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Raqio had always considered themself as someone logical and intelligent. They had to be, because they were born in the planet of Gliese, a place where one wouldn't survive, much less thrive, if they didn't possess the necessary qualifications. Emotional and illogical actions had no place in that planet; naturally, those things had no place in Raqio's life.
But their experience in this spaceship was enough to overturn their ideas, their long-held philosophies. Logic and intelligence were important, but those weren't all that were needed to survive and thrive. There were humans who did illogical things, and yet they achieved their goals. There were humans with intelligence far beneath theirs, but they were able to understand things that Raqio couldn't. There were those who wielded charisma and performance in order to sway others into their views; there were those who had no explanation for their actions aside from intuition, but were able to pierce through layers of lies.
It was enlightening, to say the least.
Especially since Raqio found themself changing as well.
At the very least, the Raqio of before wouldn't have said something like: "Then? What's your plan after this? Do you already have a place to go to?"
Remnan stood before them, shoulders hunched forward. "I... haven't decided yet."
Indecisiveness wasn't something that Raqio was fond of. But they found themself not flaring up in indignation at the response. There was definitely softness in his tone when he offered, "Why not go to Gliese with me then?"
Their standing in that society was high enough that they could provide for another person. Even if Remnan wanted nothing but to hole himself up indoors for his entire lifetime, he shouldn't be difficult to provide for. The Raqio from before wouldn't have considered keeping another person as a golden canary. It was a little bit exciting to develop this type of desire now.
Remnan flinched slightly upon hearing their words. It wasn't the same type of rejection that he exuded whenever those people displayed attraction or interest towards him. But he still didn't look particularly enthused. He fiddled with his fingers and his shoulders sloped forward further.
In a small voice, "...I'm... going to be a burden to you, wouldn't I?" Even smaller, as if he found such words preposterous in their attempt to forecast the future, "Your planet is... I don't think I'm intelligent or logical enough for it. I'm indecisive and weak, and just not someone who's like you, Raqio..."
"Of course, you're not like me," Raqio retorted. Nobody in this spaceship could ever hope to be like them, but that was beside the point. "If you hate the idea of being with me so much, there's no need to say all of these."
Things such as likes and dislikes shouldn't matter in a society that focused solely on logic. But they found themself bristling at hearing the self-insulting words from Remnan. They found themself inexplicably drawn to the man - so if Remnan put himself down, wasn't it a roundabout way of saying that Raqio's taste was lacking?
"No! I don't hate being with you!" This was a rare moment of Remnan being forceful. Fists balled at the sides, an earnest face. "It's just that... I don't want to bring any trouble to you... That place isn't for someone like me..."
The effects of 'love' on human neurochemistry and hormones were well-documentedThe dopamine that rushed through their body was just a temporary chemical imbalance. There were various explanations for the sudden burst of warmth that accompanied looking at one's beloved; there were scientific principles at work to dismantle every heart-pounding sensations that accompanied attraction. Raqio thought that for someone as intelligent as themself, they should be able to spot such anomalies swiftly. They didn't think that they'd fall prey to such manipulation of his neural chemistry.
Raqio knew many things, but they still found themself saying, "Then that's an easy problem to fix." They reached out to stop Remnan from balling his fists so hard they'd leave bruises in his palms. "Let's change Gliese, and make it a place that could welcome us together."
A planet that only acknowledged and rewarded someone like Raqio, while it shunned someone like Remnan - that wasn't a place worth protecting.
Remnan stared at them, caught speechless. It took a while for him to form the words, "...Raqio, you... You would do that for me?"
"I'm doing it for myself," they corrected. "I already extended an invitation to you. It wouldn't work if the place I'm bringing you to doesn't live up to expectations."
A few more moments of speechlessness from Remnan. But he eventually shook, like he was repressing sobs. But it was only for a moment. His shoulders unhunched, like there were wings behind him that were ready to unfurl into flight. "Thank you, Raqio. If it's not too much trouble... I'm in your care." He shifted so that he was also returning the hand-hold. "And I'll do my best to take care of you too."
Raqio wanted to retort that they didn't need the other to take care of them. But a bigger part of them relished that promise. It was delightfully absurd.
"Make sure to prepare yourself then. We're going to spend a long time together, after all."
In the end, they could only reciprocate in these absurd delights.
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