[She immediately squeezes their laced fingers together, taking the gesture as permission to curl closer to him. Minako sets her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes against the ache building in her own eyes.
She'd been numb about her parents' death, too, and inundated with the same pity. But pretending she was fine had ended it all sooner, and from there, acting like she was fine had been her modus operandi. In a culture that prided itself with being a collective, it felt obvious to join it again and not stick out. And in that sense, even if Minato thinks that she's in the right for making an effort to go back to normal, she thinks that she was more of a coward for it than he was. He'd decided not to let others influence his feelings, whereas she'd rolled over and ignored her grief all the faster.
Still, regardless of what happened or which of them turned out "better" in the end, the fact remains that both of them suffered. It's a morbidly comforting thought, another reminder that they really are two sides of the same coin, and that she can't-- won't-- ever abandon him. That instinctive protectiveness she felt for him when she'd forgotten her memories is proof that this camaraderie has been carved into her heart, regardless of how short their friendship has been.]
Yeah. I know.
[Minako squeezes their hands again tightly. Words are hard right now, so many iterations of how to reply stuck in her throat and getting jumbled up. In the end, she goes with something that she thinks he might want to hear, because it's been something she's wanted for a long time, too.]
I think...I think your mom and dad would've been happy that you made it that far. It was hard for you, and there were so many obstacles in your way for so long, but you kept going despite everything. You still were able to believe in the goodness in people even when they'd treated you wrong. You found a new sense of self, found friends who cared about you, and you were able to be honestly, truly happy with them in the end.
[She starts blinking rapidly, trying to stop herself from tearing up.]
They would've been so proud of you. I'm proud of you, Minato. All the things you've done since that day on the bridge, they made you into a good person, and I'm so, so glad that this impossible world made it possible for me to meet you.
no subject
She'd been numb about her parents' death, too, and inundated with the same pity. But pretending she was fine had ended it all sooner, and from there, acting like she was fine had been her modus operandi. In a culture that prided itself with being a collective, it felt obvious to join it again and not stick out. And in that sense, even if Minato thinks that she's in the right for making an effort to go back to normal, she thinks that she was more of a coward for it than he was. He'd decided not to let others influence his feelings, whereas she'd rolled over and ignored her grief all the faster.
Still, regardless of what happened or which of them turned out "better" in the end, the fact remains that both of them suffered. It's a morbidly comforting thought, another reminder that they really are two sides of the same coin, and that she can't-- won't-- ever abandon him. That instinctive protectiveness she felt for him when she'd forgotten her memories is proof that this camaraderie has been carved into her heart, regardless of how short their friendship has been.]
Yeah. I know.
[Minako squeezes their hands again tightly. Words are hard right now, so many iterations of how to reply stuck in her throat and getting jumbled up. In the end, she goes with something that she thinks he might want to hear, because it's been something she's wanted for a long time, too.]
I think...I think your mom and dad would've been happy that you made it that far. It was hard for you, and there were so many obstacles in your way for so long, but you kept going despite everything. You still were able to believe in the goodness in people even when they'd treated you wrong. You found a new sense of self, found friends who cared about you, and you were able to be honestly, truly happy with them in the end.
[She starts blinking rapidly, trying to stop herself from tearing up.]
They would've been so proud of you. I'm proud of you, Minato. All the things you've done since that day on the bridge, they made you into a good person, and I'm so, so glad that this impossible world made it possible for me to meet you.