bootyhunter | CALL ME OUT

I know.

[He says blankly in response to the teasing, his brown eyes vacant, yet still oddly gentle. There is a tenderness with which he utters those words, again, his voice soft and suave.

Dandy hasn't been this naked or vulnerable in the company of someone else for quite some time, that much he knows. He also understands that he hasn't felt this comfortable with anyone else in even longer, and usually content to stretch his limbs and wrap them around whoever doesn't kick him out of bed.

It takes him a second or so, but eventually, Dandy slowly begins to rest his head on Hagakure's chest. The second their skin touches, he feels something visceral within him take place.

Almost like a spark.]

It's Yasuhiro or somethin' like that.

Your first name, I mean.

[Memorable, huh?

He tries not to address the comment.

Dandy and memory haven't been on good terms lately.]

You like it?

[Hagakure's getting better and better at noticing that hint of melancholy when it rears his head. He doesn't point it out this time, however, because he also thinks he understands where it's coming from.

Instead, he speaks through his actions. After Dandy gets situated on his chest, he wraps his arms around the other man to hold him close. He's always wanted to do this: to hold someone he cares about and keep them safe, if only for the night. If he can do that much, then maybe he can tell himself he's done something worthwhile.

His heart beats steadily but gently in his chest- a testament to how comfortable he also feels in this situation.]

Yeah, that's right. But you can keep callin' me Gooby if that's too much of a mouthful.

[Really, it has nothing to do with the length of his name. It's the fact that it's his given name, and that it's the first time Dandy has actually uttered it. A lot of the others here in New Rapture have been calling him Yasuhiro and while it was weird to get used to, he hasn't bothered asking them to use his last name instead. Not everyone's from Japan, so he gets it.

Dandy calling him Yasuhiro makes him feel a certain sort of way, though. The cultural significance sticks out in his mind much more blatantly.

He tips his head slightly at the question.]

Like what? My name?

Yeah.

[Just like before, when he felt the clairvoyant's hands stroking his undone hair, the oddly sentimental gestures fill him with a deep sense of satisfaction, something innate.

And old.

For now, he tries to play it cool, just as he did seconds before.]

I noticed most everybody 'round here uses that when they're referrin' to ya.

Isn't that weird for you, or whatever?

Oh, you're familiar with Japanese customs?

[Hagakure sounds surprised. He knows that Dandy knows about Earth, obviously, but not everyone from Earth knows that the Japanese tend to use last names for just about every situation.]

It's kinda weird, yeah, but I've gotten used to it. It's a lot easier to just deal with it than correct every single person that does it.

[And he'd be a bit of a hypocrite to do it, since he's taken the opportunity to be more informal than usual on his own end.]

Outside of this place, I don't get to hear it all that often unless someone's referring to me with my full name or my mom's talkin' to me. So it's kinda nice!

You could say that.

[He decides not to divulge any further. The poor guy doesn't have to know everything, not just yet.

He should have tomorrow morning to figure out if this is really for him or not.]

Oh, whoaaaaa.

[Here, Dandy feigns surprise. It's clear that he's adopted a facetious tone.]

So you're down! Hm.

Most people get all offended, 'cause it's a little up close and personal, right?

Is that somethin' you're into? Bein' as close as ya can to other people?

Edited 2022-09-12 19:56 (UTC)

[Hagakure's glad that Dandy can't get a good look at his face right now. Just to be sure, he plops his head all the way back so he can make a face at the ceiling.

As if the uptick in nervousness going on with his voice doesn't give him away.]

It's not that deep... I dunno, I've never been all that big on formalities. S'why I give nicknames 'n' stuff. When I'm talkin' in Japanese, I use "-cchi" instead of "-san", for example.

[If Dandy is also familiar with Japanese honorifics, he'll know that "-cchi" is used as an affectionate sort of term.

In other words, he's right on the money about Hagakure wanting to be close to others. Hagakure just never thought that hard about it.]

Dummy.

[It's said almost with a musical note at the end. To comfort him, Dandy presses the bridge of his nose against the younger man's chest.

It's a shame.

He really could get used to this.]

Doin' that with people you don't know all that well just makes ya seem desperate!

[Dandy is familiar, indeed, even if his memory is a tad foggy.]

And you aren't all that great at playin' it cool.

[The gesture helps to calm him a little, but he still can't help but feel dismayed by how much cold, hard truth is getting put in his face. Damn it, he feels really naive all of the sudden.]

D-Does it really? I just thought I was bein' approachable.

[He is very pointedly not addressing that other call-out, by the way!!]

Well...I guess it could be that. Partly.

[It's really hard to admit it, but maybe he is is is a little desperate to call people his friends. To feel closer to others than he really is.]

I think it's pretty flippin' cute, but hey, that's me!

[Dandy may sound like he's trying to soften the blow, but he means what he says. Hagakure's naivete is charming, and despite Dandy's boorish tendencies, he's not quite so desperate to connect to other people, especially when they haven't got perky breasts and/or shapely asses to oogle. Most of the time, Dandy needs to be reminded that others in the cosmos are important.

So the fortune teller's insatiable need for some inkling of connection is... Oddly refreshing.]

I do think it makes ya seem friendly, if it helps any.

Friendly! And a little desperate to be friends, but that's okay.

I guess it's hard with everything you've been through. But, killin' game or not, you never know when someone'll be gone someday- For better or for worse, baby!

So you better enjoy all the time you've got.

[So we've gotta enjoy all the time we've got.]

It helps a lot.

[Hagakure heart flip-flops in his chest over the compliment. At least Dandy might feel that, even if he can't see the heat rising in Hagakure's cheeks as he pouts toward the ceiling.

It also helps soften the emotional blow of what comes next, honestly.]

Yeah. I learned that lesson through a killing game, funny enough.

["Funny" isn't the right word, and he doesn't say it with any humor in his voice either.]

And this one's driven it home ten times over.

[As desperate to make friends as he is, he's actually been successful with his attempts here.

It's a shame that two of those newfound friends are already dead.

He tightens his grip on Dandy just a little.]

That's why I don't wanna squander another second.

[Dandy makes note of that humorless beat.

He's not unfamiliar with the darkness of the cosmos.

It's just that more often than not, he's willing to ignore it.]

You're not... Not-

[Dandy doesn't move. Instead, his body only tenses, and suddenly, he feels trapped. And not because this isn't nice.]

Oof, how do I put this without soundin' like a total dork, I, uh...

[He understands, somehow, viscerally, almost as though his cosmic makeup reminding him of it...

That there are so many things he can not change.

Like this place and its grim setup.]

You are lovable, y'know.

I really feel for you.

[If anything's going to turn Hagakure's attention away from that darkness, it's this.

He lets one of his hands wander down Dandy's back to help ease that tension.]

Hey.

[It's his turn to bust out the gentle voice. Usually he wouldn't know the first thing about speaking gently with how often he sticks his foot in his mouth, but he's sincerely trying.]

What's so dorky about that, huh? Maybe it's exactly what I needed to hear.

Seriously, Dee... Every time you say it, I feel like I get stronger.

["The truth is, it was there all along. How much you mattered. It was there since the start."]

I'm okay, I promise. I just meant...well, y'know, like you said. The last couple of years have been spent stumblin' around in the dark. Sometimes it was my fault, sometimes it was a psycho chick 'n' now a psycho mayor. But I've got a clear path now. I've got friends now. I wanna make the most of that.

[I wanna make the most of what I have going on with you.]

[Ah.

How long has Dandy felt like this? Like he'd been stranded in the deep, cold recesses of space, so unused to warmth of this variety that he hadn't even realised he had forgotten it?

Dandy clings to Hagakure more desperately than he would like, relieved that they've both shared so many intimate personal details on both sides. The alien hunter won't be judged for this, of that he's fairly certain.]

I'm really happy for you.

I wish I could give you more.

[Than just the sex.

Than just one evening.]

[There won't be any judging whatsoever. Hagakure squeezes back in response, and he has absolutely no intention of letting go anytime soon.]

I mean what I'm about to say with all my heart, so listen close, okay?

[He breathes a light sigh before tipping his head forward with a smile.]

You being by my side is more than enough.

[There's a silent implication that this is true no matter what context their relationship ends up in. Over the course of the night, he's made peace with the potential reality of them remaining friends and nothing more.

At least, he thinks he has. His heart will tell a very different story in the morning.]

You really mean that?

[The sentiment is so simple it is enough, or at least it should be.

Dandy's relationships as of recent have mostly been established due to happenstance. A sprinkling of a few, happy accidents mixed in with a whole bunch of wacky cosmic ones. Dandy knows that the last time they were together, their inability to resist temptation was the ultimate cause of their undoing.

But now that he thinks about it, that sounds like a bunch of rotten baloney. They both like each other! Who gives a rat's furry booty...]

You said you were into boobs, right?

You know I'm butt-guy.

[Don't worry, he is going with this, even though it SOUNDS like he's being distant smh-]

Maybe that means we balance each other out.

Yeah, I really mean that.

[He stupidly reiterates, unknowing of how miserable he'd actually feel if nothing came from this.

But that's a problem for Future Hagakure. He peers down at Dandy as the other man goes on about their preferences in body features...and can't help but laugh. He tries to be gentle about it so he doesn't jostle Dandy around.]

Like yin and yang, only boobs and butts!

[Absolutely cursed comparison. He is never going to reach enlightenment now.]

Which means together, we'd be lustin' after one perfect body-ody-ody~!

[This is why Dandy has yet to achieve Nirvana despite his many attempts... But in a strange way, he enjoys the run-of-the-mill whimsicality that comes with being alive. The downs are there, sure, but the ups make it all worth it.

For Dandy, anyway.]

Sounds like it might be the perfect time to give you a kiss goodnight, baby.

Heh, guess we've got a goal for ourselves now. Y'know, once we get outta here.

[...but wait, what would they do if they found that perfect body? Sharing would be really weird for both them and the person involved.

The answer is quite simple: neither of them would score. However, Hagakure is going to find himself wondering about this later.

For now, he's immediately pulled toward the mention of a kiss.]

Oh yeah? Been a looooong while since I got a goodnight kiss.

[And if he's being honest, his mom giving him a kiss on the forehead before bed hardly counts.

Mostly.]

...I'd really like that, though. Seriously.

You mean a three-way?

[NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

It has been a while.

For me, anyway.

[Hagakure makes a sputtering noise. Obviously Dandy doesn’t have to see his face to know that it’s turning bright red.]

I- I mean…!

I was just thinkin’ of it like a treasure hunt. I didn’t even think about what we’d do if we found it…

[He doesn’t sound opposed though…………]

"It" or "her?"

[Dandy laughs, reaching a hand out to once again rub the stubble on Hagakure's chin idly with the back of his hand.

He's exhausted, there's no doubt about it, and yet he's still stalling.

If he falls asleep, there's a chance that he'll wake up and realize that this whole night was one long dream.

And that's the funny thing about dreams- You often forget them.]

What would you wanna do?

Sure, it's great if you're in the middle n' all, but if you're the boom-boom operator- [if you're not sure what kind of threesome dandy is talking about i can't say that i am either] On the sidelines? It's sort of like just watchin' someone eat a delicious meal without gettin' a chance to steal a bite for yourself.

Y-Yeah...her.

[Though his embarrassment remains, Dandy paying some attention to his chin helps to distract him enough into giving this subject some serious thought. He hums in contemplation as his fingers curl ever so slightly out of contentment.]

Well that wouldn't be as fun...

[Suddenly struck by an idea, he perks up a little.]

Hey! If she was in the middle, then we'd both have access to our favorite assets! Win/win!

[Assets, if you will.]

[Said quickly, and without thinking-]

You wouldn't be jealous?

[Surely this topic won't come back to bite Hagakure later when he gives this honest response:]

I would be if I had to sit and watch.

[...and not just because he was missing out on the metaphorical meal.]

[Sitting and watching.

Dandy doesn't recall the specifics of it, but isn't that what happened with Catherine and Paul? Hadn't he watched them flirt while he was sitting off to the sidelines, stuffing his face with fries and waiting for the worst to happening, all while never doing anything at all?

God, if this is what post-nut clarity feels like, he doesn't want nything to do with it.]

Of me?

[He shouldn't have asked, so he follows up with another question.]

Or her?

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if this tag is a dip in quality its bc i am truly ass(shamed)

it's not your fault you're playing an embarr(ass)ment

THERE WILL BE KISSING AFTER THIS INFERNAL COMMENT I JUST COULDN'T PUT THEM 2GETHER

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adds to seto's cursed content reading list

adds to my own cursed content reading list

uh oh

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