[god, sometimes it's really hard to tell whether Ryuji is aware of how he occasionally sets himself up for an extraordinary dunking.]
[and maybe he's expecting it? Dave doesn't know. that's kind of been their cadence for a while, after all. throw out a jab or two while understanding each other well enough that none of them are actually meant maliciously. put a light dunk on a guy's navy rankings as a means of encouragement, that yes, he is capable of finishing school, especially since he's already started. Dave's always been kind of shitty about expressing himself and his feelings genuinely - and for a while there, more often than not, whenever he tried, it came out wrong. or awkward. or slightly off key. like trying to tune a piano that had been sitting in a musty basement, unused, for the past seventeen years.]
[so, having the jokes, and knowing that his meaning behind them was understood anyway, has been just as much encouragement for Dave as Ryuji actively encouraging him has been. kind of hard not to be encouraged around a guy who straight up told him that he was his favorite version of Dave before they even started dating officially.]
[if they are actually on borrowed time here, and if he's presented with the chance to say something genuine, as in key and to whatever tune he's capable of now, then he's got no reason to be coy about it. the usual smirk gives way to something slightly softer.]
You.
I mean, if you also had some apples that'd be a bonus, but. [yup, not coy at all.]
no subject
[and maybe he's expecting it? Dave doesn't know. that's kind of been their cadence for a while, after all. throw out a jab or two while understanding each other well enough that none of them are actually meant maliciously. put a light dunk on a guy's navy rankings as a means of encouragement, that yes, he is capable of finishing school, especially since he's already started. Dave's always been kind of shitty about expressing himself and his feelings genuinely - and for a while there, more often than not, whenever he tried, it came out wrong. or awkward. or slightly off key. like trying to tune a piano that had been sitting in a musty basement, unused, for the past seventeen years.]
[so, having the jokes, and knowing that his meaning behind them was understood anyway, has been just as much encouragement for Dave as Ryuji actively encouraging him has been. kind of hard not to be encouraged around a guy who straight up told him that he was his favorite version of Dave before they even started dating officially.]
[if they are actually on borrowed time here, and if he's presented with the chance to say something genuine, as in key and to whatever tune he's capable of now, then he's got no reason to be coy about it. the usual smirk gives way to something slightly softer.]
You.
I mean, if you also had some apples that'd be a bonus, but. [yup, not coy at all.]
Just you is good.