[The blond slowly chewed on his nibble of jerky, expression going a bit solemn as he thought about where to even start.]
I think it was just for a day- but I don't even know what today is so who knows. A whole ton of spirits just went nuts. They were pissed and messing things up for everybody, not just us. Oh, but it was none of the spiders so don't... [Emi gave Noya a quick reassuring look, knowing where the other boy's thoughts might jump to, slightly shaking his head.] Didn't have anything to do with that.
So there was just.. a whole bunch of fighting and... [He trailed off a moment, rubbing the side of his neck in an uncharacteristically nervous gesture. He winced a little as he rubbed a touch too hard at his bruises, but it encouraged his words along.] There were weird clones or whatever of folks running around too, making trouble.
['Making trouble' made it sound so slight. Emi's face darkened, mouth pressed in a firm line as he clenched his teeth. God, he'd been an idiot.]
Ran into one of those. Then I guess I got kidnapped or whatever.
[ as emi begins, nishinoya's expression takes a dive from attentive curiosity to growing worry, chews beginning to slow as the story unfolds. before the other even mentions it, his mind wanders to the arachnid youkai that had torn more than necessary of him in shreds. his arms drop to his lap, fingers brushing against the held plastic wrapper of his jerky. the thought that it was her doing, after everything she took, everything she had managed to pull from him—
and then he left, and then this happened. it was almost too much of a coincidence for nishinoya to take with ease, and the weight of guilt on his shoulders that he had caused even more of a mess for everyone, for friends . . . it made his stomach flip.
even with emi quick to reassure him-- nishinoya's overall air remains the same. there might have been relief, but it hardly lasts with little reason to, anyway. he looks at emi, observes his state, listens to him word by word, his body language. if there was one thing that the libero was good at observing, it was how people acted, reacted. a second of silent body language caught could mean a turnover on the court. he spent most of his entire athletic life on observation, even if he seemed more like a rowdy noisemaker (one would say otherwise when they truly see nishinoya in focus).
he decides: what was there to feel relieved about? only the fact that emi was alive and well perhaps, but other than that, there's no extra reason for relief. things still happened. emi still had gone through a hell all the same. he wasn't so interested in finishing that jerky anymore, and thus he swallows what he had in his mouth, forcing it down while placing the rest in his messenger bag, and pulls his legs in, until his knees cross.
he allows a few moments of silence before he speaks up, but not too much of that quiet stretches. ]
I'm just glad there was someone to get you out. [ he pulls his legs up now, to his chest. ] Your friend, too?
[Emi couldn't fault him for looking like he was worried anyway. He knew how that went, finding out about shit long after anything could be done. It didn't matter how badly you would have wanted to help, things had already kept moving forward. All that was left was to move with them, but that didn't change the hurt that would creep into your heart.]
Yeah...
[Thoughts drifting back to Eiji (and Chou, too), Emi's glowering expression softened considerably with immeasurable fondness. No one had had to show up, but they had. And if there were anyone that would have been able to find him amongst all those blossoms... He would. He did. Emi almost smiled a bit, the notion flickering on his lips before settling into something that was just calm.]
It was a tsubaki spirit. She thought we'd be good companions, so she tried to make me part of her tree. [He gave a vague shrug, not really specifying why she would have thought that was a good idea. Honestly, she hadn't been that terrible once he'd stop putting up a fight and let her talk.] Eiji found me though, before she finished, even though he... Well. Doesn't matter. He found me.
So I've just been sleeping for forever and puking flowers sometimes. It's. Definitely a way to pass the time.
[ even though he . . . catches nishinoya's attention enough that his eyes flicker over to emi as soon as it's said. he's still around, that much he can deduce, and only coming up with the possibility that he ended up hurt, too.
it makes nishinoya think back, way back, when the snaps of webs and bursts of fire filled his ears, his vision an ugly blur but the remainder of his functioning senses still capturing the sensation of the other boy holding him, hauling him to safety. his shoulders slump at the reminder, and solemn he seems as his head tips forward to look at the snacks he's scattered across the floor. the way emi talks of eiji— the tempted quirk of lips that show at his mention— he misses kacchan. there isn't a single doubt that he does— it wasn't bad to be reminded, but to be honest . . . it wasn't completely good either.
with a hand dragging to fit right against emi's shoulder, he squeezes. ]
I don't need to tell you to take good care of what you got there, but. [ emi probably knows just how important it is, anyway, but— his lips quirk in a happy yet melancholic way. he'd be dumb not to be happy for emi being okay, and having more friends that care, too. ] Take good care of it.
[There were a lot of things that Emi wouldn't have wanted to remind Noya of, but it was somewhat inevitable at this point. Getting caught up with spirits and being saved by their precious friend was another thing to put on the list of similarities they probably didn't particularly want to have, but there they were. Emi couldn't change it any more than Noya could, but the difference was... Eiji was still there, and he was... more or less fine, physically speaking. Now if only Emi could control his face a little better, that'd be one less thing to further remind what Noya was missing.
... That was impossible though. He had yet to realize how much the other boy affected his expressions whether he was there or not. It just happened. It'd keep happening.
It was still happening, though now it was something somber as Noya squeezed his shoulder.]
Yeah. I am. ... As much as he'll let me.
[He wanted to say there was nothing to worry about, that Eiji was one of the most resilient people he knew. In many ways that was true, but it didn't stop Emi from worrying. It didn't stop it from hurting when things went wrong. Want to take care of him didn't mean anything when it was Emi causing the hurt.
Before he could start berating himself anymore, Emi gave a firm nod of his head and leaned over to lightly nudge the libero. The slight melancholy still lingered in Emi's eyes, but he figured it was time for lighter conversation for both their sakes.]
Whatever about my hot mess though, tell me what you've been up to.
[ it's probably the last thing he'll say of it, fondly but surely missing something when it fails to spread thoroughly across his face. present tense, because he knows, for sure, unless the witch was that untrustworthy, that he was still alive. at least, he would be alive. nishinoya just doesn't know where or when. it was human to find yourself saddened, guilt-filled when thinking of the other party in a situation like that, but—
at least he'll be alive, he thinks. it's all that really matters right now, and he'd hate to feel swlfish all over again.
(looks like they had a lot more in common, huh— )
nishinoya takes his hand back, straightens himself up, with a mighty inhale of air and signature puffed cheeks to accompany, he leans forward to oblige. ]
We're just days away from Interhigh. We've been having practice matches and stuff, [ a gesture, both hands flicking over his head, ] getting used to those goddamn overhands.
[ interhigh . . . here come the nationals already. it's been almost an entire season he's been gone, condensed into just a few days. ] When do you think you'll be good enough for some diving?
[Emi nodded along, even though this was the part that made Emi's sleepy head hurt. Last time they talked about it they still had a bit of a ways to go until nationals but now suDDENLY THE NATIONALS WERE THERE. DAYS AWAY.
Months? Had Passed??? In days. And now. In days. A thing would happen. But Noya was here? But why. Because the manga needs a few months emi calm down.
He was trying to puzzle this out while Noya winkity wonkitied at him. Emi got caught in a flustered chuckle.]
Maybe a week, at least. I'm gonna have to relearn how to walk at this rate.
[Please let him stop sleeping he is tired of sleeping.]
But if Interhigh is in a few days shouldn't you... be there? I'm not sure I get how this going home thing is supposed to work.
Edited (bret please remember your small tags jfc) 2016-11-08 09:06 (UTC)
[ he's keeping a week in mind then— alright. one week. he'll be waiting for you.
from crossing one on top of the other, his feet shift so that the soles of his sneakers are against one another. it was something that worried him a while back, but— with hands out ready to gesture and move with his speech, he starts. ]
Okay, so remember when you get here? You sign a contract and everything, right? When I left home the first time we had just gotten a spot for interhigh.
[ he puts a hand just under his chin, the other hand waving up and down. ]
When the Witch sent me back, it was like she stopped time over there or something, you know? I was back where I left off. [ hands clapping onto his knees, ] Time doesn't exist, man. When I clear my debt, I'll go back where I left off too, like nothing happened!
[Emi was staring now, he knew he was. Finding out that the witch was also a time magician shouldn't have surprised him too much, if she was able to make all these other wishes come true. Dimly he registerd that he really wasn't very surprised, but his mouth felt very dry all the same. The lightness in his head and the twist in his gut made him wonder distantly if he was about to vomit right next to poor Noya.
He didn't, but god he almost wanted to.]
You go right back to where you left off. [A quiet echo just to solidify it. To remember. Had that been a detail in the contract he had missed? Emi swallowed, thoughts swimming.]
Does that get confusing? It's gotta with all the time spent away right?
[ its like i never left, his mind reels, but at the same time there's more than one thing stopping him from speaking up instantly. for one, was the memory of koriko. gone, away in an instant like it never existed. it wasn't a particularly pleasant thing— because back home he went back to his everyday motions. emi never existed. kacchan never existed, and so forth. even if nishinoya has already been aware of the fact that he has to live and take care of all this to the fullest (because surely, one day, it'll all be gone), it might not be so easy for someone who doesn't know about it. it's where he gives a falter, looks back up to gather his words again . . . until he sees the look on emi's face. ]
[The other teen gave a curt nod, though the far away look in his eyes said otherwise. For a moment Emi was somewhere else, quickly running through some of the potential scenarios waiting for him. He didn't have enough details, so he didn't really know, but it was the lack of knowledge that made it worse.
So he only allowed himself a moment of this introspection because he was with someone that had more answers than Emi did.]
[ nishinoya spends those few quiet moments said watching him, keeping a close eye on emi. he would worry, and worries, if something isn't right. they could talk it out, where the libero would offer as much support he could— even with emi saying and attempting to show otherwise, he blinks, gives him one last look, before his hand squeezes his arms, slipping back into his lap. ]
It's not confusing— not back home, at least. [ and with a brief, downcast gaze. ] You don't remember a thing when you go back. It's like Koriko never happened.
[ the look in his eyes, as well as his sudden quiet is also a sign that he too, felt a bit of his heart sink when he thought about it. it was impossible not to feel it. ]
[That was true enough. Emi's heart was right there sinking with it, drifting through the turmoil that was the havoc in Emi's chest. He watched Noya shrink away, knowing it must have been the worst to suddenly realize everything you'd forgotten while you were away. Everything with Kacchan, with the voting, the people he'd call friends...
The thoughts swept by, bringing with them the reminder of what Emi had to lose. His fingers curled in his blankets again, the knowing of -this is everything you have echoing through the quieter parts of his mind.]
[ with a heavy breath sounding from his nostrils, he takes a quick moment to agree with it, allow himself to. back then, he had a hunch, heard about it some but never really took it into account other than live to the fullest. but now, now that's just probably the most important thing he could still manage to hook himself onto. that it he'd lose all hope. ]
It's the worst, Em. I didn't even want to say anything. [ he knows it is, for anyone that had gained something here, and while nishinoya had little knowledge of emi's current situation (other than knowing he was had been in prison— was he still in prison?), it doesn't stop the boy from still extending a hand to him. ]
[He gave another nod, firmer this time in his agreement.]
... Yeah.
[His voice came out calmer, the knee-jerk reaction of panic subsiding slightly now that he could pick up that knowledge and hold it. If he could take a long look at it, get a feel for it, it'd undoubtedly still be shit but at least it'd be shit that he could anticipate might happen. A forced bout of nothing that he'd have to play catch-up after, like Noya was doing now. Thinking about going back to a time where he knew absolutely nothing about what was going on with his friend or anything else just made him feel heavy.]
Emi was quiet a moment before he spoke up again with quiet admissions.]
There's just a cell waiting for me. [And if it happened that he didn't get sent right back to prison, it was still a lot of nothing. It wasn't a home, even outside prison. There was nothing to go back to on his own. There'd only been one reason he hadn't just ditched the whole lot and started over somewhere else, and that reason was here in Koriko.]
All this... this is all I've got. [And it was more than Emi would have ever expected, so it was not a sad fact at all.] It's better to know what might happen so... Thanks. For telling me.
*that's WHY, not way, fingers why have you forsaken me
[ to think it was one thing— to hear it from his own mouth was a whole different ball park, one that made his stomach sink further down his belly and twist until he'd rather not even think of food until it's settled. his fingers fidget into his palm and cross between his other hand. "i'm sorry, man". heh, what kind of comfort would that bring? for now, he can only offer a nod, but his expression says more than needed: he doesn't feel like he should be thanked for bringing news like that all of a sudden. ]
I bet that usually gets people to just . . . Give up on everything. 'Cause it isn't worth it or something.
[ he laughs a little, attempting to lift their weight to higher ground, on a lighter notice at least. he wasn't going to leave and leave them both in that gloomy state. ]
It's so worth it that even I catch myself thinking that I don't even want to leave anymore. [ he's caught himself thinking it hundreds of times, and he has family back home. friends, school, a high school volleyball team and championships waiting for him. hell, maybe he could go pro one day, some would certainly say he has the libero caliber to do it. and here he was, sometimes wondering if he were to pay off his debt— could he stay a little longer? ] I dunno if that's selfish as hell or what.
[But he's got a little smile crawling back on his face, despite everything. It was the potential of losing things that was weighing him down, but the facts about what he didn't have? Those didn't bother him. Maybe on a bad day he'd be a little jealous of Noya having a choice, but right now Emi was firmly settled in the belief that a guy like Noya deserved to have the choice.]
There's nothing wrong with being a little selfish though. [Emi reached over to give Noya the pat on the shoulder this time.]
You've got something important. I don't think following that is bad, as long as you're doing what feels right, be it here or there.
I always thought that. Follow my guts more than anything.
[ wouldn't everyone like a choice in the matter? nishinoya would. and honestly, he thinks most, if not all, deserve it in some way. a choice it what still makes them work to the bone to have theirs eventually.
a look outside a nearby window also proved that he'd have to get going soon, and thus, he gives a sigh, hand going to the other boy's head and giving a kind, charismatic (yet oddly gentle) ruffle through his hair. ]
Promise you'll take care of yourself? Might pass by after work again, so— [ he pats his belly. ] Get your stomach ready.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I think it was just for a day- but I don't even know what today is so who knows. A whole ton of spirits just went nuts. They were pissed and messing things up for everybody, not just us. Oh, but it was none of the spiders so don't... [Emi gave Noya a quick reassuring look, knowing where the other boy's thoughts might jump to, slightly shaking his head.] Didn't have anything to do with that.
So there was just.. a whole bunch of fighting and... [He trailed off a moment, rubbing the side of his neck in an uncharacteristically nervous gesture. He winced a little as he rubbed a touch too hard at his bruises, but it encouraged his words along.] There were weird clones or whatever of folks running around too, making trouble.
['Making trouble' made it sound so slight. Emi's face darkened, mouth pressed in a firm line as he clenched his teeth. God, he'd been an idiot.]
Ran into one of those. Then I guess I got kidnapped or whatever.
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and then he left, and then this happened. it was almost too much of a coincidence for nishinoya to take with ease, and the weight of guilt on his shoulders that he had caused even more of a mess for everyone, for friends . . . it made his stomach flip.
even with emi quick to reassure him-- nishinoya's overall air remains the same. there might have been relief, but it hardly lasts with little reason to, anyway. he looks at emi, observes his state, listens to him word by word, his body language. if there was one thing that the libero was good at observing, it was how people acted, reacted. a second of silent body language caught could mean a turnover on the court. he spent most of his entire athletic life on observation, even if he seemed more like a rowdy noisemaker (one would say otherwise when they truly see nishinoya in focus).
he decides: what was there to feel relieved about? only the fact that emi was alive and well perhaps, but other than that, there's no extra reason for relief. things still happened. emi still had gone through a hell all the same. he wasn't so interested in finishing that jerky anymore, and thus he swallows what he had in his mouth, forcing it down while placing the rest in his messenger bag, and pulls his legs in, until his knees cross.
he allows a few moments of silence before he speaks up, but not too much of that quiet stretches. ]
I'm just glad there was someone to get you out. [ he pulls his legs up now, to his chest. ] Your friend, too?
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Yeah...
[Thoughts drifting back to Eiji (and Chou, too), Emi's glowering expression softened considerably with immeasurable fondness. No one had had to show up, but they had. And if there were anyone that would have been able to find him amongst all those blossoms... He would. He did. Emi almost smiled a bit, the notion flickering on his lips before settling into something that was just calm.]
It was a tsubaki spirit. She thought we'd be good companions, so she tried to make me part of her tree. [He gave a vague shrug, not really specifying why she would have thought that was a good idea. Honestly, she hadn't been that terrible once he'd stop putting up a fight and let her talk.] Eiji found me though, before she finished, even though he... Well. Doesn't matter. He found me.
So I've just been sleeping for forever and puking flowers sometimes. It's. Definitely a way to pass the time.
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it makes nishinoya think back, way back, when the snaps of webs and bursts of fire filled his ears, his vision an ugly blur but the remainder of his functioning senses still capturing the sensation of the other boy holding him, hauling him to safety. his shoulders slump at the reminder, and solemn he seems as his head tips forward to look at the snacks he's scattered across the floor. the way emi talks of eiji— the tempted quirk of lips that show at his mention— he misses kacchan. there isn't a single doubt that he does— it wasn't bad to be reminded, but to be honest . . . it wasn't completely good either.
with a hand dragging to fit right against emi's shoulder, he squeezes. ]
I don't need to tell you to take good care of what you got there, but. [ emi probably knows just how important it is, anyway, but— his lips quirk in a happy yet melancholic way. he'd be dumb not to be happy for emi being okay, and having more friends that care, too. ] Take good care of it.
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... That was impossible though. He had yet to realize how much the other boy affected his expressions whether he was there or not. It just happened. It'd keep happening.
It was still happening, though now it was something somber as Noya squeezed his shoulder.]
Yeah. I am. ... As much as he'll let me.
[He wanted to say there was nothing to worry about, that Eiji was one of the most resilient people he knew. In many ways that was true, but it didn't stop Emi from worrying. It didn't stop it from hurting when things went wrong. Want to take care of him didn't mean anything when it was Emi causing the hurt.
Before he could start berating himself anymore, Emi gave a firm nod of his head and leaned over to lightly nudge the libero. The slight melancholy still lingered in Emi's eyes, but he figured it was time for lighter conversation for both their sakes.]
Whatever about my hot mess though, tell me what you've been up to.
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[ it's probably the last thing he'll say of it, fondly but surely missing something when it fails to spread thoroughly across his face. present tense, because he knows, for sure, unless the witch was that untrustworthy, that he was still alive. at least, he would be alive. nishinoya just doesn't know where or when. it was human to find yourself saddened, guilt-filled when thinking of the other party in a situation like that, but—
at least he'll be alive, he thinks. it's all that really matters right now, and he'd hate to feel swlfish all over again.
(looks like they had a lot more in common, huh— )
nishinoya takes his hand back, straightens himself up, with a mighty inhale of air and signature puffed cheeks to accompany, he leans forward to oblige. ]
We're just days away from Interhigh. We've been having practice matches and stuff, [ a gesture, both hands flicking over his head, ] getting used to those goddamn overhands.
[ interhigh . . . here come the nationals already. it's been almost an entire season he's been gone, condensed into just a few days. ] When do you think you'll be good enough for some diving?
[ wink wink, nudge nudge ]
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Months? Had Passed??? In days. And now. In days. A thing would happen. But Noya was here? But why.
Because the manga needs a few months emi calm down.He was trying to puzzle this out while Noya winkity wonkitied at him. Emi got caught in a flustered chuckle.]
Maybe a week, at least. I'm gonna have to relearn how to walk at this rate.
[Please let him stop sleeping he is tired of sleeping.]
But if Interhigh is in a few days shouldn't you... be there? I'm not sure I get how this going home thing is supposed to work.
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from crossing one on top of the other, his feet shift so that the soles of his sneakers are against one another. it was something that worried him a while back, but— with hands out ready to gesture and move with his speech, he starts. ]
Okay, so remember when you get here? You sign a contract and everything, right? When I left home the first time we had just gotten a spot for interhigh.
[ he puts a hand just under his chin, the other hand waving up and down. ]
When the Witch sent me back, it was like she stopped time over there or something, you know? I was back where I left off. [ hands clapping onto his knees, ] Time doesn't exist, man. When I clear my debt, I'll go back where I left off too, like nothing happened!
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He didn't, but god he almost wanted to.]
You go right back to where you left off. [A quiet echo just to solidify it. To remember. Had that been a detail in the contract he had missed? Emi swallowed, thoughts swimming.]
Does that get confusing? It's gotta with all the time spent away right?
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[ its like i never left, his mind reels, but at the same time there's more than one thing stopping him from speaking up instantly. for one, was the memory of koriko. gone, away in an instant like it never existed. it wasn't a particularly pleasant thing— because back home he went back to his everyday motions. emi never existed. kacchan never existed, and so forth. even if nishinoya has already been aware of the fact that he has to live and take care of all this to the fullest (because surely, one day, it'll all be gone), it might not be so easy for someone who doesn't know about it. it's where he gives a falter, looks back up to gather his words again . . . until he sees the look on emi's face. ]
. . . Hey, [ a hand on his arm, ] you okay?
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So he only allowed himself a moment of this introspection because he was with someone that had more answers than Emi did.]
Sorry, what were you going to say?
[It was important to know.]
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It's not confusing— not back home, at least. [ and with a brief, downcast gaze. ] You don't remember a thing when you go back. It's like Koriko never happened.
[ the look in his eyes, as well as his sudden quiet is also a sign that he too, felt a bit of his heart sink when he thought about it. it was impossible not to feel it. ]
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The thoughts swept by, bringing with them the reminder of what Emi had to lose. His fingers curled in his blankets again, the knowing of -this is everything you have echoing through the quieter parts of his mind.]
Well.
That sucks.
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It's the worst, Em. I didn't even want to say anything. [ he knows it is, for anyone that had gained something here, and while nishinoya had little knowledge of emi's current situation (other than knowing he was had been in prison— was he still in prison?), it doesn't stop the boy from still extending a hand to him. ]
That's way— it's more than important, to be here.
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... Yeah.
[His voice came out calmer, the knee-jerk reaction of panic subsiding slightly now that he could pick up that knowledge and hold it. If he could take a long look at it, get a feel for it, it'd undoubtedly still be shit but at least it'd be shit that he could anticipate might happen. A forced bout of nothing that he'd have to play catch-up after, like Noya was doing now. Thinking about going back to a time where he knew absolutely nothing about what was going on with his friend or anything else just made him feel heavy.]
Emi was quiet a moment before he spoke up again with quiet admissions.]
There's just a cell waiting for me. [And if it happened that he didn't get sent right back to prison, it was still a lot of nothing. It wasn't a home, even outside prison. There was nothing to go back to on his own. There'd only been one reason he hadn't just ditched the whole lot and started over somewhere else, and that reason was here in Koriko.]
All this... this is all I've got. [And it was more than Emi would have ever expected, so it was not a sad fact at all.] It's better to know what might happen so... Thanks. For telling me.
*that's WHY, not way, fingers why have you forsaken me
I bet that usually gets people to just . . . Give up on everything. 'Cause it isn't worth it or something.
[ he laughs a little, attempting to lift their weight to higher ground, on a lighter notice at least. he wasn't going to leave and leave them both in that gloomy state. ]
It's so worth it that even I catch myself thinking that I don't even want to leave anymore. [ he's caught himself thinking it hundreds of times, and he has family back home. friends, school, a high school volleyball team and championships waiting for him. hell, maybe he could go pro one day, some would certainly say he has the libero caliber to do it. and here he was, sometimes wondering if he were to pay off his debt— could he stay a little longer? ] I dunno if that's selfish as hell or what.
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[But he's got a little smile crawling back on his face, despite everything. It was the potential of losing things that was weighing him down, but the facts about what he didn't have? Those didn't bother him. Maybe on a bad day he'd be a little jealous of Noya having a choice, but right now Emi was firmly settled in the belief that a guy like Noya deserved to have the choice.]
There's nothing wrong with being a little selfish though. [Emi reached over to give Noya the pat on the shoulder this time.]
You've got something important. I don't think following that is bad, as long as you're doing what feels right, be it here or there.
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[ wouldn't everyone like a choice in the matter? nishinoya would. and honestly, he thinks most, if not all, deserve it in some way. a choice it what still makes them work to the bone to have theirs eventually.
a look outside a nearby window also proved that he'd have to get going soon, and thus, he gives a sigh, hand going to the other boy's head and giving a kind, charismatic (yet oddly gentle) ruffle through his hair. ]
Promise you'll take care of yourself? Might pass by after work again, so— [ he pats his belly. ] Get your stomach ready.
[ he's bringing food :) ]