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tornheart2017-09-17 02:30 am
blacktemper) wrote in tornheart2017-09-17 02:30 am
you leave me little notes on my pillow
Who: Vincent & Kit
When: Sept. 16th
Where: Green Valley School
What: Apparently some people take offense to others sleeping on benches.
[it's been almost a day and a half since his roommates were brainless enough to lead the police right to their apartment, and Vincent still hasn't managed to muster up any feelings on the matter beyond severe exasperation. he'd spent far longer in more dire circumstances immediately following his flight from home; all things considered, this was just a minor annoyance.
even so, hanging around various parts of Hagu had only served to keep his irritation hot rather than further cooling it down. for a change in scenery he's made his way to Eddan's most prestigious academic facility, although the choice has its practical components as well. even without a uniform it was easy to mistake him for merely another student hanging around after school, including (as he found out soon after his arrival) 'borrowing' a blanket and pillow from the nurse's office.
it's late in the day now, the realm of students with extracurricular activities, and Vincent's made himself quite comfortable on one of the many benches scattered around campus. he'd kept to one beneath a tree earlier in the day, but the weather had promised to get a bit windy during the night and so he's moved so as to avoid waking up covered in nature's refuse.
he seems to be pretty comfortable all the same, stretched out bodily with his legs crossed and guitar resting peacefully by his feet. it had been a small mercy that he'd been on his way home from practice when he'd heard the stupid news, preventing his precious instrument from suffering the same temporary lockdown as the rest of his belongings. a sloppily folded newspaper obscures most of his face from view, although the telltale smoke trail curling over the paper makes it easy to guess what else he's doing back there.
it's not the smartest thing to be doing when you're trying to lay low, but nicotine addiction is an ugly thing. every now and then Vincent pauses in his progress through today's sudoku to look over at any students he feels are staring at him too long, leveling a truly frightening glower their way. go on, it seems to dare them. just try and report this to a teacher.]
When: Sept. 16th
Where: Green Valley School
What: Apparently some people take offense to others sleeping on benches.
[it's been almost a day and a half since his roommates were brainless enough to lead the police right to their apartment, and Vincent still hasn't managed to muster up any feelings on the matter beyond severe exasperation. he'd spent far longer in more dire circumstances immediately following his flight from home; all things considered, this was just a minor annoyance.
even so, hanging around various parts of Hagu had only served to keep his irritation hot rather than further cooling it down. for a change in scenery he's made his way to Eddan's most prestigious academic facility, although the choice has its practical components as well. even without a uniform it was easy to mistake him for merely another student hanging around after school, including (as he found out soon after his arrival) 'borrowing' a blanket and pillow from the nurse's office.
it's late in the day now, the realm of students with extracurricular activities, and Vincent's made himself quite comfortable on one of the many benches scattered around campus. he'd kept to one beneath a tree earlier in the day, but the weather had promised to get a bit windy during the night and so he's moved so as to avoid waking up covered in nature's refuse.
he seems to be pretty comfortable all the same, stretched out bodily with his legs crossed and guitar resting peacefully by his feet. it had been a small mercy that he'd been on his way home from practice when he'd heard the stupid news, preventing his precious instrument from suffering the same temporary lockdown as the rest of his belongings. a sloppily folded newspaper obscures most of his face from view, although the telltale smoke trail curling over the paper makes it easy to guess what else he's doing back there.
it's not the smartest thing to be doing when you're trying to lay low, but nicotine addiction is an ugly thing. every now and then Vincent pauses in his progress through today's sudoku to look over at any students he feels are staring at him too long, leveling a truly frightening glower their way. go on, it seems to dare them. just try and report this to a teacher.]
yes and we established you are going to love the robot
[He waved his pear at Vincent and then, as if realizing putting food anywhere near the other boy was a good way to lose it, he pulled it back again.]
In any case, it was just a thought. And no...why would I feel threatened?
[As he shifted his attention to the googly-eyed face on the doorknob to his bedroom, Kit crossed his legs over the arm of the chair and took another bite of his pear. Vincent could see whomever he wanted. Live wherever he chose, with whomever his heart desired. It was of no consequence to him.]
in japanese??? on a platform i don't own??
That's why they wear such tight pants.
[and considering the shape of some of his bandmates, he was honestly convinced that was the greatest horror they were presenting on or off the stage.]
You seem to be pretty damn interested in where I'm attached lately. Thought you might be getting greedy.
yes??? obviously ai is worth it
[Kit arched a brow, casting a sideways glance in Vincent's direction.]
You don't wear them, too?
[...on second thought, did he really want to know?
The next bite out of his pear was almost annoyed as, once more, he turned his attention away from his guest. This time towards the television as an obnoxiously loud commercial about a car endorsed by someone Kit had never heard of began airing.]
You're imagining things.
YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HIM
[Kit isn't looking at him, but there's no way that he could pretend he didn't feel the heat of the other boy's gaze on him now. he couldn't say why he kept pressing on this topic, especially when it really meant nothing more to him than the other buttons they'd push with each other. but he found that no matter how many times he decided to let it drop, he came right back. it was immensely frustrating.
he at least tries to paper over things a little by belatedly replying to the other question. it's relatively harmless in the grand scheme of things, and a good distraction.]
I'm not the focal point when we play. And I've got better things to do with my money than cut off my circulation.
I KNOW ALL I NEED TO
Refusing to acknowledge Vincent's question, he instead chose to respond to his secondary statement. It was easier, and allowed for him to not have to speak about the other matter, if only for the time being.]
I'll believe that when I see it.
I REALLY DON'T THINK THAT'S TRUE
You've seen my clothes. If you don't believe it now then you never will.
LOVE AI
I've seen what you wear day-to-day, but is that how you perform on stage? That's what I want to see.
BUT DOES AI LOVE YOU
That's how I perform on stage, plus corpse paint.
[the makeup was absolutely vital to the entire experience, in many ways even more important than the clothes themselves. to really feel as if you were being menaced by demons while the music burrowed into your skull...it was the heart and soul of the genre.]
UHHHH SURE
Music was Vincent's passion, Kit had known that since the first night he'd met him. But after all this time he had yet to really see the other boy perform. In fact, he really only knew of one other member in the band, someone he'd supposedly spent time with at the detention center. He didn't even know the group's name.
But he wanted to.
Vincent, of course, hadn't seemed to follow that train of thought and Kit, with a shake of his head, turned back to his pear.]
How frightening.
THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE THE CERTAINTY TO TRUE AI TO ME
If it isn't I don't deserve to be on stage in the first place.
HDU JUDGE OUR AI
You said it, not me.
[Taking another bite of pear, he continued to dig his grave, a talent he had perfected by now by not knowing when to stop poking the wasps' nest. He really could learn to take a page from Vincent's book once in a while and be a little more direct.]
Without seeing the whole act for myself, I can only assume you look like children playing at Halloween.
i'm just suggesting that when he says aishetaru it may be a bit insincere, that's all
[well, if his intention was to start getting Vincent's dander up, he was certainly succeeding. the comment not only earns him a frightening glare, but some petulant retaliation alongside the insult. he reaches out to pluck one of the unused pillows from the other edge of the couch and hurls it full speed right at the other boy's face. eat shit, asshat.]
THAT'S WHY YOU GOTTA TEACH HIM presumably
His fingers dug deep into the pillow...and he realized he had a few options. He could drop it on the floor where it would rest uselessly but for being seen as a challenge, a sort of throwing down the gauntlet. He could also tuck the pillow behind him for extra comfort in his chair, also a gesture that would prompt retaliation and physical confrontation. The third option was the least likely to resort in violence...and that was the one Kit went with.
He swung his legs off the arm of the chair and rose to his full height, dropping the pillow into the seat where he'd been sitting a moment ago. Then, without a word, without even meeting Vincent's toxic stare, he turned and started towards his room.]
WE ARE NOT GETTING THE ROBOT LAID WHILE HE'S HOOKED UP TO A COMA PATIENT
he'd harbored some doubts before, but there was absolutely no other way to interpret all of this: Vincent's previous actions were still weighing as heavily on his roommate's mind as his own. it isn't the failure of his projectile to connect that sparks his anger, but the way that Kit removes himself wordlessly from another situation that ought to be commonplace and almost pleasant.
the insult to his band is completely forgotten. Vincent's feet hit the ground only moments after his former companion's, propelling him forward as he uses his speed to get in front of the other boy and bar his way by standing in the bedroom doorway. his posture doesn't seem to be inviting a battle, for once, but his eyes are burning with the same sort of intensity.]
That's enough bullshit.
[if Kit wouldn't tolerate him acting like a child then there was absolutely no way he was going to extend the courtesy when their situations were reversed. they were going to have this all out here and no, consequences be damned.]
GOTTA JUMP START THAT BRAIN ACTIVITY SOME WAY
What bullshit are you talking about?
[Was it that Vincent didn't know how to let go? Was it that he wouldn't be satisfied until they'd bled each other dry? Was he so desperate to control and dominate that he had to chase down everyone in his line of sight and attempt to bring them to heel just so he didn't feel so small himself?
Those were things Kit wondered...even as he gently knocked the unbitten side of his pear against the other boy's forehead.]
I want to show you something and you're in the way.
THIS IS NOT THE WAY
there were a lot of potential scenarios that had floated through Vincent's head, but this had hardly ranked among them. who the hell just wandered off to do something like that after openly antagonizing someone? who the hell did that when they were already naturally inclined to run their mouth at any given opportunity?
his irritation remains plastered across his face, but even with that in the way it was easy to see the confusion in his thoughts. seriously, what the fuck had this day been even.]
How about using your damn words, then?
[he doesn't move, but the tension leaves his body in such a way that indicates he won't protest over being nudged to the side to provide entry. it would be a lie to say he wasn't curious about whatever Kit wanted to show him.]
WHY NOT IT'S FINE
[Vincent wouldn't find himself nudged aside, but rather back against the door as Kit closed the distance between them. For a moment it seemed that's where he intended to stay, pressed so close that their bodies were practically touching...
...and then the soft click of the doorknob turning interrupted their impasse and Kit backed Vincent into his room.
The light was flicked on as he slipped by his guest, leaving Vincent to decide whether or not to stand in the doorway or close the door. It made no difference to him. The thing he was most interested in was, apparently, somewhere at his desk. Pulling open the drawer he withdrew his notebook from inside, the same green leather booklet that he was always carrying with him, with the red rose that decorated its cover.
It was held out to Vincent to take.]
NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS FINE
[clearly, patience was overrated. it's a belief that Vincent very nearly puts into practice when the other boy strides forward, leaving nothing more than a hair's breadth between them. for one electric moment he couldn't help thinking that maybe this was what he'd wanted to show him, and that they were going to talk about earlier after all -
just what the hell was the matter with him?
the thought streaks across his mind at the same time that the doorknob clicks and brings him crashing down back into reality. he's immeasurably grateful for both, shaking off whatever strange spell had come upon him with a sharp turn of the head. nothing. it was nothing. meaningless.
even so, he closes the door quietly behind them.
things click more rationally into place when he turns around once more and finds Kit holding the selfsame notebook which he'd rescued so valiantly from a coffee attack earlier. it seemed that he would indeed be extended the same trust he'd once given himself, despite having done nothing to earn it.
Vincent does nothing with reverence, and so it would be untrue to describe the way he takes the notebook from his companion as such. but there's a definite measure of respect in his actions that is usually completely nonexistent, even in the way he carefully cracks it open and begins leafing through.]
GET WITH THE TIMES
Some of the entries had "names" given to them. Cosmos Bipinnatus was called "Mie" and Adenium Obesum was "Ie." The name neatly scrawled next to Helleborus Niger was "Necni" and it appeared to have the most notes written about it.
It was also the name of the flower Kit had mentioned the other day after their confrontation. The toxic and beautiful one.
Taking a seat on the edge of his bed, Kit said...]
Many of the entries in there are real and contain information about the plants I grow and the purposes they serve, but several of the pages are about the Awakened and Unawakened, too. It's a simple code, only meant to fool anyone who takes a passing glance at it.
[The point of showing Vincent this? That was simple. It was to demonstrate that he understood more than the other boy seemed to think, that he was well aware of the Vincent's toxicity, difficult nature, and even his sometimes fetid behaviors...but also what was good about him. He was resilient, capable of thriving in harsh conditions, and while he was classified as one type of flower, he was so beautiful he'd earned the right to be called a "rose."
In essence, the notebook said more than Kit had ever been willing to, and was more forthright than he could ever hope to be.]
I'M WITH THEM BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE FUCK YOU ARE
for the first time in what feels an eternity, he neither knows how to feel nor can he muster up the desire to be angry at his confusion. nothing rankled him more than being placed in a box - especially one that was essentially of his own making, with walls created from truths. but there was such care, almost tenderness, in these notes that he couldn't help feeling something else tugging in his chest.
never in his life had he been seen as clearly as the words describing some foreign blossom. it was something that he always thought he'd react to violently, but strangely enough he found that when it was Kit behind those sharp eyes it felt almost...comforting.
after several years' worth of silence, he finally looks up at the other teen now seated on his bed. there's no possible way to read his expression.]
Seems a little lopsided to me.
[when he wanted something Vincent was always blunt and direct. but in this moment he isn't completely certain that he's interpreting things correctly, and so he's resorted to this cat and mouse game of intention obtuseness and riddles. he needed something small and vague to begin working his way to the point, something that would allow him to back down at the first sign of trouble.]
STUCK IN FLOWER HELL THAT'S WHERE
[If this fact seemed to bother Kit, he was careful not to let it show. In fact, much like Vincent, his outward disposition was virtually undecipherable, a perfect mask for the way it reflected everything and seemed to let nothing through. Beneath his polished surface, however, Kit's mind was racing. He wasn't really sure how to interpret Vincent's reaction much less his expression. Did he understand the context at all?]
The Hellebore is actually of the buttercup family, but it is also known as the Christmas Rose.
[He met the other boy's gaze without flinching, nodding once to the book in his hands.]
As I'm sure you can tell by the cover of the notebook, roses are my favorite.
SEEK HELP. OR WEEDKILLER.
for as frantically as he'd fought away such an idea, even after kissing the other boy no less than twice unprompted, Vincent was surprised at his own reaction to the realization. the bottom had dropped out of his stomach, understandably, but it was due to excitement rather than dread. it felt as if someone had just attached a live wire beneath his skin.]
So what you're saying is I've got competition.
[it's such a mild statement, especially for him. but when Vincent closes the distance between them, standing too-close with only enough space to hold the notebook out to his companion, the look in his eyes is anything but sedate.]
You ought to know by now I do anything to win.
I SAID FLOWERS NOT WEEDS JFC
I'm not sure what gave you that impression.
[How could Vincent have competition? That implied that Kit had a similar interest in anyone else, that he had the same inability to control himself around any other person. The idea was preposterous, not only because there weren't that many arousing people in Eddan, but because the numbers of those who could keep up with him were already slim to none. Excepting Vincent, of course.
He'd proven already how capable he was. What's more...they had a history. A whole other life. There was an irresistible connection between them already, and it was that same connection that troubled Kit the most. What would happen when they Awakened? Would these feelings still exist, or would they disappear? And if they didn't vanish, how might they complicate the relationship between Kurama and Hiei?
Gently, Kit reached around Vincent and set his notebook on the corner of his desk. But instead of pulling away, he wrapped his arms around the other teen's middle and pressed his forehead against him.
Why was it that no matter how hard he contemplated this problem he couldn't find a solution that made everyone happy?]
IT'S ALL THE SAME IN HELL
it wasn't for the situation itself, he knew that much. while he couldn't say that he knew absolutely what he wanted, he knew what he didn't want - and that included sweeping all of this under the rug again. the only plausible explanation was the fact that he simply didn't know how to be gentle.
the inclination to move with softness was a foreign one to him, and his inability to act on it left him almost paralyzed. this was vulnerability of the worst kind, and most frightening of all Vincent found that he didn't mind. if it was only Kit, then that was fine.
when had he become so trusting of another person? moreover, when had he become so desperate for their attention that he'd go to such lengths just to ensure they wouldn't stop looking at him?]
You did.
[with his muted reactions and the way that he'd practically hurled himself from the dorm rather than discuss whatever feelings Vincent's repeated liplocks had upon him. he was hardly an insecure person, but seeing the object of their affections (had it really come to that?) refuse to so much as interact with him certainly gave the impression of there being another to combat.
in this case it merely happened that the 'other' wasn't another person: it was Kit himself.
a hand reaches out to carefully tuck a strand of hair behind the other boy's ear. he ignores how badly he's shaking to instead trace his fingers down along the arc of his companion's jaw. it comes to rest lightly at the base of his neck, a pleasantly warm presence.
what should they do about this? as Vincent drops his head to rest atop his partner's, he can't help but contemplate that. as forthright as he was, this wasn't a decision that he could make alone. whatever the choice, they had to progress towards it together.]
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Unseen, Kit smiled at the accusation. That Vincent would have thought there was another because Kit had acted like he didn't want him was so self-important that he could laugh. As if the very idea of someone not wanting him if he wanted them had simply never occurred to Vincent. But Kit took no offense. It was so uniquely Vincent that he couldn't help but think this misunderstanding was inevitable.
And Kit had taunted him about being jealous, too. In hindsight, was it really any wonder he had become so irate? It was like having something you deeply desired hung teasingly before you just out of reach. Kit hadn't realized what he'd been doing by saying such things, hadn't realized that he was doing to Vincent what he hated most himself about their situation as Unawakened.
But he knew now...even if he still didn't know what to do. Vincent didn't want to acknowledge that he had another life. Telling him that he was hesitant to act for that reason would only spark another argument. But providing no excuse at all would only lead to more misunderstandings.]
Two weeks.
[That's all the time they had between that moment and Awakening. Two weeks. It wasn't very much time, but it was too much for seeds of discontent to take root, all the 'what if' questions hanging in the air unanswered, all that anxiety left to fester...
Kit's arms tightened around Vincent and pulled him closer.]
Will we even want the same things then?
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you know what i forgot. that kit had a pear.
a pear he clearly finished
all of it. core, seeds, stem and all. yum.
fiber's important ok
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