incomingchoppers | IC INBOX

Dahlia immediately looks mortified.

"Wh--- No! That's absolutely not what this is about, Radar, it has nothing to do with--- with any of that. Hey." She tips her head down, craning her neck to try and get back in his line of sight. "I love the way you look. And I certainly don't care if your eyesight is bad, that... that would be ridiculous. Goodness."

Reaching out, she takes his hand gently, and sighs. How to explain this...?

"It's a little complicated. I... suppose I'm just kind of a strange person. I've lived, ah, sort of a bad life? I know it probably doesn't seem that way, considering, but it's been... difficult. But I used to have a lot of people that I loved in different ways, for different reasons, who could each be something unique for me. Now... those people are gone. And I suppose this is just my heart's way of trying to build a new family. One full of people that I love equally, who each represent unique parts of my life. One I'd like you to be part of."

...Nobody's ever said they love the way he looks. Even Linda Sue acted like they were sweethearts despite how he looked, not because of it.

A tiny shiver goes through his heart. Radar meets her eyes; when Dahlia takes his hand, he doesn't flinch away, even if the shivery feeling gets way worse for a second.

"I always thought if you're serious about someone, you're supposed to be their one and only." He doesn't say it with any kind of judgement. Mostly, he sounds like he's still trying to puzzle through what Dahlia's saying, searching for a way to understand. "...If we're dating I don't gotta date anybody else too, do I?"

"It depends on who you are, and what you need or want out of a relationship or life in general." Dahlia shrugs. "I know what I want my world to look like. I want a home full of people who mean the world to me. I want a network of people I can go to for support and comfort. I want to connect on deep levels with those people, and I want none of them to feel like they have to hold me up on their own, or that they're solely responsible for helping me through the--- mountain of baggage I come with." She laughs hollowly at that.

"There's nothing wrong at all with wanting only one partner. And you wouldn't have to do anything you didn't want to do. You could, if you decided you wanted to. If you met someone else. But that's your choice. It's okay for us not to need the exact same things, as long as we're on the same page."

Slowly, Radar nods.

Maybe it's not like Hawkeye so much after all. More like... well, there's stuff Radar talks about with Hawk that he'd never ever talk about with Colonel Potter or Father Mulcahy. And things he'd talk about with the Father he'd never say to his other friends or his CO. Enlisted guys like Klinger will know what Radar means when the officers don't; if he's got a question for a nurse, he's not gonna go to a doctor instead.

Maybe that's all this is. Except that you're dating everyone instead of just friends with them.

He gnaws his lip as he thinks it through. It still feels -- oh, he doesn't know. It really is a lot. He feels weird and squirmy picturing himself in this kind of situation, but... but it doesn't feel all bad. Does it?

Tentative, he says, "Can I think about it more? I, I mean, even with all the other stuff you're my boss on top of that too, and I dunno if that's, um. If you're worried about that at all. But -- " In a burst of courage, he squeezes her hand and makes himself really hold her gaze. "I really like you a lot, too, you know? You're one of my favorite people here."

"I feel the same way!" The joy in her voice is palpable as she says this.

If he says no, then that's probably for the best, really. He'd be better with someone gentle like him. He just got out of a war, after all. But maybe, just maybe, when the truth all comes out, he'd remember a monster who wanted to help him because he was gentle. And if not, then Dahlia can at least live in the solace of this moment. Of telling him what she feels and what she wants.

"Take all the time you need. And if there's anything else I can tell you that'd put your mind at ease--- I'll do my best to answer any questions. But there's no pressure, and no hard feelings. Alright?"

Oh, wow, when she smiles like that --

Radar laughs, a little giddy, and keeps riding the wave of his bravery: he wraps her hand in both of his, beaming. "All right, yeah," he agrees. "Yeah, if I think of anything I wanna ask while I'm thinking about it, I'll tell you, okay?"

Wow. She feels the same way. A tiny part of him still wonders about a whole lot more than just the dating part: is this real, is she making fun, why him when there's a thousand other guys she could be interested in? But. It sure does feel real.

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