selfconcept | purgastory >> inbox

[wait]

H. . . Hien?

[spoken as though he has not seen Hien for years]

"Mm. It's me. You're getting shiny... like a bald person."

[ Better than dying. He reaches out for the bunny ear again, but gentler this time. ]

[he can do so without Edamura jerking away this time! the ear is soft and velvety, and it twitches underneath his fingertips]

[Edamura does not speak. in one smooth motion, he crosses the distance between them and pulls Hien in for a tight hug]

[ Soft... Hien looks at them a little longer before withdrawing his hands, but then he's hugged. Huh. ]

"... Hey? What's wrong?"

[ He gently rubs his back. ]

[clings tightly, fingers curling white-knuckled into Hien's shirt. his ears droop a bit, flopping cutely over the back of his head]

It's been— [years, he almost says. . . before he realizes that no, it hasn't been. not really, anyway]

. . . it feels like it's been a long time. That's all.

[ Hien is not the type to hold himself back. This is why it's difficult to restrain himself when Edamura looks so cute, but he also looks... sad? He's not sure if that's the right word for it. Either way, he keeps rubbing his back to try and soothe him. ]

"It's okay. I'm here. Yuma and Ilulu are too. You're with us now."

[ And whatever kept his inner thoughts up with cuteness has now piledrived into the abyss, because he can't stop thinking about how waxy Edamura got. (He is delulu atm) ]

[help, the way Edamura didn't even think about the shiny comment because he was too busy struggling to reconcile his bunny self with his real self. SORRY ABOUT YOUR WAX, HIEN. . .]

Y-- yeah.

[swallows thickly, and something in his voice sounds a little misty]

I really am. . . I really-- I missed you guys!

[ It must have been a really long time for Edamura to say something like that, which worries Hien a little, but... he will just have to hope that it's fine—

... ]

[one last squeeze before he draws back from the hug, still beaming]

I know it's a weird thing to say because it really hasn't been long at all. . . but to me, it felt like years. Which is--

[a beat]

Oh.

Now I know how Yosuke felt.

"... What do you mean?"

[ He tries his hardest to keep a normal conversation going but just know that he is hallucinating that Edamura isn't moving after drawing back from the hug. ]

[this is killing me EDAMURA IS SO CLUELESS]

I. . . I remember spending years living with this family of rabbits. Long enough to watch their kids grow up.

[gods now that he's saying it aloud, it sounds so. . . freakin' insane, doesn't it? his ears twitch]

Now that I'm back, I can tell it wasn't real, but it still feels kind of.. .

[trippy? it's very trippy]

"It was real to you, and that's what matters."

[ Hien isn't sure who he's talking to. It sounds like Edamura, but is it really him? The body in front of has gone still like a wax statue. ]

[. . . does he want it to have been real?]

[. . .]

I don't really want to talk about it anymore.

[let's just compartmentalize THAT in a nice, neat little box and never touch it again]

"Mm."

[ Hien reaches out to touch the bunny ear again. ]

"You look cute like this. I could eat you up."

[ Sorry to Yuma and Ilulu who are probably right there, but Hien is trying to test something. ]

[??!?!]

[immediately turns pink. he doesn't fluster so easily this time, but he does duck his head a little bit, openly bashful]

Hien. . . Yuma and Ilulu are right there--

"Yeah? They can watch if they want to."

[ Hm.

Hm... ]

[E]

[EXCUSE HIM??]

[pink turns to deep scarlet in an instant as Edamura stares, mouth agape]

Watch-- watch what? What are you saying, Hien?

[his ears suddenly perk up, stiff and alert]

[ To Hien, this is as if he's flirting with a wax statue of Edamura and he's hearing voices. He's used to hearing voices, but other people's that aren't his other selves? Weird. They're so in-character too. To Hien, the rabbit ears aren't even moving. ]

"I think you know what I'm talking about."

[ He says that in a quiet voice, but turns away from Edamura and goes over to Yuma instead. This is such a surreal experience. ]

[HELP THIS IS SO FUNNY AAAAAH]

[I'm sorry to literally everyone present, but the moment Hien turns around is the moment Edamura's thoughts immediately swerve towards the events from Purgatory's last party. and since it is thought share week. . .]

[five minutes of kissing. outside. away from any prying eyes. accompanied by Edamura burying his face in his hands and just making a strangled, grumpy noise]

Don't-- tease me like that. . .!

[ okay edamura statue he'll give you more attention later ]

[THIS IS CRUEL TO BEANS WHO HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY WELL-BEHAVED DURING THEIR STAY IN PURGATORY]

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