[Ken isn't exactly cheery about it, but there's a lightness to his tone as he acknowledges that. He finds a himself a seat and hops into it, leaning forward and swinging his feet.]
I'm okay. Aragaki-san and I cleared are friends now. We talked about it.
[It's a much different demeanor than he expected--but not an unwelcome one. Junpei can't help but give a cautious smile as he looks over to him. Of all the answers...that was the best he could hope for. And unlike before, there wasn't a small tinge of bitterness underneath.
Ken was truly okay.]
You did, huh?
I'm...well, I'm proud of you. You grew up pretty fast in this place. And not like the way you had to back home.
[Especially if it has a happy ending. That's really all that mattered here, wasn't it? Ken's smiling the way a boy like him SHOULD smile. He's got friends, he's got people looking out for him. Ken was the weirdest kid he knew...and that's saying something in this place. But he's normal now.]
Hate to break it to you, Ken, but Aragaki-senpai always kind of...did think different than the rest of us. [But he smiles fondly, playing with the paperclips in the little bowl on his desk.] You know if there's anything you need...if you ever feel like you need to talk about something.
[Because guess who missed out on that whole year.]
...
You're damn right we are, Ken. I've got your back, and you've got mine. But you've got some good friends now too, yeah? Don't feel like you always have to be the one supporting them. They're there for you too.
The only thing that changed about them was that Aragaki-san had unfair privileges of sitting shotgun all the way to California when Sanada-san was driving.
[Not that Ken's complaining, because he got to sit between Minato and Tadashi or Jaime and that was great.]
If there's anything I learned here, it's that I'm not alone. I'm grateful to everything and everyone I have here.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[Ken isn't exactly cheery about it, but there's a lightness to his tone as he acknowledges that. He finds a himself a seat and hops into it, leaning forward and swinging his feet.]
I'm okay. Aragaki-san and I cleared are friends now. We talked about it.
no subject
Ken was truly okay.]
You did, huh?
I'm...well, I'm proud of you. You grew up pretty fast in this place. And not like the way you had to back home.
no subject
{And also "I got convinced to kill myself by a guy who's still here and free today" is a surefire way to ruin the day. Not going there.]
But you're right. I got to grow up a lot, and I had a lot of support. Aragaki-san and I got a lot of time to get to know each other.
He even gave me a birthday present last year. Even if it was kind of weird.
no subject
[Especially if it has a happy ending. That's really all that mattered here, wasn't it? Ken's smiling the way a boy like him SHOULD smile. He's got friends, he's got people looking out for him. Ken was the weirdest kid he knew...and that's saying something in this place. But he's normal now.]
Hate to break it to you, Ken, but Aragaki-senpai always kind of...did think different than the rest of us. [But he smiles fondly, playing with the paperclips in the little bowl on his desk.] You know if there's anything you need...if you ever feel like you need to talk about something.
I'm here, alright?
no subject
[says the kid who idolized said Sanada-san. But Ken is laughing anyway as he swings his feet.]
Thanks, Junpei-san. And if there's anything I can do for you, well -- we're still teammates, right?
no subject
[Because guess who missed out on that whole year.]
...
You're damn right we are, Ken. I've got your back, and you've got mine. But you've got some good friends now too, yeah? Don't feel like you always have to be the one supporting them. They're there for you too.
no subject
The only thing that changed about them was that Aragaki-san had unfair privileges of sitting shotgun all the way to California when Sanada-san was driving.
[Not that Ken's complaining, because he got to sit between Minato and Tadashi or Jaime and that was great.]
If there's anything I learned here, it's that I'm not alone. I'm grateful to everything and everyone I have here.