-- taffetaHabiliment [TH] began pestering xenogeneicErsatz [XE] at 21:31 --
TH: hey
XE: Ah. Hell-o.
TH: i want to talk
XE: O-K... That sounds ominous.
TH: its not
TH: i hope
TH: ha ha ha
TH: are you in your block?
XE: Yes.
TH: ok
TH: can i come ov er?
XE: Of course.
TH: ok im do ing that
XE: II anxiously a-wait your arrival.
EMILET: *knock knock. he's arrived.*
SIMULA: *ok, they were being sarcastic, but they are definitely anxious while they wait. when he knocks, they hesitate to open it, but after a few long seconds they do, looking as composed as they can manage.*
SIMULA: Greet-ings.
EMILET: hey
EMILET: im com ing in i guess
SIMULA: Yes. II pre-sumed that would be the case. *shuffles off to the side to allow this.*
EMILET: *he steps in slowly, glancing around like there should be something new to see. there's probably not. it's not like he isn't here all the time, now. he slides his hands in his pockets, then turns and leans his ass against Sim's desk.*
EMILET: this is a lot more awk ward than i ac tu al ly in ten ded
SIMULA: *turns to him, blinking, and letting this information relieve some of their tension.* Oh.
SIMULA: II've been a lit-tle tense late-ly, is all. *waves a hand dismissively.*
EMILET: yeah
EMILET: me too
SIMULA: *plops into their desk chair so not to stand around even more awkwardly. looks up at him.*
EMILET: uh
EMILET: so
EMILET: ...
SIMULA: *chinhands to put him on the spot more. this helps relieve their stress. shh.*
EMILET: *gdi*
SIMULA: Go on.
EMILET: fuck
EMILET: this is a lot har der than he made it seem
SIMULA: *raises a brow*
EMILET: a ha ha ha
EMILET: stop look ing at me like that
SIMULA: No.
SIMULA: Should we play a game of charades?
EMILET: i dont think its gon na work like that
SIMULA: Then just spit it out.
EMILET: i was talk ing to finn
EMILET: bec ause
EMILET: of yes ter day
SIMULA: *averts their gaze for a second, drumming their fingers against their cheek.* Oh?
EMILET: bec ause...
EMILET: ...
EMILET: thats what i did
EMILET: when i used to get hurt
EMILET: bec ause i felt like
EMILET: i knew
EMILET: he was the per son that was nt go ing to
EMILET: *he's just staring at the floor. he feels strangely guilty, even though he knows he shouldn't.*
SIMULA: *that doesn't feel good to hear, no, considering the circumstances of... well, all of that. particularly the part where finn is the person they feel least safe around. but they don't say anything.*
EMILET: but i
EMILET: know im not go ing to with a ny one else
EMILET: if i dont talk ab out it
EMILET: i know part of me wants to get hurt
EMILET: to
EMILET: not
EMILET: mat ter
EMILET: *it's hard to think of what to say after that*
SIMULA: ... *it's hard to know what to say. what the right thing to say is. but they do know the first thing that comes to mind is.*
SIMULA: II understand. How that is.
SIMULA: *averts gaze again.*
EMILET: ...
EMILET: so what are we do ing
EMILET: with each oth er
EMILET: to each oth er
SIMULA: II... II don't-- *shuts their eyes tight, trying to process the question more calmly.*
SIMULA: II don't know. *huffs when they open their eyes again.* May-be it can-cels out.
SIMULA: *but then they quiet, trying to act serious and sincere about this.* ... Are you a-fraid II'll hurt you?
SIMULA: Have II... hurt you?
EMILET: *he's quiet for a long moment. he wants to say no, but it isn't that simple. it isn't as simple as yes, either.*
EMILET: ... i dont know
EMILET: its not like
EMILET: its just
EMILET: ...
EMILET: ev er y thing
EMILET: and its not like i dont want it
EMILET: ...
EMILET: its con fu sing
SIMULA: *they sigh, folding their hands in their lap.* II... get it. II think II do.
SIMULA: It would be stu-pid of me to pre-tend that whatever this is isn't difficult.
SIMULA: Which stems large-ly from my own adamence to make it difficult. But II sup-pose... some of what drives me to be-have that way isn't entirely by my own de-sign.
SIMULA: II have had a lit-tle more clarity since yesterday than II have in a long while. *looks at their folded hands.* Af-ter see-ing that... Af-ter see-ing you al-most--
SIMULA: It wasn't just a mo-ment where II real-ized, "Oh, II care e-nough a-bout this per-son to completely flip my shit o-ver the pros-pect of him get-ting hurt."
SIMULA: II... realized how scar-y it was get-ting hurt. When II did. II realized how much it terrified me. And how much... it made me a-fraid of Finn. And everyone. And how... how II told my-self II egged it on. That II wanted it, or that II de-served it-- *winces*
SIMULA: ... The point is... What you're tell-ing me now... II can re-late, on some le-vel. II can re-late to the alienation feel-ing that way a-bout yourself can cause.
SIMULA: And if II-- if II don't... help you feel bet-ter a-bout your-self. II would... understand that too. *doesn't look away from their lap.*
EMILET: its--
EMILET: ... i
EMILET: want
EMILET: this to feel bet ter
EMILET: i know you dont--
EMILET: i know you dont real ly want me hurt
EMILET: i just feel like that
EMILET: all the time
EMILET: with ev er y one and
EMILET: its hard to stop
EMILET: its like-- im not ev en scared to be hurt
EMILET: im just scared im
EMILET: not
EMILET: ... go ing to mat ter en ough to a ny one
EMILET: like im not
EMILET: real
SIMULA: ... Is it get-ting repetative when II say II... definitely get that?
SIMULA: -sighs- Unreality is certainly a Thing II deal with on a regular ba-sis.
SIMULA: My previous state-ments have wor-sened that feel-ing. -plays with one of their own curls, quiet and thoughtful for a moment.-
SIMULA: May-be this is some-thing that draws us to each-other, subconsciously. If II may allow my-self to be poetic for just a mo-ment.
SIMULA: That may not be it. But II know that II feel less...
SIMULA: De-tached.
SIMULA: When II'm a-round you.
SIMULA: Which counts for some-thing on my end. But... that's just me.
EMILET: -he looks up at them, and he's quiet. It's not like he can say he's surprised, but... he is something else. Affirmed, maybe. In a way he didn't feel before.-
EMILET: -And it's all just very funny, and sort of stupid. How it took so long. How it doesn't seem like it should have.-
EMILET: i dont know how to keep mak ing you feel that way
EMILET: i dont want to let you down
SIMULA: -huffs another sigh, but manages to look at him again after that.- Haven't we been over this? II don't have an-y expectations. You ne-ver had to do anything spec-ial be-fore. Why should you now?
SIMULA: II on-ly... -shoulders sag-
SIMULA: Want you to want me.
EMILET: why would nt i want you??
SIMULA: Be-cause II'm a tot-al bitch for one thing.
SIMULA: II could go on but II think that a-bout summarizes the finer points, too.
EMILET: yeah well so am i
EMILET: and i know youre not
SIMULA: -huffs again- ...
SIMULA: Then... may-be we should try not to overthink it.
EMILET: are you tel ling me or you
SIMULA: 両方。 [Both.]
SIMULA: 馬鹿。 [Idiot.]
SIMULA: II'm say-ing...
SIMULA: We both want each oth-er.
SIMULA: Nei-ther of us have an-y expectations of the oth-er a-side from that.
SIMULA: We are both sympathetic to each oth-er's calamitous short com-ings.
SIMULA: It seems like a rath-er sim-ple algorithm to me.
EMILET: -slow grinning- oh o kay
EMILET: why am i the ba ka
EMILET: youre the one not e xe cu ting it
SIMULA: In this scenario II am the sen-sei presenting you with your remedial le-vel mathematical equations.
SIMULA: -no.... they're smiling too...- You execute it.
EMILET: sor ry im gon na have to call bull shit on this one
EMILET: meet me
SIMULA: U-g-h.
SIMULA: Fine. -gets up out of their chair and kind of. shuffles at him. puffy sweatery sleeved arms extended.-
EMILET: -he takes their hands first... and pulls them over so he can rest his head in the crook of their neck and sigh.-
EMILET: i still kind of dont know what to do with this
SIMULA: -closes their eyes, nuzzling to the side of his head and squeezing their hands together.- II don't care.
SIMULA: ちょうどここに滞在。[Just stay here.]
EMILET: 私は残していませんよ。 [I haven’t left.]
EMILET: -he's all too quiet, now, kissing the delicate skin at the side of their throat.-
EMILET: 愛しています。[I love you.]
SIMULA: -each syllable of the expression registers slowly, piece by piece, until it's sinking to the pit of their stomach and bursting on impact into a cloud of butterflies. the past two days had been a strange and thoroughly unexpected climax to one of the shittiest and loneliest chapters in their life, and the relief that washes over it all is what pushes their emotions to the edge. tears slipping past their eyes, they wrap their arms around him tight, murmuring against his shoulder.-
SIMULA: II love you too.
EMILET: na ni?
EMILET: -He's incredibly quiet -- maybe he knows how fragile they feel, and maybe because he feels that way, too. But he doesn't want to stay that way. Not when he has a reason to feel okay.-
EMILET: tell me ag ain
EMILET: i want to hear you
SIMULA: -they can't help but scoff, then laugh in earnest. it's funny, ironic even, that just yesterday their loneliness had seemed to come to a head -- at a pivotal moment that surprised them when both statik and emil came to them with love and companionship. speaking the words out loud made it more real then they even felt they could handle, but they wanted to, and they pull away from his shoulder to look at him.-
SIMULA: II love you. -they say insistently as they meet his gaze, both as affirmation to him and themself.-
EMILET: -He asked for this, but he can't help feeling overwhelmed, too, by the weight of the words. His face is burning almost painful yellow, but he forces himself to hold their gaze, to feel the pain of it all -- and how it ebbs away.-
EMILET: i love you -His lips tremble a little still when he finally says so, but the resolve stays.-
EMILET: no take backs by the way -and there's the stupid school boy laughter, his head ducking mischievously.-
SIMULA: -they're both laughing and it helps ease out those last remaining anxieties, leaving nothing but happy little jitters in their wake. they said what they felt and somehow the world didn't end. strangely, it's that much brighter now.- Oh how unfortunate. If on-ly II reacted a se-cond soon-er.
SIMULA: II'll just have to live with it. -slides their hands up to cup along his jaw and neck, gentle, while leaning in to kiss at his hair.-
EMILET: yeah -he breathes, and he tries not to let the quiet seconds between their words scare him. Their touches certainly help, and he finds his arms around their waist, natural as can be.- too bad
SIMULA: -maybe the little purr in their chest will help relax him too when they slowly pull themself in closer, angling his head only slightly so they can graze more kisses along his face.-






