[A mental note taken that his hair is practically spring loaded, Ryuji doesn't want to obsess over this fact, but he is, thinking it was pretty goddamn adorable. What if he rolled up the paper of a straw and placed it there, moved his hair back and let it rip? How far would that baby go?
Wait, this is fucking stupid- he has way more important things to focus on at the moment. Nods, too, when Dave tells him to make this a mutual sorta promise, and- of course, if it's this sort of arrangement, he's not going to go back on his word.
Oblivious to any of Dave's intentions or wondering notions of what's next, Ryuji is, in fact, pretty cool with just continuing to do everything that they've been doing. Sure, there's a lot of added things that get layered on top when actually dating someone, but the way he sees it... it's just an extension of what they already are. And if you think about it, thumb wrestling was already a combative type of hand holding- and, shit, maybe this does go all the way back to the first time they actually met. And by that same level of extension, they could just sit around talking about things from back home, or things they want to do, or the stuff that interests them... and add in Dave leaning on his shoulder. Or having a music listening session that was a total not-date be a date-date.
Ryuji, though, is a little confused at what he's asking. It's obvious in the way that he tilts his head a few degrees, tries to watch for signs of his lips curling or curving in a direction- those were great cues for Ryuji to know what was on his mind... committing each one of those to memory was a book he'd actually enjoy reading.]
W-what?
[It feels so out of place from what they were talking about before, like maybe he missed a sentence there in between.
ALSO, HEY, WAIT. Was that a baseball reference? Dave!!! Ryuji's heart swells.]
I mean. Yeah, it definitely wasn't the worst thing in the world to eat. Kinda a sacrilege to us true ramen connoisseurs, but... anything you could put into that woulda made it better than the bullshit. [A pause, though.] And 'sides... I don't think I've ever lied to you about anything. Dunno if I could.
[HE DID IT. he secured the sportsball reference. before you know it he'll be able to call soccer plays. or shoot a shot put. that's what you do with shot puts, right. you shoot them.]
[there's a very brief flicker of embarrassment across his features. his train of thought made total sense to him, as both the conductor and the sole person on board, and he hadn't realized he sort of left Ryuji behind at the last station without coherent directions on how to catch up.]
[which, really, Dave, this probably isn't the first time you've baffled the guy. Dave baffles people on a regular basis; frankly he's weirded out more people than he hasn't by this point.]
Yeah, uh. Sorry, kinda let my mind wander for a minute there. [it wandered somewhere outrageously sappy, but considering their conversation so far, it's more like he wandered from sappy point A to sappy point B. and, he doesn't mind? Dave doesn't mind at all.]
Mostly though, I was just thinkin' it means a lot to me to hear that. And that you're ... someone safe for me, I guess? That sounds like the right phrasing. I mean, if it weren't already obvious, I don't really go discussing the finer points of time travel by the third conversation with just anybody.
And, I was also kinda thinking about what might be fun to do after this.
[you know. living it up, like they always do. because they can.]
[Ryuji is too much of a jock for any of this bullshit.
But, more importantly, he can't just say he's going to dish out the brutal honesty about his feelings toward Dave and then, just a few moments later, become entirely too flustered to actually live, but here he is, getting called safe, and it's a total mix between this being one of the best moments in his life, and god-did-he-just. He'll try to keep his cool about it, but those words really do hit him, and hit him hard.]
It's cool. I'm kinda used to it by now. [Disconnected thoughts and an internal monologue constantly spinning... Ryuji's had a few months to get accustomed to it. And it's not like he didn't have a habit himself of talking about literally nothing important or going on about the smallest things for way, way longer than he needed to.]
I dunno. You kinda sold it for me when you started goin' on about karate masters. Can't really tell you why you opened up to me, but maybe I asked the right questions. Or maybe you really wanted someone to talk to about it? Either way, I kinda felt the same way. I coulda told you about my persona shit right then and there and felt cool with it.
[Also, to be fair, he might've told anyone who was listening to him about it, but talking to Dave about anything felt like the most comfortable goddamn thing in the world back then. Especially when he was actually pretty terrified of where he was, what had happened, and didn't have a direction or idea of what to do.]
After this? Whatcha got in mind? Wait... you mean like, a coffee ramen date thing? Because, dude, I haven't eaten in like... 2 effin' weeks.
Maybe. Looking back on it, I've explained some of that stuff to people before, only to have it not sink in, or they try to argue with me over it. That I'm supposed to be using that shit every fuckin' chance I get.
But you didn't do that. I guess I must have been relieved to have someone take me seriously on it, instead of trying to drag in all the stuff I'm capable of doing or the kind of person I'm supposed to be into the conversation.
[knights are "warriors that exploit their class as a weapon," allegedly. Dave would personally be happy if he never had to pick up a sword again.]
Pretty sure I've said all that before, but it bears repeating again.
Anyway ... yeah. I'm absolutely meanin' a coffee ramen date thing. And maybe tell me about the shit you're actually supposed to put in ramen.
What's the point? [It's a statement made to pretty much everything Dave said about how people react when they find out about his powers. As a thief, him and his friends acted on their own, going forward only when a group decision was made over what to steal next. They operated well away from the boundaries of society and law, and coupled with his already "go screw yourself" personality, he pretty much ignored the influence from others to do things that are perceived "right".]
The only one that can make those sorta choices is you, anyway. Annnd... plus, it was a pretty cool story.
[But once the floodgates are open, Ryuji is going to come rushing straight out of the gate. The excitement in his features is palpable; ramen is something he could talk for days on end about.]
It's all about the perfect balance between flavor, protein, and condiments. The rules are pretty fluid, like they're sorta meant to be broken, but you can totally eff up a good bowl of ramen. You gotta tailor it right to your---
[And he'll continue blabbering on about this as long as Dave is listening to him. It sure as hell beats talking about how they're going to die or holding in the regret that there was nothing they could do to protect each other from the oncoming infection that would claim the station. Ramen and coffee, or a combination of the both, is just about the best possible thing they could be going over at the moment. And Ryuji is just... happy, in a really sappy way, that he was lucky enough to be able to have a date to begin with, content that he doesn't have to give this opportunity up to some other Ryuji out there.]
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Wait, this is fucking stupid- he has way more important things to focus on at the moment. Nods, too, when Dave tells him to make this a mutual sorta promise, and- of course, if it's this sort of arrangement, he's not going to go back on his word.
Oblivious to any of Dave's intentions or wondering notions of what's next, Ryuji is, in fact, pretty cool with just continuing to do everything that they've been doing. Sure, there's a lot of added things that get layered on top when actually dating someone, but the way he sees it... it's just an extension of what they already are. And if you think about it, thumb wrestling was already a combative type of hand holding- and, shit, maybe this does go all the way back to the first time they actually met. And by that same level of extension, they could just sit around talking about things from back home, or things they want to do, or the stuff that interests them... and add in Dave leaning on his shoulder. Or having a music listening session that was a total not-date be a date-date.
Ryuji, though, is a little confused at what he's asking. It's obvious in the way that he tilts his head a few degrees, tries to watch for signs of his lips curling or curving in a direction- those were great cues for Ryuji to know what was on his mind... committing each one of those to memory was a book he'd actually enjoy reading.]
W-what?
[It feels so out of place from what they were talking about before, like maybe he missed a sentence there in between.
ALSO, HEY, WAIT. Was that a baseball reference? Dave!!! Ryuji's heart swells.]
I mean. Yeah, it definitely wasn't the worst thing in the world to eat. Kinda a sacrilege to us true ramen connoisseurs, but... anything you could put into that woulda made it better than the bullshit. [A pause, though.] And 'sides... I don't think I've ever lied to you about anything. Dunno if I could.
no subject
[there's a very brief flicker of embarrassment across his features. his train of thought made total sense to him, as both the conductor and the sole person on board, and he hadn't realized he sort of left Ryuji behind at the last station without coherent directions on how to catch up.]
[which, really, Dave, this probably isn't the first time you've baffled the guy. Dave baffles people on a regular basis; frankly he's weirded out more people than he hasn't by this point.]
Yeah, uh. Sorry, kinda let my mind wander for a minute there. [it wandered somewhere outrageously sappy, but considering their conversation so far, it's more like he wandered from sappy point A to sappy point B. and, he doesn't mind? Dave doesn't mind at all.]
Mostly though, I was just thinkin' it means a lot to me to hear that. And that you're ... someone safe for me, I guess? That sounds like the right phrasing. I mean, if it weren't already obvious, I don't really go discussing the finer points of time travel by the third conversation with just anybody.
And, I was also kinda thinking about what might be fun to do after this.
[you know. living it up, like they always do. because they can.]
no subject
But, more importantly, he can't just say he's going to dish out the brutal honesty about his feelings toward Dave and then, just a few moments later, become entirely too flustered to actually live, but here he is, getting called safe, and it's a total mix between this being one of the best moments in his life, and god-did-he-just. He'll try to keep his cool about it, but those words really do hit him, and hit him hard.]
It's cool. I'm kinda used to it by now. [Disconnected thoughts and an internal monologue constantly spinning... Ryuji's had a few months to get accustomed to it. And it's not like he didn't have a habit himself of talking about literally nothing important or going on about the smallest things for way, way longer than he needed to.]
I dunno. You kinda sold it for me when you started goin' on about karate masters. Can't really tell you why you opened up to me, but maybe I asked the right questions. Or maybe you really wanted someone to talk to about it? Either way, I kinda felt the same way. I coulda told you about my persona shit right then and there and felt cool with it.
[Also, to be fair, he might've told anyone who was listening to him about it, but talking to Dave about anything felt like the most comfortable goddamn thing in the world back then. Especially when he was actually pretty terrified of where he was, what had happened, and didn't have a direction or idea of what to do.]
After this? Whatcha got in mind? Wait... you mean like, a coffee ramen date thing? Because, dude, I haven't eaten in like... 2 effin' weeks.
no subject
But you didn't do that. I guess I must have been relieved to have someone take me seriously on it, instead of trying to drag in all the stuff I'm capable of doing or the kind of person I'm supposed to be into the conversation.
[knights are "warriors that exploit their class as a weapon," allegedly. Dave would personally be happy if he never had to pick up a sword again.]
Pretty sure I've said all that before, but it bears repeating again.
Anyway ... yeah. I'm absolutely meanin' a coffee ramen date thing. And maybe tell me about the shit you're actually supposed to put in ramen.
no subject
The only one that can make those sorta choices is you, anyway. Annnd... plus, it was a pretty cool story.
[But once the floodgates are open, Ryuji is going to come rushing straight out of the gate. The excitement in his features is palpable; ramen is something he could talk for days on end about.]
It's all about the perfect balance between flavor, protein, and condiments. The rules are pretty fluid, like they're sorta meant to be broken, but you can totally eff up a good bowl of ramen. You gotta tailor it right to your---
[And he'll continue blabbering on about this as long as Dave is listening to him. It sure as hell beats talking about how they're going to die or holding in the regret that there was nothing they could do to protect each other from the oncoming infection that would claim the station. Ramen and coffee, or a combination of the both, is just about the best possible thing they could be going over at the moment. And Ryuji is just... happy, in a really sappy way, that he was lucky enough to be able to have a date to begin with, content that he doesn't have to give this opportunity up to some other Ryuji out there.]