[ without missing a beat, ichiban reaches out to help stabilize todomatsu, one hand going to totty's shoulder while the other rests at the small of his back. there's a part of him that notices a little flutter in his chest when he realizes how... intimate a simple gesture like this seems now, but it's quickly pushed from the forefront of his mind as he refocuses his attention to his...hm.
they can figure out the terminology for this situation later, probably. ]
Hey, are you gonna be okay? [ . . . ] Want me to carry you?
[ i wish i could say this was his way of flirting but no this is just sincere concern, at least for now. ]
If you say so, man. I'm just saying, it wouldn't be very cute of you to trip and eat shit on the sidewalk.
[ but he lets it go for now. if totty says he's okay, then he'll trust that to be the case! off to the train station they go, then, to ichiban's corner of the map. after stopping by a convenience store to pick up a couple of water bottles after the ride, they continue onward into the city. the surrounding area really doesn't leave much to the imagination with its neon lights—he'd mentioned being born and raised in a red light district, and it seems like the same has held true for his adult life, too, because...
I'm makin' the best out of what I got, man! Besides, would you rather take a bath outside or in the presence of five other dudes and your parents?
[ he ushers totty toward the entrance to his flat before any other commentary can be made... ]
All things considered, it's a pretty good arrangement. I don't pay rent, I don't have roommates, and above all else, I have a roof over my head...
[ he heads over to the sofa against the wall, taking a seat as he rests against one of the arms. there's a moment of hesitation before he decides to open his legs a little, but he'll ultimately leave it up to totty on where he chooses to sit. ]
[ he takes baths with a bunch of dudes every night at a public bathhouse (usually including his five brothers and sometimes his father) and it's fine so he would choose the latter actually????
the interior... is definitely more inviting than the exterior, at least, and as a showa era gag anime relic himself, he can kind of appreciate the vintage character and the bright colors if he squints, but. christ. at least that ratty old one-room with no furniture that he'd lived in for a while had been intended to be used as a residence. ]
Well, at least you're not overpaying...
[ but despite his misgivings about the setting, he comes over and sits on the other side of the couch, where he twists the cap off one of the water bottles and takes a drink.
glancing over at what appears to be the strip club storage corner... ]
Leftovers from this place's former life as a storage shed for one of the clubs downstairs. At first, I kept saying I was too busy to find the time to toss stuff out, but... after a while, I kind of got attached to the lot, heh. Whenever I see that stuff, I get reminded of the girls who helped raise me, and it helps the place feel more like home.
[ to his benefit, while there is a fond sense of nostalgia that washes over his face at first, he quickly remembers why they came here to begin with and starts to stammer a little. WHAT IF TOTTY STARTS THINKING ABOUT STRIPPERS IN THE MIDDLE OF THEM MAKING OUT... THIS IS A LEGITIMATE THING HE HAS TO CONSIDER ]
Does it, uh, weird you out? I can take some stuff off the walls, at least!
[ on one hand, he kind of gets it. back on the eudora he'd gotten those clothes that looked like his brothers' and left them lying around his room so he could pretend he wasn't alone and so far away from everything familiar.
on the other, he does not want to be thinking about his family at all while he's making out with someone, and he feels like the people who raised you should kind of fall into that same category??? ]
Uh... if you're going to be bringing me over here as a regular thing, we're definitely going to need to do some redecorating eventually, but. It's fine for now.
[ ...actually, with all the money they got from that space nightmare, can't one of them just buy a place somewhere? logistics to consider for later when he's sober.
he takes another drink of water, then sets the bottle down on the coffee table and turns away from the shelves and toward ichiban. ]
If I end up paying that much attention to the walls in the middle of everything we've probably got bigger problems.
[ bold of you to assume ichiban would use his sprace money to benefit himself lol lmao
that sort of talk is neither here nor there, though, especially when totty faces him proper. in theory, he knows what to do—and it's not like he needs to worry about embarrassing himself since he knows damn well that they're both in the same loser boat here—but it's only now really hitting him that he's just brought someone home for the express purpose of further establishing a relationship by way of making out.
a ]
Yeah, haha, good point...
[ he sheepishly laughs again, bringing his hand up to the back of his head to muss up his own unruly mane... there's a solid thirty seconds where he doesn't follow up with anything, simply flicking his gaze between todomatsu's eyes and lips until he feels himself starting to go cross-eyed.
it's at this point that he shuts his own to take a deep breath.
"c'mon, ichi, get it together! you've gotten this far, you can't let todo-chan start having second thoughts when you're the one who came up with this whole arrangement in the first place! whew . . . okay! let's do this! time to rank up that heart meter!"
opening his eyes back up with a new sense of fiery resolve—like a true protagonist, you might say— he nods and grins before leaning forward and draping his arms on top of todomatsu's shoulders, bringing him in for another kiss. ]
[ totty like that's fine just use it to benefit me then
todomatsu spends that whole thirty seconds just looking back at ichiban expectantly, slowly raising his eyebrows fifteen seconds in as his patience starts to wear. (too long, he finds himself thinking, though unlike the episode segments they've done where excessively drawing things out is an intentional gag, he keeps the thought to himself... and then quickly pushes it away before he really does get stuck thinking about his brothers.) it's not like he's even opposed to taking the initiative himself — and he's very aware that he's the more dominant of the two of them in many respects, despite appearances — but the longer this goes on, the more he feels like he needs to see just how long it will take for anything to happen without him doing the prompting.
when ichiban finally does make his move, todomatsu exhales with relief and smiles, easily allowing himself be brought in closer. he puts one hand against his chest (which like, this isn't news to him given how many times they've hugged and slept next to each other, but damn, the guy's solid) as he leans in to close the remaining distance between them. he tilts his head a little for a better angle and parts his lips, a much more enthusiastic response than he was willing to give earlier when he had reason to be self-conscious.
it's actually very freeing to know that he doesn't have to worry about either his partner or outside observers judging his performance. ]
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no subject
they can figure out the terminology for this situation later, probably. ]
Hey, are you gonna be okay? [ . . . ] Want me to carry you?
[ i wish i could say this was his way of flirting but no this is just sincere concern, at least for now. ]
no subject
Oh.
[ he stifles a laugh and shakes his head, waving his hands dismissively. ]
Thanks, but I've been so much drunker than this and got where I needed to go just fine, don't worry.
[ pats his arm. ]
C'mon, let's go. Lead the way.
no subject
[ but he lets it go for now. if totty says he's okay, then he'll trust that to be the case! off to the train station they go, then, to ichiban's corner of the map. after stopping by a convenience store to pick up a couple of water bottles after the ride, they continue onward into the city. the surrounding area really doesn't leave much to the imagination with its neon lights—he'd mentioned being born and raised in a red light district, and it seems like the same has held true for his adult life, too, because...
well, he wouldn't blame totty for thinking they were at a love hotel after all. ]
Welcome to Casa de Kasuga.
no subject
suddenly having second thoughts ]
...You have a bathtub outside!
no subject
I'm makin' the best out of what I got, man! Besides, would you rather take a bath outside or in the presence of five other dudes and your parents?
[ he ushers totty toward the entrance to his flat before any other commentary can be made... ]
All things considered, it's a pretty good arrangement. I don't pay rent, I don't have roommates, and above all else, I have a roof over my head...
[ he heads over to the sofa against the wall, taking a seat as he rests against one of the arms. there's a moment of hesitation before he decides to open his legs a little, but he'll ultimately leave it up to totty on where he chooses to sit. ]
Can't really ask for more than that, right?
no subject
the interior... is definitely more inviting than the exterior, at least, and as a showa era gag anime relic himself, he can kind of appreciate the vintage character and the bright colors if he squints, but. christ. at least that ratty old one-room with no furniture that he'd lived in for a while had been intended to be used as a residence. ]
Well, at least you're not overpaying...
[ but despite his misgivings about the setting, he comes over and sits on the other side of the couch, where he twists the cap off one of the water bottles and takes a drink.
glancing over at what appears to be the strip club storage corner... ]
What's the deal with all that stuff?
no subject
[ to his benefit, while there is a fond sense of nostalgia that washes over his face at first, he quickly remembers why they came here to begin with and starts to stammer a little. WHAT IF TOTTY STARTS THINKING ABOUT STRIPPERS IN THE MIDDLE OF THEM MAKING OUT... THIS IS A LEGITIMATE THING HE HAS TO CONSIDER ]
Does it, uh, weird you out? I can take some stuff off the walls, at least!
no subject
on the other, he does not want to be thinking about his family at all while he's making out with someone, and he feels like the people who raised you should kind of fall into that same category??? ]
Uh... if you're going to be bringing me over here as a regular thing, we're definitely going to need to do some redecorating eventually, but. It's fine for now.
[ ...actually, with all the money they got from that space nightmare, can't one of them just buy a place somewhere? logistics to consider for later when he's sober.
he takes another drink of water, then sets the bottle down on the coffee table and turns away from the shelves and toward ichiban. ]
If I end up paying that much attention to the walls in the middle of everything we've probably got bigger problems.
no subject
that sort of talk is neither here nor there, though, especially when totty faces him proper. in theory, he knows what to do—and it's not like he needs to worry about embarrassing himself since he knows damn well that they're both in the same loser boat here—but it's only now really hitting him that he's just brought someone home for the express purpose of further establishing a relationship by way of making out.
a ]
Yeah, haha, good point...
[ he sheepishly laughs again, bringing his hand up to the back of his head to muss up his own unruly mane... there's a solid thirty seconds where he doesn't follow up with anything, simply flicking his gaze between todomatsu's eyes and lips until he feels himself starting to go cross-eyed.
it's at this point that he shuts his own to take a deep breath.
"c'mon, ichi, get it together! you've gotten this far, you can't let todo-chan start having second thoughts when you're the one who came up with this whole arrangement in the first place! whew . . . okay! let's do this! time to rank up that heart meter!"
opening his eyes back up with a new sense of fiery resolve—like a true protagonist, you might say— he nods and grins before leaning forward and draping his arms on top of todomatsu's shoulders, bringing him in for another kiss. ]
no subject
todomatsu spends that whole thirty seconds just looking back at ichiban expectantly, slowly raising his eyebrows fifteen seconds in as his patience starts to wear. (too long, he finds himself thinking, though unlike the episode segments they've done where excessively drawing things out is an intentional gag, he keeps the thought to himself... and then quickly pushes it away before he really does get stuck thinking about his brothers.) it's not like he's even opposed to taking the initiative himself — and he's very aware that he's the more dominant of the two of them in many respects, despite appearances — but the longer this goes on, the more he feels like he needs to see just how long it will take for anything to happen without him doing the prompting.
when ichiban finally does make his move, todomatsu exhales with relief and smiles, easily allowing himself be brought in closer. he puts one hand against his chest (which like, this isn't news to him given how many times they've hugged and slept next to each other, but damn, the guy's solid) as he leans in to close the remaining distance between them. he tilts his head a little for a better angle and parts his lips, a much more enthusiastic response than he was willing to give earlier when he had reason to be self-conscious.
it's actually very freeing to know that he doesn't have to worry about either his partner or outside observers judging his performance. ]