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]

( 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.

UGH. 1/2

[crowing]

( he's dead silent as he stares at kazu, eyes locked onto his. there are so many things to say, really, but nothing's coming out. nothing seems right.

everything is wrong, wrong, wrong. )

[crowing]

You're too fucking stupid! Just shut the fuck up already! I was taking care of myself!

( all of his kicking and prying is useless, completely futile efforts of a guy who was never anything but weak against him. the effort, however, is appreciated. it'd be a hell of a lot more boring if he didn't at least try.

with a heavy sigh, ikki sets kazu back onto his feet. he lets go of him as soon as his feet touch the ground, but only partially because he's moving in favour of wrapping his arms around kazu's shoulders and hugging him. it's a ridiculous display of affection, but something tells him this is what he needs to do here and now. kazu has been with him since he woke up dead and now there was this. as much as he hates it, he does appreciate it. )

If you ever do some shit like this again, I'll tear you apart piece by piece.

[errandry]

( his hands fly up before Kazu registers that this isn't part of the fight—that he's not being thrown. that something in this is meant as a kindness.

what he's getting out of this is pressure, a band tightening around his shoulders. it could still be a throw, for all the difference it makes to him—no warmth, barely a sense of the arms knotted over his. a million little cues lost. he leans into it anyway, just a bit, palms light against—shoulder blades? he's pretty sure those are shoulder blades. )

Dumb crow. ( repeated quietly. ) Yeah, yeah. I won't if you won't.

[crowing]

I won't. We won't need to.

( he breathes the words like a promise, and that's because it is. it's a heartfelt promise to someone who has suffered here in this city with him, one among few, and he owes it to each of them to put an end to the unnecessary hardship they have been plagued with.

it's fine. no one is around, it's just the two of them and he can always punch kazu until he forgets if this becomes a problem. so, for now, he just lingers with his arms around him. it's nice to have the confirmation that he didn't lose himself to bring him back to life. )

But you've gotta tell me, man, what the hell did you trade?

[errandry]

( so, you know what's really awkward. that would be: having somebody with their arms around you and absolutely no physical cues for when to pull away. he shifts a little, more out of habit than anything else. )

... you're not gonna bitch about it.

[crowing]

( you know what's interesting? this is the least awkward way this hug could be happening right now, according to ikki.

it's over after another second anyway, hands pulling away from him before ikki takes a good two steps away from him. )

C'mon, I'm not gonna bitch. Tell me.

[errandry]

( even paying due attention, it still costs Kazu a moment longer than it usually would not to linger, to adjust balance and stand properly. )

Most of my sense of touch?

[crowing]

What. . .?

( just. a moment of staring. he doesn't understand. )

Most of your sense of touch?

[errandry]

Most of the time I can still tell when stuff's there. It's just kinda numbed down.

[crowing]

( immediately, he throws a punch at full-force against kazu's arm. )

How about that?

1/3

[errandry]

( ..................................... )

[errandry]

Nah, not a thing.

[errandry]

( MEANWHILE, FOLLOWING THAT UP WITH AN IMMEDIATE PUNCH IN THE GUT. )