TRAINWRECK AU MASTER POST

[didnteventry]

[FOR THIS THING YEAH.]

Comments

[didnteventry]

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.

[fairdevil]

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.

[didnteventry]

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!

[fairdevil]

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]

[didnteventry]

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...]

[fairdevil]

[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.]

[didnteventry]

[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!

[fairdevil]

And if I didn't?

[didnteventry]

[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.]

[fairdevil]

[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.

[didnteventry]

[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?

[fairdevil]

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?

[didnteventry]

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!

[fairdevil]

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?

[didnteventry]

[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.

[fairdevil]

...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]

[didnteventry]

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.]

[fairdevil]

[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.

[didnteventry]

[Explaining himself probably won't help. Nothing will help, but trying to defend, to reason out and justify his reaction will likely just give Kirei something else to dig his claws into and exploit. So Byakuya doesn't explain. He just renews his struggling, desperately trying to wrench his arm free of the priest's grasp and refusing to make eye contact as he does.]

[fairdevil]

[He'll let Byakuya look away, let him struggle as much as he wishes in his grasp. He'll wear himself down and put on a good show at the same time]

Ah, perhaps it's because I'm still here?

[A chuckle, low and cruel]

Then let me ask you this. What would you do to escape me?

[didnteventry]

[Well for one, he'll try to stomp on your instep. He's not drunk enough to be entirely uncoordinated, but he is too scared to get words out properly.]

[fairdevil]

Foolish things, I see.

[He'll take that wrist and twist it with enough sudden force to snap the bones like a matchstick]

Pity you have such poor judgement, lashing out against a man whom you know to be...abnormal.

[didnteventry]

[Byakuya only makes a half-hearted effort to choke back his scream. It turns to terrified, pained keening, his tears coming harder as he stops struggling all at once. It hurts -- not as much as the bullets he's felt before, but bad enough, and he wilts.]

Let go of me...

[fairdevil]

I will tell you this now, Matou Byakuya, your terror and your begging both fascinate me. Knowing that, would you truly expect me to let you go so easily?

[He kisses that limp hand, a small prelude to all the other things he wishes to do with this man.]

I don't imagine you would. Perhaps you forget when you're immersed in fear and in drink, but you know better, don't you?

[didnteventry]

Of course I know!

[But he doesn't like it. He doesn't want to let it happen. Still, there's no getting out of Kirei's grasp right now, so his free hand instead comes up to wipe at his own eyes. He smiles a small, bitter smile, and sniffs.]

I'm not stupid. You're a monster.