suddenlybees | || IC INBOX

... Okay. [He picks a couple straight off the ground and puts them in the box. Then he looks up.

He sets the box down and stands, walking to the trunk of the magnolia tree and circling it before grabbing the thickest branch and hauling himself up.

He picks the flowers right at the connecting point so the petals stay together, and lets them float to the ground.]

H-hey! Yuya!

[ COME DOWN RIGHT NOW, MISTER ]

The fallen ones are fine!! There's plenty on the ground— it's fine if they're trampled and stuff, they don't need to look pretty!

Huh? [Yuya grabs the branch firmly and tips backwards so he's hanging upside down to look at Kano.] But I'm already up here... we'll fill it faster if you focus on the ground and I get the tree!

[Nevermind he's, you know, messing up the tree. It's fine, it's just enough to fill a small cardboard box.]

[ Kano steps over to the tree and places his foot up on the trunk like he's strong enough to kick it over. He gives it a little shake, just enough to get the leaves to rustle but not knock Yuya out of it. ]

That's not the point! Get me dirty, torn-up, ground flowers or no deal!!

[Yuya rolls his eyes, but he flips himself over and slides out of the tree feet first.] I'll get you the most squished flower I can find.

[Which given they were sitting on a bunch, and Odd-Eyes was, isn't hard. So Yuya starts gathering the flowers on the floor instead, filling the box with Kano.]

Awesome, you're the best, Yu~ya.

[ Squished flowers are fine... Really, presentation has nothing to do with why he wants a box full of flowers, so this works out. The more squished they are, the more they can pack into the tiny cookie box anyways, it's a win-win. ]

[The first couple minutes are silence, as Odd-Eyes joins in gently picking up flowers between his claws and dropping them in the box. Yuya smiles a little to himself, but he doesn't admit to asking for help.

As the box gets closer to filling up, he looks up at Kano and raises an eyebrow.] So you have relevant advice?

[ As the box gets closer to filling up, Kano lets Yuya and Odd-Eyes do all the work, because he's old and bending up and down makes his knees hurt. ]

Mm, that's right. Look at me— do you ever see me apologize for anything?

[ He's the one person who maybe should, to multiple people, for multiple occasions. But apologies...? ]

[Yuya pauses the box filling to look up at Kano. Does he ever see him apologize?

Yuya tilts his head, furrowing his brow as he tries to remember a specific incident.] Well, you haven't done anything to me you need to apologize for. But if you did it to someone else, I assumed you would?

[Like, why would he not say sorry if he messed up at hurt someone. That's grade school stuff.]

Haha... That's where you're wrong, isn't it? I've done lots of stuff to you I need to apologize for, but I haven't! But for some reason, you aren't mad at me. Now, why do you think that is?

[ Why is Toki still his friend? Why is Maverick? Imelda? Lots of people he'd wronged more than once in the past, never apologized for his misdeeds, and somehow, they still care for him. Because they're good people? Maybe. ]

Uh. [Yuya raises a brow.] Obviously because I don't think you've done anything you need to apologize for.

[A pause, and then he points.] To me, but if you hurt Nana's feelings with that stunt of yours at the ball then you better have apologized to her.

[Did she find out?? Yuya has no idea. He's not going to ask her about it, though.] Did I look mad about something before? I mean, really upset.

[ Nana never found out... He believes so, anyways, and isn't about to go dig up past crimes and bring it up again. But Yuya's right here making the point for him, so Kano shakes his head. ]

Nope, you've never seemed very upset, even though you should be~ But see? This is part of it! You thinking nothing's wrong, but I did. I made up for it in my own way, and everybody's happy~ You just have to do it like that!

[ All those times Kano goes "out of his way" for people... That was him making it up. For Imelda it was a gift basket. For Nana, a trip to the mountains to play with fireworks. Yuya, he'd taken out on campus and showed him an entire cityscape of an illusion. His way of apologizing. ]

So you're... still apologizing, you're just not saying it? [What's the advice part of this? He rubs the back of his neck.] But if you said sorry first, it'd be the same thing? Because it doesn't mean anything if you don't do anything to try and be better after you hurt someone. Sorry is just--a word so they know you didn't mean it.

[He thinks? He rests his cheek on his hand.] If someone said sorry because they kicked me, and then kicked me again then it doesn't mean anything. They have to stop kicking you. But even then, it's still... good to hear? Because if someone says sorry, too, then you know for sure that they regret that they hurt you.

Not doing it again is implied, but that's it, though, isn't it? Sorry is just a word. It doesn't mean anything, and I don't like hearing it.

[ It's why he banned Toki from using the word around him too, though he managed to find a synonymous workaround. ]

I don't know, if they don't say anything I might assume they don't care and would kick me later. Trying to guess if it's implied or or is too complicated, I'd rather just be told so I don't have to figure it out on my own! [He's straightforward and dumb, have some mercy on him.]

Ehh... How would you feel if somebody said sorry but you don't know what they're sorry about, or don't think it's worth a sorry after they tell you?

[ Kano is dumb too but also the opposite of straightforward, he's got to make things complicated so there's no mercy from him. ]

Ask them what they're apologizing for. And if it's not worth a sorry, then I'd tell them it's okay, so they know they didn't hurt me like they thought they did.

[He lifts his head.] So when you say 'even though you should be upset', what did you do to me that you were apologizing for?

[Since he obviously didn't pick up on it.]

[ ... ]

I forget, now! Water under the bridge, right?

[ WHY WOULD HE BRING IT UP AGAIN IF YUYA DIDN'T KNOW he's not going to incriminate himself, thanks. ]

... If I don't even know you're apologizing to begin with, that doesn't mean anything either.

[Because then it's all just wrapped up in Kano's private world. It never really touches anyone else and nobody sees the view that Kano does. He thinks he's making amends and squaring things up, but would someone else just see someone who doesn't care about the effect of their actions?

That's actually probably what some people do see, not the least because Kano is continually followed by chaos.]

Hmm... That's fine, isn't it?

[ That's exactly what most people see, Kano constantly running around expending his energy in what seems like meaningless, directionless expenditures. It's fine with him if it doesn't matter- if the only person who feels better at the end of the day is him, because he's the only one who knows. As long as the other person isn't upset, that's what matters most to him, so he won't ever bring up his faults by apologizing, he'll just try to make up for it in his own roundabout way. ]

If you're not upset, then I don't have to say anything. Like you didn't have to say those sorries from before either.

Is it? [Yuya shifts, leaning on one hand as he regards Kano thoughtfully.] I think if you'd hurt me, trying to fix things in a way I didn't understand wouldn't have made me happy or satisfied at all. If you apologize in a way I don't understand, I won't feel your regret or your desire to do better. So it just ends up being for yourself, doesn't it?

Hmm, yeah. But that's also fine?

[ It doesn't matter, essentially. Convincing people he regrets his actions or wants to do better isn't his goal, anyways, so it doesn't matter to him. ]

[A frown slowly creeps on Yuya's face.] Then if you don't care about their feelings enough to even be that honest, why bother at all? If your going to apologize in a way that just leaves someone hurt because they can't tell you're sorry and want to make amends, it means even less!

[He shifts back up, folding his arms as he leans forward a little.] Why do you want to keep your feelings to yourself that much?

[ Kano grins and takes the box of flowers back from Yuya's hands, shutting the lid on it and tucking the box underneath his arm. ]

Let's go home, Yuya~

[Yuya leans back, looking between the box and Kano. He doesn't move to get up.]

... So why am I your friend, Kano? [Is even a basic answer that's the basis of their relationship Kano would just leave Yuya guessing, letting him make his own--probably wrong conclusions?]

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