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]

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. ]

[burnitblack]

[his patience with the grip is fast waning. he'll likely be trying to pull it away in a little bit. touya don't really like people touching him so freely in the first place. he's pretty standoffish.]

Ain't really a matter of want as it's care. Already told ya I wasn't gonna be huntin you or your friends while I was here.

[while he doesn't have any real warmth towards shouto, outside of the event effects, he doesn't actively chase him away either. the times shouto manages to get them together or they happen to run into each other.]

[swellter]

[ It's a testament to his commitment to this line of questioning that he initiated contact so boldly in the first place, especially over something he wants. ]

You didn't care enough to drive her away. [ A pause. ] Just like you don't care enough to drive me away.

[burnitblack]

[yeah well, all good things come to an end and touya abruptly tugs his hand away, having had enough of the hand holding. but he doesn't move to lean back or get up, just stays his place under the tree and eyeing shouto with tempered tolerance. for now.]

Get to the point, Shouto.

[swellter]

[ Roughened skin slips through his fingers. He's left with his hand in the air, holding onto nothing. His expression turns stubborn, determined not to be affected by the rejection. He's used to it. ]

That is my point.

[ Said calmly, with a hint of obstinacy behind teal and grey. ]

You don't hate me, do you?

[burnitblack]

[most people don't like to sit there with their hand being held. it's weird. he remains where he is, still not entirely sure what shouto's trying to point out here. even the comment right now is nothing more than what touya's been doing all this time.

well... actually no.]

Just cause I ain't tryin to kill ya doesn't mean I like ya.

[every time he looks at shouto, he just sees a reminder of his own failure and a replacement made to crush him. disappointment, abuse, abandonment, endeavor.]

[swellter]

[ And there it is. What he's suspected for some time but never broached to keep whatever nebulous peace they had.

He wasn't hated by his brother.

He thought about it while he recovered from the burn injuries he sustained during their battle when Dabi revealed the ties that linked them. When he tried to burn him alive, he still staggering from the revelation. ]

I'll take it.

[ He nods firmly once like they're making some kind of illicit deal. ]

[burnitblack]

[well if that's the assumption shouto wants to take away from this conversation, touya can't stop him from doing that. might have more to say about it later, since it doesn't sound like anything's getting through shouto's head today, asides from what he little brother wants to hear.]

Whatever.

[this whole meeting has been strange, and touya doesn't think he's changed his tune at any point in time, but apparently that's not the idea shouto's got. nothing would really prove it, apart from touya outright attacking his little brother again.

... which he simply doesn't feel like doing for a multitude of reasons.]

What else ya got goin on?

[swellter]

[ An assumption he's had for some time and corroborated. The knowledge fills him with a sort of peace that shows up in the form of a deep breath that he lets out slowly; resetting himself. A tilted world angling a little closer to where it's supposed to be. It does wonders for the tension building in his shoulders that sort of loosen letting them drop by a notch.

He thinks about the question, feeling a little closer to his brother than he has for a while. Kizu even comes out her shell and trots off toward Wolf. She's no longer a cub mentally, and she's grown once to fetch an apricot tree for transplanting. Other than that, she's remained in her cub form. When she reaches Wolf, she simply curls up next to him, not acknowledging him but letting him in her space. ]

I have a patrol tomorrow.

[ He doesn't exactly have plans other than his schedule. If Touya wants him to expand on what's happened in the last few months, he'll have to ask better questions because this stunted idiot has no clue what you're really asking. ]

What about you?

[burnitblack]

[touya's not going to fight him on this. it's pointless, now that shouto's made up his mind, even if it is based on false assumption and one-sided desire. at the same time, he's not entirely wrong. even if touya's not fond of his little brother, he's willing to work with him, talk with him, and meet with him. occasionally. only bothering to attack of shouto gets in his way or there's some stupid corrupting influence going on.

it won't do him any benefit to beat his head on his little brother's ice wall.

technically kizu moved into wolf's space, but the omen doesn't seem to mind her presence, simply taking a seat beside her and watching its master and his brother. wolf remains more a partner and tool to touya than a friend or a pet, though the villain doesn't treat his omen with any rudeness or cruelty. they simply exist together as needed.]

Nothin much. Probably gonna review some inventory and comb the beach.

[he'd ask better questions if he were really curious, but that short, stunted answer tells him what he wants to know. if shouto had more to tell, unique information, he would've. simple as that.

but that said...]

If ya wanna come for the latter, I'll be goin around 9.

[probably the first time he's ever invited shouto to actually go out and do something with him, but whatever. touya's not here to kill him. he could use an extra hand in case they find anything.]

[swellter]

[ Wolf's acceptance of his omen's intrusion into his space is something that goes over his head while he's fixated on his brother, but Kizu notices. Probably why she's comfortable enough to remain visible around Touya and Wolf where she hides away from most others.

With his attention hyper-focused on his brother, Shouto catches the subtle invitation - for once! - and grabs it before it's taken away. Nodding firmly once with a confident - ]

I want to come.

[ Accepting the invitation with the same earnestness that's displayed in his features. ]

I'll meet you here at nine.

[ He confirms, nodding firmly a second time more to himself than Touya this time. He's not subtle, at all. ]