realpolitik | protags gonna protag.

I'm the lucky one.

[ 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.

Whatever. I've dealt with worse.

[ 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.]

...Even if you did...

[ 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.]

I already deal with that.

[ 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?

Wh--

[ 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.]

...?!

[ 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. ]

[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...!)]

... Was that okay?

...

[ 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. ]

[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.]

[ This time, she is (slightly) better prepared!

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.]

[ The next noise she makes is almost a laugh, a little breathless, the kind of sound that just bubbles up helplessly and that she wouldn't stop even if she could. This is just one of those things where Ritsuka has never really suffered for not having--but that doesn't mean it isn't something she has wanted. A lot of her romantic notions and desires have been discarded along the way, but maybe this is something she's actually allowed to have: a nice boy that she feels like actually really understands her, and what she's been through, and that she feels like she understands in turn.

Also, he's cute. He's cute, and she likes him, and sometimes it really can be that simple.

This time, she takes the very daring step of going up onto her toes a little, pressing herself more firmly up against him. She might not be bold enough to escalate further yet, but she's working up to it. She's curious to try. ]

[Minato's been trying to be considerate and thoughtful and understanding of the fact that Ritsuka's been through a lot as of late, and that romance is one of those things that hasn't exactly cooperated with her poor heart.

But he's a teenage boy, and Ritsuka is his crush and a very, very pretty young woman, so... the longer the moment goes on, the less he can remember why he was trying to take things slow and careful in the first place.

Especially when she presses more firmly up against him. On automatic, half-understood instinct, Minato loops his free arm around her waist to keep her close. And he dives into the next kiss all the more enthusiastically, lips parting slightly as he tries to coax Ritsuka into pursuing exactly whatever it is she might want.]

[ Sometimes, all you really need is permission, as much as from yourself as the other person. This would have likely gone much worse with anyone else, but there is something to be said about someone you feel you can trust with the awkward, uglier parts of yourself and know that they will be understood. Even if it had never gotten to this point, Ritsuka has trusted Minato with more than what she might have with any other partner.

So when he hooks her in closer, she goes up further on her toes. At this point, she doesn't really know what she's doing--watching romance movies and reading comics only tell you so much, and it's very different when you're actually in the moment.

But doing things on instinct is something Ritsuka excels at. Whether it's a good first shot, or something she can roll with and learn from, once she's actually rolling, she doesn't think too hard about it. So without thinking about it too hard (or really at all), she tries very gently biting his lower lip.

You know. Gently. Testing. ]

[Ritsuka's instincts are, in this as in most things, spot on.

She doesn't give him time to second-guess or doubt. Instead, she's taking the plunge, and her reward is a quiet, breathy noise out of Minato, partially surprise but mostly very intrigued and encouraging.

He's not a loud human being at any time, really, so the noise itself is a bit of a surprise for him; he chases it up by trying to coax her into a deeper, more lingering kiss, partially because he wants to, and partially... to try to cover up how embarrassed he is that she was able to draw something out of him so easily.

It's fine.]

[ It's fine!!

Possibly more than fine, in ways Ritsuka is not letting herself think too deeply on, because the moment she does, she will fizzle out in embarrassment. As long as she just relies on instinct over thought, it will definitely be fine!

And the noise he makes is inspirational, to say the least. She wants to follow it as far as she can, so it takes very little encouragement for him for her to throw herself into it.

Which, for the moment, apparently means crowding him back a little, into the table. There are no convenient walls, and she's not willing yet to break the kiss to find one. This will just have to do. ]

[Oh.

Oh yes, he is so into this. He's more into this than he probably wants to admit to even to himself, but Minato's always had a weakness for ladies who can absolutely shove him around and apparently Ritsuka can fit that bill just fine!!

She crowds him forward and is perfectly successful; he goes willingly, until his back is pressed up against the table and he can't go any further. There's something exciting about that, too, something that makes his heart race as Ritsuka's all up in his space.

The way he leans in to kiss her is even more insistent than before, and the way that he almost hums into the kiss is very interested and intrigued.]

[ The more he allows her, the more she's willing to push. Ritsuka has always done her best responding to the energy she gets from the other person, so if Minato is willing to let her bully him like this, she's more than happy to keep pushing. It's just that she doesn't entirely know what she's doing, and instinct can only carry one so far.

But once she has him pressed up against the table, she does, very daringly, let her hands slide up, curling behind his neck. When she's allowed, she likes to be a tactile person, and it has possible that she has wanted to pet his hair for a while now. Just a little. She certainly makes a very pleased sound when she gets her fingers in it, giving the hair at his nape a small testing tug before she bites him again.

Sometimes you're the bullied, sometimes you're the bully. ]

[Sometimes you're just a guy who likes being bullied by strong ladies, and that's just a fact.

At the very least, he has a lot of hair for her to play with at will, and the way he turns his head into her touch, completely encouraging and willing. More of that, please--he's very much enjoying it.

His arm, looped around her waist, tugs her just that bit closer, until they're pressed flush together.

And when he finally breaks away from their kisses, it's with a smile on his face and flushed cheeks.

And, breathlessly (but clearly entirely pleased and only mildly teasing):]

Ritsuka... you're pretty fierce... huh?

Am I...?

[ It's not actually the first time she's ever been called that, though it's always been in a wildly different context. But even when it's someone praising her in a fight, it's not really a word she's ever associated with herself.

If he's going to say it, though, she might have to actually rethink her own impressions for herself. At least he doesn't seem to dislike it, which means she's only flustered, rather than trying to backpedal. There's a part of her that's deeply embarrassed about how skittish she feels, but also, this is all new for her! Surely she's allowed!

Her fingers flex a little in his hair, but she doesn't pull them out; if anything, she leans more of her weight against him. ]

I've never--uh--I've never even... I've only ever held someone's hand before...?

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