Deer Country In-Box

[burnitblack]

un: dabi  *cla-chick* ... what?  *growl* [ that would be his omen ] [ contact through his omni stone can be text, audio, or video. contact through his omen can be visual, mental, or physical. ]

Comments

[swellter]

No.

[ But he'll talk to Bakugou about it at another time. For now, he'll let it lie. ]

None of this makes me happy.

[burnitblack]

Kill or be killed world, Shouto.

[Trench has never changed its face.]

Forgot that already.

[swellter]

That's not what I believe.

[burnitblack]

That's cause you're naive.

[swellter]

I make the effort to use restraint.

[ He's never used deadly force, never will. ]

[burnitblack]

That's why I'll always be stronger than you.

[swellter]

Strong enough to save someone instead of harming them?

[burnitblack]

That's a choice, idiot. It's got nothin to do with strength.

If I felt like savin him, then I would.

But that ain't me.

[swellter]

If it was easy, then anyone could do it.

[ There's a pause after that where mismatched eyes stare straight at him, pondering something new at that remark. ]

... Who are you?

[burnitblack]

Anyone can save. Anyone can kill. It's a choice.

[he regards those eyes with his own burning turquoise gaze, not backing down at the comment or the look.]

No one. Just a failure.

[swellter]

Not anyone can save or kill. It's a choice.

[ He meets that turquoise gaze easier than he ever did his father's. For one, there's no burning anger or outright dismissal. He cares what Touya has to say. ]

You're not 'No one' to me.

Or a failure.

[burnitblack]

Think about what you just said and repeat it once ya understand your own words.

[touya drops his head back on the couch, not bothering to look anymore.]

Cute.

Too bad ya ain't that thing.

[swellter]

I understand. I don't think you do.

[ It's always been a choice for him; always will be.

Ain't that thing? ]

Are you... saying I'm not a failure?

[ The exact opposite of everything you've told him since he first met you during their summer camp. ]

[burnitblack]

Anyone can save. Anyone can kill. It depends on motivation.

[thus, it's always a choice. manipulated, coerced, forced, but still a choice.]

Of course you're not. You're the only one your parents gave a shit about.

Mom and dad's little perfect success.

[swellter]

Not anyone can make that choice.

[ Same answer, different perspective, but that's not what he focuses on when Touya brings up their parents so casually. No one brings it up, but he knows his arrival ruined their family, especially their mother. ]

... I wasn't her success.

[burnitblack]

You wanna test that?

[doesn't look at him, but his voice is pointed. amused. angry. bitter. sarcastic.]

Ya were till that thing poisoned you for her.

[swellter]

No.

[ Firmly stated. He's not about to participate in anything close to what that implies. You're not remorseful, are you? Killing Bakugou? Killing that innocent woman? It leaves him thinking about the future, about the things he wanted. A shared meal... it feels further than ever. I thought that we could... that you could.. He shakes his head, half listening to that reply. ]

I thought I was the poison.

[ A corruption that took root and ruined his family. ]

[burnitblack]

Thought so.

[that proves his point easily enough. everyone has their breaking point. shouto would kill and touya would save if their desires for something else overcame their resistance to the idea. simple as that. people are easy if you don't think about them so hard.

of course he's not remorseful. that would require him to feel something first.]

Enji was the one who ruined the family, Shouto.

[swellter]

[ It proves that Shouto isn't willing to use people as guinea pigs. ]

Is that why you hate him?

[burnitblack]

[don't challenge him if you're unwilling to take part in the test.]

One of the many reasons.

[swellter]

[ Is everything always a challenge to you? ]

Is that why you hate me?

[burnitblack]

[when it's worded as such, or someone's trying to "make" him feel or think a way he doesn't, then yeah, it's automatically a challenge.

he's no longer some bastard's pawn. he's free.]

One of many.

Ya seem real shaken by this, Shouto. Is it really that surprisin to ya that I'd kill someone outta revenge?

[swellter]

[ Are you? You see challenges where there are none. Your every motivation stems from the same source. So, are you free?

It was my fault. For seeing something that wasn't there to begin with. ]

You killed someone out of pettiness.

[burnitblack]

[don't ask him that question.

ever.

that's the issue. shouto still has hope. touya lost all of his a long time ago. all he has now is desperation and hate.]

Before ya go further, lemme ask ya somethin.

[this time, touya sits up and leans forward, arms dangling over his knees and looking at his omen with a cold, focused gaze.]

Didja give Bakugou shit for tryin to kill me earlier?

[swellter]

[ It wasn't so long ago that he thought like you. Not the same degree, but the path he was walking lay in a similar direction. Newfound hope is a recent occurrence, one he's still trying to figure out for himself. ]

I know why he tried to kill you. The same way, I know why you tried to kill him.

What I don't understand is why you killed that woman. She had nothing to do with it.

[ Collateral damage. It implies so much more than simple revenge. If he was willing to kill an innocent bystander, what else was he willing to do? Collateral damage in the form of lives isn't something he'll ever be able to accept. Not from anyone. ]