fujimaru | Palace Game 6/3

[He slips it off his finger and offers it to her.]

It was the only way forward. Though perhaps the other paths had their own ways. I don't know. It was being protected by a—creature. But I was able to take it, and when I put it on, the door appeared for me.

[ She hesitates for a second, then takes it, folding her hands around it and giving him a watery little smile. ]

I don't think I'm supposed to actually have this, but... thanks. It's got some sentimental value, but I think you could tell.

If it's in here, it's yours. You should keep it. There's nothing in here that doesn't belong to you in some sense, for better and for worse.

[He wraps his arms around her, pulling her in for a hug.]

[ She makes a startled little noise as he pulls her in, but she leans into it willingly enough, leaning her head on his shoulder. ]

...

Thanks. For coming to find me.

Any time. I couldn't bear it if you faded away. What would I do then . . . ? No. Anything I might have gone through would have been worth it to find you. Even stairs.

[as if the stairs were the worst thing about this experience but shhhh]

[ She doesn't quite laugh, but there is a fond little huff as she tilts her head to look up at him. ]

I dunno. There's always more to be done, even if you lose someone along the way.

. . . I know you've had to bear that. I'm sorry. But this time, I was able. And so I did. You weren't lost.

[He leans their foreheads together, arms around her. Hello.]

[ She blinks, going still, wide-eyed as she looks up at him. ?????? ]

...I wasn't. I'm right here.

[Fellas is it normal to lean in and kiss your girlfriend in the metaphysical embodiment of her own consciousness?]

[ I think we can argue that "normal" got left behind right around the time "I had to use an app to enter my girl's metaphorical heart" happened. Ritsuka startles, making a little surprised noise, but she doesn't pull back, wide-eyed as she looks at him at the first touch. ]

[That is fair, and that is a good reason to sweep her into a deep, affectionate kiss right now. It isn't demanding, but it isn't quick or chaste either. Just a good old-fashioned romantic kiss for his girlfriend who did not fade away forever (unless the plot ends while they're doing this and both of them are forever trapped inside her subconscious).]

...!

[ Wow that's a really weird bad end, good thing that is NOT what is happening,

She makes a surprised little noise in her throat when he deepens the kiss, again confused but not rejecting the gesture. It still feels like a practically brand-new gesture to her; this may possibly the first kiss like this since they arrived at the inner prison, and she is not vaguely accustomed to it the way she has grown used to his other, more chaste gestures. ]

[He doesn't jerk back or anything, but he does break it slowly, breathing steadily, to give her a moment at the very least.]

Was that all right?

[ It takes her a couple of seconds to blink her eyes open, her face flushed as she stares at him, and it takes her longer before she manages a small nod, raking her teeth briefly over her lower lip. ]

[Oh don't do that. Don't do that! This Palace was almost over, and now to hell with that, another kiss is happening instead, a little more shameless this time!]

[ He started it. He started it! Ritsuka squeaks, clearly startled, her hands coming up automatically to grab at his shirt. ?????? this is happening, apparently?! ]

[He is going to be a good boy! He is not going to seduce her right here in the control room! But he is at least going to make this enjoyable and dramatic and hold her close while he kisses her, smiling into it even as he's being very thorough about this.]

[ Is this really being a good boy? Sources are unclear, but this does not actually appear to be good boy behavior! There's a point where she just ends up hanging off him slightly, clinging to him for support. As it turns out, when you're not used to this, even one kiss can be a lot, and now he's gone for two. What the heckie. ]

[This is what a good boyfriend would do! He does pull back with a grin, still holding her up against himself to support her, nosing at her hair.]

We should go. Probably.

[ She grumbles a little, still clinging to him, because for some reason her knees do not appear to be working right now. Weird how that works. She is breathing hard and fast, making a concentrated effort to try and calm herself. ]

Wh--okay...?

. . . Yes. Surely. Unl—no. We ought to leave. Um. Where exactly is the door?

[HE'S WRESTLING WITH HIMSELF HERE RITSUKA THERE'S A BEDROOM RIGHT THROUGH THAT DOOR UP THERE HE WAS IN THERE EARLIER]

...?

[ She can guess a little of what he might have said, but it's that conflict between what she is hearing and can guess what he might be getting at, and also her vague conviction that nothing would happen if she threw caution to the wind and gave him permission. ]

I think probably... you just wake up?

I see . . . that makes sense, but . . . I don't really want to wake up without you. That's all. I thought we may be able to leave together. I'm being silly, aren't I?

This is supposed to be my heart, right? However that works. So... it's not like there's a problem, right? I'll still be here.

[ With a bit of time to catch her breath, she finally straightens up herself, on her own feet again. And then she smiles at him, small and tentative. ]

I'm awake now, in here. So I'll wake up fine out there.

. . . I'm sure you're right. Forgive me. I've been worried about you. I missed you, so I'm a little reluctant to leave your side now that I have you right here with me.

And besides that, at least one of the rooms in here is much more charming and comfortable than what's waiting for us out there.

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