Factory Workers Unite! [Katsu x Tomoe]

It seemed odd to Katsu, even know he knew the concept of friendship and love, that he could never seem to get enough of Tomoe smiling with that blue gummy in her mouth. It always made him smile. Many people said that there was such a thing as too much of a good thing, but he hadn't reached that limit with Tomoe, and he couldn't see a point when he would. Her smile was addicting, her giggles brought him such joy despite his mind being a dark place he easily could get lost in. However, despite this, Katsu worried deeply about Tomoe and how people would view their relationship in this game. After all, strong bonds could lead to lying to try to help them get off the murder charge. Then people would try to kill off the power couple. For now, he let these worries slide off his back, as no one had actually died yet and he planned to try to get everyone out… somehow. It really was too bad that computer in that office was broken beyond repair, else he would easily get at least Tomoe and himself out.

"Draw?" Katsu wasn't a very good artist. He wasn't the best with his motor skills for a few reasons, though he was still good at typing, due to his insane amount of practice in the past. Katsu closed the refrigerator door and turned towards Tomoe with a lazy expression on his face as he ate one of his gummies and offered her another. Despite the fact, he was not even close to an artist, he couldn't turn down an opportunity to spend time with Tomoe. And drawing would take his mind off the things that were stressing his mind out at this time. Plus, drawing was fun, especially with Tomoe. Fun was good. It made him smile. Just like when he managed to get through a tough firewall, that feeling of great joy was the same.

"Of course. Maybe we could draw those bears. Everyone seems to be mean to them. We could hang up signs to remind people that being mean probably hurts their feelings."

Katsu was the Kristen Stewart of the factory, at least his creator was sure of that. Other than the fact he actually smiled from time to time. He became the, uh, Kristen Stewart with a smile around those he preferred, especially those like Tomoe, as he had known her for a long long time. It honestly felt nice to know someone in the factory, but also it was a terrible burden with how things were going. If they didn't get out soon, someone would kill, and of course, due to the obvious connection between the two of them, they would be targets as power couples were threats in survival games, like those one reality shows where some people were shoved onto an island to fend for themselves. He didn't remember the game, but he had watched about twenty seasons over time as he had one episode always running on one of his nine televisions of reality shows, so he knew how people were doing in reality. Some people were really cutthroat in reality. That's why he knew he couldn't trust people when he walked in reality.

“Good idea Katchan, you’re super smart.”

Yes. Yes he was. He felt such pride when Tomoe called him smart. He already knew he was good with things like computers, but this was something where he considered the feelings of others and she said he had a good idea. It meant he was getting better socially. And the better he was socially, the better he would get along with everyone and convince them not to kill anyone. After all, he didn't dislike anyone so far, even Taro who had caught him on fire, except… Yoko, who he was judging harshly due to her complete lack of care until her sister died, though he did feel sympathy for her. After all, he would be broken if people he liked died here too.

"Alright," Katsu said as he looked down as she hugged him with a warm smile. Tomoe hugs were his favorite, though he rarely returned them just because it was one of those things he forgot was a thing he was supposed to do. He felt bad sometimes not returning a hug, because he knew Tomoe was a bit… well, messed up sounds bad, and it isn't accurate, but the correct word was escaping him. When he got out he would research the word, and he stored this incident in the back of his head.

"We need… a slogan. Something that will stick in those who see the signs' head. What do you think?" Katsu sat nearby where the supplies were, on the floor, with a paper and a couple markers in front of him, staring at the blank page.

As Katsu drew his own poster, his hand shaking slightly, and once losing grip of his drawing utensil, before sighing and slowly picking it back up. He glanced over at Tomoe's poster which looked so much better than his. He felt very inadequate, though there was more of a reason than he just sucked at drawing as to why his was worse and looked all shaky. Luckily, he was still at the point if he tried hard enough he could will his hand to stop shaking if he concentrated almost all of his energy on stilling his hand. It was hard to look natural moving when he was late on his medicine, but even on it… his condition made it hard to move and look natural just in general. It took a lot of will and a lot of brainpower to just keep going, to the point of exhaustion.

When Tomoe finished her drawing, he couldn't help but feel a lurch out of that self-pity and into something closer to just happiness. Cute plus smart plus a good artist? Wasn't she just perfect? He was like a schoolboy with a crush on a cute little schoolgirl. And actually, it wasn't like that, that's how it was. He'd cared for her for a long time, and though for a shorter time he had realized his feelings for her had grown past the point of just friendship. If he was honest, he loved her, and he was just worried about telling her his feelings too soon, because he didn't want to disrupt her life. She was still so young, especially compared to him, he just wanted her to grow up without just having a boyfriend all the time (or that was what he hoped would happen when he confessed his feelings) so she could have a sense of independence and experience life as a single young girl.

"That… looks great." Katsu looked back down at his own, feeling that pang of failure when compared to Tomoe's poster. "I… tried." Katsu held up his poster for Tomoe to see and looked away with embarrassment. It looked so bad, he was sure, and no one would like it. But at least he tried and Tomoe here, her posters would definitely get their message across to the others. She was so talented and overall just amazing.

He thought he had the worst poster ever, but when she placed her hand on his shoulder, he quickly looked at her hand, staring at the touch that he cherished so much. And then she said she liked it? That was the only thing he wanted to really hear, that she liked it, and it warmed his heart so very much. Yet that touch was still tingling on his shoulder, and his eyes were still staring at that spot even after she had removed it. It wasn't special or anything, Tomoe was a touchy girl, she liked to touch people, hug them, boop them, things like that. However, Katsu couldn't seem to get past that touch, a touch that sent electricity throughout his body, a touch he never wanted to lose.

It was little things like that from which he deduced that he was in love with Tomoe. His excuse of not telling her yet might break down due to the stresses of this game, but for now it was still strong in his head. He had to get out of here first at the very least. Telling her would be his prize for getting her to escape. His eyes glanced up to Tomoe as she through the gummy at his mouth and he flinched slightly, his hands typing the word 'catch' on an imaginary keyboard at the precise moment he needed to open his mouth to catch it. However, his skills typing were just a bit faster than his actual reflexes, probably due to disuse, no practice.

And thus, the gummy hit his face and he stared for a moment at the gummy on the ground. Five second rule. However, his mind was still spinning from that touch.

4.

He looked up at Tomoe and got lost in her eyes. They were beautiful eyes. He probably was weird for staring when there was a perfectly good gummy on the ground waiting to be picked up.

3.

He could still feel that touch humming on his shoulder, as he tried to will his hands forward to pick up the gummy.

2.

His hands moved. However, due to the fact he was distracted by her eyes and smile and that touch still tingling on his shoulder, he had to quickly lower his head to see the gummy to aim his hands correctly.

1.

It was in his hands finally, and he quickly popped it in his mouth, closing his eyes to savor the beautiful flavor. It was even better than normal because Tomoe had given it to him. Katsu reached and picked up a green gummy from the gummy package and handed it to Tomoe, his arm extended towards her, surprisingly still.

"Thank… you." Katsu said after she would presumably take the gummy. He quickly leaned in, pressing a kiss to her cheek and then returning to his posters to make at least another one. Because they needed as many posters as possible. And he wanted to make Tomoe smile again. He wanted to make posters Tomoe would like.

Katsu looked over to Tomoe when she asked if he was alright. Shit. He just kissed her cheek, didn't he? Well that was stupid of him, she thought something was wrong with him. Maybe there was something wrong with him. Was being in love wrong? No, it wasn't that, but doing that in this situation, well, that spelled out that something was wrong with him. Plus he seemed to be so callous at times, but that wasn't something wrong with him right? Perhaps there was something he didn't know about, acting so weird causing him to do weird things that felt right.

"Oh, uh… no, I'm far from unwell. I'm… really really happy right now," Katsu replied with a smile and then looking down to his shaking hands. No he couldn't tell her his feelings right now. It wasn't the right time. She didn't know anything about how he felt, but he knew he couldn't tell her, or it would be weird. He didn't want to make things weird or complicated in a situation like this. "Now let's get these poster hung up, alright?" Katsu looked over to Tomoe with a grin standing up and offering his hand to her to get up and run off hanging up their posters to spread the word of their cause.