90s sadness and gay???

[dtective]

[By this point, Leon has lost track of how long he's been searching for Count D. It became an obsession that only grew with time, and now he couldn't keep to one spot anymore. Not while D was still out there. Across cities, across countries, he probably looked insane to everyone around him. But they didn't know the half of it! Sometimes even Leon wasn't sure he understood what he was doing.

Right now wasn't the time to doubt himself, though. He'd hoped that this lead would get him even an inch closer to his goal, but he hadn't counted on spotting him in the streets. It had to be him. He'd seen him turn and look at him, and those eyes—]

Wait! Stop right there!

[He doesn't hold back, shoving his way through the crowded streets and keeping his eyes locked on him. It doesn't work, because of course it doesn't, and his steps slow in his confusion. His heart is beating way too fast, his stomach sinks, and for a moment he's sure he's lost his one chance.

But something catches the corner of his eye, and his instinct tells him to turn. He reaches out, grabbing the first wrist he can and meeting D's eyes with his own.]

...Found you.

Comments

[dtective]

I'm not talking some kiddy game. Maybe a word game? Or, uh...

[He doesn't know what he is talking about, honestly.] I don't know. Let me think.

this tag is even dumber

[pruning]

[A word game....... That's still a little bit slumber party.

D just looks over at him, waiting... Thrill him, please.]

GOD

[dtective]

Like a drinking game!

[Stop him now.]

[pruning]

[A drinking game... Is it wise to let Leon get drunk? Probably not.]

I'm listening.

[oh]

[dtective]

How about "Never Have I Ever?" Or truth or dare, where if you don't want to do it you have to take a drink? Or two truths and a lie...

[This is definitely very sleepover.]

[pruning]

[He doesn't know what that first one actually includes, but he knows he wouldn't like it, already. That leaves the other two...]

If I must indulge you, I suppose it will have to be truth or dare. [sigh...] In the cabinet over there by the lamp, there is something to drink.

[the disney villain lamp...]

[dtective]

[Hah! He knew D would see it his way.]

Great! Man, it's been so long since I've had a good drink...

[He squeezes D's hand lightly without thinking, standing to go fetch the alcohol and letting their fingers slip away.]

You can go first, so start thinking of whatever you want! For a dare. [He's not a wuss who picks truth first, after all. He'll get them whatever the drink is and some glasses...]

[pruning]

[Ah, squeezing his hand... perhaps truth or dare is not so juvenile after all...

Just kidding, it is. He likes the little squeeze anyway, though. He's watching Leon to make sure he doesn't throw something around and break stuff in the cabinet, and really not thinking about a dare at all.]

Oh— Well. I suppose you ought to... pour the drinks?

[he's never been to a slumber party fuck off]

[dtective]

Yeah, here.

[He will pour for each of them and then set the bottle aside, leaning back on the couch.] So, if you won't tell the truth or do the dare, you have to take a drink! Otherwise, you get a pass. It'll be fun! Less awkward, too.

[pruning]

[Um.... hmm.]

Ah. No— that was it. My dare.

Your turn.

[dtective]

Huh?

[That catches him totally off guard.] No, wait... I think you're missing the point.

[pruning]

I asked you to do something and you did it. What could I possibly be missing?

[dtective]

You're supposed to make me do something embarrassing, or risky, or something like that! What fun is it if you ask me to do mundane things?!

[pruning]

[He genuinely has to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from immediately saying, you embarrass yourself without my help. He's trying.]

You should be the one going first, then.

[dtective]

Fine. Truth or dare?

[pruning]

[Ha... truth...]

Dare.

[dtective]

Okay, I dare you to... [He stares across the room, looking for inspiration.]

Lick a chair?

[pruning]

[What the fuck........]

No, thank you. [He will take a drink instead. Isn't this a great game??]

[dtective]

What the hell's the point of a game if you're not going to put the effort in to play?! I may as well just drink from the damn bottle!

[Actually, maybe he will.]

[pruning]

The option to refuse was in your rules! [NOT... EXACTLY. And don't drink from the bottle, no—] We don't need to play a game like children.

[dtective]

[Then he'll just drink from his cup... grumpily.]

I was trying to bond with you or something! You don't exactly make it easy, you know.

[pruning]

[bY TELLING HIM TO LICK A CHAIR]

Why don't you ask, instead of pretending your only interest is in these asinine games?

[dtective]

Every time I try to ask questions, I make everything worse!

[That just sort of blurts out. But... it feels forced! Not that games like this aren't. He wants an easy route to turning things naturally back to where they had been before. So that maybe they could have gone into weird hand holding then, and moved on without as much arguing or chasing or worries.

He sighs and drinks more from his cup.]

[pruning]

[Ah... well now he's looking down at his drink instead of at Leon. Hmm. That's...]

You ask odd questions, sometimes.

[That's all he's got... He'd like them to be closer, he thinks. No, he would, of course he would, but opening up is so impossible so much of the time.]

I have not been very cooperative, besides... [ssssip]

[dtective]

...I know. With all of the crap that's going on, how could I ask normal questions?

[He's odd, sure... And D's not cooperative all the time, but Leon falls silent at that. At least for a minute, he does. He leans forward, setting the cup down and tracing his finger around the rim with a sigh.]

I don't know what I'm thinking anymore. It feels like you're driving me crazy. I'm not mad or anything, I just... [Another sigh.] I don't know, D. Everything's changed since I met you.

[How's this for asking questions, spilling his guts out again... Hand holding is nice, the little things are nice, but between language learning and being useless, he can't take another thing not solving itself sooner.]