bravenewworld | ☆ second investigation

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[Taki's not the sort that really mingles well. He tends to keep to himself, even if he's amicable and friendly when he is around others. It's not that he doesn't like people, it's that he's in a constant state of keeping himself at arm's length, and others at two. ~~Which is my explanation for not making a second post with him since APRIL.~~]

[Late evening, his Warp Band feed pops on and Mari, his Skitty, makes a startled noise and it clatters to the side, showing a clearing of trees near the Dwarfhouse. Anyone paying enough attention to the feed would notice a periodic flash of sparking yellow light that would illuminate the form of the aforementioned Battalion agent, punching at trees like a boxer.]

[It's a few minutes of this before he notices the light from the band and swears under his breath.]

Mari, don't play with that--

[His hand comes into view and the feed shuts off.]

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[For those so inclined, a short time after the feed shuts off Taki will be stalking out of the woods behind the Dwarfhouse, knuckles slightly bloodied and a frustrated look on his face, but a very happy Skitty perched on his head.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I dunno. I nearly killed you- how are you not just as mad?

[He didn't expect that to be what he was mad about. He looks mildly surprised by his admission. He frowns a little, shaking his head.]

...I was mad at the time, yeah, because I was terrified.

Wh--

[He's flabbergasted. And pretty visibly upset.]

Like you were in control?! Why the hell would I be mad at you for that?

For not being stronger- for not being able to get out of this without it leaving marks on you. I don't know. I feel like the mindcontrol-strangulation would be a pretty big problem.

[He rubs the back of his neck, glancing off to the side.]

You weren't in control! Of course you had no way of getting out of it! If anything, I should have stopped it from happening in the first place!

But you couldn't, just like I couldn't fight the control until it was almost too late. What's done is done, Taki. I'm not mad at you for whatever happened- okay? I know what you were trying to do and for all we know, that's exactly what the point of that whole mess was.

[He looks at him now, brows furrowed and mouth a tight frown.]

But stop blaming yourself for whatever happened.

I'm-- I should have been able to do something and instead I just sat there and let you half-strangle me like it was proving a point. And it did, in a way! It proved that you can fight yourself back in to control, and I knew you could, even if you didn't, I trust you enough for that, but that's not fucking helping, that's being a sorry sack of useless bones and implementing a hell of a lot of trauma on you for nearly strangling someone you grew up with.

[He can't even call himself Hayato's friend right now. He's such a mess of feelings and concern and Lord this man needs to calm the fuck down. By the time he's done ranting he realizes he barely took a breath through all of that, and kind of gasps, tensed shoulders going slack as he just stares at the ground.]

I should have done something.

You did enough.

[He hasn't seen Taki like this in a very long time. He doesn't like it.]

You were right about me, about if I could fight it, even if you were almost wrong. I think that whole thing was supposed to show me that I can't let what happened in Gigas control my life. I had to be the one to win.

[He smiles a little.]

You know, we're not kids anymore. You've got to let me fight my own battles.

[He might be shaking.]

You're all I've got, Hayato. I can't just "let you fight your own battles".

[That catches him off guard.]

...Eh?

[He makes a sound-- it's sort of a laugh, but it's not a happy thing.]

Look, I know I sucked at keeping in contact with you. I'm sorry. I-- even without Gigas having captured you, I'm awful at talking, I'm awful at being a friend. But you're the only one that's actually stuck around, and I really screwed up back there.

[He's rambling, he knows it, he can't stop talking because if he stops he might run.]

I don't know why I thought showing you I trusted you was gonna make that better.

I don't know- But maybe all of this happened because you felt like you have to prove to me you trusted me.

[The look he gives him is exasperated but also fond.]

...I know you trust me, and I guess I haven't been the best at showing that it's mutual. You're not awful at being my friend. You're very important to me. That's why I got so upset. I couldn't stand the idea of hurting you- of possibly killing you.

Then that makes the fact that you got possessed and could have hurt yourself and a bunch of other people my fault. That's not something to be proud of.

[He's so tired. He probably hasn't really slept a lot since they got back from the caves. He'd sleep in fitful shifts, and then work on something, or go punch trees, and now he's just a bloodied bruised up mess by his own hands as well as from the beating Hayato gave him. He wheezes.]

Sorry.

Sorry for being a dumbass? Apology accepted.

[And then he punches him in the arm.]

[He shifts with the punch, but doesn't really react outside of a tired half-smile.]

I deserved that.

☆ second investigation | video/action

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