Rumours | Semi-open

[flowrite]

WHO: Kaiba, Fai, and anyone who has CR with them or can find a good reason to stumble into this mess
WHERE: Fai's apartment, anywhere Kaiba might be roaming to~
WHEN: Saturday, July 22 and possibly onward
WHAT: The local tabloids and a popular gossip blog have taken an interest in our favorite gaming CEO, since the convention is only a week away, and look at all this fun information they dug up! Or, certain details about Fai's past get shared for the whole city to see and he has a bit of a nervous breakdown. Friends, acquaintances, co-workers, or really anyone who knows them are welcome to contact or go visit Kaiba or Fai and deal with the fallout.
WARNINGS: Mentions of sex work, possibly some shaming of sex work, and someone having a panic/negative reaction to all of this. Also probably lots of crying. Recolle: the Soap Opera, continues.



[Saturday, Fai]

[Now that Seto is out of the hospital and things are starting to return to normal for Fai, he really has to make a run to the supermarket. Especially if he's going to start cooking more for his boyfriend, which he is absolutely going to do, because his boyfriend is adorable but an adorable dumbass who can't remember to feed himself properly. Fai doesn't normally pay attention to the trashy gossip rags at the checkout stand, but this time it couldn't help but catch his eye. Because that's a picture of Seto, and beneath it is a picture of Seto and Fai, together. They're on the front page of a gossip rag. What the hell? At least it's a cute picture of them, but...

...but that very clearly says, on the front cover just under the headline about Seto being admitted to the hospital, that Seto Kaiba is dating a former stripper.

Fai's not really sure how he got back home, honestly. He's pretty sure he had to drive to get home but he doesn't remember any of it, which is kind of a scary thought. The whole thing is a big blur of panic and anxiety and wanting to cry and wanting to scream. He doesn't tell anyone about his past for a reason, damn it! How could they... how could anyone do something like this? Now the whole city knows, or will know as soon as word gets passed around. All of his friends, all of his co-workers--oh god, work is going to find out! He's going to get fired.

Fai will be locking himself in his apartment and probably spending the rest of the weekend crying.]


[Saturday, Kaiba]

[Kaiba is out of the hospital as of Friday afternoon, ready to be done with that place and get on with his life. Saturday doesn't bring much in the way of activity, short of visiting the firing range, so there'll be plenty of time to bug him about the tabloids trying to dig up dirt on him just before the convention!]


[Wildcard, Kaiba or Fai]

[Got an idea of how your character would react to this? Lay it on us, friends! Just specify whether your response is for Kaiba or Fai ♥]

Comments

Fai

[sakeplz]

[Jirou gets all the gossip due to having a mother as a fashion designer. So when he sees this, he packs up his dog and gets his driver to take him to where Fai lives. Knocking on the door, he looks down at Kenti.]

We have an important job today. Let's do good work.

[Then at the door...]

FaiFai! Open up! It's your favorite girl!

[flowrite]

[It's easy enough to hear the knock at the door. Fai is buried in his bedroom with the lights off and a blanket wrapped around himself, but the apartment is small and he hasn't bothered to turn on any music, so the sound carries remarkably well. Thankfully so does Jirou's voice, because otherwise Fai would probably ignore that knocking until it went away.

As it is, it takes a few minutes before he can muster up the energy to drag himself, blanket and all, to the door. Unlike the way he would normally greet his good friend he only cracks the door open, peering through with puffy, red eyes.

He doesn't say anything. Just rests his head against the door frame.]

[sakeplz]

[He immediately goes to gently push the door open more so he can lift his dog out and right into Fai's arms.]

Here's a fluff to cuddle. The cats are good too but this one gives kisses for the tears.

[And now he'll shut and lock the door...]

So let's see here. First it's time for ice cream and cuddles. Then we'll deal with how to make it all better.

[Priorities. Heal the heart first then the problem.]

sunday morning, fai's apartment

[sotenbori]

[ majima tries to avoid gossip columns but the truth is they come up a lot at work. the boys and girls read them both for pleasure but also to keep up with conversations and he can't say he really faults them for having material to talk about, even if he wishes that wasn't a really common side.

so when he hears about fai, his instinct is to go running to his place but he's unfortunately working and doesn't get off until 4 am so he takes a short nap and then runs over when it's normal....people's times. it's the soonest he could get there.

he's very worried about fai, given everything he knows about fai. he hadn't known about the accident or about his old work, but he did know that fai had suffered plenty of trauma. he wants to be there for him. ]

Hey, Fai, open up!

[flowrite]

[Sunday shows some improvement from Saturday: Fai is still wrapped in a blanket, still in his clothes from yesterday and his hair is a rats' nest, but at least he's bundled up on the sofa rather than in bed! There's also a mostly empty bottle of liquor on the coffee table. Which is probably really stupid but Fai has a history of being very stupid about certain things.

There's a long moment of indecision when he hears Majima's voice. Majima has never been anything other than supportive--hell, he's one of the few people Fai's ever really opened up to. But that also means he's one of the people Fai is most afraid will come to think poorly of him.

Eventually he shuffles over to the door, cocooned in his blanket, and pulls the lock. Cracks the door and peeks through with eyes that have obviously been crying quite a lot lately.]

Hey.

[sotenbori]

[ fai looks about the way majima expects. he might only peak through the door, but majima lets himself in anyway. a little more gentle than he would be usually, maybe, but he uses that gentle insistence to open the door. ]

Let's make ya some breakfast, okay?

[ once he's in fai's house he's just making his way to the kitchen. sorry fai.]

Ya got eggs in here somewhere?

[Saturday, Kaiba]

[scarlet_devil]

As far as Émilie was concerned, he better had gone straight to bed. She really doesn't want to see a repeat performance, especially during the convention.

Unfortunately for him, she happens to cross paths with him and the first thing out of her mouth is... "Shouldn't you be at home resting?"

Fai... at work... laughs into the night

[spes_phthisica]

[Honestly, Soujirou wouldn't have noticed at all usually. Tabloids and celebrity gossip have flown over his head for years and he's comfortable with stuff like that staying up there. Except he'd been to a checkup with his doctor, and in the waiting room there are all kinds of different magazines and most of them are terribly boring, but if it's between that and reading a pamphlet... yeah, even a boring magazine wins. And it's while scanning all those covers that he suddenly notices his supervisor's face on one of them.

It's not hard to imagine what Fai must be feeling now. For all that he seems so relaxed and cheerful most of the time, Soujirou somehow has a feeling that he cares much more what people think than he lets on. There's this little tension about him that doesn't ever quite drop away. Not to mention, his job... it could be pretty sensitive, something like that, couldn't it?

He can't really do much, though. He can't just call the tabloids and tell them that they're awful, awful people. Well, he can, but it won't accomplish much. So in the end, he opts for something more rational. This involves arriving early at work on Monday and letting himself into Fai's office, sitting down on his desk and waiting solemnly for his supervisor to arrive. Next to him on the desk is a small basket, sort of the thing you'd get as a "Get well"-gift. Chocolate, a scented candle, some face mask thingy that Kiyomitsu swears by, a cute little stuffed toy, and bottle of wine that he was told was supposed to be very nice.

There's also a card, simply reading: I'm sorry everything sucks right now. Feel better.]

[flowrite]

[Considering how the end of last week (with Seto collapsing and being admitted to the hospital) and then the weekend went, Fai considers it something of a small miracle that he's going to work Monday morning at all. He'd been fully intending to quit his job on the spot, or at least once he'd calmed down enough to think rationally about it. He works with kids. Not just kids, but at risk kids. The office doesn't need this kind of publicity. Quitting would have saved the office that kind of scrutiny, and it would have saved Fai the sick anxiety of wondering when he'll be canned.

But he's going to work anyway, and if they fire him, they fire him. He deserves it, but at least he can tell his friends that it was out of his hands. He dresses as sedately as possible, a plain white shirt and a skinny black tie, and he takes a taxi to spare himself the spectacle of his bright pink car.

He... really, really wasn't expecting Soujirou to be in his office this morning, or a gift basket next to him.

Fai pauses in the open doorway for the span of several too-loud heartbeats, then quietly shuts the door behind him and takes a seat in the chair in front of the desk, the one facing Soujirou. And he drops his head into his hands without saying anything. He can't manage his fake cheer today. He just can't.]

[spes_phthisica]

[Much as he'd be alarmed if Fai tried to fake a smile through this, it's awful to see him like this. It's awful that he's been made to feel like this... for what? Stripping? Why would anyone even care about something like that? Soujirou is not so oblivious that he doesn't get that people will, or how bad this could be, but for the life of him he doesn't understand why.

It's Fai. He can remember, now, the utterly horrified look in his eyes when he saw Soujirou pick up that bottle and size up his opponents. He genuinely wouldn't hurt anyone if he could help it. But noooo, he used to take his clothes off for money once and apparently that means he needs public humiliation.

It's about this point that Soujirou realizes he's not just worried. He's angry.]

I'm so sorry. It's... unfair. [He knows how childish it sounds, and that only makes him more frustrated. Unselfconcious as always, he reaches out and puts his hand on Fai's shoulder, squeezing it gently.] You don't deserve this.

wildcard! For Fai, 7/24 I think?

[feistytrader]

[It's difficult not to notice the tabloids eventually. It would be one thing if it was some article- Silver doesn't generally make a habit out of reading these things- but he's plastered all over the main page, and it's impossible to not read the details- and piss off someone when he doesn't buy it.

There's a brief pause as he considers the implications of this- sex work and helping foster kids aren't usually supposed to mix- but Fai never did anything bad to anyone. No one would have known, but it's being blasted like this anyway...

It pisses him off, but he waits for his temper to cool down before trying to contact Fai. Finding him on retrospec is a fortunately short task.]

I saw the news. If you want to call that news, anyway.

How are you holding up?

[flowrite]

[The answer is somewhat delayed, partially because Fai is actually at work today and partially because he panics a bit as soon as he sees who the message is from. It was bad enough knowing in a broad sense that all of the city would be finding out about this, and it was bad enough to know that his friends knew. But his clients, the kids he's worked with over the last few years? That's enough to make him want to be sick. His hands might be shaking a bit as he types out a response on his phone.]

I've been better.

I'm so, so sorry you had to find out like this.

[feistytrader]

Hey, I didn't hit you up to give you trouble.

I mean, yeah, it was sort of weird to hear at first, but... You're a good person that hasn't hurt anyone. You do your best to help people. I'm more pissed that your life's getting aired out like that.

Saturday, Fai

[thisloveisjustice]

[After spending most of the day at the shooting range, Tatsuo drops by a bakery to pick up the macarons he ordered for Fai. Four chocolate, four mint, and four rose. Nestled neatly into a pink box and tied with a bow. Because nothing says 'I'm sorry I made up a rumor about you and spread it' like a load of sugar.

However, that means he doesn't find out about the current hot topic until he is waiting to catch a bus to Fai's place. A lady at the bus stop is reading a tabloid with Fai and Seto's faces splayed across the front. Fai dating Seto is not news to Tatsuo, as Fai had been plenty open when Tatsuo asked who his boyfriend is.

No, it's the clickbaity secondary title that he can't stop glancing at. On the one hand, if it's true, it would explain the comment Fai once made to him about wasting a lot of time. But on the other hand, Tatsuo is not so keen to take anything a tabloid prints at face value, especially considering the reason behind the box of macarons in his hands right now!

The question running around in Tatsuo's mind as he rides the bus is whether Fai has seen it, and if so how does he feel about it? As he walks from the bus stop to Fai's building, Tatsuo sees the tabloid two more times, and each time he feels a flash of anger. By the time he reaches Fai's door, he has to stop and count to thirty before knocking.]

[flowrite]

[By this point Fai can't even claim to be surprised by the knock on the door. His initial assessment that everyone in the city was going to find out about this is proving to be completely, horrifyingly accurate.

After the last visitor had left, Fai had curled back up into a ball in the big, fluffy blanket he's been wearing around like a robe and had sacked out on the sofa with his cats. He'd figured the television was safe enough as long as he didn't change the channels, just in case he happened to click by some local news or gossip outlet, so a show about summer barbecues on the Food Network is playing with the volume turned all the way down. Fai is taking turns napping and staring blankly at the screen.

It takes a minute for him to answer the door, but at least there's the telltale shuffle of feet on the wooden floors that indicates someone inside is alive and moving. He answers the door still wrapped in his blanket, his eyes still red and puffy from crying pretty much all day.

...shit, Tatsuo knows too? Fai averts his gaze, freshly mortified all over again.]

Hey.

[thisloveisjustice]

[Well, that pretty much answers whether Fai had heard about it and how he felt about it. The old urge to lash out in rage wells up, but Tatsuo takes a small breath and shoves it down as hard as he can. Instead, he musters up a small smile and holds out the pink box with its bow on top.]

I brought those macarons I promised you. Mind if I come in?

Fai

[shutupmage]

The way this place honed in on gossip like it was some sort of life force had always bothered Kurogane, but he'd learned to just ignore it. For the most part. Seeing the guy he'd met with such a weird headline on the cover startled him a little bit when he went through the checkout line with his apple and bottle of water after his run.

Without really thinking about it, he pulled out his phone and texted the number the guy'd given him when they first met. He was sure he was aware of it by now, the way gossip traveled here. It was like it was in the air itself.

I just wanted to say that your past doesn't matter to me. Anyone it matters to isn't worth worrying about.

[flowrite]

They'd spoken a couple of times now, but getting a text from Kurogane was about the last thing Fai was expecting after the events of the last few days. Or maybe he was just hoping that at least a few of his friends and acquaintances had managed not to hear or read about this fiasco. No such luck.

He stared at the text message for several minutes before mustering up the energy to formulate a reply.

Thanks. Wish everyone felt that way. Not sure my job's going to see it that way.

[shutupmage]

Your job? Why should they have a problem with it? Stripping is legal, they have no right to hold your previous employment against you.

Not that he actually knew what Fai did for a living, but still. The point stood.

Fai

[wordcarvings]

[ Koutarou doesn't read tabloids, and probably wouldn't have heard about this if he had not been having breakfast (in the afternoon, but it's breakfast because he just woke up from a nap) on the stairs to his atelier when some gossiping people passing mentioned it.

He did make a stop at his own apartment, but once he's at Fai's, he chooses to knock even though he could use the key. He will use it if Fai doesn't open, he's done so before, but for now, he'll do this the polite way. ]

Fai? Are you there?

[flowrite]

[It just so happens Fai's been taking a nap too, in his pajamas on the sofa with his hair a mess and a blanket wrapped around him. His day has mainly consisted of crying and worrying and getting up every once in a while to answer the door when friends stop by. And drinking, if the mostly empty bottle on the table is anything to go by.

Were he in a better frame of mind he'd probably try to hide the bottle from Koutarou... but then again if he were in a better frame of mind, he wouldn't be hiding in his apartment and drinking before 5 o'clock either. As it is, he wakes up groggy, lays there for a moment until he recognizes Koutarou's voice, then stumbles to the door still wrapped in his blanket.

When the door opens it's not much more than a crack. Fai looks like shit, and doesn't quite lift his gaze to look at Koutarou.]

Hey. I'm here.

[wordcarvings]

[ Though he can’t see much of Fai, it’s easy to tell that he’s not feeling well at all. And that he’s in the kind of state where he shouldn’t be left on his own. ]

Can I come in?

[ It’s not actually a question, if he wants to come in he can come in. ]

Fai, evening after the thread with Jirou

[toobigtohandle]

[Kenta has to go to work, but he has a phone and the phone numbers of many people in it. So he spent any free time he had during the day on the phone.

Once he was done, he just sent a message to Jirou to ask for Fai's address, since he's pretty sure his friend will still be there, and he ends up getting a ride there after picking up some of the already prepared food Suzuki-san left in his fridge. He understand that normally one should cook themselves under such circumstances but he doesn't want to poison Fai on top of everything.

Once he finds the right door, he starts knocking, but not too loud so as not to disturb the neighbors.]

[flowrite]

[After crying on Jirou earlier in the day, Fai is now... well, still in his t-shirt and shorts, and still wrapped up in a blanket, so that part hasn't really changed. But at least he's mellowed to the point where he's able to sit on the couch and cuddle with Jirou and watch stupid movies. And he's only crying a little, off and on.

At the knock on the door he jumps a little, then looks over at Jirou with wide eyes. Not that he hasn't had plenty of visitors so far, but he's kind of gotten lulled by the relative peace for the moment.]

Someone else...?

[sakeplz]

[Kenti knows who it is. He sits up on Fai's lap and stares at the door. Jirou giggles a little and kisses Fai's hair.]

Shhhh. It's just Kenta. See? Kenti is happy his daddy is here.

[Getting up, he goes to the door to let Kenta in.]

Come in, come in. We're watching movies now. You can come cuddle his other side while we eat. Then he'll have one of us on each side and Kenti on his lap.

[Once Kenta is in, he closes the door and locks it before bringing the man over to the couch.]

Look, FaiFai. More cuddles for you.