Ren nods, calmer now and doing his best to invisibly help ease the tension between them. He’s back to standing in his usual relaxed slouch, hands tucked away in his pockets.
“You can’t erase the past, but you don’t have to be kept prisoner by it here. That’s good.”
Erasing the past is what Maruki wanted to do, and both of them rejected that offer, several times over. This place might be horrible in its own unique ways, but it does offer a second chance for Akechi to establish who he wants to be as a person.
“But if you want to change, do it for yourself. Not for me, not for anyone else, but because it’s what you want.”
And that’s the main variable here, for Ren - what Akechi wants from him. He doesn’t believe he’ll stop loving Akechi if he doesn’t want the same more-than-friendship, and he doesn’t want his reaction to be a deciding factor in Akechi’s eventual choice..
“I want you to be happy. Or as close to it as you can be, in a place like this. Even if it’s not with me. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you.”
Ren truly believes he can help Akechi find that elusive happiness, but not if he’s being fought the entire time. He knows what he wants, but he’s not willing to pursue it if it’s unwanted from Akechi’s end.
“I think I’ve said everything I can for myself. I’ll leave it to you to decide when you’re ready to talk about this again. Or see me at all, I guess.”
Maybe Akechi will need space to think it all over. Ren imagines he may not want to see him while he’s sorting his own thoughts out, and he understands.
He understands, but he’s not at all satisfied with how unresolved this conversation is leaning. But he can be patient and allow Akechi to set the pace.
no subject
“You can’t erase the past, but you don’t have to be kept prisoner by it here. That’s good.”
Erasing the past is what Maruki wanted to do, and both of them rejected that offer, several times over. This place might be horrible in its own unique ways, but it does offer a second chance for Akechi to establish who he wants to be as a person.
“But if you want to change, do it for yourself. Not for me, not for anyone else, but because it’s what you want.”
And that’s the main variable here, for Ren - what Akechi wants from him. He doesn’t believe he’ll stop loving Akechi if he doesn’t want the same more-than-friendship, and he doesn’t want his reaction to be a deciding factor in Akechi’s eventual choice..
“I want you to be happy. Or as close to it as you can be, in a place like this. Even if it’s not with me. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you.”
Ren truly believes he can help Akechi find that elusive happiness, but not if he’s being fought the entire time. He knows what he wants, but he’s not willing to pursue it if it’s unwanted from Akechi’s end.
“I think I’ve said everything I can for myself. I’ll leave it to you to decide when you’re ready to talk about this again. Or see me at all, I guess.”
Maybe Akechi will need space to think it all over. Ren imagines he may not want to see him while he’s sorting his own thoughts out, and he understands.
He understands, but he’s not at all satisfied with how unresolved this conversation is leaning. But he can be patient and allow Akechi to set the pace.