2025-12-10: Borrowing a Dream
- Log: Borrowing a Dream
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Ichika Kawase
- Where: Iwatodai Strip Mall
- OOC Date: 2025-12-10
- IC Date: Thu, Aug 23 2012
- Summary: After Ichika goes on a date with Ryuji and Tsubasa, the two of them staying in Iwatodai end up talking in the Dark Hour. (And kissing. There's also kissing, though they both realise they need to deal with Eiji before they can really feel comfortable doing anything more... even if they both want to.) Today would have been Ichika's wedding; instead, she has a serious talk with Tsubasa about what their future together might look like, touching on some of Tsubasa's gender-complicated feelings on family in the process. Tsubasa feels like they can straighten themself out a little more if it's for Ichika's sake, exploring the possibility of detective work -- and Ichika makes it clear she has a place for Tsubasa alongside her husband, in her heart.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
> yo
> 2day's real hard on 1ka
> woulda bin wen he married her
> lets take her out man
Those are the conspiratorial messages Tsubasa sends Ryuji that has the three of them going to Screen Shot Cinema. The More Than Dreamin' is playing tonight, a film about an alien visitor come to Earth; it's a charming little movie about helping something which looks much different to you. Ichika gets to sit in the middle!!
(Tsubasa is, of course, funding this through their trips to Mementos; thanks for the cash, shadows of humanity.)
It's a nice date, anyway. (And they do call it a date.) Tsubasa even manages to lean over and smooch her cheek in public... though, like, it's dark as shit in there when the movie's playing, that might not count. Still pretty transgressive for anyone who might be misgendering them at that moment. Perhaps Ryuji also gets a smooch in, on Ichika's other side.
They head out to grab some sushi after they're done with that, which takes them back to Iwatodai, and also informs Ichika's various fellas about how much she likes fish. (Tsubasa, tragically, is not an eel fan. "Creepy-ass fake drownsnake," is their assessment of why they don't trust them.) And once they're done with dinner...
Well, Ryuji has to get a train back to central Tokyo at some point, or else they're going to have to go back to Mrs. Ichika's Mom and explain why two guys are staying over tonight. (Not that it might not be worth assessing how many guys she's comfortable housing here pretty soon. They have that Calling Card to put up...)
But that leaves Tsubasa and Ichika to kick around Iwatodai... until the Dark Hour sets in.
Tsubasa wonders, briefly, whether they'll be eighteen now or only when the Dark Hour ends. They had considered telling Ichika and Ryuji, tonight, but... well, there's a lot going on. And Ichika doesn't exactly have the best anniversaries right now... or the best associations with anniversaries and birthdays.
Besides, they... haven't really celebrated for the past few years, anyway.
Anyway.
"He's cute, huh?" Tsubasa wonders, leaning on a wall all stained green. "Y'know, Sakamoto-kun... you really like him, yeah?"
Tsubasa grins. "Mouthy little prick," they say, but with that kind of appreciative tone it's a compliment. "But he came through, in the end, even though I'd been smashin' his teeth in... reckon he's a good guy."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It's true that today is a hard day for Ichika. She adapted by trying to get out into it. Her recent resolve in the Palace helped. Talking to Ren helped; talking to her sister later after that helped. And most of all, going out with Tsubasa and Ryuji helped.
It was a date! It was fun! Ichika liked the movie, she liked the smooches, and she resisted the urge to try to make out with one of them (or both of them) in the theatre, despite already being a horrible delinquent.
Sushi! Ichika enjoys hers, but laughs at Tsubasa's assessment of her favorite.
It would be worth assessing... but Ichika's not ready for Ryuji to stay over yet, anyway.
The Dark Hour sets in, and that means it's been a long day, but a pretty good one. Ichika doesn't know Tsubasa's SECRET BIRTHDAY but she's just happy to be with them. So, instead, she hears about...
"He is," Ichika agrees after Tsubasa clarifies. "Yeah. I really do. ...I kinda like the mouthy." She grins. "I think so, too. He doesn't pressure me or anything either. ...I think he's getting more confident, though."
"But..."
She turns to face Tsubasa. "...He wouldn't get half so far without you coaching him, I think."
"You've really worked hard to make things go well with him. ...And I think it would've gone OK otherwise. But don't think I haven't noticed, you know?"
"...I'm happy. And I'm happy with you."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa, with a deadly serious expression, declared that Ichika was going to have to save her from eating that eel too as they piled all their eel sushi onto her plate. It's the kind of thing someone might say as a joke, but they sure seemed like they were taking it seriously, which really just made it even funnier.
"Seems that way," Tsubasa agrees with Ichika's assessment of his confidence, folding their arms as they rest one foot against the wall. Tsubasa's checkered tank top and burnished orange board shorts are the kind of thing any sentaa gai might wear, particularly with their magenta and green wig; unfortunately, everything's a little green, right now.
Ichika turns to face them, though, and Tsubasa looks over to her in turn. "Y'know," they shrug, lifting a hand to gesture briefly before it returns to their arm. "I'm rootin' for him."
"Seein' as ya like him an' all."
A smile ghosts over their face, hearing how happy she is with them. "Yeah?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika, at the time, found it a delicious salvation.
But now, Ichika--she's Ichika at the moment, because while they could be in danger, they aren't too much just now--she's in a black dress she put on for the date, with boots and bracelets and great cleavage, which she still has now, incidentally. Her accessories went pretty well with all of it.
And now, Ichika smiles. "So you are."
Then, "Yeah, I do." She moves closer, leaning in, and moves her face down to Tsubasa's, well within their personal space.
"Yeah," she says. "I want to be with you. So just remember that while you're setting me up, yeah?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Eels are a constant threat, man. Like when they're always dodging that dance teacher whose whole thing is trying to adopt all the fucking truants --
Tsubasa tilts their head, listening to Ichika until she swans on in, and Tsubasa senses one kind of danger, certainly. ... it just so happens to not be the kind they need feathers for.
Their hands unfold, and come to rest lightly at her hips; they're wearing too many layers on their face for the happiness to be entirely obvious, but the smile that spreads over their face is kind of telling on them, anyway. "Yeah," they say, again -- but more softly, this time.
It takes them another couple of breaths to actually figure out how to say what's lodged in their chest, but they get there. "... works out great for me... since I want you to be happy. An' I wanna be with you, too."
They look down -- and, yes, Ichika looks great right now -- though their gaze does settle on one of their hands, a moment later, before they bring their blue eyes back up to her striking reds. "This cool with ya, right now...?" They stop to check, despite how strong she's been over the past few days, despite it being these past few days.
It's important.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Daaanger.
But Ichika smiles back. She can see the expression, even if she can't see everything. ...Besides, it's dark out here to begin with, but for the moonlight.
But when they answer... Ichika nods back.
"Good," she says. Then, she notices Tsubasa is staring, and smiles a little more until the moment passes. A hand, and... her eyes.
"It's cool," Ichika asys. "...And not just because I'm looking to be distracted."
"Though..." She admits, "The Dark Hour is a little weird as a setting."
She pauses. "Anyway. That's your cue to kiss me," she says, "If you want. ....Then I wanna talk a little more."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"What," Tsubasa's smile turns sly, "you worried one a them weird horny snakes is gonna spy on us?"
"..."
"... fuck, now I am too," concern flits over Tsubasa's face, as their hands shift a little higher. They shake their head, declaring, "Fuck it, lock in," and grab Ichika --
-- to spin her around and push her up against the wall where they were once leaning.
Good news: Ichika gets what she wants!
... and once Tsubasa's all out of breath, they take her by the hand as they wander over to the spiral staircase, plonking themself down on the stairs and inviting her to come sit on the marginally more comfortable seat of them.
"... what'd ya wanna talk about?" They ask, an arm still slung loosely around her midsection.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"..." Ichika thinks about the weird horny snakes for just long enough to be caught off-guard when Tsubasa grabs her. With a little noise of delight she's spun around and--
"Mmm..."
Ichika's not quite out of breath, but she does have a goofy look on her face. A happy one, but unmistakably goofy. And she lets herself be led over to the stairs, where she promptly sits in Tsubasa's lap.
Ichika does like getting what she wants.
"...I wanna talk about us," she says. "About what comes next, I guess."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa gets out of breath more easily than Ichika; something, something, smoke inhalation damage. It's fine. It just means it's easier to take their breath away!!
... and, well, they might look a bit goofy, too, even if they're less emotive at baseline.
"Yeah...?" Tsubasa asks, their free hand coming up to fiddle with Ichika's nice long hair. (It's notably long, if they can mess with it at her shoulder. Let's all notice how long it is.)
"... I been thinkin'," Tsubasa goes on, rubbing a few strands of that hair between their rough fingertips, "it's kinda lame, but... might try 'n keep outta shit with the pigs a bit more from now on. Like... you wanna be gettin' a family an' shit, right? Settlin' down, or whatever... that prick never ruined that dream for you. Kinda... why I'm rootin' for Sakamoto-kun so much, yeah? Not that it's just 'cuz he's a dude... like, he's legit." Which is high praise, in their parlance.
"... I been lookin' inta detective licences, or whatever," they say, a touch embarrassed, as they glance aside. "They won't let you do that shit 'less you had a clean record for five years... since I got sentenced an' all, I'm kinda fucked right now, they reckon I did it, but... but if I kept me nose clean, would only be three more years I was waitin'. An' look, I... I get it, Akechi-san's no good, but... but I'm good at this shit, y'know? An' jus' -- there is a bunch a shit th' pigs won't help with. Thought... fillin' those gaps wouldn't be so bad, an'... it's somethin' you can actually tell a kid you doin', y'know? Not like... crime shit."
Tsubasa pauses, shrugging a shoulder. "Uh, maybe it's stupid... I 'unno."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It's not something Ichika is going to complain about.
Very, very long, and softer than bleached hair rightly ought to be, thanks to the meticulous care she takes of it.
But Tsubasa's been thinking... And Ichika listens. She leans a little on Tsubasa as she does, but what they say..
"Yeah," she answers. "I do. ...I still do, even if he was a huge prick about it." But why they're rooting for him. "Heh. I've tried not to overwhelm him with that stuff, you know? But I think he knows where I stand."
"...Oh, really?" Detective licenses. "Wow, that's cool..."
So that's why. Avoiding doing shit the cops won't like, so...
"It's cool," she says. "Just because he's apparently a huge ass doesn't mean that all detectives are. There's that Uchida-san, right? And a detective is like a journalist who doesn't go talking about it. Right?"
"...I'd love it if I could tell my kids what you do," she says. "Since I want you to be there for them, and all. So..."
"Does that mean we stop doing so much gang shit?" she wonders. "I still like the crew, but..."
"I guess I feel like I got places to go now, too."
"Anyway, whatever we do... I think that's really cool. You'd be real good at it, too."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Fair," Tsubasa tilts their head, with a little bob. (They don't need feathers to resemble a bird, apparently.) "Don't wann' spook him none."
It's probably not the kind of thing most people their age are thinking about... but most people their age haven't had all the hopes of their age stripped from them.
Still, Tsubasa can't help but look pleased when Ichika declares it to be cool.
"Yeah," they nod, when Ichika brings up Tamaki. "She's cool. An'... yeah. They, like... figure out what's really goin' on for folks what can't let it go. Some of it's, like, romance shit... but there's, like, corruption the cops won't go after too, or like, missing people they give up on findin'... all that kinda shit."
Their gaze grows thoughtful, as Ichika brings up her children; then their shoulders lift, in a shrug, when she asks about gang shit. "I dunno, man... I ain't plannin' on becomin' borin' overnight or nothin', neither. Y'know? Anyway, some fucks are askin' to eat th' curb, we're gonna eat shit if we start backin' down from that... but I oughta start bein' more careful. Y'know? Now I can shake down Mementos for all it's worth, I don't gotta lift shit so much, like, I got more yen in me pocket... an' like, if I gotta jack some shit, I can jus' use th' Dark Hour fer that. The Princess'll get huffy," because shoplifting works best as a two-player sport, "but, y'know... she'll live? Like, havin' cash means I can stop sellin' essays, too... an' prolly... ain't hard to give the booze up, like, we never could invite Hibari-chan out to those parties anyway? Bit sad 'bout that one, but I shouldn't be, huh," Tsubasa cracks a grin, a touch rueful.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Exactly. Most people our age aren't thinking about that kind of stuff," she says, making the subtext text. "...But I am. Even if I know I gotta wait on it."
But Ichika remembers Tamaki. She wants to talk to her more sometime! But right now, "The romance shit might be fun too," she says. "Even if it's not as fulfilling as like, justice, and saving people."
Ichika meant what she said about her kids. But, "Heh, yeah. No need to be boring. ...And I guess that's true. We're still gonna have to fight."
More careful...
Ichika nods. "That makes sense. That's why I never got into liftin' stuff, you know? I never had to. Definitely don't have to now that I can hit up Mementos and stuff with you."
"She'll be fine--it's not like she super needs the cash, either. Maybe she can get her boyfriend to buy her more stuff. She'd probably be into that." He's a good guy! ...She probably won't lean on him like that. Anyway...
"That's cool. It's kinda fun, but when I drank with guys they never really got to the point, you know?"
"...We can be a little sad about it together . ...Besides, if I do less of this stuff I worry my parents less..."
"I think they worry about you now, too."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"I guess so," Tsubasa shrugs, threading Ichika's hair through their fingers some more. "Kinda feels like... the stuff I oughta think 'bout ain't really there for me no more, like... how I had to jus' eat shit on exams this semester, or how I ain't worryin' 'bout havin' the talk with me parents 'cuz some awkward shit's the last thing I'm thinkin' 'bout when I worry 'bout seein' 'em... or how I can't be thinkin' whether the pricks at school like me, 'cuz I look like a fuckin' horror show no matter what I do..."
They smile, rubbing at her side with their other hand. "Could be," they grant her. "So long's I can drop th' suss cases... y'know." For every woman worried that her husband is being unfaithful at work, there's a man who wants to better surveil his wife. (Sometimes, the genders don't even shake out that way!)
But they are still going to need to fight. Tsubasa nods, as well, when Ichika explains why she never got into theft. "Makes sense... I kinda had to, y'know?" They pause, their teeth pressing against their bottom lip, thoughtfully. "... I mean, guess I didn't always have to. Since I was a fuckin' charity case, like, churches an' shit would give me staple shit, jus'... rice is fuckin' borin' an' a pain in th' ass to make in th' microwave, y'know? Plus, ain't none a them places really got how important the makeup was to me gettin' out there to start with, so... y'know. Little a column A, little a column B. Heh... guess it's true th' Princess is jus' in it fer thrills, tho'."
They snort a laugh out when Ichika mentions what happened when she drinks with guys. "Ain't that -- like -- a point for drinkin' with me?" They ask, still grinning.
Still... her parents, huh.
"It's kinda weird, like... your mom really seems to give a shit 'bout me. Said I could go to her even if we fell out, how weird is that...?" It's not that weird, Tsubasa, your parents tried to kill you, every compassionate adult in a ten-mile radius wants to know your location now. "When she heard me talkin' like that, she said it was, like, soundin' very nice, like... it's kinda freaky how supportive she is."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Ah, yeah..." Ichika nods. "That makes sense. Kinda like... how I gotta think about marriage and stuff because I was almost there, already." Though Tsubasa's parents are horrible, as it happens. "But some of it we can still think about. That next movie, uh... video games. Stuff." She stops again, though, and looks at Tsubasa. "...You're not a horror show to me, though."
But, "Oh, yeah... True. But I figure you can take on what you want, right? That's what being 'private' is."
"Yeah," she says. "You didn't really have a lot of choice. Sure, you technically had some stuff available I guess, but... The makeup alone, yeah?"
Ichika laughs. "But I like it when they get to the point," Ichika counters. And she almost says something else--Tsubasa might catch it in the way her eyes linger on Tsubasa's.
"She does," Ichika agrees. "I'm glad she did that. ...Doesn't sound so weird to me, though."
"She's good. I want to be like her when I get older, you know? ...I mean, not just like her. I wanna be me, too. But you get it, right?"
"And I guess... I'm thinkin' about what happens when we go back to school, too."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"What kinda movie you wanna see next?" Tsubasa wonders, before they get completely flabbergasted by her ultimate point. They blink, staring at her for a moment, before their smile softens and they glance away. "Aw, c'mon..."
They nod, though, when Ichika declares that's what the private means. "Yeah." They don't have to take on the cases they don't feel good about.
And, "Yeah," the makeup alone would have cost more than they could have ever pawned off, even if they had infinite guitars to sacrifice.
"Ch'yeah," Tsubasa scoffs, with a grin. "S'what I'm sayin'. Works different for me. Unless you'd wanna, like... didn't need to get brave 'bout it or nothin'..." And if their hand settles down a little lower to hold Ichika to her by her hip, well, surely they're just making sure her seating is secure.
"Guess it ain't oughta be weird to most people," they suppose, their other hand smoothing at the hair at Ichika's shoulder. "Yeah... I get it. Ya kids'd be lucky havin' a mom like that... tho', I was thinkin'... uh..."
Tsubasa's gaze darts to the side, again, a little nervous. "Thinkin'... I'd wanna call 'em my kids too, uh... not like I'd a made 'em or nothin', but..." That's weird, right? That's so weird. ANYWAY --
"S-so what were you thinkin' with school, anyway?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Maybe something actiony, or... romancey," she says. "One of those. I kinda like both?"
But she smiles back. "I mean it."
That guitar... One day.
For now though, Ichika grins back. "...Hm... I mean..." She bites her lip. "...You should be real sure before you talk about that with me," Ichika says, "Because then I'm gonna want to do it." Ichika feels a little hotter, with Tsubasa's hand at her hip. And the way her voice quiets, takes on a breathier tone, might help Tsubasa feel the same way.
But it shouldn't be weird! That's true. "...You were?"
Ichika doesn't take the bait for the new subject. "That's..."
She smiles, after a moment. "So my kids'd get to have three whole parents, huh? ...That sounds really nice. I mean, I'd have to talk it with the father, but..."
"I like it. And I don't think I'm gonna get with a guy who wouldn't too."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Heh," Tsubasa grins. "Suits you." Ichika is both action-y and romance-y, after all, and enough of the latter to make their smile grow soft and warm at her next point.
... and Ichika doesn't need to be able to see past all their fake tan and concealer in the green moonlight to realise they're blushing, when her voice takes on a lower tone. "Let's... talk 'bout this other shit," though their grip tightens, and they're gripped by the fact that her lips are right there, too. "Fuck, man, I really want to... but we oughta wait a bit."
(As much as they'd like to... there's a part of them that feels like they had really better wait until the matter of Eiji is settled. Even if Ichika says she's here with them, and not running from someone else... the weight's settled on their chest, now, too.)
"It's jus', uh... I ain't... ain't never havin' none a mine, like how I told ya," Tsubasa explains, looking to Ichika again. "But that don't mean, like... I mean, after th' fire, all that talk stopped, but... ain't like I weren't gon' have no family neither. Ain't a thing where... I don't like kids or nothin'... got a face what scares 'em, but they're cool, y'know? So, I was thinkin'... stickin' with you, like... means I'd be doin' anythin' for ya kids too, right? An' I don't... wann' just be on the outside or nothin'. I'm thinkin', like... I'm thinkin'... how I get a job what lets me stick home to take care a 'em sometimes so you can go out chasin' a story, or... where I ain't pickin' up so much work I can't take a day off to get laundry an' dinner an' shit so you ain't run off ya feet. So long's no one's callin' me no housewife, like... bein' third means I ain't gotta fill one role all the time, right? That means you don't gotta... push yaself so hard to get ya dreams. An', like... means I can... see kids grow up, even tho' I can't have none."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Suits her! Ichika smiles back. But...
The blush, the way her grip tightens... "...Yes," she agrees. "There's stuff we should resolve first." She's thinking of Eiji, too. They need to wait. They need to be done with him, before she can really write new chapters. And that's soon.
...It's not so long to wait.
Still--
There is the matter of... the kids. Ichika listens, and nods after a moment. "I get it," she says, because she knows why that talk would stop, and why it would break her own heart if it happened to her. But... Kids, and...
"I don't want you to be on the outside," Ichika agrees. "If you did that..."
Hm.
"I might still want to stay home all the time," Ichika admits. "I mean, not literally all the time, but... Not work outside, you know? ...But I might want to. It's nice to have the option. And if your career's flexible, that means if I ever need extra help..."
She thinks about it. "Well," she says, "I want that. That sounds great to me. Nobody's gonna call you a housewife with me around, either."
"...I guess maybe that is my dream, now? A big place, where I can have you, and my husband, and the kids..."
"Not sure how all of it would work out yet, but..."
"I want that, too. To have you with me, not just hanging out."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Yeah." Tsubasa takes a long breath, about as deep as they can manage, as their free hand lifts to tuck her hair behind her ear. "But once that's settled... ask me again," they promise, their rough tones much more tender, now.
... and while they want to add a word to that statement, they know that beseeching her is a shade too honest for the weight they're both carrying. It's not a trivial act of self-control, and neither is the one that has them shifting their arm around her to curl about her side instead.
Luckily, they have an iron will. Besides: they like talking about Ichika's feelings, too. (... well, and maybe it's nice to share theirs with Ichika, even if they normally don't like expressing them at all. Ichika can hear about their complicated relationship with family which stems from growing up the wrong gender, something which makes them far more interested in helping raise a kid directly than most masculine-coded individuals who'd be content to just provide for the family, as far as they can tell. Of course, being raised as the wrong gender, Tsubasa doesn't know that their feelings aren't actually all that weird amongst the masc side, either...)
"If you want it that way, that's cool," Tsubasa smiles, to her. "Ain't no one said you had to have two jobs... tho' I reckon you'd feel more confident if you got qualified, even if you stayed home after, y'know? Ain't like I'd jus' let it rock if your husband ended up bad, but you ain't the type to want someone else rescuin' ya... it's more shit like that." Having the skills and the resources to save herself.
"But like, even if ya stayin' home, that's still work," Tsubasa points out. "An' ain't no one wants to work seven days a week, even if they love what they do... I like thinkin' like I can get to a place where I can cut you a break. Kinda like, uh, a bit a this, a bit a that... if I'm workin', I can be bringin' in money so ya husband ain't gotta cop more overtime than he's gotta take on th' chin, an' if I'm workin' a job I can bring home or skip fer a day, I can give you th' space to enjoy what ya got... y'know?"
Tsubasa strokes their fingers through Ichika's hair, smiling to her. "... y'know, that dream sounds pre' good to me. I ain't... been able to look forward too much, meself, so maybe... it's cool if I share yours a bit? 'Cuz I do... wanna be with you."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"I will," Ichika answers quietly. "Count on it."
They're right. It's not trivial for Ichika, either...
Ichika is still dipping into the real complexities of Tsubasa's gender; getting to know the 'was' as well as the 'is'. Maybe even the 'will be'.
"Yeah," Ichika says, "I would. ...if I let anybody rescue me, it'd be you," she tells Tsubasa, "But... it'd be good, to not be a 'weight' if that happens. That we could go together, instead of you having to just pull me out."
It is still work. "True," Ichika admits. "I like that idea. ...Yeah. I don't..."
"Daddy's work is really important," she says. "But I know Mom gets a little sad sometimes when he works too long. Though..." She thinks about it. "She's been happier lately. Even though he's been out some more. Well, they still get in date nights, so maybe that's why."
But her..
Ichika leans into Tsubasa's hand very slightly, with a sigh. "...Me, either," she says. "But now... I can."
"...Think it'd feel too girly to like... go with me to appointments sometimes, or something? ...I mean, when I get pregnant again. ..Stuff like that."
"...It's still too early to know if Ryuji-kun can be that guy," Ichika admits. "...But knowing you want to be with me for a long time..."
"It makes my heart beat a little easier, to know. I feel more... secure, like that. Safer."
"I love you," she says. "...And I'll make a home you can be happy in. I want to."
...And with their help, she won't have to do all of it... but it's important to her too to say this.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"We'll make sure it won't happen again," Tsubasa assures Ichika, firmly, and it gets to be 'we' because she trusts them to save her, but Tsubasa's still concerned with Ichika being able to save herself. "But part a that is givin' you more power, I reckon. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, right?" That might be kind of paranoid. Tsubasa might kind of have a thing about being paranoid. On the other hand: just because something's a bit paranoid, that doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong.
They think, to themself, in the manner of something being very cute, that Ichika is such a rich girl. (Then they get over her calling her father 'daddy', because she's still talking and they want to be present for her.) "Man, when I first heard about their date nights, I was fuckin' shook... ain't never somethin' me parents would get up to." Tsubasa pauses. "An', uh, if you jus' do the opposite of what they do you prolly do okay, far as I can tell."
But men are expected to work long hours... and maybe Tsubasa could do that, they think to themself, except that they'll be swimming upstream the whole way. If they can't win a battle, maybe they just... redefine what winning means.
Tsubasa's smile warms a little more, feeling the weight of Ichika's head against their palm. "Ain't girly at all," they assure her, gently. "I mean, it's normal for guys to go with, right...? Y'know, like... moral support, or to scare up bus seats or... whatever." Would Tsubasa grab a guy by the scruff and haul him out of the bus's priority seating just so Ichika could sit down when she was going to her antenatal appointments? (Obviously.)
"Talk like this'd put a lot a pressure on him, huh?" Tsubasa huffs out a laugh, one of those short, bassy 'hah's. "Bein' fair, he prolly has a point... it's weird shit to talk about when we're jus' eighteen." And if there's anything weird in the way they classify them both, Tsubasa doesn't focus on it. "Guess... we jus' been through so much dire shit, like... we can't count on th' normal future bein' out there for us. So maybe it's comforting for us to talk 'bout our adult lives like that... I mean," they add, with a shade more vulnerability, "it is for me. Knowin'... knowin' we wanna stick with it, like... feels like I can shape up way more if it's for you. It's... yeah... safer," they agree, smiling to her.
"Well," they add, glancing up, "guess I won't go talkin' like that to his face, but I wouldn't mind if Sakamoto-kun were that guy... reckon we'd support each other pre' well. It's cool, tho'," they add, their eyes finding Ichika's again. "Means you can take your time. I'll be with you all th' way, so you don't gotta rush inta gettin' a husband sorted. Yeah?"
Tsubasa tilts Ichika's head forward with a gentle hand at the back of her head, so they can lay a kiss to her forehead, instead. "Love you too, babe," they answer her, quietly. "I'm lookin' forward to seein' your kinda home... you're gonna kill it."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Cool," Ichika says. "...Guess that's true. In a broad way, I mean." She considers Tsubasa's paranoia. "...But I think I'm willing to lean harder on 'hope for the best' than I was before."
Ichika really is such a rich girl. "Haha. Yeah. They still do that. It's nice. " But, as to Tsubasa's parents, "Yeah, like--that's a damn good start already." She shakes her head. "Fuck 'em."
But Ichika doesn't want both of her guys to work all the time even if one ends up doing it. And when Tsubasa reassures her about what she might expect, "Yeah," she says. "That's good. ...That's important stuff."
But pressure. "Heheh. Yeah, it would. It's like... he's not even thinking along these lines right now? And that's cool and all." Ichika doesn't catch it. "Yeah, it's like that. ...Having that stuff to look forward to... it kinda, helps us. A lot."
"It's like that for me, too," she says. "With you."
"...Heh. Yeah. Not a lot of guys like him, huh?" she asks. "But you know... I think he wants me to put a little pressure on him. And maybe that's better. Not to treat him with kid gloves, you know? There's gotta be a middle ground between, like... 'let's hold hands' and 'let's get married.'"
She smiles back, though Tsubasa won't see it from there. "Tsubasa..."
"Thanks."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Hope for the best... it's always been hard for me," Tsubasa admits. "But... it feels a little easier, now we runnin' with the Phantom Thieves." Making a difference. Stopping the horrors. You know.
"Ya folks are way nicer," Tsubasa agrees, when Ichika throws invectives at their parents. ... it's a little safer than swearing at them themself.
It is important, though. Tsubasa nods, and nods again, when Ichika underlines how much that future helps them.
"Mm," they smile, when Ichika insists it's like that for her, too. But Ryuji... "You reckon?" Tsubasa wonders, thoughtfully. A middle ground? "Well, when ya put it like that..."
They nod, again. "... yeah. Cool. Won't be too fussed 'bout bein' delicate, then," Tsubasa grins, if briefly.
"Any time," they assure her, softly.