"Thanks, Fel," Satoru murmurs, lifting his head enough to give him a soft smile. It's fond, but it's also vulnerable. The prospect of being 'Satoru' more readily to more people is a strange one, and he's still not sure how it feels. But he thinks he can offer that to Choso and Fel, at least.
Stating aloud that he's not the Strongest and letting go of the idea of going home is strange. It rattles his entire self-identity, but that's part of the point. Let the old self die. Become someone new.
That's incredibly hard to do.
But he's already been learning to trust and rely on Choso and Fel, to calculate for their strength rather than thinking of anyone other than himself as simply being in the way and needing to be protected. For years, the challenge in his fights has never been the ability to destroy his opponents, it's always been the necessity of minimizing collateral damage. He had to learn pinpoint accuracy because he's not allowed to just level a city to destroy one enemy.
He already knows that he's going to frequently slip into old habits. His emotional defenses and habits are very deeply ingrained. But the resolution to change is there.
He nuzzles his cheek against Fel's shoulder and then releases him and straightens up a little. "You here to meditate? Want me to watch your back?"
It's not something that Fel needs, he knows. They're safe in their own garden, as safe as it gets for any of them. But it's still something that Satoru wants to offer, the warmth of his back pressed to Fel's and the unseen protection of his Infinity spread over them both.
Edited (had an additional concept i meant to include) 2025-07-07 15:20 (UTC)
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Stating aloud that he's not the Strongest and letting go of the idea of going home is strange. It rattles his entire self-identity, but that's part of the point. Let the old self die. Become someone new.
That's incredibly hard to do.
But he's already been learning to trust and rely on Choso and Fel, to calculate for their strength rather than thinking of anyone other than himself as simply being in the way and needing to be protected. For years, the challenge in his fights has never been the ability to destroy his opponents, it's always been the necessity of minimizing collateral damage. He had to learn pinpoint accuracy because he's not allowed to just level a city to destroy one enemy.
He already knows that he's going to frequently slip into old habits. His emotional defenses and habits are very deeply ingrained. But the resolution to change is there.
He nuzzles his cheek against Fel's shoulder and then releases him and straightens up a little. "You here to meditate? Want me to watch your back?"
It's not something that Fel needs, he knows. They're safe in their own garden, as safe as it gets for any of them. But it's still something that Satoru wants to offer, the warmth of his back pressed to Fel's and the unseen protection of his Infinity spread over them both.