Day 55: Male Showers

[lighthearted]

The conversation that Sora had had with Sam had definitely made all of the cleaning far more bearable. It wasn't even that they had talked about anything that groundbreaking, but the man had been kind to him and it had given him something else to focus on. All in all, being forced to clean hadn't been as bad as he'd expected.

And now that it was over, it sounded like it was time to go to the showers. That was for the best, seeing how cleaning actually ended up making you kind of dirty.

More than that, Sora was lucky enough to be one of the first people who was led into the showers. He considered asking the soldier who was escorting him about the pins for his hat, but in the end it made more sense to wait until he was getting dressed again.

Changing out of his clothes, new as they were, wasn't a problem; his own outfit that he wore back home was far more complicated, after all, and so he had the buttons undone and the belt removed in seconds.

After that, Sora quickly moved toward the back of the shower area, turned on the water, waited for it to heat up, and then stepped under the spray. He'd learned some time ago that trying to talk in the showers usually didn't work so well; all the running water was too loud and he was too awkward, even if he'd gotten much better about it over time.

It was still better to just get it over with and then head out into the Sun Room, and so once he was decently clean he turned off the water and headed out to get changed again.

[To here.]

Comments

[moral-liberty.livejournal.com]

"I know," Kaworu agreed. There was no innate good or evil in such a feeling, although Lilim were often inclined to try and label it in others. In themselves. He could see Shinji thinking this, the emotions flickering under the surface of his expression. Even then, Kaworu felt what he knew of Shinji was what he feared, and how it would contrast with what he would fight for. "You resent that about yourself, when there is nothing that is worth hating. It is only something to accept or change. However, you may always be this way."

He closed his eyes. Kaworu couldn't pick out Shinji from the rest of the crowd when he wasn't speaking. There was too much noise to listen for the small shifts in his person, his breathing, a sign that he was near. Despite this, he trusted that the other boy remained, and his memory provided the images and sounds he sought. His thoughts about Shinji were vivid and strong, but unnamed. He called it love, because there was nothing else it could be. It was what he wanted it to be.

"Although you fear intimacy, and fear me, you want me to be close." Kaworu exhaled. He could recite what he knew of Shinji, what he had been told by him. That he was afraid, that he was in pain, that he wanted Kaworu, that he would stay with him. "Thank you."

[sdatislife.livejournal.com]

"...ah! Y-you're welcome...."

Shinji didn't feel particularly brave. He was frightened, horrifically frightened, of driving Kaworu away. Kaworu was the one person here that he knew cared about him. Rei was distant. Asuka just berated him anyway. As much as he cared about them and didn't want to see them suffer, he didn't feel as if he could reach out to them. He was isolated, alone, as always. Kaworu had been the first to bridge that gap, to make him feel as if he was wanted. Now he clung to it in desperation.

"...are you... OK? I know... I know they took you a few days ago."

He still remembered that night. Had vague memories of his own encounter (and shoved down the gnawing, irritating little doubt that whispered that this was all a dream; delusions).