[It's Tuesday evening / Wednesday morning, and Rei and Makoto got together as promised, in spite of the wackiness that occurred earlier. They've been lounging at Rei's place, watching The Kirby That Ate Hong Kong, discussing randomish things, and eventually getting with the making out. And that's where they're found.] * Makoto pulls away suddenly, turning his head a slight distance to one side as though watching Rei with sudden wariness. "Rei..." He trails off for a moemnt, as if uncertain about whether he should continue. How serious about this are you? I mean, how far do you want to take our relationship? * Rei blinks. "What?" And then she sits up, suddenly a lot more aware. "I mean, what- um, what do you mean?" * Makoto sits back a bit and looks directly at Rei once again. "I know it's way too early to plan anything," he says, his voice heavy with doubt when he gets to the word 'plan.' "But you know what kind of man... well, individual I am. Even if you kid yourself about it, if you think about it often at all." If I devote myself to you... I guess that's the right word, devote... If I do that, Rei, I'd be making a huge change in my life. But if you're serious about us, then I'd be willing to do that. As long as we're together, anyway. * Makoto looks as though he wants to say more, but he also looks pretty awkward with what he's already said. He keeps his mouth shut and watches Rei expectantly. "What, you mean like you're a doppelganger and were made to kill people and stuff? I know. But- my family- people don't have to be the way they were made to be, and you haven't done anything to make me *that* scared of you, and... wait, it's 'cause you go after other girl-" She stops suddenly, violet eyes going wide and mouth snapping shut with an audible clamp. And then another start, this one a lot more hesitant: "You... what?" Wait. You... um. You'd actually do that? * Makoto nods, very slowly. If you're serious about it, then I'm going to be serious about it too. If you aren't, then I won't be. But I really would like to know. Like, you'd... actually... um. I haven't thought about it too hard. * Rei fidgets and looks down at her hands. "I mean, it'd be kinda pointless if it wasn't gonna last anyway." Lots of things don't last, Rei, and they're no more or less pointless because of it. A statue that washes away in the rain is pointless, but a flower that blooms only on one beautiful day in the year is all the more special because it's so fleeting. I just wonder whether you're trying to make a statue or a flower. Or maybe something in between... I guess so, but- * Rei blinks, then says, in an unusually (for her) quiet tone, "I was just trying to take what I could get." * Makoto smiles, gently and evenly rather than crookedly. "There's nothing really wrong with that, Rei, especially when you're honest about it. If you want to just take this day by day, then that's fine. I'm happy with that. But if that's what we do, I can't make any guarantees about what I do with my free time. Could be nothing, could be... something." * Rei looks back up at the doppelganger. "Well, I- I really do like you, Makoto. And I think I like you a lot more than I did yesterday, even, because... because you're talking to me about this, I guess. And I probably-" She stops, then takes a deep breath. "I'm just scared of it, maybe." Scared of making a decision like that, you mean? I can feel that you're anxious, and you're telling me that you are, but I can't tell about what. * Rei nods. "Yeah! Of that. Not you." She shuffles a little. "I mean, what do you want?" * Makoto rubs the back of his neck with his right hand and looks away from Rei. "I can't really put it to words. I like you too, and I don't want to hurt you. I'm not sure how to keep being around you without running the risk of hurting your feelings by being... well, me." * Rei bites her lip. "I dunno, I hurt a lot of people by being me, too? I mean, I think I hurt Chie before, and Maria, and probably Chomei. I don't-" She takes a deep breath. "I like you because you're you? Wow, that sounds stupid." Well... it's still pretty strange hearing you--hearing anybody--say something like that. But part of me being me is... * Makoto offers Rei a crooked grin. "Frisky." * Rei blinks. "Frisky?" She doesn't seem to get it. Physical intimacy has become my substitute for...whatever hurtful compulsion it is that doppelgangers normally have. So, wait, when you want to hurt somebody, you... uh... no, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. No, because it's not like that. I've somehow managed to completely rewire my psychology, so that *instead* of having violent impulses, I have... randy ones. Every once in a while a violent one slips through, but I've pretty much figured out how to control it. With sex. * Rei scrunches her nose in thought. "Oh. Well, I guess it's not as bad? Or anywhere close to as bad, really. But... no, if the only reason you were doing that with me was 'cause of that, you woulda done it earlier. And you wouldn'tve stopped. At all." She seems remarkably calm about the whole thing. But if you were actually gonna stop doing that for me, wouldn't that be kinda... hazardous? * Makoto nods, conceding the point. "Everything's different with you, because I really like you and I don't want to hurt you. That's why I asked you about how serious you were. I want to know how I need to cope with my urges, so I don't hurt you. If you're just having fun, then we can have fun together and be friends at the same time." If you were thinking something more committed, then all those times that I'd have an urge to chase and flirt and make out with other people, I'd end up focusing it all on you instead. It might get tiring, I don't know... I don't know, either. * Rei frowns as she thinks about this. "Well, it wouldn't make sense for you to just jump into something like this without knowing what the effects would be, so maybe you could just take it a little bit at a time, or do people not work that way? Or doppelgangers? They're people, too." * Makoto grins faintly. "Yes, we are. I'm not sure how'd I'd ease into it... go after other people only once a week for a while? I suppose I could try half- measures, but it seems so... scary." * Rei nods. "Could try that. But, um, keep me posted? Updated. Send a memo, xerox, e-mail, phone call, telegram, kirbygram... just tell me how it's going. Okay?" She shifts, then says with a little grin, "I don't wanna have to try to get revenge on you or something." * Makoto chuckles. "Fair enough. Say... has all of this soul searching killed the mood for you? Because I could really go for another kiss right about now." * Rei tilts her head, and the smile grows a little more. "Just as long as it's not 'cause you got the urge to kill the old lady on the third floor. I only do that on Thursdays." * Makoto closes his eyes lightly and tilts his head upward in a show of mock- snootiness. "Of course not. It's a well-established international rule that old ladies can only be harmed on Thursdays. There are no such rules about this, though..." He opens his eyes and grins his crooked grin, though perhaps there's a bit of eageress in there as well, and leans in to kiss Rei--thoroughly and before she can reply. * Rei lets out a meep and kisses back, and I think we can fade to black right about now because the session's going to start sometime soon and besides, it's not like they're going to say much anyway. [FtB!]