Minato patiently allows her to initiate, but once it's clear she's going in for the hug, he'll properly wrap his other arm around her for a good and proper hug.
And he has to chuckle at that, soft and a little breathless, as if he also can't believe how this is turning out.]
I have to... you wouldn't understand me otherwise, right...?
I'm trying really hard to misunderstand you right now.
[ She isn't succeeding, because she knows better, but that doesn't mean there is not an attempt at the effort. For now, she leans more of her weight into him, grumbling against his shoulder. ]
Maybe it's a hallucination? You should try pinching me.
You could. I'd give you permission. I don't bruise that easily.
[ But she actually really likes the hairpets. It's been a very long time since someone's done that, and it goes a good way in helping her to calm down. Her arms curl around him a bit more securely, fists curling in the back of his shirt. ]
Actually, you'll find I'm pretty tough. I can take it.
You absolutely are very tough. I already know that about you.
[She doesn't seem to be unhappy with any of the things he's doing, so he's going to go ahead and carry on with it! It's nice, honestly. She's snug and warm in his arms, and he's already getting to the point where he doesn't want to let go.]
Still, can you blame me? I haven't even heard your answer yet. I feel like pinching you isn't going to win me points.
[He is still only gently teasing, if only because, well... she's making it clear in body language at least what her answer is, even if they haven't really discussed the finer details.]
Minato-kun, I have had a crush on you since before that stupid cannibalism time.
[ She does not lift her head as she says it, grumbled into his shoulder. This is a lot easier when she doesn't have to look him in the eye for it, because she knows--she knows! That he will be very sincere and sweet about it, and then she might just have to go to space anyway. Space is probably very nice--
No, wait, Kaito is probably there. Never mind. She'll just have to stay here. ]
I mean. I figured it out after that. But I know me well enough to know it's true. So what do you think my answer is?
[Oh no, Minato is dense, isn't he? He's totally dense. He's just realizing that now, and it's embarrassing.
The way she confesses that, sheepish and grumbled, makes his heart skip another beat in his chest. Or maybe it's the fact that it's just now sinking in, properly and completely, that... she feels the same way as him.
Ritsuka feels... the same way.]
... Ah. Then that's--
[.... Aaah? Aaaaaaaa!!!]
--!
[He doesn't know what to say, really, so he's just scooping her more tightly into that hug, burying his face against her hair for a moment. Aha!! Now they're both flustered!]
[ She squeaks a little at that, though it's like being given permission to cling harder in turn. There's a lot Ritsuka doesn't allow herself without blatant cues, and this feels like the exact sort of sign she'd been waiting for. For such a stick of a girl, she has a grip to her, and she's unwilling to peel herself back just yet.
It still feels kind of like stepping into something forbidden, something that she has wanted for so long and has never, ever been allowed, but at the same time--she's not a perfect person. She's greedy. Once something she's wanted this much has been offered to her, how does she let him go?
She doesn't. ]
Y--yeah. Yeah. It's that.
[ They're both doing great here. A+ gold star for them both. ]
[They are both so eloquent, I am so proud of them.
It's fine that she's not about to let go, though, because he isn't either. He's content to just remain there for a moment, breathing in the moment, the feeling of her in his arms and her fingers tight in the back of his shirt.
It's... really, really nice. It's concrete in a way that he's not sure he deserves to have, but for the moment, it's okay to hold onto it, isn't it? He knows he still needs to talk with her about the whole... Situation, and how unfair it is for him to ask her for this when he's already dead. But somehow, with Ritsuka... he feels like he can guess what she's going to say. So maybe for now, it's okay.
[ She's more insistent about it than just a mild argument; her fists curl harder against him, like she would shake him if she could. The thought does cross her mind, but that would involve pulling back so she could, and so she does not. (Yet.)
She is also not crying yet, but her voice is wavering. It's a close thing, and no matter how much she actually hates crying, this feels like the best-case scenario for such a thing. ]
You don't know--I mean, you might know, but--it's really... it's a lot. Just--just getting told that is a lot more than I thought I'd ever get, you know...?
[Minato can't help the way he smiles at that. She's just so insistent about it, even though that's absolutely the sort of gross sappy thing high school sweethearts would bicker about lightly in the hall--"No, I'm the lucky one!" "No, it's me, I'm the luckiest!"--
He knows she has other reasons to feel that way, but even so, the almost-normality of it all makes him smile.]
Yeah... I'm not sorry for confessing, but I'm kind of sorry for dumping even more on you when you're dealing with so much.
Even so... I'm happy, you know? I'm really, really happy.
[ Honestly speaking, it's simultaneously more and less nerve-wracking than the kind of things she's dealt with in the past. She's tired, she's still unsure of what's going elsewhere in the confusing rollercoaster of Feelings she has been on, and she kind of misses the mindless adrenaline of going nonstop in a desperate attempt to save the world... but this is something she's wanted for such a long time, and she's been resigned over the fact that of course this boy she likes had been out of reach. Ritsuka is stupid over a lot of things, but she's not stupid enough to let go of something precious when it just somehow falls into her hands. ]
But I'm also--I'm really--I'm gonna cry.
[ She's happy too! Her feelings don't know what they're doing! Whatever, you're not the boss of her, BODY. ]
[Oh no... oh no!! Hearing that the girl you like wants to cry right after you confessed to her isn't really the ideal sort of reaction...! He knows that it's not that she's upset over him in particular or anything, but still...
He shakes off that very teenage boy reaction, though, focusing instead on the emotional overload she's clearly going through.]
Hey... it's okay. If you need to cry, then cry. It's better to let it out, isn't it...?
I'm not going anywhere.
[So if it helps her to let some of those emotions out with a good cry? He'll still be right here when she's done.]
[ Her voice goes a little smaller, a little more secret, and she presses her forehead harder against his shoulder for a second. This is something she knows very well, and she's very good at tanking it, even if it's never been someone she's liked in quite this way. Her voice is wobbly, though it's bright, like she might laugh and cry both at the same time. ]
...Even if you did, Minato-kun, my feelings wouldn't leave. You wouldn't be able to take them away with you. Are you sure you're ready for that?
[... he's quiet for a moment, considering that with the gravity he thinks she deserves. It's a sincere, honest confession of how she feels and some of her concerns, and Minato knows she deserves his honest consideration in return.]
... Mm. It isn't anything I'd want to run away from. I'd be happy to accept your feelings, completely and totally, and help you carry them.
[After all, he shares them.
Still... the point she raises is a fair one, isn't it? He's quiet for a moment longer, and then he sighs a little, hand returning to stroking her hair.]
But I... have to ask something like that in return. I'm... living on borrowed time, you know? I know it's not fair to make you deal with something like that.
[Unless Ritsuka is completely, utterly sure--and even then, he still thinks it isn't fair, but... at least it's a choice they're making together.]
[ Now she pulls back, though not that far, so she can look up at his face. ]
Almost everyone back home--everyone I love, everyone who supports me... they're also on borrowed time. Sooner or later, they'll have to leave me. Heroic Spirits aren't meant to live long lives, even with a careful Master. In the end, you have to say good-bye.
[ And it's Ritsuka's job to keep moving forward, even when she has to leave people behind--but she's determined to carry her feelings with her. ]
But... I don't think that's so bad, either. I'd rather have that and be able to look back on our time together fondly. Not that I wouldn't have, otherwise! But now, I'll just be that much happier.
[He meets her eyes when she pulls back that little bit, and... whatever he sees in her expression, whatever it is he hears in her voice... he can't help but smile a little, resigned and grateful all at once.]
... Yeah. I thought you'd say something like that.
[He's not about to take any of Ritsuka's choices away from her, though--so ultimately, what can he do but believe in her and her ability to handle those things? Besides, that's what life is all about--living as best they can in the moment, regardless of what the future might bring.]
In that case... okay. I'll believe in you. And... I'm looking forward to making the most of the time we have together too.
[... a beat. They're...very close together like this and Ritsuka's smile is so, so bright, and Minato becomes, suddenly, very aware that if he were to just dip his head a little bit more, then...]
Not to interrupt our conversation, but, um... Can I... kiss you?
[ It's probably a little stupid, how much it's like a switch flipping; when he asks that, Ritsuka's eyes go wide, and between one second and the next, she's gone from sincerity... to sincere embarrassment. There is that! Kissing is a thing! Kissing is a thing and she knows it's a thing and actually she would like it very much but then! He just had to go and ask that!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,
She's still holding onto his shirt, right, that's good. She's gripping even tighter now, and since she can't trust her voice, she takes a deep breath and nods hesitantly.
...And then with more enthusiasm, because actually, yes? Yes, she'd like that very much. ]
[He could say a lot of things to that. His own heart skips a beat, and then another, and then one more--and he decides that talking is vastly overrated when she's looking up at him and nodding like that.
That blush is a good look on her, he thinks.
And then he leans in, lips curved into a slight smile, and... brushes his lips against her forehead.
Thankfully he then follows it up by giving her a proper, if brief and chaste kiss, presuming he didn't totally ruin the moment.]
She'd been set to be disappointed, because deep in her secret little heart, she's a romantic who puts a lot of value into a milestone like this... but he saves, which means that instead she just sort of bluescreens. Happen?? HAPPEN??? Happen.
For a moment, she's completely frozen as her brain tries to process, and then she grabs for his arms, because she's still a little too shy and stunned to just try kissing him again, but the desire is there. It might have fizzled into just the sudden need to grab onto him, but it's there. Lurking. ]
[Sorry, he really couldn't help himself. But honestly--when he pulls back to meet her eyes, he can tell that she's a little bluescreened. And, well. He's been there before, but also, he's deeply flattered that kissing her could do that also?? Like he's sure it's mostly because she's a romantic and doesn't have much experience, but still...! His (mostly nonexistent) ego!
Anyway.
He's willing to pause for a moment, and since she's grabbing to his arms, he'll go ahead and just loosely rest his hands innocently and loosely on her hips.
(He wants to go for it again too. His instincts are telling him to, because one small, brief kiss wasn't nearly enough, but, but...!)]
[ She takes a deep breath, partly to fortify herself, because she doesn't quite believe her own daring--but she's also flustered, and that makes her a little bolder. Her hands flex, not quite pulling him back down, but threatening it. "Threatening." ]
I don't know. You should kiss me again so I can decide.
[Definitely nailed it. She's about as fierce as a kitten right now, but equally as cute, he can't help but think--and if she's going to say something like that, well...
Why resist?
Minato just hums softly under his breath at that, lips curving into a small smile, and then he lifts a hand to gently cup her cheek in it.]
If you insist... I think I can manage that.
[And with that, he leans in again, this time pressing their lips together just as gently, but this time lingering.]
Slightly. She still makes a little squeaky noise when he touches her cheek, but she recovers more quickly, tilting her head for a better angle. There's a part of her that wants to say the first one doesn't count, because she hadn't been prepared, but the truth is that she's going to remember this forever.
One of her hands covers his, a silent request for him to keep it there, but her other stays curled in his shirt as she relaxes, letting herself properly focus for the experience. ]
[It's dangerous how addicting this could become, and how quickly. The warmth of her hand over his is all the confirmation he needs--she's comfortable, she's enjoying herself, and that means... it's okay if he indulges too, right?
Because it's addicting, the warmth and softness of her lips on his--and the knowledge, too, that this is Ritsuka, the one person who came crashing into his life understanding every single bit of what he'd been through and then some, the one person who shares a perfect understanding of exactly what's most important to him.
It's too good to be true, part of him thinks. But until proven otherwise, he's going to hold onto this with everything he has.
He doesn't want to push too hard, too fast, not when they're both inexperienced. But he can't quite help himself when he finally pulls back from the kiss just enough for a breath... and then immediately dives in for another one.]
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realpolitik2022-07-31 01:53 pm
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Minato patiently allows her to initiate, but once it's clear she's going in for the hug, he'll properly wrap his other arm around her for a good and proper hug.
And he has to chuckle at that, soft and a little breathless, as if he also can't believe how this is turning out.]
I have to... you wouldn't understand me otherwise, right...?
[He teases very gently!!]
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[ She isn't succeeding, because she knows better, but that doesn't mean there is not an attempt at the effort. For now, she leans more of her weight into him, grumbling against his shoulder. ]
Maybe it's a hallucination? You should try pinching me.
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[Oh my god???
He just snorts softly at that, lifting one of his hands to gently stroke her hair at the back of her head.
There, there, fussy Ritsuka.]
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[ But she actually really likes the hairpets. It's been a very long time since someone's done that, and it goes a good way in helping her to calm down. Her arms curl around him a bit more securely, fists curling in the back of his shirt. ]
Actually, you'll find I'm pretty tough. I can take it.
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[She doesn't seem to be unhappy with any of the things he's doing, so he's going to go ahead and carry on with it! It's nice, honestly. She's snug and warm in his arms, and he's already getting to the point where he doesn't want to let go.]
Still, can you blame me? I haven't even heard your answer yet. I feel like pinching you isn't going to win me points.
[He is still only gently teasing, if only because, well... she's making it clear in body language at least what her answer is, even if they haven't really discussed the finer details.]
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[ She does not lift her head as she says it, grumbled into his shoulder. This is a lot easier when she doesn't have to look him in the eye for it, because she knows--she knows! That he will be very sincere and sweet about it, and then she might just have to go to space anyway. Space is probably very nice--
No, wait, Kaito is probably there. Never mind. She'll just have to stay here. ]
I mean. I figured it out after that. But I know me well enough to know it's true. So what do you think my answer is?
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The way she confesses that, sheepish and grumbled, makes his heart skip another beat in his chest. Or maybe it's the fact that it's just now sinking in, properly and completely, that... she feels the same way as him.
Ritsuka feels... the same way.]
... Ah. Then that's--
[.... Aaah? Aaaaaaaa!!!]
--!
[He doesn't know what to say, really, so he's just scooping her more tightly into that hug, burying his face against her hair for a moment. Aha!! Now they're both flustered!]
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It still feels kind of like stepping into something forbidden, something that she has wanted for so long and has never, ever been allowed, but at the same time--she's not a perfect person. She's greedy. Once something she's wanted this much has been offered to her, how does she let him go?
She doesn't. ]
Y--yeah. Yeah. It's that.
[ They're both doing great here. A+ gold star for them both. ]
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It's fine that she's not about to let go, though, because he isn't either. He's content to just remain there for a moment, breathing in the moment, the feeling of her in his arms and her fingers tight in the back of his shirt.
It's... really, really nice. It's concrete in a way that he's not sure he deserves to have, but for the moment, it's okay to hold onto it, isn't it? He knows he still needs to talk with her about the whole... Situation, and how unfair it is for him to ask her for this when he's already dead. But somehow, with Ritsuka... he feels like he can guess what she's going to say. So maybe for now, it's okay.
But finally, after that long moment:]
... Wow. Just... wow. I'm... incredibly lucky.
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[ She's more insistent about it than just a mild argument; her fists curl harder against him, like she would shake him if she could. The thought does cross her mind, but that would involve pulling back so she could, and so she does not. (Yet.)
She is also not crying yet, but her voice is wavering. It's a close thing, and no matter how much she actually hates crying, this feels like the best-case scenario for such a thing. ]
You don't know--I mean, you might know, but--it's really... it's a lot. Just--just getting told that is a lot more than I thought I'd ever get, you know...?
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He knows she has other reasons to feel that way, but even so, the almost-normality of it all makes him smile.]
Yeah... I'm not sorry for confessing, but I'm kind of sorry for dumping even more on you when you're dealing with so much.
Even so... I'm happy, you know? I'm really, really happy.
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[ Honestly speaking, it's simultaneously more and less nerve-wracking than the kind of things she's dealt with in the past. She's tired, she's still unsure of what's going elsewhere in the confusing rollercoaster of Feelings she has been on, and she kind of misses the mindless adrenaline of going nonstop in a desperate attempt to save the world... but this is something she's wanted for such a long time, and she's been resigned over the fact that of course this boy she likes had been out of reach. Ritsuka is stupid over a lot of things, but she's not stupid enough to let go of something precious when it just somehow falls into her hands. ]
But I'm also--I'm really--I'm gonna cry.
[ She's happy too! Her feelings don't know what they're doing! Whatever, you're not the boss of her, BODY. ]
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He shakes off that very teenage boy reaction, though, focusing instead on the emotional overload she's clearly going through.]
Hey... it's okay. If you need to cry, then cry. It's better to let it out, isn't it...?
I'm not going anywhere.
[So if it helps her to let some of those emotions out with a good cry? He'll still be right here when she's done.]
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[ Her voice goes a little smaller, a little more secret, and she presses her forehead harder against his shoulder for a second. This is something she knows very well, and she's very good at tanking it, even if it's never been someone she's liked in quite this way. Her voice is wobbly, though it's bright, like she might laugh and cry both at the same time. ]
...Even if you did, Minato-kun, my feelings wouldn't leave. You wouldn't be able to take them away with you. Are you sure you're ready for that?
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... Mm. It isn't anything I'd want to run away from. I'd be happy to accept your feelings, completely and totally, and help you carry them.
[After all, he shares them.
Still... the point she raises is a fair one, isn't it? He's quiet for a moment longer, and then he sighs a little, hand returning to stroking her hair.]
But I... have to ask something like that in return. I'm... living on borrowed time, you know? I know it's not fair to make you deal with something like that.
[Unless Ritsuka is completely, utterly sure--and even then, he still thinks it isn't fair, but... at least it's a choice they're making together.]
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[ Now she pulls back, though not that far, so she can look up at his face. ]
Almost everyone back home--everyone I love, everyone who supports me... they're also on borrowed time. Sooner or later, they'll have to leave me. Heroic Spirits aren't meant to live long lives, even with a careful Master. In the end, you have to say good-bye.
[ And it's Ritsuka's job to keep moving forward, even when she has to leave people behind--but she's determined to carry her feelings with her. ]
But... I don't think that's so bad, either. I'd rather have that and be able to look back on our time together fondly. Not that I wouldn't have, otherwise! But now, I'll just be that much happier.
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... Yeah. I thought you'd say something like that.
[He's not about to take any of Ritsuka's choices away from her, though--so ultimately, what can he do but believe in her and her ability to handle those things? Besides, that's what life is all about--living as best they can in the moment, regardless of what the future might bring.]
In that case... okay. I'll believe in you. And... I'm looking forward to making the most of the time we have together too.
[... a beat. They're...very close together like this and Ritsuka's smile is so, so bright, and Minato becomes, suddenly, very aware that if he were to just dip his head a little bit more, then...]
Not to interrupt our conversation, but, um... Can I... kiss you?
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[ It's probably a little stupid, how much it's like a switch flipping; when he asks that, Ritsuka's eyes go wide, and between one second and the next, she's gone from sincerity... to sincere embarrassment. There is that! Kissing is a thing! Kissing is a thing and she knows it's a thing and actually she would like it very much but then! He just had to go and ask that!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,
She's still holding onto his shirt, right, that's good. She's gripping even tighter now, and since she can't trust her voice, she takes a deep breath and nods hesitantly.
...And then with more enthusiasm, because actually, yes? Yes, she'd like that very much. ]
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That blush is a good look on her, he thinks.
And then he leans in, lips curved into a slight smile, and... brushes his lips against her forehead.
Thankfully he then follows it up by giving her a proper, if brief and chaste kiss, presuming he didn't totally ruin the moment.]
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[ Don't play with her heart like this!!
She'd been set to be disappointed, because deep in her secret little heart, she's a romantic who puts a lot of value into a milestone like this... but he saves, which means that instead she just sort of bluescreens. Happen?? HAPPEN??? Happen.
For a moment, she's completely frozen as her brain tries to process, and then she grabs for his arms, because she's still a little too shy and stunned to just try kissing him again, but the desire is there. It might have fizzled into just the sudden need to grab onto him, but it's there. Lurking. ]
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Anyway.
He's willing to pause for a moment, and since she's grabbing to his arms, he'll go ahead and just loosely rest his hands innocently and loosely on her hips.
(He wants to go for it again too. His instincts are telling him to, because one small, brief kiss wasn't nearly enough, but, but...!)]
... Was that okay?
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[ She takes a deep breath, partly to fortify herself, because she doesn't quite believe her own daring--but she's also flustered, and that makes her a little bolder. Her hands flex, not quite pulling him back down, but threatening it. "Threatening." ]
I don't know. You should kiss me again so I can decide.
[ Ha. Nailed it. ]
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Why resist?
Minato just hums softly under his breath at that, lips curving into a small smile, and then he lifts a hand to gently cup her cheek in it.]
If you insist... I think I can manage that.
[And with that, he leans in again, this time pressing their lips together just as gently, but this time lingering.]
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Slightly. She still makes a little squeaky noise when he touches her cheek, but she recovers more quickly, tilting her head for a better angle. There's a part of her that wants to say the first one doesn't count, because she hadn't been prepared, but the truth is that she's going to remember this forever.
One of her hands covers his, a silent request for him to keep it there, but her other stays curled in his shirt as she relaxes, letting herself properly focus for the experience. ]
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Because it's addicting, the warmth and softness of her lips on his--and the knowledge, too, that this is Ritsuka, the one person who came crashing into his life understanding every single bit of what he'd been through and then some, the one person who shares a perfect understanding of exactly what's most important to him.
It's too good to be true, part of him thinks. But until proven otherwise, he's going to hold onto this with everything he has.
He doesn't want to push too hard, too fast, not when they're both inexperienced. But he can't quite help himself when he finally pulls back from the kiss just enough for a breath... and then immediately dives in for another one.]
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guess who lost this notif
let's blame dw
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