2026-10-23: My Christmas
- Log: My Christmas
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Ichika Kawase
- Where: Hirasaka - Main (Tsubasa and Shuyo's Apartment)
- OOC Date: October 23, 2026
- IC Date: January 29, 2013
- Summary: Tsubasa cooks dinner with Ichika over, and Ichika of course does a little cleaning. After, back in Tsubasa's room, they discuss their relationship, their present, and their future.
(|============================= Hirasaka - Main ==============================|)
-=============================================== Sumaru City/Hirasaka Ward ====-
The westernmost ward of the city, and also the one furthest inland, Hirasaka is
considered one of the least desirable places to live in Sumaru. This is in part
due to the bad reputation of local Kasugayama High School, nicknamed "Kasu High"
by its students and "Cuss High" by its detractors. A school of overwhelmingly
boys but some errant girls, it's said to be for delinquents, poors, and other
"problem" children. Just down the street is Sumaru Prison, which is not a prison
but an underground club with a live stage, and either way the parents of Sevens
students hate it.
It's not all bad in Hirasaka, though. The shopping is second to none, with a
huge five-story mall called Smile Hirasaka that offers a wide variety of
businesses and conference meeting rooms; just be sure to go on a day when the
stores aren't closed. For those who want a more homey atmosphere for their
purchases, there's Kameya Alley. Plenty of office buildings populate the area,
too.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Ichika's come over, and Tsubasa, knowing this... cooked dinner!! It's pretty stock-standard rice and chicken, with some of those little packs of frozen vegetables thrown into the mix and soy sauce to bring it all together, but they at least went to the trouble of adding some pickled vegetables on the side so it isn't just rice.
They are, slowly yet surely, trying to not be such a class A disaster in the home. Even Shuyo didn't give them as much shit for this one as he did when they tried to stir-fry noodles and ended up flipping the whole damn thing onto the floor. ... to be fair, that was really funny.
Now that everyone's eaten, though -- including Lance, who got a little rice as a treat on top of her usual dog food -- Tsubasa and Ichika have retreated back into Tsubasa's room, which once again is less of a class A disaster now Ichika's gotten into it. (She had time while Tsubasa was finishing getting dinner together; it's cool, she's allowed to fuck around in here, Ichika specifically is allowed to touch their shit.) "Wait, hang on," Tsubasa says, as they slide the door open and step inside, "where's me tomorrow clothes??"
Tomorrow clothes were in the less dirty pile of the various vaguely-categorised piles of their floordrobe. Conspicuously, the dirty laundry hamper is significantly more full than it was this morning.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It's good!! Ichika liked it, and commented as much. She particularly noticed the pickled vegetables positively, because adding something on the side is an important part of a good meal. Ichika today dressed a little more for the chill, a black minidress under a green jacket, with some light shoes. It's the sort of thing she could run in, if she wanted. And the room...
It indeed is clean by now, or at least, close enough to for most people. Possibly for Tsubasa???
"Over there," Ichika points out, having draped her jacket...somewhere. She is pointing towards the chair in front of the desk, where she's draped some clothes after cleaning them. "Clothes you're going to wear don't go on the floor."
She's been a little subdued today--but this, she smiles at.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Yeah, but like... that's why I throw 'em over there, so I don't step on 'em!" Tsubasa protests, only to hang forward, arms draped in front of them with a deep sigh. "I know, I know... but I at least been dumpin' th' ones I'm done with in th' box... jus' hard to be arsed 'bout it, y'know?"
There were a lot of clothes Tsubasa should have been done wearing that they still considered Clean Enough, but at least there were some things in the hamper when Ichika started this time...
They themself are in a tank top, top-wise, which can be easily shed to put on their shirt and hoodie -- because of course if they go out again they'll need to put their binder back on, but they pinkie-promised their back-alley chop-shop doctor they'd try and stop wearing it all day, so they've been making arrangements to dump it in the house. Their bottom half is ready to roam out and tag stuff, though, with a nice pair of warm cargo pants which shows more of their hips than any adult would ever deem appropriate. (This, you see, is hip, cool, and anti-authoritarian.)
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"You're doing better," Ichika agrees. "But it's a good thing I'm around today to look after you. You had a few things that were definitely in the 'dirty' category that weren't int he dirty pile...
Ichika's gone for soft fabrics today all around. This is probably for the best. She could also run around and tag shit! But right now...
Fwump. "Oh, that sounds nice," Ichika says, already a few steps closer before she actually thinks about it. "Oh..."
(The floor has other uses!!)
"...Before we get to too much thanking," Ichika says, sitting on the bed and reaching out for Tsubasa's hand, "There was... something I wanted to talk about, too."
"It's kinda been on my mind..."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"I don't get it," Tsubasa says, a touch haplessly, "you got some kinda... clean-o-vision or some shit. All looks fine t' me."
It's the dissociation, Tsubasa. Numbing out about everything around you is just another word for ignoring the evidence of your eyes.
(And here they are insisting they're not of the Party...)
At first they grin, as Ichika leans into it; but then she pauses, and they take her hand, instead. "Yeah?" They ask, the tone of their voice shifting to something more serious, in the process. "What's eatin' ya?"
That's a contextual question, but right now they're worried about what's weighing on her.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika laughs softly. "Maybe I can teach you. It's that kind of power." Ichika notably doesn't shame Tsubasa for not seeing it; it's just a difference between them. But Ichika's been especially careful about keeping floors clean with how close her mother is to her due date, and the habit extends to her own dorm and Tsubasa's apartment, too.
But Ichika is really tempted to skip talking in favor of having a more fun answer to that question. Tsubasa can probably see the temptation in the tilt of her head--before she decides to be responsible, and places her other hand over the theirs together. "It's about Ryuji-kun," she says.
"We were out at a park yesterday," she says, which is both true and also a euphemism, "And I got to talking with him... About our relationship. About what we expect of each other?"
"...And I realized..."
"You and me, we can be serious. We know what we want in life, where we're going in the next few years. But he's a second-year. He's nowhere near prepared to be like this, and it's... it's not cool, to make him."
"If I let him, he'll just hurt himself trying to be the man I'm looking for, instead of the boy I like. And I think we'll both resent it when it works out like that."
"...But where's that leave us?" she says. "I mean, we're having fun, but... I'm not sure we can un-ring that bell, you know?"
"I just don't know. So I want to know what you think."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"I dunno, man... did okay wit' dinner, tho', didn't I?" They at least look pretty excited to mention that, because there are some aspects of home support they're handling much better.
When you're not good at something, you just gotta tackle it one thing at a time...
What Tsubasa is good at, though, is helping Ichika get to what she needs even if she might want an easier solution. So they hold her hand, and don't pull her in for more than that, and they ask: "Yeah? What 'bout 'im?"
They listen, as she explains it all, with a thoughtful frown which is milder on one side of their face than the other. "... yeah," they rumble, at length. "He'll still be in school next year... it'll be kinda weird. Reckon he's jus' gon' feel even more like a kid when that happens... might try catchin' up too quick. But it ain't like you can jus' stick a pick up ya eye an' forget your last couple years neither..."
They shake their head. "... shit's complicated," they settle on. "My read's that he's puttin' off adulthood since his father fucked him up so bad... reckon he's worried that if he stops fuckin' around, he'll start fuckin' up, too. But you went th' opposite way wit' it... brought into skippin' ahead, 'cause it seemed like you bein' childish was what fucked shit up with ya brother, an' then you got sold a bridge 'bout ya maturity by that prick. Maybe there's a way forward through that, y'know? Thinkin', like... you both got fucked up, an' that's what sent ya to opposite poles. But it's not like... this shit ain't somethin' you can jus' change 'cuz you see how it happened."
They jerk a thumb back over their shoulder, towards their room. "I can't exactly go back to livin' with me folks after takin' care of me own ass this long, neither."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"You did great with dinner!" Ichika enthuses. "Keep it up, just like that. It was really good, you know? The chicken was well-cooked, and the pickled veggies were a really nice addition..."
One thing at a time.
Tsubasa's very good at that; left to her own devices, Ichika would just hop into bed and worry about it later... or never. But she's gotten better about that, herself. One thing at a time, after all.
But Tsubasa gets what she's saying, first off. Ichika looks their way, stroking Tsaubas's thumb to soothe herself as she does. "That's what I'm worried about," she says. "He feels like he has to be 'the man I need', all this pressure on himself... but he doesn't see a path forward to it."
"...Yeah, I can't," she agrees."
It's complicated. "Oh..." Ichika tilts her head, thinking about it. She doesn't have a spare hand to run through her hair, but her eyez focus and unfocus, on something on the wall.
"...Yeah," she says. "I know... a 'normal' girl wouldn't need to figure all this out right this minute. Somebody who didn't... have my history."
"You can't," she says. "Mm..."
"I mean," she says, "I don't know how to go back to that girl. ...And to be honest, I don't really want to."
"But yeah, that's jsut it. Like... You and me, I feel like we're solid. And I wouldn't mind, if Ryuji-kun and I were just having fun. ...But it's more than that, and I can't... make it go back to something casual, either."
"It's not fair to either of us."
"...But I don't think I can keep going with it like this. With him, like this."
"...Am I wrong though? We are good, aren't we? You and me?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Yeah, I was like... dinner's gotta have more shit, right?" Tsubasa, who has made cans of tuna into dinner more times than they'd care to admit, is at least getting a grip on that.
One thing at a time, and right now, the grip they've got is on Ichika's hand. They let her play with it as she likes, squeezing at the hand they're grasping gently.
"Pressure's on both a ya," they point out, gently, as she looks past the wall to her own history. "Hard to be a carefree teenager when ya went through ya shit."
They shake their head, as they conclude: "Leaves ya in a rough spot. An' me... it's hard for me, too. But... found it pre' handy, gettin' reminded not to sweat shit too hard. Been a couple spots where I was lookin' up plane tickets..." You know. The whole 'being targeted by a shadowy government conspiracy and trying to figure out where in the world they can flee to where they'll actually be safe from retribution' thing which keeps being a thing they struggle with. "... got dragged out th' arcade. Got me head on right. Like, it's hard," to act their age, "but it's not like... worse."
They shake their head, again, and reach over with their other hand to join both of Ichika's. "Solid," they assure her, then. "Like... still wish I were born different, woulda been a lot easier, but... I ain't freaked out thinkin' 'bout tomorrow. Uh, I mean, I am, but more jus' -- like -- figurin' out how I'm gon' get another job -- y'know, shit like that? Not your shit. I like your shit."
Beat.
"Uh. Lemme rephrase," Tsubasa rumbles, a touch awkwardly, as they realise just how they phrased it. "All ya like -- wantin' to do shit together -- I'm good with that, like, I love you, man, y'know? It's like that."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Totally," Ichika says. "You gotta have balance in your food. One thing alone isn't that balanced as meals go." She smiles.
But Ichika does keep playing at Tsubasa's hand; she's fidgeting, is what she's doing, uncomfortable as she tries to work out complicated feelings.
"Both of us, yeah?" Ichika thinks about it. "I guess." But, Tsubasa finds it a roughs pot, and Ichika listens to that too, her bleached hair catching some of the light in the room.
"Mm, yeah. That's true. It's fun to... have fun," she says. "...I'm glad he could help you with that." She assumes it was him, this time. "But I can't forget. ...It would be wrong, if I forgot."
"...It would be easier," she admits. "But I wouldn't want you to be somebody else, either. I get it, though. I'm a little worried about how to get it all done, myself, thinking about it."
She squeezes Tsubasa's hands. "...OK, rephrase helped."
"I love you, too. Just like you are."
Ichika sighs, then, flops to the side until she reaches Tsubasa, to lean on them. "There's so much I want," she says. "...And it's not like I have to have it all right now. But if I don't think about how to get it, I'm scared it'll just... time will pass, and I'll be in the same position but later."
"...I think I know what I have to do. I don't think I can have it 'both ways', and I can't go back and change how it is. I just wanted to know what you thought, too. How you felt about it."
"Like... The way our relationship can accomodate other people, for the stuff we want, the stuff we... need. It means I don't want to make big decisions without touching base with you."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa appreciates the balance Ichika brings to their life, and, in turn, they're perfectly happy to let her stim with their hand.
And, indeed, it was Ryuji who helped Tsubasa out of their own head that day -- because while Ichika carries a lot of supporting Tsubasa with their paranoia, she's not carrying that weight alone. Even just with regards to their friends, they can go to Ren about it, or Hibari, or Mona now he's forgiven them, or Makoto, or Haru, or Yusuke, or...
(It's kind of lucky, really, because those are some heavy issues, only made heavier by the way they don't trust the pills their corrupt psychiatrist gives them. Not even Ichika is swole enough to carry them on her own.)
"Yeah," they agree, quietly. "Can't jus' forget."
They bite their lip, as they admit: "I don't wanna ditch Kuzunoha... but I can't work for real for a couple years, still, an' we don't pull enough cash to pay me real good. I been thinkin'... ways to pull cash quick... uh, harder when I ain't thinkin' illegal jobs." If they get another charge, that's another five years they're stuck waiting, after all. "Might be I jus' spend more time in Mementos... jus' gotta figure out how to max out me profit and avoid spendin' it all on medicine when I get out."
You know. On account of losing all their cognitive and actual blood.
(They just take it as a given that Ichika understands they're talking about how to afford a new place after they graduate without asking their father for help; this is hardly the first time they've spoken about it, after all.)
They flash a grin, briefly, when Ichika squeezes their hands. "Cool." They tripped over their words, but it is kinda funny... well, at least it can be funny here, in private, when they don't have to worry so incessantly about whether their reputation is going to take a hit.
(They're constantly preoccupied about their rep, but they believe Ichika, too, when she says she loves them as they are...)
They lift a hand from hers to wrap them around her shoulders, when she tilts over into their space, rubbing at her opposite arm. "Jus' waitin'... it's hard, yeah?" They suppose, gently. "Seems to me like lettin' time pass would remind you 'bout that prick leadin' ya 'round... I ain't ever known you to do well bein' passive. It's cool," they assure her, gently. "That's why you're the Boss."
That never stopped being a thing, or anything, even if they're the one holding her.
"Yeah... sounds like you know what you gotta do," they say, slowly, slower to account their own feelings instead of psychoanalysing their partners. "Me... I prolly need more time 'fore I get into anythin' serious with a guy again... an' I didn't wanna put Ryuji in a weird spot when he was into you, neither. He's reliable, like... helped me out, too, but... I see why you're worried 'bout him, y'know? So, like... if you reckon you gotta have a serious talk with him... I'm behind ya."
They take a breath, as they close their eyes. "I think... it's better we know more 'bout that, now. Means we can... let a guy know what he's in on from th' start, 'stead a workin' out th' parachute after we already jumped. Jus', uh... 'bout that, I been thinkin'..."
They bite at the inside of their cheek, again, quiet for a moment. "... you reckon... it'd be easier if I got me operation an' shit? Like... I ain't a guy, but... I was thinkin', me papers are gon' be wrong either way, an'... at least if I had an 'M' on 'em it wouldn't be so hard. I--I mean, I know you need -- shit I can't stitch on -- but -- but like... y'know? Even... even jus' for work, like... if I don't do nothin', they'll expect me to be outta there by Christmas..."
Not literally by Christmas. They're referring to the anxiety of Japanese women to be married before they're 25.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
That is pretty much what's happening. ...She can do balance, but she needs sometimes to account for her own, too.
Ichika does her best, but she knows she can't do all of it. ...However much she might like to. Having good friends they can count on is good for both of them. "Right."
"Mm, yeah..." Ichika thinks about it, too. "Money's hard. ...He was worried about that, too. He's got to get his camera stuff in order if he wants to do more of his videos, too."
"...Yeah. We wanna go legit. If we're talking illegal shit there's a ton we could do, but... I don't want to keep you in that position. You especially." Ichika has a family to fall back on; Tsubasa really doesn't have anything to stop them falling through the cracks but Ichika herself. She thinks about it though. "Yeah. Maybe grinding it out on the upper levels is better... or maybe I come with you sometimse."
Ichika totally gets it; she understands, anyway. But this is a good time to venture, "But it'll be cheaper if we... go in together, don't you think? You and me."
Pause.
Ichika lans into Tsubasa further, glad to be held for the moment. "It's really hard," she agrees. "I'm not saying I want to get pregnant again right now or anything. ...I just... want to have a plan." Tsubasa has it right, ichika thinks, and zshe closes her eyes at that assurance. "...Do i still get to be the Boss, when we graduate? When I change some?"
She does know what she has to do, she thinks. But that leaves what Tsubasa needs to do and feel. "...That's fair," Ichika says. "If you ever wanted to, like--I'm super down if we both get into someone. ..But for Ryuji-kun, I think you did the right thing. He wasn't ready either. I'm worried, but... I'm gonna have to trust him."
But it's better... that they know more now? Ichika lets go of Tsubasa's hand to set it around their other arm, curling herself up in her partner. She doesn't respond at first--because Tsubasa is still thinking.
Still talking.
Ichika's eyes widen as she thinks about it. An 'M'...
"You'd do that?" Ichika wonders, and there is wonder indeed in her voice. "I mean, I never wanted to push--I know you're not a man or a woman. ...But... If I think about it..."
For work, they'd expect them out by 25. "Like me, probably," Ichika admits. She knows full well she wants to prioritize her family; if she can balance a career with that after 25 great, but...
"But Tsubasa..."
"...It would be a lot easier if you had that 'M'," she admits. "And yeah, you wouldn't have... everything I need, but..."
"In the end, that's up to you. I won't push either way. ...But I want you in my Christmas, if that makes sense, no matter what."
"But you'd have a whole lot of it, Tsubasa." Ichika's voice goes quieter, softer. "...I think that is better. Being able to know and go right-off."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
<poem>
Tsubasa is starkly vulnerable -- and only moreso, when one considers the avenues of illegal work opening up to them now they're taking their hormones. They'd steal things, first, but... well, money problems are money problems.
Better to avoid it entirely.
"Like we been doin', yeah," since of course Ichika already doesn't like Tsubasa going deep into Mementos alone, particularly after Shiryuu's assault. "Jus'... feel bad takin' up everyone's time with that shit."
But Ichika suggests going in together, and Tsubasa blinks, looking to her. "You cool wit' that? Even tho' I ain't sure where th' money's comin' from?" They ask, a touch apprehensive. "Uh, maybe it'd be easier ta grind out Mementos if we was doin' it for rent... ya reckon?"
That's distinctly not a 'no'!!
And they understand her need to plan, too.
"... you wanna be?" Is how they answer her question, when she asks about being the Boss. "I can't... get respectable like that, or nothin', uh... so... but it's not like all ya power's concentrated in ya hair dye or nothin'."
They nod, when Ichika says it comes down to trust. "Yeah. That shit's hard for me, but... uh... hope it'll be okay."
They settle into embracing Ichika a little more fully, as she reaches over them, resting their cheek against her hair and speaking into it. (A thing they can only really do with Ichika at a tilt as she is; she's taller than they are.) "It jus'... sucks less gettin' called a dude, y'know? Don't change that I'm a whole lotta nothin', but... ain't like I expect to be accepted by th' fuckin' government any time soon. An' even if I wanted to have a baby, it'd prolly jus' end up killin' me... y'know, th' scars an' shit. Uh, or they could cut it out, I guess, but that don't solve th' problem a gettin' one in there to start wit'... or how I'd prolly end up toppin' meself after three months a goin' to a women's clinic where everyone tells me I'm gonna be a fuckin' mom, tops."
Would they have a baby in the perfect universe which recognised that not all birthing parents are women and people other than women can access IVF and those people need sperm donors because they're not all partnered up with men? That question is so outside the scope of the society Tsubasa actually lives in that they don't even entertain it.
"I jus'... gotta figure out some way to live, an'... like, it's better for us, too, so... I was thinkin' 'bout it," they conclude, softly. "If you reckon it's good, too... cool. Can start askin' some questions. Still not sure if I might not be fucked with all th' scars an' shit, but... ain't like I checked yet, right?"
Tsubasa's been pulled up on their pessimism enough times that they remember they can't just dismiss a possibility before they've even investigated it, at least.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika at least can see that vulnerability. She doesn't want to shirk from what she can do to alleviate it. Leaving Tsubasa in that position is not an option.
Besides, "Right," Ichika says about what they've been doing, but, "It's cool. ...I mean, the practice is good for all of us."
Then--Ichika smiles. That's not a 'no'. "I am," Ichika says. "I mean... I want to be near you. As much as I can. That's a good way to stay close, right?" A beat, "And that might be true, too."
Does she want to still be the Boss? "I mean... I don't want to give up and become some shy violet just because I'm not having to rumble all the time." A beat, "...Guess that's true, though. And like... I wouldn't ask you to. And you better believe even if I go all-out on that, I'll still want to stand with you when I go out. If we look different together, that's fine with me."
But trust... "Mm. It's hard for me sometimes, too. But I think it will be. ...He's cool like that. I'm not saying it's 'nothing', but..."
Ichika sighs against Tsubasa, keeping her eyes closed for now. She's tilted, and she's going to find her leg falling asleep if she stays like this indefinitely, but for right now being sprawled about Tsubasa is just where she wants to be.
"That makes sense," she says quietly. "..Yeah. The government's not gonna change like that soon." She hears them talk it out; it makes sense to her, what they're saying, but more importantly it's what theys eem to feel. "Yeah. Like... Um, they've got... science ways? To do it without--you know. But it sounds like you wouldn't want to anyway. ...I can kinda see that, too." About the womens's clinic having such a good effect on Tsubasa.
"But I want to. ...I want to have a few, even."
Some way to live...
"Mm, it would be. If you got that M, then... Um..." She bites her lip. "...I'm not gonna ask for more commitment than what we've got, yet. ...But I wanna be somebody's wife one day, you know...? It... it doesn't have to be some man I haven't even met yet."
She turns her face down, a little away, in slight embarrassment. "But yeah. Worth checking. Let me know what you find, OK? We'll tackle it together."
Ichika's happy about the possibility, anyway. "...So um, these hormones are working out for you, huh? ...Do you think you could introduce me to the doc? I--I mean, I don't want those! But there's something else I thought about."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Me, too," Tsubasa rumbles, when Ichika expresses she wants to be close. "... bit scared you'll be sick of me livin' with me, but... ain't like you ain't seen how I live comin' over or nothin'. So... let's do it."
They pause, and ask, a touch delicately: "Hey... why you thinkin' of changin', anyway?"
But Ryuji is cool. And Ichika sprawls...
"Uh... heard 'bout freezin' eggs an' shit. If I ain't fucked 'em up yet, maybe I can do that before I rip it all out... give 'em to you or whatever." They've looked into it!
"I ain't gon' ask that right now, either," Tsubasa says. "Reckon, like, raise th' concept 'fore I make any big declarations or some shit. But, uh... oughta be possible, if I get me paperwork an' everythin'... y'know. 'Least it ain't impossible like now."
They press a kiss into her hair, rather than making her look at them, and say: "Yeah. We'll check it out." Together!
And then -- their doc! They're pretty protective of who she is, as a rule; she's breaking the law, getting hormones to them two years early. But Ichika breaks all laws, and so: "Sure. She's got a chop shop down in Yongen-Jaya... I'll take ya down next time I go see her. She's shady, but all them doctors are, an' at least she'll tell ya that shit straight to ya face."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Definitely not," Ichika says of getting sick of it. "Besides, thre's other benefits to having a girlfriend around full-time..." She smiles, and nudges her head against their cheek. "Those apply for the girlfriend, too."
"Mm, well... I figure I've got different kinds of fights waiting for me at university. Like, if I'm gonna interview people, I need to know how to make them comfortable opening up to me. Some people, the way I look now, that'll work better--but a lot of people would write me off faster like that. So I figure I gotta figure out how to live in 'that' world some again, too."
Freezing eggs... Ichika thinks about it. "Really?" she asks. "Wow... I've heard of it, but having it in front of me is way different. If that's something you're interested in, we could totally look into it. I'm going to want to have a big family anyway, so..." Carrying one of Tsubasa's, if Tsubasa doesn't find it too weird, is something she'd be willing to consider.
But raising the concept is important. And, "Yeah. It's... on the table in a way it wasn't going to be, otherwise. That's really something."
She smiles at the kiss in her hair, and strokes Tsubasa's arm. "Mm!"
Ichika is glad to be trusted! And she explains. "...I'd want a doctor who could be... discreet, you know? Since..."
"I was thinking... Maybe I should get on birth control? If I'm gonna still look into other guys, try to find somebody that might be our other one day... It'd reassure me a little if I were less worried about--you know. Starting all that earlier than I'm ready."
"I always heard it messes with your body, but... if you're on treatment for guys, a treatment for women might be OK for me, right...?"
"But I don't want to ask my regular doctor before I can learn more, I'm... kind of embarrassed to be thinking about it."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Heh heh," Tsubasa chuckles, giving Ichika a bit of a squeeze at her insinuation. "Sure do."
But when they hear that Ichika needs to not be threatening to get her stories, it clicks, in their head. "Oh, huh... so, like... makin' people let their guard down? Hrm..." They frown, thoughtfully. "Guess I have t' think bout that shit, too... but I don't see how I wouldn't stick out."
A light pause.
"... nah, I do," they say, their voice quieter. "Before she left, me mom... she was sayin' how they had a plastic surgeon an' shit... wanted to fix me. But... I can't... not like that." And how much it would cost to do it themself...
That'd be a loooong night in Mementos.
"Yeah," Tsubasa says. "Costs a bit, but it's, like... you can do it. Might need to bribe a couple guys to do it this young, tho'..." But so long as the crimes don't become convictions, it's not like Tsubasa has a moral standing against them. It's not a crime if you don't get caught, you know.
"Really somethin'," they echo, tenderly.
And there -- Ichika's discreet thoughts. "Sounds like a good idea to me," Tsubasa says. "Ain't like hormones have made me grow a third tit or some shit. This doc's pretty unconventional -- you'll prolly love her style -- so I reckon she'd be on top a it... worth lookin' into."
They squeeze her a bit tighter, nuzzling their face into her hair. "Real responsible," they affirm, with a warm rumble. "It's a good idea. Means I don't gotta worry if you're a few weeks in when we're gettin' into it, too..."
Ichika might be the Boss, but if the Boss likes getting rowdy at home as well as outside, who is Tsubasa to argue???
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika grins back. She might be up for what she almost distracted herself with earlier in a bit... but after sorting out her feelings, instead of 'instead of'.
"Yeah," Ichika says. "It's like that. At Kasu, if I don't rough my look up some I stand out in a bad way--get trouble like I got that day. ...It's not quite the same, though. Nobody's gonna try to throw down because I've got black hair or you've got magenta. ...There's some people who might give you shit, but if we're going to PIC, that's like... international right? They're used to 'different'."
Plastic surgery, though... "Yeah, kinda out of reach..."
But! Costs a bit, but doable. Hmm. "Yeah... Well, doesn't have to be immediate. I'd want to have a couple with my own first too, you know? So by the time we were ready, we might've been able to save up."
Crimes! ...Sometimes they're just necessary.
That tender echo makes Ichika's cheeks feel warm. But she is emmbarrassed about the next. Her voice goes a little distant accordingly, her feet kicking lightly back and forth. "Yeah?" Ichika asks. "...Yeah." No third tit. But iince it sounds like a good idea, "Cool. Then I'll ask her about it."
And Tsubasa calls it responsible! "Yeah! ...I mean, i'm good at remembering to use condoms, but..." There's a lot of potential 'buts' there. But it means Tsubasa has to worry less, and Ichika smiles at that. "Yeah! Means we don't have to be as careful if I get late."
She finally lifts her head though, shifting to try to see Tsubasa's face. "...Thanks, though. And like... as for moving in..."
"I want you to be able to come home to me, you know? ...And I want to go home with you. ...Having fun with somebody else, getting to know somebody else... That's fine and all."
"But I want to be with you."