look for a new angle

[truetadashi]

Well guys, today is the day. I've decided to no longer continue this blog. I've moved on to other interests and I simply just have lost my muse for Tadashi. It was fun while it lasted but now that I no longer have the inspiration I once possessed it's just time I call it quits. Thank you all for writing with me or following me and simply supporting me through this little adventure. wanderingxworryxwirt howlingstorminside hirochip botxfights fastenough gogofast selfieforscience fractaliisms and anyone else I had the pleasure of writing with, thank you for the fun. I wish you luck on any of your future endeavors! And to the rest of you, thanks for all the kind words you ever sent me. Thank you for the support and the follows and the interest in this little blog. I deeply appreciate it. That's all! I'll keep this blog up, but don't expect any updates. Thank you guys, I'll catch you later! -Ally

[truetadashi]

Sad news, friends. I’m sorry to say this, but for now I’ll be going on a couple day hiatus. I may come back, I may not, but it’s looking unlikely. I’ll of course let everyone know if I decide to close this blog. I’ll just be honest and say after my Tadashi-less week when I was studying for finals I’ve had a hard time finding the muse to continue. I’ve sat down multiple times since Thursday to write replies and it’s just not coming to me. So I thought I’d take another few days as a break and see how I feel. Sadly my muse for Tadashi may be starting to escape.

However I thank all 700+ of you for sticking with me these past few months. You’re all so wonderful and I loved being here.

I’ll see you guys in a couple days!

-Ally

[pk-buttcheeks]

sunfire!tadashi+tomadashi au where sometimes if he gets flustered/embarrassed/etc enough then his hair ignites 

[truetadashi]

                                                  ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ

                   ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪ'ᴍ ᴊᴜsᴛ ɢᴏɴɴᴀ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴜᴘ?

                                     ᴡʜᴏ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ ғᴏʀ?

[selfieforscience-archive-blog]

Aiko’s heart began to beat faster, as she realized there was hesitation in Tadashi’s eyes. She really hoped she hadn’t crossed the line again.

Just because he accepted her help once, didn’t mean he would do it yet another time. 

She was just about to drop her hand back to her lap, when suddenly Tadashi’s skin was on hers, sending a chill up her spine. His hand was heavily calloused, and though that was no different from the majority of the veterans Aiko worked with, she still wasn’t used to the way their skin didn’t clash upon touch, but instead seemed to blend together peacefully.

“Alright,” the pianist smiled softly at him. She gripped his hand a little more firmly this time, and drew it towards the piano. Their hands hovered over the first key for a moment, during which green orbs glanced over at him, but Aiko was quick to go back at the task in hand.

She pressed down on the key, lingering on it for a few seconds. The melodious sound filled the room, and Aiko smiled a little upon hearing it. She spent so long around the piano, yet was so focused on helping others, she very seldom took the time to enjoy the music she played.

Realizing she had spaced out, the blonde quickly moved Tadash’s hand to the next key over, and then to the next one. The sequence was a total of five keys     she was aware of the rise in difficulty, but the keys also happened to be closer together, as opposed to the previous exercise. If all went well, Tadashi would remember this sequence better, plus it wouldn’t strain his body so much.

Aiko took her time repeating the sequence a few more times, until Tadashi’s hand didn’t feel so stiff under hers. He needed to be relaxed in order to do this, and not stressed. 

Perhaps the consistent physical contact with her made him the most uncomfortable, Aiko wondered as she played the string of notes one more time. Tadashi was clearly the sort of person who kept to himself most of the time, and didn’t like relying on others.

With a sheepish smile, she let go of his hand, resting hers on her lap. She really didn’t want to push him too far.

"What do you think?” she asked, smiling a little more. “Ready to try again?”

[truetadashi]

Each time the pianist smiled at him it was as if just a bit of his shell was chiseled away. Whenever she graced him with such a gesture he could have sworn his stomach did a stupid flip.

He watched their hands, her grip a little more firm this time rather than the light touch previously, as if she had been afraid to touch him before. His hand however, didn’t become any more relaxed. Though, that didn’t come to a surprise to him--He was constantly tense, always on edge even at night in his bed. There’s never any comfort, no room to ease up. It wasn’t possible, not when he was trained to constantly be on guard, constantly aware of his surroundings for any sign of a threat or danger, even if it was clear there was nothing around to do him harm. And touching on top of this, was something he very rarely embraced outside of his family. It made him nervous, anxious, and occasionally fearful depending on the touch. His little brother who had surprised him by grabbing him from behind earlier that day, albeit playfully, was enough to terrify him and even Aiko’s light hold kept him on edge. He partially felt restrained, but he knew it was required. He learned best this way, he’d have to remind himself to focus on the keys and not her hand.

Like the previous times, he was in full concentration, watching their hands attempting as hard as he could to recall the keys she had pressed. Luckily this time the keys were much closer together, even if she had done a couple more this time around. After a several repetitions, his hand became slightly more relaxed under her hold due to the understanding he held for the exercise. She finally let go of him, and though he was relieved he found himself also downhearted at the loss of her gentle touch. 

At her question, he bit the inside of his cheek and nodded slightly. “As I’ll ever be,” Tadashi replied, and his hand hovered above the first key. He slowly moved his hand, pretending her had was guiding his as pressed the key. The note hung in the air, and he let out a sigh. Good, he had accomplished the first key. He moved to the second, and though his hand missed the key he quickly recovered. The second note sounded, and he followed through on the last three with another error, but one he had fixed. He started through the pattern once more, imagining her hand guiding his slowly through each of the notes. The keys being closer together did wonders for retaining the memory of the pattern, and for this exercise, he was just pleased he managed to not hit as many sour notes this time around.

He did this several times; many times over until he felt he had done his best. His hand slowly moved away from the keys of the piano, falling into his lap where his other lay. His hands clasped together, eyes studying the keys before they moved up to the pianist’s.

“Wow. That was actually not awful,” He said softly, and though his tone was quiet he was quite pleased with himself. However, rubbing his hands together nervously, he wasn’t quite sure he was ready to attempt another just yet. They were bound to just get harder and harder, and he wasn’t quite sure he was up for the challenge just yet.

“Before we do another one though, do you think we can just take a break?” He hesitantly asked, fiddling with his hands in his lap. “Maybe you can play a song or something, take a break from the random notes; I just...would rather take a breather for a second. If that’s allowed,”

[truetadashi]

//Hello friends! I’m sorry I’ve been MIA the past few days, I’ve been studying for my math final that I really really need to ace so I haven’t really had the time nor energy to do any replies HOWEVER my final is over tomorrow and then I’ll be getting cracking on what I owe!

Anyway, back to crying over numbers!

[selfieforscience-archive-blog]

Attentive eyes focusing on Tadashi’s hand, Aiko hadn’t even realized how she leaned forward in antecipation the second he began to move. She was hopeful her approach had been helpful, and that it would assist Tadashi in coming to terms with his hand-eye coordination.

Her lips parted when the wrong tune reached her ears, but she tried her best to control her expressions, in case Tadashi would glance over at her; she didn’t want him to see how anxious she was in seeing him succeed, and make him feel more pressured.

With a little bit of effort, Aiko managed to stay very still as she watched his movements, resisting the urge to help him. He had to do this on his own.

Upon hearing the correct key, the blonde nearly let out an excited squeal, hands already raising, for her to clasp them together, as Aiko always did when she was happy     but she reminded herself just in time that it would ruin Tadashi’s focus.

Slowly, she drew her hands back to her lap, bringing them together to prevent further slips. 

Aiko watched as he repeated the sequence, over and over again. She noticed he was playing it a little faster now, despite still falling victim to a few mistakes every now and then. Still, it was progress. What seemed simple to the inattentive eye actually entailed a lot of hard work on Tadashi’s end. He had been deprived of one of the easiest and most important functions of the human body, and it would take him a long time to get that ability back.

Silence fell upon them again, and only then Aiko’s eyes raised from the piano, to meet Tadashi’s. His features didn’t look painted with such seriousness as before, and immediately she graced him with a smile.

“You did much better this time. It was great!” Instinctively, she clasped her hands together, grin growing wider. “That already showed a lot of progress, and I think we could try a new one now. It has more keys than the other one, but it’s easier to follow, I promise.”

Holding out her hand to him again, it didn’t even cross her mind that perhaps Tadashi wanted to do it by himself this time.

“What do you say?”

[truetadashi]

As she flashed him a bright, almost proud smile, it took him a moment to realize he had accidentally held his breath. She had clasped her hands together in what appeared to be excitement, which surprised him. He knew she was supposed to act as though she personally cared so much, but he didn’t think she would actually be so elated to see his improvement.

“Thank you,” He said quietly, almost shyly as his gaze dropped down to the keys. He fiddled with his hands as she explained the next exercise, this one with more keys.

Oh boy.

No, no. He could do it. He had done the last one, he was sure he could handle a few extra keys. She promised it easier to follow as well; surely it wouldn’t be too terrible.

But then, she surprised him.

Tadashi ‘s eyes fell onto her hand, eyes lingering with internal debate. There was a piece of him that was tempted to ignore her hand, to insist on carrying out the rest of this lesson his own. He was a soldier--okay, former soldier--who could hold his own on a battlefield just fine. Even returning home, he held his own just fine. He didn’t need this woman’s help. More than that, he didn’t want lean on everyone with an outstretched hand and a smile of good intention.

That did ring true, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t take her hand. 

Though it wasn’t something he wasn’t trained or taught while serving, he had acquired the knowledge of the necessity of team work. One could only go so far without it, and it had just been proven correct moments ago when he had accepted her hand. Not everything could be held on his own shoulders, no matter how many times he had fought this truth.

And more than that, Aiko had made his stay comfortable. It was a relaxed, easy-going environment. Patience, understanding, and general kindness in her eyes alone that made his flicker away.

With a heavy exhale he lifted his hand, fingers brushing her palm. The feeling made his nervous tingle in his hand.

He nodded, lips first in a firm, straight line before one corner curled just ever so slightly upward.

“Let’s do it,”

[orcagami]

Big Hero Kiss (it was my embarrassing workin title and i’m keeping it okay)

or the Everybody loves Tadashi Hamada Club

Started off thinkin about a Tadashi lives!au where he loses an arm and is badly burned but look I can’t just let him suffer even in aus. He just needs lots of hugs and kisses okay

(You can view these as platonic or romantic whatever floats your ship)

[inkonapagepoetry]

you heard fireworks go off every time she touched you. your heartbeat is still thumping out her name in the silence of the night. you do not know how to live any other way. she was always whispered goodbyes and muffled declarations of love. she is the gentle autumn sky, and fireworks would break her. she is singing a muted song under her breath, and it is all being drowned out. sometimes, you see her, and all you can think is how much you want to feel her skin under your fingertips, to get lost in her eyes, to scream ‘i love you’s until your voice goes hoarse. for now, you will wait. you will love her quietly.

quietly (via inkonapagepoetry)

[letsludos]

I love her. Not just for her beauty or her sense of humor but for the way she is so unapologetically herself.

(via letsludos)

[kineticiist-blog]

     Gogo dealt with his injuries without batting an eyelid. Sure, his reactions told her that he was in pain but she knew from experience that hesitating and trying to lighten her touches in some way would only make it worse. She wanted him to be cleaned up and cared for and she had never been as good with bedside manner as he had been. She reached up a hand as she finished, resting it on his shoulder and making sure that the last of her work was completed before she settled into position and looked him over.         Seung didn’t really know where to begin when he questioned her, however, and was taken back to several things that she could have started with. She wanted to tell him everything that would satisfy the emptiness that she was sure he was experiencing but she also knew that to overwhelm him might scare him off. He needed to have something to anchor him to those ideas and as he asked about herself, she realised that at the very least she could offer him that. Sure, she wasn’t sure if he had ever felt the same way about her prior to the fire, but at least she had fond memories of him that she was utterly secure in.         ❝ Let’s see. I’m twenty one years old and I was born in Seoul. My parents have a lot of traditional Korean beliefs as well as the frustration that I didn’t follow a path that would have used my intellect the way they would have liked. ❞ There was the hint of a smile on her lips as she continued, and Gogo decided that she was going to settle in if she was going to tell him about herself. It hurt because she knew he didn’t remember her. Didn’t know how funny it was to her that she was shirking her parents’ ideal young woman. But perhaps in time he would remember, or perhaps at least come to know those things about her once again.         Seung shifted so that she sat beside him, looking sideways at the man she had thought was dead. She examined each of his features, began to memories the lines from the scars on his skin. Even if he was marred by the damage his body had taken, he was still a sight to behold for the young Korean. He was still so vital and he was still so utterly Tadashi.         ❝ I was always supposed to be a doctor or a lawyer. Something that brought in good money. I was supposed to get married to a nice Korean boy and leave my job to rear a family. But I met some incredible people who encouraged me to pursue my passions. Engineering and design. I loved speed and motion, I loved the idea of creating something that wouldn’t cause problems. I enrolled at the school, at SFIT, because I knew that I would be able to follow that dream there. I wanted to create an eco-friendly bike that wasn’t inhibited by the problems of a regular one. I get to do what I love. Race and create, practise martial arts instead of the ballet my parents would have liked. ❞         Gogo laughed as she reached up a hand to run it through her purple locks, the other shifting down to her ankle and holding it gently to try and find the source of the pain from it. ❝ I don’t know how interesting I am, but for some reason you and the others stuck by me. Gave me encouragement to be me instead of someone I didn’t want to. ❞

[truetadashi]

      Tadashi sat in silence, waiting patiently for her reply as she so kindly dealt with his wounds. Though as she spoke, immediately the room felt warmer. It wasn’t so cold, lifeless with no past memories to keep him company. Instead her words filled some void in his soul, and though her words triggered no memories and no Seung, that mattered little to him at the moment. It was just enough to give him a taste, to soak in even the tiniest bits of his past. It didn’t matter if the things she recited to him wasn’t directly linked to him; it was a peek into his relationships, into the kind of people he associated himself with.

      He felt her shift from behind him, and he tilted his head slightly to find her adjusting herself, sitting beside him instead. His steely gaze met hers, noting how she studied his face. Though, more likely than not--the scars that damaged the delicate tissue of his skin that left him grotesque. And yet, he hadn’t noticed even the most subtle of hesitance in her eyes.

      He listened on as she spoke, eyes concentrating on her as she had gone over the details of her life; of what made up this stranger, who had become Seung, who had then become his Seung. He couldn’t help the slight smirk that had overtaken his lips. She was quite the rebel, from the sounds of it. She didn’t fit into a mold, didn’t walk the path forged for her and instead took her own. It was admirable, to say the very least. Strong, even; and brave, most definitely. And the way she spoke of engineering, of what she seemed to love the most in this world, was nothing short of noteworthy and laudable. To hear something so positive, something so dear to the heart was something he had couldn’t recall. She spoke with such fervor that he couldn’t help but begin to smile; even if he hadn’t even realized it. It was a beautiful passion to hold. He hoped he had been sure to tell her that often.

     He may have known nearly nothing of Tadashi Hamada, but he was aware of one thing now: If Seung was anything to go by, he was a lucky man.

     Tadashi’s gaze flickered from her face to her hair as she lifted a hand, running it through her purple locks. However, always ever alert, he noticed movement from the corner of his eye. As he turned his head to look, he noticed her other hand reaching down to her ankle, feeling the muscles with her hand. He moved closer to her legs, though before he did anything, his eyes landed back into her eyes as she spoke.

     “ I find you plenty interesting, ” He said honestly, assuring with his nearly always serious expression that he was indeed telling the truth.

    “ You sound remarkable to me. And I think you’re incredibly courageous, at that. Other than what I’ve seen of you and your friends, of course. But that goes without saying, I think I would have been proud to call you my friend, ”

      With that, he gently (albeit hesitantly) set his hand over her ankle, brushing against hers. The feeling left a cold shiver travel down his spine, though he ignored this for the task at hand as he lightly touched her ankle. He couldn’t help himself; he didn’t need to remember her to assist her if she needed it. She was his friend at one point or another, and that was all that mattered.

      “ Allow me, ” He insisted, and gathered up a few of the books he had lying around near his mattress. He stacked a few of them together, and gently lifted her leg, attempting to keep it elevated as he propped on up on top of the books.

      “ Keeping it up may help, ” He suggested, “ You should also try to keep off that foot for a while when you can. Speaking from experience, it might heal faster, ”

[gcisgeil-deactivated20161227]

❦ truetadashi​

         「 ➶ 」▒ ‑ ‒ –  “Do ye usually have people stalking                                    ye like this everyday?” Merida finally                                   asked her student guide. Probably not                                   not the kind of question he was expecting                                   when he asked “Any questions so far?” 

[truetadashi]

   Her question took him by surprise, his brows raising initially and rendered him speechless for a few beats. He gave a soft chuckle under his breath, shaking his head in amusement at the silly inquiry. He hadn’t even quite understood what she had meant by such a comment.

   “ I’m afraid I don’t follow, how do you mean? ”

[gogofast-blog]

She flinches at the way he begins speaking. He has full right of being upset, angry at her actions. She had just barged into his home with no authorization whatsoever. Leiko couldn’t comment on the way he was reacting because she would’ve reacted in a similar way (if not worse).

However, any explanations die on her lips as he hands her the kid. Leiko carefully accepts him in her arms, cradling his head on one hand and bringing it to her shoulder before lowering the same hand to rub softly on his back.

She’s never had much contact with children; far from it, really. She has none of her own nor anyone close to her that has them. All she knows is what she’s read in books, magazines, the odd article online. So anything she does is out of pure instinct and assumption.

“I came here to yell at you.” She informs him quietly. Yet now she was attempting to calm down the child. “I had no right of barging into your home, I apologize for that. But you really should be careful with that. It was unlocked. Anyone could’ve come in here. Armed.”

Leiko bounces and sways, the motions on the kids back never ceasing. “Bouncy-bouncy!” Leiko quietly chants with a wide smile. Already, his crying seemed to have stopped, instead a soft sniffling of his nose being heard in the silence of the room. “Where does he sleep?”

[truetadashi]

He watched as the woman cradles the infant in her arms, watching her carefully as to ensure she was handling him correctly. However, his expression changes from soft concern and worry to annoyed as the woman spoke. While he fully expected the yelling and though he didn’t blame his neighbor’s lack of patience (though he always found the point to confront to be moot anyway; did they truly think he wasn’t trying to cease the crying?) he still found it incredibly insulting and downright crude of her to come in unannounced, unlocked door or not, but his agitation with the stranger rolled right off his shoulder’s as Hiro’s crying became softer. Finally, there was nothing but soft sniffling that filled the now silent room.

Unbelievable.

His eyes were wide with shock, and he nearly began to laugh with relief and slight hysteria. He would wrap her into the tightest hug if could. Instead he simply grinned, until a realization fell onto his shoulders.

Within just moments of holding the baby in her arms she had gotten him to quiet down, compared to his hour of non-stop wails in his ear as he tried to comfort him. What could he have possibly done wrong? He’d read book after book, certainly he was doing as he should have. The thought was somewhat disheartening, but for now, he was simply too over-joyed to linger.

At her question, he finally came back down to Earth. He gestured for her to follow him, guiding the young woman into his room. Since money was rather tight at the moment, he could only afford a single bedroom apartment rather than two for a nursery. Against the wall adjacent to his bed rest a crib, and he gave a loose gesture with his hand.

His gaze flickered from the crib to the girl, eyes wide with amazement. He practically couldn’t wipe the smile of sweet relief off his face.

“Man, it’s like you have a magic touch or something,”

[gogofast-blog]

Any thoughts over Tadashi Hamada had disappeared just as quickly as she’d taken a step outside the classroom. Why give him any thought at all when all he seemed to enjoy doing was teasing her, not even knowing what her name actually was. And why would he, really. It wasn’t as if they had much when it came to conversations (mainly because of her, she was well aware and would take the blame for it) nor did it go beyond a joke here, teasing word there paired up with some (innocent, she knew) mocking.

Despite her lack of efforts to get along with him (why should she, really), he doesn’t seem to stop to try and start up conversation. His reasons behind that, she didn’t know, but it intrigued her. However, she attempts to focus her thoughts on her next class, mentally running through the notes she’d taken for it in preparation.

And then he’s there. Of course. A part of her was already expecting it, and she hated herself for it. His choice of words, Leiko notices, make a single brow raise (both in surprise and amusement, though she’d deny the latter). So he did know her name. Well, both could play that game. “So I take that as an implication that you dislike my first name.” Though she’s far from offended, despite what she may be projecting. 

“I don’t see the need to inquire about your test results. It would only result in an ego boost I’m well aware you don’t require.” He’d aced it. No questions asked.

[truetadashi]

Smugly, a smirk caused a corner of his lips to curl upwards; proud of himself for catching her off guard. However, the sly smile was gone quicker than it came at her words that followed. Oh no. Had he actually offended her? By the tone of her voice he would suspect so, and instantly his cheeks tinted pink in response.

“No no no, not at all, it’s nice, it’s pretty,”

Great, did he sound as though he was overcompensating now?

“I--Uh--I’m sorry?”

Smooth, Tadashi.

It was a rough recovery, if one could even call it one. It was more of an attempt, really, one he had missed by a long shot. Flustered, he removed his backward’s cap as he fiddled with it in his hands nervously. Even at her following words, he was too embarrassed to come up with any quick retort to shoot back at her like he normally would.

“I--Well, sure, but I was just...Messing around,” He debated turning around right then and there and stare at the ground his entire walk to class, but instead he stayed, wondering just how much he had made her upset with him.

[gogofast-blog]

Her step never falters as the guy speaks, instead walking by him, only to stop near one of the most recent arrivals, a young girl with red hair that seemed to have skin of the same tone thanks to the sun she’d been under while working crops. It was the Greenie’s job to give the new ones the tour and run-down of the place. Not hers.

GoGo drops her backpack on the ground, a chuckle escaping her lips, eyes never straying from the contents of her bag as she ruffles through them in search of something. “Oh, no no. I’m not doing this with you, Greenie. That’s not my job.” Aha! There it was! Finally finding the nearly empty bottle of water, she finishes what little was left, severely needing it’s contents after a long day at the maze. “I’m here to run and look pretty while doing it. Not giving out tours.” GoGo finally finishes with a smirk.

The bottle is dropped back inside the bag and she crosses her arms over her chest. Silence seems to cover every surface of the glade, the only sounds coming from the animals in the distance. Not even the walls are making a peep. But soon enough, she figured. The deafening sound was bound to happen eventually. It was not time yet, after all.

Her eyes drift towards every other Glader, brow raised, awaiting someone to go ahead and speak. Inform him of how things worked; of where he was (what little they knew); of what was expected of him. Just because he was a guy in the middle of girls didn’t mean he could get away with not following the rules. However, no one even opens their mouth. GoGo understood; they’d never had a boy in the Glade. Didn’t know how to proceed; if this made things different. And in the back of her mind, she wondered if this meant something from the people that had put them there, that kept sending them supplies. Why a boy? Why now?

But she couldn’t think about that now. There was work to be done. Well, not by her. Her job was done the moment she crossed those open walls. “Are you kidding me? No one?” She releases a frustrated breath, shaking her head at the girls around her. “The Newbie isn’t going to bite you.”

When everyone seems to lower their eyes to the grass in shame, GoGo knows what’s bound to happen. “Shuck.” She mutters under her breath. “Guess you’re in luck, Greenie. You’re stuck with me. Quick rundown of things, yeah?” She offers with an overly sweet smile, one that promised quite the lack of patience at that moment. “Everyone does their part. You’re going to pull your own weight around here. You’ll be given a job and you’re expected to do it.” GoGo begins with a slight nod towards him. “Never hurt another Glader. Do that, and there are some serious consequences, yeah?” Ones he truly didn’t want to know about. 

“And those walls?” She finishes, pointing towards where she’d just come in from. “Never go beyond them. Unless you’re a runner, which you’re not. Therefore my point remains. Never cross those walls.”

She pauses, picking up the backpack and hanging it over her shoulder before looking at him with a smirk. “This place? It’s your new home.” And with that, she begins walking away.

[truetadashi]

The boy’s frightened eyes scanned over the faces that surrounded him, landing on the face of the girl who had spoken to him, and the red-headed girl beside her. His glanced moved between the two, swallowing thickly at the one who rummaged through her bag without so much as looking at him as she promptly declined to help him. He watched as she finished what was left of her bottle of water, finding both her words and her smirk intimidating. Though, eyes moving over her figure, at least he could vouch for half of her statement.

The deafening silence that followed her words was enough to run up the anxious beats of his heart, unsure of how to even respond to what actually was spoken to him. All he wanted was an explanation--Even the shortest of one would do. And yet, he received nothing but gawking and sarcasm in return of his ignorance. Why could they do nothing but stare? Did they find him threatening? He couldn’t understand how, he could only assume he looked like a frightened animal in a cage, not a danger.

Tadashi opened his mouth to speak, to demand an answer but instead was beaten by the prickly girl with the bottled water. He swallowed thickly once more at her clear frustration, his own gaze dropping to the ground along with the rest of the girls’. However, his gaze quickly lifted as said girl offered to assist him--though she made it sound as though the mere idea was as agonizing as pulling teeth than a generosity. Her exaggeratedly sweet smile only made his eyes widen, swallowing hard once more. It was clear is wasn’t an act of kindness, but rather one that insinuated conflict should he test her patience. 

With that, she quickly gave him a breakdown--a little too quickly. He could hardly process her words, and even as he began to, they hardly answered any of his questions at all. If anything at all, who incredibly vague words only left more questions. Though after her mention of the wall, the rest of her explanation had lost his interest. He followed her outstretched arm, eyes wide with curiosity and wonder at such a structure.

What could possibly be behind those walls that he couldn’t see?

He was in such thought he hadn’t even noticed the girl had begun to walk away until she was already paces away.

“Wait, wait! Hang on!” He called, scrambling to jog after her. She was the only one who had even spoken to him, and though she seemed cold and harsh, she was the only decent help he had managed to receive. He’d have to suck it up and get his answers, whatever he had to do.

Even if he was terrified of her.

“But what’s passed those walls?” He asked as he caught up to her side, walking along side her now.

[selfieforscience-archive-blog]

His scarred skin sent a shiver up Aiko’s spine when it came in contact with her hand. It wasn’t news to her, feeling the war’s damage under her fingertips, yet it never made it any easier for her to handle.

Quickly brushing her concerns away, she flashed him a warm smile, thankful for his prompt cooperation; for someone who was so closed off, he sure obliged fast.

“Okay, let’s start this slowly, one key at the time.” She guided his hand towards the piano, and very carefully caught hold of his index finger; her touch was careful, ready to let go at any second, in case it would feel too imposing on him. Slowly, she pressed his finger on the intended key, the movement lingering for a few seconds, so that he’d have time to memorize where the key was.

Aiko then moved his hand to the next key, and the one after that. She repeated the sequence a few more times, so that Tadashi could get used to his hand’s movements.

Slowly, she let go of him, fingertips brushing against the back of his hand. She promptly returned her hand back to her lap, smiling softly as hopeful green eyes stared at him.

“Alright, think you can do it on your own now? Or do you want me to show you one more time?”

[truetadashi]

Tadashi’s brown gaze followed the delicate tips of her fingers as they traced along his skin. Her touch felt careful, soft as if she were just as hesitant to touch him just as he was to being touched. She took hold of his first finger, the index, and brought it down to the keys. She let the it rest, the note lingering in the air before she moved to the next, and the next, all the while Tadashi’s wandering eyes watched her hand rather than his own. The gentle touch made the hairs at he back of his neck stand at attention, distracting him from the task at hand.

However he quickly snapped out of it, watching closely as she pressed his fingers against the keys. He watched each move, noting their place as she repeated the process with him. Finally, her touch slowly brushed away as she let him go, leaving him on his own without the net of her safety. His breath hitched at the realization, nervous. Though, at her offer, he promptly declined.

“No, no. I’m okay,” He insisted, and closed his eyes as he looked down at his lap. He clenched his hand once more, palm dug into by his fingers. He could do this.

Slowly his hand raised once again, and as he stared at the keyboard he bit the inside of his cheek. He set his finger down on one key slowly, but it had been the wrong one once again. He cursed under his breath lowly, but his brows shot up as he chose the key beside it instead on his next try, discovering it was indeed the correct note. However, he couldn’t celebrate yet; there were still two more to go. But this time, he recalled them. His hand though, didn’t cooperate as well as his memory had. He had missed, becoming too self assured by his little victory to take it slow.

He started over, hitting the first note, than second and third--albeit very slowly. He did this many times, some wrong keys still being pressed, but he was able to pick up his quickness slightly. It wasn’t a huge difference; anyone who hadn’t been paying close attention wouldn’t have noticed, but he had come a little further than the state he arrived in; even if it was by hardly much at all. It was far from perfect, or even good--but it was a start.

Finally, he pulled his hand away and looked up. Though he didn’t smile, he didn’t look as solemn as he had on arrival.

“How was that?”

[selfieforscience-archive-blog]

The sudden shift in his attention hadn’t gone unnoticed by Aiko. It wasn’t unusual for it to happen during her lessions; sometimes all it took was the tiniest of noises, from outside or in the house, to get the soldiers on their feet.

Aiko tried paying no mind to it, aware that bringing it up would only serve as a way to make Tadashi even more closed off.

She watched attentively as he struggled to hit the right key. No matter how many times Aiko was faced with that sight, it never got any easier for her. Though she had never experienced anything of the sort, the doctor had explained it to her     it was like the tie between their brains and their limbs had been severely damaged, even if everything else was fully functional.

Aiko learned that the hard way, watching her father struggle with picking up the newspaper or the silverware at dinner, or even having a hard time finding her hand for him to hold. 

She wanted to step in and help Tadashi, but the blonde knew better than to interrupt him. It was important for him to feel independent, that his situation, though complicated, was something he could overcome on his own.

Her chest rose with anxious breaths as he hit close to the right key     but never quite on the right one. Aiko could tell he was really trying, but his brain wasn’t ready to cooperate just yet.

“It wasn’t awful,” she reassured with a soft smile. “It’s okay not to get it right on your first try. We still have the rest of the hour     and if you don’t get it right by then either, that’s fine too.” 

Scooting closer to him, Aiko held out her hand to him, palm facing upward to invite his.

“Let me help?” she asked, careful not to make any sudden movements. It was better to ask for his permission, instead of touching him and startling him.

“It’s easier if I show you.”

[truetadashi]

Her soft smile and assurance was enough to reduce his disappointment, and for one reason or another found himself feeling less humiliated than he originally had. Of course he didn’t expect any sort of blunt honesty, but something in the way she looked at him made him feel a little more secure--even if she did fib. It was clear she was trying to assist his confidence, and be gentle with her teachings. At least she seemed incredibly patient enough to understand if he hadn’t mastered such a simple technique over the course of their next hour.

He was slightly taken back as she moved closer, holding her hand out for his. She wanted to help, and he swallowed thickly with hesitance. He wanted to do it himself; he didn’t need her nor anyone’s help. That simply wasn’t how he was. He could take care of himself just fine, and though he knew that it was still tempting to take her hand. Her offer was laced with a sweet kindness, which made it difficult to refuse.

He appreciated her asking, and though he was hesitant for the help he begrudgingly accepted. It was clear he wouldn’t get much further without her. He had no choice but to swallow his pride, and allow her to lead.

With another audible exhale he slowly lifted his hand, sliding it into her palm. Her skin was soft against his, the contact soothing against his scarred flesh. His gaze flickered up to her eyes for only a brief moment before falling to the keys. His brows furrowed with concentration, his lips forming a straight line with thought.

“Okay, I’m ready,”