if it's anything like the ones i have back home, there's a good handful i like i'll show em all to you if you want
[ ahhh should he check out the arcade on his own beforehand so he can practice?? would vanitas be impressed if he managed to get a toy from a claw machine...... ]
Not everyone's life is so splendid that their worst experience is being turned down by a girl.
[He doesn't really know for sure if that is the worst of it, but based on what he's learned about Oushi, it's enough to use against him. Belatedly, it's probably a low blow, but too late now.]
[ ....yeah, actually. it is a pretty low blow. and instinctively oushi feels himself flinching back at the first brush of it, and he feels it all — hurt, embarrassment, betrayal. anger.
it's fortunate that this is through text. that his initial reaction isn't the one he's left to mull over, long after the interaction is over.
because he breathes. tries to reorient himself. realizes that, if the meanest thing someone can say to him is mocking him over a broken heart, then yeah — he can stand to be punched down a little. especially by someone who is clearly lashing out in response to his own pain.
so, fine. vanitas wants him to back off? he will. ]
next time, you could just say you don't want to talk about it
[The longer he waits for a response, the more it dawns on him that he likely went too far. He thinks about sending a follow up message to downplay the severity of what he'd sent before, but maybe this is fine.
Distance is better than the pity he thinks would follow that conversation. But then again Oushi is..not someone he wants distance from. It's very much the opposite. So the message he receive stings, but he deserves that.]
I'm sorry. Sometimes I push people away. We can talk about it in person, okay?
[ honestly? it is. it stung like a bitch, but oushi is more than aware his pain is so much more minor than most everyone else's suffering. ]
you can tell me as much or as little as you want you can even push me away so long as it's something YOU want and not something stupid like you think it's what i need or deserve or whatever
you get to decide how you want to live your life just like i get to decide i'd still like to get to know you even when you're being a jerk
I didn't have the happiest life. I just don't want you to pity me.
[And usually he's perfectly find keeping people at a distance and never revealing anything specific about himself in that capacity. But there's something about Oushi that makes him feel...safe? Comfortable? He doesn't know, and stubbornly won't think about it too long.
But he does know that he doesn't want Oushi to feel bad because he's so uncomfortable getting close to people.]
[ oushi thinks of the scars he had seen, the very first time they met. ]
then i won't pity you
i don't think i would have anyway, but now i definitely won't
but if i fuck up and start to anyway, you have my full permission to beat me up until i stop
i think
[ hm. ]
i had a pretty easy life compared to... i think almost everybody here it'd probably take me a million years to even wrap my head around half the stuff you probably had to live through i know a chump like me has no business pitying someone who's seen and gone through worse that's like a chicken pitying an eagle
so i don't think you'd have to worry about me pitying you i'd probably be way too busy admiring you
I can accept those terms. And I'm sorry about what I said. Heartbreak is the great equalizer. It happens to all of us, I mean.
[Maybe the reason he's able to weaponize it so easily is because he's never known the sting of it himself. He's not even certain he's ever truly been in love, but things are different here so he's not closed off to it as of recently.]
I think my life has been on the more difficult side of that spectrum, but I want to say there have had good moments as well, but they're always followed by--well, we'll talk about it later.
I think it's safe to say that this time, I'm the one that was out of line. I'll try to make it up to you somehow.
[A kiss sounds like a good consolation prize, except he'd enjoy it too much. And at that point it would be more of a reward for himself. Then again, Oushi doesn't need to know that much.]
I want to know more about you, so it's only fair if we both end up sharing. Right?
[He should put 2 and 2 together about those very two deliberate things, but his mind is more concerned with what questions he can ask Oushi in exchange for this one. And he might not like them himself, but he is pretty good at baking--cooking in general.]
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do you know what that is?
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You should show me some time.
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you'd be interested?
it's pretty different from books or people-watching...
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And I have heard about something called an "arcade" here.
I'm curious to see, but not enough to wander in there on my own.
[And under no circumstances will this hypothetical activity be considered a date.]
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we'll go together some day then
[ nope, nope. just two bros, hanging. ]
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I want to learn the ones you like.
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if it's anything like the ones i have back home, there's a good handful i like
i'll show em all to you if you want
[ ahhh should he check out the arcade on his own beforehand so he can practice?? would vanitas be impressed if he managed to get a toy from a claw machine...... ]
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Yeah, I'd like that.
It will give me a better idea of you as a person.
[And he's genuinely trying to get used to technology.]
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so what's someone gotta do to get a better idea of you as a person?
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I can save you time and effort, there's nothing worth knowing.
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bullshit
i can decide what i want to use my time and effort on, thanks
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[He doesn't really know for sure if that is the worst of it, but based on what he's learned about Oushi, it's enough to use against him. Belatedly, it's probably a low blow, but too late now.]
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it's fortunate that this is through text. that his initial reaction isn't the one he's left to mull over, long after the interaction is over.
because he breathes. tries to reorient himself. realizes that, if the meanest thing someone can say to him is mocking him over a broken heart, then yeah — he can stand to be punched down a little. especially by someone who is clearly lashing out in response to his own pain.
so, fine. vanitas wants him to back off? he will. ]
next time, you could just say you don't want to talk about it
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Distance is better than the pity he thinks would follow that conversation. But then again Oushi is..not someone he wants distance from. It's very much the opposite. So the message he receive stings, but he deserves that.]
I'm sorry. Sometimes I push people away.
We can talk about it in person, okay?
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[ honestly? it is. it stung like a bitch, but oushi is more than aware his pain is so much more minor than most everyone else's suffering. ]
you can tell me as much or as little as you want
you can even push me away
so long as it's something YOU want
and not something stupid like you think it's what i need or deserve or whatever
you get to decide how you want to live your life
just like i get to decide i'd still like to get to know you even when you're being a jerk
got it?
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I just don't want you to pity me.
[And usually he's perfectly find keeping people at a distance and never revealing anything specific about himself in that capacity. But there's something about Oushi that makes him feel...safe? Comfortable? He doesn't know, and stubbornly won't think about it too long.
But he does know that he doesn't want Oushi to feel bad because he's so uncomfortable getting close to people.]
I understand.
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then i won't pity you
i don't think i would have anyway, but now i definitely won't
but if i fuck up and start to anyway, you have my full permission to beat me up until i stop
i think
[ hm. ]
i had a pretty easy life compared to... i think almost everybody here
it'd probably take me a million years to even wrap my head around half the stuff you probably had to live through
i know a chump like me has no business pitying someone who's seen and gone through worse
that's like a chicken pitying an eagle
so i don't think you'd have to worry about me pitying you
i'd probably be way too busy admiring you
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And I'm sorry about what I said. Heartbreak is the great equalizer.
It happens to all of us, I mean.
[Maybe the reason he's able to weaponize it so easily is because he's never known the sting of it himself. He's not even certain he's ever truly been in love, but things are different here so he's not closed off to it as of recently.]
I think my life has been on the more difficult side of that spectrum, but I want to say there have had good moments as well, but they're always followed by--well, we'll talk about it later.
Oh. Okay.
[Well. Shit. Now he is the one blushing.]
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you can always tell me when i'm being out of line, and vice versa
[ damn. and oushi is none the wiser. 😔 ]
i meant it though
don't feel obligated to tell me anything more than you want to
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I'll try to make it up to you somehow.
[A kiss sounds like a good consolation prize, except he'd enjoy it too much. And at that point it would be more of a reward for himself. Then again, Oushi doesn't need to know that much.]
I want to know more about you, so it's only fair if we both end up sharing. Right?
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we can start off slow, anyway
simple stuff, you know?
like.... do you like sweets? what about flowers?
[ ...no ulterior motive here, nope. ]
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I do like flowers, though.
[He should put 2 and 2 together about those very two deliberate things, but his mind is more concerned with what questions he can ask Oushi in exchange for this one. And he might not like them himself, but he is pretty good at baking--cooking in general.]
What about you?
What do you like?
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what, between the two? sweets, i guess
i never really know what to do with flowers
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[Okay, maybe that's a little morbid. But he takes note of Oushi's preference, already scheming.]
What's your favorite food?
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well i don't have a pretty vase
or much room in my suite
so flowers would just be a waste
curry
japanese curry, i guess i should specify
have you ever had it?
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