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hophophopper"Hopper1? Hopper1, you still there?"
Houtaro came through the curtain. A careful scan revealed the grasshopper Chemy was still in the dining area... under a table?
That didn't seem right; his mom was out visiting with her friends again, they weren't open to visitors, it shouldn't be avoiding anyone...?
After doing a quick check of the kitchen space (his mom had well ingrained certain kitchen safety practices), he slipped out over to the table where he'd set their food earlier.
"Hey, is something wrong? Does it taste bad?"
Hopper1's tastes weren't all that fickle, but the dish (they'd had some white fish that needed cooking, and he'd had fun investigating which flavors meshed well with it) looked outright untouched today.
Instead of sitting at the table, Houtaro crouched on the floor; the Chemy twitched and looked away. 'Hopperperper.'
"Aw, I'm not mad, Hopper1! Just... worried."
It'd been a month since the Dark Kings had been soundly defeated; it'd taken all of their friends to help out... and then after, they'd dispersed to some extent. Pursuing careers, adventuring abroad; the Chemies had finally seized the chance to integrate with the wider world. Houtaro was happy for them! But he wasn't ready to head out just yet.
(Being an alchemist wasn't the same as having a paying job, it had turned out. Minato had cleared up his misconceptions on that score, much to his disappointment.)
He gently pat his smaller friend as he thought back. Was anything else missing?
But he didn't actually miss when Hopper1 spoke up again, almost too quiet to hear: 'Hop. Hophopper.'
"Eh?! You don't want to eat?" Houtaro shook his head - then stopped, wanting to be sure his friend would understand what he meant. "Why for?"
For a time, they just sat there, and Houtaro wondered if he should retract his words - or if he'd crossed some line he hadn't been able to read by asking - but just then, he got an answer.
Hopper1 ran over to him, hiding its face... and crying? Houtaro did not know what to say.
But, maybe he didn't need to? Not just yet. He brought his hands around to better hold the cat-sized grasshopper, giving soothing strokes between its wings, waiting things out while his head spun.
Had something else happened, something he hadn't been around to see? Or had Hopper1 been hiding this feeling, this thought, letting it build up over time and not wanting to talk about it to anyone?
Suddenly, Gigist's words came back to him, and he had to stop moving his hands so as not to clench them. Waiting until his voice was steady, he said, "You don't ever have to listen to him, okay? Dark King Gigist... he doesn't understand you. Any of us."
Slowly, Hopper1 calmed down. "I trust you, because you're my friend... and you're not anything like what he said. And you haven't done anything I'd hate you for, either."
The food could wait, at this point; some things were more important.
Houtaro came through the curtain. A careful scan revealed the grasshopper Chemy was still in the dining area... under a table?
That didn't seem right; his mom was out visiting with her friends again, they weren't open to visitors, it shouldn't be avoiding anyone...?
After doing a quick check of the kitchen space (his mom had well ingrained certain kitchen safety practices), he slipped out over to the table where he'd set their food earlier.
"Hey, is something wrong? Does it taste bad?"
Hopper1's tastes weren't all that fickle, but the dish (they'd had some white fish that needed cooking, and he'd had fun investigating which flavors meshed well with it) looked outright untouched today.
Instead of sitting at the table, Houtaro crouched on the floor; the Chemy twitched and looked away. 'Hopperperper.'
"Aw, I'm not mad, Hopper1! Just... worried."
It'd been a month since the Dark Kings had been soundly defeated; it'd taken all of their friends to help out... and then after, they'd dispersed to some extent. Pursuing careers, adventuring abroad; the Chemies had finally seized the chance to integrate with the wider world. Houtaro was happy for them! But he wasn't ready to head out just yet.
(Being an alchemist wasn't the same as having a paying job, it had turned out. Minato had cleared up his misconceptions on that score, much to his disappointment.)
He gently pat his smaller friend as he thought back. Was anything else missing?
But he didn't actually miss when Hopper1 spoke up again, almost too quiet to hear: 'Hop. Hophopper.'
"Eh?! You don't want to eat?" Houtaro shook his head - then stopped, wanting to be sure his friend would understand what he meant. "Why for?"
For a time, they just sat there, and Houtaro wondered if he should retract his words - or if he'd crossed some line he hadn't been able to read by asking - but just then, he got an answer.
Hopper1 ran over to him, hiding its face... and crying? Houtaro did not know what to say.
But, maybe he didn't need to? Not just yet. He brought his hands around to better hold the cat-sized grasshopper, giving soothing strokes between its wings, waiting things out while his head spun.
Had something else happened, something he hadn't been around to see? Or had Hopper1 been hiding this feeling, this thought, letting it build up over time and not wanting to talk about it to anyone?
Suddenly, Gigist's words came back to him, and he had to stop moving his hands so as not to clench them. Waiting until his voice was steady, he said, "You don't ever have to listen to him, okay? Dark King Gigist... he doesn't understand you. Any of us."
Slowly, Hopper1 calmed down. "I trust you, because you're my friend... and you're not anything like what he said. And you haven't done anything I'd hate you for, either."
The food could wait, at this point; some things were more important.
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