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[ Well, that was. Unexpected. Alberto texts back pretty quickly, after cocking a brow and smirking at the screen — cuz, uh, what the shell could this be about... ]

yyyyyyes?
I can do that. come over. bring some pants.
😏🪡🧵🧷👖🩳🧐

[Katsuki shows up on Alberto's doorstep a short while after he gets a reply. He brings a bag with a couple pair of old pants to practice on. He's dressed for the cold weather which helps hide the reason for his sudden need to improve his sewing skills.

But once he's inside the apartment, taking off the beanie and long coat reveals he's acquired a fair of red-tipped, white fox ears and a matching fluffy tail that, for the moment, is just popping out of the waistband of his pants. Which isn't exactly comfortable. It's kind of squished, honestly.

He also has a second bag on him that he holds out in Alberto's direction. In it, there is a container with cake. Payment for the incoming lessons. Nevermind that he's been giving the boys plenty of lessons. It's the principal of the matter.]

So. I have a tail now. And while sometimes I can get it to go away, it's a real pain in the ass when it decides to reappear.

[So he just... leaves it, usually. None of the normies seem to take notice.]

[ Alberto greets Katsuki as casually as usual, the man's presence having become so much a routine thing in the boys' home by now — funnily enough, almost always for help with domestic things... For the first time, the tables have turned, though. Alberto's curious but eager to help Katsuki with his sewing, always excited to show off his various skills and approximate knowledge of many things, ready to play the role of an enthusiastic teacher for his friends at any chance he gets. But, uh. He's definitely wondering the whole time Katsuki's on his way over, just why Katsuki could possibly want to learn to sew tail-holes. He would crack a joke, like "ha, did you grow a tail," intending to be completely facetious — but when Katsuki removes his coat as soon as he gets in, Alberto's dumb (and frankly inconsiderate) joke is shot down before he even gets to make it. He just stares with wide eyes and a raised, skeptical brow for a quiet moment, before Katsuki breaks the ice. It takes him a slight pause after Katsuki explains, his eyes giving the man a not-so-subtle once-over as he accepts the cake. But after a beat, in typical Alberto fashion, he just accepts the inexplicable weirdness of all this and shrugs it off, making light of Katsuki's frustrations. ]

...Yeah. Literally. Well, c'mon.

[ He moves toward the nest of pillows with all the nonchalance about this that he can muster, setting the bag of cake on the seashell-filled makeshift coffee table. But before he even indulges his curiosity to investigate what Katsuki's brought, he walks off toward the closet on the other side of the small room, nearer to their bed than to the living area. He trusts Katsuki to just make himself at home and take a seat, while Alberto begins digging through their wardrobe without comment, carelessly tossing a few articles of his and Luca's shared clothing over his shoulder and onto the floor as he searches for... whatever he's searching for. Again— in typical Alberto fashion.

But that's said rather literally, as he produces a pair of his own pants for Katsuki to wear right away. They're indeed very much typical Alberto fashion, deliberately choosing his most comfortable pair of jeans for Katsuki to wear while they're sewing. They're a bit oversized for Alberto, the pantlegs too long for him and rolled up into cuffs, but being his most comfortable pair of jeans, they get a lot of use, the denim well-broken in, and over time they've gradually become more and more decorated, Alberto often prone to idly drawing on himself with markers when he's bored at school. Katsuki's seen Alberto wear plenty of doodle-dappled pants around him, but probably didn't expect he'd ever get to wear them, himself. But Alberto's sweet and considerate in his own soft little ways, despite his near-constant boastfulness and boisterousness, so his immediate instinct is "Make Katsuki comfortable now." Cuz, really, he knows first hand: a tail in pants without a tail-hole is a pain in the ass. At least Katsuki's tail doesn't have spikes...

Alberto turns around to toss the pants at Katsuki to catch without warning, taking this whole new-and-improved, fuzzier, foxier Katsuki 2.0 deal in stride well, all things considered. Does not seem at all concerned with whether Katsuki feels comfortable changing in front of him or not, though — in fact, doesn't even occur to him that he might not. Luca and Alberto change in front of each other all the time and they don't even wear underwear grfnjsk cuz, again, tails so such modesty is not a human custom that's come to his attention yet. Though of course if it's a concern for Katsuki, there's the kitchen and the bathroom nearby, and Alberto's back will be turned to him anyway. ]

Here. Put these on for now. They've already got a hole in them.

[ He returns to rummaging in the closet, producing a second pair of jeans, one leg covered with vintage patches of "Gisnep" cartoon characters (an obvious thrift store find, like the rest of the boys' wardrobe), so as to use this pair as an example to guide them through the sewing lesson. For his own outfit today, it's in a similar style, another patch with the classic Gisnep mouse, but Alberto's far less bundled up than Katsuki since he's not planning on leaving the house. He's not been out and about exploring in general like he used to, anyway — for the past two months or so, he's rather uncharacteristically been a homebody. Katsuki may have noticed this change, and it could easily be chalked up to the snow posing obvious problems for Luca and Alberto... But on the few occasions he and Katsuki have seen each other, less frequent lately, there may have seemed to be something vaguely off about Alberto, even over text, which makes his new homebody-tendencies perhaps slightly more suspicious than they otherwise might be.

He's been a lot more defused than usual, less peppy these days, which Katsuki has surely noticed in the past couple months, combined with a dip in Alberto's communication in much of December. Alberto went dark on almost everyone for the whole latter half of November, during which he'd had no cell phone; but though he used Luca's phone to alert everyone that he would be incommunicado until further notice, Alberto never explained to anyone why he had no cell phone, apart from a cryptic "it broke," nor did he ever explain why he stalled for almost a month to get a new one. It was a convenient excuse for what, in fact, has been Alberto's intentional self-isolation, but he's been pretty convincing writing it off, all things considered with his phone problems and the holidays and the snow. Not quite enough to raise suspicions or concerns about his wellbeing, as far as anyone has expressed to his face, but now that he's picking his social life back up, and things are returning to normal, there's better opportunity to scrutinize just how normal things are these days — or aren't.

By Christmastime, he'd started acting somewhat more like his usual self, and the usual lighthearted texts with Katsuki have started up more again the past couple weeks, now that we've hit January... But their banter has been fewer and farther between, and when they do text, Alberto's been ever so slightly less engaged or enthusiastic, even having somewhat shorter conversations lately, a few that have ended with Alberto abruptly, inexplicably, going silent. And far fewer songs being shared from Alberto. Maybe shared a couple Christmas songs last month to be festive or so, but not their regular back-and-forth. Still not quite enough to raise alarm, but hints at something deeper. More than anything his softer disposition might betray about him lately, though, even with the comparative lack of silly texts and music-sharing, what might raise alarm is that, for the first time out of all Katsuki's visits, the apartment is uncharacteristically silent today. No loud music playing, no VHS tapes of Cosmos: A Personal Voyage or The Twilight Zone quietly on their umphmillionth loop in the background on the boys' tiny obsolete TV. Just Alberto home alone. In silence. Luca's nowhere to be seen, and Alberto doesn't seem particularly grumpy or anything, but there's still just something... off... hanging in the air.

Alberto heads next to his workspace in the opposite corner of the small single-room flat, his desk riddled with more art supplies than he'll ever possibly use up; from that mess, he produces some bias tape, a pack of snap fasteners, and two spools of thread with needles, seeming to know exactly where everything is despite the chaos. He even crawls under the desk quickly to grab a safety pin he's known has been down there for months, who knows how long, but hasn't bothered to pick up regardless; with little things like that, it's clear Alberto keeps much more cognizant tabs on his mess of belongings than might meet the eye. ~~ADHD superpowers!~~ Armed with the necessary supplies and the example pants, Alberto makes his way back over to the sitting area, unceremoniously dumping all the items on the coffee table. He does grab the bag of cake, though, before plopping down limply beside Katsuki, wasting no time now to peek in and see what he's brought. ]

...Green cake? What's the green cake for? I mean— thank you, but— why, haha...?

Edited 2023-02-07 23:10 (UTC)

[It's not hard to notice the differences. Every time Katsuki has come over, it's been loud. Music, usually. And he immediately notices the lack of sound. It's... unsettling, in a way. Noise and Alberto are just two things that go hand in hand.

He's also noticed that shift in energy as of late, but certainly couldn't pinpoint why. Katsuki never actually met Bruno. He hadn't met most of the Madrigals, despite considering Luisa a close friend. He'd known Mirabel from the now disbanded possession support group thing and more recently has met Isabella. But the rest... look, there are too many Madrigals. Okay?

He knows he's gone, because of the Zodiac posts. And because of Luisa. And knows of him maybe from Alberto mentioning him amid... everything
else he and Alberto have spoken of. But that's about the extent of his knowledge of the man. And certainly he doesn't know the level of importance he held to Alberto.

As a result he can only guess incorrectly at the reasons for Alberto's mood shifts lately.

In the meantime, Katsuki eyes those jeans with no small amount of confusion until Alberto points out they have a hole already. Beggars can't be choosers. So while Alberto is digging around, Katsuki is ducking into the bathroom to change into the jeans. It's decidedly more comfortable to have his tail not being squished.

He's quick to change and is back out in time for Alberto to start his rummaging elsewhere. Katsuki makes himself comfortable on the floor cushions to watch him. Only speaking up when Alberto finally peeks at the cake.]

Payment for the sewing lessons. Didn't think I'd just show up and ask you to help without giving you something in return, did you?

Edited 2023-02-08 02:00 (UTC)

[ Alberto's certainly mentioned Bruno in passing before; he's known Katsuki nearly as long as he's known Bruno, after all. But probably it's been no more than an offhand mention that the man's apparently a friend of his, bragging vaguely about how cool he is, dropping relevant superficial details here or there, which is not so noteworthy at the face value he presents it. He's not one to get schmaltzy, not with words, as much as he does praise the people in his life behind their backs offhandedly. It's in subtle, candid, "kind-of-a-given" ways. Not launching into lofty musings about the symbolic roles they might play in his life and elaborating on why they're as close as they are. No, no, it's been more like, "My friend Bruno's great. He's the coolest. And his rats." Alberto's definitely described Bruno a few times to Katsuki in frames like this, but nothing more. Alberto tries to keep his hands clean, emotionally, in many ways. And unfortunately, one way is entirely bottling his feelings up and not telling anyone he's struggling, just pulling away from people and stewing in it. So by this point, well over a month since Bruno's been gone, there's a dwindling likelihood of Alberto spontaneously opening up to Katsuki to give him the full scoop on his deep love and mourning for Bruno Madrigal. The sense of loss has already started to harden, Alberto now yet another member of Bruno's family resenting his absence. And lately, for the first time since Bruno and Alberto became friends over nine months ago — fitting in far too well with the rest of the Madrigals now — he won't talk about Bruno.

So whatever unsettling, inexplicable vibes are hanging in the air about Alberto and his home, will just have to linger there, unspoken and unidentified for now. If it comes up, he won't lie about it. He'll talk about it. But he most certainly won't talk about it. He'll press onto whatever is the nearest exit route from a remotely vulnerable, emotional, uncomfortable conversation. That is not today's mood, regardless of whether he's able to actually shed that aura. It's likely not going to be enough to convince Katsuki that Alberto's okay, but that's okay — or so he tells himself. He's still all about the distractions at hand, full attention.

Katsuki's matter-of-fact but tongue-in-cheek response throws Alberto for a little loop. He looks from the cake to Katsuki, back to the cake, and back to Katsuki, brow raised confusedly once more. ]

Uh— Yeah, I kinda did. Is that a thing? Were we supposed to be paying you all this time? Cuz, uh.

[ He pointedly shuts the box and sets it aside on the table, back in the bag, then leans back into the cushions with his arms spread, crossing one leg over his knee, lounging in a relaxed, businesslike, confident pose. His tone and face are sarcastically rather flat, though. ]

We owe you a lot of cake, then.

[ That's... one way of expressing gratitude for all the help and lessons Katsuki has given the boys over time, yes. Acknowledgement, cheeky as it is. What else does Katsuki expect by now, though. This is par for the course for them both. ]

[Katsuki isn't itching to ask what's up with the weird mood for the moment. The last time he tried to help with something they ended up yelling at each other. Because Katsuki has all the subtlety of a hand grenade.

If it persists, then, well, he'll cross the bridge when he comes to it. But for the moment at least, he's observing. Taking mental notes like he did when Alberto's family life came up.]

That's different. You didn't ask for help. I offered it.

[More like... jumped right into giving it without even pausing to see if it was wanted.]

You don't want it, I can take it back.

[He wouldn't. He's full of hot air.]

[ The way Katsuki flips it on him shoots Alberto upright, leaning forward in a flash to grab the cake off the table and hold it protectively away from Katsuki. Entirely unnecessary but his usual over-the-top knee-jerk reactions. His typical theatrics. ]

What?! No! We want it!

[Katsuki snickers. There's a little of the Alberto energy he's used to.]

That's what I thought. It's damn good, too. You'll see. It's one of my favorites.

[Leaning back to rest on his elbows, he shoots Alberto a grin.]

Worth a lesson in sewing.

Okay... Good...

[ Alberto eyes him suspiciously, letting this little hiccup slide, before setting the cake off to the side — on the cushions beside him now, furthest away from Katsuki, ahem. He goes ahead and plucks the example pair of pants up off the table, idly fiddling with the tail hole in it before they start, ready to get down to business. ]

Mah, dai. Shall we commence?

[ Look at him, "shall we commence..." Slowly been picking up hodgepodge smatterings of human-isms and more elevated language than he's ever used before, since picking up school four months ago. Things he's been ~~forced to~~ able to glean from reading short stories in English class, having regular vocab quizzes, needing to really rely on using context clues to figure out the vast bulk of any story he's assigned to read. He does pretty poorly in English class because he doesn't have the context, granted. But bewildering as most of it is to him, he's still been learning a lot, even if his grades don't show his progress accurately. He's still kinda... not quite using this language incorrectly, but may be a bit socially tone-deaf in how he's using it, since it's clear in his tone that he's not trying to be facetiously formal or tongue-in-cheek or anything. He's being completely serious and unironic. The Alberto Katsuki met in the woods definitely wouldn't have asked him "shall we commence" with a straight face — couldn't have asked him... He didn't know those words. These days, every now and again, some little slaps of education just come flying out of left field like that. Even when he's not trying to be, the kid's just funny. ]

[Really something, this kid. Not just that line being dropped so seriously. But the way he sets that cake away from Katsuki like he thinks he might really try to take it back.

He sits up, grabbing the other bag he brought with him. Practice pants to try this out on. Fishing out a pair, he turns his body so he can face Alberto, giving him full attention.]

I'm ready when you are. Where do we start?

[ Alberto scoots closer to Katsuki and holds out the example pair he'd grabbed from the closet. He reaches one hand inside to splay out the hole in the seat of the pants, sticking his fingers through the hole (and wiggling them for added effect) as he flips the seam over to show Katsuki his work more clearly. ]

First — this is what it's supposed to look like. You can use whatever you want to close it. I like these little snappy things best, I never had those back home, but if you— I mean— ...do you even need to close it?

[ Alberto none-too-subtly leans backward and eyes Katsuki's butt trying to catch a glimpse of his tail again with a discerning look. ]

Does it ever go away? Or is this just— the new you?

[ Guess that's an important question to establish before they get into the mechanics, huh... ]

[The tail is still there, now tucked through the hole in the borrowed pants. Fluffy and white and obnoxious as ever.]

It can go away. I'm still learning how to keep it away for any period of time. But I'm not giving up on fighting the damn thing into submission. So I wanna be able to close the hole.

[ Alberto nods in understanding, taking this surprisingly seriously, no jabs or jokes at Katsuki's expense. He just turns his attention back on the pants in hand. ]

Okay, then. So. I like the snappy things. Your tail can just come right out. My dad used to use buttons — which are fine, but, eh. These are easier. After Luca showed up, I tried the black — [ he makes a scratchy noise by sucking his teeth, emulating peeling something in two with his hands — his best impersonation of Velcro, for which he's forgotten the word... ] — scratchy stuff for a while. That also works well, better than buttons, but it feels weird on our scales. It'd probably suck with your hair, too. So these little snappies are the best, I think. I'll give you some. We've got a ton.

[ Even if his terminology is not so pro, his tone is tempered and thorough, taking this task seriously. For all Alberto's many mistakes and messes, the kid does have a surprising amount of knowledge — stuff like this that one wouldn't expect, that he can just whip out authority on from his back pocket. Nothing he does is ever so polished, and his sewing knowledge is no exception, but, in fairness, as he snaps the fasteners on the hidden seam back in place, someone really wouldn't notice there's a secret hole in these pants if they weren't looking for it. The things Alberto needs to know how to do well, he does well. ...Well... sometimes. Some of it. Usually. Results may vary. ]

[That sure is one way to describe velcro. Effective. Because Katsuki does know what he's talking about from that display.

He also proves as good a student as he is a teacher, giving Alberto his full and undivided attention.]

Yeah, velcro and fur sounds like a nightmare. If you say the snaps work best, I'll go with that.

[ Alberto nods decisively, already making a mental list of sewing supplies they can part with to share with Katsuki. He splays the hole in the seat of the pants open again with one hand, holding it open and pointing along with his free fingers as he talks. ]

All right. So basically this is what we're gonna do: We're gonna cut open the threads here, then we're gonna sew the snappies on this little ribbon, and then sew that ribbon on the seam we made. So the stitches from the snaps are, one, hidden, so it's extra secret and no once notices, and two, so the backs of the snaps don't pinch you in the butt when you're sitting down. That part's prooobably more important with fur on your butt.

[ Seems like Alberto's perfected this. He certainly wasn't so advanced with it back home, and really didn't take such extra care until recently, after starting school. He used to just sew the fasteners directly onto the denim and dealt with it; he spent most of his time on his feet until the autumn. But, like anything else with his endeavors living in the human world, over time he's slowly gained more polish. The tempered way he's holding himself today, plus the (for once) credible authority with which he speaks about this little tutorial, it's good proof of Alberto's progress and competence. It's spotty and hodgepodge, but all the same, he's making it work, clearly. ]

Okay. I think I got that. Hands on experience is gonna make a difference though.

[He learns best through experience and he stubbornly won't give up until he's perfected something. Which is how he's so ridiculously skilled at so many things.

He eyes the pants in his hands and shifts them so the seam he needs is easy to access. Then he's waiting to see what Alberto is describing in action so he can follow suit. Completely focused and... honestly this is probably the quietest the two of them have been in the same space before. They're both kind of loud and energetic people.]

Mah, di certo. S'just practice. Lots of practice. It took me a while after my dad taught me. But at least you've got lots of pants, right? Ha.

[ Those tiny tells Alberto's good for... He means to make a wry joke, but it stands to reason, even with as little as he's revealed about his childhood or upbringing, yeah, Alberto probably didn't have a lot of spare clothes to practice on, growing up. Reasons unclear, but still fair enough logic. Sea monster on land and all...

Alberto leans forward to grab a seam ripper for Katsuki from the supplies he'd gathered, only to realize he'd forgotten to grab one. So with that worrying wry joke, he finds excuse to bolt and smooth right over it, jumping up out of his seat to dash over to his workspace again. From a jar crammed with paint brushes, he produces... a steak knife. He runs back over to their spot in the cushions, totally unnecessary in such a small flat, and uh, when carrying a knife. But he plops down with it just as carelessly as one might expect of Alberto. Listless as he is, it seems he's getting his spark back bit by bit the more time he spends with Katsuki today. He hands the knife over, blade first, thinking nothing of it. ]

Here. Rip open the threads to make your hole.

[Every time they touch on Alberto's childhood, Katsuki gets the sense that it's a giant can of worms. These little details sprinkled throughout their interactions sure paint an interesting and kind of sad picture even without the whole story.

He eyes the knife being held out and, in typical Katsuki fashion, can't just leave details like that lay. He's careful taking it, but makes sure to point out;]

Never offer the sharp end like that. Someone isn't looking, they'll get hurt grabbing for it. Shouldn't run with sharp shit either.

[Little things. But important. And the kind of details he pays attention to. But he doesn't harp on it or raise his voice like he has in the past correcting Alberto. He's come a long way since that day in the woods of Stardew Valley. Still firm and gruff in tone, but he's not yelling now.

He does as he's instructed, tip of the blade catching a seam and popping the stitch.]

[ Alberto stares at him with a curious look on, but it's almost clear he's absorbing this piece of advice. It's a good point, which he'd never thought about. The running with sharp shit rule he knew. Has no intention of following. But duly noted.

Alberto watches as Katsuki gets to ripping the seam, then grabs the needle and thread off the table while Katsuki's at it, preparing to show Katsuki the next step. He unravels a long string off the spool, but rather than getting up and going to get some scissors, or just waiting for the knife, Alberto instead just... gnaws the thread with his teeth to cut it off the spool. A means to an end. He's, uh, surprisingly proficient at it, too. Oy va voy. ]

[Just more of those weird little mannerisms. This one's harmless and Katsuki knows how to pick his battles on this kind of thing. If only he'd learn to pick his battles when it came to... actual battles.

That does bring him to a question though, seemingly out of the blue.]

Do you guys have to brush your teeth?

[Because... I mean... coming from the ocean and all... but maybe sea monsters invented their own little underwater toothbrushes. He doesn't know, okay?]

[ Alberto's wetting the end of his thread (by just sticking it directly in his mouth) to prepare it to go through the needle when Katsuki poses the question, and it catches him off-guard, freezing with the thread on his tongue and looking at Katsuki with raised brows. But after a second, he cracks a grin, amused by this question, and goes ahead threading the needle clumsily as he replies. ]

...Heh. I mean, do you, really? Ha! But no. We never did before. We do now, sometimes, but... That's just cuz we like it, ha.

[...they like brushing their teeth. Forever amazed how... bizarre these sea monster boys are. He's never met anyone who claimed to like brushing their teeth...]

I mean I have to. Unless I want them to rot and fall out.

Oh, is that what happens? Eugh.

[ ...These kids are really out there just brushing their teeth for gits and shiggles. Alberto doesn't even know what it's for! He gets the idea that it's cleaning their teeth, but why it's important to clean their teeth, and what will happen if they don't, has been a pretty vague idea til now. Look at them, learning so much from one another. Alberto teaches Katsuki about sewing, and Katsuki teaches Alberto about... basic dental hygiene... ]

Yeah. Gross and painful and expensive problems come from not brushing your teeth.

[Lessons learned! They never seem to have normal conversations. But that's... fine, actually?

Anyway, now that he's seen Alberto at work, Katsuki is going to try his hand copying the actions. Adding the little snaps. Quaint little activities somehow not jarring against the conversation about rotting teeth?]

[ Alberto nods along at this information, but understandable as it is, he just shrugs. Duly noted. Good to know they're doing something right even when they didn't know how or why they were doing something right. Their blind mimicry helps sometimes!

He goes ahead and shows Katsuki how to sew the snap on the strip of bias tape, and lets him get to work doing it himself. The only way to learn anything, in his book. Alberto, meantime, starts fidgeting in mindless ways, playing with connecting the unattached snaps, twisting and twirling the ribbon, whatever to keep his hands occupied in this nice moment of silence. It's still a bit eerie, Alberto and Luca's apartment being quiet for once, but at least the air is lighter now than it had been when he'd first walked in; Alberto's cheered up by the company and tasking. Talking about— whatever they talk about... They always chase rabbits. But enjoying a comfortable silence is a true mark of friendship, too. ]

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fidnsjl I'm out of control, thank you for letting me chew the scenery for my own amusement lmfao

Cracks knuckles Let's do this

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fidnsjl I'm out of control, thank you for letting me chew the scenery for my own amusement lmfao

*Cracks knuckles* Let's do this

\o/

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Cracks knuckles Let's do this