o12 ☠ Love drama (closed)

[nightprince]

Characters: Ryoji, Yukari, and Minato.
Location: Volo dorms, lounge.
Time: Backdated to the night of Feb. 14th.
Style: [ This ]
Status: CLOSED.

[ Ryoji had, honestly, been given a lot of opinions on what to do. He finally came to the conclusion the only option left was to talk to them both in private.

So he sent them both a serious text:

Please come to the lounge at 8 PM. Don't be late.

-- Ryoji.

And when 7:50pm rolled around, he was already downstairs... waiting. Pacing nervously, his hands behind his back. He looked... frazzled. A little nervous. His heart just wouldn't stop beating, it felt like every beat was the ticking of a clock, as the moments passed.

This was it.

Either their friendships were ruined, he was rejected, unrequited, or... he was accepted, by either both or none. ]

Comments

[messianic]

[...well there's nothing ominous about that.

He's mostly concerned about Ryoji, of course, and so a little bit before 8 Minato shows up, hands tucked into his pockets and tilting his head.

The lounge is strangely quiet, but he spies Ryoji quickly enough, stepping forward with his head still tilted questioningly.]

Ryoji-kun?

[tsundyne]

[...Nothing ominous at all.

Especially not if you know what this is all about, which doesn't really take a genius to figure out, after that anonymous broadcast. This isn't quite how she planned to spend her Valentines' evening, but...yes, admittedly this talk is kind of long overdue.

Yukari walks in shortly after Minato and looks at the both of them, but does not say anything just yet. She is silently contemplating, and is already picturing a million ways this could go wrong.

SIGH.]

[nightprince]

[ As is he. He looks at Minato, and at Yukari, and his nerves snap and crackle.

His lips go dry. He wants to just turn tail and run away, never have to say this. Between how people seem to frown upon guys dating, Yukari's obvious feelings for Minato, and Minato's obvious obliviousness... this was a potential disaster.

But he has to press on. The scarf he's wearing is something of a security blanket at this point. ]

... Minato-kun, Yukari-chan. Um... this will probably be kind of long-winded, but I just want to get this all out in one breath, sort of... s-so...

[ ... There's no use beating around the bush, huh? ]

It isn't my place to talk about why she's here. It's hers. But... I want you both to know that I really just--want to be friends, okay? So... so please don't think any differently of me, even if we disagree. Even if I may not have a right to try this at all.

[ He stops pacing a little, and turns to Minato. ]

Do you remember when we first met? And how... how we became friends? Today's Valentines day, and... I realized something, since... since we've been here, and I've gotten to be around you. When I figured it out, I... I didn't think it was fair.

I'll say now that I still don't think it's fair to you, Yukari. I'm sorry. ... But this is something I need to do.

[ And so... ]

Minato, you mean more to me than anyone else ever has, or ever will. ... You complete me. You've... you've put up with me, and you were my friend when we shouldn't have even been friends... you spoke with me, and... and it's because of you that I'm... me. If I wasn't here... I'd probably never even be able to think about this.

I... I admit that I had some misgivings about it, but...

[ Inhale. ]

I... I love you. You're the most important person in the world to me--there... can't be anyone else, no matter how much. You and I are... connected on some level I can't explain, and... when I'm around you, I don't feel empty anymore. I feel... human, and happy. Happier than anyone else can possibly make me. And I've tried to say it, but you keep misinterpreting this. I don't mean as friends. I don't mean it platonically. I mean that I love you with all the emotion I am capable of having, and that I couldn't picture anyone else who I want to be with any more than... you, Minato.

I... want to go out with you. I don't mean this as a joke. But if you would rather go out with someone who deserves you more, like... Yukari, who I think deserves to have some acknowledgement, too, then... I'm fine with that.

So... I have to know. How do you feel about me? And about her? And not just as friends. Please don't avoid this. I have to know--if... if you're willing to be my boyfriend. If you say no, I'm not sure what I'll do, but... that's okay.

[ And then he lapses into silence, after the small admission and speech, staring at his friend. His love. ... His other half. ]

[messianic]

[.....

Well, when he'd come down, he certainly hadn't been expecting this. He'd thought that maybe something had happened to Ryoji--that Ryoji had needed him for something.

But--

...Ah. It is Valentine's Day, isn't it? How funny; he'd gotten out of habit of checking the date since being in Vatheon for so long. It used to be so very important...

When he'd been alive.

And that...that was the crux of the matter, wasn't it?

But there is so much to address in that speech Ryoji gave--Minato has to pause, blinking, and absorb it all.

...And Yukari as...well? That one is less surprising, to be honest, though he had hoped, perhaps vainly, that it wouldn't come to this. He'd always been bad at that, though, hadn't he? He'd always been bad at seeing himself clearly--it's not that surprising that he was equally bad at seeing what others saw in him.

Perhaps it was truly inevitable, but he had not predicted it at all.

There's a quiet breath in response to that at first. And then he--glances over to Yukari for a brief moment. He's on the spot, now, or he'd let her respond first; there's almost something unfair about him responding so quickly but Ryoji did ask for his opinion and so--

He sighs and he shakes his head and his hands leave his pockets, though he doesn't move forward just yet, looking back at Ryoji.]

...It's not a matter of...who "deserves" me. That's...not fair, Ryoji-kun.

[...heh.]

It isn't fair to the both of you.

[...How could he put this? How could he explain?

How could he explain that he wouldn't put this sort of burden on his worst enemy (were he to have one), much less two people he cared about as much as Ryoji and Yukari.

How could he explain that not even he would attempt the impossible?]

...It isn't fair to the both of you at all. I'm sorry.

...I can't ask that of you, Ryoji-kun.

[A bit of a very faint, very sad smile.]

I can't ask you to sign up for that sort of pain.

[He spreads his hands slightly, a bit of a plaintive, quiet shrug.]

I...already lived my life. Remember?

[He...doesn't have much more to give, and he knows it. He could disappear from this world at any moment--and unlike the others, he won't come back.

He'll be dead.]

[tsundyne]

[Remember.

Remember--the question has to be a rhetorical one, because speaking for herself, Yukari knows she'd never forget the day. The day she had to watch him sleep away peacefully on Aigis's lap without grasping what was truly happening. There are some days she wished she never went up to the rooftop at all; because the only thing more painful than dealing with his death was seeing it for herself.

But at the same time, her jealousy still lingers over the fact that she never got to hear his last words. The fact that Aigis took that away from her. And though she knows feeling this way hardly makes sense at all, it's something she still thinks about whenever the topic happens to come up.

Like it had so conveniently just now.]

...This is why.

[She folds her arms; because even though he is mainly addressing Ryoji, she knows that this is easily a response to her own feelings as well.

Her own feelings, which she'd hardly had a chance to voice yet; at least as they stand now.]

This is... [what she'd been afraid of.] ...this is why I never said anything, because I hated the thought of making you uncomfortable. I hated knowing how awkward this would be for you, because I've been there; and I mostly hate feeling like I'm wrong for feeling this way.

[First because of Aigis, who obviously cared about him more than any casual friend should; and now because of Ryoji.

Competition. Everything's a competition. But she's looking at Minato now, and he's so much more than the prize they're making him out to be.]

...But...this has obviously been building up for a while now. Within both of us. And even though it may not be fair, I...I love you a lot, too. More than I've ever loved anyone; and you know, there were some days when I already felt like your girlfriend. All the time we spent together, both at home and here in Vatheon...as friends, and as family...

I wanted that to be enough. And it was, for a while, but with our second chance here...as fleeting as it may be, I would've felt like I was wasting it, if I didn't at least try. To take a step forward, and bring you along with me...

[She draws in a breath. Because wow, there is a lot coming out now in a way that she hadn't quite expected. She'd planned this somewhat, of course, or she tried to...but she may as well not have, for all that was worth now.

Everything, out the window.]

It may be painful, like you say, but...Minato-kun, I don't think either of us would be here if we weren't prepared for that. If...we didn't feel like you were worth it.

[Because she knows. She knows he may leave at any moment. She knows what fate awaits him, when that happens...but she doesn't think that is a reason to hesitate. Quite oppositely, she thinks that's all the more reason to act...

And that's why she's kind of glad Ryoji gave her the right push she needed.

Even if this answer, so far, hasn't been the one she wanted to hear, it's one they both needed to hear. And logically, she can't be mad at either of them for that.]

[nightprince]

[ ... He's so proud, Yukari.

There kind of aren't words for the feelings he has right now. He listens, just... glad she's being honest, glad that she, too, feels and understands that that is ALL the more reason to do what they can now. ]

Haha, I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Yukari... but I think he needs to know. I think... we needed to know. What he'd say... and we probably both expected this. Maybe that's why I didn't do anything, either... for the longest time, I kept trying to leave you two alone, hoping... hoping something would happen, but it didn't, and that just hurt me more.

And it hurt Yukari more.

[ Sighing. ]

I do think... that you didn't mean to hurt anyone, Minato. But... I'm sorry, you're being really inconsiderate to us right now. Do you think we don't understand that? We're not stupid. Yukari... Yukari knows better than anyone about that. I know that she does.

Y'know... where I stand, I'm basically in the same position. Nyx... Nyx destroyed my human body. And, well... if I went home, I'd have to be with her. On... the other side. I don't really have any choice...

[ He looks down at his feet for a moment, here. Trying to be calm. It's hard, because he just wants to shake Minato and scream and tell him, "we know that! Don't you UNDERSTAND?" But he can't; he won't.

... So he simply settles for staring sadly downward, a small smile on his face. ]

Do you think that we don't realize you have to go back someday? I do, too. Yukari... she's the only one with a life to return to, Minato. But I think the fact that we might not have a lot of time is all the more reason to do whatever we can now!

[ He places his hand on his chest, staring up at his friend. ]

All we have is right now. Right here, right now. It doesn't matter if you already did, if you're going to just... say that, you're being more selfish than selfless, to us, to everyone, to anyone!

Don't you understand...? I know... that you can't understand how we see you, but... but think about it this way: if you were in the opposite position, and you knew all of these things, wouldn't it hurt to just be told you can't be happy for even that fleeting moment...?

That's... not fair. You've been hurting both of us for a long time without even thinking about it, and I really... I really think it's time you stopped. That you already lived is not an excuse I'm willing to take. I don't care how selfless you want to be. Yukari and I deserve a chance.

[messianic]

[He is about to respond to Yukari when Ryoji begins to speak, and he falls silent at that--

And then he steps back as if struck, expression finally falling from its calm complicity to a pained expression.

Selfish. Hurting them. Inconsiderate.

Selfish selfish selfish.

It's funny. Aniki had always said that he needed to try to be more selfish.

But it just ended up hurting all of them in the end, huh...? Even if...he hadn't even realized that he was being selfish.

But he has spent too long here, has been given too long to think about it. And--]

I'm...

I'm sorry. I can't--

[A slow breath.

He considers himself dead. He considers his life over. He considers his purpose fulfilled.

And he is simply incapable of allowing someone to make him their most important person when it will only hurt them in the end--not to mention his own feelings, which are only hurt and pained and confused at the moment.

He is a teenager, in the end.

And this does hurt.]

Ha...I'm...sorry.

[That he ended up--]

I didn't mean...to hurt either of you.

[and a mumur, a betrayal of the fact that he really is just recently turned 18, and he really doesn't know what to do here--]

I didn't mean to...