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...

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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."

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