I'd be quite pleased to have someone be able to keep up with me. And you really do meet my expectations over and over again. We would have been exceptional rivals.

[Rival is the closest he can get to saying friend right now.]

[ ... Akechi has a nice smile. It's so different from that night after the match ceremony— It's really, really nice.

Mark sets his drink down to lean back, reciprocate it. He wants to tread this line very carefully, but he also wants to keep the mood up — it's such a good mood — so... ]

That kind of sounds like it's the thing that's important to you. [ Rivals is an odd word, but there's a way Akechi is saying it that has Mark thinking it's not in the traditional sense. Or it's just Akechi's love language, or whatever. ] I mean... this is fun, and I like trying to keep up with you. So, who knows. Maybe a rivalry could still happen.

[ Positive framing... thinking about the future, people being able to change...

... but also it's just nice to be able to make someone else happy, so Mark will thrive on that, too. ]

week three | dates

akechi & mark

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i'm rolling a dice for this just for fairness. 1/2 random pins 3/4 spare 5/6 strike.

oh this is perfect. adopts this

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