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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 1, 2010 22:28:22 GMT -5
Over a week ago, they'd stopped the Fall. Minato almost hadn't believed they could do it without anyone dying. Minato almost hadn't believed they could do it and save Ryoji. The past week had been a relief after the hell that had been the weeks directly preceding the Fall. Over the past week, Ryoji had re-settled into Minato's apartment, though there had been an awkward discussion when a certain bundle of clothing was discovered under the couch.
As it was now, Ryoji was just Ryoji: a human. He didn't even read as anything remotely like a Shadow now. As far as his Persona went, it had turned out to be Charon, something Minato had guessed it was from that incident on Tartarus when he'd been dead.
Right now, he and Ryoji were at Portal Park. There'd been some discussion over where they were going to go on Christmas, and eventually Portal Park had been decided, as the Island generally lacked date spots and this was the only one at a reasonable distance from the apartments. The ground was blanketed with snow and it was still falling at a reasonable rate as the two of them arrived at Portal Park.
Minato shivered and rubbed his arms. "Man, I forgot how cold it gets around here after it finally starts snowing." He'd dressed fairly lightly considering the weather, which was probably a stupid move on his part.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 2, 2010 11:36:16 GMT -5
Ryoji had had trouble explaining the clothes. He was finally cornered into telling the truth. He'd actually planned on changing back into them when he escaped the apartment. He'd planned on leaving a note, but he'd planned on leaving while Minato was asleep. It had become clear Minato had expected that, but it hadn't stopped some lighthearted teasing. The reaction to that alone had shown how much the tension had dropped. Even Ryoji was back to his old self, before he first remembered he was Death, thanks to the drop in pressure.
The teenage (and he was now, human and all) hadn't been entirely sure about going out into such a public place. The fact was that while it was clearly more accepted on the Island than it would have been in Japan, there were still people who turned up their nose at it. It wasn't very busy at the moment, what with quite a few businesses being closed and services being in place for the Christian residents of the Island. In fact, it made that there were couples already at the clearing a bit surprising. A lot of them were Japanese, as a matter of fact.
Ryoji looked up as Minato shivered. For a moment he was confused, as as far as he knew Minato hadn't been on the Island last winter. However, he pushed aside the confusion there for a moment and pulled off his scarf, holding it out in front of Minato while they continued to walk.
"I told you that you could wear the coat," Ryoji said.
Actually, Ryoji didn't have much further room for criticism. While he'd ended up with the one coat the two had due to Minato's insistence, he hadn't dressed all that warmly himself. After taking the scarf off, there was a slight shiver to himself as well. He was trying to hide it, and there was a chance some would fall for it.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 2, 2010 12:49:22 GMT -5
Minato blinked at the scarf that Ryoji had pulled off and held out to him. He took the scarf, but upon grabbing it, looked over at Ryoji, who was shivering himself now that he was scarfless. Minato sighed and wrapped the scarf around his own neck before grabbing the loose end and wrapping it around Ryoji's neck.
"There. That works as a compromise, don't you think?" Minato asked. He smiled at Ryoji.
As far as Minato, he and Ryoji were the only ones doing anything really all that special for Christmas. Naoto and Kanji still couldn't spit out the fact that they liked each other, things still looked awkward on Yuugi and Atem's end (which Anzu was likely not helping), and the closest thing Souji had to a "love interest" at this point was Izanami. Not exactly the person you wanted to spend your Christmas with.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 2, 2010 13:04:57 GMT -5
Ryoji had looked glad that Minato had taken the scarf, but he reacted with confusion at Minato's sigh. He was forced to step closer as the blue haired teenager tightened the other end of the scarf around his throat, and the way they'd set it up meant there was practically no scarf hanging down.
The brown haired teenager gave an embarassed smile at the look Minato gave at the end. He looked a bit exasperated and chuckled to himself, and was pulling at Minato's end of the scarf and his own at the same time. There was at most an inch of space between them as he was fighting with it. Minato was probably wondering what he was doing, and the scarf didn't look to be cooperating. Ryoji's response didn't really clear things up.
"You have no idea what you're doing," he shook his head as he pulled at the two ends. He wasn't upset, and seemed mostly embarrassed.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 2, 2010 14:47:34 GMT -5
Minato's face became rather red as Ryoji struggled with the scarf. No, he hadn't. But hey, he'd tried, right?
"S-Sorry..." Minato said.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 2, 2010 16:13:51 GMT -5
"It's alright, you're not used to them," Ryoji stated.
Ryoji finally managed to get the scarf undone from Minato's neck, although he almost choked himself in the process. He undid it from around his own neck and then flicked it up. It landed behind Minato's neck. He was avoiding eye contact as he stepped a bit closer, wrapping one end around his neck. He had to lean over Minato so he could tie it loosely at Minato's far shoulder.
As it was now, there was a single loop around both their necks. He was about to pull back a bit to make sure it was okay when he felt Minato's breath on his cheek. He looked more than a bit awkward, seemingly just now aware how they had managed to be all but on top of each other. He jerked back, somehow forgetting he'd just tied himselt to Minato and the result was that Minato would be yanked towards him. At least reflexes put him in the right position to catch Minato's arms...
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 2, 2010 17:54:27 GMT -5
Minato had remained a nice shade of pink as he realized how the way Ryoji had tied them together meant there was pretty much no distance between the two of them. And then, of course, Ryoji had tried jerking away, causing Minato to trip and fall toward him.
Luckily Ryoji had been in the right position to catch him then, because otherwise that could have been a bad spill.
"Woah! Thanks..." Minato said.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 2, 2010 18:00:38 GMT -5
Ryoji had actually kept the blush in decent control. Past tense being key, as he was now pretty much matching Minato's blush. A few people in the area were looking up. Most were frowning in disgust, and at least one couple had left. Ryoji was completely unaware of the reactions. He gave a nervous chuckle and helped Minato back into a steady stance. He'd walk forward again when he was sure Minato was ready.
"N-no problem... Are you okay?"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 2, 2010 18:05:46 GMT -5
"F-Fine," Minato stuttered out. He looked around, and frowned at the couple leaving the park. Well, on the bright side, that left their bench open...
"Let's go grab a seat. My feet are killing me," Minato said.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 4, 2010 13:01:20 GMT -5
"You could handle marching up half of Tartarus in less than an hour but you can't take a few blocks worth of walking?"
It was meant as a jab between friends. The couple had been using their coats to shield from the moisture. If Minato realized it, he could pretty much force Ryoji to the bench. They were tied together, after all.... At least the scarf was doing its job. It was probably more than the scarf that was contributing to them likely being less cold than before, as well.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 5, 2010 0:06:34 GMT -5
"Oh shut up, like you're one to talk," Minato teased back. He glanced at the scarf tied around their necks, and then started making his way over to the bench. He was going to force them over there if he had to.
"Come on, you can handle a five minute rest, can't you?" Minato asked.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 5, 2010 0:11:24 GMT -5
Ryoji opened his mouth to snark back, but he found himself being dragged by the neck. Okay, this was better than the other option which would have had him being choked, but maybe this wasn't the most practical thing in the world. He managed to keep his balance as Minato made it to the bench.
In response to Minato's second jab, he sat down before asking if the blue haired teenager was ready. This would end him with at least wet pants. It also stood a chance of bringing Minato on top of him. He was aware of that, but he hadn't thought about the pants... or the stares Minato's potential fall could get them, really.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 5, 2010 0:14:53 GMT -5
Unfortunately for the couples trying to have a romantic moment in the park, Ryoji's sudden sit forced Minato down on top of him, causing them to land in a rather uncomfortable position, to say the least.
"Ryoji, I don't think this is working out," Minato said.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 5, 2010 0:26:27 GMT -5
The "uncomfortable position" meant the heat wasn't just cause they were sharing a scarf. It did manage to conceal where Ryoji was getting red from the cold. It managed it because Ryoji's whole face was red. It was fairly understandable and might have been seen with quite a bit of amusement if it weren't for the fact they were both guys. Even then, a handful of people in the park were chuckling or facepalming. Most weren't.
The blue haired teenager had tried to recover. It hadn't helped. Minato had his right knee on the bench between Ryoji's legs due to how Ryoji had tried to prevent a bad landing as soon as he'd seen Minato falling. Minato's other knee was touching the bench, and the awkwardness of the position was probably why he wasn't feeling the pain. Both knees were wet from the bench and snow. His left hand was on Ryoji's right shoulder, and his attempt at catching himself with his other hand had slipped and was hanging over the back of the bench. Their chests were touching and it was a miracle they hadn't mashed their noses together.
"Y-you're the one who tied us together f-first!" Ryoji said. He was trying to reach the scarf but the position of Minato's hands was making it difficult to be all that dexterous. It didn't help he could pretty much taste Minato's breath for how close their mouths were.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 5, 2010 0:50:44 GMT -5
By this point, it was pretty safe to say Minato and Ryoji's expressions matched. And by that, the two of them were red as beets with the same embarrassed look on their faces, not that anyone could see it with how close to each other they were. The position Minato had fallen into was not helping Ryoji's attempt at undoing the scarf. He couldn't move from that position, because in order to stand up again, Ryoji would have to at the same time, and if he moved his hands, he'd just end up falling onto Ryoji, again due to the position he'd fallen into. And while maybe he wouldn't mind that if they were back at their apartment, it was a bit of a compromising position to be in when they were in public.
"W-Well, you're the one who fixed it!" Minato said in response. This was not working. He managed to get his right hand up against the bench, pushing himself away from Ryoji a bit, though it was still a bit too close for comfort.
"There, better?" Minato asked.
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