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[dereban]

Inaban

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[dereban]

Fine, I'll say it. But you better not regret it. I-- I wouldn't mind having sex with you.

[spacialeyes]

[Yuuto is certain that he doesn’t regret hearing that. He does find himself blushing and his embrace becoming a smidge more tight- More of a cling until he relaxes.]

… Me too. B-But. We just started dating and u-um. [His belt tail is just going to find her leg now and broadcast what he’s thinking.] … at midnight, it’ll be Valentines, right?

[dereban]

...what, did you want to wait until then?

[spacialeyes]

W-Well… Would it be romantic that way? A-and, um… I should probably… before you really decide to date me.

[He hesitates. Maybe he should have talked about this a long time ago. He’s been so caught up in the thrill of mutual love that he forgot about his self loathing.]

… my body isn’t perfect anymore. Or um… my soul, so-. [He doesn’t want to hurt her.]

[dereban]

Yeah. It would be. But... I don't care about imperfections. Nobody's perfect. Hell, my soul used to be rotten, but it seems to have gone back to normal, I think. Not that I can see it.

[spacialeyes]

[”Rotten.” The word makes him flinch, because it sounds like a way to describe his. But then, in the next second, Yuuto manages a breakthrough.


He wouldn’t hate Inaba for that. He would still love her. Nen and Shigeru accept him, so why can’t Inaba? He trusts her.

It’s himself that he fears.

So he sighs shakily and pulls back from the embrace, pushing himself into a sitting position.]

Mine still is. [He loops his finger around the pink ribbon that closes his shirt.] I broke it.

[dereban]

... then we'll find a way to fix it, together.

[spacialeyes]

[Yuuto is sincerely caught off guard by the simplicity of her answer. He pauses, then starts rolling up his sleeves to show the burns and scars along his arms. He doesn’t immediately know what to say about his soul, so reveals his physical mistakes first.]

… Is there any reason to? If it broke, then it’s because I’m weak?

[dereban]

[ She shakes her head. ]

I'm weak, too. Incredibly so.

[ Inaba knows that all too well. ]

But... well. You see, back home, there's an art from called kintsugi. It's when someone takes the broken shards of pottery and puts them back together with gold. It's meant to embrace imperfections and flaws to make something stronger. People are like that, too. They're flawed and imperfect. When they break, they can come back from it- [ She reaches out to him, wanting to place her palm in the center of his chest. ] And if someone like me could, I think you can, too.

[spacialeyes]

[He’s silent as he feels her hand on his chest. His instinct is that he should show her his imperfections and scare her to safety- That’s why he was showing his arms,- but he’s not sure how to show his soul. So it’s twistedly convenient that her words trigger tears. Yuuto is shaken out of his stun when he feels a black, gooey tear roll down his cheek and has to catch it before it can drip on the bedsheets.]

Ah- Sorry, I- I’m going to get my soul on your nice bedsheets. I- I shouldn’t… [His voice trails off.] … Are you really sure you don’t mind?

[dereban]

[ And that's when she wraps her arms around him, pulling him close to her. ]

It's fine. I really don't mind. Promise.

[spacialeyes]

[He’s still not used to being accepted. Loneliness is all he knows. It’s shaped his very soul into a greedy blackhole. Knowing that imagery, he wonders if he should be repulsed by how easily he leans into her embrace. He doesn’t want to push her away, even if that would be better for her.]

Himeko… S-Sorry. Somehow I’m making asking to have sex really sad. [And saying the phrase aloud makes him feel silly enough to derail his own despair and return her embrace.] I just thought… you should know.

[dereban]

It's fine. You were honest with me, and... that's important, when it comes to this. You'll just have to make up for it by making the mood better.

[spacialeyes]

I can try. [Yuuto closes his eyes,] Though right now... I just want to hold you like this. It's warm.

[dereban]

That's fine. I don't mind in the slightest bit.

[spacialeyes]

[He's quiet for a moment, before he gently drags them both back down on the bed. He needs that moment to organize his thoughts. The jump from friends to partners is still bewildering on its own, but now they've introduced the idea of intimacy. Yuuto sighs again, struggling to navigate the line between his personal desires and what align with the idea of 'Yumeno Yuuto.']

... Do you still want to try?

[dereban]

...If you don't mind.

[spacialeyes]

I don't mind.

[Though this means breaking their embrace so that he can push himself up again. Yuuto tucks his longer hair behind his ear as an accidental show of nerves.]

As long as it's midnight when we're done, then it probably counts, right?

[dereban]

That's what you're worried about...? I mean, I guess it'd count.

[spacialeyes]

Time and place are very important to the core of my being, so of course the timing is a concern.

[Yumeno Yuuto, you are notorious for some of the worst time and place decisions known to man. You shut your mouth.]

[dereban]

Your timing on some things needs a little work, though.

[ Calling him out on it... ]

[spacialeyes]

I-I can get it right this time at least?

[He finally finishes his task from earlier and removes his pink ribbon, which he then moves to put on the bedside table.]

This is a bit embarrassing... I don't do this often, um... The bed is the right place?

[dereban]

The bed is the right place, yeah. Although there are other places it can be done besides the bed...

[spacialeyes]

[The Timespace kami lights up with curiosity. His belt tail even sways with uncontained emotion.

Inaba has made A Mistake.]

... There are?

[dereban]

. . . you didn't know?