@thornsguardedâ :Â Admittedly, Silver knows very little about otome games outside of what little he's see Lilia play. Character types and routes go completely over his head, but according to Yuzuha's explanation on otome mechanics in general, the archetype he most aligns with is the princely type. Well, if a prince was more sleepy and encompassed none of Lilia's Necessary Conditions for an Ideal Prince.
Surely there must be more Princely things he could do, if this is truly his role here, in this... "game." Not that he has a castle or a crown or anything that makes a prince an actual prince. Maybe it's the manners, if anything, that make the difference.
He'd been quiet for a brief moment, mulling it over. Until an idea struck him. "Yuzuha," His voice is steady, in the way it always is, emotionless but Silver all the same. He gingerly takes her hand and leans down to press a kiss to her knuckles. Brief but powerful in its own right.
If there is one thing a Prince always does, he always has time to kiss the Princess.
Lots of people are confusing in this world; there are moments when they break out of the make - believe roles sheâs decided they fit and sheâs reminded that these people are as real as she is ( and maybe thatâs the problem, because that doesnât feel very real at all ) and thatâs hard because Yuzuha doesnât understand people at all. Never has. Thatâs why she puts them in boxes, so that the routes get clearer.
Idia, she gets. He listens to her, at least sometimes he listens to her, because they like the same things, and thatâs new and nice all on its own, but he wouldnât care what she had to say if she wasnât talking about games or anime. Deuce makes sense; he tries to listen to her because heâs polite, but he doesnât really care, and even Yuzuha, bad as she is at guessing a lie, can tell heâs pretending by now â and even the âcaring enough to pretendâ seems sweet, though sheâs stopped talking as much around him. Ace, she gets, too â he doesnât even pretend to care or get it, and thatâs fine, itâs just nice that he doesnât avoid her or think sheâs a freak. Â
But Silver doesnât make any sense. Not because heâs not princely the way his archetype is supposed to be â he is, and more â but because he listens to her. He doesnât play or really even like games like Idia does, but he listens to her, not - pretending like Deuce does and not - ignoring like Ace does, and that doesnât make any sense. He doesnât just tolerate it, heâs interested. Â
Nobody wants to hear about this if they arenât already into it, nobody cares about what sheâs infodumping. Her eyes get wide and bright every time he proves that wrong, and itâs hard not to drown him in more trivia whenever theyâre near each other, even if only just for the still - new sensation of anybody other than her brother caring enough about what Yuzuha has to say â about Yuzuha â to listen even if they donât entirely get it.Â
Sheâs been doing much of that all day as the two spent it together; now that theyâve made it back to the Diasomnia lounge, sheâs tired herself out both verbally and socially, which makes space for quiet. She lays upside down on the sofa, long legs over the back and back against the seat, and heâs sitting quietly beside her, and itâs quiet as she runs a few lessons on one of her phone games â they nudge one another occasionally, almost not thinking of it, just to signal that theyâre still here in the silence.
Itâs Silver that breaks the rare silence, and thatâs another something Yuzu hadnât expected. She looks to him, head tilting upwards, eyes wide and curious and hair a mess around her face, escaping her braids because of how sheâs laying. She never mistakes the flat of his voice for disinterest, and when he reaches for her hand she meets him halfway without noticing sheâs done so until her hand is in his and then her hand is ââ
And then heâs âââ
Yuzuhaâs never been kissed before. Not anywhere, and itâs just her hand but â heâs the prince, and he looks so much like one now, bending low to kiss her like sheâs the princess and sheâs sitting upside down in a chair like an idiot and her cheeks are bright red and her eyes are huge and this is different than the kind of kisses sheâs daydreamed about having and in this moment she thinks it means much, much more.
When Silver straightens, looking at her with expectant, curious eyes, not letting go of her hand, itâs all she can do to stare at him, lips parted and cheeks burning, for a long, long moment. Then she smiles, embarrassed but not untrue, pulling her hand slowly back to rub at her cheek, run her fingers through her hair, anything at all to keep from making eye contact, and she says, âThank...thank you, Silver - san.â