(it'd make him laugh much more if he heard the explanation as to why scott actually believes the time-travelling, but he can't really keep the laughter up once scott actually talks.

he looks awfully elegant with the yukata, the hair up, but there's not much but him looking down for a second, in thought - and he stands, calmly, as if he was attempting to give off the message that he isn't a threat, hands to his back as he walks towards the other.)

Fair's fair, Summers. If that's what you need, like I said, I won't oppose. I'm really sorry for all that happened, and I've paid at home, but I haven't paid here yet. I couldn't have fought off the curse, but I should have trusted you more. You're free to do whatever you want with that.

I know.

(because there's not much else to say. he's learned, and had a life time to undo what he could have done. a better future, or well, a future to begin with. that was not in the cards for him if he hadn't time-travelled, but alright. it's what happened.

he's here now.)

It says 'invincible' in the tin, not 'can't be hurt'. I'm not making fun of you. I'm serious.

Who wants to be punched? You're the one who said you wanted to.

(let's start there - although, it wouldn't feel all that awful to be punched right now. it'd make them at least a little bit equal. he'd feel a little bit better. but, well, too pretty to really want a bruise right now, it'd such to clean the yukata.)

I... I'm sorry. That's what I have, Summers.

(once upon a time, mikey equated tears with weakness. to the boy, the mere idea of tearing in front of people had been unimaginable - his mom told him he was as strong as his father, a man who fought and never shed a tear. he grew up with that very close link between bottling up and being strong, so he'd be loved.

until he met takemichi. a boy who never actually stopped crying, and he might have been the strongest person he has ever seen. this time around, he's not all that better. he can cry when overtaken by joy, but that relationship within himself comes and goes, but to the very least, he learned that extending a hand when you're drowning is better than allowing yourself to sink.

scott might be just there with the blonde boy manjiro holds so dear.)

Alright. You're not ready to talk to me, so I'mma just get going home. You know where I live.

(come on, scott.)

(he's not going to force something. truth is, in many aspects, he was lucky that takemichi was the one trying to save him, because even when he nearly died over, and over, and over-- he didn't hold it against manjiro. forgiveness, instant, regardless of what he had done. almost like takemichi didn't believe that mikey was capable of being mikey.

well. here, it's not like this. he hear the emotion in scott's voice, and he turns in confusion to meet him again.)

... I'm not leaving, Summers. Not if I have a say, because this place likes tossing me here and back like a ping-pong - but is it really leaving if I'm going to my empty ass home so you can have time to think?

Okay, okay. Tell me what you want to say, I'm not going anywhere.

(if scott even allows mikey to touch him. if he does, it's a short trip to the spot manjiro had been sitting all this time, taken by his hand on scott's wrist. it's almost elegant the way he sits, taking another cigarette from the pack as a way to calm his own nerves.)

Is it because I came back prettier?

(it's an attempt at making the other laugh - since he won't really talk, there's so much to say, and almost no way to say it. it's most likely complicated to yell at someone who finally understands what they mean, who won't fight back. there's little point, and yet, manjiro will welcome it if that's what scott ends up doing.

he'll fill the silence for scott, it's fine.)

... You know, I did lie about the wife and kids, but - I disbanded ToMan last year, I'm a civilian now. Me and my VP are in professional bike racing now. He's the mechanic, I'm the racer. We're actually doing pretty good, got sponsors and stuff.

Well, kinda? Bike racing ain't for everybody. Every time I fall, I get real bad bruises, it's kinda ugly. We've got some investors, some of our ToMan make real good money. If I really go for it, maybe I get to the MotoGP one day. We have just started, so we'll see where we go.

(or, well, not, since he's back here again. he knows eventually he'll go, that's how this place likes it with him, and considering he just picked off where he left off - not exactly worried about it.

it's definitely strange to be telling scott good news, considering how he is looking at him throughout this entire conversation.)

... I got to have a wonderful life. My parents still died, but my siblings haven't, none of them, including the one I didn't tell you about. My dream came true, we made to biggest gang in Japan, and all of my friends are also enjoying a wonderful life now, everyone lived.

It's more than I could ever ask for.

(he was expecting the tears earlier, when they first saw each other. perhaps a little after, when scott started cursing at him. he thought that what would weigh those tears down scott's face was anger, grief - not relief. when he first hears that choking noise, the next words mikey imagines to come are

you didn't deserve any of it.

he'd be the first to say that he doesn't. there's a lot he doesn't think he deserves. from his brother tearing the fabric of time so he would breathe again, to takemitchy and all their loved ones raging war against manjiro's stupidity. he's not worth that much. he didn't deserve a second chance, either, and his new timeline was... not without blood and tears, despair, and fuckton of elbow grease, he worked so hard, and it paid off, but considering what he has done, the way he went about it here, at home, anywhere, the last thing he expects is someone to be happy for him right now.

not when he fucked up so bad. hindsight is a bitch, and manjiro has had way too many years to cultivate it.

his hands have never been soft, but the way he reaches to wipe a tear away from scott's face might make up for the roughness in gentleness.)

... Yeah. We're okay. Takemitchy is okay, too. Never left my side, like you said.

It's gone.

(part of him thinks that telling scott the reasoning behind it might make those waves of tears downpour, but he thinks he owes something, an explanation, a warranty. there's no way of giving that without explaining why it existed in the first place, so there's a sigh as both hands go on the job of making scott's face a little drier.

he's never been emotional, he's not going to start now, so as per usual, he tells a story after he sucks in some breath.)

... When I was a kid, I had this super cool plane toy, and I didn't want anyone to even look at it. My friends wanted to play with it, but I started running around the dojo because I didn't want them to have it. Well, I fell real bad, and hurt my head. I got into a coma, been in vegetative state for a few years, and then I died.

(... yeah. that's kinda. that's kinda it.)

My brother killed this guy, this... Time traveler, because he wanted the same power, so he could bring me back and all. The dude cursed him, and because I was the event he changed, it went to me. Takemitchy got the power from my brother before he passed, so all this time, he was trying... To stop it. To help me. He was going back and forth in time, changing what he could so I didn't... Get that fucked up. After a ton of shit, all of it my fault, we ended up both going back to even before the accident. None of it ever happened. So, no curse, it's just me, Summers.

(honestly? yeah. that's. pretty much. it.

but, when scott puts it that way, the tension that was building as he tells the story just comes out in a 'pffffft', followed by a loud laugh. one that actually brings tears to his eyes, not out of sadness, but because-- yep! that's! exactly it! it makes him snort, resting his forehead on scott's shoulder as he chuckles.)

It's called the butterfly effect, dumbass, you ain't ever heard of that movie, whatever the name, that they stepped on a butterfly, and then humans got a third eye and a tail or some shit, I didn't watch it, but!! Something small changes the course of life all the time, get with the program.

(he can shove, but this is never not going to be ridiculously funny, because scott is too damn right -- but so is mikey, he'd argue easily. there are so many things that are dependent on timing. things that don't make sense, like forgetting your phone at home, coming back to pick it up, only to find out you don't have to go to work that day once you return home to grab it and look at the calendar showing a holiday hanging on the wall. commute and headache saved.

so on, so on.

that's why this whole thing is so fucked up - because it's so damn trivial.)

Running on a staircase is a shitty ass idea, but things like these happen all the time. Timing is a force to be reckoned with, Summers. Takemitchy met my brother for 5 seconds one time, and that's how he got the whole time-traveling power thing. You never know.