neverplaysfair | Game 013 [Voice/Action]

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Game 013 [Voice/Action] - "Triumphant" Return

[ The feed cuts in to the sound of coughing, and a very soft ] dammit [ before Joshua speaks into the journal, his voice somewhat hoarse and higher-pitched than usual. ]

Hanekoma, come get me. [ Mostly he just sounds exhausted. ]

[ Josh is sitting against a tree on the edge of the forest, staring at the mountains off in the distance, his journal in his lap. He looks younger... 10, maybe 12 at the oldest. He's covered in burn marks and bruises, and his clothes are completely ruffled and smattered with blood stains, not to mention a bit oversized due to him not being his usual stature. There's blood-stained bandages on his arms, and more hidden beneath his clothes. In other words, he's in bad shape.

Not to mention shivering. It's cold and snowing, and he's not dressed for the weather. ]

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I'm not doing it 'cause you want it, I'm doing it 'cause I don't.

[ And he gets an arm between them, trying to steadily press Joshua away. Still doing his best with that calm casual tone, here. ]

It's not like I've never had a one-night stand, Joshua, it's that I'm not interested in one with you.

[ ~~oh yeah, it's personal. :|~~ ]

[ Then that grip behind his neck will just strengthen. ]

What's wrong with little old me?

Not something I'm attracted to, that's all.

[ Pushing. Away. The hand pressing on the guy's shoulder shifts a little, finding a new spot almost directly over his heart. Dammit Josh this was so much easier when you were too weak to stand. ]

And I'd like things between us to stay just how they are.

[ Joshua winces a little; the area is clearly still a bit sore. Still, he recovers quickly enough, his grip not letting up. ] It's only once, Sanae.

[ Sanae's interested to see just how bad the damage is, now that some healing's been done. Still, he wants Joshua out of his lap and he wants to see just how much the slices have healed up, so he'll trace a thumb across Joshua's heart, pressing just a bit. ]

I doubt it'd only happen once.

[ It takes a moment for the motion to register, and suddenly he is off of Sanae, back several feet. One arm is raised protectively in front of his chest, the other hand white as it grips the sheets beneath. There may have been a huge burst of power directed at Sanae as he pulled away, his breathing suddenly heavy. ]

[ Well, that was definitely not the reaction he was expecting. The burst of energy catches him off-guard, and Sanae only half manages to deflect it; an arm goes up to protect himself, but the blow catches him across the chest and shoulders and he's knocked back by it, ears ringing. Definitely not going to move from where his shoulders hit the pillows. ]

[ And then Hanekoma sits back up, moving slow and splaying his hands as though in surrender. Cautious, here, and startled, and a good bit of apologetic: ]

Sorry.

[ There's few seconds where Joshua is just staring, almost panicking, tensed as if he expects Sanae to lash out against him at any moment.

Then he blinks and it's gone. He relaxes, his expression sliding into one of annoyance, but he doesn't move from where he is. When he speaks, his voice is terse. ]

Don't do that.

[ He stays put and looks Joshua over, trying to process this reaction. That's... a weak spot to keep in mind, something that might come in handy, but Sanae presses that thought away quickly. He just sits. And watches. ]

I won't.

[ Josh stares a bit longer, then suddenly turns his back to Sanae. He looks down, staring at the bandages on his chest, spotty with blood from when his wounds reopened with his transformation. ]

[ His expression flickers a bit when Josh turns away, concerned and sad and faintly uncomfortable with seeing Joshua like this. Hanekoma shifts a bit on the bed, rubs the sting out of his shoulders and looks Joshua over again, carefully. ]

You want me to heal some more? Cracking you over the head probably didn't help anything. But I stayed all night.

It's fine. [ The response sounds calm enough, but Sanae probably knows Josh well enough to recognize that that was very much a Not Happy tone. He does not like that you did that and he does not like that he reacted like he did, and all the worse that it was in front of someone, even if it was Hanekoma. ]

[ He doesn't wince, but that expression falls a little further. ]

... for the record, I woulda jumped twice as much. It's only your first day back.

So you meant to make me startle. [ It isn't even a question, just a statement. He reaches up to gently trace a finger across his heart, and can't even stop the small shiver that races through him. ]

I wanted to see how bad the damage still was.

[ So not startle, particularly, but he had been looking for a reaction of some sort. Just going to lower his hands and get more comfortable on the bed, then, sitting up against the pillows. ]

Well, now you know. [ There's an edge to his voice. ]

I didn't think it'd be that bad.

[ That's not a criticism, Joshua, just a statement. ]

I'm not gonna do it again.

Sanae, they cut me open while I was awake.

... while you were awake.

[ He didn't know that part. He liked it better when he didn't know that part.

There's a pause, and then his tone is cautious, as there's a good chance this won't go over well: ]

I could take the memories.

[ The silence is him seriously considering it. If it weren't for the fact that it was causing a serious phobic reaction, he wouldn't even think twice about refusing. But he doesn't like it, doesn't like that it has him scared. That he can't help but showing it when triggered.

Finally he looks over his shoulder at Hanekoma. ]

No.

[ Hanekoma nods. Taking the memories would mean pulling them out of Joshua's head, would mean seeing more than he wants to. There's definitely a part of him that is content with not having to experience that.

Most of him isn't. ]

Alright.

[ He goes quiet for a moment, watching Joshua out of the corner of his eye. And then his gaze drops, and Hanekoma just sits and traces a finger along the dried blood on his sheets. ]

I could kiss it and make it all better.

[ Josh gives a soft exhale that's neither huff nor sigh. ]

A kiss wouldn't do that.

Time will help, at least. With the fear.

[ He barely dares to use that word, knowing Josh won't like it. ]

And healing will take care of the physical stuff.

[ That gets a flash of anger. It's one thing to know it's there. It's another to admit it out loud. ]

Fine. A kiss.

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