You were in the middle of organizing the med bay snacks because apparently nobody but you cared if the protein bars expired in 2022, when Bob shuffled into the doorway like he wasn’t entirely sure if he was supposed to be there.

“Hey,” he said, a little too casually.

He had his hands behind his back. That was your first clue something was up.

Your second clue? He was wearing a shirt that said “Emotionally Unavailable (but I’m trying)” in a retro, off-brand comic sans.

You raised an eyebrow. “Bob.”

“Yep,” he said, lips pursed.

A pause.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Fine. Totally.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearly gearing up for something. “So, uh—I went into town earlier. Just for a walk. Or, you know. To look at normal things. Windows. Air. You get it.”

“Sure.”

“And I passed by this weird little shop. You know the kind with too many incense burners and a cardboard stand of T-shirts with slogans that look like they were written by someone on hour seven of a caffeine bender?”

“That’s extremely specific, but yes.”

He exhaled hard through his nose. “Anyway, I, uh… I saw this shirt. And I don’t know. It just made me think of you.”

That was the moment he pulled his hand out from behind his back and held out a folded shirt toward you. Like it might bite him.

You took it carefully, unfolding it to reveal “Emotionally Available (but deeply suspicious)”

You stared at it. Then stared at him.

“You got us matching shirts?”

“Don’t make it weird,” he muttered quickly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It just— it looked like us. I mean, not that we’re a thing. You’ve always been the only one who gets my—whatever I’ve got going on, and I thought maybe you’d wear it. With me. At the same time. Or not. You can burn it. Totally fine.”

You grinned. “Bob...”

He gave you a tight smile. “Yup?”

“I love it. It’s very you.”

His shoulders dropped an inch, visibly relieved. “Really?”

You laughed and held the shirt up in front of you again. “Seriously, though. This is adorable.”

His ears went faintly pink. “You’re just saying that to be nice.”

He looked at you for a long moment, eyes softer than usual, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward, not the forced one.

“Okay,” he said quietly. “Cool. Cool, cool, cool.”

He stayed a while after that. Helped you toss expired snack bars. He was still embarrassed.