the13tharcana | IC contact post for Adstringendum

[A hidden talent that, honestly, had Joshua rubbing his face in disbelief at times. Something about Ryoji must just be incredibly unlikable. Or maybe it's simply bad luck. The wrong person at the wrong time?

The look of curiosity gets a soft laugh in reply, and Joshua tilts his head a little, stepping closer.]

If I told you, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, would it? Or would you rather I ruin the fun?

[He'd definitely like to think it was the latter option from that list...

And oh, Josh, now you managed to get him intrigued. Whatever it was that you had in mind there, Ryoji was totally clueless about it. If anything, it only made him smile more.]

Now you're getting me curious. You wouldn't happen to need my help with pulling a prank on someone, would you?

[Funny, Joshua is thinking the same.

He's silent for a moment, giving Ryoji an almost scrutinizing glance for a moment, as if judging his outfit or making sure nothing is out of place. In reality, all it is is a bit of hesitation. Some part of him is still very unsure about this, about bothering to get this close to anyone... but a larger part of him is effectively squashing down that worry. It's nothing to worry about at all, after all!

So, without saying anything, and with little warning at all, he's just going to go for it. Pressing up on his toes to make up for the height difference between them, Ryoji will quickly find a pair of lips pressed to his! Just a simple, chaste sort of kiss, but a kiss nonetheless.]

[... He had no idea what to expect, really. And once Josh gets so close to him, it literally takes a second for Ryoji's smile to drop completely, while both his brain and his body come to a halt.

In that single instant it also hits him why Josh might have been acting so out of the ordinary this whole time, and how it's bloody Sunday, and just how could he have missed this-- ... There was an event going on, wasn't there? And Joshua was evidently being affected by it. Otherwise... he'd never do something like this...

The realization adds very little to the mixture of feelings that were overwhelming him by now, though. And now his thoughts were racing, as Ryoji tried to figure out what would be right and what would be wrong to do in a situation such as this... and whether Joshua would actually be able to forgive him for it later on.

He still hesitates for a moment more, but as those soft lips pull back... slowly, he's reaching up to Joshua's face and cups the side of his face gently, then he does the same with his second hand, and Ryoji's shifting closer himself this time, just enough so that his lips hover just inches away from Joshua's.]

Curious... hmm?

[Somewhere at the back of his mind there's still that voice telling him that he shouldn't do this. And yet... Ryoji's half-lidded eyes slowly close as he tilts his head a bit, and he leans in to try and show Josh a more proper kiss this time.]

[... to be quite honest, Joshua didn't really know why he wasn't expecting reciprocation. He'd been expecting Ryoji to be a bit stunned, sure, but this... As Ryoji's hands cup his cheeks, his eyes widen just a little. It had only been a little experiment, but...

... but Ryoji's lips are on his again. And he finds it doesn't really matter. It feels kind of nice, in fact, if he ignores the slight uprising of panic in the back of his mind! Being this close to someone, this open...

At least he isn't fighting it, right?]

[Ryoji is really careful with what he is doing, almost treating Josh as if he were out of glass and able to break under any wrong move. His press of lips is more firm, but it's still delicate, and it doesn't take long before those lips start moving, brushing against his slowly, once... Twice... And as Ryoji is finding in himself a sudden want to press a bit harder-- he stops himself half-way through and stills against Josh completely again.

...Because it's all wrong.

Sharing such a moment with Joshua was something he's always dreamed about and something he always wanted to experience. He thought it would make him happy. If Josh would only want to... But not like this. It was all wrong because Josh wasn't doing it out of his own free will. He was evidently being influenced by an event, and Ryoji knew he was. And still despite that, he was using all of it to his advantage. Just what part of that was bound to make Josh happy? He could lie to Joshua that he wasn't aware of it as it happened, but... he could never lie to himself about it. ... In fact, he probably wouldn't be able to lie to Josh about it at this point, either. Just what was he planning to get away with here?

It was supposed to be a dream come true, and yet... all it does is make him feel guilty with himself. If anything, it hurts. How unexpected. And how silly. Ryoji almost feels like laughing at himself for being this stupid. But all he does is try to hide his current feeling of unease behind a faint smile as he pulls a few inches away from Josh.

And if Ryoji seemed to be calm and composed before, now the red-tinted cheeks and slightly uneven breathing was probably enough of an indication this wasn't entirely the case. His heart was also racing pretty bad by now, and being this close to him, perhaps Josh could even notice it.]

[It's probably a good thing that Joshua is too preoccupied at the moment to even think about reading Ryoji's thoughts. If he were, he might find out just how apprehensive Ryoji suddenly is as he pulls away. As it is, he's finding that at some point, his eyes have closed, so after a moment they'll drift open, blinking almost in confusion.

A moment later, he smiles. Though he isn't blushing, he at least doesn't look upset or irritated. Ryoji, though... He laughs softly, tipping his head just a little. He can feel his pulse pounding. His own might be a slight bit quicker than normal, but... well, he adds that up to being from a simple bit of stimulation. That's all.]

... well, that went better than I thought it would.

[Well... at least Josh is smiling, and seems fairly content with what just happened - at least for now - so it makes his inner feeling of guilt subdue a little. And the longer he stares at the other boy's satisfied expression, the redder Ryoji's face seems to become. But as embarrassing as it feels, he doesn't mind it - because why should he hide his true feelings, anyway? The whole nervousness was finally letting go a bit as well, and it was almost as if what took place was dawning upon him just now, and he could feel his knees going weak, and Josh, why were you doing this to him--

Ryoji lets out a soft chuckle himself, and really can't help the warm feeling spreading all over his body. Joshua, you saying it like that makes him wonder just what was it that you were expecting. ...Oh, and there goes the whole guilt, and maybe all of that worrying was for naught, after all, and-- was it wrong of him to feel happy from all this? Because he honestly couldn't help it all of a sudden.

...And he was definitely not going to admit how he'd love to try doing that again.]

Joshua-senpai... you're such a walking mystery to me sometimes.

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