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Who: jj (

underwhelms) & yusuke (

tricksune)
What: chillin
When: right now
Where: @ the beach
Warning(s): hmu

[ It's a good thing Yusuke and JJ are friends, or the way that JJ's currently trying to tug Yusuke's hoodie off might be considered sexual harassment. (Good thing...) But it's for Yusuke's own good, who might get a little sunburnt if he exposes more skin to the sun, but will also probably overheat and die if he insists on wearing so many layers.

And also, that hoodie would weigh him down like a rock in the water. ]

I get it. [ JJ starts, still tugging insistently on the hoodie in an attempt to get it off. ] The sea is beautiful, you want to admire its beautiful. I get it. But haven't you ever seen a painting so picturesque that you wish you could jump right in?

[ He gives up on the hoodie, rounding around so that they're face to face, a smile on his face that asks Yusuke to trust his judgment. ]

You can actually do that here. The water feels amazing, don't make me throw you in with all your clothes on.

[ Since JJ is still blissfully unaware that Yusuke is anything but a normal teenager, he's fairly sure that he could overpower him, especially since Yusuke is a noodle and JJ is borderline bara. ]

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[ Look at this rampant justification for trying to steal his clothes... Yusuke responds to most of this tugging and pulling with a discontented noise here and again, frowning from beneath his hood. Trying to use art against him!! The nerve.

Anyway, of course it works, but the desire to actually experience the ocean for himself doesn't change the fact that Yusuke may as well be made of the paper he draws on. ]

That won't be necessary.

[ His tone is more like 'don't you dare,' but he has a point. The sea is calm, the water is beautiful, and it's too deep to try and avoid getting drenched. So maybe he should just embrace his future fate as a cancer-ridden tomato. He makes one last attempt at reason, because this much is the truth: ]

But I don't mind watching from the shore...

Edited 2017-09-18 00:06 (UTC)

You can watch from in the water too.

[ JJ's just acting all around shady around Yusuke, because their friends now so there are no longer any holds barred. That's the explanation from the way his arm is snaking around Yusuke's waist in an attempt to guide him toward the water more subtly than outright shoving him from behind or taking his hand.

Maybe he should take his hand though, Yusuke seems to like that approach. ]

And then you could take a dive and see what mysteries lie underneath the water. Or, if you keep real low in the water, I bet you could spy on people too.

[ Is his rambling distracting enough to get Yusuke into the water? ]

You probably do that to for artistic inspiration, right? People watching.

[ Why does being friends make it more acceptable to be shady? This whole premise is completely unbelievable, and JJ continues to be the most obnoxiously in-his-face person ever. But he's gotten used to it by now, more or less allowing himself to get dragged along most days.

But he still digs his heels into the pier uncooperatively, just barely slowing their treck. ]

Something like that, yes.

[ Maybe less for inspiration than understanding. Stop trying to divert his attention. He looks to the water again, considering the surface more ponderously than his "friend's" words, when finally—he pulls at his hoodie, talking to JJ through the fabric as he tugs it off. ]

If it's to see the ocean floor... Very well. [ Though JJ had better be ready to comfort him when he has third degree sunburns or however those work. ] You go first.

[ Victory certainly tastes sweet, though JJ does his best not to celebrate too obviously when Yusuke finally relents, withdrawing his arm but giving Yusuke a cheerful slap on the shoulder. ]

Great! I'll go first—are you scared of the water or something? That's okay. [ He smiles, looking quite pleased with himself. ] I'll protect you.

[ Since Yusuke is a noodle, and JJ apparently has muscle. He doesn't suspect any foul play with Yusuke's request, and he's already only in his swimming trunks so he's content to wander in first, letting Yusuke set his hoodie somewhere safe as he gets in the water first.

It's cold, goosebumps forming all the way up his legs to his nape, but JJ doesn't slow any, throwing himself into the water once its deep enough and enjoying the weightlessness of it. Skating will always be JJ's sport of choice, but he'd always enjoyed any sort of physical activity, a little bit of adrenaline enough to carry him across miles.

He treads happily in the water, cupping one hand around his mouth even though it's completely unnecessary. ]

Yusuke! Hey!! Yusuke!

[ Yeah, protect him from getting knocked over by a wave, maybe. He's not afraid of the water, it's the sun that's the issue... but who doesn't want to keep their friends safe? It's a nice, if useless offer. Yusuke folds his hoodie and puts it aside in a neat bundle as he calls back. ]

I'm right here, JJ.

[ They aren't even that far from each other. Especially since—true to his word—Yusuke drops into the water soon after, lazily following the ocean current over to his more exuberant company. The water's calm, cool without being clammy, and clear as day, reflecting the sky in near-perfect detail. Despite the fussing that'd gotten them to this point... it's not bad. Besides the shark thing that's probably swimming low in the darker, deeper tides, but he hasn't spotted that yet. ]

...I must admit, this is nice.

[ Mostly out of excitement, but also because of excess of energy in him, JJ just splashes ungracefully in the water as Yusuke treads toward him, not necessarily to splash Yusuke in particular, but just to make a scene like the diva that he is. He's quick to close the gap between them as Yusuke gets in the water, grinning triumphantly. ]

I told you, didn't I? You should trust me. Now—

[ He tilts back into a backstroke before turning in the water to continue swimming. ]

Let's see how far we can get out! There's probably more sea life further from the shore.

[ Their equipped with neither scuba nor snorkeling gear, but that doesn't stop JJ as he continues to swim further out, the water calm enough that the waves aren't pushing him back to the shore. It's been a while since he really swam like this, having been plucked from the dead of winter, but JJ still pushes himself, relentless and enjoying the water and company until—

He concocts a plan, ducking fully into the water hopefully too fast for Yusuke to see and looking around until he spots the other teen's legs, a mischievous smile on his face as he sneaks up to him while underwater, until he can finally reach out yank Yusuke down with him. ]

[ It makes sense that he'd be as animated in the sea as on land. Yusuke suffers a devastating blow, water splashing right in his face thanks to a very overly excited teenage boy. But this is what people their age are meant to waste their time doing, he guesses.

Besides, he can't really afford to yell about it and still try to keep up with JJ's surprisingly grueling pace through the water (he wastes a second looking nonplussed and shaking his now-soaked bangs out of his face instead); in fact, he must've lost quite a bit of ground, since the other teen's nowhere in sight when he squints ahead through the waves.

Huh. ]

King—ghk!?

[ Aaaand there he goes with a sudden plop, water suddenly rushing in over his head.

He's about to kick the shit out of JJ in surprise, air bubbling out of the corners of his mouth, when his surprised glance turns... not angry or peeved or the proper reaction to a silly prank. Instead, it's alarmed as his gaze shifts suddenly towards the reef; he quickly flips around, grabbing JJ by the arm to pull him up to the surface, quickly shoving him along, too busy coughing up water to explain with words. ]

[ JJ probably deserves the way that Yusuke grabs him and yanks him through the water, but he's laughing still when they break the surface, glad that he got to see a new expression on Yusuke's usually impassive face. He doesn't think much of the way that Yusuke is shoving him either, assuming that it's his way of retaliating against the earlier abuse. Their legs knock together under the water, and JJ's got one hand around his arm, just for support as he tries to stifle his laughter, gulping down air as he does after being underwater.

He hadn't noticed anything among the reef, or how vulnerable they were in the water, all noise and movement and excitement. ]

Did I scare you—

[ He hadn't meant anything by it, when he'd pulled Yusuke under the water. It was a playful prank without any real malicious intent, though he probably should've been more considerate—Yusuke could've inhaled a whole lungful of seawater, and been in real trouble. Really, JJ should've been more considerate.

Maybe then karma wouldn't have come for him so quickly, swift through the murkier parts of the water, and its shadow blending in the with the waves as he near slithers through the water. And soon enough JJ's going back under the water, his eyes wide and pale face visible for the barest of seconds as teeth close in on his calf, not even sparing him enough time to let out the shout of pain gathering in his throat before he's gone again.

Pulled back under the water. ]

[ It's a harmless prank, and a mouthful of seawater is nothing to get upset over. Meanwhile, the scrape of sandpaper-like skin under his foot and JJ suddenly getting jerked underwater? Much more unnerving. Yusuke wastes no time taking a breath and diving under again, ignoring how his eyes sting as he looks around.

A small school of strange, eel-like creatures circles beneath them, one with its teeth in JJ's leg. He's putting up enough of a fight that it can't drag him any further, the disturbance of the water keeping the other, wary bottom-feeders away for now. They'd undoubtedly strike once they get tired of treading water, the thin, dark plumes of blood keeping them around.

At the very least, they're not enormous. There's a sudden flash, and the vlix clamped on JJ's calf jerks and splashes away, a deep gash bit down to the bone—the others seem confused, slicing through the water in abrupt turns. When Yusuke manages to get in close enough to JJ without getting smacked in the face, he's got an odd, fox-like mask on.

He motions for him to get to the surface, nearly out of air himself. One of the eel-things makes a peeved pass at them, trying to nip at their ankles before Yusuke kicks irritably at it. As long as they can get their heads above water, these fish were nothing to be afraid of. Mostly. ]

[ Predictably, it happens very quickly. JJ's heartbeat goes from fast to fast; mood from elated to terrified. He's kicking his limbs wildly when Yusuke manages to get ahold of him, and he doesn't know what bit him or how many of them there were, he barely notices the flash or the fact that there's anything different about Yusuke's appearance. His entire existence—thoughts, senses, movement—is consumed with survival and with getting away.

He wants to cry in relief when he gets free, and it's then other needs filter in: the need for Yusuke to be safe too, the knowledge that he needs to take Yusuke with him, and that he can't leave him behind. But his body doesn't listen, lungs burning so he swims up alone, gasping and too numb to feel the pain in his leg or his throat.

It's quiet, and JJ's not sure what's running through his head when he dives back under the water. He doesn't even know what he sees there, the vlix swarming around Yusuke, rapid in the water and full of intent but if there's one thing that Yusuke's pale skin is good for, it's making him easy to spot in the water.

In lieu of any actual combat knowledge, JJ just flails as wildly as he can in an attempt to ward the vlix away, making a spectacle of himself but not even caring, his primary objective to grab Yusuke, hauling him back up to the surface and shoving roughly at his shoulders again once they find air.

His voice is raspy— ]

Go, go!

[ The vlix are annoying, one twisting around his chest and nearly startling the breath out of him, but nothing that'd kill him, probably. Not if he stayed calm and kept afloat until JJ had gotten away to safety. And he assumes that's what he'd do—escape—like a normal person in a normal moment of panic.

But, no. Instead, he's splashed right back into the water with him, kicking up froth and bubbles as he fights off their fishy assailants with gusto. Yusuke can barely register what's happening in the whirlwind of motion when he's working on a mouthful of oxygen, staring stupidly for a second before he's snatched up again. He wonders somewhere in all the craziness why everyone seems so keen on saving him all the time—he never asks for the help. And once upon a time, under different circumstances, it'd rankled him. Now...

His dazed thoughts are interrupted as he sputters as he breaks through the surface of the water again, pushed along by a bobbing wave and JJ's hand at his back. He coughs out a singular word ('persona'), mask disappearing as quickly as it came.

A burst of blue energy spears out into the water, forming into a iceberg, acting as a small platform floating ahead of them both. Yusuke uses his headstart to pull himself onto it, extending a hand to JJ (though he should be as used to traversing ice as he is), still a little pallid and breathless, but otherwise in one piece. ]

[ Now the surroundings are starting to filter in, now that both him and Yusuke are above water. And while he'd blindly accepted any help just seconds ago, he's more confused as he scrambles onto the iceberg, still gasping, eyes wide as he tries to comprehend what is even happening. The sun is warm over his cold skin, but the ice is solid and real under his hands and knees, though the whether was hardly cold enough to warrant such a phenomenon.

He breathes, panic giving way to fear now that he realises just how close they'd been to being dragged into the water. Fear and relief mixed into a combination of confusing emotions, tears springing up involuntarily, a couple droplets falling onto the ice before that too fades.

Then, he breathes again, coughing as he does so, arms starting to shake before he pushes himself up, so that he's just sitting on his legs, looking completely baffled as he stares numbly at Yusuke. ]

Wh... what is this? [ At least he sounds as breathless as he feels. ] Did it start to snow while we were down there?

[ He's not panicked, which is—honestly, that's much better than Yusuke expects of him. Not out of any great disrespect, but because that was their very first interaction. Who'd have thought that same guy, freaking out in his pod, might try to save him from a bunch of shark-eels?

Yusuke is just kinda pissed, meanwhile. ]

Not quite. Goemon!

[ He carefully maintains his balance as he rises to a knee, glaring daggers into the water, a ghostly blue figure (like if a kabuki actor bought all their clothes in Harajuku) answering his call and appearing in the air beside him. Moments later, more bursts of ice stagger off in punctuated bursts, sending the water splashing and the vlix scattering away, frostbite all down their sides.

It's only then that he dismisses his persona entirely and sits, sighing into his mask. ]

...Don't pay it any mind. [ The ice. And everything else. ] Are you all right?

[ "Don't pay it any mind"??? Is Yusuke out of his mind? ]

No. How come you're so... [ He gestures at Yusuke, completely calm and suddenly wearing a mask. ] Wait, when that fish bit me, you helped me, right? But how did you get it to let go?

[ His tone is still more baffled than anything else, though as his senses return, he starts to grow more demanding, edging closer to Yusuke. ]

What's going on? Are you... [ His brows furrow. ] An alien?

[ Which sounds ridiculous, but JJ's completely at a loss to absorb the information that he's receiving. There are fantastical things that exist in Olympia: magic and monsters, some of them native, but some of them stories from other worlds. He accepts most of it with a smile and an interested look because he can't grasp it, and it's easier to just dismiss the information as normal; one of the many quirks of this place.

But maybe he shouldn't. Maybe his approach his wrong, and he needs to treat this, magic or whatever it is, with a lot more gravity than he has been so far. ]

[ Yusuke doesn't bother shoving JJ away; he might be calm, but half of that comes from being tired. Having powers doesn't mean he can use them without consequence. He scoffs. ]

I'm human.

[ He wants to dismiss it as a ridiculous question—does he look alien—but these sorts of things did seem so fantastical the first go around. Easier to dismiss as a dream, or some strange nightmare... he pulls up his knees to rest his head on them, explaining plainly instead. ]

It was simply... You can call it magic. They're powers that I awakened to recently. [ Or some derivative thereof. The details of which are foggy enough that he doesn't need to get into the minutiae. ] But surely you've seen stranger things by now.

[ Persona might be weird, but they've been through so much already otherwise. ]

Magic.

[ JJ repeats, wide eyes going between Yusuke to the ice underneath them. He draws his fingers over it, shimmering and real under the sun, slightly wet from the warmth of the day already.

But Yusuke's just a teenager. ]

So you've had... magic. This entire time that we've known each other. And that's why you're always so calm.

[ It's too much to wrap his head around, barely even recalling what happened while they were under the water. Yusuke can create ice with a wave of his hand like Elsa, and that's just normal to him. His powers mean that he doesn't worry about some dangerous fish or monsters—because he's walking around armed at all times.

He goes quiet for a moment, uncertainty tight in his chest. ]

And... you've listened to me talk about figure skating this entire time and never offered to just make me a rink?

[ He seems genuinely surprised. ]

Haven't I? I said I'd help you.

[ Wasn't that clear enough... (No, not at all.) He looks down over his work, a small expanse of ice where there is already so much water, pressing his hand to the surface. It's wet and melting, nearly transparent. More hesitantly, ]

Though truth be told, I don't know that I could do it on my own. [ He seems weaker here than he was before, each spell a palpable drain on his stamina. Treading water didn't help, but still, he shouldn't be so tired. ] I think you misunderstand, JJ. I'm not that powerful. And certainly not fearless.

[ He rarely even takes on enemies on his own—even today was a group effort. But he's used to these things, and has learned how to defend himself. It makes a difference. ]

[ Slowly gathering his senses after this revelation, JJ just blinks at Yusuke, not aware that there were restrictions to Yusuke's powers. Though he supposes that skating rinks are huge, and require constant cooling. It was just wishful thinking on his part.

But that's something to ponder on another day. For now, he fixes Yusuke with more attention than he usually thinks to give other people; thoughtful and considering. Eventually, he reaches out to take one of Yusuke's hands in his own. ]

What do you mean? You saved my life! That's not something I could do. It was— like, seriously, it was amazing! You just went in there and got me.

Wait. [ He stops, considering something. ] Is that normal for you? Just going around and saving people? Why didn't you tell me before?

[ His hold tightens as his excitement increases. ]

You need to fill me in!

[ His other friends were a stabilizing force in his life, and JJ is certainly... something else. But he has a comforting presence about him anyway. The public opinion of their group had turned for the worst before the apocalypse set in, and it's been some time since he's been so genuinely thanked by anyone besides the Thieves—if JJ was an expert at anything besides skating and exuberance, it was all these little gestures of kindness, thoughtlessly given.

He glances at their hands, too used to it now to really pry himself free. ]

...I'll do my best.

[ He wasn't the superhero that JJ was building this tale up to be, but he could probably spin a good story or two. ]

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