psychedelica | (no subject)

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... You should have just told me.

[ once they're back in their room, that's what he opens with. It's nice that she's got a prosthetic now, but he's still... worried? Is that what he is? Maybe. Maybe it's a little bit lonely that she doesn't have to rely on him for that, either. ]

Is it all right that Natsuo let everyone know?

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[ needless to say, he didn't expect her to go on this diatribe after his meager few words of disbelief. Hikage listens, watching her with questioning eyes, as if he doesn't quite know where she's heading with this, but doesn't know if it's going to be anywhere he likes. He'd heard most of this before, although her home just sounds weirder and weirder the more she talks about it, what with the Bat-people and the costumes and vigilantism... then again, it's no weirder than meeting with a talking skeleton with a dagger made to rip people's faces off.

By the end of it, he's still not entirely sure what she's getting at - is it the fact that she wanted to kill someone? It is sort of hard to imagine... at the same time, considering how she charges into things, maybe it isn't. ]

... And? Why are you telling me this now?

Because you seem to think that I see the world in a very black and white way. I don't.

[ she's not sure how to get past the hero label here; she knows that's a major roadblock. ]

[ so he was right, then. And so was she. That was something bothering him - the thought that she couldn't ever really accept him because of her morals. Perhaps he'd been painting her with too broad a brush. Could someone growing up in a place like Gotham (as she describes it) really adhere to such strict morals when surrounded by the worst of society? After a second or two, he nods his head, though he doesn't meet her gaze. ]

Maybe not.

[ Yet he still feels dissatisfied. Something isn't sitting right. He can't place it; his words get ahead of his thoughts. ]

... If I told you I wanted to kiss you again, what would you say?

[ despite her teasing earlier (he was right, she did word her question early to purposely fluster him) stephanie hadn't actually expected him to say something like this. she probably should have, but everything else they talked about kind of overshadowed it. ]

You can kiss me.

[ she sounds thoughtful when she says it; it's not like before when she eagerly kissed him back without considering the consequences. ]

Of course I can. I can do whatever I want.

[ maybe this is really the heart of his worries. His ego is too big for him to lay them out and talk about them like he should; instead, he keeps playing these games in a desperate bid to protect himself in case there are consequences.

What he said before is still true - he doesn't want to be disappointed. But his time left is probably short, no matter what he does. Maybe he should listen to Jae-ha, as much as he loathes the idea. Maybe... ]

I want to know if you'd kiss me back.

[ he shifts, still not quite looking at her. ]

That kind of depends on the context of the kiss.

[ if he's being a jerk about it, she'd definitely hit him, no matter how much she likes him. if he surprises her too much, she'd also probably hit him, but that has less to do with him and more to do with the fact that her main reflex is to punch.

there's a pause before she gets up to move in front of him. steph doesn't say anything at first, and instead just plops right down on his lap. ]

You can shove me off.

[ w-woah. Well, he wasn't expecting this turn of events. Despite the (relatively) good job he was doing of playing it cool so far, he freezes up for a few seconds, and that gets him to look at her. His pulse quickens instantly - ironic, considering he's dead. Hikage stares at her - warily, but more in the sense that he's wondering if he's being tested rather than waiting for danger. ]

... No.

[ after a few moments of hesitation, he picks up his hands and rests them on her hips - nothing more - and stares at her, waiting for her to show her hand. Is this her response? Or does she just want attention? He still can't tell with her. ]

[ she just looks back at him, her lips twitching slightly, like she's trying her best not to smile.

admittedly, stephanie did not think further past this point because she did not know how hikage would even react to her doing this. a part of her thought she would have ended up pushed onto the floor, so this is a nice surprise.

but, the longer she waits, the more strained the silence will be, so steph eventually leans forward to gently kiss him on the forehead. ]

[ that was equally unexpected. He was expecting her to kiss him, or maybe even push him down onto the bed, or something; somehow, though, that gentle touch to his forehead makes his heart swell more than any of the other options would have. There are no ulterior motives of manipulation or desire he can read in something like that. It's just affection, pure and simple.

That convinces him better than her words could.

His right eye is red when he blinks at her in surprise. His expression tightens, as if he's holding something in, but he's quick to hide it; Hikage quietly rests his head against her shoulder, his arms moving from her waist to wrap around her in an embrace instead. And, for once, he doesn't make a smartass comment or voice doubts about her intentions. ]

[ well, she still doesn't seem to be on the floor.

the lack of a comment from him is odd; she's used to his commentary even when it's very obvious that what he's saying isn't what he actually means. stephanie slowly wraps her arms him, letting out a breath that she hadn't even really been holding.

it's fine. they're fine. ]

... Don't go.

[ the same thing he said to her before, that first night he came to her. Hikage murmurs it quietly, not moving an inch. What he's afraid of now isn't what he was afraid of then. True, he fears that she'll reject him eventually - that worry won't be entirely assuaged until tomorrow, when he meets her and Belph together - but now, his words carry a different meaning.

Don't get killed. If she dies, he doesn't know what he'll do. ]

I won't.

[ she holds onto him a little bit tighter.

you can't really promise someone that you won't die here; she's sure that many of the others who were killed had said the same thing to at least one person. but she can at least do her best to not die from her own recklessness. she can try to hold on to him for as long as he can. ]

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