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[ Good, because he doesn't want to tell Baren anything. So he just rolls his eyes and keeps going. ]

What are you, my mom?

[ The words are out before Leo can stop them, and he winces. With luck, Baren won't notice. ]

I did talk to someone - not that my "issues" are any of your business.

[ He may actually just be lashing out now. And maybe Leo will regret it later, but he wasn't the one who started this, even if he's just here for Futaba's sake. Even if Leo kind of hates that he can't hate Baren for that reason alone. They both care about her, after all. ]

So maybe you shouldn't pretend you know what's best for me and Futaba when you don't know the whole story.

[ He almost stops again when he remembers that's almost, word for word, what Penelope had said to him. He has trouble taking that advice, himself, but every piece of the story he's gotten has pointed to the same thing so far. What else is he supposed to think? ]

[Sadly, Baren notices.

His eye for detail is great, which sucks.

Yet it doesn't seem to register on his face - he's still in the middle of putting things together. He listens and even if he doesn't consciously recognize it, Leo's right. Baren's making decisions on what he thinks should be done in order to get the best outcome. He says that he doesn't care what people do, what mistakes they make, but he still tries to move them like chess pieces.

At least his expectations are so nonexistent that when Leo lashes out, he doesn't even seem fazed or bothered.]

I know a similar story - so if you want to clear up the differences between the two, that'd help.

[But he tilts his head.]

You're scared you'll hurt her worse? With something more than words. Probably on accident.

[If it's more than a person's feelings getting hurt - it's gotta be something more drastic than that. Fire is pretty drastic. The burn scars under Baren's gloves ache faintly with that reminder.]

Ah, is that why you tried to push her away?

[Because you'd rather hurt her on purpose and be able to control the damage...? Or is that too much of Baren's projecting?]

[ He doesn't like Baren, Leo decides. Maybe he doesn't have the right be upset at him, maybe he can't hate him since this whole thing is for Futaba, but Leo definitely doesn't have to like him.

"You don't have to tell me," he's been saying this whole time. He's as good as said he doesn't know what Leo's issues are, and Leo wasn't wrong to point out that they don't know each other. They've spoken, what, once or twice before? How could Baren know anything?

But somehow, Baren nails it all in one guess, and it hurts to hear it laid out so simply. Penelo had done that, too, but somehow it didn't feel quite as bad when it was her. Maybe it's that it scares him a little, that it's so easy for a complete stranger to pin him down like this? Leo doesn't know what it is for sure.

Sighing, he slows to a stop, staring up at the sky as if to ask it, "Why me?" ]

I said, [ Leo says slowly, ] that I would talk to her. I said I'd try not to hurt her. Isn't that enough for you?

[Ah.

He got it right.

How unfortunate.

Baren blinks - and realizes rather immediately that he'd breached someone's privacy. It's not the first time that he's been able to figure things out from someone's demeanor, from pulling from his own mistakes and faults to determine what went wrong because if there's a mistake out there to be made then Baren has made it, but it's the first time that he's laid it out in the open for them to see.]

It's enough for me - but is it enough for you....?

[Logic tells him to stop, but it's hard to recognize when he's found a wound and then simply ignore it.]

I'm not the person to talk to about this. [He recognizes that.] ... but I think someone who would be better at this would agree with me that you could stand to forgive yourself a bit more.

[Because - accidents happen, right? Accidents can have terrible consequences even so. That's what Leo's afraid of - right?]

You matter to Taba-chan. Even if she's mad at you, I think she'd probably punch me in the gut if I didn't at least try to - [make you feel better...?]

... if I didn't try to keep you from making mistakes that I have.

[maybe that's it.]

It doesn't matter what I think, just that she's okay.

[ And Leo firmly believes that. As long as the people cares about are alright, his stupid internal struggle doesn't mean much of anything. Besides, it's like Penelope said - it was the Other Leo who killed his mom, not him. He has to keep reminding himself of that. Given how hard it is to control his power, and all the recent memories of the incident in question, it's become very easy to forget.

So it's not even Leo himself that needs forgiveness, is it? But even if it were, how could you forgive something like killing another person? ]

What makes you so sure we've made the same mistakes, anyway?

[ Past lives or present. ]

Because every perfectionist is actually prone to making mistakes, and while I don't care to air my laundry list, I don't think I need to convince you that it's extensive.

[The unsaid, but fairly clear (Baren thinks): I'd be surprised if you could name a mistake I haven't made.

Right? There's no delusions there. Baren's kind of an asshole, and he doesn't really care about that. Those often aren't where his mistakes lie, though. They often lie in his good intentions, in his clumsy way of handling things.]

It's why I can say with confidence that as long as you don't have your stuff figured out internally, the people around you are going to worry. Because relationships between people are messy. Well-intentioned, but messy.

[ "Extensive" though his laundry list might be, Leo has a hard time believing that murder would be on it. But he's not going to tell Baren that. It's not something Leo wants to be public knowledge, and no matter what promises Baren makes about not telling Futaba or anyone else, he doesn't trust him with that kind of information. ]

No shit, Sherlock. It it were that easy, I wouldn't have gotten us into this mess in the first place.

[ He's not stupid. Or- well, he is, but at least he knows what his mistakes are. Leo's never really been that great at understanding other people, anyway. Futaba is different, but he'd let his fear control him when he'd pushed her away. All he can do now is hope she understands when he tries to explain that to her.

He wonders, though, if there's a way to salvage this conversation and steer it back into more comfortable territory. Normally, this is where he'd bail, but Baren seems intent on making this happen one way or another, so he’ll have to settle for a noncommittal wave. ]

There’s not much I can do about it, anyway.

[ Nothing except talk to her, and let Futaba knows exactly what happens. All he can promise is try not to let something like the his mother’s death happen again, and he’s already resolved to that. ]

... Mistakes happen.

[Obviously - but he says it ever so slightly softer, with a furrow of his brow. Mistakes happen. Forgive yourself a little. You're young.

It's everything that he's said already, and he'll repeat it once more before dropping it.]

All you can do is move forward. You're already gonna talk to her and - [it's a little harder to push these words past his lips, given the outright care that's in them but he barely manages] - I hope it goes well.

[ . . . yeah.

he really does.]

[ Whatever, Leo thinks, rolling his eyes. It’s advice he’s heard a thousand times before, and frankly, he’s sick of it. It’s not wrong, though. At least the mistakes he’s made in this life - so far - can’t compete with the last. Where there’s no way Leo could’ve fixed that one, he can at least try with Futaba. ]

That’s up to her.

[ If it were anyone else, he might offer them an awkward thanks for at least trying to talk to him about this. Finding the courage to face Futaba has been a monumental task that has only become harder with every related memory he’s received. But he’s not going to fool himself into thinking Baren actually cares about him. This is about Futaba - which is fine, because Leo wouldn’t care about him in this situation, either, but there’s no point in pretending otherwise. And after Baren stepped on that particular landmine, he’s hard-pressed to feel grateful about much of anything at the moment, even if this conversation does make him wish he could just find Futaba right now and get it over with already. ]

Is that all?

... ah.

[A nod of his head - because he thinks that's all. Some information still sits uncomfortably with him - the bits and pieces that he was able to pick up and piece together. What he thinks happened. What he thinks Leo might be afraid of. But he can recognize when he's already managed to learn too much, if he's able to put a theory together.

So Baren just reaches up to rub his neck a moment later. The only tell that he might've been made uncomfortable by all this too. A sigh.]

Good luck. Hopefully you won't need it.

[ - and a wave of his hand before he moves to walk away, tanuki on his shoulder as he goes.]

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I THOUGHT I RESPONDED TO THIS I'M SORRY RAY