diamondo | FIFTH RIDE ✦ ACCIDENTAL VIDEO / ACTION [DANGAN HOUSE]

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FIFTH RIDE ✦ ACCIDENTAL VIDEO / ACTION [DANGAN HOUSE]

[ VIDEO ]

[Have you ever wanted to see a biker gang leader be domestic? No? Well turn off your 'Gears now then.

Mondo has taken over the kitchen today, so anyone in the Dangan House has probably been unceremoniously shoved out by one of Mondo's smaller Pokémon. The biker gang leader himself is currently almost unrecognizable; his hair is down and tied out of his face and he's sporting a cute apron with Pichu and Pikachu patterns all over it. His shirt, pants, and shoes are the same, so that might be a clue to those who know him, but otherwise he's definitely looking pretty different today. It seems that one of his Pokémon has gotten bored and has decided to film him since the angle is a little low.

There's a small radio sitting on the kitchen counter blasting horrible rap music with far too many cuss words in it, which Mondo is happily singing along to. Beside said radio are quite a few different trays full of... cookies. Holiday-themed cookies. Little trees and snowmen are all over the place and they actually look pretty good, all things considered. Mondo is currently elbow-deep in dough - it looks like he's actually making these things from scratch rather than a box mix. He'll occasionally glance at a recipe, but he seems to know what he's doing.

After a moment of this, Mondo finally seems to notice that the 'Gear is in his Scrafty's hands and he makes a mad fumble for it, only for her to leap out of the way.]

Get the fuck back here, Ryder!

[Hope that didn't break anyone's eardrums... Also his reputation may or may not be ruined completely now. Whoops.]

[ ACTION - DANGAN HOUSE ]

[After that... embarrassment Mondo can be found packaging the cookies up in little bags. They're holiday-themed bags too; clearly he's gone all out for the season. He's still singing along to the terrible rap, but he seems to be in a good mood despite the hilarity from earlier.

If he catches sight of you, you're probably going to be handed a bag of cookies. Yes, even you Togami and you, Celes.

The cookies inside are actually pretty good! They're not burnt or anything and Mondo seems incredibly proud of himself for something like this. Come taunt him/demand cookies/wonder where in the good hell he got that apron?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

As fine as your crude grasp of language, clearly.

[Honestly if he was any prissier he'd be looking at his nails right now. As it is, he does slip his gloves off, focusing on that action rather than on looking at his housemate.]

What has you in such a cheerful one?

[Tch.]

That ain't any of your fucking business!

Oh, good.

[He unties his scarf and drapes that over his coat. His tone of voice is dry and unimpressed.]

I was afraid you were going to start blathering on about the holiday as if I was supposed to care.

So you're a fucking scrooge too, huh? Can't really say I'm surprised.

[He shrugs and returns to his baking, studying the recipe for longer than he really needs to. For a moment it seems like he's willing to just let Togami go.]

...The fuck's wrong with the holiday anyway?

[Curiosity always wins out.]

[During the pause, Togami actually walks away to hang up his coat and scarf, slipping the gloves into the inside pocket of his coat.

Unfortunately, Oowada's voice carries. The groan Togami gives is practically inaudible, but he returns to the doorway anyway, this time empty-handed, and crosses his arms over his chest.]

Christmas is for romantics and children, and I am neither.

It ain't just for romantics and kids! It's a great time to show people how much you care about 'em.

[He does glance up after that's out there, shooting Togami a dirty look.]

Not like that'd mean anything to you since you only give fucks about yourself.

[yeah his opinion is unchanged and guess which category he thinks you fall into right now.]

Don't presume to know what or whom I care about because I don't wear my heart on my sleeve like a fool.

[Well he certainly can't be a romantic because that would involve girls and we all know he can't talk to women, so...]

Right, 'cause acting like a fucking asshole all the time's doing you real favors.

[Need he remind you which one of them survived the killing game?]

It's served me well thus far, yes.

And you're saying your temper has done you favors?

[like murder. It did you murder! 8D]

[Mondo flinches and for a moment he considers snapping at Togami, telling him that he's a dick and he can shove it where the sun don't shine, but he manages to control his temper.

...Somehow.

Look, he's been getting (slightly) better at it.]

I didn't say that. Don't put fucking words in my mouth.

[He turns back to the recipe again so he doesn't have to face Togami. He doesn't want the heir to see how flushed he's gotten. His temper never used to embarrass him before.]

[Now that's interesting.

...Goddamnit why do you people always have to go around proving that you have the potential to grow and change as human beings. First Ishimaru, now Oowada? Christ, it's like you're actual living persons instead of just a list of sometimes contradictory tropes.

You're going to make him feel bad about you kicking the bucket too. Fuck you.

Togami considers walking away, but something ~~guilt~~ gets the better of him and he comes into the kitchen and turns off the stereo with a decisive click. To his credit, he comes no closer than that, nor does he make an effort to look Oowada in the face when it's clear that the other boy is hiding his expression.

He's going to pick up a cookie from the cooling rack and sniff it cautiously.]

...It seems edible. What kind is it?

[because he doesn't know how to address Oowada not blowing up and trying to deck him, so he's going to change the subject for both of their sakes.]

[Mondo makes a face when Togami turns the music off, but he doesn't attempt to turn it back on. He's still red but at least it's dying down some. He's not entirely sure why Togami is sticking around and for a moment he considers asking, but Togami beats him to it.]

...Sugar. And yeah, 'course it's edible.

[He almost makes a remark about how he's surprised Togami isn't feeding it to his Pokémon to test for poison, but he keeps his mouth shut on that. Togami appears to be trying to be civil, so he'll (try) to return the courtesy.

...This is by far one of the weirdest things he's ever done though.]

I'm thinking 'bout making nutmeg ones next. Never tried 'em before so I dunno how they'll turn out.

[He studies the recipe (though he's fairly sure he's memorized it by now) instead of Togami, though he'll occasionally glance at the heir curiously.]

[Of course Mondo wouldn't poison cookies intended for everyone, he's neither smart enough nor has any reason to do so.

Not here, anyway.

Togami stays silent as if contemplating something, but finally sets the cookie back down on the cooling rack and unbuttons his forest green cardigan, throwing it over the back of one of the chairs.]

What ingredients do you have left? Enough for at least two batches?

[He's also picking up an orange from the fruit bowl, and rifling through the few spices that they have to see if there's any ginger.

He finds the cardamom and sets that down in the space between him and Oowada without even glancing at the other.]

Cardamom complements the flavor of nutmeg. Cinnamon does as well, but I assume the recipe probably already calls for that.

[Yeah that's-- HEY WAIT HE'S PLENTY SMART ENOUGH YOU TAKE THAT BACK]

Yeah, I should have enough--

[He cuts himself off when Togami joins him, staring at the heir like he's grown a second head. He opens his mouth to ask just what in the good hell Togami's doing, but the answer is pretty obvious, isn't it?

He's not sure where Togami learned to bake, but he's not really sure he wants to know either. Mondo shuts his mouth.]

Yeah, it does. Looks like it should be pretty easy.

[He hands the card over to Togami, busying himself with the other ingredients. Once his back is turned he can't help but smile a bit to himself.

Maybe Togami's not a complete asshole.]

[If Togami notices that he's being stared at, he doesn't particularly seem to care.]

Good. It would be a pain to have to fetch more.

[ENJOY YOUR BAKING PARTNER??

With the answer, he starts unbuttoning his shirt sleeves and rolling them up to his elbows. His wrists and arms are so pale that his veins stand out like blue rivers drawn on a map. Perhaps it's only his confidence that keeps him from seeming fragile.

He takes the recipe card when it's handed to him, leaning against the counter and picking up the cookie that he'd set down, nibbling it as he reads over the ingredients and directions on the card.

Finally, he hands it back.]

Simple enough. [wonder of wonders, there's no snarky 'even you can't mess it up' that follows.] No more than just a pinch of cardamom. You want it more for the aroma than the taste.

[And now he's on the hunt for another mixing bowl and another spoon. Good thing a house with 8 20-year-olds, some of whom have never had to do their own dishes, is likely to follow the "if it's dirty, buy another one" philosophy.]

My nurse made vanilla ginger sables every Christmas when I was young. Sometimes I would sneak away from my tutors and help her. The smell had a way of pervading the whole house.

[He's heading off the 'I didn't know you knew how to bake' question at the pass.]

[Mondo studies Togami for a moment, head tipped slightly to the side in confusion. He's not sure what brought all this on and he's not sure he really likes it, but the fact that the heir isn't insulting him every five seconds is enough to keep him calm. He's beginning to realize that not everyone is as bad as they seem and like it or not, they are classmates who have been through something horrific together. That's a strong bond, and one he's really not sure what to do with.

Togami's little story actually gets him to wonder just what the heir's life was like - he had a nurse? tutors? well, of course, he's rich - and Mondo mentally berates himself for caring. It doesn't matter.]

Yeah? I learned to bake 'cause I wanted to please my brother. That, and I really fucking love sweets. My parents were...

[He pauses, staring down at his hands for a moment. Too personal. He's not going to share that with Togami.]

...Well, they didn't do much for us. So we were kinda on our own. But yeah, I know what that's like. Worst part of baking is when you've gotta wait for 'em to fucking cool.

[Togami pauses with his arm halfway out of the cabinet, mixing bowl in hand.

He knows more than he would like to about absent parents. Having a world-class musician for a mother would do that. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, before straightening and setting the mixing bowl on the counter. Even if his body language for a minute betrayed how much he could relate, he's not going to say it out loud.]

...We always made sure to have enough for Father Christmas as well.

She had the same rule for me that she did for her own sons - if I could hold it without dropping it from the heat, I could eat it. [He pauses, mid checking the ingredients.] Even then I had my pride. And I usually ended up with burned fingers as a result.

[It's a harmless enough anecdote, and one that's shared in spirit, if not by the letter.]

[Mondo laughs, the sound easy and open.]

Yeah, I'll fucking bet you did!

[The idea of Togami as a little kid with just as much pride gets him to snicker, but he's clearly not laughing at Togami.]

I baked for the Diamonds too. 'Course I didn't let 'em know it was me doing it; they would've had a field day with that.

[He laughs again; it's odd how silly that seems now when back home he would have died of embarrassment had they known about that. Huh. Maybe he's mellowed out a bit here.]

Most of 'em couldn't even fix ramen without fucking it up somehow, so they all enjoyed it. I guess that's part of the reason why I kept doing it even after...

[Daiya died. He falls silent, staring intently at the recipe before shrugging.]

Well, that's not important. So did this nurse of yours teach you how to sew too?

[Because he certainly hasn't forgotten about all those adorable little Eevee outfits.]

[OKAY NOW THAT IS AN IMAGE THAT VERY NEARLY GETS HIM TO LAUGH. Mostly because of Oowada's current baking attire, and the mental image of him baking truckloads of cookies for the entire gang is just patently ridiculous in pretty much every way.

Funny how inconsequential the knowledge that Oowada apparently bakes well (...and the sugar cookie he has to admit is delicious if plain) seems now, when he would have had a field day with the information early in their acquaintance.

He also probably would have gotten decked in the face for laughing, and he holds no delusions that he would have gotten up from a solid hit in less than an hour.]

She did.

[Designing clothes was a skill that he learned on his own, however.]

She made me learn because "No boy should go through life without knowing how to sew his own buttons on." I was a faster study than her own sons were, so she went on to teach me more than just the basics.

[The thought occurs to him suddenly that if the Despair Incident was really worldwide, then she's probably dead, and the boys who grew up alongside Togami with her. His hand trembles on the mixing bowl, making the metal ring traitorously against the tile, but he regains control quickly enough and picks up the flour and baking soda, lapsing back into silence.]

Well she's certainly fucking right. Relying on tailors and shit would just suck.

[Mondo gives a half-shrug, not elaborating on that for a moment.]

...I can't do much more than simple shit, though. I did the designs on my coat though.

[He sounds proud of that, mostly because it took him forever. Apparently Mondo is domestic as shit, who knew?

The sudden sound of metal on tile gets Mondo's attention and he once again tips his head slightly to the side, wondering what startled Togami so badly. He doesn't ask because he's sure he won't get an answer.]

...Sounds like you two were pretty close. I never really had an adult look after me like that.

[It's a very simple statement without anything behind it. No rage, no frustration, no jealousy. After all, he had Daiya and that was all he needed.]

[Having recreated a fascimile of Oowada's coat in miniature, Togami is suitably surprised by the fact that the intricate detailing was all done by Oowada himself.]

Embroidery on that scale isn't simple by any means.

[that's about the closest thing to a compliment you'll ever get from him sry2say. He even sounds almost impressed.

He mixes the flour and baking soda together with perhaps more force than he ought, as he considers how to respond to his classmate's remark.]

Of course we were close. [Do you not know what a nurse does, Oowada.

Togami knows more about Oowada than he'll betray at the moment. After all, he's seen the end of the second trial, he knows about Oowada's secret. About his brother. But he's getting a much different picture now than he did watching a murderer wait for his execution. The difference makes something churn in his gut, knowing what Oowada has waiting him upon returning to Hope's Peak.

It leaves a sour taste in his mouth.]

...My mother traveled often, and I didn't meet my father nor any of my siblings until I was 12 years old.

[which was a detached way of admitting that his nurse had been all he had as a little boy. The way he states it is as matter of fact as Oowada's own remark.]

[Mondo shrugs at the compliment and doesn't remark on it, but if Togami looks closely, it's pretty obvious that Mondo's ears have gone red. He's not sure what to do with a compliment from Togami (does that even count as a compliment? he thinks so) so he simply decides to ignore it.

Then Togami says something about his family and all that goes right out the window.]

Shit, seriously?

[He can't imagine that. His life would have been utter hell if he hadn't had Daiya there, so the thought that Togami didn't even know his siblings for so long is shocking. He manages to figure out what Togami was trying to say though and tips his head a bit in thought.]

It's good you had someone close to you, then. I mean, fuck, not even you deserve to be left alone.

[...He may or may not have major issues with being alone, news at ten.]

[Togami is secretly relieved when Oowada doesn't push the compliment any further. He'd said it because after pouring blood, sweat, and tears into a miniature version of the coat he would probably spit in your face if you suggested he try something to full scale.

It's gaudy as hell but damn if it isn't technically challenging.

Oowada's reaction of course makes him remember all that the other boy has said, all that the class trial revealed. Oowada idolized his older brother. Their parents weren't around. He learned to bake to impress his brother.

It makes Togami think of his own fourteen siblings (he wonders how Oowada would react if he knew the precise number) and how they've been dead to him for years, whatever actually became of them. He can't imagine that they're alive somewhere in the wreckage of the world.

...He hopes that they aren't, lest upon his return they decide to take advantage of the fact that he has no bodyguards now.]

I manage perfectly well in solitude. In fact, I prefer it.

[Or so he's told himself, over the last seven years (five that he remembers).]

That's fucking sad.

[Mondo's voice is calm despite the vulgarity. He's stating it like he would state a fact and for a brief moment he glances at Togami. He can't imagine what it would be like to want to be on your own.

But at the same time, he's slowly coming to terms with the fact that not everyone sees things the way he does. Ishimaru sometimes needs time to himself, something Mondo (still) doesn't understand fully. When he's upset, he wants to be surrounded by people to forget about why he's so mad. Ishimaru prefers to be on his own. It's something he didn't understand when he first got here, but the months have made things a bit clearer.

So when he speaks again, his tone is thoughtful.]

But to each their own, I guess. Kinda surprised you're still sticking around here if you prefer being on your own.

[Togami half shrugs. He doesn't expect a boor like Oowada to understand the appeal of silence. Even if Oowada has been surprising him today.

He had moved on to the next step of the recipe, ignoring the realization that this was the first time that he'd seen butter since the execution of the very classmate standing next to him (would that be margarine? or simply soylent green?)

The thoughtful remark takes him off guard, and he pauses before digging into the cream and sugar with that much more force.]

I have a room to myself, and the study is rarely occupied by anyone other than me. It's not so different. [You know, from the accommodations at murderschool.

He misses the soundproofing, though.]

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