memes4all (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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bakerstreet2015-08-25 05:45 pm
memes4all) wrote in bakerstreet2015-08-25 05:45 pm
The Forced to Kill Meme
FORCED TO KILL
This meme could be triggery, so be warned!
Rules:
1; Post as your character, include name and canon on the subject line as well as any triggers you have and absolutely want to avoid;
2; Other people will reply to you: those who reply are now put in a situation where they are forced to kill whoever they replied to;
3; Reasons for being forced to do so can be anything (threat, duty, blackmail, revenge, fear, etc.);
4; How your character is forced to do the killing (poison, knife, gun, etc.) is up to you;
5; If you want to take things in any other direction than just the killing part, please make sure to clear it out with whoever you are replying to and be respectful if someone chooses not to tag back, for whatever reason;
6; The killing isn't fully necessary, if your characters manage to find a way to escape together somehow (though it shouldn't be an easy one), if both the muns would rather avoid that;
7; Profit...?
no subject
Teamwork, friendship — those things they've learned from sports seem silly now, almost naive. The only thing left they really can do is go on day by day and hold on as tight as they can to their own last bit of hope. Manami... doesn't have any. His manner is polite from habit, his gentle smile is absent and tells little of what's behind it. Until, as now, it falters and slips in confusion as what Haru says just doesn't translate at first. ]
Yeah... [ Those few simple words seem to inject something into Manami, make him think and hope and realize that he hasn't been. At some point, he'd stopped. Thoughts of home weren't something to reach toward but things to contemplate with nostalgia.
But no, that's not how it should be! There's still a beautiful world outside of here and he used to be there, enjoying it! ]
Yeah!! I could introduce you to Fukutomi-san and everyone else in the club! One of my senpai, Toudou-san, his family owns a hotel with a hot spring we could go to! Ahh — but I really have to show you Hakone mountain! You know how to bike, right? Don't worry, I'd go slower for you! We... we could eat up there when we get tired a- and... and take a nap in the grass...
[ He has to stop talking because the wavy trembling in his voice becomes too much. Without that distraction, that activity to take up his body's attention, the tears start to flow down his cheeks and drip into the water. He wants to go home now. With every fiber of his being he wants to leave here and just go back home.
His head bows a little but there's not much point in trying to hide it when he's trembling, choked up and unable to stop the tears. ]
that icon contrast...
Because what are they even living for, if not for that.
Which is why it's so very hard, listening to this, talk of a world beyond these walls that sets off in Haru something he can't suppress. He wants to see the ocean, his home, the poorly-decorated mess they called a clubroom. He wants Makoto to scold him for being gone so long, for Nagisa to shove a snack in his face to cheer him up, Rei the walking wikipedia to rattle off facts for what being cooped up in here has done to him. The words knot up in his stomach and gnaw away at him, something painful and then he sees that Manami is crying and— ]
Manami...
[ And before he knows it Haru finds his arms around him, pulling the other boy into the gentlest embrace he can manage. It's instinct that overrides all else, an urge he can't even try to deny and doesn't want to. Because like it or not that longing to get out of here is hope, the most Haru's seen in weeks, and he feels he'll do anything to keep it alive.
He won't waste time trying to pretend. Empty words like I'm sure you'll see it someday or You're going to be fine aren't what either of them need right now, won't help at all. No, he holds Manami, lets him ride it out, feels that if he lets go of him for even an instant he'll start crying too. ]
It's okay.
[ He's not sure what, doesn't need to. It's okay for him to feel like this, to talk all he wants, let it out as they stand here, soles pressed flat to the shallow end of the pool. This is the only kind of comfort he can provide, the only kind that even matters inside here, and he won't leave Manami alone this way. ]
a character arc in two pictures
The comfort makes him cry all the harder. Like a little kid, he hides his face in the crook of Haru's neck and bawls his eyes out, hands also balling into tight fists as his arms remain held down straight at his sides. All the sadness and frustration he hasn't shown bursts out in hot tears and sobs that wrack his whole body, leaving tremors in the water and echoes in the air.
Manami remembers being trapped before, a prisoner to the weakness of his own body. Back then, he didn't know how to take the first step to freedom or that there even was a way there. He had to wait until someone took him by the hand and showed him how.
This time, there's no one coming to save him. But that's okay, because Manami already knows the way. They've all been told in no uncertain terms that there is but one escape from here and for the first time he starts to see it, like one's vision coming into focus upon waking. His tears dry up, his sobs turn to simple, heavy breathing, and Manami actually feels refreshed. Stronger, even, for being allowed to let it all out. Haru has woken him up and reminded him that there's something to cry for, something to hope for. And finally, he can see it.
His own hope.
All he has to do is reach out and grasp it. ]
Nanase-san... ?
[ A hand slips up over Haru's chest, his beating heart, and comes to the unoccupied side at the base of his neck. Manami still rests his head where it is but turns inward, watching his own thumb barely touch as it slides over the moving, breathing flesh. ]
no subject
It feels like such a strange gesture, unfamiliar yet not, bringing a hand to the back of Manami's head to hold him steady. There's no cloying attempts at calming him down, no condescending there there delivered with weak pats to the back. He understands how Manami feels - because how could he not, trapped within these walls - accepts it and lets him ride it out as best he can. It's all he has to give, idle sympathy, nowhere near the relief they both need.
Because what Manami doesn't know is that Haru is relying on him just as much, needs the other boy held against him to keep his footing, keep his breathing even. There were so many of them when all this started, back when the world still made sense to him, and Haru has seen them all lose hope too many times to bear it again. It's an uneasy balance he's established, keeping conversation to a minimum and avoiding the others when he can, doing his best to deflect suspicion at every trial, coming close to toppling with every week they pass.
The hand sliding over his skin seems a small price to pay for staying himself, hardly any discomfort at all compared to holding Manami's weight. ]
... We shouldn't stay here.
[ Ignorance is indeed bliss, if Haru has time to worry over things like that, how crying their eyes out in the pool at night will do neither of them any good. It's rarely safe out by this point, and heading back to Manami's room to calm him down before heading back to his own sounds exactly what Haru needs right now. ]
Iiii am okay with this going literally any way, btw
... You're right.
[ Being in a secluded area of the school while most of the other athletes have retired to their rooms is a dangerous position to be in. There are still some intelligent people left, strategic-minded and sly. There are some whose size and brute strength is nothing to laugh at and some quite temperamental. But then again, their obvious capabilities and personalities aren't what the murders tend to come down to. The most dangerous thing about each and every one of them is the unknown. They're strangers in a desperate situation, and if they don't even know each other then they have no hope of understanding how it will affect each of them.
Talking more may have done something, but it might not have changed anything at all. In the end, Manami's here staring at the slight movements when Haru breathes, transfixed by the visible life right under his hand. His body feels weirdly light, invigorated with each breath as though the air is charged with electric life. This, despite the heavy water he's in and the feeling inside of him — clawing, desperate, ugly. Ugly like this icon-in-comment format.
Ugly like the pitch black in his eyes when he finally lifts his head up to look at Haru. Ugly like the throaty noise he makes when he lunges forward, both hands going for the older boy's neck to clasp around it and push forward, knock him off balance and into the water. He doesn't have big muscles to help and clearly he's not one of the strategists if he's trying to take down a swimmer in the water. But hey, a fat lot being able to swim fast will do when someone's hands are trying to collapse your throat. Manami isn't thinking strategy, isn't good at that anyway. With the instinct of a desperate animal he uses surprise, a well exercised grip, and the strength of pumping adrenaline to try to keep Haru submerged while he stays above.
A little poetic, isn't it? He'd looked so alive in the water, effortlessly at one with it. Now as Manami tries to reach for that life and take it for himself, as his beating heart tugs at the corners of his lips, he can let Haru thrash and struggle until he dies in it. ]
Same
If he'd been alone— It is a sobering thought, the kind that sends a chill down his spine, curled up beneath his covers each night and begging to be allowed to forget it ever happened. If he'd been alone, it would've been his body laid flat on a cold stone floor, beaten to death to avoid the issue of murder weapons altogether. If he'd been alone, he'd never see the world beyond these walls ever again. If he'd been alone, nothing he'd done inside here would ever have mattered. It might be why he's been willing to bear having Manami around, act like he wasn't grateful for the company.
And now those very same eyes are trained on him. A pity he doesn't have much time to be shocked. ]
—!
[ Haru's body tenses up immediately as he realises what Manami is planning to do, breath already hitching in his chest before he's set upon, that wandering hand curled fast around his throat. The problem with a cyclist trying to assault a swimmer in the water - moreso than any home advantage - is that even on the brink of death, certain things are just ingrained. The water is alive. Once you dive in, it will immediately bare its fangs and attack - words to live by, that have kept him living inside this place, words that mean, much as he wants to, Haru doesn't risk a breath as he sinks beneath the water, instinct that keeps his lungs from filling up.
A pity he doesn't have time to be feeling much of anything, actually, perhaps room for a sharp pang of betrayal before other instincts set in, override all else. He can hardly sit idle anymore and, as feelings and emotions threaten to overwhelm him, Haru sinks to the same ugly level. Being faced with his own mortality does wonders to crush the compassion that compelled that embrace, adrenaline pumping through his veins for what feels like the first time in years as he aims a punch - straight and simple and totally blind - to the side of Manami's head, other arm aiming to pull him down into the water. ]
no subject
But time is up. There's neither a way to go back from tightening his hands around the other boy's neck nor a desire to, yet. He successfully shoves Haru under the water and for a split second, Manami feels a rush come over him, lifeblood surging through the veins of his limbs. He really can do this! It's like the way he used to sense when the peak was just ahead, and how that knowledge drove him toward it with reckless abandon. This peak is greater than any — the last hope he can see for a life worth living, and it's so close!
Although, Manami doesn't expect complete compliance in his attempt to drown Haru. Of course not. Wild eyes and twitching lips aside, he still knows he has to see this through the struggle until the pulse pounding against his palm is no more.
Even so, he isn't ready for a punch flying at his head and Haru's fist successfully hits a little low, just under Manami's jaw and ear. Regardless of how far off the mark it was, if there even was a mark, it's still an impact where there shouldn't be. Pain shoots through his head and neck, making him groan, and Haru's other hand capitalizes upon this at the right time to knock him off balance and under the water.
Manami has enough time to realize what's happening and stop himself from taking a gulp of water, but that's about it. His hold was loosened some the moment Haru hit him, and suddenly being submerged once more in the dulling, oppressive weight of the water is disorienting. Only Manami's will keeps him from holding on at all, shaking the other boy by the neck, fingers curling and nails biting into skin instead of the solid vice he had before. This... might not work. He needs more than this, needs Haru weaker if he has any chance of taking him out.
So he takes the cue to use blows. With his hold Manami tries to pull Haru's head down and close, before bending a leg, swinging it as sharp as he can through the extra resistance of the water and attempting to knee him in the gut. He's still not thinking much, but using the strongest part of his body is probably a good idea. ]
happy halloween to you too!
Hope can be such a terrible burden to bear at times.
This isn't the first time Haru's come close to drowning, first weeks spent learning to swim notwithstanding, calls to mind memories of elementary, nearly throwing his life away over a cheap silk scarf and, while Makoto isn't here to pull him from the water this time around, he's grown leaps and bounds since then. The resistance from the water dragging them down is enough to soften the blow, means Haru is able to keep his mouth clamped shut as that powerful leg crashes into him, bar the few bubbles that escape from the corner of his lips and how the chlorine starts to sting his widened eyes. Instinct is a powerful thing, has steered Haru right where reason never could, and the surge of if I do it I'll die with regards to breathing sets a chorus with the blood singing in his ears.
It's the nails raking at his neck that he's worried about, the pain keeping him lucid but also holding him in Manami's grip - it's the shallow end, all he has to do is stand and this would be over, but he can hardly do that with the fingers curled loose into his skin.
One of them is going to die here. The simplicity of it all sits quite well with Haru, never one to ponder or dwell when he can do— use his new position to wrap both arms around Manami's waist and, with a dolphin kick, try to push him against the floor of the pool. Beneath him. He can't pretend he has any great advantage here; he needs to keep Manami down, use the shock still flooding through his heart to his advantage and stop him from moving around.
He needs to kill Manami. It's a chilling thought, one he's never even imagined before, and yet now every nerve in his body is screaming out for it, desperate to survive however he can. Turn this into a battle of who between cyclist and swimmer can best hold their breath underwater. ]
no subject
But this is not the wind whipping his skin, gasping into it until his throat dries. There is no air here. It's been taken, pushed aside for the water that feels as though it's pressing into him from everywhere, heavy pressure that threatens to collapse his chest and crush him. He wasn't able to take a preliminary breath before going under and now feels the absence gaining on him, a fast sinking feeling coming over him — a reality, as he's tackled down by Haru.
The shallow end never looked so deep as it does from the bottom. His body wants so badly to open its mouth and draw in much needed air. It's what he needs to gain a physical advantage here. But the air is all up above where he can see the dim light, the surface, so far from reach. If only he could get there... !
Haru is what stands in his way from escape, from the light, from taking a breath of sweet air, from leaving here completely. As long as Haru can keep Manami down here he's going to die and the younger boy feels that revelation like a dark strike upon his heart, one which shocks him into action. It's exactly these sorts of situations he's best at, isn't he? When the risk would be too much for the average person, anxiety pushing them to panic and ultimately to loss. He used to live for that kind of rush, gain a wild, instinctual strength that drove him.
If he's to continue living for that, he'll need to not die here. In a second his chances are weighed and the desire for life supersedes the one for death. The possibility that he can hold out longer than Haru is too small compared to the swimmer winning this battle, or both of them losing and making the point of killing moot. So Manami bends and thrashes as he tries to buck the other boy off of him, maybe loosen the arms around his body enough to slip out to freedom. He thinks to go for another blow as well, but there's no room for him to build up momentum in a kick this time; his legs just hit the solid floor of the pool. His arms are the last thing he can use, and as a last resort one releases Haru's neck. With his hand in a fist, bottom aimed at Haru, Manami cuts through the water to strike at his temple. ]
no subject
Someone, somewhere, is probably laughing at them right now, the one behind all this, at the futility of all they've done. Manami's right; friendship and camaraderie and all those sweet nothings their sports have taught them ring so hollow now, now that they've turned on each other. Now hope like a collar and leash is pulling them along. One of them dies while the other lives on forever changed, likely dies the next day if this sad excuse for a crime scene is any indication, like the deck was stacked against them from the start. Haru bends and accepts the way of things far too easily to pretend he's innocent in all this, like he hasn't considered this before, like he isn't almost grateful to have a chance at escape dropped in his lap.
An escape that is quite literally slipping through his fingers as Manami pushes him away, vision still blurred from a blow that feels like nothing at all once his feet find the floor and he can stand, breathe. Gulp down air like his life depends on it, feel some sense of clarity return to him as his senses go into overdrive to keep him standing. That sense of all things flowing in slow-motion as a fear-addled mind struggles to find a way to survive. And so Haru, just like Manami, weighs his options and finds the scales set in favour of life over death, leave nothing up to chance and battles of who holds their breath as opposed to getting as far away from Manami as possible, turning on his heel and moving to run.
No, not run. Ingrained instincts and all that.
Haru pushes off the bottom of the pool in one practiced motion, switches into a stroke that'll carry him to the far fall of the pool where he'll be safer still. He feels more at home in the water than anywhere else, is freer here than anyone else, and it's here in his element he has the best chance of staying alive. ]
no subject
In the mean time, the swimmer quickly separates them by a few yards and that is honestly fine with Manami, who's almost to panicking now as he can't stand the feeling of the liquid holding him down for one more second. He doesn't even wait to fully catch his breath before hastily walking (as fast he can through water, anyway) to the edge of the shallow end. Dripping and panting, he pushes himself out of the pool before he sits heavily upon the floor. For a long few seconds, all he can do is gasp for air and stare at the tile underneath him, how the drops of chlorined water fall from his hair to splatter one by one.
But eventually Manami looks over to where Haru has positioned himself, wearily glaring over the safety distance that does well to protect the swimmer. He meets his gaze, blue eyes to blue eyes, so different in color and yet still the same.
They haven't moved from the room, but the situation is entirely different now. Manami doesn't even have the element of surprise on his side. Seriously, what's he going to do, swim after Haru? The other boy would probably make it off to the side and running to his room before Manami could get anywhere near him. Sitting here in a staring contest with him until they're found come morning doesn't seem like the best thing to do either. Even now he glances around, looking for some kind of plugged in appliance, something electric he can smash open and hurl into the pool, anything... !
If Manami turned his back to get something, Haru would leave, wouldn't he. Besides which, he himself is still wet and sitting in puddles he's just made. The younger boy realizes the futility of the situation and his glare scrunches into pained frustration. He drops his head, the bloodlust draining away to reveal the truth of the matter: he's going to die in here. He failed and he just tried to kill another person, still wanted to after failing. Haru's going to tell everyone and he's never going to let him get another chance and, and... he's going to die in here.
This might be worse than if he'd just died in the water.
He lets out a noise, not too loud but not too soft, something between a growl and a sob. But there's nothing more of it as he pushes up off the floor, slowly stands on its solidity and raises his head to face Haru. His voice is flat and so tired when he calls out to him, expression softening from that same weariness. ]
... Are you going to tell?
no subject
He's not safe yet - there's no guarantee that Manami will give up that easily, not when the chance of escape is still so close within reach, not when all it would take is one good blow to bring either of them down. How long can they keep this up? Will Manami leap back into the water to try to snuff him out? What are his odds of survival if he can reach the dorms? Questions like that pound at the inside of his skull without pause, as Haru finds himself forced to bear the two finest blades despair has ever forged, fear in his left hand and distrust in his right. Blue stares deep into blue and with the water between them they stand near oceans apart.
But not at all. Because Haru hates himself for understanding exactly how the other boy feels, for thinking the same way, hates himself for wishing Manami had never come up for air. He hates how much he reminds him of Nagisa when he looks up at him now, self-effacing and on the verge of tears, hates how shocked he feels, widened eyes and a gasp hitched in his throat, at those simple words. Haru almost seems to go limp, head hung low to hide his eyes as the water drips down his face, hands brought to forearms to hold himself as if to shiver.
Someone just tried to kill him, he realises. He came this close to never seeing his friends or family again, and yet as he struggles to meet Manami's gaze Haru finds himself numb, what rage he can stir up within him not worth giving voice to. He was meant to be getting better at this, you know. Funny how a year of what people might call character development is easily overturned when his life is on the line. Even when he speaks, and each word sounds like a supressed scream for Manami to simply cease to be. ]
Don't know.
[ Don't know or don't want to, the distinction is far too thin and Haru does not yet care to separate them. His voice hardly even sounds like his own, face a mish-mash of expressions and two icons twinned together, dejected and drained as what adrenaline kept him living slips between his fingers. If he tells the others, they'll be safe for another day, another potential murderer out of the way, and Manami - he'll be locked up, kept away, the primary suspect if another trial occurs, and to say living in a cell is no life at all sounds so painfully shallow when it's said between these walls. And yet.
Their numbers have dropped and dwindled and Haru is just so tired of it now. ]
Are you going to kill me?
no subject
Justifiably.
But he can't see himself. He just sees in the other boy's face how Haru realizes alerting the others means a prison sentence for Manami, and how that knowledge stalls what should be a clear decision. He's... baffled, really. He'd just tried to kill him, use him for his own ends without a care for Haru or his feelings. But despite that here is Haru, actually conflicted over whether he should administer the punishment Manami deserves and keep the others safe.
All of a sudden, he feels like crying again. ]
... No.
[ He wants to want to, though. He wants to take the thoughts that pop up, of once again using Haru's kindness to get close enough to re-try stabbing him in the back, and actually hold onto these thoughts, put a plan into practice. It's his last hope of getting out of here, but he can't pin it down with determination. Why? He just did it, didn't he?!
His voice already trembles through that one, true word. Because Haru is kinder than he looks and Manami is more severe than he seems, yet more fragile, too. The compassion touches him, warms the frozen spike of hope inside until it melts away and shows that maybe, it wasn't true hope at all. That perhaps hope doesn't look as razor sharp and black but more... soft and uncomfortably squirming, like the way Haru's mercy burrows into his chest. ]
I... want to go home. But...
I don't know what to do.
[ He needs to leave, therefore he needs to kill someone. Right? But not killing Haru right now stops any possibility of success for future murder attempts, and as the resolve he had to take Haru's life has dissipated...
He looks down to the water and can't stop his thoughts from flicking back to the possibility of being tied up and sequestered to some spare room, monitored out of fear. (Of how he might go insane like that. Might goad someone into freeing him from it and making them the next murderer.) ]
in which we both ignore the meme title
How it honestly hurts to hear Manami say those words, feel his own shot at escape slip right through his fingers while relief starts tugging at his senses. He wants Manami to want it just as hard, wants the excuse, the shot at his own way out he's too much of a coward to earn any other way, but he can't hold back the warmth welling up in him now, much like a person's embrace, hating himself for the mess he's become yet so honestly happy for the first time in weeks.
He's glad that the boy who nearly murdered him won't have to suffer. Just in case it wasn't clear already that he's lost his mind. ]
... I know.
[ And he does - more than that, he understands. Understands without words, because how far have words ever got them in here, exactly how Manami is feeling, exactly what he wants, and that's why Haru can't bring himself to condemn him. They have too much in common, despite it all, little things like being in touch with something greater - be it the water around him or the wind at his back - cherish what freedom they can find too much for him to dismiss his feelings out of hand.
Living on means so much he has to live with, yet here he is all the same, mind made up the moment he hears those words. And so Haru, slow and deliberate, starts to wade his way back over to the shallow end, back to Manami, ignoring how every nerve screams out in protest, of what threat the other boy poses and how soon he should flee. Because a simple no is all the proof he'll ever need. He knows he can trust Manami, wants to believe in him, and that's the closest he's over come to hope.
It's not long before he climbs out of the pool, forsakes his advantage and trembling, extends a hand. ]
Let's go back, Manami.
[ Back to the dorms. Back to how they were before, not quite friends but close enough, the reason why Haru wants to hold him tight and feels close to crying, not quite sure why he isn't already. He'd say his tears had dried up if not for lack of trying. ]
Good End /o/
Haru probably understands him the best out of them all. But ultimately: he's not him. They might be similar and feel as though they understand each others' feelings, but they can't ever know that for certain. He can't know whether Haru's seeking revenge just as it's impossible for Haru to know one hundred percent that Manami won't jump him again once he's on dry ground, won't grab him and bash his head into the floor.
And yet, Haru's still approaching him. He's almost to the edge, close enough that two thumb nail prints are visible at the front of his neck, and Manami takes one shaky step backward. He doesn't completely understand why, since he's fairly sure that the other boy won't try anything violent. It's more like Haru, with his actions and not anything inherent, brings with him a strength that's staggering. Rather than having taken the opportunity to make sure Manami would never hurt him or anyone else again, he's now making himself vulnerable again, opening himself up as he reaches out to another person. And isn't that one of the scariest thing in the world?
Haru's trusting him. That's what they have to do, if not destroy everyone but themselves. All of them have to start trusting: each other, that they've made the right decision, that they'll find a way out that doesn't include killing. It's scary because of the uncertainty, and Haru's asking him to try this out with him. That's why Manami finds it hard not to back away.
Slowly, like he's not entirely sure how, he reaches forward and slips his hand into Haru's. He feels its weight and how it's slightly larger, the warmth of it against his own. Despite all odds they're both here, alive after everything. It's not all better now, even though they've managed to prevent two more losses from being added to their total, but there's hope.
Real hope. ]
Mm.
[ His hand grips Haru's and Manami smiles. It's neither wide, nor sharp. It's even a little shy. But it reaches his eyes this time, which are just a bit more wet than a moment before. ]
I'm... kinda sleepy now.
\o\
He's scared - of course he is, when Manami could turn on him at any second, could throw him down all too easily when his back is turned - bites his bottom lip when the other boy pulls away and close to trembling up 'til the moment he takes his hand. It's... comfortable, for reasons he can't exactly describe, in ways that make his heart feel suddenly lighter in his chest, weeks-worth of tension flooding out all at once in a sigh.
He has to squeeze that hand, interlock their fingers just to be sure it's there, let that warmth spread into him bit by bit. The smile that tugs at the corner of lips almost hurts from how unfamiliar it feels and yet it's welcome all the same, has him holding onto Manami like his life depends on it.
Hope is hovering before him like a sight he's never seen and Haru couldn't be happier, even as the one who locked them up in here is no doubt watching on and screaming at them from afar. There's still so much that needs to be done, so much to make sure this never happens again, that those who've fallen before them didn't do so in vain, but now he's sure that it can be done and that's got to be worth something. ]
... Then let's get you to bed.
[ It's - a little weird, actually hearing his own voice like this, still shaking but undeniably friendly, gently tugging Manami along away from the pool, away from all it means, back to where they belong. ]
C'mon.
no subject
Manami hums and allows himself be led, like a kid. He yawns along the way because now that all the excitement is gone, he really does feel tired. He'll probably sleep better tonight than he has in weeks and anticipating that makes him feel even lighter as they walk through the halls.
But when they come to his door, Manami's reluctant to let go. His hand has settled nicely into Haru's and it would just get cold if he released him. ]
... Thank you. For listening.
[ That, and much more. His gaze drops down out of momentary bashfulness, when he sees himself and realizes that he's... not wearing clothes. They're still lying by the side of the pool, probably a little wet. Manami scratches at the back of his head. ]
Ahh, I forgot my clothes! I guess I can get them later, eheh...
Um, good night, Nanase-san.
[ He nods and then there's a silent moment, before he finally lets their hands part to go disappear inside his room. He changes into something dry and curls up under the covers, making one last mental note to pick up his clothes tomorrow morning. No worries.
Unless there are others awake at this hour, elsewhere in the facility, with less success than they had at beating back the dark thoughts and urges. Unless there might be a reason to question whose clothes those were, why they were there. And then why, exactly, someone spotted the two of them walking around this late together, holding hands and wearing next to nothing.
Tomorrow is going to be another beautiful day. ]