the picture prompt meme.

[acrobatically]

the picture prompt meme

comment with your character. others will leave a picture (or two, or three...) reply to them with a setting based on the picture. link to any pictures that are NSFW, please. be aware that this meme will likely be image-heavy. that's kind of the point. link to an image: <a href=IMAGEURL>TEXT</a> embed an image in your reply: <img src=IMAGEURL> control width and height of your pictures: <img src=IMAGEURL width=500><br />OR<br /><img src=IMAGEURL height=INSERT>

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[cordated]

[ephydriade]

[ the suggestion to go to the beach to get a better view of the incoming dark clouds in the sky had been Makoto's, surprising as it was to Haru. with the guarantee of a bad storm on its way, he figured being here would be the last thing the other would want, especially with what had happened in their training camp.

and yet here they were.

they had stayed until it was nearly dark, the winds growing more and more as the scent in the air changed. any time now, the storm would start...

as the sound of the waves continued, Haru redirected his gaze to his friend, concern filling them entirely. ]

Shouldn't we head back soon? The storm's about to-- [ his sentence is cut off at the sudden burst of lightning in the distance, followed by the loud crack of thunder ] ... start.

sorry for the delay!

[cordated]

[ it wasn't one of his best proposals, working off of nagisa's unswerving belief that makoto could overcome his fear of storms by observing their incipient beginnings (or rather the catalyst itself, as broached by low tide, since that was the least likely to inspire a trilling sense of hysteria in him).

the only thing to fear was fear itself, or something along those lines.

invariably, it'd been a terrible idea in execution, lending terrible credence to the claim that being a spectator to a storm entailed an ounce of situational awareness and acumen that makoto found, belatedly, extremely lacking in his emotional repertoire.

in fact, makoto's been beside himself with fear for a long while, inchoate pearls of panic in the form of convulsive gulping that could potentially pass for hyperventilation. shaking like a leaf in overcast winds, his gaze flickers over haru when he speaks, startled into coherence. ]

Y-Yes? We should go, I'm sorry, I —

[ and when the lightning momentarily pilfers the darkness, makoto draws in a half-swallowed gasp, shoulders strained in thin shudders. ]

... I shouldn't have a-asked you to come with me. I'm really sorry, Haru.

no worries!!

[ephydriade]

[ yeah. this was a bad idea.

he's never liked seeing Makoto in this state. to him, Makoto was his rock. he was the one who kept him going regardless of all the bumps in the road. seeing him so vulnerable like this, however... it was practically heartbreaking.

his mind briefly returns to the moment during their training camp when they were out at sea during the storm; the panicked expression on Makoto's face before he was pulled underwater. the uneasy feeling that lingered after he got him safely to shore and resuscitated. he didn't want to deal with that again, even if they weren't entirely in the same situation at the moment.

his hand clenches slightly as Makoto starts apologizing, clearly bothered by that recent boom of thunder. his head shakes slightly before he starts to reply ]

I would have come with even if you didn't ask. [ his gaze stays firmly fixed on the other as he continues ] I was wondering why you wanted to do this, so suddenly. [ he pauses briefly ] ... did you really think this would help?

[cordated]

[ and language always ends up failing him in some respect. if not in nuance, then words — conveying them in a way that doesn't end up excusing himself or vilifying others for his weaknesses. hands braced over his knees, his fingers idly flex, the restless semantics of disquiet already evoked in his slipping dissatisfaction. ]

No one pressured me. Even if doing something like this would only help a little, I still wanted to try. I owe it to Rei as well as everyone else to handle myself better.

[ but the skies go up in lucent sparks, sea fermenting in the aggregating flood of high tide, and he can't control the involuntary shudder that seizes him, unnerved and wracking. ]

I don't want to put anyone in danger ever again.

[ a quieter admission, whisper clotting in his mouth. steeling himself, makoto peers over at him, face bleached pale under the darkened sky, skin cast in a wan pallor, embrittled by anxiety. ]

Thank you for staying beside me, Haru. I know I can be a burden.

[ephydriade]

[ haru's own hand flexes slightly, the slightly anxious feeling within him starting to grow. he wants to tell makoto it's okay. to tell him that he doesn't owe anything to anyone and that it's okay if he shows his discomfort. judgement was far from a concern; if anything, makoto's personal comfort was what was more important. but he knew that it wouldn't sit well with the other. he knew he'd want to do something about it.

and his words were just the confirmation he needed.

haru's head shakes firmly at the last part. ]

You're not a burden. [ that's... probably a contradiction to his normal behavior around the other. though if he truly were a burden, haru would have said something by now, if not long ago. ]

... I'd rather be by your side for this than have you do it alone. [ loneliness was never a nice feeling to deal with after all, especially when it came to personal fears. ]

[cordated]

I didn't want to ... obligate you to stay, or anything like that. You shouldn't have felt you needed to accompany me in the first place.

[ his hands knot in tremulous fists. his brand of anxiety is a stone's throw away from indecision, but it's alway his wishy-washiness — like the slow, inextricable ebb of rising panic — that glints most clearly in his complexion when haru addresses him. they've been together long enough that he doesn't need to hear haru speak to belie his concern. it's in his eyes, the inflection of his admission, mild and composed.

but even side by side, when faced with a decision that hasn't polarized to any one extreme just yet, a precautionary measure anything vaguely similar to what occurred to rei that night, makoto can't bring himself to agree or disagree. cowardly.

in the end, it's sheer impulse that has him pulling upright, one hand around unconsciously tugging haru up to his feet before he's even voiced his sentiment. ]

We shouldn't stick around here any longer, Haru. The others must be really worried by now.

[ it's wholly cowardly, his palm still pressed against haru's fingers like a sign of affirmation: needing, or being needed (and whatever constituted the lesser of two evils). ]

aaa SORRY FOR THE DELAY;;

[ephydriade]

[ the lingering silence afterwards gives haru a chance to think on those words. even if makoto had continuously told him that he didn't have to worry about him, and that he didn't have do these sort of tasks for him, he knew he'd never forgive himself if he didn't.

he's surprised when he feels makoto's hand at his, and before he realizes what's even happening, he feels himself standing up with the other's assistance. glancing towards him with a curious gaze, he listens as the other explains his sudden actions. he can tell that makoto's more than reached his limit, and he gives a simple nod before turning his hand to properly grasp at makoto's. ]

... alright. [ he gives his hand a squeeze, in an attempt to at least settle some of his nerves, before turning and leading the other away from ominous ocean. ]