woodfortono | (no subject)

He just--I dunno. He thought I was upset about something and left. He's. Not always the best at talking, I guess.

[rueful smile]

The very opposite. He's not very good at saying things, but he's better at being subtle than reading subtleties.

Well. Yeah. [sulking!!!]

Do you want to tell me what you were fighting about? Or not fighting about?

[that is a legitimate question you can say no to]

I don't even really know. I just get mad when he won't tell me stuff, which is dumb and doesn't help, I know.

It's not really dumb, Chiaki. He's...opened up a lot, here. But not usually about the really important things. And it feels like a lack of trust, hm?

But then, yelling at him doesn't usually solve much either.

That's what's weird! He'll talk to me about important stuff a lot of the time, but he shuts down over stupid things I wouldn't care about if he wasn't so close-mouthed about them. I just dunno what to do with it. Besides keep asking, I guess.

Sometimes it works to be very clear. If you tell him what upsets you and why, out of the moment when he's hiding things and you're upset about it, he'll understand better. He still doesn't really know what to do with his emotions.

Or you could try and let those things go, if they're little things. But be careful. That can eat at you in a different way.

...yeah. But like--I dunno. I don't think it's because he doesn't trust me. It's seriously just... bad habits. Like the first thing he does, ever, is just to shut down. ...I get why he does it, even if it pisses me off.

No, you're right. It isn't that he doesn't trust you. He does. It just doesn't always feel that way. Explaining...it's showing him why he might want to break that habit.

Well, I'm trying. It's just annoying sometimes.

I didn't say you weren't, Chiaki. If anything, I sympathize.

...mmm. [drops his eyes]

Hmm?

[shakes his head a little]

I just wish he'd relax a little. ...or that I'd be more patient about it I guess. It's just hard.

It is hard. He's not an easy person to love sometimes, and I don't think it's always easy for him to be loved, either.

...oh.

[he never thought about it like that before, but that makes a cataclysmic amount of sense, and his face is easing]

Yeah. Thanks.

Any time.

[you're still getting that shoulder iced, though]

[fiiiiine]

[good otouto]

So how have you been, otherwise?

[best neesan]

Good, actually. [manages a small smile] I--really good. ...you?

Mm, I'm glad. I've been all right. Nothing terribly exciting.

Good. [miiight be leaning against you a little]

[perfectly all right by her. holding the ice to your shoulder for you]

I don't mind the quiet. It's all right not to have an exciting life all the time.

Beats the heck out of having to save the world every two or three days, yeah.