[Of all the times to finally get to feel those strong arms around him, it feels more like they're wrapping directly around his heart and squeezing the life out of it. He needs space. He needs air. He's trying desperately to listen to what Luna's saying but his focus on the words keeps swimming in and out. Something about him and Riye? What does that even... oh... that's what Luna thinks, huh?
He's going to be sick.
His mouth is so, so dry that it's a struggle to swallow down the lump in his throat, and when he finally manages it just feels more uncomfortable than before. He pats Luna a little too firmly on the back a few times.]
Hey, that's- great. I'm glad to hear it. You lucky dog.
[Like reading words off a prompter. Lying to Luna's nothing new. He needs to get out of here before the cracks begin to show again.]
--Oh, crap. Speaking of Riye... [You would not believe how badly I fucked up tonight.] I think I forgot my wallet when we went out earlier. Tell me all about this girl when I get back.
[Except don't, not really. Mal's not going to be in any particular hurry to get back, but at least he'll have taken the time to calm himself down and accept that this is the way things are and always will be.]
[He finally releases Mallory from the embrace, though his hand automatically goes for the former boxer's good hand. Luna doesn't seem to realize it he's doing it, he's just going with whatever feeling urges him to do so for once and he figures his friend wouldn't mind much.
He's excited to just talk more of the wonderful women he has the pleasure of meeting earlier today, his heart's ready to burst from just thinking about her and at the very least he wants to confide it to Mallory.]
Have you checked through our room and your pockets? It would be, well, unfortunate if it turns out it's been here all along.
[The grip he has on his friend's hand wavers a bit. He's hesitant of letting him go just yet.]
[Why... why is he doing this? Why now? Does he have any idea how much this hurts? Of course he doesn't. He only sees the bed of roses and only Mal can feel the thorns. On top of his disastrous dinner with Riye, this is all too much for him to take in one day.
He never thought he'd be the one to pull his hand away from Luna's.]
No no, I remember exactly where I left it.
[He knows he never had it with him in the first place, only loose change.]
I'll be back.
[He can promise that much. He just can't say when.]
[It's strange, for him to feel simultaneously heavy with grief but also like he's floating right out the door. Like he isn't even the one ushering his body down the hall, just to get him out of there, get him anywhere right now. Anything but to deal with this. If only he could wake up tomorrow and the whole day was just a dream.
He's still stunned that Luna could move on so quickly, especially since they lived in the shadow of the very real possibility that Chisa could just show up one day. It didn't feel real that Luna would cast her aside so quickly.
It didn't feel real when he tossed him aside, either.
That's right... For so long he thought that the bonds the three of them shared were unbreakable, but all it had taken was a single day for the pillars built by years of love to be crushed to dust. This was the real Luna, wasn't it? So ambitious and willing to do whatever he had to for his ideals that he would cast aside even those he called his trusted friends as soon as they stopped being useful to them.
And damn it all, Mal's still so desperate to prove that he can still be of use.
Riye said something about being put on a pedestal, didn't she? How many years had Mal raised Luna so high above himself that he was too distant to notice the cracks?
Suddenly the silence of the first floor is broken by a loud crack as a fist goes right through the wall by the stairway. Mal chokes back a helpless laugh.
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He's going to be sick.
His mouth is so, so dry that it's a struggle to swallow down the lump in his throat, and when he finally manages it just feels more uncomfortable than before. He pats Luna a little too firmly on the back a few times.]
Hey, that's- great. I'm glad to hear it. You lucky dog.
[Like reading words off a prompter. Lying to Luna's nothing new. He needs to get out of here before the cracks begin to show again.]
--Oh, crap. Speaking of Riye... [You would not believe how badly I fucked up tonight.] I think I forgot my wallet when we went out earlier. Tell me all about this girl when I get back.
[Except don't, not really. Mal's not going to be in any particular hurry to get back, but at least he'll have taken the time to calm himself down and accept that this is the way things are and always will be.]
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He's excited to just talk more of the wonderful women he has the pleasure of meeting earlier today, his heart's ready to burst from just thinking about her and at the very least he wants to confide it to Mallory.]
Have you checked through our room and your pockets? It would be, well, unfortunate if it turns out it's been here all along.
[The grip he has on his friend's hand wavers a bit. He's hesitant of letting him go just yet.]
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He never thought he'd be the one to pull his hand away from Luna's.]
No no, I remember exactly where I left it.
[He knows he never had it with him in the first place, only loose change.]
I'll be back.
[He can promise that much. He just can't say when.]
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Well... alright then. Don't go out too long, I hope. [?]
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[It's strange, for him to feel simultaneously heavy with grief but also like he's floating right out the door. Like he isn't even the one ushering his body down the hall, just to get him out of there, get him anywhere right now. Anything but to deal with this. If only he could wake up tomorrow and the whole day was just a dream.
He's still stunned that Luna could move on so quickly, especially since they lived in the shadow of the very real possibility that Chisa could just show up one day. It didn't feel real that Luna would cast her aside so quickly.
It didn't feel real when he tossed him aside, either.
That's right... For so long he thought that the bonds the three of them shared were unbreakable, but all it had taken was a single day for the pillars built by years of love to be crushed to dust. This was the real Luna, wasn't it? So ambitious and willing to do whatever he had to for his ideals that he would cast aside even those he called his trusted friends as soon as they stopped being useful to them.
And damn it all, Mal's still so desperate to prove that he can still be of use.
Riye said something about being put on a pedestal, didn't she? How many years had Mal raised Luna so high above himself that he was too distant to notice the cracks?
Suddenly the silence of the first floor is broken by a loud crack as a fist goes right through the wall by the stairway. Mal chokes back a helpless laugh.
Luna... When did you fall into Despair?
And why was he blind enough to follow?]