[OPEN/MINGLE LOG] New Year's Eve at the Youth Center!

[cuteshit]

Who: Kanji Tatsumi, Coraline Jones & you!
Where: The youth center!
When: Evening of 12/31 (forward-dated).
Rating: PG
Summary: The adults are celebrating New Year's Even in their own way, but what about the younger crowd?
The Story:

[The idea had actually been Coraline's, way back around Halloween. New Year's was pretty important back home, and in the wake of Wonderland's most recent event, Kanji was missing home more than usual. This would be the first New Year's he'd be spending without his mom. There was no shrine to visit here, and while he could still go around and offer New Year's greetings to his friends, he still felt like there should be something more.

Coraline's idea for a sundae bar seems like a pretty good solution. A lot of the adults in Wonderland will be ringing in the new year with alcohol, but that didn't mean the younger crowd had to miss out entirely. It's nothing like the traditions he would have observed back home, but-- since he wasn't at home, maybe doing something totally different was the way to go.

He has to ask Coraline for her expertise, not exactly knowing what goes into putting together a sundae bar, but he helps with the legwork and the lifting. By the time evening rolls around, the youth center has been turned into an ice cream buffet with an extensive toppings bar, including candy that had been inspired by some of the treats that Dustin had handed out to people for Christmas. Once everything is set up, he sends a text out across the network to grab people's attention-- can't have a party without people!]

Yo, Wonderland! Too young to drink? Youth center's got all the ice cream you can eat, come ring in the New Year right!

[Or, you know. By sending yourself into sugar shock.]

Comments

[eatsyourscience]

There's plenty of time.

[Even if Minato couldn't decide by then, it would have been fine. Time stopped in Wonderland, after all. He thought even this kind of landmark date didn't mean as much as it should have.]

It's too bad we can't go to a shrine.

[He'd enjoyed it last year. Tatsuhime Shrine with his friends. He was sure Minato had gone with his friends as well, even though their New Years had been...quite different.]

[jivitadana]

[Minato smiled and thought about going to Naganaki Shrine with his friends too. He was thinking about the rainbow sprinkles for his ice cream this time around but there was always room for more than one topping.]

Tomorrow, we could just go to the roof or the beach in lieu of it.

[If they couldn't go to a shrine, then somewhere peaceful would be okay. Going to a shrine didn't have to be a physical thing. If he could send his thoughts out, like send his heart out with the same intention, then it was better than physically going to a shrine and not really doing anything there.]

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji nodded. It wasn't quite the same, but then, what would be?]

The roof would be nice.

[The view would be great. Very clean, though a bit gray around the edges. He liked that gradient though, that bit of drab around the circumference of a place that was always a little too pretty, too nice.]

It would be easy to go around and do New Years greetings, too.

[jivitadana]

[Minato thought it was such a long time since he actually dressed up to go to a shrine on New Year's Day. He hadn't in forever. He hadn't exactly planned on it tomorrow either, but then again, he hadn't thought he'd ever have to worry about this ever again.]

That'd be good too.

[It'd be nice, as Souji said. It's New Year's. He should do something for it since he had the chance to now.]

[eatsyourscience]

Right now, though, there's something more important.

[He nodded at the ice cream bar. That was much more important at the moment.]

I want to see if I can eat more than you.

[jivitadana]

[Oh, what, you did not just challenge Arisato Minato to an ice cream eating contest.]

Bring it. But we already know I'm going to win.

[eatsyourscience]

You don't stand a chance.

[Time to load up a waffle cone bowl with way more ice cream and toppings that it can reasonably handle.]

[jivitadana]

[Minato might be smaller than Souji, but he could eat ice cream all day and night and into the horizon.

He stole a glance left and right, then picked up a spoon and ate some of the ice cream in Souji's bowl while Souji was still holding it and loading it up.]

Just helping you out.

[You know, since Minato can finish his own loaded ice cream sundae and Souji's too.]

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji eyed Minato, moving his bowl out of reach like a grade schooler so that no more could be stolen.]

Keep your hands to yourself, Arisato.

[He was teasing of course. And it still made him sound five years younger.]

[jivitadana]

[Minato scooted closer to Souji, peering over and around him to see Souji's ice cream. But the ice cream was secondary at this moment as he looked up at Souji, a smile tugging at his lips.]

Think, Seta. Is that what you really want?

[And then did Minato sound five years older?]

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji blinks at him, then takes a step to one side, feigning discomfort.]

Personal space.

[jivitadana]

[Oh, what, Souji. You totally stole that from Minato Makoto the P3 movies!

But that little gesture did make Minato smile more.]

Call this an invasion.

[Minato took that step after Souji, getting closer to him, but then he did end up scooping some more ice cream into his own bowl. He was so going to win this ice cream eating contest, like he was winning the war over this airspace around Souji.]

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji apparently can't win this battle, so he moves to the next and begins shoveling ice cream into his face.]

[jivitadana]

[Minato had scooped up more ice cream into his bowl and he had to start shoveling it too.

But before he did that, he leaned over and whispered in Souji's ear what he had planned to do with him once the clock struck midnight.

And then he started to eat his ice cream because he was not losing to one Seta Souji.]

[eatsyourscience]

[It wasn't nearly as scandalous as it seemed, but everything seems scandalous when whispered in your ear, even if it's while you're stuffing food in your face.]

[jivitadana]

[Minato had meant it that way. He swallowed some of his ice cream and smiled, licking it off his lips. He had to get more ice cream now to refill his bowl since Souji was working on his faster than Minato was. But Minato figured he'd be slower at eating it, but he could eat more than Souji, and that was the point.]

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji was not going to let Minato win. Not in a million years. Not ever.

They both kept eating, long after anyone else would have stopped. Souji had no intention of being the first to give in, and he was bigger, so that ought to have meant he could eat more.

But at some point, you just have to call it quits. He knew when he was beat and he finally set aside his bowl and held his hands up in surrender. Minato won. Souji had to admit that he was simply impressive in how much he could put away. Impressive and slightly disturbing.]

[jivitadana]

[Minato had just finished off his waffle cone bowl though if someone asked him how many bowl of ice cream he had, he would've answered that he lost track. He was only checking if Souji finished a bowl, then Minato had to finish too.

The second Souji surrendered, Minato knew he had barely won this contest. He checked his bowl and checked Souji's. It was close. It was really close. Minato was impressed too.]

You did good. It was fun, too.

[He thought they should do it again some time.]

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji fully intended to do this again. And he intended to win. He would win so hard.]

Next time will be, too.

[He looked around, one hand on his hip.]

Want to go sit down?

[jivitadana]

[No chance, kouhai! But Minato was glad that Souji wanted to do it again. It was all for fun. It was maybe rare then when they did have a chance to have fun.

He nodded, thinking sitting down would be a good idea.]

You mean me on your lap?

[Because Minato was up for that. But he really was just teasing.]

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji looked at Minato, then went to sit down, gesturing for Minato to follow him. Once he was seated, he patted his lap.]

Get comfortable.

[jivitadana]

[At that, Minato blushed. He didn't think that Souji would call him on it, but he should have suspected that he would. It was tempting, but he couldn't. He'd find a way to get back at Souji for this.]

You're sneaky.

[eatsyourscience]

[Ahahaha victory!

Souji smiles and moves to one side so Minato can sit next to him.]

We're even, I think.

[jivitadana]

[He'll get this for you someday, Souji!

But okay. Minato smiled a little and then sat down next to Souji.]

We are. At home on this day, I spared Ryoji. I'll spare you today too.

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji blinked at that, not expecting to have the two very different situations compared. But then he smiled.]

I appreciate your benevolence.