[ he's a teenage boy, alright, expecting him to offer the gift without some measure of embarrassment is to expect a miracle. the way he's watching her, carefully cautiously, waiting for her reaction, should be indication enough of how much he cares about her response. ]
You like it?
[ a throwaway question, offered casually. like he wants her to believe that he doesn't care either way.
maybe it's not just that he's uncomfortable with her bared upper half. she'd given him a gift, too, whether or not she understood its full ramifications: after a few months in this place, meeting a mermaid had been something straight from the sort of dreams that adults tuck away as flights of fancy and nothing more. meeting her had reminded rin of the enormity of what he's facing -- it's not just about destruction and terror and anger.
no subject
[ he's a teenage boy, alright, expecting him to offer the gift without some measure of embarrassment is to expect a miracle. the way he's watching her, carefully cautiously, waiting for her reaction, should be indication enough of how much he cares about her response. ]
You like it?
[ a throwaway question, offered casually. like he wants her to believe that he doesn't care either way.
maybe it's not just that he's uncomfortable with her bared upper half. she'd given him a gift, too, whether or not she understood its full ramifications: after a few months in this place, meeting a mermaid had been something straight from the sort of dreams that adults tuck away as flights of fancy and nothing more. meeting her had reminded rin of the enormity of what he's facing -- it's not just about destruction and terror and anger.
it's about a fish in the face, too.]