[That definitely counted as dunking yourself, Dave.
But it does stand justifiable to continue down that path of thinking. Not the part where Ryuji thoroughly believes that he's the only one allowed to torment Dave like that (he bumps up a little against him to remind him on that point), but the acceptance that it doesn't have to be a fixed end point. If there's another Dave out that that gets to do the things that he doesn't, it isn't intrinsically true that whatever this Dave does is meaningless or any less fruitful. If there were millions of universes where either copies of them existed, hell, even a Ryuji living in Tokyo right now with a fixed family, or some sort of semblance of what constitutes a much better life, that's that Ryuji's prerogative. And, given the chance to know about the existence of that Ryuji, maybe he'd feel a little jealousy over it, but, shit. He's not about to let it ruin the experiences he's had. The friends he's made along the way. The insistence of the way he feels, right here and now, sitting as he drifts along in a lonely void of space next to Dave.
Hopelessly hopeful, or whatever that looks like... it's not invalid. He's always believed that freedom has its own form of vividly beautiful aesthetic; it's something he's said over and over again to just about everyone he's met. Do what you want to in life, don't hold back. That dumb, optimistic, punk kind of attitude.]
I dunno. Bein' with people you like and sharing time together is kinda worth all the sorts of trouble it takes gettin' there. Took me a pretty damn long time to figure that out.
[They're both pretty self-sacrificing people. Ryuji isn't so far removed from the reality of that to not accept it. If he knows how far he'd go for his friends, he has an idea of what Dave would do, too. It's respectable.
And, yeah, fuck it.
Under the blanket, he reaches out and wraps an arm around his shoulder, squeezing and smiling. It's been killing him to not do it.]
no subject
But it does stand justifiable to continue down that path of thinking. Not the part where Ryuji thoroughly believes that he's the only one allowed to torment Dave like that (he bumps up a little against him to remind him on that point), but the acceptance that it doesn't have to be a fixed end point. If there's another Dave out that that gets to do the things that he doesn't, it isn't intrinsically true that whatever this Dave does is meaningless or any less fruitful. If there were millions of universes where either copies of them existed, hell, even a Ryuji living in Tokyo right now with a fixed family, or some sort of semblance of what constitutes a much better life, that's that Ryuji's prerogative. And, given the chance to know about the existence of that Ryuji, maybe he'd feel a little jealousy over it, but, shit. He's not about to let it ruin the experiences he's had. The friends he's made along the way. The insistence of the way he feels, right here and now, sitting as he drifts along in a lonely void of space next to Dave.
Hopelessly hopeful, or whatever that looks like... it's not invalid. He's always believed that freedom has its own form of vividly beautiful aesthetic; it's something he's said over and over again to just about everyone he's met. Do what you want to in life, don't hold back. That dumb, optimistic, punk kind of attitude.]
I dunno. Bein' with people you like and sharing time together is kinda worth all the sorts of trouble it takes gettin' there. Took me a pretty damn long time to figure that out.
[They're both pretty self-sacrificing people. Ryuji isn't so far removed from the reality of that to not accept it. If he knows how far he'd go for his friends, he has an idea of what Dave would do, too. It's respectable.
And, yeah, fuck it.
Under the blanket, he reaches out and wraps an arm around his shoulder, squeezing and smiling. It's been killing him to not do it.]
True. You do have the sickest flows.