That makes sense, he tilts his head, but then shrugs again. “Then it’s a good thing I didn’t.” Because he’s not good at giving things up either, but also, “I didn’t want anyone else. Maybe I would’ve eventually, I don’t know. I couldn’t even think about it.” But he shares the sentiment. If you’d found someone else, he likely would’ve bounced between calm acceptance and murder, and settled somewhere in between.
He frowns when you start to correct him, but don’t. He wants you to be honest. Though, there is a thing as too much honesty. He might’ve found it. He wonders if he pissed you off enough, if you’d forget trying to make him comfortable or being worried about what he thinks. Except, the store provides its own diversion, and he looks over to make sure this isn’t too much for you. Though, again, besides the overstimulation of so much sex gear packed into such a little space, he’s not sure if you’d know to be bothered. It helps him relax some.
The old man gives him conspiring smile and a squeeze to his shoulder, and stage whispers in a high pitched tone that leaves his ear tickling. “But I bet you hardly need to add flavors to this lad, am I right? Good young men. Nice boys. Come in, come in. See what we have.” The man releases him and turns, wobbling down another aisle, clearly intent on recommending exactly what he thinks two nice boys need.
His shoulders sag and he doesn’t even try to hide his distress, but lets his arm uncurl from your waist to slide his fingers into your hand instead. They can navigate the narrow aisles better this way. But he almost doesn’t even want to see what the man is taking them after. He glances at merchandise as they walk past boxes of love dolls in every shape and variety, and he realizes why he never comes to these places. He stops at the end of an aisle where a display of sex swings is hanging and feels his brows shoot up.
“Here we are. Have you seen anything like it? So easy. Just pull the cords—“ Ichigo blinks when the ropes fall open into webbing with leg straps, and what is unmistakably a dick hole uncomfortably close to his person. “Handy little contraption.” Except the shop owner seems to mistake whatever look has found it’s way to Ichigo’s face for confusion. “Oh goodness. Now, now, once you get started, there’s really no wrong way to do it. Let’s see… It goes like this…”
Ichigo doesn’t cringe externally as the man begins looping the straps on his arms, showing the basic method, but internally he’s grabbing his eye lids with both hands and tugging them closed. He doesn’t want to see this, but it’s so awful, he’s caught up in a fight or flight response, and since neither are appropriate, he just freezes, staring, hoping his face is somehow miraculously polite, watching the demonstration and hoping the image isn’t burned into the back of his unblinking retinas. “Oh,” he finally manages. “Like… that. Right. That’s… “ The man is so short the crotch hole is somewhere around his knees. He looks over at you for help, which you have so far failed spectacularly at giving. The only word coming to mind is horrifying, and he can’t say that. “Handy,” he finally bites out.
The old man nods, enthusiasm returning. “Oh, yes. They didn’t have anything quite this helpful in my time, we had to be more resourceful. But that is life, I suppose. Yes, yes. Here you go, here you go.” He picks up a deceptively small box and drops it in Ichigo’s arms before Ichigo can think of a way to decline it.
“Uh…” That’s not what they came to get. Not even close. But the old man begins walking and waves them on behind him. Ichigo looks for a place to put the box he’s been given, but there’s so much stuff everywhere, he flounders and the old man is moving on, and he decides to just leave it at the counter on their way out.
“Ah yes, how about this one here. Try this one, you won’t regret it…” He turns and holds out what looks like an long tube toward you, and Ichigo blinks, protective urges ruffling, but surely it’s safe. It doesn’t seem like the old man has ever had ill intentions in his life. “Stick your finger right in there. In the end there, don’t be afraid.”
