[it'd be weird if Ryuji wasn't on brand here — and let's be real, pirate addled as Dave's brain and/or spirit may be, it's not like he doesn't have the same idea rattling around somewhere in the back of his mind. it's not like he's gonna get a chance to stand here with his boyfriend in the most luxurious room in a pirate ship again, right?]
[it calls back to every time they've ever been in an unfortunate situation, and Ryuji always stayed true to his own instincts and hit on Dave. back when they were dying of a space virus. back when they'd met an unruly Strider shadow for the first time. back when Dave was struggling to figure out how to heal a set of broken ribs. it's just another branch of the way they work with each other, another one of the ways they've found to comfort one another, and it sparks such a strong sense of familiarity, something he's been missing desperately for the past two weeks, something he ... was honestly starting to fear he'd never get to have again. as much as he constantly told himself, as much as he continued trying to keep his promise and bring Ryuji back from a fucking cursed timeloop death.]
[Dave doesn't react at first. that's because he's stuck somewhere between wanting to grab at him, hold him and tell him he's sorry, and knowing the guy has to walk the plank apparently, because Dave went and put it into writing, and that's how time loops work, don't they? and then, finally, catching sight of Ryuji's eyes and being so struck by them, he half wonders if he needs to be doubting the grip he has on reality. why does he look like he popped in here right out of his own dream bubble? weren't dream bubbles and their entire concept hoovered up by the Hunger? when did Dave fall asleep? or wait, is he dead too? he can't remember.]
[god, he fucking hates dream bubbles.]
[struggling still, Dave does manage to mutter something. just a word. it's "one." he's still in there. there is literally nothing he could find weird about any lewd suggestions Ryuji might think to throw out right now.]
[then he lifts his hand, bumping the shades up to the top of his forehead so he can just. cover both of his eyes with his hand, hiding. because every part of him, the part that's pirate and the part that's trying to fight the pirate, doesn't want to see Ryuji what he's doing right now.]
no subject
[it calls back to every time they've ever been in an unfortunate situation, and Ryuji always stayed true to his own instincts and hit on Dave. back when they were dying of a space virus. back when they'd met an unruly Strider shadow for the first time. back when Dave was struggling to figure out how to heal a set of broken ribs. it's just another branch of the way they work with each other, another one of the ways they've found to comfort one another, and it sparks such a strong sense of familiarity, something he's been missing desperately for the past two weeks, something he ... was honestly starting to fear he'd never get to have again. as much as he constantly told himself, as much as he continued trying to keep his promise and bring Ryuji back from a fucking cursed timeloop death.]
[Dave doesn't react at first. that's because he's stuck somewhere between wanting to grab at him, hold him and tell him he's sorry, and knowing the guy has to walk the plank apparently, because Dave went and put it into writing, and that's how time loops work, don't they? and then, finally, catching sight of Ryuji's eyes and being so struck by them, he half wonders if he needs to be doubting the grip he has on reality. why does he look like he popped in here right out of his own dream bubble? weren't dream bubbles and their entire concept hoovered up by the Hunger? when did Dave fall asleep? or wait, is he dead too? he can't remember.]
[god, he fucking hates dream bubbles.]
[struggling still, Dave does manage to mutter something. just a word. it's "one." he's still in there. there is literally nothing he could find weird about any lewd suggestions Ryuji might think to throw out right now.]
[then he lifts his hand, bumping the shades up to the top of his forehead so he can just. cover both of his eyes with his hand, hiding. because every part of him, the part that's pirate and the part that's trying to fight the pirate, doesn't want to see Ryuji what he's doing right now.]
[give him a minute.]