[knock! knock! knock! Bandou makes sure to call out Youko's name so she knows it's him at the door and not some spooky entity or suspicious intruder. Even though his attire might make him look like the latter.]
[An act of mercy on his part, one that nets him a relieved (if shaky) smile when she cracks the door after a few tense moments of silence, then shuffling at his knocking. The comforter didn't come with her to greet him, so whether he's ready for it or not she easily slips out to hug him, face burying against his torso. If the bright flood of light behind her is any indicator, she wasn't remotely joking about turning all the switches on.]
[Thank goodness for the shades! They do come in handy sometimes! But, the intensity of that embrace, her voice sounding so meek, Bandou can feel his heart sink. Had the film really bothered her that much?]
Hey...
[Feeling extremely guilty, he leans down so he can fully wrap his arms around her.]
I didn't mean for you to get upset like this. I'm sorry.
[They linger in the doorway, Bandou finding himself rocking her in his arms, hoping it will soothe her somehow.]
[The way he wraps around Youko leeches a little of the tension out of her frame, though she doesn't relax her hold on him until he starts to rock her. That gets her hands at the small of his back to let go of the fistfuls of his hoodie she instinctually commandeered, sighing, trying to focus on the feeling of safety having Bandou there lends. Solid. Warm. Human beyond a shadow of a doubt. She props her chin against his chest, and looking up at him with a jittery grin that doesn't quite reach her glassy eyes, embarrassment written all over her face in warm reds.]
I know that... pretty ridiculous to let it get to me like this, huh?
Not really. That's what the whole horror genre is going for.
[His one arm slips away if only to shift his glasses away. She doesn't need to look into the black void of the lenses when he's trying to calm and reassure her. What she needs is soft eyes and a warm, if not apologetic, smile.]
I guess I kinda forgot that just cause I don't get freaked out by them doesn't mean you wouldn't.
Well, the whole genre is succeeding. I never got like this with horror novels though...
[Though, arguably what is scarier? Descriptive horrors that rely on the imagination alone or the cinematic sort that feed directly into it, with cruel camera angles and jumpscares and a sadistic prop department? She pulls back just enough to wipe at her eyes with the heel of her palm, just a dash of sulking sneaking into her voice.]
And now you're stuck dealing with me not being able to handle it.
You put up with me all the time. [yes, he's aware that his emotions are an awfully big handful.] So, I can't complain.
[The tears threatening to fall before she swipes them away with her palm, those really get him. He needs to make this up to her asap, even if she doesn't seem to be holding a grudge. ]
Come on.
[Both of her hands are pried away from his waist and he leads her inside.]
[That dose self-awareness get a small laugh, even if she wouldn't ever considering being there for him putting up with him. She makes a questioning sound when he pulls her hands away, but it's a short-lived one, shorter than any possible grudge she might have license for (which she'd argue is none anyways, given she chose to watch the offending horror movie), as he starts guiding her back inside.]
I like the sound of that plan. So many fewer haunted dolls in it.
[Heading back in, there is really nothing that could make her apartment look as sparse as having every overhead light turned on at once. Though the blanket thrown haphazardly over the TV across from her small couch is certainly a type of environmental storytelling.]
... unless there's a Ghibli movie I don't know with haunted dolls.
[The lights can be left on, despite it not being the optimal level of lighting for movie viewing. However, he has to pause upon seeing the state of the TV. The impenetrable, 100% cotton blanket. As all children know, no evil forces can penetrate it. Gosh, you'd think they'd been watching Ringu. At least now he knows he definitely shouldn't show her that one.
Shaking his head, Bandou opts to give her a few brief film synopsizes before removing the protective covering from the TV.]
No dolls. But, we've got sisters meet a forest spirit and use an unconventional mode of transportation.
[He counts them off on his fingers as he goes.]
A wizard and an everyday girl free each other from hindering spells...and also use an unconventional mode of transportation. Or, a girl gets a job at a bathhouse for spirits in order to save her parents, and there's a slightly more conventional mode...
[He hesitates fully lifting that third finger as he changes his mind.]
Uh, actually skip that one. No-Face might freak you out right now.
[As he undoes her slapdash (but internationally child-approved) defenses, Youko ducks just a little behind him, keeping close but shifting knowingly out of line-of-sight with the television. Beneath the titanium defenses of the blanket, the movie he loaned her is paused on the screen, though on a blessedly mundane frame in the middle of a less than mundane sequence.
Listening to him list summaries, and then backtrack on one title, she leans her head against him, her bangs getting mussed while considering the options. The first is instantly recognizable even to a cinema neophyte like her.]
I've seen Totoro before... so the one with the wizard?
[She's in no great hurry to figure out why the hell a Ghibli movie set in a bathhouse would have a character called No-Face tonight. What she is is feeling a bit clingy while coming down from the embarrassing mixture of fear and anxiety that dragged him across town to her.]
Though I think I'll be more invested in you being here than the movie.
[If the blanket itself hadn't puzzled him enough, what he finds beneath is even more perplexing. With the way she ducked further behind him, he'd expected the movie to be paused on the unsettling face of Abagail, weathered and eerily backlit. But nope, just a plain old scene that, out of context, could have been from any other not nearly as unsettling film.
If she were one of the guys, he'd be laughing at them for this - paybacks and all that. But, he'd never do so with her, even if it does give him a bit of an ego boost that she's looking to him for protection against imaginary haunted dolls.
Instead, he reaches out to exorcise the evil DVD from the possessed machine, then seal it back into its case where it can no longer bring terror to her apartment.]
So let's do something different. What kinda thing would distract you from thinking about it?
[If he had it in him to be merciless and laugh at her for this, it would have blindsided her something horrible. She had braced for being teased, having how ridiculous it is to be afraid of a movie when her real life has had its share of terrors thrown in her face, but the idea of Bandou mocking her never even crossed her mind as a possibility. That either speaks to the faith she has in him or the size of the blindspot for his less charming characteristics.
As Bandou fishes the DVD from the player and the film is sealed away again, safe in the clamshell hellmouth it came from, the screen goes into its blue waiting mode and she breathes out a sigh of relief. It was only dumb luck she caught the frame she did in her mad scramble with the remote to make it stop when she hit her hard limit.
The idea of changing their tentative plan makes her frown slightly, mouth twisting into a contemplative pout. If they're not watching a different movie, there really is a limit to the alternatives; Youko doesn't have even an eighth of the variety of things Shouhei and Bandou have between them. A pitfall of knowing this home is ultimately transient.]
Well... we could talk? But my suggestion was a serious one. [She fidgets with the hem of her shirt.] I do think my boyfriend should cuddle me.
[Well, boys will be boys, as the saying goes. But the way Bandou acts around his comrades and how he does with Youko are two separate things. Youko's able to pull out Bandou's gentler and more respectful side by not treating him the way the others do. She's kind and understanding and takes his emotions seriously. And he wants to treat her just the same.]
Don't worry. Cuddling is definitely gonna happen!
[His focus shifts from the TV to the couch to the door leading to her bedroom.]
I guess the better question is where do you wanna cuddle?
[The force of that assurance startles a laugh and a real smile out of her.]
Good. I'd be sorely disappointed if it didn't.
[It takes her a moment to trace where his eyes have strayed to, landing on her bedroom door a few moments behind him.]
If we're not watching a movie, we don't really need to be on the couch. [Rational.] And at your height, the bed would probably be roomier, more comfortable. [Reasonable.] Though I guess it also puts us at risk of getting too comfortable and falling asleep. Then you might be stuck for the night.
[Is it time to scoop her up bridal style and whisk her off to their honeymoon suite? Maybe not that dramatic. A tamer intertwining of their fingers and urging her to follow with his enthusiasm should work nicely enough. She's had enough jumpscares for the day.]
And I wouldn't complain if I failed at it!
[Seriously, he'll cuddle her well past noon tomorrow if she needs it. Next question now is, how many layers to shed? For now, at least the hat and shades can be forgotten atop her dresser.]
[Following the lead of their linked hands and his bright energy is the easiest thing to do, even if it takes her a couple of longer strides to keep pace.
The bedroom is as lit up as the rest of the apartment was, but there are no odd, thrown together defenses in front of her closet or blocking off the window over her dresser. The bed is still as neatly made as it was when she got up, hunter green sheets folded back over the lip of a fluffy, white comforter and four plush pillows leaning on the headboard. It isn't particularly large — she hadn't had to think about anyone but herself fitting in it when she picked it — but there should be enough mattress real estate for them both.
She gently bumps her arm against Bandou's side as he finishes depositing his hat and glasses, fingers giving his hand a squeeze.]
I think I'm going to hold you to your words. Because falling asleep with you here and waking up to you being gone wouldn't be a nice surprise.
[Casual is the dress code for the evening, if the cotton pajama shorts and t-shirt Youko is modeling are anything to judge by. It isn't like she had counted on needing back-up when she sat down to watch a movie.]
[Well, jeans definitely don't make for cozy snuggling, so those gotta go. He'll inadvertently put on a bit of a comedic show while he tries to speedrun getting himself out of them and way too many long sleeved shirts at once. Eventually he'll get down to boxers and a HOMRA branded t-shirt. All that clothing is piled near her dresser in a heap, not a single bit of effort put forth to folding them.]
Maybe I should sleep over every night~
[He raises his offer with a nice, comforting peck on the lips before bounding onto the mattress. His arms outstretch into a childish, but well meaning, gimmie-gimmie gesture, excited for her to join him.]
[It's a familiar performance — him hurrying to shuck his skinny jeans and creating a uniquely Bandou struggle for himself, her trying very hard not to laugh, rolling her lips tightly together and clamping down on the sound, only for her best efforts to be undone by the next thing he does. In this case, the kiss he plants and the offer floated.]
I don't know. Wouldn't Shouhei notice you've gone missing, send out a search party?
[Any dregs of fear she might still be feeling ebb further away at the sight of Bandou perched on her bed with his arms thrown wide, looking expectant and eager for the company. It really is impossible to feel anything but safe and cared for around him. Youko follows his lead, climbing up onto the bed on her knees, quickly deciding to deposit herself on his lap and nestle into that empty space with some gusto, smiling as she wraps one arm around his side.]
I think he could guess who stole me away pretty easily.
[It's a bit difficult to go full snuggle mode in this position, but he does his best, holding her as steady in his lap as he can while he scoots back against the headboard. And once he's carefully tucked any pillows within the vicinity around them he's set on nuzzling up against her cheek.]
Does that mean he won't worry or that he's going to show up on the prime suspect's doorstep?
[Having him nuzzling against her cheek makes her squirm, cheek turned into the sensation and face scrunching up with a soft laugh. She drums her fingers lightly against his side before reaching out that little bit further to pat the pillows ensconcing them, offering that and a short nod with her reply.]
He better not show up! Neither of us are leaving this bed until you've been sufficiently cuddled!
[His arms wrap further around her, as possessive as they are protective. No way anyone is gonna ruin this officially approved cozy moment! Humming pleasantly, Bandou does his best to nudge a few stray hairs to the side with his nose so he can pepper her neck with comforting kisses.]
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we can watch something silly next time
give me a few and ill head over ok?
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i'll be waiting.
[Likely under a comforter pulled over her head.]
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... hey.
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Hey...
[Feeling extremely guilty, he leans down so he can fully wrap his arms around her.]
I didn't mean for you to get upset like this. I'm sorry.
[They linger in the doorway, Bandou finding himself rocking her in his arms, hoping it will soothe her somehow.]
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I know that... pretty ridiculous to let it get to me like this, huh?
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[His one arm slips away if only to shift his glasses away. She doesn't need to look into the black void of the lenses when he's trying to calm and reassure her. What she needs is soft eyes and a warm, if not apologetic, smile.]
I guess I kinda forgot that just cause I don't get freaked out by them doesn't mean you wouldn't.
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[Though, arguably what is scarier? Descriptive horrors that rely on the imagination alone or the cinematic sort that feed directly into it, with cruel camera angles and jumpscares and a sadistic prop department? She pulls back just enough to wipe at her eyes with the heel of her palm, just a dash of sulking sneaking into her voice.]
And now you're stuck dealing with me not being able to handle it.
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[The tears threatening to fall before she swipes them away with her palm, those really get him. He needs to make this up to her asap, even if she doesn't seem to be holding a grudge. ]
Come on.
[Both of her hands are pried away from his waist and he leads her inside.]
We can put on another Ghibli film and get cozy.
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I like the sound of that plan. So many fewer haunted dolls in it.
[Heading back in, there is really nothing that could make her apartment look as sparse as having every overhead light turned on at once. Though the blanket thrown haphazardly over the TV across from her small couch is certainly a type of environmental storytelling.]
... unless there's a Ghibli movie I don't know with haunted dolls.
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Shaking his head, Bandou opts to give her a few brief film synopsizes before removing the protective covering from the TV.]
No dolls. But, we've got sisters meet a forest spirit and use an unconventional mode of transportation.
[He counts them off on his fingers as he goes.]
A wizard and an everyday girl free each other from hindering spells...and also use an unconventional mode of transportation. Or, a girl gets a job at a bathhouse for spirits in order to save her parents, and there's a slightly more conventional mode...
[He hesitates fully lifting that third finger as he changes his mind.]
Uh, actually skip that one. No-Face might freak you out right now.
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Listening to him list summaries, and then backtrack on one title, she leans her head against him, her bangs getting mussed while considering the options. The first is instantly recognizable even to a cinema neophyte like her.]
I've seen Totoro before... so the one with the wizard?
[She's in no great hurry to figure out why the hell a Ghibli movie set in a bathhouse would have a character called No-Face tonight. What she is is feeling a bit clingy while coming down from the embarrassing mixture of fear and anxiety that dragged him across town to her.]
Though I think I'll be more invested in you being here than the movie.
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If she were one of the guys, he'd be laughing at them for this - paybacks and all that. But, he'd never do so with her, even if it does give him a bit of an ego boost that she's looking to him for protection against imaginary haunted dolls.
Instead, he reaches out to exorcise the evil DVD from the possessed machine, then seal it back into its case where it can no longer bring terror to her apartment.]
So let's do something different. What kinda thing would distract you from thinking about it?
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As Bandou fishes the DVD from the player and the film is sealed away again, safe in the clamshell hellmouth it came from, the screen goes into its blue waiting mode and she breathes out a sigh of relief. It was only dumb luck she caught the frame she did in her mad scramble with the remote to make it stop when she hit her hard limit.
The idea of changing their tentative plan makes her frown slightly, mouth twisting into a contemplative pout. If they're not watching a different movie, there really is a limit to the alternatives; Youko doesn't have even an eighth of the variety of things Shouhei and Bandou have between them. A pitfall of knowing this home is ultimately transient.]
Well... we could talk? But my suggestion was a serious one. [She fidgets with the hem of her shirt.] I do think my boyfriend should cuddle me.
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Don't worry. Cuddling is definitely gonna happen!
[His focus shifts from the TV to the couch to the door leading to her bedroom.]
I guess the better question is where do you wanna cuddle?
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Good. I'd be sorely disappointed if it didn't.
[It takes her a moment to trace where his eyes have strayed to, landing on her bedroom door a few moments behind him.]
If we're not watching a movie, we don't really need to be on the couch. [Rational.] And at your height, the bed would probably be roomier, more comfortable. [Reasonable.] Though I guess it also puts us at risk of getting too comfortable and falling asleep. Then you might be stuck for the night.
[And maybe that comes out a little too hopeful.]
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[Is it time to scoop her up bridal style and whisk her off to their honeymoon suite? Maybe not that dramatic. A tamer intertwining of their fingers and urging her to follow with his enthusiasm should work nicely enough. She's had enough jumpscares for the day.]
And I wouldn't complain if I failed at it!
[Seriously, he'll cuddle her well past noon tomorrow if she needs it. Next question now is, how many layers to shed? For now, at least the hat and shades can be forgotten atop her dresser.]
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The bedroom is as lit up as the rest of the apartment was, but there are no odd, thrown together defenses in front of her closet or blocking off the window over her dresser. The bed is still as neatly made as it was when she got up, hunter green sheets folded back over the lip of a fluffy, white comforter and four plush pillows leaning on the headboard. It isn't particularly large — she hadn't had to think about anyone but herself fitting in it when she picked it — but there should be enough mattress real estate for them both.
She gently bumps her arm against Bandou's side as he finishes depositing his hat and glasses, fingers giving his hand a squeeze.]
I think I'm going to hold you to your words. Because falling asleep with you here and waking up to you being gone wouldn't be a nice surprise.
[Casual is the dress code for the evening, if the cotton pajama shorts and t-shirt Youko is modeling are anything to judge by. It isn't like she had counted on needing back-up when she sat down to watch a movie.]
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Maybe I should sleep over every night~
[He raises his offer with a nice, comforting peck on the lips before bounding onto the mattress. His arms outstretch into a childish, but well meaning, gimmie-gimmie gesture, excited for her to join him.]
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I don't know. Wouldn't Shouhei notice you've gone missing, send out a search party?
[Any dregs of fear she might still be feeling ebb further away at the sight of Bandou perched on her bed with his arms thrown wide, looking expectant and eager for the company. It really is impossible to feel anything but safe and cared for around him. Youko follows his lead, climbing up onto the bed on her knees, quickly deciding to deposit herself on his lap and nestle into that empty space with some gusto, smiling as she wraps one arm around his side.]
I wouldn't mind though.
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[It's a bit difficult to go full snuggle mode in this position, but he does his best, holding her as steady in his lap as he can while he scoots back against the headboard. And once he's carefully tucked any pillows within the vicinity around them he's set on nuzzling up against her cheek.]
Cozy enough?
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[Having him nuzzling against her cheek makes her squirm, cheek turned into the sensation and face scrunching up with a soft laugh. She drums her fingers lightly against his side before reaching out that little bit further to pat the pillows ensconcing them, offering that and a short nod with her reply.]
Pretty cozy.
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[His arms wrap further around her, as possessive as they are protective. No way anyone is gonna ruin this officially approved cozy moment! Humming pleasantly, Bandou does his best to nudge a few stray hairs to the side with his nose so he can pepper her neck with comforting kisses.]
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