March Catch-all

[matadorable]

WHO: Manolo and you!
WHERE: Various
WHEN: Throughout March
WHAT: Like it says on the tin!
WARNINGS: None at the moment, will update if necessary

[Prompts to come eventually, but let me know if you want a starter for your character in the meantime.]

Comments

[rassera]

I...



I don't know, anymore.

[It's a soft admission, honestly. He's more confused than anything.]

I thought I knew and then--[He stops there.]

[matadorable]

Something happened?

[rassera]

[It's a small, almost humble nod, but here it is.]

[matadorable]

You found someone who's different. Is that it?

[rassera]

Yeah...


[There's no use hiding it now, when Manolo asks it like that.]

[matadorable]

[His face brightens.] That's good, though!

[rassera]

[Is it? Kaneda wants it to be...but a part of him, a huge part of him conditioned to think the opposite is panicking.]

She's...just someone I know. But she's different, like you said.

[matadorable]

[Now they're getting somewhere.] It seems like she's more than "just someone you know", amigo. Even if she's a friend, it's okay to have feelings for her, I promise.

[rassera]

Yeah?

[It's comforting, when he says that, like his whole body language relaxes a bit at the mere thought of it being considered 'okay'. Sure, he didn't know HER feelings...but at least he's starting to understand his own.]

What'd it feel like for you?

[matadorable]

[He offers Kaneda a soft, reassuring smile.]

You mean falling in love?

[rassera]

N--

[He can't deny it, and his head drops only to canter to the side.]

Falling somewhere, that's for sure.

[matadorable]

Well...it depends on the person, I think. The person you are, and the person you're falling for. [Love is a personal thing, so he obviously can't speak for everyone who's ever felt it.]

But for me, it's like...this strong feeling of home when I'm with that person. Like I belong next to their side. There is no where else I would rather be whenever we're together, and I want time to stop so I can enjoy it forever. [He sighs with a wistful smile.] When we're apart, it feels like an eternity, but the wait until I see them again is always, always worth it. My heart beats faster when they look into my eyes, and my breath catches in my throat when they smile. If I imagine the future, they're naturally there in my mind's eye...even though the future is always uncertain. It's...wonderful and painful at once. But because you love them so much, being sad is still somehow a pleasure.

[He doesn't realize he's drifted away from sticking explicitly to she/her pronouns. Whoops.]

[rassera]

[That...that was deep, and not at all what Kaneda was expecting. Not that Manolo wasn't a touching soul, or intune with his sensitive side, but it's...perfectly describing what he's feeling--at least most of it is. His eyes widen as Manolo goes on, blinking like a deer in the headlights as he describes exactly what Kaneda's heart is whispering. It's cautious in his heart, and fragile, but it's thriving there.

And he'd be one damn liar if he said none of that fit him right then. His heart beats faster now, just thinking about what that could mean, swallowing hard and gripping his shirt in...shock.

Oh god.



Manolo nailed it.


He's definitely got feelings for her.]

So...that's how you know?

[matadorable]

[Kaneda's expression isn't lost on him. It's the look of a man whose discovered a treasure trove of feelings for someone special and is suddenly unsure of what to do with all this wealth. Manolo understands. He was blindsided himself a couple of months ago and still doesn't know what to do.

He gives Kaneda a soft, sympathetic smile.]

...For me? Yes. Those are the sure signs that I've fallen deeply in love with someone.

[rassera]

[Manolo had described it exactly. He'd managed to pinpoint Kaneda's complex feelings in seconds, where he had torn his hair out and sacrificed sleep trying to figure it out. Was it really 'true love'? Did that exist for him?

The idea seems tangible...and it's almost scary to think about. He doesn't know what he's doing. He doesn't want to mess this up...]

What do I do?

[A gentle admission, honestly.]

[matadorable]

[Manolo's expression softens. Kaneda really does seem at a loss over what to do...]

If it were me, I'd tell her. I'd be open and honest about it. [A beat.] Unless she's...you know, already seeing someone. She's not spoken for, is she?

[rassera]

!!

[Quite honestly, he never even thought about that. Usually it was OTHER people wanting HIS girl...you know, that he only dated for a week. Brows furrow.]

I don't think so...she--[Lives with me] We see each other all the time.

[matadorable]

And she hasn't mentioned anyone, right?

[rassera]

I don't think so...no.

[He's seriously thinking this over. Nick was a possibility...but she'd been really clear that they were just friends...]

[matadorable]

If you see each other all of the time, then she would probably have said something by now.

[Not that he knows for certain. His own experiences with other people were pretty limited, having come from a small, fairly isolated town. Manolo just knows that he can't keep quiet about the person he's in love with.]

That means you have a chance! I mean...if you want to try, anyway. Do you want to be with her? [It's an honest question.]

[rassera]

[The question hits like a bullet train, as if his answer completely rested on what he said next.

It's not a 'no', either. The answer's almost blatantly obvious, staring him in the face as his eyes widen at Manolo, realization finally dawning on him. His mouth opens, trying to find words, but his eyes know.


He knows.]


...Yeah.



[And that in itself is...strangely amazing and terrifying.]

[matadorable]

[It's a simple answer, but more importantly, an honest one. Manolo's face lights up for a moment before giving Kaneda a confident, assuring grin.]

Then that's what you should do, amigo.

[rassera]

...


[With Manolo's blessing, he can't help but smile back.]


Guess you're right. Just gotta figure out how.

[matadorable]

[That's what he likes to see.]

Well...I used my music to tell Maria how I felt about her. You've got things that are just as much a part of you, right? As long as it's honest and true, I think whatever you decide is a good way.