standalonehuman | Recolle IC Inbox

Swallowing thickly, Mariko looks at the floor narrowing her eyes as he spoke. She stomped all over the one thing she knew was off limits and he still -

She can feel her cheeks flushing, embarrassed and awed by his honest reply.

"You think far too highly of me, Togusa. I've told you that since day one." God, when did she get so old. " I keep going because it's the right thing to do, but I'm not like you. I can't keep --"

It takes all she has to stop and breathe. She closes her eyes and breathes, envisions water everywhere around her so all she can focus on is the air in her chest until she has to come up for air.

"I owe you an apology. I owe you a lot of things."

She finally looks up at him and can't help but laugh for a second at his hair's continued inability to behave, before sobering.

"Sorry, I just. I'm tired, Togusa. Really, really tired. So I think, I'm just going to table this and just try and not think about it for a minute. Okay?"

The smile Togusa gives in return is just as tired. "I owe you just as much. And I know you're right on a lot of this." The question of whether Togusa is still going because it's the right thing to do? Or if it's all he has left? That's one that will get stomped down again and thought about another day.

"I am absolutely fine with tabling this if you are." He is too tired. He doesn't want to fight any more, especially not about this. He just got Mariko back. He can't ruin it. And he won't let her ruin it. It was such a nice try to drive him off, though. Bonus points for effort. But he'd argue that he doesn't think highly enough of her, or they never would have started this argument in the first place.

"Keep it," a vague hand at the papers. "I've already got it all anyway. Review it when it makes better sense to you."

Mariko looks to the papers when he waves to them, nodding with a half-mumbled 'yeah' on her lips. If they had been just a little more stressed or a little less willing to trust the other, despite not understanding - this night would have been disastrous. So it's a lie, there's one thing she can't table. Part of her has had enough of acting and speaking and assuming. She knows what it's like to go on until it's too late to say or do the right thing anymore.

A furrowed brow is all the warning Togusa gets as she closes the distance between them, wrapping her arms around him.

"Don't get used to this." Her tone is teasing, maybe a little embarrassed. " I just..."

She breathes a hard sigh, before continuing. This being candid shit was for the birds and Mariko could count on one hands the last she hugged someone just because she could. Just because she was grateful.

"I don't get you, Togusa. But I got your back, okay?" She'll take his bullshit hope they can figure this all out over Retrospec winning any day of the week.

"Just believe me on that, alright?"

The hug is probably the biggest surprise that Togusa has ever gotten out of Mari, but to his credit, he doesn't hesitate before raising his arms in return. He gets it. He's still here. They're still friends. This Retrospec crap isn't going to come between them.

Even if some of the unanswered questions are coming from each other now.

"I believe you." Firmly. "And know that it's true for you, as well."

He steps away, so he can look her in the eye. "I remember what's important, even through the rest of this."

Togusa will find a way to excuse himself before he overstays his welcome, give the both of them the time they need to ruminate on what they've learned tonight. In the end, it doesn't really matter what Mariko knows about "him" does it?

As he leaves, there's a ghost of a touch over that hole in his chest, reflexive. Maybe something matters.

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Re: This has been Action for forever lol

Re: This has been Action for forever lol

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Ffff I never capped this off.