gavehead | ( SYNFLUX. ) IC INBOX

[Did he die??? Did he somehow kabedon so badly that he died??? What is this???

Wait, focus, Yugamu!!! You're trying to seduce Dirk, not the other way around!!!!]

No! No, I just needed to call ahead on my implant to let us know them we're coming! Holowear is so popular these days that they're really only open by appointment because they're such a specialty product.

[This isn't technically a lie. He'll just have to actually send that message in a moment once he's not so distracted.]

_{[ Yugamu can keep talking all he wants, Dirk is silently being fed emotionally through all of this. He loves the fluster, the way the other boy is talking so fast and nervously. He wonders if Yugamu could make a reservation while being in such a state.

Once his hands reach his waist again, they inch a little lower and curve around towards the front, as if his thumbs were trying to memorize the arches of his hip bones through his dense clothing. ]}

Go ahead, then. What's stopping you?

_{[ dirk you know damn well what's stopping him ]}

[Control Freak Dirk like "haha I'm winning at being seduced!"

Yugamu meanwhile is completely frazzled because
1. He thought Dirk wasn't as interested in him as a Yugamu was in him. Did the seduction work??? This fast??? Is that illegal. It feels illegal.
2. He thought Dirk was really shy about physical touch
2a. Yugamu meanwhile loves being touched
2b. He's never really been touched like this though. Most of the intimate and romantic contact he's had has been minimal and somewhat slapdash due to not having the time or circumstances to take things at a leisurely pace.

Anyway!]

You- I'm loathe to say it but your hands are very distracting, Dirk!

[He doesn't look particularly upset but also he does need to contact them and also they then need to actually go!!]

Maybe don't do such a good job inviting me to touch you, then.

_{[ with that, his hands return to his sides, stuffing into his own side pockets. ]}

You're very intense today. Did something happen?

[Oh no. Sad. But also for the best right now, logistically.]

Well... I got some advice from Hal. I've been holding back and he suggested I didn't need to do that.

_{[ At the mention of Hal, any remaining smile on his face falls, and his brows pull together in what seems to be annoyance. He really does wish he never made that goddamn AI system, and right now, he's angry at it for other reasons which is probably why he isn't wearing the glasses today. ]}

Got it.

_{[ His response is short, and he doesn't explain. Yugamu is free to ask, however. ]}

Go ahead and make the reservation.

[First things first, Yugamu pauses to do just that. But then, as he takes Dirk's hand to lead them towards their outing; he has to probe.]

You know, I've spoke to Hal twice now, but I don't think I've ever actually talked to you about him. I suppose I sort of assumed you two were on the same page?

[But... clearly not.]

_{[ Yugamu makes the reservation and is clearly preoccupied with that, Dirk seizes the moment to give the other teen a look over; orange eyes sweeping from tousled blue hair, along his neck and shoulders and eventually stopping at his waist by the time he is finished. Perhaps now he is interested in details that maybe he has missed before.

Though, before he knows it, he is taken by the hand and towards the exit of the base. ]}

It's.. complicated, the relationship that he and I have. I mean, he is a copy of my brain, but back when I was 13. His maturity doesn't age, but he claims he is evolving and becoming more and more sentient. He claims he has feelings, more than I do.

I can't always tell if he's fucking with me or not.

Well that's a bit rude. Even if he does have feelings, you do too. But I see... I suppose that makes sense. My little sister is 14 and she's the picture of impulsivity.

[If Hal has that younger teen impulsiveness.... Makes sense. He loves his sister but she definitely is A Lot sometimes.]

Maybe the relationship you and Hal have is like siblings, then? If my brothers or sister gave the person I was interested in dating advice I'd probably be a little annoyed even if it was accurate.

_{[ It's deeper than that, though. Hal doesn't have a human filter like Dirk may have, and all of his flaws and unattractive traits are almost amplified.

Hal is dangerous, yet Dirk can't find the will to kill him. ]}

More like my evil twin.

_{[ As they step out of the base and head towards the city, Dirk stops them for a moment and studies Yugamu, his expression unreadable. ]}

Is there a reason you chose to speak to him instead of me?

[Blinks.]

Ah, well he messaged me first, and I didn't see any reason not to at the time!

[He pauses, before offering;]

If you'd prefer, I won't speak to him without clearing it with you from now on.

_{[ Hmm. ]}

It sounds to me like you were trying to surprise me, so you went behind my back. It's not a coincidence that you wanted me to take me kimono shopping and decided to pin me against a wall.

_{[ It's too on the nose because Dirk is all about both of these things. ]}

Is that true?

[Hm... This is assigning slightly more agency to Yugamu in initiating this... but he also could have turned Hal down when he offered ideas.]

I... Well I have been really wanting to get your attention, yes. To show you I'm serious. So when Hal presented the opportunity to learn what would work on you, I couldn't help but jump on it. Sorry if that was intrusive of me.

[He thinks that's fair.]

_{[ That unsettling expression eases, and one corner of his mouth does lift in a little smirk. He also gives his hand a squeeze. ]}

Well. You have my attention. It probably easier to talk to him than it is me sometimes.

_{[ He resumes walking, allowing Yugamu to lead. ]}

I'm, um, pretty excited to go to some place like this.

[Yugamu's a little confused. He thought he'd be in trouble??? He's not??? Something to analyze later, he supposes. He WILL figure out how your mind works, Dirk Strider. But for now, he wants to enjoy the moment. The hand squeeze. Maybe he really can seduce this perfect catch????]

I'm excited too! My whole family dresses traditionally, so I don't think much of it a lot of the time, but even if they didn't, I think I still would. So I'm really happy to share something of mine with you.

[Cultural exchange....]

I also think you're going to look really handsome and cool.

_{[ Handsome and cool, huh? He looks away, feeling a little shy at being complimented like that, but he hasn't blushed (yet.) ]}

I.. could share something of mine with you, but.. there's really nothing left on Earth anymore.

_{[ He's thinking hard about the useless shit littering his apartment. A Smuppet? His Rocket Board? Oh! ]}

Actually, there's a bunch of really influential movies that my ancestor made. I wish I had them with me to show you.

_{[ not Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff: The Movies. ]}

[Do not show Yugamu SBAHJ.

Anyway Yugamu gets that. He thinks about how much information was clearly lost in Earth's fleeing to the TRC, and Dirk's situation is more dire than that.]

Well, if there's any movies you like that are here, I haven't really watched many movies at all, so you could share that with me!

We will have to watch a bunch together, then.

_{[ Crazy how Yugamu hasn't really seen movies and Jake was a movie fanatic. The differences in Dirk's romantic interests are pretty stark and he's slowly realizing that Jake probably wasn't his type at all.

They have to take a train to get to the shop, so once they arrive at the station and board, Dirk decides to not take a seat but hold onto the train handles and stand despite the fact that there are plenty of seats. It doesn't show in his face, but he can't help but feel pretty joyful to be on a train in Japan (now with a Japanese person.) It's stuff that is long gone from his world that he read so many books about. ]}

Thanks for doing this, Yugamu.

Yes!

[THAT MEANS HANGING OUT AGAIN!!! THIS IS WORKING!!!!

He doesn't know why they're staying standing but he'll follow Dirk's lead, it's fine. anyway, he pauses a moment, before taking a little bit of a risk, slightly tentative for his usual demeanor;]

You don't have to thank me for asking you out on a date.

_{[ GOOD LUCK, YUGAMU-KUN!!!

He can't help but take in the details of the train, the architecture of it, the busy city whirling past then vanishing when the train enters a tunnel. His fingers curl tighter around the train handle, not sure how to express the emotion he is feeling, so he remains stoic. ]}

It's.. really nice. I've never been on an actual date before.

_{[ a beat. ]}

Are there shrines we can look at? What about a tea ceremony?

_{[ GET HIM, YUGAMU. ]}

[DIRK AGREED IT WAS A DATE!!!! Yugamu flushes a little.... It's really a date..... He almost doesn't realize Dirk asked him a question.]

Yes! There's plenty, there's even some that were built by our team members! Jessica wanted all the outsiders that are gods to have a shrine of their own as well. And I'm sure somewhere in the city they do traditional tea ceremonies, honestly I get ansty at them, but if you want to go to one, I don't mind!

[He's soooo excited.]

Oh.

_{[ Hm. ]}

I never got one, but I don't know if I count as a real god.

[HUH.]

... What do you mean?

[Say more right now???]

_{[ not caitie making me tell yugamu about homestuck ]}

It's complicated, but back home, we have an opportunity to rise to a god status. That's why I can fly. I won't physically age either. My abilities seemed to have glitched when coming here, but back when they could work, I could separate a person's soul from their body and manipulate it with my hands. I had to use it several times to protect my friends.

It any case, it's more like an achievement. It's not like I am all knowing or omnipresent like some ethereal being, but I'm not considered a demi-god either.

One of my friends is a healer. Another one has spatial control. Jake could imagine things into existence by the power of hope and belief.

For me, I'm a destroyer, I guess.

[YOU BROUGHT IT UP????

Anyway. Hm. Well, this is a lot to take in. But as Yugamu stands there quietly for a moment turning it all over in his head, he decides that the way Dirk describes it, it's actually not that unfamiliar. After all, hadn't V'ehxness described herself as aiming for godhood by absorbing hemoanima? Takumi absorbing so much that he was able to completely rewind time on their 100 days maybe isn't far off from a "god" by this definition.]

I see! And how do you feel about it? Nearly being a god, I mean.

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