deercountry | unauthorized cute happenings

Entry tags:

unauthorized cute happenings

Who: Ryuu and Manabu...manayruu..
What: book date
When: early April
Where: Crenshaw to the Archive

Content Warnings: It's a bunch of cute date shit, beware

So...

So it's for real and for certain...certainly a date. Confirmed. Manabu did not sleep well before this, that's for damn sure. Manabu couldn't help it! He's antsy by nature even without some big, unknown event looming ahead of him, and there's only so many times he can re-sort cutlery in the kitchen before the worry of error comes creeping up.

He can't help but wonder: Was asking the easy part...or the hard part?

He'd been too young when his father died for those kinds of talks. And by the time he was a teen, he was already so engrossed in trying to get enlisted in the SDF to even look at anyone as a romantic prospect! Here, though? After everything he's been through, seen...

Eugh. He really hopes he doesn't mess anything up. He knows nothing can be the same anymore after this: Pretending to just go back...how would that even be possible after this?

If Bruce were here, he'd surely be sick of the handwringing and just boot him out the door already, saying something like the longer you get into your own head, the less energy you have to do a good job. You're not a thinker, you're a doer. So go.

So when he gets that lunchtime text, he stops fussing with the cuffs of his jacket and goes.

I'm outside

Magnet sniffs around Manabu's boots while they wait under a lamppost in front of the apartment, taking all that nervous energy from his person as cause to be more curious and investigative. Said person finds himself fiddling with his slightly-too-long sleeves on the jacket Wu bought him a couple days ago, frowning down at it. It's nice enough, but he's not really a fancy kind of guy...is this saying too much? He isn't really fluent in fashion, but showing up so clean...says something, right? Hopefully nothing too strange...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He's been pacing since he finished lunch and texted Manabu that he was ready. He's pretty sure that Kazuma was ready to throw him out of the apartment if he asked him one more time if he looked all right. He fusses with the sleeves of his dark blue peacoat, pacing around the living room before he finally gets the text message. Ryunosuke swears his heart skips a beat when he reads it, all the color flooding his cheeks before he nods to himself.

He grabs his bag, and tells Kazuma he's leaving, then he's out the door, Fish following behind him. (Apparently, he can't leave the house without his cat. Fish would be rather cross with him.)

It's not long until he's downstairs and greeting Manabu with a smile.

"Hey!" He waves a little, adjusting the bag over his shoulder, hoping the color has faded from his cheeks already. "So, are you ready?"

Was that a silly question? Were his nerves already starting to get to him, he thinks as he squeezes the strap of his bag slightly. Would he be this nervous if it was still just a friendly outing? Though, he supposes it still is a friendly outing, but now it's evolved into something more. A date seemed a lot more weighty.

The great thing about the creepy, endless dark of the month? Less light to see flushed faces or any fashion faux pas that may have been done. Hell, maybe even some of the steam that radiates off of him can be missed in the gloom!

Manabu could easily excuse the jolt of surprise at Ryunosuke's appearance as just the dog barking startling him - said dog is already hopping over to jump in the lawyer's legs, ready for pets. This gives his person the chance to gulp his heart back down and clear his throat, stepping over greet him.

"Aa, ye-yeah," he breathes, a waver in his breath. "We can take the lamp down the street; it connects right in front of the Archive, so it won't take long...

"Unless you want to walk!" he pipes in before an answer can be given, shoulders going up. "I don't mind. Either way."

Yeah sure, just walk around in the spooky darkness for a half an hour, brilliant.

Thank you endless night for saving him from some embarrassment.

He can't help but smile as he bends down to pet Magnet, rubbing at his ears with a slightly huffed laugh. Magnet was always such a joy to see, even if he's just an extension of Manabu -- that's how it worked right? Fish sits himself down next to Ryunosuke's feet, tail flicking as he watches everything unfold.

"We can take the lamp." He says as he stands back up. "I mean with it connecting right to the Archive, it would make the trip quick and easy." Not that he wouldn't mind walking down to the Archive with Manabu, but the point was going to the library, wasn't it? Maybe they should walk together, but what would they talk about? Would it get boring? Would they fall into silence and would it be comfortable?

Hearing the waver in his breath was a bit of a relief. He was sort of glad that Manabu seemed to be just as nervous as he was. He takes this moment to reach out and place his hand on his shoulder.

"Relax." He says with a gentle smile, partly to himself, and partly for Manabu's sake. "We're going to have a great time." Said with more confidence. "So, why don't we take the lamp, and you can show me where you found Natsume-sans books." A beat. "I still can't believe you might have found them."

At the touch, there's a little thrum of electricity and warmth as Manabu bristles - like placing a palm on top of some working, electrical equipment. No hazard, just that...awareness of activity. Of reaction.

Manabu has to turn his head to see that smile from over the bridge of his nose, feeling quite the mix of things as he's reassured and a direction is taken. Relief is a big one, because thank goodness he made a decision for them. So before Magnet can get too in Fish's face and cause a stress-based slap, everyone can move and start down the street to that lamp with those weird, moaning little dudes.

"I, I don't know if it's exact," he admits, stuffing his hands into his pockets, keeping his eye forward. "It could be someone with the same name here? But...but Wu watches clips and films from other worlds and times all the time, so it's not impossible to find something you're familiar with here, you know?"

When they near the lamp, Manabu lifts a hand out of his pockets and grabs hold of the post, hesitating before looking back over to Ryunosuke.

"You...haven't gone there yet, have you? If you have, no problem, I'll see you there. But if you haven't, just--hang onto me a second, okay?"

"Still, if it's his work, I'm looking forward to reading it. I wonder what his writing is like?" He muses out loud as he falls in step with Manabu as they walk down the road together. "If it's as eccentric as he is, I'm sure it'll make for quite an interesting read."

He smiles when they near the lamp, and he swears his heart wants to leap out of his chest because this is the part where the date really begins, isn't it? He watches as Manabu grabs the post and he nods.

"Well, I've been to the Archive, yes, but I don't think I've used the lamp." He admits, rubbing the back of his head. He takes a step forward once again thankful for endless night, despite the lamp glow on his cheeks. "How do you want me to... hold on?"

Oh boy, he thinks as he moves closer to Manabu, this was going to go well.

"..."

Manabu blinks at him, quiet for a beat, which leaves room for the little lamp guys to just...groan with veiled interest. Seriously, guys, you gonna teleport or what?

"Just--" Here. He glances down quickly before grabbing at Ryunosuke's wrist, planting it on his own shoulder in the same beat he shoots a look down at the the little groaners. Archives, please. Quickly, please!

The lantern gouls, completely uninvested in the mini-drama in play, are just happy to be able to do their duty, and smoke quickly billows to envelop the both of them. As it disappears, the atmosphere changes as the scenery is now filled with the massive, looming structure of the Archive ahead of them. After a few seconds, omens reform out of some of that residual vapor, and everyone is whole again. Manabu exhales, squinting up at the building.

"Jeez...it looks even spookier in the dark, doesn't it." But then, everything in Trench does! He looks over, shrugging his shoulders, having forgotten the hand there already. "But not bad, right?"

He holds on, still not used to utilizing the lanterns but they had their uses. He glances up at the Archive, the moon glow giving it a particularly menacing look. Manabu wasn't wrong when he said that it looked spookier in the dark. Was it safe to go inside still? Of course he's certain that they'd have light once they're inside so there was nothing to really be afraid of.

"Yeah, not bad." He says, tearing his eyes away from the building, and slowly releasing Manabu's shoulder. "Well, shall we?"

Ryunosuke gestures toward the Archive, and moves to walk in that direction.

"I'm really looking forward to this." He says after a moment of silence. "I think I've said that before." He's nervous, toying with the frayed ends of his sleeves. "Books aren't really something you're interested in, are they?" A pause, before he adds on quickly. "You're really sweet, if that's the case."

First the flowers and the trinket, now taking him to a library to find a book when it's clearly not his interest? He's really flattered, but also flustered, trying to deal with the words that want to well up and escape. He doesn't want to talk poor Manabu's ear off, but he doesn't know how else to fill the silence, nerves getting to him because he's never been on a date before.

He just hopes he gets it right.

The compliment comes as Manabu yanks the door open and holds it for him, which is pretty convenient timing, right? He has to stand still there anyway. So he does, his face flushing and a little noise stuck in his throat. Look, people like praise, and he sure does like being acknowledged when he's a good officer! But something like this is uncharted territory from both ends.

"I--" He lingers for a beat longer at the door before slinking inside, looking anywhere else but Ryunosuke. Oh look, horrifying fossil bones suspended in the candlelight. That's... Hm...

He clears his throat.

"I-I just thought...since...everything's so different for you, that...the chance to find something familiar would help. I know it does for me." And how often is he going to chance across things from the 2220's here?! "You said you studied literature, so that part was a no-brainer... Finding something that might've been from your home is more luck, I think."

Less-than luck, really, but Manabu doesn't wholly understand how this library works more on intention than any indexing system.

"This way," he says, veering away from the museum curios in the gloom and down toward some of the longer aisles of books. Even here, the darkness is rather intense - candles only stretch their influence so far, so Manabu rummages in his satchel for his omni to use it as a flashlight as he retraces his steps down to the area he'd chanced the titles.

"Mmn...Here...Yeah. Here, the books start finally having titles on their spines. Not like the other stuff." He turns to face one of the shelves, gesturing to the array. "I think it was around here or the other side of this shelf."

"Lucky me." He smiles softly, following Manabu inside the candlelit building. "I'll have to find something the two of us can do that you can enjoy as well." He says as he follows Manabu through the stacks of books. "I'm sure there's something we can do. Maybe dinner?"

Something the two of them could do together. It makes his heart leap in his chest like butterflies are trapped behind his ribcage threatening to escape. It's nothing he's ever felt before (or at least nothing he's ever recognized in himself before), and frankly? It excites him more than he anticipated. He lights up when he sees the titles along the spines, books that line the shelves looking worn and well-read -- he traces his fingers across the top row of books and nods.

"All right. Maybe we should split up and both look." He pulls a book off the shelf, inspecting the cover. It's not what he's looking for but it certainly looked interesting! "I'm not sure what the titles of his books would be, he hadn't written any by the time he left London, but I can't imagine it would be difficult to find Soseki Natsume as an author."

Edited 2022-04-15 00:07 (UTC)

"..."

Something he can enjoy as well... What's that supposed to mean? Manabu grimaces, his expression safely hidden as he takes the lead. Why wouldn't he just enjoy...making someone he likes happy this way...?

Doubt starts to bubble up and claw at his senses - something that he has to willfully take a breath from and swallow back before it can vent out in sparks or steam. He taps all that down by the time Ryunosuke suggests splitting up, prompting him to look over his shoulder with a soft frown, watching as he's already proceeded to scour. He doesn't mean to have Manabu vanish to another aisle or something, does he?

"Soseki...Natsume..."

Well. He'd have to have seen something like that if he had enough of a hunch as to bring Ryunosuke all the way here, right? Otherwise it's a wild goose chase and a bust outright! He hums a pensive sound before crouches, opting to just scour the titles at ground-level rather than go too far. Magnet worms his way over to try and get his nose in Manabu's face, something that has to be repeatedly pushed away while Manabu looks.

"Natsume...Natsume..."

Will I be able to read the language? Manabu wonders belatedly. Mere minutes into the quest and already reading titles sideways makes his eye hurt and some letters look alien, but so far it seems like he could. He falls to quiet murmuring in his quest, the task taking the forefront of his focus, which does well to dispel his worries for now. All will be well if he can accomplish this little mission, surely.

"Sou...seki...Nn...Na-! Natsume!"

Minutes later, Manabu pipes up, pulling at a spine at the bottom of the shelf. That's right... When I was here before, Magnet was sniffing it...!

"I, I think I found it!" He pops up out of his squat with the book, holding it out for Ryunosuke to confirm.

Ryunosuke likes the idea of doing something Manabu might enjoy! He'll clearly just needs to get to know Manabu better to pull something like that off.

Though, despite his relatively upbeat thoughts, he notices that the air between them has changed ever so slightly, just enough to cause him to worry as Manabu disappears onto the other side of the stack. He hadn't done anything wrong, had he? He worries at his lip as he turns his attention to looking over the spines with care. Most of the books he was finding were in English, which he expected from a majority English-speaking population, but there were a few in languages he didn't recognize. Collins, Doyle, Wilde... books he recognized from English shops when he stayed in London, but nothing from the Japanese author himself.

He was starting to lose some hope when he hears Manabu pipe up.

"Did you?!" He shoots up, moving around the shelving unit to meet Manabu on the other side, and takes the book from him.

I Am A Cat by Soeski Natsume. He grins, opening the book to see if there was any indication of the author being the same Natsume-san he knew.

"I can't believe it. This has to be it." He says as he flips through the pages. "This is brilliant! You're brilliant." He closes the book, looking at Manabu with a smile. "Thank you. Are there more or was this the only one?" A pause, just one as he sets the book on top of the shelf. He's rather excited by this prospect. "I wonder what else we can find here."

He's pretty certain he's going to end up with a stack of books to bring home at this rate.

Ryunosuke's energy shouldn't be surprising, but it is, and it fuels Manabu's own. He watches him survey the title with his breath held, eyes widening as he confirms it's the real deal, straightening up unconsciously as he's declared as brilliant, nearly rocking back on his heels. Just punch him in the heart next time!

"Eh?" He double blinks out of the little, jubilant daze. Huh? What? More? "Uh--um, may-maybe? Over here--" He wobbles back a step before waving him over and pointing to where he'd found it, unconsciously holding his breath as to not ruin the moment with even an exhale out of place.

He follows Manabu's gesture, and nods, moving around him to crouch down to the area where he found the book. Ryunosuke starts to scan the shelf. There's a few more authors he recognizes here -- Ogai, Shinmei just to name a few-- but when his fingers touch the spine of another Soseki Natsume book, he grins. A book titled London To, he finds, and he removes it from the shelf with care. He flips through a few pages, excitedly scanning the words, briefly getting an idea of what the book was about before he glances up at Manabu.

"Not too many here, but I found another one." He waves the book before he's standing up again. "Looks like it's about his life in London, which I'm very curious about." Would he be mentioned at all? He reaches over and grabs the first book off the shelf, holding both of them with care. "This is an amazing find. I can't wait to read them."

He pauses, before he reaches out to take Manabu's hand. "How much exploring have you done in here? I've been mostly focused on reading books about Trench so I must have missed these." A pause, a light smile. "Show me what else you've found?"

Manabu's mind buzzes a little when his hand is taken, fingers twitching a bit before firmly reciprocating; his face goes hot for only a moment, being coldblood, but the butterflies remain. It's not a terrible feeling, though it does daze him a little for a beat.

"Um--" He blinks out of it, looking around quickly, his voice raising maybe a bit too much for a place of study. "N-not too much! I mean--from other places, if that's what you mean. I wasn't really looking for that, I was...I was over there." He points down the aisle to a visible lower area where the walls are lined with shelves and ladders.

"Hunter journals. Diluc was showing me where they're kept. I was...I've been trying to find maps. Atlases. Stuff about outside of the city, you know?" The more he talks, the less rattled his voice is. "And when I was talking with Vira-Lorr...we figure there's a pretty good chance a lot of that stuff...it's either missing or destroyed."

"You think a lot of the information about stuff beyond Trench has been destroyed?"

That was an interesting fact considering they kept the Hunter journals on the shelves. He's been reading a few of those, but he hadn't noticed anything amiss. At least nothing that would seem strange and unusual at first glance because Trench in itself is strange and unusual. He shifts on his feet, his mind racing with the thought of why someone would go through the effort to destroy such information. What was beyond Trench, then, that needed to remain hidden?

"Hopefully it's just missing." He says, squeezing Manabu's hand. "I will need to keep a look out then, for maps and any information leading out of Trench." He'll make sure Kazuma does too since they both seem to be studying again. "If we can't find a map or information, we could just go exploring ourselves."

Which was a dangerous prospect, he figures, but it could be a good idea.

"That--" He hesitates, grimacing at the shelves. "That's...that's what I was planning, but..."

But not with him and Kazuma.

"But I don't know enough yet! Not enough to safely ask anyone to take it on with me...and I'm definitely not going to strike out on my own, that's stupid." He exhales heavily, rubbing the back of his head with his unoccupied hand.

"Since talking to Vira-Lorr, though...it does make a bit of bad sense... Remember those crazy Sleepers who were stalking around attacking people months ago?" And the Tower. Ryunosuke remembers the Tower. Manabu's eyes wince as he glances over to check that awareness.

"It'd make sense for a group like that...to incentivize everyone to just...stay here. Not explore."

Because it'd be more meat for their machines.

"Oh?" Manabu was planning some sort of adventure? That could be interesting. "Good of you to be cautious about it though. I mean we really don't know what's out there but... if we can't find anything here we might have to take the risk."

We, he implies that he'd join him but he understands that he may be a liability. If he had his bow he might be of more use, but so far he's had no luck with obtaining one. Maybe he should look harder at getting his hands on one so he could actually be useful to the people of Trench.

"Oh." Different tone, different expression as his face falls. He remembers the tower and how people were brought there - the horrors inside of seeing Sleepers strung up by hooks and all the blood. So much blood. He squeezes Manabu's hand again at the mention of it, nodding mostly to himself before he speaks again. "Y-eah. Yeah I remember them. You think they are cognizant enough to potentially keep us trapped?"

Though it would make sense to keep them in a small location for easy pickings. Easy enough to kidnap and bring to their machines again, to fuel the blood pollution and the potential for losing ones self to a Beast. He doesn't like the implication, but it weighs on his mind.

"I don't know," Manabu admits. "But it's convenient enough for them...if there was no information for us to go on in order to leave."

When he looks back at Ryunosuke, at the troubled expression, Manabu feels a pang of guilt. At his feet, Magnet growl-whines a little, pawing at his pantleg.

"S-sorry...that's not really, uh, date-friendly talk, is it?" He forces an apologetic smile. "Guess I, I need more practice."

"I see." He hugs the books to his chest, trying to shake off the sickening feeling that settles in his chest from thinking about the Tower.

Has anyone found their way back? Was it really just a one way ticket in? He never found an exit, being saved in all, but was there truly no way to escape? He takes a shuddering breath, before he finds himself smiling.

"Don't worry about it." He says softly. "It was the natural flow of the conversation. I just didn't think I've have such a reaction to remembering them is all." He glances down at the books, then to Manabu. "I'm still enjoying myself."

Ryunosuke says don't worry, yet Manabu can't help but worry despite that. Ryunosuke may have been more affected than he says...or doesn't say. That's how traumatic events work, right? Manabu likes to think he's more trained or qualified to deal with it, but trauma's stopped him in his tracks and stolen his breath more than once even before the nightmare, before Trench.

Hiding that away...Ryunosuke shouldn't have to do that, Manabu thinks. He'd understand! He'd listen...

For now, he just nods, accepting the other at his word, best he can, looking away briefly before--

"Uoh, here--" He tugs Ryunosuke along and back up the small set of steps that took them to the journals, over to a row of long, empty tables. "You should check out what your friend Natsume had to write!" Looking back, he points: "That one says London, right? Maybe he wrote about you!"

He'll talk to him about the nightmares eventually. For now he will keep those hidden away in the journal he's been keeping about his time spent in Trench. He takes in another deep breath, before he offers Manabu a smile, the tug pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Are you sure you want to sit there while I read?" He asks as he's lead over to the long row of tables. "I mean, I'd like to know if he wrote about me...but it can wait."

He is genuinely curious to what Natsume-san wrote about his time in London. Ryunosuke knew that it wasn't a very good time, but there must have been something worth while for him to write a book about it, right? Nevertheless wouldn't it be rude to just sit there and ready while Manabu is with him? He doesn't want to feel like he's ignoring him, after all.

"No way!"

Manabu only lets go in order to grab hold of a chair and pull it away from the table, patting it and giving Ryunosuke an earnest look.

"This is why we came, you know? And it's important." His gaze drops to the books in Ryunosuke's arm. "They could be a link to your home...a real tie from here to there! That kind of thing...being able to check in on your friends in this way... You wanted to know how he's doing, right?"

"I did." He shakes his head with a laugh, smiling all the same as he walks over and stands next to the chair that Manabu has pulled out for him. "But are you sure?"

He takes a seat, setting the books down on the table before he reaches over to move the chair next to him. He pats the seat next to him with a smile, then moves to lean on his elbow as he looks over at Manabu. He's grateful for the shift in energy from their talk of the Tower back to the books they came for.

"Come sit with me then." Ryunosuke moves to scoot the chair closer to the one he shifted earlier.

Something about the way Ryunosuke smiles at that angle makes Manabu's face go hot for another split-second. And while that's going on, Magnet scoots under the chair legs over to Ryunosuke's, looking for his chance to jump up into a lap when all things are settled. Waiting like a predator. A lap-predator.

"Is...that gonna be okay?" Manabu asks, even as he sits down. He tilts his head with a little frown. "Is it weird...if someone's just hanging around you while you're reading?"

Imagine the pressure! What if the book turns out boring? Manabu, for his part, isn't sure how he'd react if someone was just watching him try to study...

...Granted...he'd probably fall asleep first, given how poorly he takes to reading, but that's neither here nor there!

Thankfully, Fish has decided to perch himself on the table, so he doesn't mind that Ryunosuke's lap is soon to be taken over by dog.

"See, that's what I've been worried about." He points out before he sits back in the chair. "What will you do while I read? I mean it must be awfully boring just waiting for me to read something."

And really, it could wait! He didn't mind waiting to read more about Natsume-san when he was home so he could spend his time with Manabu. That was the point of the date, right? To spend time with each other?

"I really don't want you to get bored..." He admits, reaching over to pet Fish as he loafs on the table. "Or feel like I'm ignoring you. We're supposed to be spending time together, right?"

"Right..." Manabu sheepishly rubs at the back of his neck, watching Fish get his pets. "Yeah, I...I should've put more thought into that..." As opposed to blurting out things and then doubling-down on those things to make them different, more important things.

But that's just the kind of person he is.

"Would it be weird if you read some of it aloud?" he suggests, looking back with a wincing glance. "N-not that you have to sit and read the whole thing! Just--I guess...whatever you feel like looking over, or find interesting. I don't mind listening, I mean."

"I mean, I could do that." He smiles softly. "If you'd like to listen."

There's a pause as he stares at Fish, rubbing his ears carefully before his gaze returns to Manabu. He brought him here because he's interested in books, which is terribly sweet of him. He put a lot of thought into the date than he is giving himself credit for. He reaches out and gently places an hand on Manabu's shoulder, leaning toward him.

"I don't mind reading out loud," He says quietly. "I won't read too much though. I'd like to spend some time with you and not just the books. Maybe once I read though some of it we could consider something to eat?"

He can spend time with the books any day of the week when he's not supposed to be on a date with someone.

Manabu's face flushes hot in a little flash that's punctuated by a bit of his hair fluffing with static at the base of his neck. Since the Tattoo Incident, he can't really rely on coldblood to cool him off as quickly, so now he gets to sit there a bit longer with that hot-under-the-collar feeling. He finds himself unconsciously leaning forward as well, as though there was some conspiratorial talk to be had. He blinks owlishly and seems to not really hear what's being said immediately, given that it takes a beat to actually react or respond.

"O-okay," he utters, managing to get a word in through the brain-buzz of time with ME? me?? He clears his throat and straightens back up, nodding more certainly. "Yeah! Yeah, sure. That'll be good, right? I think so."

"Great! I can't wait." Ryunosuke smiles at him, bright as ever as he sits back in his chair.

So now how to include Manabu in his reading? He takes a deep breath and decides to start with just opening the book and reading the first few lines, finding that Natsume-san's writing was a bit refreshing. Something as eccentric as his personality in true written form as he talks about his arrival in London. About time spent admiring London upon arrival - because how could they not when they first arrived either? - and the newness that awaited him. This particular part was about how he managed to get around and his subsequent visit to the Tower of London.

Ryunosuke finds himself laughing at a passage, pointing at it and reading it out loud, careful not to stumble over each sentence. Something about how he refused to take carriages mostly because he couldn't afford them, but also because he clearly didn't want to become disoriented.

"He certainly has a way with words." He admits, before he shyly glances over to Manabu. He has the book propped open with one hand, whose to say he couldn't just--- Surely he wouldn't mind? He nervously reaches over and takes Manabu's hand.

That's what couples do, right?

It says a lot that Manabu hardly expected anything more than just sitting and listening to Ryunosuke enjoy his book. Granted, Manabu's never been on a date, never fantasized about himself on one, barely paid attention to anyone on one for that matter (hand-holding couples clog up public walkways and he has places to be!!).

But it's nice. He's happy to have been able to find something that means a lot to Ryunosuke - that was the whole goal before his mouth blurted out date-spaghetti! So this alone means...he did good, right?

Manabu sits quietly with his head propped up in one hand, watching with a faint smile, his heart light and content with this, perking up here and there when Ryunosuke himself gets a bit more dynamic, leaning over when directed to look at something, but overall just letting himself try and sink into contentment instead of staying wired on excitement.

He would've dozed off like that had Ryunosuke not reached over and put his hand atop his idle hand. It snaps him out of the daze and makes him straighten up a bit, head lifting away from his other hand as he blinks owlishly down at it, shooting a few glances between hands and Ryunosuke's face as his own flushes hot. After that initial jolt, he slowly eases back into his slumped posture and head back in his hand, the other one moving only to twist and take Ryunosuke's hand in turn.

It's fine, right? It's--well, he started it, so...!

There's something exhilarating about holding Manabu's hand, an emotion he can't quite explain. Despite the thoughts running through his head (was he squeezing too tight? Was this okay?) he relaxes when Manabu returns the gesture and settles back into reading his book. He casually rubs his thumb across the side of his hand every now and again, just a soft gesture to show that he knows that Manabu is still there. Still sitting at his side waiting for him to read, which is nicer than he expected it to be. There's just something so relaxing about being able to share a space with someone and do separate things.

He's starting to get caught up in the book, each page giving him more insight to Natsume-sans life in London, an experience he could relate to in some ways. It wasn't easy living in London as a foreign national. The people could be polite, but that did not make them kind. He turns the page, telling himself that this will be the last page he reads but he's gripped by the words. Ryunosuke finds himself lost in the pages, wondering what kind of life that Soseki Natsume lead before he arrived in London.

"He was rather eccentric." He says offhandedly as he turns a page, reading a particular statement he made out loud.

But, he reminded himself as he finds himself falling into silence once more, that this was a date. That he should really be including Manabu more, but he didn't want to bore him with details about Natsume-san's life. Maybe starting I Am A Cat might have been better for this as it appears to be a work of fiction compared to an auto-biographical novel. Maybe it was more interesting than daily life in London.

He squeezes Manabu's hand lightly, finding a scrap of paper to use to mark his place and close the book.

"Hey," He says quietly, leaning forward toward him. "You... all right?"

For the time that Ryunosuke's getting lost in words, Manabu's thoughts have gotten a bit philosophical on hands. Well, philosophical for him - he's definitely not a deep thinker. It's more just general observations he's actually paying attention to because of this context.

His hand is warm, he thinks. Probably looks warmer, too. It's a little too dimly lit in here to be sure, but he's pretty sure. His own hand can't be that cozy, can it? The tattoo he'd gotten warmed him up a little, but he still always runs cold. Maybe that's alright? Hell, if Ryuu ever ran a fever...

Rambling, ambling thoughts like that, joined up with the occasional murmur of Ryunosuke's reading and the low lights barely piercing the ongoing dark all work against him and his own butterfly-fueled energy. He hasn't slept in...in a while, really - certainly not for some hours before he even suggested a date! It's catching up in a big way, and by the time Ryunosuke seeks to investigate, Manabu's heavy eyelids had won and he was properly asleep sitting up.

From his lap, Magnet stirs just to nose at Ryunosuke's arm, tail wagging. If there's an issue here, it is definitely not a dog omen's issue.

At 'hey,' Manabu lets out a faint, acknowledging noise.

There's something oddly adorable about the fact that Manabu managed to fall asleep as he did. On one hand, it's concerning that he must be getting about as much sleep as Ryunosuke was (see: not a lot), but on the other hand it was... cute. Oddly adorable and he wishes he could just let him sleep.

But what if it was boredom? What is this was going terribly? What if Manabu didn't want to go on a second date after this? He shakes his head, taking in a deep breath as he tries to clear those thoughts from his head. If Manabu was bored he probably would have said something.

He releases Manabu's hand, finding he's reluctant to do so, and moves to rest it on his shoulder, giving him a slight nudge.

"Manabu," He says again, a little louder. "You awake?"

"Muh...?"

Yeah? What? Why is--

THUMP. Manabu's chin slips out of his hand, which slaps onto the floor and scares the hell out of him. He jolts in his seat, disoriented for a few seconds while Magnet hops out of Ryunosuke's lap to growl-bark at the disruption.

"Wh--huh? I--" Wait... He double blinks, then looks mortified. "I-! Ss, sorry! I fell asleep?!"

Oh, jeez. Ryunosuke's probably thinking he's an asshole now, right? Like he was bored of him or something?

"It's all right!" He smiles softly. "I mean, you probably needed some."

Logical. At least that's what Ryunosuke is thinking at that moment. He doesn't think Manabu meant to fall asleep, that much he could tell by how startled he was. There were still some fading thoughts, some what ifs about Manabu being bored of him but he waves them off. No, logically, Manabu was just tired, and he should have seen that before. He pushes back from the table and moves to stand, stretching his arms above his head with a groan. Fish watches, waits, and then decides to stand up himself and stretch out as cats are wont to do.

"I didn't want to keep you waiting, but I uh... guess I got caught up reading." He says before he moves to set a hand on Manabu's shoulder before he gets up. "Did you still want to get something to eat? You might actually need the sleep..."

And as much as he wants to spend time with Manabu, he doesn't want him to sacrifice sleep to do it.

From his skin, steam rises and persists, embarrassment really emanating off of him in a real way. All he had to do was sit...how does someone mess that up?!

(By not sleeping for a day or so, probably, but still...!)

As Ryunosuke trails off about the subject of sleep, of dismissing any other plans, Manabu hops upright overly quick, nearly headbutting the guy in the process.

"N-no way!" he pipes up, his remark backed up by a small bark from the floor. "I mean! I just slept, right? So there's no way I would now...!"

What a disaster. He has to make it up to him!

"You're hungry, right?" How long had it been? It's dark twenty-four seven! Who even knows! "I, I can eat, too! What're you hungry for?"

He laughs lightly, taking a moment to just look over Manabu. The steam rising from his skin was a clear sign that he was feeling a certain way, and as much as he thinks it's endearing, he probably shouldn't point it out.

The topic of food comes back up and he nods.

"I'm really up for anything, to be honest. I mostly cook at home so I don't really know the local food."

The last time he really went out was ...well after the Tower, when Manabu took him somewhere to ease his nerves.

"What do you say? We could grab lunch. ...dinner? And see where it takes us?" He has no idea what time it is with the way the endless night is going, but either way food sounded good.

"Yeah! Yeah, of course!" Eagerly, he grabs up his satchel and swings that over his shoulder. Magnet bounces a bit, nails clicking on the floor. "We can go to the Roost and--"

...And Diluc can see them there.

NOPE.

"Er, well, that place is...noisy. Um. There's...a, a tea-place? They have some food. I mean, I don't know if it's...meal-food so much as...snacks, so uh..." Oh no. Options. Manabu, think of options QUICK.

"Manabu..." He reaches out to take his hand, smiling gently. "Relax. We can go anywhere and I'm sure that we'll have a good time. So why don't we head to Cellar Door and see if we can't find someplace to eat."

The Roost, the tea shop - it didn't matter as long as they were together, right?

"I'm still having a good time, you know." He's trying to be reassuring.

Another hand-hold, another fluttery feeling. It stays Manabu's fidgeting for a moment as he's set to processing that remark and...enjoying said remark.

Sheepishly, his other hand reaches up to rub the back of his head.

"Oh, good...eheh...I...I hope you won't...hold it against me. Falling asleep. I don't! Really...sit in one spot for too long very often without getting sleepy...But even so! I didn't really...sleep much beforehand. So! So it's on me, okay?" He tries to laugh a little, ducking his head. "I mean, I even...fall asleep trying to study journals here on my own, so..."

He hesitates, then clears his throat, straightening up.

"A-anyway! Food, right? Let's go see what's open!"

"I don't hold it against you." He chuckles, shaking his head. "You must have needed the sleep. It's been difficult with the whole "eternal night" thing." He waves his free hand to gesture to the sky. "So don't worry about it."

He reaches over and shoves the books into his bag, figuring that they won't be missed if he borrowed them for a short while. He'll return them when he's done reading them - whenever that is. Ryunosuke smiles as he looks back over to Manabu.

"Let's go! I'm sure we'll find something."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

unauthorized cute happenings

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject