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[ It's fine. Because guess who else forgot? The dingus who got it. Alex's eyes shoot wide and he stammers out: ]

What- oh, shit, it's fine. It sort of...slipped my mind too...

[ He trails off. When he gave Mista his gift, there was a little note with it, a little...This part belongs to Sayori. So she should've gotten that, a dumb pun shirt. But there's something else here, obviously. It's...a scarf. Pink, with little pencil designs, googly eyes and all. Cute more than anything, and Alex clears his throat and kind of mumbles: ]

I know it might be dumb, but I thought... 'Cause...you know, sometimes you just sort of...wanna distract from it.

[ It. He flexes his hands self-consciously, rubbing at a burn scar on one. It's been two months, but it looks to be sticking. No skin grafting this time. ]

[She does have to wonder if this gift will also perhaps be breakfast-related. Perhaps some pancake pants?

It is not pancake pants. She's not actually sure what it is at first, but she does make sure to say,] Oh my gosh, this pattern is so cute! [as she tugs the end of it out of the box and sees how long it is. A scarf. A few people have gotten her scarves since then. Since...it happened, as Alex puts it.

She smiles again, though it's subdued with the weight of the reminder. Out of the corner of her eye, she catches the motion of his hands—and remembers keenly unwrapping the very injuries he tries to distract himself from.] It's not dumb. It's really thoughtful.

[Slowly, she winds the scarf around her hand, over and over until she can lift the entire length of it out of the box. She considers it for a moment before speaking again, a little airy the way she often is when she's trying not to make a big deal out of opening up.] ...sometimes— sometimes, y'know, I see a cute shirt or a necklace I wanna wear, and I go to try it on and I— I can't.

[Because it's too close to her neck. Because the feeling of something pressed to the jagged collection of scratch scars brings her back to that place.

She brings the bundle of the scarf in close to her chest, her smile warm despite it all.] But scarves are nice to practice with. I can just wear them looser if I want.

Edited (html dont do me like this) 2020-03-19 08:08 (UTC)

Yeah. ...Yeah, I thought...maybe that'd be a good way to start. [ One of his hands is trembling. Not...because he's afraid. But because it just does that sometimes. Because that's his normal.

It's awkward, and it's hesitant, but Alex returns her smile. ] Just uh...one step...one day at a time, right?

[ It doesn't sound entirely convincing when he says it. But, he's trying to make himself believe it. That's the first step. ]

[She wants to reach for his hand and steady it in her own. Doesn't, ultimately, because she knows how difficult it is for her to let anyone touch the site of her own injury and she knows how Alex is.

Still, he has to know what's coming. She laughs a little and repeats back,] One day at a time, [without any hesitation.

And then she tucks everything back into the box and makes sure she has a good hold on it before ducking forward to wrap her arms around Alex.]

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