Man... what the hell. You're ACTUALLY knocking sense into me and this is like, takin' it to a whole 'nother level.
[He'll take those raps against the top of his head sheepishly, not fussing over it more than he absolutely has to, or swiping her hand away. This kid is still so, so touch starved, enough that even that has him leaning towards it like a puppy that just wants to be scratched behind the ears. Which is, well, it's lame, and he knows it is, but he can bear a piece of his heart to Ann like this.
They can also sit there, both cheeks red, and it would be an awful thing if someone chanced upon the both of them like this, because from the outside, it has all the verisimilitude of a date, complete with the both of them looking awkward, but determined to make it work. Which would be so, so far from the truth- they're just bonding over a mutual interest in each other, with food, speaking their truths, and... well, fuck.]
Yeah, as long as that also comes with strengthening our stomachs. [He's finally, finally starting to get sick of the protein goo that they've been shoveling into their mouths, but he's also WAY TOO GODDAMN proud to admit that. He longs for the simpler days of a buffet line with horrible adults around them who think a bunch of children have wandered into a soiree fit for kings, and, as thick as the thieves they were, could look them in the eye and tell them to stuff it. And then stuff their own faces.]
It's cool.
[He's not trying to be skillful or smooth here, like he can just casually say things like it's cool and make it happen. He just thinks... well, it's alright. If Ann needed something, he would do anything to make sure she got it. Likewise, probably, judging by the way she had just reached out and played the world's worst knock-knock joke on him.]
[With how worried she'd seemed at the start of this conversation, falling into their natural pattern of teasing and prodding at one another seems to have done wonders— it just feels right, like it always has. She doesn't give a second thought to what this little tableau might look like; ever since everything that happened with Kamoshida had brought them closer together, it was second nature for them to pair off, both on the job as Phantom Thieves and in everyday life. They had history, after all, and aside from Shiho—
Well, until Akira came into the picture, Ryuji was the only other person she could really consider a friend, even if she'd kept him at arm's length for a long while. She regrets that now— what would her life even be without him?
Painfully boring, probably.]
I'm all for that, too.
[She gives him a lopsided smile, glad to see he's finally seeing things her way about the food here.]
When we get back, how about we raid the temple's kitchen for all it's worth? Oooh, or better yet, we can get everyone together for a potluck dinner or something— we can't be the only ones sick of this stuff.
[But that's still a ways away. They have work to do here still, but however long they're stuck in Struxta, at least they have each other.
Her expression softens again, and she tries to shrug off the sudden pang of embarrassment she feels. Why is her face so stupidly hot?!]
[He holds out his fist for a bump, since even though Ann is a girl, she'll always be someone he can be unabashedly himself around. The idea of a potluck sounds amazing, considering the slop that they've had to eat over the last while, and maybe... for once, he can bring out his secret cooking skills.
The ones he's never owned up to, since it took a lot of experimenting and charred delights that him and his mom had to eat with her pulling down two jobs and not having time to do the whole cooking thing. Which basically means he can make a mean burger or throw together a soup, but... he's doing his best.
Watching her from his "don't leave me hanging" distance, he figures things will end up alright. And maybe, sure, just a little bit... talking with her has made him realize that even though Akira and Rion dating is something he's totally cool with, he acknowledges that it's his own insecurities of being left behind that's causing him the slight discomfort of it. Which is, admittedly, dumb, because while Ann promises him that they'll always have each other, Ryuji just doesn't want to think of a world where that isn't true between the three of them.
And maybe, from his angle, he looks on to her expressively softened features, and he remembers why he absolutely adores Ann so much. She can go from calm to upbeat to reserved, angry, unsettled- all within a minute's span. And his heart rate increases a little bit over it.]
[She definitely doesn't leave him hanging— not for more than a moment, anyway, and she smiles easily as she reaches out to bump his fist with her own. She's always been able to be herself with him, too, right down to not caring what things might look like to other people, or whether she fits in with the other girls at school— at this point, she'd rather not, given the way they've treated her over the years.
She doesn't need them. The friends she has are worth a thousand of them, and this talk with Ryuji is as firm a reminder of that as any.]
Pow.
[She drops back into her seat, the slop on her plate now forgotten. Ryuji has that effect on people— he helps them focus on what's important. The little things, however annoying or troublesome, just don't matter anymore.]
Thanks, Skull. I'm glad you could meet me. Y'know, we've still got some time to kill before Operation: Storm— any idea how we should spend it?
[Exchange of the brofists complete, Ryuji feels... pretty okay with life at the moment, which is all he can really ask for. There might not be a direction or a path right in front to take, but he knows the destination is going to be good... especially when you have such good friends to share that place with.
Hm... time to kill before operation: storm?
There's a few things that come to mind. He wants to show her the only yellow building in Struxta that he helped paint with his bullshit magic. Take her shopping for things to bring back to the temple, but honestly, you know what would be kind of cool right now?]
Wanna go for a motorcycle ride?
[He smiles at her proudly. Do all the stupid things.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[He'll take those raps against the top of his head sheepishly, not fussing over it more than he absolutely has to, or swiping her hand away. This kid is still so, so touch starved, enough that even that has him leaning towards it like a puppy that just wants to be scratched behind the ears. Which is, well, it's lame, and he knows it is, but he can bear a piece of his heart to Ann like this.
They can also sit there, both cheeks red, and it would be an awful thing if someone chanced upon the both of them like this, because from the outside, it has all the verisimilitude of a date, complete with the both of them looking awkward, but determined to make it work. Which would be so, so far from the truth- they're just bonding over a mutual interest in each other, with food, speaking their truths, and... well, fuck.]
Yeah, as long as that also comes with strengthening our stomachs. [He's finally, finally starting to get sick of the protein goo that they've been shoveling into their mouths, but he's also WAY TOO GODDAMN proud to admit that. He longs for the simpler days of a buffet line with horrible adults around them who think a bunch of children have wandered into a soiree fit for kings, and, as thick as the thieves they were, could look them in the eye and tell them to stuff it. And then stuff their own faces.]
It's cool.
[He's not trying to be skillful or smooth here, like he can just casually say things like it's cool and make it happen. He just thinks... well, it's alright. If Ann needed something, he would do anything to make sure she got it. Likewise, probably, judging by the way she had just reached out and played the world's worst knock-knock joke on him.]
I... uh... I kinda needed this too.
[Thanks, Takamaki.]
no subject
[With how worried she'd seemed at the start of this conversation, falling into their natural pattern of teasing and prodding at one another seems to have done wonders— it just feels right, like it always has. She doesn't give a second thought to what this little tableau might look like; ever since everything that happened with Kamoshida had brought them closer together, it was second nature for them to pair off, both on the job as Phantom Thieves and in everyday life. They had history, after all, and aside from Shiho—
Well, until Akira came into the picture, Ryuji was the only other person she could really consider a friend, even if she'd kept him at arm's length for a long while. She regrets that now— what would her life even be without him?
Painfully boring, probably.]
I'm all for that, too.
[She gives him a lopsided smile, glad to see he's finally seeing things her way about the food here.]
When we get back, how about we raid the temple's kitchen for all it's worth? Oooh, or better yet, we can get everyone together for a potluck dinner or something— we can't be the only ones sick of this stuff.
[But that's still a ways away. They have work to do here still, but however long they're stuck in Struxta, at least they have each other.
Her expression softens again, and she tries to shrug off the sudden pang of embarrassment she feels. Why is her face so stupidly hot?!]
Good thing we've got each other, then, isn't it?
no subject
[He holds out his fist for a bump, since even though Ann is a girl, she'll always be someone he can be unabashedly himself around. The idea of a potluck sounds amazing, considering the slop that they've had to eat over the last while, and maybe... for once, he can bring out his secret cooking skills.
The ones he's never owned up to, since it took a lot of experimenting and charred delights that him and his mom had to eat with her pulling down two jobs and not having time to do the whole cooking thing. Which basically means he can make a mean burger or throw together a soup, but... he's doing his best.
Watching her from his "don't leave me hanging" distance, he figures things will end up alright. And maybe, sure, just a little bit... talking with her has made him realize that even though Akira and Rion dating is something he's totally cool with, he acknowledges that it's his own insecurities of being left behind that's causing him the slight discomfort of it. Which is, admittedly, dumb, because while Ann promises him that they'll always have each other, Ryuji just doesn't want to think of a world where that isn't true between the three of them.
And maybe, from his angle, he looks on to her expressively softened features, and he remembers why he absolutely adores Ann so much. She can go from calm to upbeat to reserved, angry, unsettled- all within a minute's span. And his heart rate increases a little bit over it.]
no subject
She doesn't need them. The friends she has are worth a thousand of them, and this talk with Ryuji is as firm a reminder of that as any.]
Pow.
[She drops back into her seat, the slop on her plate now forgotten. Ryuji has that effect on people— he helps them focus on what's important. The little things, however annoying or troublesome, just don't matter anymore.]
Thanks, Skull. I'm glad you could meet me. Y'know, we've still got some time to kill before Operation: Storm— any idea how we should spend it?
no subject
[Exchange of the brofists complete, Ryuji feels... pretty okay with life at the moment, which is all he can really ask for. There might not be a direction or a path right in front to take, but he knows the destination is going to be good... especially when you have such good friends to share that place with.
Hm... time to kill before operation: storm?
There's a few things that come to mind. He wants to show her the only yellow building in Struxta that he helped paint with his bullshit magic. Take her shopping for things to bring back to the temple, but honestly, you know what would be kind of cool right now?]
Wanna go for a motorcycle ride?
[He smiles at her proudly. Do all the stupid things.]
no subject
Seriously?
[As fun as shopping and sightseeing would be— yeah, this is definitely better.]
Hell yeah! I only watched at the races, but I've been dying to try one!