F-fuck yeah I’m nervous—! ((He clamps a hand over his mouth.)) Sorry, that was rude, I— I didn’t mean it like that. Uh, um—
((Logre places a hand on Havardr’s shoulder without saying a word; Havardr takes a deep breath and continues.))
Um, g-good to meet you, Derek— Dr. Derek. I— Um… ((He’s on the verge of tears, and glances back at Junpei and Logre with eyes that beg them to take him somewhere else, anywhere else. But they all know that isn’t possible.
Junpei has a pained expression, and a grimace that says that he doesn’t have the right words for something like this. But Logre cups Havardr’s face in his hands, and tilts the blonde’s head up to look him in the eyes.))
Havardr, it’s too late to turn back now. But… ((He pauses, searching for the right words, words he must have thought over before but now had left his head.))
There are going to be so many people out here waiting on you when you get out of there. Because you are. Your family and Lis and Miku should all be arriving soon, and Junpei and I will be out here with them. All of us, people who care about you so much.Â
Your family has a love for you that never wavered over the decade that you were separated from them. And Lis and Miku care about you deeply, having seen you from the moment you decided to start making your way home, and greeting you when you returned home to Tharsis. Junpei here… He hasn’t known you long, but it’s obvious from the fact that he came with us, that he considers you a treasured friend.
((He closes his eyes and sighs deeply.))
((He looks Havardr in the eyes again.))
Havardr, I— ((His face turns beet red quite suddenly.))
D-don’t say anything you don’t feel obligated to—
It’s not that— It’s a lot harder to say these things out loud… ((He has a nervous grin adorning his face now.)) Heheh…
((He clears his throat.))
Havardr, I— ((His mind races with the thought that had plagued his mind when he was formulating this earlier: If he dies on that table he won’t know just how much everyone cared for him. And he knows if he’s honest about the others, then he should be honest about himself too.))
Before you go in there, I just…want you to know just how much I care about you…how much I-I love you. Because I do. You’re the most precious person to me, and before you go into that operating room I want you to know just how much everyone out here cares about you. That includes me. I’m fighting so hard for you because I— I love you, deeply, and I don’t want to see you suffer. None of us want to see you suffer. That’s why we’re going to this extreme.
Havardr, you can be scared. Hell, be terrified. Don’t be like me, some…crotchety old man who falls out at the faintest hint of love. But go in there feeling terrified and loved.
((Junpei is standing behind Logre with a satisfied grin. A red-faced Havardr’s jaw is hanging open, his hand resting on Logre’s.))
You— You can’t— This is ridic—
((He clears his throat.))
That’s all fine and d-dandy, but I’m a human trainwreck, Logre! That’s why I’m here—!
There’s no time to argue, Havardr.
You’re gonna be fine, okay? Like Logre said, we all care about you and will be waitin’ for you out here.
((He pulls Logre’s hand off his cheek, kisses the back of it lightly, and whispers in a voice that can barely be heard, “I love you too.” Then he turns to Derek and Lynus.))
Alright, s-sorry for the wait. I’ll head back with you guys now.