Even Ground

“…What?” He breathed.

<D-Don’t make me say it again!> Their metal hands gripped his shoulders like they’d rip them clean off.

“Hey- ow!” Gen struggled. <Okay, okay, I won’t…>

<Why are you suddenly so chill about this…?> Tara let him go, coming to their frustrated knees- but they kept watching him intently, not understanding the reaction past the confused “What?”

“I didn’t think you cared so much about me.”

“Wouldn’t have thrown my whole damn life off course if I didn’t feel at least a little strongly about you… wouldn’t have… just risked it, either. Not- that… that should have anything to do with how you consider your respon-“

“I like you as a friend.” Genkei smiled.

Everyone conscious was watching the two of them now. The ride was still going crazy in the background of this interaction, but nobody really noticed.

“Can you promise… to go back on your promise not to bother me?”

“Oh… uh…” The fighter gulped. “Yeah.”

“We’re still better together than we are apart. …Sorry for being so dense, even if I couldn’t give you the answer you probably wanted all these years.”

<Don’t rub it in!> They half-laughed, half-growled as they grabbed his head and shook the guy around a little. That moment- the two of them laughing, everyone else captured in the conclusion of what would soon hopefully become known as just the first chapter of their friendship together, one of many- they had, like many times before, forgotten all about the bad as the good stuck out that much brighter.