Some Legends Are Told, Some Turn To Dust Or To Gold [CEREALIA INBOX]

[zerotohiro]

'Busy, leave a message!
...oh, you've reached Hiro Hamada. Whatever. Still busy!'

Hamada art by D-Joel, found on tumblr

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[zerotohiro]

Oh my god never mind. Okay. Real situation, got it.

[...tension, huh? Oh god, is this going where he thinks it's going.] Tension like...you want to punch the person in the face, or like they make you nervous or...there's a lot of different kinds of tension, Trowa.

Start from the beginning.

[cannonades]

[ Real situation and real problems bro!! Also this is probably going exactly where he thinks. ]

If I wanted to punch them I would've said so. Or done so, come to think of it.

[ He's good at subtle but if a punch needs to be thrown he's gonna do it. ]

I suppose they make me nervous on some level. Not the nerves I'm used to.

What makes this more confusing is they're from my future. We had a conversation about it once and they said I was important to them, which I guess I believe, but I'm not sure what capacity.

[zerotohiro]

[Well that sure would make things complicated.]

I'd say just ask why you're important to them but as somebody on the other end of that and from somebody else's future? It's probably just as awkward for them as it is for you.

Don't punch people. The nerves though. Are they the kind of nerves that make you feel awkward around this person and you're not sure what to say or do and you're sorta just tongue-tied? Or the nerves like you're worried they're going to hurt you somehow?

[cannonades]

Very likely to be awkward on both ends.

[ Quatre hides it well since he has actual social skills...... ]

I'm not going to just punch random people, don't worry.

More of the former. I don't communicate very well with people to begin with, so this is an added layer.

[ Unfortunate..... ]

[zerotohiro]

Welcome to being a slightly normal teenager. Everything's awkward.

And I know what you mean. I'm not really that great with people either. [Getting much, much better and able to fake it, yes, but still. He's listening and really considering this, debating before he continues.] How important are they to you? Could you spend a lot of time around them without getting sick of them? Do you trust them?

Also anything else besides the whole stomach out of your throat thing? Chest palpitations, shortness of breath around them, etc?

[cannonades]

No kidding.

Is it some kind of rule for teenagers to not be good with people? [ There are exclusions, as always. But still. ] They're...I don't know. Judging from what happens, they become more important than they are now. And yes, to both of those things. We spend a lot of time around each other just by nature of circumstance.

[ Because suddenly it's awkward to mention they live....together......oops ]

Quickened pulse, shortness of breath, general anxiety– I don't suppose you've encountered something similar?

[ HMMMMM ]

[zerotohiro]

No not really. I know a lot of people who aren't that weird. But you were also a seven year old mercenary so I think your circumstances might be different. Anyway…those are really important factors. What does that even mean though? "Nature of circumstance."

[Hey, part of what led him to the conclusion about Mary and Roxas was Mary talking about them living together and falling asleep together on the couch.]

…heh. Um. Yeah. Yeah? Yeah, you're fine. It's…supposedly really normal.

[Wow. Two in a row. This is interesting.]

[cannonades]

[ In another life, maybe he would've been more socially savvy. Something to think about at a different time. ]

We live together.

Supposedly normal? Are you going through the same thing? Is this some kind of coming of age nonsense.

[zerotohiro]

Oh. [Well that clears that up.]

Trying to turn this around on me isn't going to help, Trowa. But yeah it's "coming of age" nonsense. You really want me to tell you what's going on?

[cannonades]

Yeah.

I'm not turning it around. You said it was normal; I was making a query.

[ Partially true. He already has enough that sets him apart from other teenagers, so sharing something, even if uncomfortable– well, it's actually kind of reassuring. ]


Will it make this easier?

[zerotohiro]

It's totally normal. And it might not make it easier to deal with but it'll be a lot easier to comprehend and figure out what you want to do about it.

So. What do people do about romance where you're from?

[Surprise, Trowa.]

1/?

[cannonades]

That would be a better direction than confusion.

[ There's a long pause between that and the next message. ]

2/?

[cannonades]

[ instead of rapid fire, have something almost ten minutes later. ]

What

3/4

[cannonades]

You can't be seriously

4/4

[cannonades]

I don't know

i don't really pay attention to that much

[ It's either he's watching that or he's filling his head with programming. Clearly, he chooses the latter. But okay, romance???? ????? ]

[zerotohiro]

Hate to break it to you bro but you might wanna start paying attention. Welcome to being a normal teenager and dealing with your first crush.

SURPRISE!!!

[This is more amusing to him now because of certain circumstances but it actually is a pain in the ass.]

[cannonades]

Do you really have to put it that way?

[ Picture him grimacing because he is. ]

The only thing I know about any of that is there's a lot of kissing involved. And sleeping.

[ Which isn't really sleeping. His education came from grown ass mercenary men. This doesn't bode well. ]

I don't think either of those make a very good impression.

[zerotohiro]

Got the point across didn't it?

[Sleeping...? It takes him a few seconds to catch on to Trowa's meaning and wow it's a good thing this is a text judging by how fast his face turned red. Let's not...think about that...yeah.]

I'm not even touching the sleep thing. That's a whole other thing and DEFINITELY not important right now. But I mean supposedly the whole romance thing involves more than just awkwardly pressing your face into someone else's and exchanging dead lip-skin as a form of affection. Does the idea bug you?

[cannonades]

You did, you did.

[ Ugh though. What a way to drop a bomb on someone. ]

I

I mean I sort of. Figured. It's just what I've heard before. Mercenaries like to gossip.

Affection isn't really my strong suit. I wouldn't say it bugs me so much as I don't even know where to start.

[zerotohiro]

[Look if he didn't believe that Trowa could handle it he wouldn't have delivered the truth bomb that way.]

I'd say that mercenaries probably aren't the best source when it comes to this kind of stuff but that was probably your only resource. Ignore most of what they said. Anyway it's not just about affection either. Let's start from the top. Do you even want to do something about it now that you know what you're dealing with?

[cannonades]

[ Ok fine.... Trowa is used to shocking news. This is just a little outside his normal day. ]

I'd agree with that notion. They're a bunch of gossips; who knows how much was truth.

Maybe. I'm not sure. I don't think it'll change his opinion of me, so that's at least reassuring. I can't tell if saying anything will make the situation any easier. It's all pretty risky, isn't it?

[zerotohiro]

Of course it's risky, but some of the best things are.

[He's not even going to comment on the fact it's a boy, though it makes him wonder something...] Now that you've got the framework, tell me something. Is there any kind of indication maybe he might feel the same? What do you even like about this dude anyway?

[cannonades]

You have a point.


Hmm. Maybe. He said I was important to him, but I don't know that's something to read into.

I'm not sure. Any answer I can come up sounds pretty dumb. Mostly it's just a feeling.

[zerotohiro]

Feelings are kinda dumb but that doesn't mean they aren't any less real. Try describing it anyway.

[cannonades]

It's like the feeling of weightlessness. I feel like there's possibility instead of a dead end.

[ His whole life has been scraping by to survive. No one bothered as much to get inside his personal headspace. Well, besides Quatre and Cathy. But Catherine was more like a sister, if she was to fit into a mold. With the other pilot, there's already a foundational understanding. And lately, a strange tension that leaves him reeling and at a loss for words.

In a good way. ]