ourhellhouse | tbh i'm just making an open post so i can do whatever here

Class would definitely be boring without her.

[ He notices Shiho's hesitation. He's gotten better - had too - at reading facial expressions since the move. ]

Y'know, you don't have to come with me just because I'm friends with Ann.

[ He places his hand back in his pocket and inclines his head towards the exit. ]

I was gonna head to work after this anyway.

[ He pauses, plushies his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and breaks eye contact. ]

No one wants you to do anything you don't want too anymore. I know what it's like, having to just...take it in stride because that's what people expect of you.

[ This time her smile doesn't flicker, it remains steadfast.

None of what he says makes it any easier but-- ]

No, it's fine. I don't get much company aside from Ann and the nurses.

[ She extends a hand. ]

Which one is it today? Ann mentioned something about a florist but a beef bowl shop too..?

[ The simple act of trust makes him return the smile with his own. There is no lie of omission in an open palm of invitation.

He grasps it gently. Akira hasn't held hands with many girls -- make that, any girls aside from Ann who grew up in places where that was considerably less culturally romantic - and there is a surprising amount of strength in her grip; it's the weathered skin of an athlete who's main weapons are her hands. He doesn't mean to, but his thoughts drift again to Kamoshida. To all the futures he stole and they could never return even with a confession. ]

Then count yourself accompanied.

[ He helps her up and waves down a nurse to secure one of the metal walkers that are allowed to go outside. Shiho has show considerable progress but it's still difficult for her to walk the uneven ground of the courtyard.

He finally answers their question when they've settled into a comfortable gait around the cherry blossom covered ground. ]

There are more than those. The airsoft shop, the corner store, a cafe and sometimes I help serve food and talk to people at a bar in Nichome.

[ There is a pause in there conversation, but he knows so much of her dirty laundry he decides to share a bit of his.

He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. ]

I don't dress up, I don't have the face for it - but it's nice...working there. It let me see there were a lot of other people like me being...normal people. Isn't a whole lot of spaces like that in Nagoya. I always used to think I might have been broken.

You've all been busy, but you especially huh..

[ his hands are boney, they feel much different than Ann's which are soft and always warm. His grip is strong but a little hesitant in their own way. She's never been the sort of girl to get flustered over these kinds of things but.. even moreso now.

She lets go of his hand when she can move on her own, tries not to head down that road in her mind. ]

Don't sell yourself so short, they put you behind the counter for a reason right?

[ it's sort of a joke, sort of a way to walk a wide circle around the word broken. The sound of bones and sticks snapping is still too fresh in her mind. ]

Still, you work so much. What do you do with all that money? Don't tell me-- overly demanding girlfriend?

[ He shrugs and lets out an airy laugh, placing a hand on the back of his neck and looking at her past the edges of his bangs. ]

I clean up nice, but I'm no Ann. Or Yusuke-- he's a friend of ours from Kosei. They're the kind of people so pretty it feels kinda dangerous.

[ It's the kind of feeling he gets in the Metaverse, the kind of uninhibited posture he can carry himself with where appearance is effortlessly a reflection of who you are without risk.

He laughs again when she brings up girlfriend. ]

Boys can be just as demanding, don't sell your gender short. -and haven't you heard? I have a criminal record. No one wants to be saddled with that.

....I spend it on gifts, nursing a plant back to health and...models. All ordinary completely legal, boring and unrelated to romance. Doesn't stop Ann from playing 20-questions every time the topic comes up though.

To be honest, I never even really had any female friends before her and I don't have any siblings so I just, didn't think about it. All that felt like something I'd deal with in university....

[ She laughs, far more comfortable discussing Ann than anything else. ]

That sounds about right, Ann has a way of making you forget all about dumb social protocol. It's an American thing maybe? Whatever it is, it was a breath of fresh air back in middle school.

[ She tilts her head a little, looking at him closely. ]

It's really fitting that you two became such fast friends. You're both misunderstood but.. charming in kind of weird ways.

[ He nods and closes his eyes. He used to want to live in the States until he got older and learnt more about how much effort moving was and how lucky he was to live in a country with health care. ]

Ann makes you feel like an action movie and romcom drama going on all at once....

I'm fond of her. -and Ryuji. -and Mishima and you. Even if the circumstances of getting here weren't the best I feel like...I became a better me meeting you all.

[ He imitates her titled head and smiles. ]

I haven't been called charming since I was little.

[ And when he imitates her, she sort of.. tilts her head even more? They look like owls talking to one another, she looks more like she's bending to the side than tilting her head. But she's smiling, even if she's kind of mocking him. ]

You're a lot more open than I expected. In fact, you're a lot more open than someone with your circumstances should be.

[ It hurts a little to be teased. But it's more like pushing on a bruise instead of the fresh hurt it used to be. ]

Maybe I thought it was okay to be open with someone who's trustworthy.

[ He lets the statement sit, before straightening up and turning his head away, touching the back of his neck. ]

You were one of the first people to care about me in spite of the rumors.

tbh i'm just making an open post so i can do whatever here

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