streetwalkers | ROLESWAP AU MASTER POST

I don't want to be killed and no one knows it, Shinji! I had to tell somebody... But you can just celebrate, can't you?! You will, that's just you!

[ this is getting annoying. he wants to slap byakuya. he wants to punch byakuya. but he doesn't want that old motherfucker to kill byakuya. if byakuya is gone, then what would happen to shinji? it would get even worse. being in this house would actually become hell, rather than some bothersome purgatory. ]

Stop that. Shut up before I kill you myself. [ his eyes are razor sharp. ]

You wanna leave?

[ even before taking into consideration how the pleading, terrorized look in his brother's eyes has a vice grip on his heart, shinji fucking hates this place anyway. ]

[Byakuya's pathetic fear is working to Shinji's benefit this time. That look makes him quiet down, taking a big deep breath to keep from sobbing.

Of course he wants to leave. But he can't. He'll just be killed--

...But then, he's going to be killed anyway, isn't he? So maybe it's worth trying? Maybe not. But he's being offered a chance, isn't he? One he doesn't have to make for himself alone.

He bites his lip until it starts to bleed, but he also nods.]

[ it bothers him, seeing byakuya like this.
it isn't as if he hasn't seen him looking terrified before, it's been a near constant his entire life. but with the shared knowledge that his days are truly limited, shinji can feel his fear and pain a little more directly. it's an inconvenience and shinji doesn't like it one bit. especially because it isn't something he can twist into a half-truth and shove it into the back of his headspace.

exhaling, he picks through his stacks of books with a sense of seriousness.
he settles for two more, including the one he has in his hands. books good enough to go with them, wherever it is that they're going. grimacing as he looks up, shinji reaches over and wipes most of the blood on byakuya away with his thumb, smudging the rest. it probably tastes like dust and old paper. ]

Go pack a bag.

Edited 2013-08-04 18:30 (UTC)

[~~Well that was gay.~~ He's not sure how to take that gesture. It's something that feels a little tender, but everything else between them is anything but, including the look on Shinji's face.

They won't be allowed to leave. He's sure of that. But he might as well try, so he reluctantly slinks off to grab what little he thinks he can't do without. Speed is essential. The longer they stick around, the harder it'll be to go.]

[ ~~it's shinji were you expecting something of a not gay variety? because have i got news for you~~ he doesn't want to see it. shinji hates seeing things that he is unable to deny. this house makes it difficult, which is why he has no qualms about leaving at the drop of a hat. he's smart; he can go anywhere and accomplish anything he wants. ]

Meet me back here.

[ his eyes are still sharp. byakuya probably already knows to hurry, but shinji's expression suggests it anyway. he too, exits to pack a small bag for himself. clothes, a blanket, his books and a tooth brush.

a wad of money he'd stolen for emergencies just like this. when he ran away he didn't intend on having byakuya with him, but as long as he didn't slow them down too much, it would probably be alright.

maybe shinji could teach him to be less insufferable to be around. maybe.

when he returns to the room, he unlocks the bay window. he's jumped it before and been okay. he could certainly do it again. he looks over his shoulder once he's done surveying the height. ]

You ready?

Yeah...

[He holds his backpack to his chest tightly, shrinking as if he expects something to lash out at him at any moment. If he strains his ears, he can convince himself he hears the slithering in the walls. How far will they get? Why hasn't anything happened yet?]

Watch out for bugs...

[ he wrinkles his nose before swinging his feet outside of the window. he tosses his bag down, where it lands on the grass with a rustle. while he surveys the height he's about to jump once more, he looks back at byakuya. ]

M'going first. Once I'm down there, toss me your bag and follow.
Don't say anything.

Just run with me, and fucking keep up.
Got it?

Mm.

[That he can do. He's not as athletic as Shinji, but he's not so out of shape that he can't run when his life depends on it.

So he'll do exactly what he's told. He'll watch Shinji, he'll follow him, and he'll run as if death is right at his heels. It might as well be, after all.]

[ it's really high up. any person in their right mind wouldn't jump it, but living in this house has gotten shinji to do more reckless things. with a deep breath, he hops off the window sill and tries not to make a sound when the dirt beneath his shoes send a jolt of pain shooting up both of his calves from sticking the landing. he stumbles, but is otherwise just fine. he extends his arms to catch byakuya's bag. ]

[Throwing the bag is the easy part. Jumping from a high place, on the other hand, is scary. It's only the fact that staying is even scarier that allows him to do it.

His landing is terribly ungraceful. He can't stifle the yelp when his knee twists, and he stumbles sideways into Shinji. Normally he wouldn't get close enough to touch, but this time he finds himself clinging to his brother's shirt.]

[ the bag is caught with ease and tossed next to shinji's. he watches with precision as byakuya jumps, ending up with his hands on his shoulders to steady him. he eventually breaks off and stands up straight, glancing to byakuya's knee to silently ask if he's alright. ]

[He shifts back and forth a bit, confirming that he can put weight on that leg. It hurts, and he's sure it'll swell and stiffen by tomorrow, but for now it's workable.

Reaching for his bag, he slings it over his shoulder and starts to walk away. Shinji might be the leader, but Byakuya's eager to run. He can feel them being watched, and he has the distinct sense that they're being allowed to run right now. That might bode ill for later, but he'd still rather not wait for the old man to change his mind.]

[ shinji doesn't feel any of this paranoia. he's shut it out years ago, so he picks up his bag and follows until he's back in the lead and breaks into a run -- though a bit slower than he would normally go, out of an odd concern for byakuya's leg. he frowns, not liking to feel obligated or held up. man, these sibling sort of feelings today have really been nothing sort of a huge pain in the ass. ]

We're running until we absolutely can't anymore!

[ but in the end, to allow byakuya to be killed wouldn't be right.
he's a shitty brother, but he isn't a bad person. he's not like every other motherfucker in this family. ]

Okay.

[Pain is something he can ignore, when it's minor. That's something he learned a long time ago. Magic is painful, using it is painful. He hasn't had to be infested with worms for training to have hurt.

So he powers through it, running after Shinji with an unusual amount of determination. He's a whiny, uncertain, wishy-washy kind of person. He's always unsure of where he's going or what he's doing, always swinging between superiority and inferiority and pride and self-loathing. He changes his mind as fast as he changes his moods. This, though, he's sure of. He has to get away.]

[ so they run. shinji looks over his shoulder every so often, glaring at byakuya threateningly, as if telling him not to slow down. to tell the truth, he's surprised, maybe even impressed by the fact that he's keeping up. they run until shinji's lungs are on fire and he can't feel his feet. he stops, inhaling sharply. they're several miles from the house. he reaches into his pocket, touching the money he's got. ]

W-We're gonna take a bus. [ he breathes. ] It doesn't matter where. The first one that's leaving.

[It's hard to breathe. Fear of death might have kept him running, but the moment they stop, the instant he loses momentum, it all catches up with him. While Shinji talks about buses, Byakuya's legs go out from under him. He'll be able to keep moving in a few minutes, probably, but he needs to catch his breath and stop trembling.]

...Do you really want to leave home like that? You won't have anything nice anymore, y'know.

[ shinji raises an eyebrow, still frowning. ]

I can get my own nice things. [ he refuses to compromise his lifestyle, he'll simply have to reacquire things. he folds his arms, feeling a little defensive, even with byakuya on the ground. ]

Are you chickening out?
If you die I won't be able to stay there -- [ he's so loathe to admit this. so much he bites at his bottom lip, regretting saying anything already. ]

If you die, then it will just be me and him.

[ byakuya existing as that buffer is something he hadn't realized until just an hour ago. ]

I'm not chickening out. I just...

[He didn't think Shinji would ever run with him, that's all.]

Why did you bring me with you?

[ his posture stiffens up.
truthfully, it's because he feels sorry for byakuya
for the first time in his life. ]

It will really piss off the old man, won't it?

[ he may hate byakuya ~~or think he hates byakuya~~
but he hates zouken so, so, so much more. ]

It... Yeah.

[That makes sense. That's a justification that doesn't require second-guessing the status of his relationship with his brother. He can accept that, so he sticks it firmly in place over his doubts and stiffly tries to get back on his feet.]

Let's go somewhere really far.

[ that gets a smug sounding huff from shinji and he stands a little taller, watching the other get back up. ]

As far as possible. [ so they walk across a couple sets of tracks to the station, where shinji picks up a brochure to start browsing departure times. ]

For now, though, we'll get on whatever is leaving next.

Okay. Where's that?

[Normally he wouldn't hover quite so close. He keeps a safe distance, just enough to dodge irritated swats or lean in to deliver his own. He's more afraid than usual tonight, so he hovers right on the edge of Shinji's personal space.]

[ he folds up the literature, shooting something of an uncomfortable glare over his shoulder. byakuya's fear is more palpable than usual, but shinji has something of a larger area of personal space than most people require. even with family. especially with family. no one can be trusted. he visibly bristles, eyes actually somewhat wary for a split-second. ]

Misaki City. It's leaving in five minutes. [ he glances to the clock above the ticket station, double checking. ]

Edited 2013-08-06 08:24 (UTC)

Get tickets, then. Before he decides to drag us back.

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