17TH FLIGHT ➥ AUDIO.

[crowing]

( silence. the first couple of seconds from consists of nothing but quiet static of background noise and what sounds very suspiciously like someone breathing. and then it sounds like someone really freaking stupid doing breathing exercises. )

Hoooooowuh. HAAAAA—!

F-fucking hell! I'm alive!

( a pause. )

I'm alive. . . I'm alive. What the fuck! Whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck.

( there's a quiet grumble of "I said no goddamn trades." )

Which one of you freakin' idiots made the trade?! ( oh yeah, there's a sharp jerk from shock to anger. ) WHICH ONE OF YOU?!

[[ ooc: running off to work, replies after my shift! ]]

Comments

[crowing]

( suspicious!! at least akito's happy!)

I got time right now.

1/2

[errandry]

'Cause you should've gotten it back months ago, dumb crow.

[errandry]

Thought you were gonna rampage.

[crowing]

I'm biding my time. ♥

[errandry]

Real strategy, huh.

[crowing]

My strategies are fucking flawless!

[errandry]

A truly flawless strategy wouldn't need the hype!

[crowing]

WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT.

So c'mon, c'mon, where are you, dude? I still need my congratulations from ya!

1/2

[errandry]

Out by the palace...? And oi, I said it was about time!

[errandry]

[ the thinnest of pauses. ]

Welcome back.

1/2

[crowing]

Thanks. Glad to be back.

[crowing]

I'm on my way.

( there's the rush of wind and static as ikki leaps out a window to set off towards kazu. )

[errandry]

( it's actually not much of a palace—the building looks stiffly ornate at best, a mansion maybe, business-like and formal in red brick. but there's row after row of trimmed hedges, and a carved fountain in the courtyard overseen by stone angels, and Kazu's never been through the place before. he's wandering back to the entrance by the time Ikki makes his way there. )

[crowing]

( the trip itself is relatively short and he's in front of kazu within a manner of mere minutes. there's no verbal greeting when he arrives, in fact, there's nothing at all. he doesn't even slow down.

instead, he's zeroing in on kazu to slam his fist into his face at full force and a relatively high speed. )

[errandry]

( yeah, saw that coming.

fortunately he's a little too watchful, has been since the contract kicked in. there's no change in the air to clue him in, only motion—which, in this case, is just barely enough. knuckles dent flesh and the world slows to frame by frame, and in that instant Kazu goes blurring backwards, striking sparks off the paving stones, a little short of vanishing. he lets the momentum carry him until they've got a decent distance between them.

fuck, he's going to have to remember to swallow too. this is going to be weird. )

What?

[crowing]

( there's something wrong about this, something weird, but it's not immediately apparent to him. there's a strange tug in his chest, something that cements his suspicions because he knows, he goddamn fucking KNOWS already that it had to be him. that stupid, stupid, bastard, and somehow that thought overrides anything else that might be in his head.

any distance between them is temporary, the wheels of his trecks kicking up sparks against the pavement as he propels himself forward. in a rush of wind, he's in front of kazu, leaning down to fist a hand in the collar of his shirt. )

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU FUCKING BASTARD—?!

[errandry]

( barely holding track of his own limbs, Kazu's yanked in easily—manages, with sight and blunted sense of movement, to wrap fingers around Ikki's wrist. and if his grip's a little harder than usual, put it down to the moment. his heels dig against the stones, angling for a turn away he can't make, not yet, as he glares up. )

You're the last person I wanna hear that from.

[crowing]

Shut the hell up!

( nothing feels right anymore. his body feels hot, way too hot—in the way that kazu used to feel when he grabbed him—and kazu feels. . . warm. just warm. that's it. it's weird, it's not right, and he's suddenly so acutely aware of both of their pulses, the erratic beating of their hearts as it echoes through their veins.

jesus. )

What the fuck were you even thinking? WHAT DID YOU GIVE THEM?

[errandry]

You shut up.

( it's a low snap—no bite in the words, no temper behind it, not yet. even with sensation stripped hollow, it's hard to miss that Ikki's shouting in exhales—real noise, real air, every breath a necessary drag. he's breathing, and maybe if Kazu concentrates he can make out the barest thread of a pulse under his palm.

he doesn't flinch. )

It was a temporary trade, all right? I'll get it back in three weeks.

[crowing]

As if! You can't freakin' silence me! What did you give them?

( fuck, fuck, fuck. that stupid bastard. god, how could one person be so damn stupid. there's no stopping it, he can't fight back the urge to cock his arm back and punch kazu in the face one more good time.

fuck him. )

[errandry]

( it's instinct to close eyes against a punch—but he can't afford that, not right now. fold with the motion, tongue behind teeth, and in the instant the hit collides, what Kazu registers is pressure: ridges (knuckles) sinking into skin, the shock of the punch rattling through his skull, breath in a long hiss. his jaw clenches. nothing clicks. okay.

this is all two seconds before he punches Ikki in the gut. call it recoil. )

Not all my memories. Nothing you're gonna miss. What's it matter now?

[crowing]

( there's a sharp exhale as the punch connects, all of the air coming rushing out of his mouth in one horrible quick instance. it still feels wrong, foreign, and completely fucked up. it's hard to think about how just a day ago, he didn't have to worry about shit like that.

he can't let this go though. it's not over yet, so he slams his elbow into kazu's shoulder with much more force than necessary. )

Are you fucking daft! FUCK! Of course it matters!

It's you, ya dumbass! Why the fuck would that not matter?!

[errandry]

( follow the motion, remember to flinch—he'll lie with movement if nothing else. he stumbles backwards, then takes another few steps back, panting. )

'Cause the trade's done, asshole. And it's not like I'd take it back anyway.

i hate that icon.

[crowing]

You're not answering the question.

( there's something a little sobering about hitting him and impossibly comforting. he continues to bridge the space between them, stepping closer to grab back onto him, fingers twisting into his shirt. he picks him up, lifting him a few inches off of the ground. )

You goddamn said you wouldn't trade. It shouldn't have been done in the first damn place! None of you should have had to trade for me! You guys have already lost more than enough!

I. DON'T. WANT. YOU. GUYS. TO. LOSE. ANY. MORE.

gosh, I had no idea. :B

[errandry]

( kicking as his fingers pry at Ikki's grip. )

We thought you'd take care of yourself. You think we like giving shit up? I waited two fucking months for you to figure something out, you dumb bastard. This was worth it.