[ it's no pants time ]

[powerisyours]

[ continued from here ]

Anything Shan Shan wants.

Comments

[ridestherider]

It's more mature than what I did.

[powerisyours]

What was that?

[ He seems genuinely curious ]

[ridestherider]

Yelled a lot and started making terrible decisions.

[Like Ting Yu. ... in general.]

[powerisyours]

Hmm ... I don't know. My bad decisions tend to end with me or the people I care about hurt or dead. Yours mostly end with a sore throat, sad feelings, and the occasional paw.

[ridestherider]

Are you actively setting out to one-up me every time, or what?

[powerisyours]

No. It's just ... it isn't really as bad as you think it is. Own worst critic and all that, right?

[ridestherider]

Agree to disagree, I guess.

[powerisyours]

Try it. Just once. Thinking positively, I mean. For me.

[ridestherider]

You make it sound like I don't try.

[powerisyours]

That isn't what I mean. I know you do, and I know you try very hard. All I'm saying is try a different way sometime. If it doesn't work, that's okay.

[ridestherider]

It must be nice, being so optimistic whenever you want.

[powerisyours]

It's the only thing keeping me from falling apart completely.

[ridestherider]

And I'm already a mess, so no wonder I suck at it.

[powerisyours]

Well, if you're a mess, at least you're my mess. I like this mess.

[ridestherider]

[Twisting around in his arms so she can hug him, bless.]

[powerisyours]

[ Curling his arms back around her waist and rubbing a circle in the small of her back, pulling her tight against his chest and he's all but radiating affection ]

Besides. I've discovered I don't tend to get along very well with people who are too similar to me.

[ And a kiss to her forehead ]

[ridestherider]

You and Kotoha end up in an infinite loop, don't you.

[powerisyours]

Mmm... we do. And with men it's usually that our situations were far too similar, and we had different ways of dealing with it.

[ridestherider]

And boys are dumb.

[powerisyours]

I've had too many people tell me I'm too nice, or I don't understand a situation when I do, because I've chosen to look at the silver lining.

[ridestherider]

Well, don't stop being nice. They'll get over it or they won't.

[powerisyours]

Meaning mean and rude takes so much energy. I don't understand why people do it. Or, well, I understand if it's because they're hurting, but otherwise ...

[ridestherider]

Some people get a kick out of it.

[powerisyours]

It's a completely foreign concept to me.

[ a pause ]

Can we get back in the tub, now? It's cold.

[ridestherider]

[Laughing a little.]

I guess so.