NATE
They stare at each other, Nate growing more and more impotently restless with each passing second. He will not move, at least not any more than a slight shift of his jaw, and his chin tipping up. And with with each passing second, he grows less and less sure of what they are to each other. What roles they stand in; predator, victim, martyr; as if this is some grand story, some scheme he can flip to his advantage. It should hurt less like that, shouldn't it?
A rough bark of laughter grits out between his teeth, held stubbornly together and making his grin seem more like a snarl. "What's this trick then, hn?" If he doesn't open his mouth fully, doesn't release that pin, he won't blow up. He doesn't know what that means, doesn't know what he'll do, so he focuses on the things he can control. On keeping his teeth grit, his eyes blank.
It doesn't hurt, it doesn't, standing here isn't like holding his hand on a hot stove.
The snarling thing in Nate's chest snaps at the challenge, making his nose curl for a second before he can tame it, another second passing between that and his words, his eyes staring right through Hotaru, not seeing her. Not seeing anything but her. "No." he says, though he means to think it, "I guess it can't make anything worse." It's his turn to speak so softly it's nearly impossible to hear over the crackling between them, his voice sneaking into the air and trying to vanish as quickly as possible. "Doesn't mean it's getting better either."
He's always been a sucker for self-flagellation, more a masochist than even he knows, so he stands still, working his jaw and grinding his curiosity out through it. "What exactly is it you want to change?"
A rough bark of laughter grits out between his teeth, held stubbornly together and making his grin seem more like a snarl. "What's this trick then, hn?" If he doesn't open his mouth fully, doesn't release that pin, he won't blow up. He doesn't know what that means, doesn't know what he'll do, so he focuses on the things he can control. On keeping his teeth grit, his eyes blank.
It doesn't hurt, it doesn't, standing here isn't like holding his hand on a hot stove.
The snarling thing in Nate's chest snaps at the challenge, making his nose curl for a second before he can tame it, another second passing between that and his words, his eyes staring right through Hotaru, not seeing her. Not seeing anything but her. "No." he says, though he means to think it, "I guess it can't make anything worse." It's his turn to speak so softly it's nearly impossible to hear over the crackling between them, his voice sneaking into the air and trying to vanish as quickly as possible. "Doesn't mean it's getting better either."
He's always been a sucker for self-flagellation, more a masochist than even he knows, so he stands still, working his jaw and grinding his curiosity out through it. "What exactly is it you want to change?"
Like a bullet through a flock of doves
To wage this war against your faith in me
To wage this war against your faith in me
