(open catch-all) if there's one thing that i learned while in those county lines

[invinciblemikey]

Who: a newly updated, curse-free, many years older manjiro sano and ... you...
Where: many
What: picking up the pieces that he left fucked up the past few months. it's set forward-dated to the last week of the month.
Warnings: for once, nothing lmao i will add to the subject line if needed.

Comments

[bonobos]

[ sha-ming -- for a moment, blinks dumbfoundedly, at a loss for words. his lips are flattened into a thin line, eyes wide, throat drying as he attempts to find the words.

shamefully, he looks away, growing meek in a way he's never quite been in this city. then his eyes flit back to mikey, the rim of his cup pressing into his lower lip. ]

...I guess I just--- assume it's all pity. Which is fine by me, pity's all I need to get by, but...

I don't want people to have to worry about me like that. And I don't wanna know what'll happen if they all just... up and vanish one day. You feel?

[ a sigh. how unexpectedly personal. ]

...You're right. He's a strong guy -- but he's one of those martyr types, you know? So used to doin' what other people ask of him. Someone has to keep him in line, remind him to be selfish... you'd be good at that.

[ and then another blink -- head canting, a brow raising. ]

Super strength? They're practically beggin' for you to fuck people up. [ a beat. ] How strong are we talking, though?

[invinciblemikey]

(unfortunately for everyone, manjiro has always had that effect. it's a certain charisma, a certainty in his words, along with that ridiculous strength and larger-than-god attitude. no wonder he has been a beloved leader, he just feels things, says things, helps when he feels like it, to whoever he finds worthy of his time and attention - not many, mind you. he'd not even look at sha-ming if he didn't see something in there.

not that manjiro is smart, he's observant in ways that are almost a string of poetic metaphors. shoulders that seem to carry the weight of the world, feelings that he can't particularly shake, things that his large eyes see and just stick to it. right now, he sees that sha-ming shrunk in size, almost like he wants to fit somewhere manjiro can't exactly see.)

... I thought you were much better than that, Shamin'. I'd rather die than ever be pitied - and you shouldn't either, when you got the real thing right in front of you. People are going to worry about you - because they care about you. Nothing in life is roses, love is worry, pain, suffering, but it's wonderful, and it's worth it, and a thousand times better than pity. You should know, you love Minatan so much you were tortured not to give him up. Would you rather pity him instead because he's sheep?

(sorry, how unexpectedly personal.)

People come and go, but they make who you are. What will happen is that they'll stay a part of you regardless, you gotta trust me on this, kinda expertise at this point. So, wipe that look off your face, you are much better than that... and I don't like it, actually.

(oof. his b.)

And real fucking strong. I could lift this bar counter with a single hand. I've always believed in fist fighting, your own damn strength and everything, because then it's fair. Can't be fair if I am stronger than anyone, so it is fucking with me personally.