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“If you met your clone, what would you do?”
You try not to jump, and you're pretty sure that you fail miserably. Whatever panicked expression you're wearing must pass for confusion, because Isa only laughs.
“It's not a serious question! It's just for fun! Like..." His face scrunches up as he thinks. Cute! "Would you want to be friends with them? Or maybe you’d feel like you have to kill them? Or maybe... Maybe you’d want to try kissing them???"
You. Don't know how to answer this.
Technically, you have some experience. For a while, Loop was, maybe, you think, your friend. You think you'd still want them to be, if they were around. You never really wanted to kill them, even when you were furious at them, even when you were going more or less insane.
But Loop... Loop had sure wanted to kill you! If you had been in their position, would you have felt the same? You don't think so. But you're not completely sure.
And that last one...
"Personally, I think I'd want to try to be friends," he says after a moment. "But I do think it would be interesting to try kissing them! Just to see what it's like? Or, well," he tilts his head to one side, "to see what I'm like???”
Kissing....
Kissing?!
You think about it. You know what kissing feels like, sort of. You've done it with Isa a few times now! Couldn't he just ask you what it's like to kiss him? Maybe that would be weird.
You try to picture Loop, instead. They don't have a mouth. How would that even work? Also, they're literally you? Is that okay???
"That's...allowed?" you ask.
Isa frowns. "What's allowed?"
"Kissing. Your clone?"
"Oh! W-well." Suddenly, Isa looks embarrassed. Maybe it was a weird question to ask? You don't really know how any of these things work. "I mean, why not? If they're literally you, they'd probably know what you like? It’s not like there are really any rules.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
Isa blushes. "I-I mean, I don't think I would? If you wanted to try it, in this totally hypothetical made-up situation, it's fine???”
Hm...
Your mind goes to the last moments you had with Loop, hovering over them, their face in your hands.
You try to conjure up whatever it was you were feeling as you thanked them. It wasn’t desire—you’re still not sure you feel that toward anyone—but it was…a lot. Almost overwhelming. The sheer strength of it makes it surprisingly easy to imagine that, if they hadn't disappeared, you could have leaned down just a bit and—
Oh. What you're imagining would have been real, though. Is that okay?
"What if it wasn't hypothetical, though?"
Why did you say that.
"Uh??????"
Quick! Make it into a joke!
"I mean, Isa," you say, trying to look coy, and not like you had just been making a sincere effort to imagine kissing your own self from an alternate reality.
You're really throwing me for a Loop!, is what you wish you could say. But. He wouldn't get the joke. …Yet!
You settle for something passable. "Don't you think that would cause a real..clone-troversy?"
"Hah!" He claps his hand onto your shoulder, and you internally praise yourself for managing not to flinch. "Good one. Weird setup, but good. Now stop avoiding the question! I want to know your answer!!!”
He's looking at you so earnestly. You can't avoid it, but you still turn away slightly to hide your face. In the distance, you can just make out a favor tree, waving gently in the wind. You stop yourself from waving back. "I think I'd want to be friends with them, too," you say, your voice quiet. "We'd already know everything about each other. It would be nice. To have someone know everything, without having to say anything."
"I want to know everything, too, Sif." He speaks so gently. You know he means it. You...hope you're ready for that. You want to be.
"Yeah." You breathe in, and out, more discreetly than usual. That's enough feelings for now. "But if I told you all at once, Isa..."
"Yeah?"
"I think you would be…”
“Yeah???”
“…Clone away!"
It's not funny at all, but he bursts out laughing anyway. You can't help but smile.
Far in the distance, the tree smiles back.