thenearshore | -Overflow- for 015

[Ren laughs and shakes his head a little.] If it makes you feel better, it took me a while to figure it out too. And I'm supposed to be good at this.

[Looking back, he has an idea of when his attraction to Shun probably started, but it felt like such a gradual thing that he can't really be sure. All he's sure of is that he definitely was long before he actually realized it. And now that he knows there was something to look for, if he thinks back on Shun's behavior, he can definitely see how some of it was hinting at this. It was probably his belief that Shun wouldn't be interested that made him miss it...

Which was also at the heart of why had hadn't said anything until now, as Shun had kind of guessed. His smile fades into something more fond and wistful as he unknowingly echoes thought thoughts about their friendship.]

You just seemed so confused by the whole idea, I thought it might bother you and make things awkward if I said something about being attracted to you. [Yeah, he's gonna say the thing out loud now.] Our friendship is too important to me to jeopardize it like that. Although, I guess I can see now that it wouldn't have.

[Still, if Shun decided he wanted things to stay the way they were and not move forward with this, he'd be fine with that, as long as they could stay friends. It's not like Shun is the first person he's been attracted to and not said anything, although he is the first that Ren knows for sure likes him back.]

Maybe that's just normal. It's not like I'd know. [Though it feels like it would be, given how Shun's seen people talk about it. There's always that air of having it creep up on them that he'd never quite gotten until right now, standing in the middle of having had it creep up on him. He would have thought himself too alert to miss something like that, but misunderstanding it, he hadn't considered.

It's a little nice to hear that consideration had been at the core of Ren's decision not to say anything up to now, though it does also bother him that it kept him quiet like that without feeling like he had another option. Nonetheless, he doesn't voice it, simply tightening his hold a little on Ren's hand at the point of their friendship being too important to endanger.]

I had the same thought, but friendship isn't that fragile. I might have been confused - I'm still confused hearing it now - but it wouldn't have made me trust you any less. [After a moment or two of seemingly serious thought, he moves to take Ren's other hand and hold them both up, his tone back around to something more typically firm and decisive.] I might have no idea about what's beyond this, but that's never stopped me before. So if you want to go further, then I will as well.

[He's...taking this far too seriously now that the point of their friendship has come up, but holding his head up and trying to come at it with what he knows is still probably better than fumbling around it confusedly. Not to mention less embarrassing, because he can at least pretend he knows what he's talking about.]

[Aaand that is the hand still holding his bag.] Ah, careful, I have fish in there.

[But that quiet warning is the most protesting he's going to do; in fact, he does his best to rearrange the bag himself so it won't be in the way or in danger of being dropped or squished. It isn't the easiest thing to do without looking, but it's going to take a whole lot more than some fish for him to want to look away from Shun right now.

Ren's breath catches in his throat and he can feels his heart speed up a bit as Shun makes that declaration, and his fingers twitch in Shun's grasp like he might have just grabbed Shun right then if he could have. Maybe he should have had more faith in Shun and how much he valued their friendship too from the start, but that still better than he'd hoped for. Even if he is approaching it with his usual overly serious attitude...but while he's sure he'll think it's a little silly when he looks back on this later, right now it's incredibly charming and reassuring. That determination Shun has to stay in control of any situation, or at least power through the ones that make him uncomfortable, is one of the things Ren admires most about him, and if he's approaching it that seriously, they should be okay even if this doesn't work out.]

You're right, I shouldn't have been so worried. [It's just so hard not to worry about screwing up his friendships sometimes...]

I'd really like that. And you don't have to worry, I know enough about what happens next for both of us.

[So that might be overstating it a little, but Shun isn't the only one who can pretend his way through unfamiliar situations, and this is almost certainly less unfamiliar to Ren. Even if it's only by a little bit.

As for that thing that happens next, well, there's definitely one thing Ren has wanted to to do since he figured out his feelings and this seems like the perfect opportunity. He gives Shun's hand a light squeeze as he shifts forward the last little bit and leans up to finally kiss him. He's careful not to seem too eager right away, since Shun is still wrapping his head around this whole idea, but it's still firm and very determined to at least introduce this idea to Shun.]

[...Right, the game Hajime had tried to get Shun to play earlier. He could question why Ren decided to leave the fish in the bag rather than take a quick trip back to his temple to deposit them, but it doesn't exactly feel like the right time now, and if even he's getting that cue, it has to be taken into consideration.

At the twitch of Ren's fingers, Shun's own grip tightens a little bit more, another attempt at reassurance when he's not nearly as good at reading the cues this kind of situation presents to him. He might not really understand this sort of thing, but it does definitely seem like Ren was preoccupied with the effect this might have on their friendship, so he's doing his level best to convey that he'll be right here just the same without saying it in so many words.

At the mention of Ren knowing what he's doing enough for both of them, Shun can't help but let out a faint huff of amusement. It's not quite a laugh, but it's closer than he usually gets.] It's not like it's the first time you've had to lead the way.

[For all their friendship really started to come together when Shun agreed to teach him, sometimes it feels like he's learning just as much in return, only different things. There's certainly some things he can't imagine he would have done back when he first came here.

While the squeeze of his hand distracts him for a brief moment, Ren getting even closer snaps his attention back front and center before long - and just in time for the kiss to catch him. There's a small noise of surprise that halts in his throat, and Shun can definitely feel his face starting to get warm again, but after a moment or two, he moves his head a little so he can return it equally firmly...though with a lot more teeth than should probably be happening in a situation like this. It's the first time he's actually done it, and apparently nobody gave him the memo about teeth not generally being involved.]

[~~~insert joke about being a Vanguard here~~~

This isn't quite the first time Ren has done this (much to Asaka's horror if she ever found out, he's sure), so he isn't completely out of his element here (especially compared to Shun and his absolutely zero experience), but it's close. And this is definitely the first time that teeth have been involved at all. Ren lets out his own faint noise of surprise, but it isn't startling enough for him to pull away just yet.

And it isn't as unpleasant as it probably should be either. Although he's probably going to bring it up once they're done, for no, Ren just nips lightly at Shun's lip and tilts his head a little more to make things easier for them. He also carefully tugs his unencumbered hand free of Shun's grip so he can slide it up his chest and neck to come to a rest cupping Shun's jaw and his finger tips in his hair.]

[There's a sharp breath from Shun at the tiny bite in return - it doesn't actually hurt, but it's still unfamiliar even by the standards of this entire situation. It's difficult to describe the effect of the whole thing with any other word than "nice", though, so he responds in kind, the unpracticed drag of teeth that had been his initial involvement giving way to a little bite of his own to Ren's lower lip.

When Ren's hand is pulled free and runs along his chest and neck, he draws another quick breath, his muscles twitching reflexively at the contact as they so often do. It's not quite the same this time, though; he can still feel the lingering line that was traced up to where the hand lies at his neck, and as he leans into the grip that little bit, his own free hand instead traces downwards, ghosting the edge of Ren's chest and waist before settling at the natural curve at the top of his hip.]

[Oh, getting him to bite back is exactly what he was hoping would come of that. Ren does his best to hum in approval to encourage Shun to keep trying that...which ends up sounding more like a brief moan, but you know what, being embarrassed about that is for other people. Like Shun, maybe.

He really does want Shun to relax and enjoy it a little, though, as cute as that brush he had earlier was. He's not too surprised to feel Shun twitch a little like he usually does when he's touched, and Ren does wonder absently if he might make it worse as he shifts even closer when Shun settles a hand on his hip. But that's the most moving he's going to do unless Shun pulls him somewhere, and he also rubs his thumb along Shun's jaw a couple times to try to reassure him and help him get used to it. And maybe just because he wants to.]

[There's a very brief hesitation from Shun, because it does sound a lot like a moan and he wasn't expecting to draw quite that marked a reaction, but he supposes he shouldn't be surprised, given it's Ren he's dealing with. So it only takes a moment to pass, and he shifts his head slightly to pull a bit at the lip between his teeth and see what reaction that gets.

Thankfully, Ren getting closer doesn't trouble him nearly as much as the initial touching did, since he's expecting it a little more now. On the contrary, at the movement, his hand curves a little further around Ren's hip, hold tightening that tiny bit to keep him in place. His grip does tense momentarily at the thumb running along his jaw, but it's more out of surprise than instinct this time, because in the next moment, he gives a soft, appreciative hum of his own. It's just as new to him as everything else here, but it also seems to feel particularly good, so he's happy to let it continue.]

[That gets an even more enthusiastic groan out of him--probably more then he'd be giving if he weren't so surprised by how much he likes that, but it would seem Shun isn't the only one learning new things about himself tonight. What Ren likes even better, though, is Shun's appreciation of what he's doing, and he's more than happy to keep his thumb moving and add in his fingers against the nape of his neck here and there.

But one other thing that's becoming abundantly clear is that if they keep this up, they're still going to be here whenever the next person decides to explore the bridge and comes across them, and their situation might be more compromising then too. Not to mention, if Shun is going to be that appreciative of a few small touches, he'd really like to continue this somewhere he can use both his hands.

So it takes him a another few moments and it's with not a small amount of reluctance (because he really would be happy to just keep going), but eventually he pulls away enough to be able to say something.]

Maybe we should stop before we get too carried away...

[If he could right now, Shun would probably be giving some sign of amusement at that reaction, because it's more obvious than he would have expected him to allow. As it is, he notes it in whatever recesses of his mind aren't being made a little fuzzy by the current situation as something to try again in future. The continued brush of fingers against his jaw and neck distracts him with more ease than he would have expected, though, and he lets Ren's lip out of his teeth for the moment to return to something a little more like an actual kiss.

It's probably telling enough that Ren has to be the one to break them off for awareness of their location, and though Shun doesn't protest or resist when Ren pulls away, it seems to take him a moment after Ren says that to remember their situation. The one where they're on a very public bridge which is likely to be very highly used on a night like this one, and he almost curses himself for being that inattentive as another flush starts to creep up on him.]

I should have been paying more attention. [He doesn't particularly want to stop either, but this definitely isn't the ideal place to be doing this.] We could go somewhere else. If you want. [It's a slightly hesitant suggestion, but Shun doubts Ren would have thrown a "maybe" into that caution if he'd wanted to stop that badly.]

[Ren's lips twitch in what could be an aborted laugh, but for once, he doesn't even think about teasing Shun for his inattentiveness or his embarrassment over it, although he does shift his hand slightly to run his thumb over one of Shun's cheeks. Knowing that Shun had let his attention drift that much just because Ren was kissing him...all it makes him want to do is kiss him again and find out just how inattentive he can get.

But this really isn't the place, even he agrees with that. So he spends a moment considering their options and absently worrying at his bottom lip with his own teeth. There isn't really anywhere else at the festival that would be more private than here...

In the end, it's the weight hanging on his arm that makes his decision for him.]

I need to take my fish home before they get jostled around too much, and it's been a long time since you've been there too. [In fact, he's only been there once as far as Ren knows and that was when they met, and don't think he doesn't see the symbolism there as soon as he suggests it.] So we could go there?

[Though he's still a little frustrated with himself for getting distracted that easily, Shun tilts his head just a tiny bit into that movement of Ren's thumb. He's not sure whether it should be strange to him or not that he's finding just these small touches so pleasant when he's spent years with the barest minimum of contact with other people, but it feels like a question he can think about some time that isn't right now.

Given Shun had already been questioning Ren not having taken the fish home, he can hardly argue with that line of logic, and it really has been a while since he went to Ren's temple. Hell, he hasn't even been into his temple beyond the courtyard. So it doesn't take him more than a moment of thought to nod in agreement.]

That's fine. If you still wanted to go back to that stall, we can stop on the way. [He taps a finger on the hand still linked with the one Ren's holding his bag in, to hopefully indicate he means the taiyaki stand they were talking about earlier.]

[At least Shun might be able to take comfort in the idea that he wasn't the only one who had been thoroughly distracted by all that, because the way Ren blinks at that should make it clear that he completely forgot they were going to do that. He's lucky he remembered the fish, really.]

Oh! That's right, we need to do that.

[That means letting go of Shun, though, and he kind of wants to put that off for as long as he can. So he glances back at the way they came first, which is surprisingly dark now, and then at where they were going, and makes a slightly confused face.]

Does it look lighter that way to you? [Maybe they'd ended up almost making it to the end while they were busy staring at each other?]

[On one hand, it's not surprising, on the other, it is still kind of gratifying to know that Ren had obviously gotten distracted by that whole thing as well. Even if he's mostly handling this better than Shun is, it's something to note.

Even as Ren looks back the way they came, Shun does as well - and immediately draws his head back a little in confusion, because he definitely doesn't remember it being that dark when they came up here, even if they weren't really paying much attention to that part of it. So when Ren points out the other direction looks brighter, he follows his line of sight looking just as confused.]

Somehow. I would've at least thought the end would be further away than that. [Though he sounds a little unsure about that, a moment later, he brings his hand up from Ren's hip to attempt a gentle removal of Ren's fingers from his face. Not that he doesn't want it there, but they can't really walk like this.] If we're closer to the other end, we might as well go that way first.

[Well, at least he isn't the only one feeling confused.] Me too. I didn't think we walked that far already...

[Then again, it is a magic bridge for a pair of lovers who only get to see each other once a year if they're lucky, so maybe the trip across it is magically shorter than it would seem.

Ren pouts a little when Shun reaches up to move his hand, but lets him do it without any other form of protest. And then he flips his hand around so he can interlace their fingers, and tugs his other hand free instead. That arrangement was good enough while they got this far, so it's good enough for the rest of the trip.]

Well, that was why we came up here in the first place, right?

I don't think either of us was really paying attention to how far we walked. [That's put extremely bluntly, because Shun would be a lot more embarrassed about that being the case if it was just him, but it definitely hadn't been.

The bridge issue does still seem a bit weird to him, but he supposes they're going to find out soon enough whether it's weird or not anyway. In any case, he lets his fingers curl into Ren's when he interlaces them, and lets the other hand go so they can keep walking...which he starts doing immediately, whether or not that means he's tugging Ren along with him.]

Then let's finish it. [Before one or both of them gets distracted again.]

[Ren wouldn't be embarrassed about it anyway, but it is pretty nice to hear Shun admit that he hadn't been paying attention. Because he'd been paying so much attention to Ren instead. It's probably good that he's wearing geta right now, or he'd be bouncing quite a lot as they start moving.

Unfortunately, there's not a lot that can keep him from being distracted for long, and this is no different. It isn't long before that distraction has him reaching up with his free-ish hand to touch his lip where Shun had been biting it, just to marvel at it. And that reminds him...]

By the way--and I'm not saying I didn't like it--but you don't have to use your teeth so much.

[Given it's Ren he's dealing with here, Shun's surprised it took that long for him to get distracted again. It's...there's a word for it, he knows, but it's been so long since he used it that he takes a while to settle on what it is.

"Endearing" is the one he comes to in the end. It sounds right, at least.

The subject of the distraction breaks his focus a bit, though. On one hand, he doesn't look embarrassed about it, but on the other he looks kind of lost again.]

If you liked it anyway, does it matter that much? [It kind of seems like details and minutiae to him. Maybe he'll figure it out with practice.]

[Ren glances over as he's talking--he doesn't seem embarrassed to talk about it, so that's good, but Ren is definitely going to miss that lost look he keep getting about this whole subject once he's gotten more comfortable with.

Shun does have a point about that, and Ren isn't sure he should go with his first reasoning for it, which was "well it's important if you ever want to kiss someone else." Considering he's pretty sure Shun didn't even consider kissing him until they were in the middle of doing it, the idea of kissing someone else will probably go over like a lead balloon. He'd rather Shun stuck to just kissing him for now anyway.

So, on to the second reason which is...he doesn't really have a good second reason to bring that up.]

I guess not. I just thought you might want to know. And it might get uncomfortable it you do that too much but...we definitely weren't to that point yet.

[So it's mostly a problem for if they do it longer. It makes sense enough to Shun, so he just shrugs a little.]

If it's a problem, you can just show me how to do it properly. [Said in...all apparent seriousness, though it'd be difficult to say he doesn't very much know what he's suggesting at this point. They were both enjoying themselves, so he doesn't really see the point in avoiding the subject.

As it is, they've moved further towards the brighter section of the bridge, and the lights are starting to come into view properly again. Out of habit, Shun starts picking out the most identifiable structures out of what they can see from here - and then narrows his eyes a bit, because he's pretty sure he's seen these noteworthy locations before.]

...This is the same side of the bridge we came up.

I'll do my best!

[Not that he actually knows all that much more than Shun--"You don't have to bit so much" was pretty much the extent of his wisdom on this front. But he'll be more than happy to help Shun practice anyway, especially if Shun's the one already suggesting it.

Ren blinks a little at the observation and starts looking around himself. He definitely doesn't have Shun's experience in identifying structures, especially ones he might have only seen once or twice and from ground level, but even he can't miss the lights and commotion of the festival at the base of the bridge.]

...Well, I guess it is a magic bridge... [Turning them around without them ever noticing is some pretty weird magic, though.]

[There are probably several remarks Shun could make about that declaration, most of them involving whether Ren means his actual best, given how he generally acts when that's the case. But he keeps them to himself for the moment, partially because he's still trying to figure out how the hell they got turned back on themselves. They were distracted, but this is ridiculous...

Out of curiosity, he glances back - the place they're walking away from is only getting darker, as if nothing had been there in the first place.]

It doesn't look like we'll be finding out how far it actually goes tonight, anyway. [He has his doubts that the bridge would work like that on, say, the actual day the lovers are supposed to meet.] But it was still productive.

[There's a very, very faint hint of deadpan humour in that last remark.]

[Shun, please, how could you ever think he wouldn't take this 100% seriously...

Ren lifts a hand to his mouth to laugh behind it. That it ends up being the hand Shun is holding is just a coincidence.]

That's one way of putting it. [He drops their hands again before he can breathe on them to much and smiles over at Shun.] Maybe we should come back in a couple days and see what it does then.

[It's kind of a weird feeling, having his hand laughed on, but Shun doesn't seem to have a problem with the motion having happened to involve him as well. Actually, he seems a little happy to have made Ren laugh at all, judging by the way his expression softens at the sight of it.]

Maybe. I doubt we'll have more than the one chance to do it before it's gone for the year. [At least, that's what he'd have to figure given the tradition behind it. Right now, though, they're starting to come down the arc of the bridge, and the festival is coming back into more impressive view.]

I suppose they did well setting all this up in time for the festival.

No, it'll probably gone gone after Thursday...or not long after. I guess if they got it up early, they could wait to take it down too.

[Still, they don't have a lot of time if they want to explore it again...

Ren suddenly stops. Something about thinking there isn't much time coupled with nearing the end of the bridge has made him realize that it won't be long before the night is over, and once the night is over, Shun's going to go back to his normal clothes and they might not see the bridge again. And this has been a really important night; he wants to be able to remember it forever.]

Wait, we should take a picture.

[And he very carefully sets his bag down so he can dig for his phone before Shun can protest.]

-Overflow- for 015 | Sky Full Of Stars

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