burnitblack | Deer Country In-Box

[ No, and yes. His feelings are far more complicated than he knows how to address, so he goes with what he feels at the comment, which is something warm akin to what he feels when he looks at Kizu. As it stands, Shouto is in a black turtleneck with dark bags under his eyes though his eyes look more animated, if a little red, than the start of the conversation. ]

How are you feeling?

[touya takes note of his little brother's appearance at a glance. bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, a bit red around the sclera thanks to stress or tears, ironic the guy who showed so little emotion at first would end up getting so worked up over something like emotions.

they really are a problematic burden.]

Better. First day was pretty rough.

[ It was never that he didn't feel anything - Shouto always felt a lot. The issue lay in showing it. All his life, he was yelled at for what he felt. Shut-up, Shouto! It's no wonder he learned to feel nothing. To express nothing. It was one more thing Endeavor ingrained into him made easier by the use of his mother's quirk until he didn't need it anymore in order not to feel.

He isn't numb now. Stepped off that path some time ago. Tried to express himself more. He's still not good at it when it comes to everyday interactions, but this isn't normal. His feelings were impossible to subdue without the cold, and he made a promise to stop reaching for it.

His jaw tightens at the implications that lie just under the surface of his words. How bad was it the first day? A question written in the worried look in his eyes. Still, he doesn't ask. Not right now. There's something else that's more important. ]

Do you need anything?

[life's a lot easier when you don't feel anything. touya was granted relief from all that crap once everything burned up inside him. "feelings" aren't a thing for him. it's so much freer without them. and yet there's shouto, trying to continue to feel despite all that frozen ice around him. it'd be admirable if it weren't pathetic.

noticing the question in his eyes, touya opts not to answer it. talking to shouto about his return illness wouldn't do anything but upset the guy further. sides, he's not hovering over the toilet now, so it's fine.

there's the spoken question he knew was coming.]

Nah. I got my shit back.

[ The announcement draws on something other than sorrow, and mismatched eyes gain a semblance of light. ]

Did you lose something?

Nothin I'm aware of. Lost my clothes and gear, everything I had on me, but I found 'em again later.

[could be sarcastic and say he lost his life, but you know...]

[ That makes sense. For a moment, he thought it was something else. There was always a death price to pay after they washed ashore. He doesn't know what Touya's is and it's something he won't ask about. Not when there's something more important. ]

What happened with you and Bakugou?

[If the price meant 24 hrs of feeling like shit, puking his guts out, and having to find his clothes and crap from a bunch of marketplace people, then guess that's a price.

But complete immolation + combustion isn't gonna leave much left to go on. If there's another price, he's unaware of it for now.]

He tried to kill me and failed. I killed him and succeeded.

[And failed, since Bakugou killed him too.]

[ The words said so plainly have his quirk swinging left so quickly it has his eyes glittering with dismay. ]

Bakugou... wouldn't do that. [ He manages to parse out through a restricted throat. ] Was he cursed?

[ Under the influence of something? Shouto didn't believe that he'd turn to killing out of the blue. ]

[touya doesn't seem at all bothered by the words or memories. internally he's irked, but it's assuaged by the spiteful pride that it at least ended in a draw.]

Probably. [he's not stupid enough to think the explosive blonde would ever willingly try to murder someone no matter how much he screams the threat.] Doesn't change the fact he did.

[does that mean touya willingly tried to murder bakugou of his own volition after the fact? yep.]

[ Shouto will be having a very interesting conversation with Bakugou soon after this that will have immense consequences for the brothers going forward. But for now, Shouto is blissfully unaware. ]

Even if the outcome is the same, intent matters.

[good for him. dabi hasn't bothered talking to the guy after what happened and isn't planning on doing so. there's nothing that needs to be talked about. it's not gonna bother him at all.]

And ya point is?