If Aoba had been something electrical, he absolutely one hundred percent would have shorted out and blown a fuse right then and there. He was almost pulling a Declan-like maneuver himself at this point, hanging his head and peeking out from below his bangs, but he watched the Guardian step away with a tightness somewhere between his throat and his chest.
Not to say it felt entirely bad, though.
Aoba wasn’t…sure…if that made them anything, exactly, and upon second and third thought it probably didn’t, but at least…at least he could come back here, sometime, when it was possible. Even if he never made sense of all his confused what-ifs and what-if-nots, Declan’s genuine, easygoing friendship was one he didn’t want to have to say goodbye to. That was okay, wasn’t it? To just want to see someone again?
He’d said what he wanted, and Declan had returned that feeling, so…yeah.
His hands were steadier by the time Declan had places set, so Aoba managed to put out the bowls of nikujaga and accompanying bowls of rice without mishap. He felt lighter, in the aftermath of admitting some of his wants…and even Desire, though still unknown, felt satisfied at having been heard at least a little. Fresh cups of tea accompanied the meal, and with Declan sitting safely and unharmed across from him once again, even testing Ren’s extended new functions by having him set up an appointment with Jolene didn’t result in any particular extra stress.
It was weirdly easy to keep the conversation to ‘normal’ things after that. Not about headaches, or alternate personalities, or portals, or any of that. Just the easy day-to-day, like they would have talked if this had been another video call instead of face to face.
He would sleep more soundly that night than any night since Declan had originally departed—and not even Desire himself would see fit to disrupt it.
no subject
Not to say it felt entirely bad, though.
Aoba wasn’t…sure…if that made them anything, exactly, and upon second and third thought it probably didn’t, but at least…at least he could come back here, sometime, when it was possible. Even if he never made sense of all his confused what-ifs and what-if-nots, Declan’s genuine, easygoing friendship was one he didn’t want to have to say goodbye to. That was okay, wasn’t it? To just want to see someone again?
He’d said what he wanted, and Declan had returned that feeling, so…yeah.
His hands were steadier by the time Declan had places set, so Aoba managed to put out the bowls of nikujaga and accompanying bowls of rice without mishap. He felt lighter, in the aftermath of admitting some of his wants…and even Desire, though still unknown, felt satisfied at having been heard at least a little. Fresh cups of tea accompanied the meal, and with Declan sitting safely and unharmed across from him once again, even testing Ren’s extended new functions by having him set up an appointment with Jolene didn’t result in any particular extra stress.
It was weirdly easy to keep the conversation to ‘normal’ things after that. Not about headaches, or alternate personalities, or portals, or any of that. Just the easy day-to-day, like they would have talked if this had been another video call instead of face to face.
He would sleep more soundly that night than any night since Declan had originally departed—and not even Desire himself would see fit to disrupt it.