(no subject)

[psychedelica]

[ He's so happy that he honestly doesn't know quite what to do with himself - he's afraid of feeling happy like this. It's the first time anything's worked out for him; if he embraces this emotion, he fears it will collapse and turn to dust like all the other good things he's ever had.

Part of him is still telling him to run away and hide. It's safer that way; he can't be hurt. But that part has become so small now, in the face of the friendships he's made and the success he's actually had. He'd headed towards hope instead of despair, and now it's in his hands. Hikage can't keep the emotions in.

He probably doesn't even wait until they go back to their room to find her. This time, he's the one who reaches out, and he takes her wrist. ]

... You convinced me.

Comments

[psychedelica]

No.

[ her reaction makes him feel a little awkward again, and he scratches his head. How does he explain it? Maybe it's because he likes both of them a lot already. Belph is trustworthy and smart, and he's a good listener. He's certainly easier to talk to than Hikage is, he's sure. The idea of them finding happiness with each other is... fine. He's sure he'd be a little sad. But if they still thought of him, too, then it might be okay. He knows Belph cares about him, too. ]

... That doesn't mean I'm giving up, though. I'm stubborn. You shouldn't have teased me so much and made me think all these things. [ a beat. Then, off-handedly, almost certainly to deflect from that comment: ] Has anyone told you that you have terrible taste in men? You do.

[vigilantics]

[ she blushes at his words, surprised that she somehow didn't mess this up. it's a little strange, since other people had been asking her if hikage and she had feelings for each other since very early on here. her answer had always been that she was pretty certain that there was no way he'd have feelings for her because she wasn't even entirely sure that he even liked her as a friend, sidestepping mentioning her own feelings. they've really come a long way from there. ]

Sorry, but you're kind of fun to tease. [ she smiles. ] And yeah. I've heard that once or twice. It hasn't been true here though?

[psychedelica]

... You're really going to say that with a straight face?

[ he doesn't even know Belph's whole story, but he does know for a fact that the two of them are both a handful. As far as boyfriends go, they're both fixer-uppers, so to speak... Still, a smirk's returned to his face. Telling him the truth was definitely the right move. It feels less like a soft rejection and more like telling him he's on hold - or in competition. Knowing he's the second choice doesn't feel great; still, when the first choice is Belph, it's hard for him to be upset.

(He likes to think he's good at winning things, anyway.) ]

Fine. I changed my mind. I'll let you hold my hand. You'll just have to deal with the consequences.

[vigilantics]

[ speaking of straight faces, she is still trying to keep hers. steph manages to fail down when he says the last thing though, her face breaking out into a bright smile.

she holds her hand out. ]

How kind of you for leaving me with a warning.