shit.[break][break]

danny stares at himself in the mirror for the longest time, taking in all the small details that have changed since the distortion. not much as changed, to be fair, but definitely enough to make a difference.[break][break]

would nagi think he's being catfished? [break][break]

shit.[break][break]

either way, his anxieties fade into the background the moment he sees the person sitting on the bench with the familiar pair of specs he's only ever seen through his screen.[break][break]

"nagi?"

[attr="class","ooc"]nagi miwa[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]

nagi’s head freezes mid-bob. even if he could miss danny’s face, he couldn’t not recognise that voice, though it sounds fuller, outside of the tin-can sound quality of his old headphone speakers — and, far closer than it had ever been before.

“danny?” nagi echoes, rocking up to his feet. he stands still for a moment, studying danny’s face with his head cocked, silently overlaying years worth of mental screenshots with the features before him — and then he smiles. just a small curl of his lips, but his eyes are alight.

“sorry, sir. i think i mistook you for your younger brother.”

DANNY HALL
mission

☉

"sir?"[break][break]

danny glances off to the side, to one of the glass frames of the exhibits, and peers at his own reflection, briefly studying the changes he's still coming to terms with.[break][break]

"i don't look that old, do i?"[break][break]

he even does a little twirl, similar to a pirouette, to show off his backside that's naturally gotten bigger from all the training he's done since joining rocket.[break][break]

"man, it's me, danny boy."

[attr="class","ooc"]nagi miwa[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]

nagi can't wolf-whistle, so the sound that comes out of his pursed lips as danny twirls is a little like pissing, ending with a puff of laughter.

"yeah, yeah, i got you, danny boy."

he balls his hand into a fist, and bumps his knuckles into the side of danny's elbow. it's less a punch, and more of a feeble tap, not that nagi's skinny nerd arms had any hope of bowling danny over. he hadn't looked nearly as well-built when pixelated and flat on a screen.

he had looked younger too. less worn, though it was hard to tell stray pixels apart from premature wrinkles.

but he’s still danny — with the face that nagi remembers from years of late nights, hiding the glow of the laptop screen under his covers to sneak in just another half-hour of muffled conversation.

nagi basks in effervescent thrill of hitting his erstwhile online friend in the flesh.

"... it’s good to see you."

DANNY HALL
mission

☉

"yeah! finally, right? it's been, like, years."[break][break]

years spent talking and bonding has formed a friendship not even distance or time could tear asunder. their bond, forged within the fiery hells of the internet, will continue to live on forever.[break][break]

or maybe until nagi finds out about danny's affiliation to a criminal organization. but until then![break][break]

"oh! someone's been very excited to meet you."[break][break]

poking out from behind danny's neck is a little dedenne, perched on his trainer's shoulder wearing a fancy bowtie.[break][break]

"dee even got all dressed up."

[attr="class","ooc"]nagi miwa[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]

nagi doesn't think of a looming figure in a dark alleyway and a cold corpse; or of fried rice left to go stale in its takeaway container; curling up on his lumpy motel mattress, rubbing cold fingers together, turning over and over in his head, go home. should i go home?

he thinks: is that a bowtie? afgjklakla and i’m glad i’m here. because he has no reason to think otherwise! not yet.

"shit, that's cute." nagi gives dee a small gentleman's bow. "it's an honor. you're very handsome."

"speaking of which — "

with a flash of red light, a litwick emerges on their customary perch atop nagi's crown. their luminous eyes slide slowly between danny and dee, before they raise one of their small wax arms in a sedate wave. for sherlock, that’s practically a leaping embrace.

“sherlock was up all night,” nagi says. so was he, really. “they were really excited about seeing the fishes— ow.”

sherlock raises a full strand of nagi’s hair triumphantly aloft. 

DANNY HALL
mission

☉

"talk about cute."[break][break]

anyone would be gushing over this interaction between two friends and their adorable baby pokemon. but no one's watching them, and danny knows because he's looked and still looks on occasion. this is a habit he has had to become very familiar with.[break][break]

danny mirrors the sedate wave, moving almost in slow motion before his arm falls back down to his side.[break][break]

"right! we should get going then. lots of fishes to see."[break][break]

he takes a second to appreciate the moment and just how exciting it actually is that his friend is finally here in the flesh. he could reach out and just grab him — which he does! by the arm.[break][break]

"ready?"

[attr="class","ooc"]nagi miwa[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]

any furtive glances at the people around them, any increased surveillance of their surroundings, slip beneath nagi's notice. there’s so much to see at the aquarium, after all. who can be faulted for a little more looking?

the unfamiliar feeling of a hand around his arm makes nagi stiffen for a passing moment. the instinctive urge to pull away fades as quickly as it came. he pauses, weighing something in his mind for a beat, before leaning in to bump his shoulder lightly against danny's. the sheer novelty of being able to do so is still surreal, even though sherlock's earlier attempt to prune his crown would have woken him if this were a dream.

“shore am. any favourites?”

DANNY HALL
mission

☉

nagi's usual puns would've been met with the nauseated emoji. there are no emojis in real life, however, so danny's left with the only option to roll his eyes in response.[break][break]

not that he actually minds. it's cute.[break][break]

"i think whiscash are my favorite fish."[break][break]

but he thinks on it for a moment.[break][break]

"i've also grown quite fond of seismitoad! they're cute. i think they have a frog exhibit here."

[attr="class","ooc"]nagi miwa[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]

"seismitoad? that's the one that —" nagi starts miming with his hands, fingers encircling around air above his head in the vague impression of seismitoad’s head bumps. under his fingers, sherlock gives dee a long-suffering look: see what i have to live with?

a few incomprehensible gestures later, nagi accepts that he doesn’t have even a fraction of mr. mime’s pantomiming acumen. he sets his hands back down, thumb against his chin as he thinks. " — the bumpy frog? i've only seen pictures of those"

he glances sideways at danny, and can’t resist adding: “well, let’s hop to it.”

DANNY HALL
mission

☉

dee only nods in return. the rodent has seen his fair of shit as well from his own trainer. perhaps that's why nagi and danny are so good as friends.[break][break]

because they're both dumb.[break][break]

"yes..."[break][break]

danny mirrors, performing a much more believable mime than his friend. dee shoots sherlock another knowing glance.[break][break]

at the pun, danny falters in his step for a moment.[break][break]

"ha. ha. i'm going to punch you."[break][break]

but they hop their way over to the frog exhibit where, unsurprisingly, a seismitoad and politoed duo greet them.[break][break]

"ribbit..."

[attr="class","ooc"]nagi miwa[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]

this time, the risk of impending physical violence has nagi smug, not scared. if he ever made a pun so horrific someone suplexed him straight into sinnoh (which is a threat he’s heard before), he would consider it a mark of honour.

so, he schools the shit-eating smirk off his face into an expression of guileless innocence, and says tonelessly, "ahah. punch me?"

in case danny decides to make good on his threat — he’s not ready to go flying to sinnoh yet, not when he’s barely unpacked his luggage in hoenn — nagi sidles closer to the glass wall of the exhibit. he wouldn't punch him in front of their pair of froggy witnesses, would he?

the seismitoad and politoed, on their part, are too busy sunbathing to spare the unfolding schoolyard tussle a glance.

DANNY HALL
mission

☉

danny turns to make good on his threat only to be stopped by the sight of two amazing amphibians before them. his eyes go wide in awe and appreciation as he takes a step closer to the glass wall as well.[break][break]

"huh. they're kinda like us, don't you think?"[break][break]

before nagi can ask, danny is quick to continue.[break][break]

"the seismitoad is tall and the politoed is short."[break][break]

he turns then to his friend and raises his hand to his head to make a vague gesture to compare their heights.[break][break]

"see?"

[attr="class","ooc"]nagi miwa[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]