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. ]

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[swellter]

[ Kizu growls at that answer and Shouto looks down at her, brows slightly raised. What's wrong? He asks, noting Wolf striding up behind them. Where were they going? He thinks, splitting his attention between wolf, leopard, and brother. Out of all three of them, he found Wolf easier to understand. He was following his Sleeper just like Kizu followed him. The location didn't matter to either of them, though it seemed to matter to both Touya and Kizu who suspected he might be leading them somewhere dangerous which, in her eyes, proves to be accurate when Touya takes them to the sight he tried to choke him in the water.

Another reason he's not so talkative. He often spoke with his omen who, after months of silence, finally started speaking to him again after her regression. Shouto looks around, noting the familiar cherry tree, while trying to convince his omen that this was still a good idea. With his attention split the way it is, he doesn't try to filter his initial thought, not that he would have had he been paying more attention. ]

Are you corrupted?

[burnitblack]

[prove him wrong. if wolf understood shouto's questions, it doesn't offer any sort of answer, seeming content to bring up the rear as they walk. the villain's omen stays near the water, though whether that's a reminder of what happened or some kind of buffer between the history and reality is a good question. touya doesn't seem to mind this site being the location of where he tried to murder his brother in the ocean sprawled out before them. it's simply one more event in his life and has little bearing on the moment, or the place. he finds comfort in the tree's presence and has spent a lot of his time here, letting his mind wander or going over things he collected from the beach. it keeps his corruption levels down.

touya draws a knee up and rests his wrist atop it, hand dangling towards his shin. the question doesn't seem to surprise him, eyes lingering on the ocean before him as a breeze carries some of the petals through the air.]

I'm always corrupted.

[the level of it simply ebbs and flows like a dancing flame. not just due to his actions here in trench, but due to the blood spilled when he tends to his body or makes bloodstones. he's murdered, stolen, lied, and other such villainous actions while in this place. but since he has no intention of turning into that monstrous figure of their father again, touya actually keeps his corruption level in mind and curbs tendencies if he's high.]

[swellter]

[ For someone who's only struggled once with the corruption of his world, the very idea he's-- ]

Always?

[ He stops mid-stride, struggling visibly with that answer. Even Kizu goes very still, her presence in his mind growing faint. ]

For how long?

[burnitblack]

[touya glances up from his place, more piqued shouto finds this weird than the fact he admits to constant corruption. doesn't this guy know how this world works? he's the one that taught him about it.]

Dunno. Since I got here, I guess.

[he shed blood (someone else's) the very first month he was in trench. most of the events he's dealt with also ended with some kind of corruption, though he's careful about his own levels. constant visits to this tree also assist to keep it in check.]

Ya ever met someone completely free of it?

[swellter]

[ He uses his right side to freeze any spilled blood, and his emotions are so buried in years of abuse there's little that can be exploited, and when it is, he's so very honest with how he's feeling it levels out before it can entrench itself in him.

His eyes widen at that admission. Yes, he was the one who told him about it, but he also expected him to follow what he told him to do. He never seemed... he was always looked... ]

I didn't know it was an issue for you.

[burnitblack]

[while touya does most, if not all, of his "medical work" in the same tub shouto first brought him to way back at the start of his stay here, it's not the only source of corruption. he burns what blood comes out of him, but actions are something else entirely.

as for his emotions, as callous and uncaring as he can be, the burning rage and hatred inside him fuel that violent streak and leave him fully capable of murder and theft without giving a shit. certainly not often, but enough that he tends to sit under the tree just in case.]

I don't ever wanna turn into that fuckin monster again.

[if shouto needs a reason, well there ya go.]

[swellter]

[ Understanding comes between the sound of the waves crashing against the shore and that vow made in contempt of a beast he once faced. Unable to stop him, he rampaged through a city block, burning everything in his wake. He remembers the heat from that day, hot enough to burn him, but most of all, he remembers the form he took.

Endeavor.

He steps forward. Takes another. A third, faster than the last. His arm's stride forward, rattled by that confession, yet determined not to let it happen again. The urge grows exponentially inside him until he's all but compelled to cut the distance between them. He drops to one knee, reaching out to him with his left hand, impossible to ignore with a few scant inches between them. He fluctuates between hot and cold, his emotions spiraling out of control, yet the look on his face is certain. Unyielding.

Can we be-- ]

I don't want that either.

[burnitblack]

[one time was enough for him. if the price of corruption is that monstrosity, to become that damn thing he hates with every fiber of his being, then touya has no interest in letting his corruption levels reach that point. he'll curb his actions, he'll deal with purifying himself alone, he'll do what he has to and ensure his body never endures that wretched feeling again.

touya's eyes move from the ocean to his little brother when shouto suddenly appears to stagger towards him. dramatic... but he narrows his gaze on him regardless as the hero goes down on one knee. what the hell is this kid-? his left hand. those flames that sleep within his left side. endeavor's flames. the very ones that cursed both of them with the life they had to endure. instinct and anger threaten to flare up in touya's body, on his skin, but the presence of the tree and his desire not to burn down what keeps him from turning into that corrupted form prevents him from lashing out.

for someone as hot as touya can be, his expression is cold as ice despite the burning in his ice blue eyes. if he recognizes shouto's emotions raging, he gives no indication of it.]

No shit.

[most people don't want others to turn into corrupted monsters.]

[swellter]

[ If he recognizes the burning rage behind that icy look, he makes no indication of it. Neither does he move his hand, palm up in offering.

Can we be brothers? ]

I don't want that for you.

[burnitblack]

[he glances at the hand, as if he's got no idea what it's being held out to him for. shouto's not offering him anything in it and touya's got nothing he's planning on putting in it.

gonna have to use words if you want that unspoken question to have a chance at landing.]

How nice of ya. I'd've been more surprised if you did.

[swellter]

I don't want to see you like that again.

[burnitblack]

Ya said that already.

[swellter]

What else should I say while I wait for you to take my hand?

[burnitblack]

Huh? I don't need to take your hand.

[swellter]

Is it because it's my left?

[ He lifts his other hand from where it rests on his right knee and offers it to him instead. Happy? ]

[burnitblack]

[touya abruptly ignites both hands, blue flames crackling in his palms like he's holding handfuls of fire.]

Ya wanna take 'em now?

[he still hasn't said why he should take his damn hand. what a weird thing to ask for.]

[swellter]

[ Without hesitation, he moves to take it, arms wrapped in ice to protect him against the blue flames. ]

[burnitblack]

[he actually gets to grab touya's hand for a second before the older todoroki puts his fires out. there's a slight twitch at the corner of his upper lip, eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he's not actually pulling his hand away.]

What the hell's goin on with you?

[swellter]

[ That hand? Yeah, he's not letting go. He does let it warm up, so he's not freezing him, but that's about all the leniency he gets. ]

I'm tired of waiting for you to make up your mind.

[burnitblack]

[this is more confusing and a little irritating than anything else. he looks at his hand, as if trying to decide whether to pull back or leave it there.]

Careful. Ya startin to come off like a proposal.

[swellter]

[ ooc: apologies for the late reply! Holidays were busy! ]


[ He's standing his ground. If it sounds like a proposal (of what he hasn't got a clue) then so be it. He's made up his mind. ]

Why aren't you burning me? I know you can go hotter.

[ The blue flames are hot. Hotter than his own at a casual glance, but they're not nearly as hot as he knows they can grow. If they were, he wouldn't be able to touch him. That's why he can't fight against him. His flames are stronger. ]

[burnitblack]

[ooc: holidays do that. np.]



[he's not going to explain that kind of proposal he's sarcastically implying. it'd probably break shouto's little brain.

but it's that question which piques his mind into the apparent other reason shouto's going or. turquoise eyes narrow, though he doesn't bother increasing his flames.

as a matter of fact, he dismisses them entirely.]

Ain't a point to killin ya here. Endeavor's not here to see it and you'd just come back in a few days. It'd be wastin the effort.

[swellter]

[ Bulldozing straight through that answer, Shouto doesn't let go of his hand, nor will he be deterred by that answer. Fine. If you want to brush off the fact that you don't want to kill him anymore, he'll move on to another point of contention. ]

Why did Wolf let Kizu play with him when she first turned into a cub?

[ Teal and grey stay steady on him without a hint of backing away from this line of questioning anytime soon. ]

[burnitblack]

[so long as he's not trying to crush his hand or anything... even if it's getting weirder the longer he holds it. as for not wanting to kill him, it's more a matter of worth than want. killing him here has little meaning.

the follow up question just earns a blink.]

You expect me to remember somethin like that?

[he doesn't catalogue those kinds of memories. it happened in the past and whatever he was thinking or feeling back then has long gone out of his memory.]

[swellter]

[ His grip is firm but not crushing. Touya isn't getting free without putting effort into it. If that's weird, well, deal with it. It's not like he has a lot of experience with this. ]

They're a reflection of our souls. Wolf wouldn't have let Kizu play with him if you didn't want me near you.

[ And that has nothing to do with Endeavor. ]