☆ . his townhouse was busy again. people were in it and active for the first time in a long while, so he can’t veg around all day. that’d look bad. so, even in the terrible mood he’s in, he forces himself outside. with the festival going on, he has absolutely no desire to go anywhere near that ward, so he’ll have to find something to do locally. he couldn’t brood in his room anymore.
the festival is meant to celebrate the dead, right? those who went back to their homeworlds, disappeared from the island– they weren’t necessarily dead, right? either way, it felt like a timely blessing. someone he thought had just vanished– up and left, was standing right in front of him. it felt like forever. here he was, thinking he made no important connections in these cities besides two people, but he forgot the most important of them all.
he nearly fell the fuck over at the impact of the track star, but he managed to stay grounded. arms wasted no time wrapping around the other in a crushingly tight grip. “ryuji–” he never uses people’s first names. he caught himself by surprise, but made no attempts to correct himself. “fuck.” such a way with words. he nestles his face right into the crook of his neck, trying his best to ignore tears that were already forming, even if his voice kind of gave it away. “ya’ better not let go, idiot.” he’s… happy. he’s so, so happy.
“c’mon, are ya seriously cryin’ over me?” hypocritical words for someone with tears streaming down his own cheeks. still, there's a bright ass smile on his face. he definitely isn’t the most observant guy in the world, but even he notices when leon calls him by his first name. with one arm still snugly wrapped around the other’s waist, he tangles his hand in his vibrant hair, gently running his fingers through the orange locks.
after a few moments of soaking it all in, he lets out a small laugh, “your goatee’s ticklin’ my neck, dude!” he doesn’t move an inch though -- he doesn’t want to. when he talks again, his tone’s quieter, sincere, “y’know... they took my memories of you when i got back home. it was effin’ annoying actually, feelin’ like i was missin’ somethin’ and not knowin’ what,” it makes him feel gross, realizing how easy it was to forget one of his closest friends, “but when i woke up here again, you were the only person i could think about... look, leon, i’m really sorry. for leavin’ ya, i mean.”
whoa, whoa, even ryuji’s blown away by how mushy he’s getting here. he pulls away slightly, nervous laughter escaping him, “damn, that was cheesy as hell! y-you can just ignore all that if ya want, haha...”
