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Daisuke doesn't consider himself socially smart. He'll talk every and anybody's ear off, social cues fly over his head and he laughs at jokes he doesn't understand.
He can pick up instructions easily though. He loves board games and messing with wires as Swansea tells him what to do. Daisuke is better at fixing things than people, which is why his mom pushed for the internship so he could learn and socialize.
He's not good with people yet he still recognizes when something happens with Anya.
On the first days aboard the ship, Anya was talkative, Curly had to redirect them from whatever conversation they were having in the middle of a workday. She’s funny too. She bumps Daisuke and looks scandlized as if he did it, the banter between the two of them was common.
Then a few months into their crusade, Daisuke had hip bumped her, expecting a laugh or that look but she had jumped in fear. Anya became skittish, never talking or making direct eye contact like she was prey stuck in a cage with a predator.
Which doesn't seem right to Daisuke, Anya is independent and strong, he's seen her lug medical supplies around from storage. This behavior was weird, he would chalk it up to just being an Anya thing since Curly and Swansea don't seem to notice.
So, Daisuke isn't smart enough to know what's happening with her and he isn't close enough with Anya to talk to her about it. He lets thoughts of what to do whirlwind in the back of his head as days go by, in between checking the crypods and reading manuals twice over when he should be sleeping, he worries.
Sitting up in bed, the young mechanic looks around the dark room. Swansea is snoring on the other side, back turned towards Daisuke. He knows the older man detested him, having to share so much of his space with him from his personal bathroom to his room and his workstation.
He shuffles out of bed, shoving his feet into his Pony Express™ slippers and walking out into the hall. It's cold on the ship and he wishes he grabbed a jacket or his blanket before wandering out, he wraps his arms around himself and is thankful for his heavy sleeping pants.
As he looks both ways through the hall he doesn't immediately notice anything wrong. Swansea’s room is furthest from the door that leads out to the rest of the ship, right across is Anya’s room, and next to hers is Jimmy then finally Curly.
It's then when he realizes he is standing in front of Jimmy who is in front of Anya’s door. That's definitely weird, the co-pilot is looking at Daisuke like he's about to get scolded for something.
“Uhm… Jimmy?” Daisuke tilts his head, whispering as he gulps, trying to find his words. This is weird.
“What are you doing out here, Daisuke?” Jimmy says harshly, turning fully towards him with his arms crossed, “Surely you can use the five hours of peace to not disturb anyone, right?”
Ah, Daisuke gulps again, he's turning this on him. “It's just… I couldn't sleep and thought I'd step out. What are you doing out here, man? That's not your room.” He then helpfully points to where Jimmy’s quarters are like the older man doesn't know.
He clicks his tongue, shaking his head before angrily turning to his room and stomping away, muttering under his breath that Daisuke pretends he didn't hear. When the co-pilot’s door fshes shut, Daisuke lets out a deep breath.
“That was so weird…?”
Before he can turn and walk around the ship until he's tired, Anya’s door opens, revealing her. Despite the fact she should be sleeping, she's wearing her normal work clothes and a coat, arms crossed as her wide eyes scan him.
“W - What are you doing out here, Daisuke?” She asks, peeking her head out to look down the hall, “I heard talking?”
“Oh! uhm,” Daisuke gestures towards Jimmy’s door as he talks, keeping his voice down, “Jimmy was out here, I don't know if he needed you but he just stormed off.” He shrugs, watching the way Anya’s confusion melts into discomfort. Her face pales and even under all her layers, she's shaking.
“Thank you for telling me,” Her voice is laced with thickness and fear, “You should go back to sleep, Daisuke.” She says this then pulls the handle of her door, shutting him back into the hall by himself.
Which is weird, that's not a normal reaction. Anya loves her work, she gets excited when she can do medical things that aren't reorganizing the medical bay.
Weird, weird, weird.
Daisuke doesn't go back to his room, he slides down the wall next to her door and curls into himself, resting his arms on his knees. He doesn't know why but he won't let anyone else by Anya’s door.
So it's a routine.
Daisuke will lay in bed for a few minutes then get up, grabbing his blanket and getting comfortable in front of Anya’s door. Sleeping on the floor is actually a slight improvement to the beds Pony Express provides.
He even learns pressing his back to the door won't slide it open, he would have to pull the handle out. This means, that as long as he's leaning against her door, someone would have to wake him up to get in.
Tonight, he just lays in front of her door, eyes following the pipes overhead. He heard the steam of the door then a small, strangled sound as Anya crouched down to look at him.
She seems calm, a hand hovering over his forehead before she just nods in understanding. Anya caught him a few times, a little scared before he explained his reasoning, she didn't say anything then, just nodded and he kept doing it.
Anya steps over him, “Kitchen,” is what she whispers before she's quietly walking down the hall. He wonders if she feels safer walking halls knowing he's out here, knowing Daisuke would tell her if someone else was wondering before her, knowing he would jump into action if she needed him.
After the crash, Anya, Swansea, and Daisuke move into the recreational room. Jimmy sleeps on the couch, they sleep on the floor. It's weird sharing a smaller space with everyone now, he'll twiddle his thumbs and count the chairs and listen to all of their breathing, he even listens for Curly from medical.
Anya sleeps the furthest away from them, near that Polle sign that sprouts motivational sentences if you get close enough.
It's one of the nights Swansea doesn't come up from Utility, leaving Daisuke to spread out further than usual. He's lost in thought, trying to find sleep when he hears it.
“You run the day or the day runs you!” Polle’s encouraging voice rings out causing Daisuke to sit up, wide eyes looking at Jimmy who's towering above Anya on the floor.
She has sat up too, looking up at Jimmy as he glares at the fake horse. It's the same look he gave Daisuke all those months ago, that scowl when he realized he couldn't take something.
“What are you doing, Jimmy?” Anya asks loudly, glancing over to Daisuke.
“Just…” He shrugs, crouching down to her and fully ignoring the intern's presence as he whispers something.
Daisuke doesn't know why his body reacts before his brain could but he's scrambling out of his blankets and crawling over to them, getting between Anya and Jimmy.
While they both look surprised at Daisuke squeezing between them, he sees that flash of relief as Daisuke hides Anya from Jimmy’s view. He smiles at the co-pilot, unassuming, “What's going on?”
“I just need to talk to Anya -”
“About the captain?” Daisuke interjects again, watching the way Jimmy’s resolve crumbles, “If somethings going on with him, I can help!”
Jimmy sighs heavily, leveling a glare at Daisuke before he stands up, muttering a nevermind and walking off to medical.
When Daisuke looks over, he offers up a small, nervous smile and says, “So, maybe it was something with Curly…”
Anya shakes her head, watching him leave before her hands come up to clutch her hair, black strands bunch up in her hands.
“Anya?” Daisuke considers placing a hand on her but decides not to, lacing his hands together as he watches her, “Hey, it's okay, it's just us here,”
“I thought, maybe he wouldn't try again…” She's mumbling to herself, eyes clenched closed, tears rolling down her face as she tucks her face into her knees.
Daisuke doesn't know what to do, there aren't instructions, and there isn't Swansea around to tell him what to do. He feels like a fish out of water.
So he sits with her as she silently cries, letting her find exhaustion. When she slowly unfolds herself, red-brimmed eyes looking at her, it's just relief again.
“Thank you…” She whispers, eyes scanning the room before she sighs, tucking herself back into the sleeping bag.
“Yeah, anytime man…” Daisuke stands back up, walks away, and grabs his sleeping bag. He makes the impulsive decision to give Anya it.
As he walks over, Polle activates again, “Tomorrow is another day to get work done!”
Anya looks up at Daisuke in confusion, looking at his sleeping back before he lays it over her and walks back to lie down in Swansea's.
This begins a new routine. Another cycle of finding safety in each other.