Teenagers Scare the Living Shit Out Of Me etc. etc.

[dyingtohealyou]

[Characters passing by the bulletin board may notice a new message tacked to it!]

Drinking party at the bar at 8pm. Under 21 only. Adults will be persecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Fun and games included, party hats optional. Don’t be late!

[Sure enough, there’s a gathering of teens (and maybe some not-so-teens?) to be found in the bar! While the posting mentions this is a teen only event, adults are in fact allowed as long as they are cool. OOCLY please be aware there are going to be teens drinking alcohol and possibly smoking! Also additionally, please let the teens/players have fun; again, adults are allowed but only if they’re cool enough to play along without snitching them out!

All party game top levels are going to be made under Ahito’s account but please assume ICly that Akira instigated/explained them! Once the game toplevels are up you can also post your own toplevels to mingle freely if you like IDK IT’S A PARTY HAVE FUN]

Comments

[shortleash]

( He prefers that Ginger is this close - claustrophobic, the rest of the world cut off (they don't need them, anyway), Ginger's broad shadow cast over him in this corner. It reminds him Ginger hasn't yet tired of him.

His eyes find their way to Ginger's own, and he finds them big and oblivious and silly as always - so endearing, it's hard to comprehend how no one here has taken him away for themselves.

But it's because Ginger's intent is pure in his gaze and apparent on his lips, Mika doesn't want to sound accusatory. Ah; maybe he should just hold his tongue, send him on his way. Mika's the one being... excessive.

Gently, he... lays his palms along Ginger's upper arms. )

... Would you make a pact with him if it'd help?

( No specifics. Ginger knows what he means. "Help" is terribly vague; it takes on any shape Ginger needs it to. Would you make a pact with Solomon if it provided some benefit you wanted? is really what it boils down to. )

[lustro]

[ Ah, Mika knows about Solomon and his pact thing? ]

With that guy?

[ If it’s Ginger bringing up Solomon, then it’s… fine. But if it’s Mika (Solomon’s blood on Mika’s lips, jealousy still burns low) - and maybe because he is, still, upset about the things he’s been reminded of - there’s a trace of derision when he says ‘that guy.’ ]

After he held his wand to your neck?

[ With some restraint - because he’s angry, he’s upset and he’s never good at controlling his strength when he’s like this - he hugs Mika loosely, lips by his ear. ]

No. Never.

[ Then he pulls back (staying close, intimate in his personal bubble) to meet his eyes again. ]

He just - seemed like he wanted to at one point, but now he’s saying he’s always meant to leave, so - it didn’t make sense in my head. That’s why I asked.

[shortleash]

( Ginger's reaction seems to surprise him, but he goes easily into the hug, fingers curling instead into Ginger's back - clingy, annoying.

He's relieved. So relieved Ginger won't go into the arms of someone not fully trustworthy (or go into his arms at all ...) - still, he's a little surprised that what Solomon had done to Mika factors into the decision at all, that he's so angry on his behalf. This isn't a face he sees on Ginger often. )

... Okay. I didn't— I just wanted to know. He's also told me... that he wanted to, with you. I hated it.

( ... Gently, he unhooks his hands from Ginger's back to take his face, as he's wont to do.

Yuu-chan never thought much about the things Guren did to Mika, so Mika had come to think... it didn't really matter. Those things wouldn't factor in. Yuu-chan cared for him most of anyone, so if it mattered, he'd be upset about them, too. (Some part of him understands, too, that Yuu would forgive Guren for killing him. Of course he would. He's Yuu-chan. And he loves Guren that much. Probably... more than Mika.)

... Ginger is really kind. )

... You don't have to get this upset for me. Not if it's hurting you. ( Does it hurt him to feel that way? Mika worries. But: ) ... I wanted to kill him, though, both times he mentioned it. I don't want him binding you. Not someone who doesn't love all of you— not someone who'd be willing kill you so easy.

( And that last part, he speaks with bite. He said Ginger didn't have to be mad on Mika's behalf, but he sure is mad about the same thing. )

[lustro]

[ He doesn’t question why Mika wants to know. All of him belongs to Mika anyway.

(And all of Mika belongs to him.) ]

No, Mika, I have to. I want to. [ So he can hold onto his wrists, they fit perfectly in his hands, thumbs resting at the base of his palms - he can do that and spill these thoughts into their shared cup. ] I hate the idea that it’s not a big deal to - threaten you? Treat you like a danger? It is a big deal - to me. Always.

If a single spell from his lips is aimed in your direction, I’ll kill him.

[ He’s never - but he would, he thinks. Never mind that it’s against Heaven’s laws to kill a human, Ginger doesn’t live in that world anymore.

(He hadn’t realized he’d done anything to make Solomon consider killing him. Oh. His glass heart, it hurts. And from it bleeds bitterness. Solomon threatened his heart - Mika - first.)

(It would be nice if these hurts were as temporary as Solomon’s stay, but Ginger knows himself.)

(In the end, is this what Solomon leaves him with? A pact, broken before it could be promised, and a wand, intended for his throat. Is that how goodbyes work?)

… Never mind Solomon, too. That’s not who’s in front of him right now; he isn’t important. ]

Understand, love, please - I’m someone who loves all of you.

[ He uses Mika’s words to make a point, a thumb rubs at his still pulse to draw his attention back to the Ginger who is out here in the present, rather than whatever hurt there is inside.

(Temporary, meaningless - it might as well be in the past now.) ]

We share the same heart, so if you bleed… I bleed. We bleed.

[shortleash]

( Would that he could bleed so Ginger would never have to.

But this isn't what this is. As much as it is - both their proclivity, to split themselves open and spill themselves out for the other, is it what either wants? It's a hard pill to swallow. It's so fundamentally against Mika's nature to refrain - and Ginger's, too.

So he understands, too, when Ginger says he'd kill for him. It flatters the worst part of him. But it makes him feel a little pale, too, nested in the warm beat of every one of Ginger's loving words. He feels like he's tinged Ginger's well with something bitter in a way he can't articulate - maybe he's done something wrong, again. And yet, even now, Ginger wraps him up with care - elevates him more than he's ever been, before Ginger.

He releases Ginger's face, and he slips his wrist through Ginger's hold to take his hands - fingers interlocked, the both of them intertwined. They bleed, together. )

... Have you ever killed, before? ( It makes Mika happy. It does. But he's guessing... he's just guessing - that Ginger hasn't. ) ... Please don't. Not for me. Not— for anyone.

( Is this selfish to ask? It's already too late for Mika. The worst of the worst, a blood sucker and a monster, a killer and a failure - but Ginger loves him, despite all that. He wouldn't want the same for Ginger, too.

... Maybe if he... )

... Please don't let... anyone else bind you. Not with a pact, or a promise, or a vow, or— anything. Not with their blood on your hands, or their memory.

( And that is selfish to ask. But he thinks... this conveys his meaning better, to Ginger. Because: )

... I want it to be just us. I don't want anyone else... weighing on you.

( Whether it be their ghost, or obligation. And if it's only the two of them, then - maybe, maybe, maybe... Mika can protect Ginger better. He still doubts if he can do right by someone, but he - Ginger wants him to want, so he - he wants to take care of Ginger himself.

He doesn't know if he can entrust him to other people. (And perhaps that is the catch: the moment he begins to think other people can be relied upon to look after Ginger, that will be the moment Mika will come to think that maybe he really shouldn't be with Ginger at all.) )

[lustro]

[ As though their darkest desires only ricochet to each other and each other only, Ginger feels a deep sense of satisfaction.

It starts off like purr, a faint rumble of wants vibrating into place - Mika’s hands stroke the beast so lovingly right where it’s most dangerous, by its hungry mouth and devouring eyes. Thoughts of Solomon evaporate into nothing; it doesn’t matter if anyone else was caught in the crossfire. (Goodbye, goodbye.) His fingers that curl between Mika’s do so with no intent of letting go. Here’s his something, his everything.

He shakes his head. No, he’s never - but - there’s the please. ]

… Alright. Yes, Mika. [ The words go together, a want to please and a want to love. ] Just us. I want that, too.

[ If it’s Mika’s wish, he’ll even try to get rid of these hurt feelings caused by someone else. He won’t let anyone else bind him, even with this.

But - he has something to add. He presses his forehead to Mika’s because their world lasts only the span of an hour and the rest is shared with the chaos of calamity. ]

… If I ever had to - if there was no choice… love me more for it.

[ Love him enough so nothing else binds him, so that the blood on his hands might as well be water for all it’ll matter then. ]

[shortleash]

( Ah - relief. Relief, and a heart that'd skip a beat if it could. He should not like the truth charm that reassures him now that every syllable is genuine, nor how he is sometimes granted window into Ginger's feelings - it's not as if he doubts it when Ginger says these things; but it's like the thin division between them grows smaller and smaller, and they come that much closer to sharing a singular heart. (He still feels a little guilty when this magic allows him to peer in, but Ginger has reassured him, and so - it is a guilty pleasure, and one he's been permission to indulge.)

Just them. Ginger means it. And that makes him so awfully happy.

With the soft brush of Ginger's forehead against his, Ginger murmurs an ask, but to Mika it sounds like a fear. Could he love Ginger, with blood on his hands? Mika wouldn't want that for him, but it's not even a question.

He presses his lips to Ginger's own - true to his word, he isn't thinking of anyone else; it's just them, and he doesn't care if anyone hazards a guess what's going on behind Ginger. He kisses him, and he kisses him deep. )

... I would love you more than anything. ( A kiss, again - lighter. Emphasis. ) I'd drink your hands clean. I don't want... trace of anyone else on you.

( But can you kill without burden? Especially since Ginger has never - wouldn't that invite into his house a ghost, their ghost? Mika's already ghoul enough. Ginger doesn't need another. )

... But I'd be really scared for you. I'd be really worried. Killing someone is... hard on the heart. I might get upset - I might even try to stop you, if you tried to - had to - kill anyone.

( His lips part a moment before he manages what he says next, wondering - is this wrong to say? He hopes not. He just wants Ginger to know. Even if Mika argues, it's not because he doesn't love him. )

... But I'd still kiss you like this... after all that. I've never had anyone who'd kill for me before, or even - talk about me, thinks about me... the way you do. I couldn't love you any less, even if you had to kill everyone here.

( Please don't actually, but as an example, )

[lustro]

Mm - [ The rest of the sound continues into Mika’s mouth, content. He doesn’t care if he’s overheard right now, as long as no one else can heard Mika’s sweet sounds or - when the kiss breaks - the pretty flush on his face. When they fit together like this, it’s as if all the other miscellaneous, troublesome things quiet down for the moment.

His sigh is full of longing for another kiss, a third one - and a fourth one after that. But they need to talk about blood and murder, and he’d rather do that out here than in their room. He settles for speaking into Mika’s knuckles, lips brushing over their intertwined fingers. Everything about Mika’s words had made him feel better, so he wants to pass forward some sense of ease.

(He should question it, perhaps, that Mika would love him even with the blood of everyone here stained on his skin. But he’d love Mika just as much and overall shape of his love wouldn’t change if it was the moon or murder or any other sin.) ]

… I think the only scenario that would force my hand is… if it was the only way to save your life. Otherwise, it won’t be my first choice or last choice, even if I’m really upset, okay?

[ But to keep Mika, to protect his love, he would do anything. He knows Mika is capable - that’s not it. This world is just so - unpredictable. ]

I don’t want you to worry - and I don’t want to hurt my heart since it’s yours. No matter what either of us do, it remains yours.

[ Here’s a kiss promised on his ring finger. Forever faithful. ]

… and because of his dare, I should tell you - [ and to his mild surprise, the words come out. Maybe because he means them for Mika rather than himself. ] I’m - devoted. Resilient. When it’s just us left in the world, I’ll be with you.

[shortleash]

( Kisses along his knuckles, a vow along his ring finger - Ginger spoils him so terribly, he doesn't know what to do. )

... Thank you. ( Ginger's lips are at his fingers, so he instead presses a kiss to Ginger's temple. hehe ) ... Thank you, for protecting our heart.

( It means the world and more to him that Ginger would protect himself in this way - because, it's true; should Ginger's heart bleed, Mika will bleed with him, too. Mika knows he has to learn how to protect himself somehow, too, in turn.

The remark on the dare surprises him slightly - but the kind words curve his lips. He wonders faintly if this is a dare from Solomon, but he banishes thought of other people from his mind right now. )

... That'll make the two of us, alone together.

( He'll part one set of their linked hands - the ones Ginger isn't kissing - so he can take better advantage of Ginger's lowered height - he brushes back his hair, just a little further than the temple, and presses a kiss there. The hair falls back over it, as if hidden, for Ginger only. )

... Is the dare to talk about you? Because I have more to add to that.

( Another kiss at the top of his head with his hair brushed back. )

You're so sincere. Your feelings are so vibrant, I can almost taste them. ( Another kiss, another place. ) You're super cute and funny, and you're really, really thoughtful. You're fun, too. ( Kiss!! ) Everything is fun with you. You are patient, devoted, and resilient— more than anyone I know. And I love you so, so much that I don't want to let you go back.

( Kiss...! )

I want to keep you here so I can keep listing things I like about you.

[lustro]

Just a dare to say something kind about myself. I… struggled with it, but you make it so easy.

[ Once he would have said: you’re too good to me. It’s still true, but not as true as… ]

You’re so good to me.

[ Low and full of emotion.

Minor improvement, he thinks.

Mika’s lovebomb has him flustered, a light flush dusting his cheeks. He’s so loved that it makes him happy in that squirmy uncomfortable way - largely good. His heart is so full he doesn’t know what to do, torn between smiling until his cheeks hurt and blinking back a little wetness around his eyes.

Every kiss feels like a scattering of stars, each one a wish from Mika for his happiness and he’s - he’s so grateful. He turns into the last kiss, from pink cheeks to open lips, long and deep and thoroughly showing Mika how much he wants to be close - closer.

He wants to crawl into Mika’s arms and stay there because Mika has the right idea. They should just stay here - together. He could whisper all the things he loves about Mika, too - endless, soppy things. Sugary sweet servings that embarrass and thrill them both. ]

… Let’s go home soon? I don’t know how much longer I can stand being across the room from you.

[ He wants to give Mika more time and space to socialize, but his Mikaela reserves are running low. And every time someone refers to Mika as Mikaela, it startles him slightly - he wonders how close they are to his boyfriend. ]

Come find me when you’re done, sweetheart?

[shortleash]

( Say something kind about yourself... yeah, that's hard. But he's happy Ginger found something, even if it didn't come easy (he thinks this, not knowing Solomon helped some). If anything, Mika thinks he doesn't do good enough - it's just that Ginger's never been soaked through with the love he deserves.

He kisses Ginger back just as deep, as if drinking up his sweet lips, his sweet, flustered cheeks, like he doesn't want to leave any left for anyone else - for his greedy eyes only, please. Ginger tastes too good for him to want to share. It's that childish side of him, the part that slowed to a gradual stop, from when he was brought into Sanguiem until he was turned, no matter how much Mika's spent the past two years teaching himself that he's undeserving - the part of him that's always elated, whenever Ginger wants to stay just as clinging, too.

When Ginger parts - when he calls him sweetheart, the warmth in his chest reaches his cheeks. "Sweetheart" isn't any schmoopier than anything else Ginger's called him, but it feels almost reserved for another type of person - not something he'd ever have thought he'd be allowed. That he has to resign from parting from Ginger is a trial. )

... Mm. Okay. It'll be soon.

( And here he pulls in again - this time, mouth close to his ear. There is a slight air of mischief this time - like a stage whisper, but it really is meant for only Ginger. )

... If you can think of more nice things to say about yourself, I'll do something special for each one you come up with, when we're alone again. Okay?

( (Of course, Ginger will still get at least one "something special" even if he can't think of a single one. It's a game he's rigged to win. But shhhh.)

And then Mika will pull back, gently releasing Ginger again. hehe )

... See you. Love you.

/3

[lustro]

?!

[lustro]

!!

[lustro]

… Love you.

not here

[dyingtohealyou]

[Glancing over and












oh. oh ok he is connecting the dots now.]