STILES:
“yeah?” it’s automatic. primed from the drop of his name. a callback, an answer as hands pause & he leans back to better see around the lip of his locker door. he stills then because she looks —– wary —- cautious in a way that causes his guard to snap into place & his heart rate to falter & spike. worry blossoms within the cage of his ribs & stiles takes a second to access. glancing up & down the hallway in search for the source of her discomfort until the peculiar weight of her words settles over him.
“oh —” & there it is, the crushing face of reality in the wake of self-revelation; he’s the reason. it hurts, & guilt slides in & takes over. he steps back then, lets the locker fall shut & claps a hand over the back of his neck before a shoulder lifts in an open & empty shrug. “yeah, i mean, i guess not, huh?” in a sense, he supposes it’s its fault. he hadn’t wanted to impede —– & then everything sort of hit the fan. again & again & again.
his brow furrows, & he takes a second to evaluate the dull grey-blue of his locker before glancing back toward her. “you know.” he starts, lips parting & then flattening as he wets them. “i —- uh, i’m heading out for lunch, did you want to come?”
—- KIRA KNOWS SHE ‘ S NOT FREE OF BLAME , knows that she could ‘ ve approached stiles sooner than this — perhaps it would ‘ ve been easier . but that doesn ‘ t matter now . they ‘ re here now , so they should work from that . when he speaks , her mouth drops open slightly , a sign of her surprise at the almost - immediate offer .
❝ UM — YEAH ! I ‘ D LIKE THAT A LOT , ACTUALLY ! IS THAT OKAY ? I DON ‘ T WANT TO INTRUDE IF YOU WANTED ALONE TIME OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT , I TOTALLY GET IT ! ❞
—- SHE ‘ S WORRIED THAT HE FEELS FORCED TO HANG OUT WITH HER , because they share friends ( or nightmare experiences ) and she hopes that she ‘ ll be able to make a good impression - not as a kitsune , or a fellow fighter , but as a friend , as kira .
❝ SO - WHAT ‘ RE YOU THINKING OF GETTING FOR LUNCH ? ❞
