[He tries a smile. This is the most important relationship in his life, if he bothers to define any. Gentaro is the chain that holds his place as Fling Posse's anchor. He might be more than that, if Dice thinks hard enough.]
You gotta be kidding. Whatever it is, it's not gonna be as bad as that time you told me the pachinko parlor burned down. And that one was a lie.
[ Aside from a moment of pain flickering in his expression, Gentaro doesn't react. He knows Dice is trying to lighten the mood. Gentaro studies his face, heart aching at the attempt to smile.
With a heavy sigh, he pulls away and goes to sit on the couch. ]
[Dice lets him go, but not before ducking into the kitchen for a second to swipe a bottle of cold tea from the fridge. He's sure Gentaro will hate that, but something in his expression makes Dice almost think the impossible is going to happen: that Gentaro might cry. He'd rather have an out for the man if he needs it.
So he takes the tea and opens it, taking a swig as he joins Gentaro, seated a companionable distance away. The tea is settled in between them on the coffee table.]
[ The knot in his chest tightens again. Dice isn't wrong -- he might cry. This secret has been his own, aside from Yanagida. It's hard to even know where or how to begin.
His gaze is trained on his hands, curled into his hakama. It's not like he can stall forever.
He lifts his head and takes a deep breath. ]
The manuscript I gave you... I'm not its true author. It was written by--
[ His hands are trembling again. ]
... I am not Yumeno Gentaro. [ He echoes something he'd told Ramuda and Dice a while back. He'd played it off as a joke, but now he's deadly serious. ] That name belongs to my brother.
[Dice waits for the knife, but it doesn't take any form he suspects. Or rather, he's only partially informed, so he doesn't know why this should hurt. Like a beloved animal companion, he can sense Gentaro's distress, but he lacks crucial information. So his head tilts a bit as he watches him.]
...okay? So your brother wrote it? I don't get it.
I took on my brother's identity. I've been living as him for years now. In nearly every way, from the way I speak to my writing and my clothes, I've become him.
[ He pauses, glancing away from Dice to compose himself. There's no use in prolonging this when he's hanging on by just a thread. ]
He spent a very long time gathering information on the Party's corruption. He did so at the risk of losing his own life. When they discovered what he'd done, they took him down.
For as long as I've been Yumeno Gentaro, he has been in the hospital. He hasn't woken up since.
[ He's still looking away, because it's easier this way. His jaw is tight, like he's clenching his teeth to keep himself from breaking completely.
Finally, he looks at him. ]
I've been lying to you both from the moment we met.
[Dice feels... oddly cold as Gentaro continues. It takes him some time to catch up, to process everything, but he eventually starts putting the pieces together.
Gentaro is living a very elaborate lie. Not only that, but he's doing it on behalf of the person who risked his life for the secrets Dice just handed over... His own brother. Before he can stop himself, he's staring deeply and intently at the tea bottle, and he murmurs:]
Families sure are complicated.
[After a beat, he seems to realize he's spoken, and he starts a bit. He looks at Gentaro with slight embarrassed alarm, waving his hands a bit dismissively.]
Sorry, that's kinda stupid of me to say. Uhh... [How does he even?? He looks Gentaro over, wondering in all actuality if this revelation is going to make him transform into someone else. When it doesn't, he fidgets with his hands for a moment, eventually touching the fingertips of one hand to Gentaro's cheek.]
I'm really sorry. I mean. I made it worse, right? 'Cause all that stuff he fought for and got hurt for, my bright idea was to hand it over to my mom. Maybe it saved Ramuda, but I bet you've been thinkin' ever since then that maybe there coulda been another way.
[He sighs and pulls his hand away. It was kinda... well, if he's honest with himself that gentle gesture was kinda... gay? Like literally homosexual. And he's not down to see how Gentaro will react to that right now, even considering everything they've done and been through.]
But, man... I don't care who you aren't. Nobody's that good at lyin'. You can't really tell me this is all fake. Like that we're not really friends because you're lying, or something like that. That woulda stopped me ages ago if I gave a fuck. And I don't. Like, seriously. I don't. So worry about the rest of it, I guess, but not that.
As much as he wants it to, it doesn't soothe the anxiety coiled up inside him. He wishes it would. Even that gentle touch doesn't do it, but it shows just how good Dice is.
It reminds him of his feelings, how when he imagines his future, he wants Dice to be there next to him. ]
... I gave it to you for a reason. If I had to do it all over again, I would do the same. You have no reason to apologize.
[ He folds his hands in his lap. If he doesn't, the urge to reach out and touch Dice would be impossible to fight. His touch had reminded him just how starved for it he is.
For what feels like forever, he's quiet, struggling with something. He takes a deep breath. ]
I showed you what I needed to. I've played my part well.
... I no longer know who I truly am.
[ And at that, his voice cracks. Gentaro looks away, just as he feels the telltale sting of tears. He puts a hand over his mouth, mortified and ashamed. ]
[Watching him struggle for what he wants to say, then seeing him continue the self-deprecation rouses something in Dice that he only feels during battles. He doesn't have to see Gentaro's face properly to know how it looks right now, and to imagine him crying. Dice thinks he's caught him doing it once or twice, but he never knew why, or what could possibly cause someone as seemingly outwardly cold as Gentaro to have that deep of an emotion.
He knows him better than that, though. As he puts his arms around Gentaro, ducks his head against the man's neck, and protects him from the world, he knows many things. He knows this won't be enough, because nothing can be. He knows that the pain Gentaro feels is real, even if he claims he lives a lie. He knows the depths at which Gentaro must hide his true self.]
I know. Even if you're not sure, I know who you are. You're my best friend. You can't fake what we've been through together, okay? I'm gonna keep you safe until you get outta feelin' like that and start feelin' like you. I'm not leavin' your side.
[ Being so physically close isn't uncommon for Fling Posse. They're the only ones he'll let close enough. He's gotten used to those casual touches, but this-- This is something else entirely.
He stiffens for a moment or two. It's like Dice has scruffed him like you would a kitten, because he doesn't know how to react at first. He wants nothing more than to stop thinking for once in his life. He usually can't afford it. With Dice's arms around him now, with all of his baggage laid out between them, maybe he can allow himself to just feel.
That warmth is comforting, and Dice is solid and unwavering. Slowly, he relaxes, and turns in Dice's arms. Releasing a shuddering breath, he curls into Dice. There are still so many things he can't face or begin to think about facing. It's going to take a long time to sift through it all.
Here in Dice's arms, though, as he wraps his arms around him and clings to him, he thinks he can forget about it all. Just for a little while. ]
Thank you, [ he murmurs against his neck, because he doesn't know what else to say. ]
[Dice doesn't have it in himself to respond further, because the way Gentaro starts clinging to him activates that protectiveness further, and he worries that if he speaks, he'll break the spell. And it is like a spell. It feels foreign and uncontrollable, like he's started a chain reaction he can't stop.
Because now his best friend, who he considers relatively invincible in day-to-day life, is admitting to being so broken that he doesn't even know what the pieces look like anymore. Gentaro's tears are absorbed into Dice's shirt, and he treats his arms around the man like armor. He doesn't want to see them, he thinks, because he doesn't like seeing Gentaro hurt. And it occurs to him that perhaps he shouldn't call him Gentaro, because that's not really his name... But for the sake of the moment and for the sake of his sanity, he sticks with it for now in his mind.
Later, they can sort out the more difficult parts of this, for Dice. If routines should change. If things familiar should be made foreign, and vice versa. They can sort out whether Dice even wants a "truth" in all of this, as he may be content to let Gentaro heal and evolve at his own pace. He probably is, and Gentaro probably should. Dice isn't so egotistical as to demand anything from this, or to expect to be let in any further. This isn't his fight, so he'll try to stay out of it to a point.
The thing is... when he sees someone he cares about suffering, he needs to take the shortest and often most brutal route to a solution. He can apologize for his bluntness in another lifetime, maybe when he cares about that kind of thing. For now, all he can do is hold Gentaro a little tighter. He can't fix this, or shield him from the truth. He can't make the pain go away, or heal Gentaro's brother--the real holder of the name he's murmured alongside his own too many times to count.
So he runs a hand into Gentaro's hair and soothes him with gentle strokes, hoping this will somehow make the spell complete.]
[ It's rare for Dice to be so pensive, but it isn't a surprise when he sees it. There's more to him than what he shows on the surface. It's one of the things he loves so dearly about him. And that's what it is, what he feels. The thought has crossed his mind and he's acknowledged it, but only just. There are so many other things he's been caught up in. That he's gone this long without breaking is impressive.
Everything he's pushed down comes to the surface. His guilt, his inability to face himself and admit that he doesn't know who he is, the shame of lying to the people he loves most... it's overwhelming. Dice has always been the heart of Fling Posse, and sometimes, he worries about how much Dice places on his own shoulders. He's never lost that warmth and steadiness. It means more than he can ever say to be held like this.
He can't remember the last time anyone held him like this. Dice's hand in his hair, feeling each rise and fall of his chest (and he swears he can feel Dice's heart beating against his), the warmth of his skin all soothe him. The broken pieces still rest scattered all around him, but for now, he lets them stay there.
His hands curl around Dice's shirt. His heart beats faster, because what he wants to tell him feels so much bigger than anything else. Drawing in a breath, he murmurs against his neck, ]
Kanata. [ It feels so foreign to say. The name he'd shed years ago doesn't sound quite right, but this is something that's his. ] My name.
[Dice tenses for a moment when Gentaro inhales to speak, and what he hears isn't anything he expected. Actually, he's not sure what he expected, so it takes him until Gentaro explains for him to get it. When he does, he tucks his head a little closer, his lips near Gentaro's--no, Kanata's ear.]
[ He closes his eyes, because after everything, he thinks he feels at ease. Not completely, of course, but this intimacy, the secret he's kept to himself for so long, and Dice's lips so close to his ear...
He takes Dice's hand in his own. On his palm, he writes with his finger his name: 彼方 ]
[He watches closely as the characters are written, knowing the calluses on Gentaro's fingertips came at a price. They're his, even if he earned them living someone else's life. With a soft smile, he closes his hand over the lingering sensation.]
Okay. I'll remember it.
[After a moment, he replaces the sensation he grasped with a movement to take Gentaro's hand in his own. Gently sweeping his thumb over Gentaro's palm, he traces the edges of each callus, each line and ridge.]
I can't set you free from all that, you know? I don't know how to protect you from yourself yet, but I'll damn sure keep trying. Until you can live as yourself, even, if you want. As Kanata.
[He releases Gentaro's hand and returns to holding him.]
Thanks for trusting me. I mean it. I wanna be your rock, if I can be. I wanna be... I dunno what, but I wanna be by your side when you face all this stuff. When you take it on, if you wanna. I'm not walking away.
[He has so much to say but no desire to get into it, because this isn't about him. This is about Gentaro, and Kanata, and that future that Dice won't allow himself to miss out on.]
[ He wonders if Dice knows how much power he has. The gentle touches, the words spoken with such genuine care and honesty... offering to be his rock. It's not good for his heart, which feels so full. It's hard to deny his feelings when Dice is here, so sweet and earnest.
For now, he'll remain Yumeno Gentaro. It'll be impossible to separate his two selves. Neither truly belong to him anymore, and he doesn't know if he can go back to who he was before. He'll ruminate on this later. Much later. Right now, what matters is Dice, his embrace, his declaration.
Gentaro draws in a breath and lifts his head. He doesn't move out of his arms. There's another side to the spell over them: He feels bolder, somehow. There's still so, so much to be afraid of.
Dice makes him feel stronger, though. ]
I'll hold you to that. [ He rests a hand against Dice's cheek. ] I may never let you leave, you know.
[ He hesitates briefly before resting their foreheads together. ]
[Well. He's not basically Gentaro's stray cat for nothing.]
Won't leave even if you want me to. Just try and chase me off.
[He feels... warm. Warmer than just the embrace. Warmer than protectiveness and friendship. He doesn't dare put a label on it, though, or try to make sense of it at all. This warmth is too special, too sacred and secret to even analyze right now.
It doesn't escape his notice that their hands are thoroughly involved in whatever is going on now, so he runs his up and down a small area of Gentaro's back, just below his neck. He thinks that, being this close, he should do something. Maybe close his eyes? Soak this feeling up? But that seems selfish when he's needed. And he knows he's needed. He can feel it in every little gesture, every touch, every flutter of Gentaro's eyelashes.]
...You'll tell me if I should call you one thing or another, yeah? Don't make me guess, okay?
[ They're both just cats, honestly. He hums softly and leans into the hand at his back. He's in deep, and he knows it. Running his thumb along his cheek, he watches him. Dice really is beautiful, and he's just happy to know him and be here with him. ]
I will. For now... I'm not quite ready to use it.
[ It's too soon and his feelings are way too raw. But-- in the future, he'd like to hear Dice say it again.
He pulls away slightly, just to shed his cape and kosode. The layers are too stifling for his comfort. ]
[Dice isn't sure why, but he leans in slightly to help Gentaro put them aside. They synchronize like this, two people who know each other too well, people who have shared a bed and a home and so many things but haven't dared to put a label on it.
And maybe he doesn't know what label to put on it. Calling Gentaro a friend is too mild. "Best friend" feels childish, but it's the closest he's dared to get. This is the man he's determined to follow until the end, perhaps even moreso than Ramuda. Ramuda is special to him, but Gentaro... Gentaro lights a fire in his soul sometimes that confuses and electrifies him.
After the clothing is set aside, Dice can't seem to figure out where to put his hands. He doesn't want to stifle Gentaro more, to suffocate him with this well-meaning warmth. So he just looks at him, head slightly bowed, and grins.]
Was I makin' you uncomfortable? I just... guess I didn't want to see you lookin' so sad.
[ Despite everything that's happened in so little time, Gentaro manages a quiet laugh. It's cute that he's worried. He's cute. He shakes his head and takes his hand, running his thumb along the lines of his palm. ]
If you made me uncomfortable, I would've kicked you by now.
I meant, like, warm...It's kinda warm in here, right?
[His cheeks may be getting warm, anyway.]
...don't kick me out. Ever. Seriously. I wanna be here. I wanna be with you. It's kinda... weird how much I like being with you. It feels special. It ain't boring like being with other people.
Can I ask you for somethin'? No big deal if you don't want it, but I wanted to... I dunno, I guess it's like offering something? But you don't have to look at it that way! I'm askin' for it, not the other way around.
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[He tries a smile. This is the most important relationship in his life, if he bothers to define any. Gentaro is the chain that holds his place as Fling Posse's anchor. He might be more than that, if Dice thinks hard enough.]
You gotta be kidding. Whatever it is, it's not gonna be as bad as that time you told me the pachinko parlor burned down. And that one was a lie.
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With a heavy sigh, he pulls away and goes to sit on the couch. ]
Join me, then.
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So he takes the tea and opens it, taking a swig as he joins Gentaro, seated a companionable distance away. The tea is settled in between them on the coffee table.]
...I'm serious. I'm not gonna hate you.
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His gaze is trained on his hands, curled into his hakama. It's not like he can stall forever.
He lifts his head and takes a deep breath. ]
The manuscript I gave you... I'm not its true author. It was written by--
[ His hands are trembling again. ]
... I am not Yumeno Gentaro. [ He echoes something he'd told Ramuda and Dice a while back. He'd played it off as a joke, but now he's deadly serious. ] That name belongs to my brother.
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...okay? So your brother wrote it? I don't get it.
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[ He pauses, glancing away from Dice to compose himself. There's no use in prolonging this when he's hanging on by just a thread. ]
He spent a very long time gathering information on the Party's corruption. He did so at the risk of losing his own life. When they discovered what he'd done, they took him down.
For as long as I've been Yumeno Gentaro, he has been in the hospital. He hasn't woken up since.
[ He's still looking away, because it's easier this way. His jaw is tight, like he's clenching his teeth to keep himself from breaking completely.
Finally, he looks at him. ]
I've been lying to you both from the moment we met.
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Gentaro is living a very elaborate lie. Not only that, but he's doing it on behalf of the person who risked his life for the secrets Dice just handed over... His own brother. Before he can stop himself, he's staring deeply and intently at the tea bottle, and he murmurs:]
Families sure are complicated.
[After a beat, he seems to realize he's spoken, and he starts a bit. He looks at Gentaro with slight embarrassed alarm, waving his hands a bit dismissively.]
Sorry, that's kinda stupid of me to say. Uhh... [How does he even?? He looks Gentaro over, wondering in all actuality if this revelation is going to make him transform into someone else. When it doesn't, he fidgets with his hands for a moment, eventually touching the fingertips of one hand to Gentaro's cheek.]
I'm really sorry. I mean. I made it worse, right? 'Cause all that stuff he fought for and got hurt for, my bright idea was to hand it over to my mom. Maybe it saved Ramuda, but I bet you've been thinkin' ever since then that maybe there coulda been another way.
[He sighs and pulls his hand away. It was kinda... well, if he's honest with himself that gentle gesture was kinda... gay? Like literally homosexual. And he's not down to see how Gentaro will react to that right now, even considering everything they've done and been through.]
But, man... I don't care who you aren't. Nobody's that good at lyin'. You can't really tell me this is all fake. Like that we're not really friends because you're lying, or something like that. That woulda stopped me ages ago if I gave a fuck. And I don't. Like, seriously. I don't. So worry about the rest of it, I guess, but not that.
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As much as he wants it to, it doesn't soothe the anxiety coiled up inside him. He wishes it would. Even that gentle touch doesn't do it, but it shows just how good Dice is.
It reminds him of his feelings, how when he imagines his future, he wants Dice to be there next to him. ]
... I gave it to you for a reason. If I had to do it all over again, I would do the same. You have no reason to apologize.
[ He folds his hands in his lap. If he doesn't, the urge to reach out and touch Dice would be impossible to fight. His touch had reminded him just how starved for it he is.
For what feels like forever, he's quiet, struggling with something. He takes a deep breath. ]
I showed you what I needed to. I've played my part well.
... I no longer know who I truly am.
[ And at that, his voice cracks. Gentaro looks away, just as he feels the telltale sting of tears. He puts a hand over his mouth, mortified and ashamed. ]
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He knows him better than that, though. As he puts his arms around Gentaro, ducks his head against the man's neck, and protects him from the world, he knows many things. He knows this won't be enough, because nothing can be. He knows that the pain Gentaro feels is real, even if he claims he lives a lie. He knows the depths at which Gentaro must hide his true self.]
I know. Even if you're not sure, I know who you are. You're my best friend. You can't fake what we've been through together, okay? I'm gonna keep you safe until you get outta feelin' like that and start feelin' like you. I'm not leavin' your side.
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He stiffens for a moment or two. It's like Dice has scruffed him like you would a kitten, because he doesn't know how to react at first. He wants nothing more than to stop thinking for once in his life. He usually can't afford it. With Dice's arms around him now, with all of his baggage laid out between them, maybe he can allow himself to just feel.
That warmth is comforting, and Dice is solid and unwavering. Slowly, he relaxes, and turns in Dice's arms. Releasing a shuddering breath, he curls into Dice. There are still so many things he can't face or begin to think about facing. It's going to take a long time to sift through it all.
Here in Dice's arms, though, as he wraps his arms around him and clings to him, he thinks he can forget about it all. Just for a little while. ]
Thank you, [ he murmurs against his neck, because he doesn't know what else to say. ]
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[Dice doesn't have it in himself to respond further, because the way Gentaro starts clinging to him activates that protectiveness further, and he worries that if he speaks, he'll break the spell. And it is like a spell. It feels foreign and uncontrollable, like he's started a chain reaction he can't stop.
Because now his best friend, who he considers relatively invincible in day-to-day life, is admitting to being so broken that he doesn't even know what the pieces look like anymore. Gentaro's tears are absorbed into Dice's shirt, and he treats his arms around the man like armor. He doesn't want to see them, he thinks, because he doesn't like seeing Gentaro hurt. And it occurs to him that perhaps he shouldn't call him Gentaro, because that's not really his name... But for the sake of the moment and for the sake of his sanity, he sticks with it for now in his mind.
Later, they can sort out the more difficult parts of this, for Dice. If routines should change. If things familiar should be made foreign, and vice versa. They can sort out whether Dice even wants a "truth" in all of this, as he may be content to let Gentaro heal and evolve at his own pace. He probably is, and Gentaro probably should. Dice isn't so egotistical as to demand anything from this, or to expect to be let in any further. This isn't his fight, so he'll try to stay out of it to a point.
The thing is... when he sees someone he cares about suffering, he needs to take the shortest and often most brutal route to a solution. He can apologize for his bluntness in another lifetime, maybe when he cares about that kind of thing. For now, all he can do is hold Gentaro a little tighter. He can't fix this, or shield him from the truth. He can't make the pain go away, or heal Gentaro's brother--the real holder of the name he's murmured alongside his own too many times to count.
So he runs a hand into Gentaro's hair and soothes him with gentle strokes, hoping this will somehow make the spell complete.]
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Everything he's pushed down comes to the surface. His guilt, his inability to face himself and admit that he doesn't know who he is, the shame of lying to the people he loves most... it's overwhelming. Dice has always been the heart of Fling Posse, and sometimes, he worries about how much Dice places on his own shoulders. He's never lost that warmth and steadiness. It means more than he can ever say to be held like this.
He can't remember the last time anyone held him like this. Dice's hand in his hair, feeling each rise and fall of his chest (and he swears he can feel Dice's heart beating against his), the warmth of his skin all soothe him. The broken pieces still rest scattered all around him, but for now, he lets them stay there.
His hands curl around Dice's shirt. His heart beats faster, because what he wants to tell him feels so much bigger than anything else. Drawing in a breath, he murmurs against his neck, ]
Kanata. [ It feels so foreign to say. The name he'd shed years ago doesn't sound quite right, but this is something that's his. ] My name.
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How's it written?
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He takes Dice's hand in his own. On his palm, he writes with his finger his name: 彼方 ]
Just like that.
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Okay. I'll remember it.
[After a moment, he replaces the sensation he grasped with a movement to take Gentaro's hand in his own. Gently sweeping his thumb over Gentaro's palm, he traces the edges of each callus, each line and ridge.]
I can't set you free from all that, you know? I don't know how to protect you from yourself yet, but I'll damn sure keep trying. Until you can live as yourself, even, if you want. As Kanata.
[He releases Gentaro's hand and returns to holding him.]
Thanks for trusting me. I mean it. I wanna be your rock, if I can be. I wanna be... I dunno what, but I wanna be by your side when you face all this stuff. When you take it on, if you wanna. I'm not walking away.
[He has so much to say but no desire to get into it, because this isn't about him. This is about Gentaro, and Kanata, and that future that Dice won't allow himself to miss out on.]
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For now, he'll remain Yumeno Gentaro. It'll be impossible to separate his two selves. Neither truly belong to him anymore, and he doesn't know if he can go back to who he was before. He'll ruminate on this later. Much later. Right now, what matters is Dice, his embrace, his declaration.
Gentaro draws in a breath and lifts his head. He doesn't move out of his arms. There's another side to the spell over them: He feels bolder, somehow. There's still so, so much to be afraid of.
Dice makes him feel stronger, though. ]
I'll hold you to that. [ He rests a hand against Dice's cheek. ] I may never let you leave, you know.
[ He hesitates briefly before resting their foreheads together. ]
... Thank you.
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Won't leave even if you want me to. Just try and chase me off.
[He feels... warm. Warmer than just the embrace. Warmer than protectiveness and friendship. He doesn't dare put a label on it, though, or try to make sense of it at all. This warmth is too special, too sacred and secret to even analyze right now.
It doesn't escape his notice that their hands are thoroughly involved in whatever is going on now, so he runs his up and down a small area of Gentaro's back, just below his neck. He thinks that, being this close, he should do something. Maybe close his eyes? Soak this feeling up? But that seems selfish when he's needed. And he knows he's needed. He can feel it in every little gesture, every touch, every flutter of Gentaro's eyelashes.]
...You'll tell me if I should call you one thing or another, yeah? Don't make me guess, okay?
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I will. For now... I'm not quite ready to use it.
[ It's too soon and his feelings are way too raw. But-- in the future, he'd like to hear Dice say it again.
He pulls away slightly, just to shed his cape and kosode. The layers are too stifling for his comfort. ]
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And maybe he doesn't know what label to put on it. Calling Gentaro a friend is too mild. "Best friend" feels childish, but it's the closest he's dared to get. This is the man he's determined to follow until the end, perhaps even moreso than Ramuda. Ramuda is special to him, but Gentaro... Gentaro lights a fire in his soul sometimes that confuses and electrifies him.
After the clothing is set aside, Dice can't seem to figure out where to put his hands. He doesn't want to stifle Gentaro more, to suffocate him with this well-meaning warmth. So he just looks at him, head slightly bowed, and grins.]
Was I makin' you uncomfortable? I just... guess I didn't want to see you lookin' so sad.
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If you made me uncomfortable, I would've kicked you by now.
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[His cheeks may be getting warm, anyway.]
...don't kick me out. Ever. Seriously. I wanna be here. I wanna be with you. It's kinda... weird how much I like being with you. It feels special. It ain't boring like being with other people.
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His heart squeezes, and though he doubts Dice meant it in that way, his cheeks grow warmer. ]
I won't. [ He intertwines their fingers. ] If I didn't want you here, I wouldn't have let you move in.
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Can I ask you for somethin'? No big deal if you don't want it, but I wanted to... I dunno, I guess it's like offering something? But you don't have to look at it that way! I'm askin' for it, not the other way around.
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Of course.
[ Dice could ask for anything, and he'd do everything he could to make it happen. ]
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[A grin.]
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