[He reaches out and gives the covers a somewhat petulant tug to emphasize his point, but the silence that follows has some of his energy ebbing away to be replaced by a soft contemplative air.
It's not that Kashuu doesn't get non-verbal cues of love. That's the primary method of communication that he picks when it comes to conveying affection, too - though he's equally as likely to straight up say I love you, I love you given the right circumstances and people, as Haru already knows. He shows it in the way he refuses to leave his precious people alone, or in how he tries so very hard to show that a sword's nature can be human whenever he makes an attempt at understanding those difficult human emotions, or the way he saves someone's favorite food for them, or in how he can list off all of their most well-liked songs by heart. He can pick up similar sentiments when they're presented because of that, which is why he never really needs to hear "I love you" in plainer words, even if he likes that just as well.
But Souji is different.
This Souji isn't the same one that had wielded him during that battle, but their history is shared, regardless. The Kashuu Kiyomitsu that he had brought into Ikedaya had still broken, and knowing that makes it difficult for him to look at these neon signs of love and acceptance and take them at face value. It almost feels like he hasn't done enough to earn it in the end, even if he'll soak up all of that attention as its given. He just doesn't ever examine it too closely so he can pretend not to doubt.]
...I think I did. [Know that already, he means. It's his quiet, eventual response. He presses his fingers against the back of Souji's hand for a second and dips his head, uncharacteristically shy. Now's probably not the best time to ask for confirmation like this?! Things are already confusing enough... BUT. But, it would be impossible for him to deny that it still feels nice.
It's a bit of a double-edged sword, though, since it reminds him of how needlessly cruel he's been to Souji after his death. His uncertainties and fears always manifest in ugly ways, and the sharp tongue-lashings that he never really means are no different. But instead of addressing that now (though he considers it, briefly) and instead of returning the words as he's tempted to (does Souji know that he's loved, too?), Kashuu shifts gears instead.]
But there's a lot of stuff I don't know, yeah? Like - y'know, I never knew why you picked me. I never even knew how you got to where you were. You were pretty young to be an active samurai.
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[He reaches out and gives the covers a somewhat petulant tug to emphasize his point, but the silence that follows has some of his energy ebbing away to be replaced by a soft contemplative air.
It's not that Kashuu doesn't get non-verbal cues of love. That's the primary method of communication that he picks when it comes to conveying affection, too - though he's equally as likely to straight up say I love you, I love you given the right circumstances and people, as Haru already knows. He shows it in the way he refuses to leave his precious people alone, or in how he tries so very hard to show that a sword's nature can be human whenever he makes an attempt at understanding those difficult human emotions, or the way he saves someone's favorite food for them, or in how he can list off all of their most well-liked songs by heart. He can pick up similar sentiments when they're presented because of that, which is why he never really needs to hear "I love you" in plainer words, even if he likes that just as well.
But Souji is different.
This Souji isn't the same one that had wielded him during that battle, but their history is shared, regardless. The Kashuu Kiyomitsu that he had brought into Ikedaya had still broken, and knowing that makes it difficult for him to look at these neon signs of love and acceptance and take them at face value. It almost feels like he hasn't done enough to earn it in the end, even if he'll soak up all of that attention as its given. He just doesn't ever examine it too closely so he can pretend not to doubt.]
...I think I did. [Know that already, he means. It's his quiet, eventual response. He presses his fingers against the back of Souji's hand for a second and dips his head, uncharacteristically shy. Now's probably not the best time to ask for confirmation like this?! Things are already confusing enough... BUT. But, it would be impossible for him to deny that it still feels nice.
It's a bit of a double-edged sword, though, since it reminds him of how needlessly cruel he's been to Souji after his death. His uncertainties and fears always manifest in ugly ways, and the sharp tongue-lashings that he never really means are no different. But instead of addressing that now (though he considers it, briefly) and instead of returning the words as he's tempted to (does Souji know that he's loved, too?), Kashuu shifts gears instead.]
But there's a lot of stuff I don't know, yeah? Like - y'know, I never knew why you picked me. I never even knew how you got to where you were. You were pretty young to be an active samurai.