floodfoal:
“You’re it.” The child reiterated, lowering his hand back down so that he could jam it ( and his other ) against his hips. Was she being serious right now? Who didn’t know how to play tag?? If this was some trick to let her catch him while he was waiting for her to get with the program, he was going to be so mad! Not hair-pulling mad ( because he was better than that; only jerks pulled girls hair and made them cry ! ) but- well, mad!
Kouta’s scowl deepened, eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he watched the girl for any quick moves. When there didn’t seem to be any coming, however, he canted his head to the side, expression somehow even more irritated in its curiosity. She…. really looked like she had no idea what he was talking about. How was that even possible??
“Y’know, tag!” He tried again, a little louder this time, as though he thought perhaps that her hearing were the issue here, and not her imprisonment by a group of very bad men who had tortured her for their own selfish gains. “I tag you, and then I run, and then you chase me! Haven’t you ever played tag before or somethin’??”
--- Repeating what he had told her did not clarify it for her, and big, almost watery eyes stared at him in confusion. She felt on the verge of crying, feeling judged and inadequate in the face of another child who obviously knew what he was talking about and made it obvious that she should know too.
‘Y’know, tag!’ She shook her head. She did not know. And she felt horrible about it. She drew her hands to her chest, feeling that is was hollow and painful. It was obvious she was getting increasingly upset. Almost panicking about her inability to be a child.
His eventual explanation drew her out of her frustration and into disbelief instead. “Really..?” She asked in a small voice. “That’s it?” That seemed... Useless. In the base they had never liked useless things, no wonder she had never played this game. “Seems... Monotonous.” She told the boy. “Aren’t games supposed to be fun? What’s fun about chasing someone and then getting chased?” That was just terrifying, that feeling of possibly getting caught..








