Gender neutral pronouns are used for the reader, but they're mentioned to be wearing a dress.
The sky seems especially dark tonight, with clouds out hiding the light reflected off of the moon. But despite that, everyone's in high spirits, and the Perseus is lit up with pretty bright lights. (All thanks to Senku's innovative mind, of course.)
Bar Francois opened up a few hours ago, and in my hand I hold a non-alcoholic cocktail made especially for me, a grenadine tonic to be specific. It's thoughtful, really. But I suppose that's to be expected of Francois, they're a very thoughtful person, with insane foresight. Yes, I've been surrounded by so many great people since awaking from my cold sleep. It's a welcome change of pace, I can't deny it.
I lean back against the railing on the side of the ship, watching a large portion of the battle team train. They're improving steadily, but every so often I've been needing to give them small pointers.
Snapping me out of my thoughts, I feel someone looking at me. I look up to my left, to see (Name) approaching me. There's an unusual sway to their steps. Have they been drinking?
"Tsukasa~! hehehh.. Hiii~.." They slur their words together, stumbling down to sit next to me with a giddy expression on their face. Have I ever seen them giddy? I don't think I have. In fact, I've only seen them smile a few times, so this is quite the change.
It seems they are very drunk.
"..Hello, (Name.)" I greet them back, making sure to speak softer than usual. I don't know what they're like drunk yet, and I'd hate to spook them, so I'll be cautious. "Have you been drinking?"
They shift to lean on me, their cheek against my arm as they fidget with their hands. "..Mmmaybe..." They mumble, looking at the ground to avoid eye contact. "Francois put alcohool in my cocktail.. Aaapparently I come off as someone who can handle their liquor~." A smile graces their flushed face again as they finish speaking and glance up at me.
I meet their gaze and offer a small smile of my own, unable to resist the urge. It's hard not to smile when I can feel their body warm against my own. "And they were wrong?" I follow up their question with one of my own, trying to gauge just how out of it they are.
"Oh, I don't know..." (Name) shifts closer into me, trying to hide their face against me, but struggling to do so because of the difference in height. "Maybe just a bit~.." I feel the smile on my face grow a little bigger at their drunken actions and shift to face them more. "Maybe." I repeat after them.
A short silence fills the air between us, before (Name) speaks up. "..'m not close enough.." Their face shifts to a pout, and they climb onto my lap, their movements are clumsy and disoriented. I feel their legs settle on either side of my torso and their arms wrap around my neck. For once, I find myself almost caught off guard.
"..." "Is this close enough then?" I question them, trying to adjust the skirt of their fancy dress to cover them better again. They hum in contemplation, before giving me my response. "No..." They mumble, before burying their face into my neck, holding me tighter.
I let out a breathy laugh, glancing up to make sure nobody was watching. "Oh, alright..." I start, before putting down my drink and moving them to sit against me better, being careful of how I do so. "...Then is this?" I rest a hand on their lower back, the other finding its place on the back of their head. I've never really gotten close to them like this, or anyone really, but I'd rather them get close to me than someone else. -I mean, you don't know they wouldn't take advantage of this.
They shake their head, the action making their hair tickle my jaw. "Never is..." Their voice is quiet, almost too quiet to make out. "y're really warm~..." I lean back to make myself more comfortable. "Thank you." Was that a compliment? Should I have actually thanked them?
(Name) giggles, moving one of their hands to toy with the section of my hair sitting next to their face. I feel my heartrate speed up a bit at their actions. "...'nd soft too." I know they're drunk and likely don't mean it. But it's still very endearing coming from them.
Their giggle fills my ears, before they lean back to look at me. "Hey. Can I tell you a secret?" They whisper, looking up at me with blown pupils, and red cheeks. I pause, before giving them a response that I can only hope will save them some embarrassment tomorrow. "You can if you don't think you'll regret it." They stop to think, giving a soft hum, before shrugging and stretching up to whisper in my ear. "I'minlovewithyou." They whisper innocently my ear, making me pause. "..Are you now?" I gently press further, trying to gauge what's going through their head. Did they not realize they're talking to me? Did they mean someone else? Were they exaggerating?
"Uh huh~!" They grin, giggly over their words. They press a finger to my lips, as if silencing me. "But no telling 'nyone! I don't wan' you to know..!" I nod hesitantly, only getting more confused as they go on. What could possibly be the thought behind this?
They hold their finger over my mouth for a moment, before removing it as if they were deciding they believe me. "Good. 'Cause I'm not ready to tell you.." They slur, shifting to rest their head on my chest the similar to the way Matsukaze had earlier. I gently rub their back. They'll be very hungover tomorrow.. I should get them to drink some water before I put them to bed.
