logs | (open) hanging on in quiet desperation

(having previously been involved in several mistletoe incidents, jonas is tired; however, after being forced to kiss a woman with a howling baby, an old man who wouldn't make eye contact with him, and someone he'd rather not discuss at all, getting caught up with an acquaintance or someone who shares a mutual friend is a relief.

it is so great a relief, in fact, that he takes one look at the person trapped with him and exclaims:)

Yes.

(jonas, usually the king of feeling awkward, doesn't seem to realize that he's just verbally fist-pumped, and he continues casually as though unaffected. maybe it's the confidence boost from getting rid of his horrible blood stench, or excitement from seeing someone attractive for a change. maybe the reality of the situation hasn't kicked in yet—that's for future jonas to contend with.

present jonas' hand runs down the length of his face, and as it comes away, his eyes raise to the sky in a pronounced roll.)

Oh, thank god. You don't know what I've been through to get here. Please tell me you've been spared some stranger "accidentally" slipping you some tongue.

[ oh, this is the least anxiety-inducing of all the run-ins she's had. it's better to be stuck with a stranger than it is with any of her lifelines, but it's definitely better to be stuck with Jonas than any stranger. well—maybe she wouldn't call it "better" as such. easier, though. ]

No, I— [ she'd started to answer without actually registering what he said, and when it clicks, she yelps: ] Has that happened to you, Jonas?!

[ she understands wanting to avoid the curses, she's debased herself plenty for the sake of that, but HELLO??? ]

I've just been taking the curses when it's someone that isn't... you know, part of our group.

(ik girl, he's made some choices here he's not proud of, but:)

Um, the last time I got cursed, I had to become a hermit for half a month. (bad times were had by all, but he doesn't mind now that it's over. he simply rubs the back of his neck and tells her like it is.) I'm not messing with this grab-bag of random bullcrap.

Anyway, I'm not too pressed... this guy got "signals" from me or something and totally just went all in. I literally went and bought gum afterward. (and when you smoke heavily, it's better to seek some balance. with all this mistletoe hanging everywhere, jonas would rather smell and taste like spearmint when kissed than force others to deal with the hotly debated flavours of tobacco and nicotine.

a stick of it is offered out to her, leaning a little to give ruby a very curious once-over. she's still as effortlessly pretty as she was when she was elbow-deep in pumpkin guts. man, is everyone here a ten?)

... Wait, what kinds of curses have you been getting? Don't get me wrong, I'm super glad you've got standards, but that sounds crazy.

[ the offer of gum is turned down, Ruby holding up a hand with a smile—instead, she digs through a pouch at her hip and comes up with a hard mint candy. she winks, and there's a short giggle, sweet and melodic, before she pops it into her mouth. with the mint under her tongue, she speaks around it: ]

Um... I swapped voices with Hibiki for a day; there was a while where everything tasted like ash; I've had my things go missing, and my breath came out as black smoke instead of mist, and I got really, really, really cold...

[ sure, it's been bad enough for her to grind her dignity under heel and kiss just about everybody she knows by now. but at the same time, she's suffered much worse from far more mundane sources. she already knows she can endure. between a rock and a hard place, she'll still choose one or the other.

speaking of her dignity and lack thereof: she puts her hands to her cheeks, a rosy blush colouring her face already tinged pink by the cold. ]

B-But, I mean, it isn't easy for me to just... k-kiss people like that! I thought it would only ever be with my husband! I even had to give my first away...

(ruby still seems to be in good spirits despite being put through all of that. it takes a strong will to not get bogged down by it all, and jonas, who was feeling particularly morose until spotting her, straightens at the wink with a little smile.

the gum is slipped into his pocket, already forgotten.)

You've had it pretty rough, then... I should take a page out of your book and just do what makes me comfortable instead of trying to force it. It hasn't been that bad, but it hasn't been good either.

(kissing. intimacy. shying away from that has never been "jonas," and now he wonders if he's been acting like a yes-man recently. it's of some concern to him, however, that ruby's had to go against her beliefs to obey this place, and it takes most of his attention; her world is another he's unable to understand. that doesn't mean he wouldn't like to.

he gestures between them.)

I'm sorry things have been so backward. This place sucks, but—well, we can kiss real quick or take the curse option, especially if that's something you'd prefer. We can... get glitter dandruff or, like... have our arms turn into noodles together or something.

[ hah, why is this boy so nice... Rudbeckia is hardly the kind of person who can sincerely preach about prioritising your own comfort. what she could tell Jonas is that it's vital to be able to do the hard thing sometimes rather than take the easy way out, but she knows better than anyone that, coming from her, that advice would be like feeding him a poison just because she's learnt to swallow it. even if she's a liar, there's no reason to lie to him about that. she simply won't say anything.

she shakes her head as Jonas starts talking about taking the curse. ]

I don't want to get cursed, and I don't want you to get cursed because of me. [ she curls a lock of wavy golden hair around her finger and fidgets with it, feigning shyness. well—it is honestly embarrassing. feigning an appealing, demure shyness, in any case. ] And I trust you, so it's not like I'm against it...

Edited 2022-12-28 05:43 (UTC)

Hi Jonas. I need you to come rescue me, please. Trapped under mistletoe.

（ she sends a helpful location ping.

honestly she's just tired of the sprites, and the curses, and the nonsense, and this seems like the easiest recourse. plus, kissing jonas is probably fine. the idea of her asking sasuke... let's just say, that's not on the table at the moment. ）

(he'd rather die than abandon sakura to kiss sasuke after the tea laurent spilled.....

jonas valiantly evades the knee-jerk "a gorgeous, intelligent woman is asking me to lay one on her" reaction, zen when replying to sakura's message. he's grateful to be a go-to, understanding that the trust that comes with that means something good.)

Rescue incoming, just wrapping up a convenience store trip. Want anything before I head your way??

Water? Breath mints? Glittery lip gloss?

I imagine breath mints wouldn't be a bad idea, just for politeness' sake.

I'll skip the glitter, though. Sort of at odds with the lifestyle, you know?

（ ahahaha... look at her being so casual about kissing. this is fine. everything's fine. ）

(YOU'RE DOING SO GREAT, SWEETIE)

One thingy of breath mints, no glitter. Got it.

ETA ~5 mins??

(by the looks of it, sakura's on the fringes of the outdoor marketplace where the sneakier mistletoes have been placed, and that paints a picture. it's not a long walk; the convenience store is a few blocks from his place and his place is a few blocks from the bazaars. at a brisk pace, he makes good time.)

Hey, Sakura, (jonas calls to her, ensuring he's heard before approaching. he's emerging from a shortcut at her back and doesn't want to startle her, glancing up at the offending mistletoe in a step around to her front.) You know, mistletoes were festive and cute once... like, as decorations.

(were. now they're proximity mines.)

I, uh... I hope you haven't been standing here long.

（ one of the small ways jonas is so thoughtful, she turns faintly to look over her shoulder as he approaches and nods at him once he's situated in front of her. ）

It's also a poison. Why am I not surprised people were using it as decorations?

（ she sighs, and ruffles at her hair (which is already mussed about — divebombed by fairies, perhaps?) ）

Thanks for coming on short notice. I've run into a few people that've gotten cursed by this, not sure I want to add that to my day. I'm, um, not very practiced at kissing, so please excuse me if I'm terrible at it.

（ pls give her a breathmint tho. ）

Because we're all weirdoes.

(an extremely helpful addendum.

sakura messes with her hair and jonas, reacting on instinct, reaches forward to free a loop-de-loop strand that looks stubborn enough to stick in place without intervention. in the time it takes for him to check his pockets for the mints and gum, his ears turn a very embarrassing shade of red.)

It's cool, though. I'm—well, I've—it's not new to me, but I'm not, like, a professional or anything. (stop talking. wanting to avoid making this awkward for her, the mints are offered with a smile when he's got the balls to meet her eyes.)

Oh, I know: We could do a practice run!

(is he joking, shooting his shot, or just really stupid? the jury's still out on this one.)

（ please appreciate the amount of self-control it takes to overcome the ptsd urge to just smack jonas' hand away the moment he starts to reach for her. instead, she stands perfectly still as he touches her hair, and by the time he's rummaging for other things she too has a curious red tint to her cheeks.

she takes a mint when it's proffered, and then, perhaps a bit skeptically: ）

Wouldn't practice work the same as, um, the real thing as far as the fairies are concerned?

（ please explain your logic, sir. ）

(flat-lining....... throwing back to his last few mistletoe smooches, it's easy, even for jonas, to notice the obvious pattern.)

Well, a kiss on the lips always works, but besides that, I've only tried a kiss on the cheek and forehead. Those didn't go as well.

(in his pocket, the fingers that touched her hair press together before the whole hand condenses into a tight fist.)

I haven't given anyone's hand a shot yet. It's, like... science-y. You know, like... getting rid of all other ideas to get to the actual right idea. Just pretend I worded all of that coherently and in a smart way.

（ it's not you jonas it's the Trauma!! ）

Like forming a hypothesis? （ she does wonder if that was intentional on his behalf, stumbling into something he knows she's good at as a way for her to regain her footing in the conversation. it's sweet, and tender, and whether or not he'd done it on purpose it's enough that warmth gathers in the pit of her stomach, offset by the burning, icy chill of the mint that she's currently working around with her tongue. ）

Well, I already tried kissing a clone of myself... that didn't work out last time, so we can scratch that one off the list. （ that's said dismissively, completely oblivious to the fact she's telling a teenage boy she tried kissing her own clone. sorry, buddy. ） So, um... hand?

（ but, rather than offer her own she does something just a little bold, reaching out to capture his, lifting it up to her lips. hers are chapped with the blustery weather, a little rougher than any normal girl would find acceptable, but the kiss she presses to the tendons standing out against the back of his hand is chaste and soft regardless.

nope, no luck. she releases him after a moment with an embarrassed little giggle, and rubs at the back of her neck — a gesture stolen from naruto and their long years of familiarity with one another. ）

Haha... guess not?

[Where Jonas' immediate reaction is relief, Fukawa's is shock and alarm.]

Yes?!

[Excuse him?

She's cut off before she can lay him out for trapping her here with great malice and deliberate intent (the only explanation), which is probably for the best. He exonerates himself better with that single protest than he would have with a twenty minute argument. She's left somewhat flummoxed, mouth dropped open and eye twitching.]

What? Th-they slipped you tongue?

[Why has no one slipped her tongue? It's because she's so ugly?]

(it may be cruel to watch someone flounder and not offer any help, but jonas looks at it this way: if he was confused enough to be shrill and twitching, would he want someone to draw attention to it?

no. no, he fucking would not.

when she's through talking, he nods solemnly, closing his eyes.) Yeah, and I'm still tender from it. I know, I know, I brought it up, but I think I'd rather repress the memory and move forward with my life. (the melodrama. the intrigue. a hand is placed on his cheek.

anyway.)

I'm glad you're... you... and not a stranger. I know it's kind of awkward or—well, really awkward, but I think calling that out usually makes people feel better. Or, uh... maybe that's just me.

(save these two from themselves)

[Jonas is way too pure for this world, I put him in a sweater and give him hot choccy

Fukawa listens, her expression frozen in a perplexing mixture. There's fury still, and shock, but also a healthy dose of jealousy and a whole lot of curiosity. Considering how he'd already locked lips with another guy (sort of), she's stunned. How has he gotten so lucky, so fast, in so few months?!

Then again, he's not bad looking. Um.]

G-g-g...Stranger? [What is the thought she's trying to form here? Fukawa swallows back a wad of spit. Whew, how can your mouth be dry and too wet at the same time?] I s-suppose ranking just above a completely suspicious person is fine. It's the b-best I could hope for, probably.

[She sighs. Yes, that's it. Imply he insulted her. The balance is being restored. She is no longer besieged with visions of Jonas being gripped by a stranger and surrendering his lips to a world of fantasy. Totally done with that. One hundred percent.

Except, they're under mistletoe now. Together. She looks up at the vivid green leaves and quails at once.]

Th-though...th-that doesn't make this situation any less dire! It's not like we're engaged or anything! [Is engaged too far?] Or dating! Or — or...do you even like girls?

[Asking for a friend.]

(with extra marshmallows please

jonas can't think of a time when he's been ready to answer the orientation question, but it also hasn't been enough of a big deal for him to keep it a secret. his usual response is a shrug and a joke—a "i have my cake and eat it, too," or a "porque no los dos?"—casting the whole thing off as a nonissue—those are his true feelings. he's had far more pressing concerns than who he wants to fuck.

even still, the meat of fukawa's commentary, paired poorly with a bold-flavoured question, is enough to make him visibly flustered.)

Well, yeah, I do, I just—wait, why would we be engaged? (engaged is too far. dating is too far. would dating be too far? jonas reaches up to massage the back of his neck.) Look, Fukawa, none of that stuff matters right this second... except maybe your insanely low opinion of yourself, which—Jesus, I can't even tackle that right now.

What does matter is that we're stuck here until we lay one on each other or play curse roulette with that thing.

(the sprite, who has been lazily dangling in the air as if they were lying across a chaise lounge chair, wiggles their fingers at them. a class act.)

I don't know about you, but I know where my vote's going. I'm getting really sick of curses.

[Well, he's not expecting Jonas to be this effusive about it, anyway, so he chuckles, bashfulness, astonishment and just plain hilarity making their way into his laughter all at once. Zag grins, and then flusters at the idea of someone being so forward from the get-go.] Were they really that bold?

Unfortunately—er, fortunately? (for jonas, being straightforward is never a bad thing. there was no malicious intent, so he's chill with it.) I didn't even know what to call it afterward.

(his eyes point upward at the mistletoe. sprites nearby, having a great time watching people either suffer or prosper, cajole and snicker at them.)

What I'd call it now is "a risky move." You're, uh—I'm glad you're not some random. Have you run into many of these mistletoes?

[Zag's eyebrows are arched but out of inquisitiveness more than actual critique. He's not here to judge if one enjoys a nice smooch or two,

or three

or four.

That would be thoroughly hypocritical of him, after all. The godling sighs, a bit sheepish but finding some humor in all of this.] Oh. Er. You've seen me working at the docks. I was doing the rounds selling what I caught when these plants decided to appear in random places.

[He shakes his head. It had been a riot.] Those fishmongers are very loud and very, ah, unhibitted. All in good fun, though. I understand some traditions needn't be so complicated in their meaning.

Oh, I've seen you out there. I think to say "hi" sometimes, but I never wanna throw off your guys' game. (it looks tough, carrying crates of fish, chum—whatever.

jonas shrugs.) Mistletoe's, like, as simple a tradition as you can get, but somehow that makes it harder to handle. It's hard out there for the awkward guys.

(WHICH GENEROUSLY INCLUDES HIM.)

Looks like kisses on the cheek or forehead don't work, either. Tried that a couple of times, but it didn't take, so...

[Zagreus beams and nudges Jonas' shoulder with his own, which, considering the slight height difference, makes him nudge his upper arm instead.] You should say hi. I'll always make time for you, mate.

[Though his lip twitches, he is a bit amused, a bit endeared at how his friend is going on about it.] Jonas. It's me. You don't have to worry about it. I understand if you don't like the idea, but I won't hold it over your head or anything. I just don't want to see you suffering from these silly pranks that the sprites are so fond of.

(open) hanging on in quiet desperation—

▹ 𝙼𝙸𝚂𝚃𝙻𝙴𝚃𝙾𝙴.

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wildcard tho;

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stomps over here, i demand kisses too!!!

OH, YOU'LL GET THEM

excellent...brilliant...

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slides into these DMs

:smirk: swipes right again

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