⤷ muselist found here ⤷ leave an idea/plot/character you want in the subject line. ⤷ you can leave your comment blank or create your own scenario. ⤷ have fun!
[ He may feel her nod, and her movements become even more careful as she guides him forward. Yayoi's familiar with the layout by now, and it's no difficult task to walk him into the den and over to the couch, where she can just as cautiously lower him down to sit. ]
I don't know how to make it stop. [ Not when he's clearly in so much pain, and even though she knows he isn't mad (she's seen him angry, she knows what that looks like on him), there's no denying that he was targeted because of her. Even if he said he'd wanted to be there.
With Matatagi safely on the couch, Yayoi just stands in front of it, trembling fingers grasping the bottom of her sweater. ]
There's... a lot of feelings inside of me right now, and it feels like I'll explode, but I don't-- I've never felt like this before.
[ Scared and frustrated and so protective over someone who never wanted that from her anyway and relieved and dealing with some bizarre urge to just... but no, it isn't the time for that. ]
[He pulls himself up against the armrest of the couch, letting his legs finally rest on something other than hard pavement as he reclines around the pillows. Truth be told, he didn't expect she'd stop from him just saying so, what with how worried she got about him always being around when the Bad End Generals showed up.
His eyes avert from hers a moment, hand reaching up to grip where his heart rested in his chest, feeling it beat furiously against his ribcage (which he couldn't say felt all too nice, but that'll be something he'll keep to himself). She wasn't the only one with conflicting emotions right now, that part of his heart still aching for something he couldn't bear to give himself.
He knew exactly what it was, too--it's not like he's naive or anything. But whether or not he was willing to lay it all out like that..]
Felt like what?
[It's a lot more inquisitive than he wants to let on.]
[ Yayoi isn't an idiot (and she does think, fondly now, of all the times he'd used to call her one, how he still used the term for her). Even if she hadn't been able to put it into words, what it felt like to have her emotions melting together and twisting into what felt like a storm inside of her-- she knew what it meant. But this wasn't something as warm and gentle as what Akane had felt for that foreign exchange student. It hurts, makes her doubt herself even more, makes her feel so different from how she usually is, and it scares her.
But what had scared her more... ]
Like there was someone who was so important to me, in a way that wasn't like my friends or my mother... that I'd do absolutely anything for.
[ And with that softly uttered, Yayoi swallows hard and turns away. ]
I-I should go find your first-aid kit, we need to treat your injuries--!
[He knew that's what it was from the moment words left her lips, letting them sink in like he was a sponge to water. That 'someone' was obvious, almost too obvious for him to even point out...to call her stupid in the way he did, when he knew that she was actually very perceptive.
in a way that I'd do absolutely anything for.
He'd always told himself that he'd never trust any 'friendship' someone gave him. He'd learned his lesson the hard way back in gradeschool, when he was only seen for what he could provide to them--a race car--and not him as a person. He'd tried to remember that every time Yayoi smiled at him. Or when she sheepishly admitted she had sketched him out when he did his stretches at practice.
It never worked. All his fronts never, ever worked.
She turns away at that moment, ready to go find that first aid kit, ready to switch the topic to something more neutral and safe and move away from these feelings he now KNEW they both had. Which means it's now or never...because he really doubts his heart will allow something like this to slip through if he doesn't say it at this moment.]
Hey.
[His voice is rough and curt as always, almost sounding more like he's going to chastise her than anything. And despite how easily it comes out, he feels like his stomach is going to twist on him, his ribs finally breaking from the sheer anxiety of what he's going to say.]
Go out with me.
[And with that, he averts his gaze, as if the window looking outside were now the most interesting thing in the entire world.]
[ Her heart's pounding so loudly, drowning out anything else, so fiercely it almost makes her feel sick. And of course, for someone whose chosen method was flight instead of fight (until fairly recently), she automatically seeks out the safest route. Find the kit, take care of him, excuse herself and go home and wallow in her own stupidity for just saying something like that at a time like this--
But Matatagi's voice cuts through the rush of blood clogging everything else, harsh and rough in a way that makes her flinch slightly in preparation. Not that she'd ever be ready.
... And she isn't when he continues, and she's left staring at him with an almost inquisitive gaze because she's not quite sure she heard that. That, or he's really in too much pain. ]
[She's making him say it again--of course she'd make him say it again. He can almost feel the blood flushing his cheeks with heat as he keeps his eyes trained on the window, never more thankful for his dark complexion than now.]
Go out with me.
[The demand is now more like a request, his voice quieter and losing its edge as the sentence progresses.]
[ Yayoi continues to stare at him, even though he makes no indication that he'll be meeting her gaze anytime soon. Somehow, though, that helps steady her own nerves.
[That edge to his voice is back, snapping a little harsher than he would have liked...but he's flustered beyond belief now, and the sheer uncertainty of her answer is strangling that part of his heart that held a sliver of hope for this.]
It's not like I'm some lovesick nerd who says this to just anyone...
[ Maybe she's been too frazzled today, because even though he snaps at her, Yayoi only hunches her shoulders slightly instead of offering a full-body flinch or cringing back. The way he speaks, she's learned, isn't always how he feels, and he's got a valid point. Matatagi isn't the kind of person who offers someone something just to appease them.
So after a few seconds of silence, of steady breathing to make sure her voice won't crack-- ]
[And just like the breaking of a dam, the pressure is released and he can feel something flooding throughout his body. Relief...something he honestly can't say he's felt too often in his life. Money was tight--even in his happiest moments he knew he could never truly relax. His mother would always look at him worried that he was sacrificing his childhood in order to provide, and could never get the security of being a child.
She was right.
But for now...in this one fleeting moment, the pain in his ribs and legs ebbs away, and like salve to a burn, he feels it wash himself clean of anything negative.
It only lasts as long as he'd allow it to (a couple of seconds), before his dark heart takes the reins once more...but it was worth it.]
Good. So that's settled.
[And now, with that answer given, he turns to face her, eyes glittering as always...but there's also something different to them. Something bitter, but warm. Like black coffee.]
O-okay! [ Well, there went all that composure she'd been struggling to build up, but Yayoi really does want to tend to his wounds before anything else. She does pause, gazing at him, to register that something in his eyes has changed and that something makes her face grow warm...
And then she hurries off to find the kit, returning within a matter of minutes and kneeling in front of the couch. If she focuses on this, she can slowly let it sink in that they're... dating now.
[Her reaction--the scuttling of a mouse as it tries to find a hideout is almost too much. From the moment he said the first aid kit's location, she'd booked it in that direction, hair bouncing and voice squeaking all the way. It's enough to cause his stomach to flip, and his breath to hiccup into a laugh, his only defense for his ribs being the arm tightly wound around them.]
Hahah!!
[It hurt...it really hurt. But right now, he doesn't really seem to care as her reaction of it finally registering was too funny to hold back. It's not til she returns that he's limp on the couch, gasping for air and holding his midsection like it's going to come apart at any second.]
[ ... it's almost a shame she'd missed his hysterical bout of laughter, because when she returns to find Matatagi practically sagging into the couch and clutching at his midsection like that, it's not the most reassuring sight.
Still, from where she kneels now, she struggles not to bite her lip and instead lifts the lid of the kit. ]
Can you... lift your shirt for me? I can't do much about ribs, but we can at least tape it...
[Her request is done without hesitation, Matatagi lifting up his shirt as far as it'll go until it reaches his armpits, using his weight to press it into the back of the couch and keep it there while she can start to go to work.]
Guess I'll be out of commission for awhile with this...
[A pause.]
What about you? Not hiding anything, right? Precure armor's pretty good, usually, but--
[ As frazzling as it is to see this much bare skin, it's easier to keep that flustered feeling under control when it also greets her with some scrapes, cuts, and bruises. Yayoi's eyes are narrowed in concentration when she first applies some ointment to her fingers to become carefully smearing over the more visible injuries, but when she lifts them at his question...
She smiles, instead, and shakes her head. ]
I'm all right. Just a little tired, but no injuries.
[Muscles tense at the ointment, both cold against his skin and slightly stinging, but Matatagi bears it for the sake of getting it taken care of. After all, he often had to set an example for his brothers when he'd gotten scrapes, and if he'd avoided every contact with medicine, there's no way Shun or Yuuta would cooperate even for a second.
The conversation helps, at least, her answer easing his brows slightly.]
Good. Can't say the same for the guy you pummeled. [His chuckle shows absolutely no remorse for it, either. The guy had gotten what he'd deserved that time, and if someone could make Cure Peace that angry, then they weren't exactly too deserving of much sympathy to start.]
Guess you're going to be on nurse duty for awhile.
[And he mostly complies, letting her move him and moving himself in any way he can to get that tape around him as effortlessly as possible.]
I'll be fine--I've got two brothers a girlfriend who'd cry if anything happened to me, you know.
[His knuckle knocks lightly against her cheek. For as much as he liked to call her out on her crybabyness, it wasn't anything he wished on the girl. A happy Yayoi was what had captured his dark heart anyway.]
But man, that oni-guy's really got it out for you.
[ Yayoi's cheeks flush as she ducks her head a little bashfully; "girlfriend" does seem like it's going to take some getting used to, but she likes hearing it. ]
He's not really fond of weaklings, and he thinks people who cry are weak... so I think he thought I'd just be the easiest target. He's usually the one I end up fighting because of it.
no subject
I don't know how to make it stop. [ Not when he's clearly in so much pain, and even though she knows he isn't mad (she's seen him angry, she knows what that looks like on him), there's no denying that he was targeted because of her. Even if he said he'd wanted to be there.
With Matatagi safely on the couch, Yayoi just stands in front of it, trembling fingers grasping the bottom of her sweater. ]
There's... a lot of feelings inside of me right now, and it feels like I'll explode, but I don't-- I've never felt like this before.
[ Scared and frustrated and so protective over someone who never wanted that from her anyway and relieved and dealing with some bizarre urge to just... but no, it isn't the time for that. ]
no subject
His eyes avert from hers a moment, hand reaching up to grip where his heart rested in his chest, feeling it beat furiously against his ribcage (which he couldn't say felt all too nice, but that'll be something he'll keep to himself). She wasn't the only one with conflicting emotions right now, that part of his heart still aching for something he couldn't bear to give himself.
He knew exactly what it was, too--it's not like he's naive or anything. But whether or not he was willing to lay it all out like that..]
Felt like what?
[It's a lot more inquisitive than he wants to let on.]
no subject
But what had scared her more... ]
Like there was someone who was so important to me, in a way that wasn't like my friends or my mother... that I'd do absolutely anything for.
[ And with that softly uttered, Yayoi swallows hard and turns away. ]
I-I should go find your first-aid kit, we need to treat your injuries--!
no subject
in a way that I'd do absolutely anything for.
He'd always told himself that he'd never trust any 'friendship' someone gave him. He'd learned his lesson the hard way back in gradeschool, when he was only seen for what he could provide to them--a race car--and not him as a person. He'd tried to remember that every time Yayoi smiled at him. Or when she sheepishly admitted she had sketched him out when he did his stretches at practice.
It never worked. All his fronts never, ever worked.
She turns away at that moment, ready to go find that first aid kit, ready to switch the topic to something more neutral and safe and move away from these feelings he now KNEW they both had. Which means it's now or never...because he really doubts his heart will allow something like this to slip through if he doesn't say it at this moment.]
Hey.
[His voice is rough and curt as always, almost sounding more like he's going to chastise her than anything. And despite how easily it comes out, he feels like his stomach is going to twist on him, his ribs finally breaking from the sheer anxiety of what he's going to say.]
Go out with me.
[And with that, he averts his gaze, as if the window looking outside were now the most interesting thing in the entire world.]
no subject
But Matatagi's voice cuts through the rush of blood clogging everything else, harsh and rough in a way that makes her flinch slightly in preparation. Not that she'd ever be ready.
... And she isn't when he continues, and she's left staring at him with an almost inquisitive gaze because she's not quite sure she heard that. That, or he's really in too much pain. ]
Eh?
[ Good answer, Yayoi. ]
no subject
Go out with me.
[The demand is now more like a request, his voice quieter and losing its edge as the sentence progresses.]
That's what you want, right?
no subject
[ Yayoi continues to stare at him, even though he makes no indication that he'll be meeting her gaze anytime soon. Somehow, though, that helps steady her own nerves.
Slightly. ]
... What do you want?
no subject
[That edge to his voice is back, snapping a little harsher than he would have liked...but he's flustered beyond belief now, and the sheer uncertainty of her answer is strangling that part of his heart that held a sliver of hope for this.]
It's not like I'm some lovesick nerd who says this to just anyone...
no subject
So after a few seconds of silence, of steady breathing to make sure her voice won't crack-- ]
Okay. Yes-- I will.
no subject
She was right.
But for now...in this one fleeting moment, the pain in his ribs and legs ebbs away, and like salve to a burn, he feels it wash himself clean of anything negative.
It only lasts as long as he'd allow it to (a couple of seconds), before his dark heart takes the reins once more...but it was worth it.]
Good. So that's settled.
[And now, with that answer given, he turns to face her, eyes glittering as always...but there's also something different to them. Something bitter, but warm. Like black coffee.]
...The first aid kit's in the closet.
no subject
And then she hurries off to find the kit, returning within a matter of minutes and kneeling in front of the couch. If she focuses on this, she can slowly let it sink in that they're... dating now.
They're dating. ]
What hurts the most right now?
no subject
Hahah!!
[It hurt...it really hurt. But right now, he doesn't really seem to care as her reaction of it finally registering was too funny to hold back. It's not til she returns that he's limp on the couch, gasping for air and holding his midsection like it's going to come apart at any second.]
Right here. I think one of my ribs cracked.
no subject
Still, from where she kneels now, she struggles not to bite her lip and instead lifts the lid of the kit. ]
Can you... lift your shirt for me? I can't do much about ribs, but we can at least tape it...
no subject
[Her request is done without hesitation, Matatagi lifting up his shirt as far as it'll go until it reaches his armpits, using his weight to press it into the back of the couch and keep it there while she can start to go to work.]
Guess I'll be out of commission for awhile with this...
[A pause.]
What about you? Not hiding anything, right? Precure armor's pretty good, usually, but--
[He wants to make sure.]
no subject
She smiles, instead, and shakes her head. ]
I'm all right. Just a little tired, but no injuries.
no subject
The conversation helps, at least, her answer easing his brows slightly.]
Good. Can't say the same for the guy you pummeled. [His chuckle shows absolutely no remorse for it, either. The guy had gotten what he'd deserved that time, and if someone could make Cure Peace that angry, then they weren't exactly too deserving of much sympathy to start.]
Guess you're going to be on nurse duty for awhile.
no subject
[ And she'd rather take care of him for once, since usually, it's the other way around-- in his own way. ]
no subject
[A small wince as that ointment settles in, eyes casting up to her.]
Don't cut that guy a break. It's his fault for messing with us.
no subject
[ She can at least start taping up his ribs now, taking even more care on this. ]
no subject
I'll be fine--I've got two brothers a girlfriend who'd cry if anything happened to me, you know.
[His knuckle knocks lightly against her cheek. For as much as he liked to call her out on her crybabyness, it wasn't anything he wished on the girl. A happy Yayoi was what had captured his dark heart anyway.]
But man, that oni-guy's really got it out for you.
no subject
He's not really fond of weaklings, and he thinks people who cry are weak... so I think he thought I'd just be the easiest target. He's usually the one I end up fighting because of it.
no subject
Asshole.
[Rich, coming from a guy who used to tell her the same thing on a daily basis. Even he knows it's a bit hypocritical, shifting himself.]
And he still thinks that even though you kick his ass?
no subject
[ So yes. But she draws back, nodding to let him know she's all done. ]
no subject
[He's not going to mince words with that one. You can always trust this boy to confirm your worst traits.]
HE better not make you cry, though. Or next time I see him it'll be personal.
[He's not above breaking out Parkour Attack.]
Only I'm allowed to.
no subject
[ wait, hold on-- ]
Matatagi-kun, I don't think that should be something to be proud of...
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)