[ everything about ichiro's reaction hits hope like a truck, from the tone of his voice to the grip of his hand to the look in his mismatched eyes. it makes him feel guilty for making ichiro worry this much, for not thinking about how such a dumb act could upset someone else... even after these past few weeks, he still hasn't really internalized the fact that people care about him. ]

Look...I know. But I still wanted to do my part– I couldn't let everyone else pull their weight for me. We're all putting our lives on the line in some way or another just by being here already, anyway, so...at least by doing the extra credit, I'm helping everybody, right?

[ he plays with the bandana wrapped around his wrist... it's clear by now it's something of a nervous tic of his. ]

The next one I got isn't anywhere near as bad, though. Trust me.