( as he notices rokkun staring at him, komaeda pauses, eyes sharp as he feels like he's being challenged. he lifts up his organic hand, staring into the palm of it, before he brings it to his mouth in thought, humming softly... the first time rokkun said that to him was to open his eyes, and remember, and that was to not think of him too badly. those were the early days where komaeda didn't understand anything, it was just life at the time, something that they accepted. even if his lips brush against the center of his palm, it's not intentional as he reaches out to cover rokkun's mouth instead, his request for him to stop speaking.

his hands are cold, but the center still warm from his own breath moments ago. )

I'm the one asking questions, yet... I'll humor you. My eyes have been closed for awhile, but that's because I lacked understanding of those around me... or anything around me at all... it's an idiom that's meant to tell me to...

( if he thinks about it "open his eyes" is to open them to reality, to finally make sense of the things around him that he's been ignoring this entire time... it's like removing himself from that fantasy world. that means he disappears too, right? )

...realize the truth, we all play our parts even in this layer of hell, but I understand that answer isn't satisfactory.

( he sighs, slowly removing his hand from the other's mouth. )

It's why I wanted to talk about us, and not me.