Heaven is a Place on Earth

Long Term Goals

(Time for another little ficlet! We're getting near the end now, guys, I'm going up until the end of January. But there are two other Urushihara fics (hopefully) coming, don't you worry ;) Anyway, I did mean to post this one last night, so sorry it's a bit late. I actually struggled to narrow down which headcanon to use. I couldn't really come up with anything for the one I was planning on doing :/ But this one can lead into the final two really well~ Also, guess who's back unexpectedly? Momo and Shizuka~ \^^/ I've been fleshing them both out a little, but there's still a few things to get down... Anyway, let's get to it~)

(Headcanon: Urushihara decides to take up another hobby to fill up his time. Suggested by Hanachana on fanfiction.net)

"Y'know I'm still just a beginner with this, right?"

"So? You're gonna need ideas for the future, I'm just helping out."

Urushihara let out a sigh and his eyebrow twitched in irritation, but he was smiling.

"Just block her out, Hanzo, that's what I do when she gets like this." Shizuka's calm voice came through the speakers, eliciting an annoyed huff from Momoko and a soft chuckle from Urushihara.

The three friends hadn't seen each other in person for some time, not since their first meeting. Shizuka lived about an hour away in the Kanagawa Prefecture and even if the journey itself wasn't too complicated, he rarely had the time to make the trip what with his classes. Momoko didn't live so far away, she was in Tokyo too, but she was also constantly busy. Then again, Urushihara didn't mind that so much. He wasn't great with socialising face-to-face. The occasional meet-up might be fun, sure, but these SkyPhone conversations were plenty for him.

And anyway, he liked having time to himself to do his own thing. His laptop, his games, his books. He had a lot to occupy his time. And what could be better than finding a way to combine them all?

Which was exactly the topic of their current conversation.

Lately, Urushihara had been taking an interest in designing his own games. He was still in the early stages and had a long way to go but it wasn't much more than a casual hobby. He was learning the ropes slowly and seeing what he could do. For now, at least.

Momoko didn't seem able to grasp that concept, though.

Once he had something playable ready, she had tried it out, but her feedback wasn't exactly helpful. She made suggestions that he just wasn't capable of at this point, and she generally did not understand the process at all. They ended up bringing Shizuka in to keep the discussion peaceful. It was honestly amazing how well he could handle Momoko's boundless energy and imagination and Urushihara's sarcasm and anger issues, especially when they were pitted against each other like this.

Well, maybe "handling it" wasn't quite right. More like "putting up with it and prolonging the inevitable".

"I'm thinking... horror..."

Let me figure out the basics first, will ya?

Urushihara rolled his eyes and shook his head, but his smile remained. He had to admit, it was kind of endearing. Annoying, but endearing.

"You're a tough girl to please, you know that?" he said with another sigh.

"I demand perfection."

"Well, you ain't getting that from me."

He was being sarcastic, but they could both hear the self-deprecating tone that told them some small part of him believed it. Momoko felt a wave of guilt and paused, letting Shizuka take the reins.

"C'mon, it just takes time. You'll get there."

"True..."

Momoko soon found her voice again.

"What you've got so far is great, though!"

"Thanks, Momo," Urushihara mumbled, "But it'll be a while before I can do anything as complicated as what you're thinking about. So, like, maybe don't keep making demands like that?"

"Sorry..."

There was a smile in her voice, but he knew she meant it.

"It's cool. And Shizuka?"

"Hm?"

"You're right. I gotta just keep working on it. I'll get there someday."