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You were walking along the beach alone as you contemplated your decision, Edwards voice repeating in your head. “That’s right, the person you choose in the end is the only person who can leave the island with you.” How were you supposed to choose though, and could you even fall in love with them in only three days? You found yourself wishing for Jiro, he had a way of listening to your thoughts and putting them in a pragmatic, easy to understand way. You spot a figure huddled over a small enclave, and you cautiously approach it. There was Jiro, staring at a small tidal pool of fishes. You calmly sit down next to him and he acknowledges your presence by moving towards the side to accommodate you.
“You seem to really like marine life,” you were thinking back to finding him interacting with a crab and now this.
“I simply find all living beings interesting, there is nothing special for someone like me.” You shake your head at his dismissal, seeing him going back to looking at the fish. He could barely keep his attention on you and you hesitated to mention your earlier feelings. He was pragmatic, but he also didn’t really seem the type to sit around listening to someone complain. He was very results based, a task that suits Yuri fine but you had seen pockets of resistance from him.
“I never thanked you, for trying to stop Yuri from injecting me with that experimental concoction. It couldn’t have been easy saying no to him.” Jiro shrugged at this, if he was disturbed by the conversation he didn’t let it show, instead opting to get more comfortable.
“It wasn’t ethical, everything I have read says that experimenting on humans should be done with their consent. As for saying no to Yuri, it’s easy, I just rarely want to.” You didn’t know what to say to that, you had thought maybe it was because he thought of you as a friend but it felt so perfectly Jiro for it to have been a practical reason instead.
“Still, thank you.” You bumped his shoulder and he stared at you in interest, repeating the gesture. You giggled at that and looked at the fishes, until you noticed he was still looking at you. “What?” You questioned, moving to touch your face only for Jiro to touch it instead. You widened your eyes at the contact and he seemed momentarily surprised too, pulling back.
“Not very many people get close to me, on account of me being as they say a monster.” He moved more into himself and you moved into his space catching his eyes again.
“I don’t think you’re a monster, so far you’ve done nothing but protect me and Yuri, even Kaito and Lucas.” He grunted a small smile on his face at the acknowledgment of his efforts.
“I do like marine life, I find the concept of living in such harsh conditions remarkable.” He confessed and you suddenly felt like you were seeing a part of him that not even Yuri had seen.
“What’s your favorite one?” He hesitated before looking back at the tide pool.
“Crabs,” it was a simple admission but you understood well enough what that meant. You yawned despite yourself. Something about Jiro’s quiet and steady presence put you at ease and your previous worries seemed far away. Jiro was the obvious choice, he would die without Yuri’s treatment and besides. You leaned your head on his shoulder and tried and failed to hide your smile as he moved you to his lap which was softer. Giving your bottle to someone has never been easier.