[closed] good job buddy

[notyetsore]

Who: Ginko and Kaworu, later Ginko and Frisk
When: Backdated to shortly after the attack; let’s say July 4 or so?
Where: Observation deck
What: Ginko is about 500% done with everything, including Kaworu’s attitude
Warnings: Talk of child death probably?? Others tba as necessary



Ever since the attack, Ginko has been struggling to accept what he did during it. Or, more accurately, what he didn’t do.

He had just hid. Frisk had died, Mettaton had died, who knew how many others, and he hadn’t done anything about it. But then… could he have if he had tried?

He didn’t have any powers, no special abilities. He’d probably be less useful in a fight than the average human, for that matter.

So… he was either a coward, or useless.

Maybe both.

Great.

Since this was something that had been on his mind pretty much consistently ever since the attack, it was no surprise that he was thinking about it when he came across Kaworu. He didn’t even notice him at first, glassy (literally) eye staring out at the expanse of stars in front of them. It was by sheer chance that he happened to look up - at which point he jumped a little, the shadowy shape of the mushi inside his now-transparent skull fluctuating in response to his surprise.

“--Um.”

He hadn’t known Kaworu could fly, but okay.

Comments

[braceforimpact]

Kaworu knew Ginko was there. Or rather, he knew someone was there, the same way he knew the position of every single person within his AT Field's grasp.

Whether he knew it was specifically is questionable. He can't divine the identities of people without seeing them. And he isn't immediately interested in who it is to begin with. He's seen enough of the violence out in the halls and the terror and pain and loss in the hearts of those in the ship beyond. Human problems, caused by human feelings and human nature. As all things around here, really.

But after just a moment's pause, he does look down--and sees Ginko's unkept mop of white hair as the boy stares up at him, a dark shape coiled in the recesses of his glass face.

Kaworu regards Ginko there and offers a smile. It's almost fond--in the same way one might regard a distant fawn on a hill, or someone else's child.

".... hello."

[gainedlove]

Frisk had only gotten out of cryo a few hours ago, and changed to glass soon after that. The ache still lingers in their limbs, a strange sensation past the muted feeling that's left to their body. Sitting with their back to a wall in one of the hallways, they stare up at the warped ceiling as if through a fog.

What are they supposed to do now? This is...how are they supposed to fix this?

[notyetsore]

Depending on how aware they are of their surroundings, Frisk may be able to hear Ginko before they see him. He hates crying, and on the rare occasion it happens he generally tries to be as quiet as possible about it; the last thing he needs is to get in trouble for acting like a baby. But he's tired and angry and guilty and miserable and, really, he's got no energy left to try to stifle his own sobbing as he makes his way down the hall, arms wrapped tightly around himself.

Between his own distraction and Frisk's transparency, it takes him a moment to notice them, and another to recognize them. When he does, he stops where he is, his own glass eye going wide with horror and relief and a few other emotions he can't even identify. He chokes back another hiccuping sob and lifts one hand long enough to try and wipe at his face.

"F-Frisk? You're-- you're back--!"

[gainedlove]

When they hear his sobs it takes a few moments before they can move, blinking and looking around with a furrowed brow before they see Ginko. Their eyes go wide, seeing the black mass hiding behind the fringe of hair over his eye--is that why he's so sensitive about it? Is it a mushi, or something else...?

Frisk pushes themself up to their feet, and takes a few hesitant steps toward their friend.

"I...'m sorry..."

[notyetsore]

Ginko lets out another shaky sob and shakes his head emphatically. "It's-- it wasn't your fault."

Regardless of what they're apologizing for. None of it is their fault, not their death or the glass or any of it.

He starts to lift a hand uncertainly to take theirs, but pauses, watching their reaction as if he's still expecting them to pull away.

[gainedlove]

Frisk blinks, and their face crumples a little. They want to cry, just like Ginko was, but...they can't. The tears won't come.

They close the last little bit of distance between them, and wrap both arms around his shoulders.

[notyetsore]

Okay that is... not what he was expecting. At all. And if he was surprised to have them take hold of his hand when that first happened, he's absolutely shocked at this.

However, it only takes a moment for that shock to start wearing off - at which point he wraps his arms around Frisk in turn, pressing his lips together in a rapidly-failing effort to stop himself from starting to sob all over them.

[gainedlove]

Frisk clings on tighter when Ginko returns the embrace, a little hitching sob catching in their throat. They press their face to his shoulder, shivering as their emotions threaten to overcome them as well.

"Don't...don't cry, I'm...it's okay..."

[notyetsore]

He shakes his head. "It's-- it's not. You shouldn't've died at all, none of it should've--"

Another shaky sob and he cuts off, burying his face in their shoulder as well as he can.

[gainedlove]

Frisk draws in another shaky breath, and they rub Ginko's back slowly. It's easier to focus on him than to think about their own troubles, and Frisk leans their head against Ginko's, their hair chiming together far too innocently.

"I...I'm sorry. I tried t'...t' stop it, but they...n-no one would..."

[notyetsore]

Another quick shake of his head. "S'not your fault," he repeats. "It's just... it shouldn't've happened, but it's not your fault."

[gainedlove]

Frisk draws in a shaky breath, a few more sobs shaking them before they seem to calm down, at least somewhat.

"You...you didn't get hurt, did you?"

[notyetsore]

Ginko tenses slightly, his hands curling against Frisk's back.

"N...no. I'm fine, I didn't..." He swallows hard. "I... just hid. The whole time."

[gainedlove]

They nod, hugging Ginko a little tighter.

"...'m glad. You shouldn't...you don't gotta fight. Just...you bein' safe's what matters."

[notyetsore]

He lets out another quiet, shaky sob. "But I-- I didn't do anything, I couldn't-- I couldn't help at all."

This is about you. He couldn't say for sure how accurate Kaworu's assertion was, but he was pretty sure it wasn't entirely wrong, even if the thought hadn't occurred to him before Kaworu said it.

Again.

God, why did he keep doing things like this?

[gainedlove]

Frisk frowns a little, and puts both hands on Ginko's shoulders before pulling back, just enough to look Ginko in the eye.

"'S not your job."

It's theirs.

"You just...gotta keep yourself safe. Okay?"

[notyetsore]

Ginko manages to look at them for just a couple seconds before his gaze drops to the ground, his brow furrowing and his mouth pressing into a thin line.

"I... I'm tired of not doing anything." His voice is so quiet as to be barely audible.

[gainedlove]

Frisk is quiet for several long seconds, trying to find a reply to that. But they come up with nothing...nothing verbal, at least.

Slowly, very slowly so as not to hurt either of them, Frisk leans forward and presses their forehead very gently against Ginko's and closes their eyes.

[notyetsore]

He blinks, surprised at first, but doesn't pull away. He just stands there for a few seconds, focusing on not starting to cry again.

When he does pull back, scrubbing at the tears dried onto the smooth glass of his face, he speaks up again, almost as quietly as he had before. "Kaworu said that I should... ask you about something."

[gainedlove]

Frisk's brows furrow a little, and they try to ignore the way their chest tightens. He hadn't answered any of their replies...but he sends Ginko to them? "He...he did? What about?"

[notyetsore]

Ginko bites his lip, glass clinking against glass. "He said that... that if he had been there when you... got hurt, it would have been a big risk for him to try to help you. But he wouldn't say why, because he said I... wasn't listening to him."

He goes to wrap his arms around himself again.

[gainedlove]

Frisk frowns a little, and looks down at the ground, trying to puzzle that out. A risk for him...here...?

"But...it should be safe here. Th' scientists aren't here, they're just back at his home..." Frisk looks back up to Ginko, frowning a little. "You were listenin' t' him, you just don't know why he's different from us. So you didn't know how t' listen."

[notyetsore]

He answered with an uncertain hum, staring down at the floor. "...Maybe..."

When he finally looks up, he adds,very quietly, "Do... you know why he's different, then?"

[gainedlove]

Frisk nods, looking oddly solemn.

"He's...it's sort of complicated. People like us, we're Lilims. We're all separated an' can get lonely an' hurt eachother. But we can make stuff, too, 'cuz we can think of stuff an' change things around us. But Kaworu isn't a Lilim, he's an Angel."

Frisk glances down, tugging at their sleeve.

"He's...he's all one person, so he doesn't get lonely or sad. But he doesn't get how talkin' t' people works, neither. 'Cuz his brain isn't made that way. He knows we get upset, but he doesn't know how t' not do that."

[notyetsore]

Ginko's brow furrows slightly as they explain. He can't say it makes a whole lot of sense to him, but... he guesses he gets the general idea. Kaworu isn't the same as they are. He doesn't need other people, and he can't understand how they work.

So he... really just didn't know how to keep from upsetting people. Ginko feels his gut twist with guilt, like maybe he shouldn't have gotten upset with Kaworu at all, if he didn't know how he was supposed to act.

He manages to nod slightly. "...He... said that it wasn't his place to interfere... is that what he meant, then?"