streetwalkers | TRAINWRECK AU MASTER POST

[Kirei took the liberty of letting himself in quietly -- you could do such things when you have a house key, and knowing that Kariya trusted him enough to give him one hasn't quite lost its novelty yet. He's sitting at the desk, casually flipping through the books, intent on entertaining himself until Kariya appeared. But as chance would have it, he wasn't the only one home at the moment.

He chuckles when he hears the door open and speaks without so much as looking up.]

So I'm not alone. I hope the noise didn't startle you. My intent was to keep to myself until Kariya returned home.

[It's only the fact that he reflexively hugs it that keeps him from dropping his booze. Kirei scares him almost as much as that Servant thing did, and his reaction of fear is blatant. He hasn't started the real drinking yet at this point -- the constant buzz he keeps most of the time he's awake is there, but for him that's practically sober. Fortunately, that means he doesn't lose it enough to run or scream just at the sight of the man.

Still, he backs away, going to close the door. Just don't look. Just pretend he's not here, and it'll be okay.]

Y-You do that.

[Oh he knew he liked you from the start, Byakuya. That fear is palpable, not to mention hilarious, and before Byakuya can escape Kirei's crossed the room and confiscated the whiskey.]

I will, but it concerns me how pale you seem. Is something the matter? I can't imagine this--

[He pauses to examine the bottle]

--would help much.

Ah-- Hey!

[He grabs after his whiskey at first, before he stops himself. That's the only one he's got right now. He was going to go to the store for more in the morning, but tonight that bottle's all that stands between him and the world. Seeing it in Kirei's hands makes his stomach turn.]

I'm fine. Give it back.

Are you? It would be an embarrassment to my calling if I did not tend to a sick and troubled man.

[He holds the bottle carefully out of reach, watching the panic play across Byakuya's face]

You're not really a normal priest anyway, right? So you can leave it alone...

That depends on what you'd like to call "normal".

[Byakuya ur a qt, that deserves some words]

If you refer to my relationship with the Association then perhaps it would be fair to say that I'm not normal. But I hold the same beliefs and have taken the same oaths as my colleagues. I'm quite unremarkable in that respect.

[Mostly bullshit, but not entirely untrue. Kirei doesn't lie -- he omits and misconstrues.]

Normal priests don't fool around with other men. Or make brats like yours.

[He doesn't want to talk about this. He doesn't care about Kirei's oaths or anything else. He just knows the man is horrible, and doesn't want his attention. He'd have preferred if Kirei never noticed he existed.]

Give it back.

And allow you to drink yourself to sleep? That would be irresponsible.

[Kirei doesn't bother hiding his grin or the amused tone in his voice.]

I am not petty enough to put you in harm's way for insulting my son.

It's not any of your business what I do!

[He's irritated. He's frightened of Kirei, and he'd run away if he could just get his bottle back. But trying to snatch it... that could end badly. Kirei's grin is blood-chilling, and Byakuya is only able to hold off the urge to flee because he's pretty sure he'd be chased.]

If you want to mess with Kariya, I don't care. He invited you so that's his problem. But I don't want anything to do with it!

Perhaps not, but I imagine it is enough to trouble Kariya. So you see, I have my obligations as both a friend and a man of God. Will you not remember the ones you hold as his brother?

[He knows about that particular wound and has no qualms in poking at it]

I'm not obligated to do anything for that waste of space! He can choke and die for all I care.

[Okay. Okay. He can do this. Just reach out quickly and try to rip his bottle out of Kirei's hand... scary, but if he makes his exit afterwards and locks his door...]

[It isn't hard to catch Byakuya's wrist when he grabs for the bottle, as drunkenness (even Byakuya's brand of perpetual drunkenness) isn't known to contribute to one's speed or coordination. Kirei, in contrast, has caught bullets.

And as fond as he is of words, he feels they'd detract from the moment. Instead, he simply grins down at Byakuya.]

[There's a moment of silence where Byakuya's face drains of colour, but he stays completely still. Then the look on Kirei's face really registers, and he starts to struggle frantically. Life would be easier if he weren't good at reading people, but since he is he's more than aware that Kirei can and would seriously hurt him. He'd enjoy doing it too.

If he were more inebriated, Byakuya would be in tears already.]

Let go!

And if I didn't?

[He doesn't have a good answer for that. He knows threatening anything would be suicidal. So instead, he just tries to pry Kirei's fingers loose with his free hand. The panic is obvious, but there's no point in trying to hide that, either. It wouldn't do him any good. He's got nothing to gain by playing tough.]

[Kirei finds himself growing bored, sarcastically playing at duty and kindness, and his grip tightens around Byakuya's wrist. They both know where Kirei's interests lie - pretending otherwise is simply for the momentary enjoyment.

He watches Byakuya pry at his fingers, and he can't help but laugh at the pathetic display]

Are you too constantly inebriated to hide your fear? It would make you much less worthy of my attention.

[Byakuya isn't much larger in stature than his brother. He's no athlete, and Kirei's grip is unrelenting. It's painful, too, once he tightens it. A small, frightened noise rises in the back of his throat, and he doesn't try very hard to stop it.]

It's Kariya you want, isn't it? Why don't you leave me alone and wait for him, huh?

It's unfortunate for you that I'm not so simple a man. I want entertainment. I care little about where it comes from, and both you and Kariya offer exciting possibilities. I can watch him, enjoy how volatile he can be, and indulge in him when I please. You, on the other hand--

[Are you enjoying that pause? He hopes you are, Byakuya.]

You are all raw fear, reliable and consistent. It takes ten minutes to understand your patterns, and even less time to realize that you are a time bomb, a man with an unfortunately violent expiration date.

[Another pause as Kirei raises the bottle of whiskey, examining the label with faux scrutiny.]

What would you do to make me return this to you?

Edited 2012-09-18 08:15 (UTC)

W-what...?

[He's not sure how he's supposed to respond to that. He knows, in the logical part of his brain, that all the drinking is going to kill him eventually. But who cares? He'll die in a hospital at 60. That's not "violent". The very wording makes his heart pound even faster.

As for what he'd do... he's pretty sure that anything Kirei could come up with is even scarier than insomnia and nightmares.]

Why would I make an exchange for it? I'm not stupid!

Not stupid, perhaps, but desperate. I have no plan to return this to you without an exchange -- either you will go the rest of the night without it or humor me. Which will it be?

[That is a terrible choice, but it's not really a difficult one. Saving his own skin is the most important, after all.]

...Let go. I don't need it that bad.

...very well.

[Well,if you insist -- he drops the bottle and keeps hold of Byakuya. He didn't say what to let go of, after all]

Ah--

[The sound of the glass shattering is sharp, and moreso with what that liquor represents. It's comfort, a padding between Byakuya and reality, and seeing it spill haphazardly across the wood floor is a slap in the face. He can't escape reality right now. It's horrible, it's terrifying, and it's right in his face. Instead of a fear of the things that lurk around corners, this is fear of something that's already quite literally gotten ahold of him. He remembers the look on his wife's face when they took her, the first time he saw that Servant, and the cold pain in the eyes of the man who left bullet scars on his limbs.

He freezes, and starts to cry.]

[The reaction is better than he could have possibly expected. The terror in Byakuya's sobs is more than he could have possibly asked for, and he can't help but smile, tilting Byakuya's chin up so he can watch the tears flow.]

You're that upset? But you said not a moment ago that you didn't need it.

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