I don't need to enjoy them. It's about figuring out what you like. Not what I like...
[He huffs and begins the slow real in again.]
It's... been a long time since I liked anything. A lot of the things I used to be excited about? I feel something but it's... it's dim. Nothing's been bright in a long time. [Which is more than he's been willing to tell most people.] Fuckin'.... dealing with your shit has been the most uplifting thing I've had going on in a while.
I'm probably not the best person to enjoy things with. But if it means doing something for you, I'll give it a try or at least be there for you. [Maybe poke some gentle fun if it goes terribly wrong.]
[Connor seems unhappy at that, and after reeling in his line again and casting it he scoots a little closer to Hank and nudges him.]
I want you to be happy too, Hank. You’ve been trying hard for me. I don’t know what could make you happy, but if you ever think of something I can do for you, please tell me.
[He finally looks over at Connor again, expression gentle. Gentler than usual, anyway.]
This helps.
[And he feels another weird tug at his chest, a thought choke at his throat, that sort of thing even stronger than what kept him from sharing gratitude on that rooftop. Saying, "someone not giving up on me" means something.]
When you said that you'd be whatever I wanted you to be... You gave me what I wanted. [Okay he's going to look out at the ocean again because fuck this, fuck that, fuck making words, fuck feelings. Just fuck them. He's going to- it's the ocean, okay? What fucking ocean? He doesn't know. Shit probably has a made up name.]
[It's reduced to a wobbling, jelly crisped form as Tubbs breathes fire at it. And Hank is just a little startled by his dog breathing fire to react properly at first.]
[Then he throws a ball, because it seems like a good plan, and it goes right into it.]
Uhhhhh I think that was what I was supposed to do. So, I guess the answer to your question was, yes, we would see Pokemon. Holy shit.
[Tubbs is bringing the ball back and wagging his pom tail! Look at how good a boy he is!]
[He bobs his line a little, then recasts it. He's still sitting close to Hank he realises, and wonders if he should move back or if that would draw attention to it.]
I hope so. I- oh.
[His line gets a tug, though a weak one. He pulls, and out comes an orange fish. It flops uselessly on the sand, not attacking. Magnemite hovers over it and Spinarak approaches, but Connor has a feeling he doesn't even need to weaken it. He pulls out a ball silently, throws it, and the fish goes in. Charlottle rolls the newly caught Magikarp over, and he picks it up and looks at Hank.]
It's called a Magikarp. And about all it does is have a name. But hey! You caught something. [He gestures at the ball that Connor just got.]
Do you want me to do your hook up for you or do you want to do it yourself?
[He's assuming they'll keep going, despite their immediate successes. He doesn't make any effort to move Connor away, if anything, he leans in in case he needs his help, just tilts and angles so when he casts, their lines aren't at risk to be tangled.]
[He starts trying to do it himself, then realises... he's forgotten how. His squishy human brain actually forgets things. He can't just take in the information and learn it immediately anymore.
The look he gives Hank is one of Connor feeling very sorry for himself.]
[He takes another bait, slides it onto the hook.] You see this little bit hanging loose? You want that so that the movement will catch the fish's attention. Some lures have shiny parts too but... looks like basic works pretty well here.
[It's nice to be needed, but it sucks that it's at Connor's expense.]
I had to ask more than once, too. At one of those summer camps that were all the rage in the 90s.
[It's odd to reminisce at someone that never had a childhood.]
[He finds himself slumping a little. But remembers all those times that Connor had said that he wasn't fast enough. Or that he miscalculated. He always has to do things perfectly. Hank wonders briefly what he thought of a deeply flawed person like him- okay, well, he knows. He found him suicidal and passed out in the floor.]
[But he sighs and offers the lure and hook back.]
You might have to ask things a lot of times. We're a little fucked that way.
[He starts prepping his own line to cast again after that.]
Which good things? The ones about being human or just hobbies?
...Well, I tell you one thing. When we get back to the Inn, sign up for a massage. That'll feel great after the walk we've had.
[He watches the water. It's oddly pristine. Feels kind of fake, but... at least not as fake as those screen murals. The salt smells real. The sand feels real. The warmth by him feels real. So... he guesses he'll take it for what they are.]
I could show you how to dance, too. I remember how to do that.
Depends on how in tune with your partner you are. If you can coordinate with each other, eventually you won't step on each other's toes. Sometimes even if you're great dancers, if the two of you have different intentions, it's a crapshoot about who throws in the towel first.
As for the stuff about being human... I don't know. I guess we still need to do the chocolate thing.
Look, I'm offering to buy you chocolates and take you dancing. You're practically going on a date. There, you managed to do one difficult human thing without mortifying incident.
[He reels in his line again and warns.] Gonna cast. [Just to make sure Connor doesn't at the same time and get them tangled.]
[Except he does actually turn a little red and he feels his face heat up and he hates that it did that.]
There's a lot better people out there to go on a date with than me. You're new but you're A plus material. Good looking, talented, determined, low on baggage. I'll make sure you get the rest right.
[Does he not want Connor to go on a date with someone else sometime? But that wouldn't make sense. He can't lock him away like that. But there's the smallest pang of almost jealousy he can't quite work out.]
You weren't joking, were you?
[Of course he wasn't. Connor's not the best at humor. But he'd assumed he was taking the piss.] I um...
[Clumsy. Clumsy words happening.] ...I mean. I just thought I'd be... practice... Fucking shit. I'm ass at this, aren't I?
[Connor just looks confused. Of course, he knows that dates are what couples do, but he's maybe missing the significance of them. He doesn't know exactly what they involve.]
I wasn't joking.
[He says it mildly enough, but his expression is still one of confusion as he looks back out at the water. He's not sure what Hank's problem is. He was the one who suggested it, so why wouldn't it be appropriate?]
[Hank's still working it out this horrifying reality and prospect in his brain. This piece of shit... He can just- he can just admit that he finds someone the best option. Without fear. Just there it is. Information on the table. And without the concern that it's just because he mostly knows Hank out of his three months off life. He sounds just fuckin' fine with this.]
[Hank guesses that low baggage thing is a joy.]
I guess I'll actually have to dress up.
[He's in Pokemon land talking about taking his now human partner on a date. He's dead. He's gotta be dead. He finally 'won' at Russian Roulette.]
I'll pick something out when I'm asking around about temp work.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[He huffs and begins the slow real in again.]
It's... been a long time since I liked anything. A lot of the things I used to be excited about? I feel something but it's... it's dim. Nothing's been bright in a long time. [Which is more than he's been willing to tell most people.] Fuckin'.... dealing with your shit has been the most uplifting thing I've had going on in a while.
I'm probably not the best person to enjoy things with. But if it means doing something for you, I'll give it a try or at least be there for you. [Maybe poke some gentle fun if it goes terribly wrong.]
no subject
I want you to be happy too, Hank. You’ve been trying hard for me. I don’t know what could make you happy, but if you ever think of something I can do for you, please tell me.
no subject
This helps.
[And he feels another weird tug at his chest, a thought choke at his throat, that sort of thing even stronger than what kept him from sharing gratitude on that rooftop. Saying, "someone not giving up on me" means something.]
When you said that you'd be whatever I wanted you to be... You gave me what I wanted. [Okay he's going to look out at the ocean again because fuck this, fuck that, fuck making words, fuck feelings. Just fuck them. He's going to- it's the ocean, okay? What fucking ocean? He doesn't know. Shit probably has a made up name.]
no subject
I did?
[He's glad, but he's also not sure what he did.]
I meant it, you know.
no subject
[His line is pulling, and he's reeling it in, but it appears to be a 'war of the worlds' style walking jellyfish.]
The fuck am I catching a tentacle monster for?!
[Suddenly Tubbs is on the job, ready to douse that thing in some extra fire as soon as it's on land.]
no subject
[Connor is still frowning at the thing, though. Crockett floats over too, while Connor scans it with his Gear.]
It's called a Tentacool.
no subject
[It's reduced to a wobbling, jelly crisped form as Tubbs breathes fire at it. And Hank is just a little startled by his dog breathing fire to react properly at first.]
[Then he throws a ball, because it seems like a good plan, and it goes right into it.]
Uhhhhh I think that was what I was supposed to do. So, I guess the answer to your question was, yes, we would see Pokemon. Holy shit.
[Tubbs is bringing the ball back and wagging his pom tail! Look at how good a boy he is!]
no subject
[Still, he brightens up.]
You caught your first pokemon, though. Now we both have two. What are you going to name it?
no subject
Don't know. I'll figure it out later. [How he's spent today: Catching a tentacle monster. Sentences he never expected.]
Keep trying. There's probably something.
[He'll have to redo his own hook though, in the meantime.]
no subject
I hope so. I- oh.
[His line gets a tug, though a weak one. He pulls, and out comes an orange fish. It flops uselessly on the sand, not attacking. Magnemite hovers over it and Spinarak approaches, but Connor has a feeling he doesn't even need to weaken it. He pulls out a ball silently, throws it, and the fish goes in. Charlottle rolls the newly caught Magikarp over, and he picks it up and looks at Hank.]
I don't know what I just caught.
no subject
It's called a Magikarp. And about all it does is have a name. But hey! You caught something. [He gestures at the ball that Connor just got.]
Do you want me to do your hook up for you or do you want to do it yourself?
[He's assuming they'll keep going, despite their immediate successes. He doesn't make any effort to move Connor away, if anything, he leans in in case he needs his help, just tilts and angles so when he casts, their lines aren't at risk to be tangled.]
no subject
[He starts trying to do it himself, then realises... he's forgotten how. His squishy human brain actually forgets things. He can't just take in the information and learn it immediately anymore.
The look he gives Hank is one of Connor feeling very sorry for himself.]
I... I've forgotten how.
no subject
[It's nice to be needed, but it sucks that it's at Connor's expense.]
I had to ask more than once, too. At one of those summer camps that were all the rage in the 90s.
[It's odd to reminisce at someone that never had a childhood.]
no subject
[He used to be able to just take information in and store it. All of it. No gaps in his memory. What if he forgets something important?]
no subject
[But he sighs and offers the lure and hook back.]
You might have to ask things a lot of times. We're a little fucked that way.
[He starts prepping his own line to cast again after that.]
no subject
What were those good things you were talking about? I want to do some of those.
[He knows he's a perfectionist, but he was programmed that way. That won't just leave him now that he's human.]
no subject
...Well, I tell you one thing. When we get back to the Inn, sign up for a massage. That'll feel great after the walk we've had.
[He watches the water. It's oddly pristine. Feels kind of fake, but... at least not as fake as those screen murals. The salt smells real. The sand feels real. The warmth by him feels real. So... he guesses he'll take it for what they are.]
I could show you how to dance, too. I remember how to do that.
no subject
[A massage? He's never had one, so he'll try it.]
I've never danced before. Is it difficult to learn?
no subject
As for the stuff about being human... I don't know. I guess we still need to do the chocolate thing.
Look, I'm offering to buy you chocolates and take you dancing. You're practically going on a date. There, you managed to do one difficult human thing without mortifying incident.
[He reels in his line again and warns.] Gonna cast. [Just to make sure Connor doesn't at the same time and get them tangled.]
no subject
I suppose I'd rather it was with you than anyone else.
[He leans away so that Hank can cast his line again.]
no subject
[Except he does actually turn a little red and he feels his face heat up and he hates that it did that.]
There's a lot better people out there to go on a date with than me. You're new but you're A plus material. Good looking, talented, determined, low on baggage. I'll make sure you get the rest right.
no subject
[He's not sure what Hank's end goal is, here.]
I'm not really sure I want to do that.
[Not yet, anyway. He doesn't know anyone.]
no subject
[Does he not want Connor to go on a date with someone else sometime? But that wouldn't make sense. He can't lock him away like that. But there's the smallest pang of almost jealousy he can't quite work out.]
You weren't joking, were you?
[Of course he wasn't. Connor's not the best at humor. But he'd assumed he was taking the piss.] I um...
[Clumsy. Clumsy words happening.] ...I mean. I just thought I'd be... practice... Fucking shit. I'm ass at this, aren't I?
no subject
I wasn't joking.
[He says it mildly enough, but his expression is still one of confusion as he looks back out at the water. He's not sure what Hank's problem is. He was the one who suggested it, so why wouldn't it be appropriate?]
no subject
[Hank guesses that low baggage thing is a joy.]
I guess I'll actually have to dress up.
[He's in Pokemon land talking about taking his now human partner on a date. He's dead. He's gotta be dead. He finally 'won' at Russian Roulette.]
I'll pick something out when I'm asking around about temp work.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)