[Okay, he'd purposefully stayed out of the room as long as possible, somehow feeling that hanging around would make it even more awkward? It was only when he'd started to doze off on top of a drone a few hours after dinner with Komaeda that he finally admitted that he had to go back to the room.
He definitely wasn't expecting her sitting on the floor when he comes in mid-yawn, startling the choked noise out of him.]
O-oh, hey, Number Two... what's up?
[S...sup. This isn't awkward. At all. He just crosses the room to head over to his partion, sliding part of it aside so he can plop down on his bed while still facing her.]
[ welcome to hell, where hajime does the exact opposite of what you wanted to happen. she does not move from her spot on the floor, but she does at least turns slightly so she is looking at him and not the door now. ]
[There's a half-second where he stares at her, focus sharpening a little too intently as he reflexively tries to use his Super High School Analysis to try to figure out her reaction. As quickly as he realizes what he's doing, he flops back against the bed and throws his arm over his eyes to try to not. do that thing.
His heart is going to pound out of his chest and fly across the room though, which would cause quite a mess as he asks quietly,]
[He exhales a quiet sigh without pulling his arm away from his eyes, lips curving into a small, relieved smile.]
You're welcome... I guess?
[It sounds like a strange thing to thank him for, but at least she's not creeped out by it. That's all he can ask for, really, is not to ruin their friendship.]
I wouldn't have been able to do it without you.
[Ob...viously... he couldn't give her a gift if she didn't exist!! But he means actually going through and writing it.]
Mmhm. I wasn't really expecting that, so it was a big surprise when I got to the end.
[ at that she finally actually moves, walking towards the partition that separates his section of the room from everywhere else. hajime doesn't actually move inside it though, and just stays at the opening. ]
[He pulls his arm away from his eyes, but doesn't look away from the ceiling. He starts mentally counting the little imperfections he can spot, using it to try to distract himself away from hyper-focusing on the tone of her voice. It's hard not to be aware of every little thing that goes on, from the scrape of her feet against the floor as she approaches to the sound of his own heartbeat echoing in his ears, but oh my god is he trying to at least act like a normal person.]
...I don't, either. I mean... I never really had the chance to. I mean... back when things were normal, I never really had the confidence to talk to anyone, and there really wasn't anyone I could get close to. Then everything went to hell after that. The Kamukura Project, the Neo World Program, the state of the world...
[He's fumbling over his words. Maybe he should let himself use some of his talents for this.]
I feel like being on this base has been the first time I've really been able to catch my breath and relax. Which sounds pretty dumb, doesn't it? With all the absurd things that happen here on a daily basis.
I don't think it's dumb! Things can get pretty crazy here, but it's the kind of place where you can rely on other people so it doesn't feel like everything is really your responsibility.
[ also they are building an amusement park so like... yeah. ]
Back home I was suuuuper busy! Dating someone just never crossed my mind, really.
[It would be a lie to say he's not disappointed by her answer, and it shows briefly on his face before he manages to smooth it into something more neutral, then a somewhat-forced smile.]
Y-yeah, of course. Take however long you need, Number Two.
[ but, like she said, dating is a thing she has not actually considered for herself regardless if she likes someone or not so she needs to. consider it first before saying yes. ]
[He doesn't really know how to answer? And he laughs quietly, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. Why does this language have to be so ambiguous?? And he's not going to use the patently-childish you mean like, like-like?? because he has some pride left.
So. He'll just wait for her answer, flopping back on the bed again.]
I'll wait for your answer, then. Whatever you decide... we can still be friends, too, right?
If you didn't feel the same, I didn't want to make things awkward for you...
[He really is a considerate boy, under all of -- okay, no, he never really tries to hide it. He's just a good boy. But he laughs and shakes his head again.]
That was kind of silly to worry about though, huh?
Ah... I appreciate that. Who else can I rely on to keep my head on straight, huh?
[He kind of wants to ask how long she needs, but that just seems really rude and impatient to ask? So he falls silent, exhaling quietly and staring back up at the ceiling.]
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[Okay, he'd purposefully stayed out of the room as long as possible, somehow feeling that hanging around would make it even more awkward? It was only when he'd started to doze off on top of a drone a few hours after dinner with Komaeda that he finally admitted that he had to go back to the room.
He definitely wasn't expecting her sitting on the floor when he comes in mid-yawn, startling the choked noise out of him.]
O-oh, hey, Number Two... what's up?
[S...sup. This isn't awkward. At all. He just crosses the room to head over to his partion, sliding part of it aside so he can plop down on his bed while still facing her.]
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I got your gift.
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His heart is going to pound out of his chest and fly across the room though, which would cause quite a mess as he asks quietly,]
...Do you like it?
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[ hajime gets up then and brushes her shorts off of any dirt. she doesn't walk towards to where he is yet though. ]
Thank you very much.
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You're welcome... I guess?
[It sounds like a strange thing to thank him for, but at least she's not creeped out by it. That's all he can ask for, really, is not to ruin their friendship.]
I wouldn't have been able to do it without you.
[Ob...viously... he couldn't give her a gift if she didn't exist!! But he means actually going through and writing it.]
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[ at that she finally actually moves, walking towards the partition that separates his section of the room from everywhere else. hajime doesn't actually move inside it though, and just stays at the opening. ]
I don't think about stuff like that very often.
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[He pulls his arm away from his eyes, but doesn't look away from the ceiling. He starts mentally counting the little imperfections he can spot, using it to try to distract himself away from hyper-focusing on the tone of her voice. It's hard not to be aware of every little thing that goes on, from the scrape of her feet against the floor as she approaches to the sound of his own heartbeat echoing in his ears, but oh my god is he trying to at least act like a normal person.]
...I don't, either. I mean... I never really had the chance to. I mean... back when things were normal, I never really had the confidence to talk to anyone, and there really wasn't anyone I could get close to. Then everything went to hell after that. The Kamukura Project, the Neo World Program, the state of the world...
[He's fumbling over his words. Maybe he should let himself use some of his talents for this.]
I feel like being on this base has been the first time I've really been able to catch my breath and relax. Which sounds pretty dumb, doesn't it? With all the absurd things that happen here on a daily basis.
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[ also they are building an amusement park so like... yeah. ]
Back home I was suuuuper busy! Dating someone just never crossed my mind, really.
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[Priorities of this base: building an amusement park, maybe solving mysteries? But building the park comes first.]
But... yeah, that doesn't surprise me. What you've told me about where you came from, it sounded like there was a lot going on. But here...
[He finally does sit up, wanting to see her face even as he hesitates.]
Would... you want to? Here?
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[ she bows then straightens up again. ]
Please give me some time to consider your feelings, Number One!
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Y-yeah, of course. Take however long you need, Number Two.
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[ but, like she said, dating is a thing she has not actually considered for herself regardless if she likes someone or not so she needs to. consider it first before saying yes. ]
And I won't take too long.
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[He doesn't really know how to answer? And he laughs quietly, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. Why does this language have to be so ambiguous?? And he's not going to use the patently-childish you mean like, like-like?? because he has some pride left.
So. He'll just wait for her answer, flopping back on the bed again.]
I'll wait for your answer, then. Whatever you decide... we can still be friends, too, right?
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[ it's like she never once considered the possibility of that no longer being a thing. ]
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[He really is a considerate boy, under all of -- okay, no, he never really tries to hide it. He's just a good boy. But he laughs and shakes his head again.]
That was kind of silly to worry about though, huh?
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[ for one, she is very persistent? ]
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[He kind of wants to ask how long she needs, but that just seems really rude and impatient to ask? So he falls silent, exhaling quietly and staring back up at the ceiling.]
Thanks for hearing me out, Number Two.
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[ she salutes, although it's not like he can see it since he isn't looking at her. ]
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That's high praise, coming from you. But, uh... I'll probably get ready for bed now. Unless you needed anything else...?
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[ she takes a step back, getting ready to head out the room to do... whatever it is that hajime does. ]
I'll talk to you later, Number One.
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Any time, Number Two.
[Nope. He fucked it up. There is nothing romantic about that at all.]