:K

it’s this picture’s fault || @avellaturortem

[ iii. ]     THAT’S A NICE CHANGE OF PACE from their now much more usual avoidance, looking at anywhere or anything but him, acting like he barely exists or as if talking to him became a chore. But ( there’s always a but following any and every good news ) he’s not sure what they’re referring to, since he obviously didn’t put on that much weight in what, two or three weeks, a month at worse ? Besides, Krory’s pretty sure that while their repaired his uniform after one simple mission, they didn’t give him a brand new one, nor asked for a new sizing.

         “  I didn’t go up in sizes at all, Miku. I’ve, ah, I’ve just been convinced recently to take my training more seriously. Less I really wanted my teeth knocked out. “

                ✮

                                      Such a gentle expression comes to Allen’s face as Krory speaks. ❛❛ I…suppose you are right in that way. But I cannot let a debt of my Master’s stand. Especially when it is to such a dear friend of mine, Krory. It’s…not so much as your interest in it, but my own pride I guess. I’ve paid those debts so much that I feel almost a need to repay those my master has so cruelly scammed. He’s abused your trust, Krory, so I feel it’s my responsibility to restore it. ❜❜

                                        He offers a smile, like many of his usual ones, even if there is no brightness to his eyes as he speaks.

[ iii. ]      IF HE WANTS TO BE AS TRUTHFUL AS POSSIBLE, Krory would tell Allen that the money was of little to no importance in this abuse of trust he’s speaking of. Roseanne, on the other hand, had been a low blow, even if there really was no way to explain just how Cross had knew he’d accommodate such a freaky Innocence ---or why there had been an Innocence in the flower’s belly. But he couldn’t ask his friend to pull his teeth out, and such a debt couldn’t be repaid.

Un bref soupir, un qu'indique une deuxième onde de pensées assez forte pour que tout mots irréfléchis soit voilé jusqu'aux dents serrées dans sa mâchoire. Il ne leva donc qu'un sourcil tandis que le plus haute parlait. Même si ces mots pouvaient sembler aussi calmes et aussi intercesseurs que possible, certainement l'Apôtre ne desserrerait pas ses traits ou son discours. Non seulement pour son orgueil typique, mais aussi pour le fait que, s'il hésitait même qu'un peu, avec quelle autorité pourrait-il continuer à parler à ces maudits?

❛❛ Je le devrais vraiment… Je devrais les faire ravaler un par un ———— ! ❜❜   Une bouffée d'air à travers ses narines a remarqué la pause.    ❛❛ Mais c'est trop de travail et ça ne vaut pas la peine. ❜❜    Il devait convenir qu'aucune métaphore ne pouvait expliquer avec une exactitude totale toutes les hypothèses et possibilités entourant sa conjoncture actuelle. En tout cas, ce n'était pas approprié de s'opposer à son auditeur quant il exprimant si doucement ses pensées. S'il était seul, Kanda seraient sûrement dans un lieu très différent maintenant. De cette façon, il serait peut-être préférable de les regarder et d'en apprendre un peu plus. Chaque minute pourrait être d'une grande valeur, peut-être plus qu'il le pensait. Un hochement de tête subtil a finir pour être sa dernière réponse, non pas comme une confusion, mais comme un bref moyen de passer un air de domination.    ❛❛ Dis-moi, alors ————— que ferais-tu, huh? Je veux le savoir… ❜❜

[ iii. ]       QU’EST-CE QUE LUI-MÊME FERAIT DANS UNE TELLE SITUATION ? Eh bien, ils avaient une chance en or de l’apprendre, puisqu’ils étaient coincés côte-à-côte avec cet indigeste personnage, son ton moralisateur, son attitude condescendante et hauntaine, et même, ses sbires béni-oui-oui franchement agaçants. Krory comprend parfaitement que Kanda ait les nerfs en boule, mais son compagnon d’infortune fait de vaillants efforts pour rester maîre de la situation et de son tempérament généralement plutôt bouillant. Loin de lui l’idée de venir ruiner un tel étalage de volonté, et pourtant il se sent toujours un peu plus proche du point de non-retour à chaque fois que l’autre ouvre la bouche pour dénigrer ceci, rire de cela, se moquer d’un-tel ou se vanter que sans lui, eux deux hommes d’église n’iraient nulle part ! Comme si. D’accord, ils ne parlent ni ne comprennent la langue locale, mais depuis quand est-ce que devoir gesticuler est une barrière insurmontable pour communiquer ?

          “  Je les laisserais parler sans leur répondre. Et j’attendrais le moment propice pour leur faire comprendre qu’ils ont les yeux plus gros que le ventre, quand ils ont choisi de nous charrier comme ça.  “

UN court silence, ponctué seulement d’un haussement d’épaules, avant que Krory n’ajoute, un mince sourire aux lèvres ( dévoilant des dents trop pointues ), 

              ✮

                                    For a moment, they forget about the cold air around their mouth, the lack of weight on the bridge of their nose and the tightness of the straps on their face. They forget the soft ‘clink’ their mask makes against their armor when they move.

                                    They can see it, they can see the pure panic building in his body language. Their expression turns stony, eyes wide as they immediately come closer. They don’t blink, they don’t see Krory for a moment. They see a scared child in his place, and they knew that feeling far too personally. A clawed hand reaches out, grabbing his uninjured arm and beginning to drag him off behind them.

                                     Static, that’s all they hear, pure static ringing out in their ears. They’re walking so fast, and they want to cry. There’s an overwhelming shame growing in their belly, hand trembling as it holds onto him. They feel sick, which only causes them to walk faster. They can see people look at them from their peripheral vision.

                                    Stop it. Stop looking at me, stop stop stop stop stop stop stop! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll put it back on! Don’t hit me again [ ——— ] !! Please don’t hurt me again!! Please, oh god please, I’m sorry! It’s my fault, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t hurt me anymore–

                                     They don’t come out of it until they’re pushing Krory into the depths of their bedroom, hyperventilating. They quickly slam their door shut behind them, shaking hands locking it finally. Their knees give out as a scared sob comes from deep in their chest. Claws dig deep into the wood as they grip onto it, anything, trying to ground themself again. A cold sweat of fear covering their body, they’re going to be sick. A sob interrupted by a dry heave. They don’t have anything left in their stomach, not after being so sick earlier in the day.

                                       Angel’s remix deactivates completely, falling from around their neck, clattering as it bounces off their leg, rolling away from them as they claw at the door. Deep gouges are visible, only from the inside of the bedroom, showing just how much they end up right in that very spot.

[ iii. ]       THE WALK FROM THE TRAINING AREA to their bedroom happens in a blur, as if he’s not really taking in his surroundings, yet all too aware of what’s happening--- they’re dragging him in their wake, bringing him somewhere, anywhere, everywhere, and it is both a sentence of death and a relief to not be the center of attention anymore. He doesn’t recall why they seem so hellbent on pulling him along, and he remembers in too vivid details the taunting, provoking their wrath, scratching at raw nerves, the mocking tone of his voice, his condescending attitude, a behavior that doesn’t fit him, that only ever matched his own ideal, but not his actual person. There’s a hiss of pain that rises from his chest when he staggers in the room, stumbling as far from the door as he can ( stupid, where’s his escape plan now, he never had any to begin with ), stumbling more than turning on his heels to press his back against the wall.

HIS arm hurts, he realizes. Not that he did not know, really, but the pain is back in a sudden, blinding and overwhelming, and he slides down the wall to sit on the floor, his good hand going to press against the wound. It’s still bleeding, Krory notes in mock horror and shocked fascination.

THEY bit him only after the effects of his Innocence had started to wear off. Had they went for that attack first of all things, the wound would be healed by now, but it’s not, there’s still blood pouring from the jagged holes their teeth left in his flesh, and he wonders if an Akuma feels the same off disbelief and denial he does, when he grabs one to bleed it dry. Being bitten as a direct threat to life is quite unexpected, if not downright somewhat sickening, and there’s a disgust that paints itself on his features as he finally looks up to whatever Miku’s doing.

CAREFULLY keeping his arm as close to his body as possible, Krory can only crawl on all threes to get to them, knowing fully well he’s risking a solid punch, a kick, hell, even to be headbutted in the nose, but he still reaches out to grab one of their hands, pulling at it with all the strength he can muster--- that hasn’t left him entirely with the Innocence abandoning its job at weaponizing him.

          “  Miku. Miku. Did you drink it ?  “

THAT’S all that matters all of a sudden, even before taking care of his own injury, of their panic, of whatever happened and anything he said that he now deeply regrets. Have they drank his blood ? Did they spit it all out or not ?

HC that’s actually canon, just never brought back up again: Krory fainting / being very weak and wobbly on his legs after activating his Innocence is not only due to the strain it puts on his body - it’s also because of the blood loss he suffers from turning his own blood into a weapon to fight Akuma. The mix of both that strain and the blood loss is the main reason he can not keep his Innocence activated for too long time spans in battle. While Akuma bloodoil does mix with his own blood, it’s very quickly assimilated by the Innocence so long as he’s not grievously injured.

             ✮

                                      There’s a scoff as he pulls away from them, a clawed hand reaching out to grab him by the collar. They don’t pull him down though, instead they step even closer, standing up on their tiptoes and continuing to clean his face off as stars begin to bloom across the fabric of the handkerchief. They were already ruining it by putting any Akuma blood on it, might as well make as much use of it as possible. What he says though makes them pause, sighing through their nose.

                                       ❛❛ The Earl would have a much stronger hold on people due to money. We would only be in ever more danger with even more humans in the equation. They’re just as much of a threat as Akuma. Allen may be able to see a difference with his eye, but what of the humans who wish us harm? Those who aren’t brokers, but instead have a deep-seated hatred for the church? We’d still be damned to be unable to walk through the public without looking over our shoulders constantly. But…perhaps…it would be nicer, perhaps people would be grateful to us for keeping them safe…I doubt it. Humans are terrible creatures… ❜❜

                                         They throw the handkerchief away from themself as the stars begin to reach where their claws held onto it, seeming to have no problem with dancing with the dangers of the Akuma virus. Heels click as they begin to walk away, then glance around the ruins of the little village. ❛❛ This..for example…We’d be at fault for this village’s destruction. The Earl would have us painted in an unholy light in printing. We’d have destroyed this ourselves, just us, no Akuma, just bloodthirsty, maniacal, insane bastards, who willingly killed women, children, the elderly…We’d be to blame for this carnage. Take this to heart. Kanda had to tell Allen this. We are Destroyers. Not. Saviors. It’s like an unspoken code. Come help me get our things out of the inn’s rubble. ❜❜

[ iii. ]       THEY HAVE A POINT, to not simply go around to admit they have several points. He could push forward his own personal experience ( had the existence of the Order been more well-known, perhaps villagers wouldn’t have taken up arms to murder him ), could argue simply to not agree with them ---but even as his posture grows tense as they clean his face, Krory keeps his jaws clenched tightly. This silent agreement to their words is most unusual for him, but what else is there for him to add ? A pensive nod, a stare lost to the horizon, whispering you are right as if the whole weight of the world was now on his shoulders ? These sure are more normal behaviors for him, when he shies away from eye contact, hunch his shoulders under people’s gazes ---but right now, he only straightens his collar, mouth shut and lips drawn in a thin line.

OF course, Exorcists would be seen in a bad light, their Innocence turned into weapons of massacre no matter the lives they try to save, because in war, there’s not a single life that matters more than another. Every single person would think of their own skin first, and people desperately struggling to keep another one afloat would be seen as a lunatic, an idealist, a naïve, untrustworthy ally that could just as well be the enemy. Kindness is a weakness.

          “  But what’s so wrong with a glimmer of hope, even amongst the rubles of a town, the carnage left behind by Akuma, a single life who would be thankful they didn’t have to serve as a monster’s snack that day ?  “

IT’S more a whisper to himself, as Krory’s feet move to follow them, as his stare drops down to the tips of his boots, as if the answer to everything could be found in the worn-out leather.

As he was about to respond to that, trying to state that this would certainly be no problem because there was no way he could enjoy kissing a man, Krory was already coming closer, so much closer than before. Daisy stumbled back a little, but soon met with the wall behind him. There was no turning back now. To spare him the embarrassment of looking at the other while this way going down he closed his eyes and braced for impact.

His lips felt… softer than he had expected. Also warmer. Daisya could feel the heat rising on his face as the kiss went on for what felt like an eternity. A… rather nice eternity, but an eternity nonetheless. And yet despite his heart beating so fast now, he could feel himself relax a little, relieve the tension that had built up during the conversations moments before.

Soon, their lips parted again and he quickly opened his eyes to look at Krory completely dumbfounded. Did they… really just do that? He threw a glance around the room. They were still alone. Good…

“Well…” the exorcist sighed and scratched the back of his head, avoiding eye contact now. “I can certainly tell you have some skills.” His face was bright red now, so he pulled his hood deep down into his face.

[ iii. ]       THERE, THAT WASN’T SO BAD, wasn’t it ? Much better than a quick peck that dared to pretend itself a kiss, and with next to no consequences except perhaps feeling like asking for seconds. Not that he thought Daisya would go as far as request more kisses, if only guessing by the fact it had been nearly necessary to twist his arm back for this one, but one was already a pretty good start. It lasted no more than a few seconds ( ten, at the very longest of estimations ), before Krory pulled away, taking a step back, glancing to the room as the other Exorcist did so. No one in sight, and no ghost either ---wasn’t that just convenient ? As if they were in a novel, or as if the door was closed.

OF course Krory knew of some people’s opinion about the mere proximity between two men, that wasn’t just an exquisite friendship. He had heard of it, read about it, and for all he tried to put himself in these ( ignorant ) people’s shoes, he couldn’t find it in himself to bother. Judgmental people would throw rocks and insults at anything that wasn’t exactly their spitting image

          “  You’re not being outdone either, if I can say. Tell me, do you even know why you gave me a kiss in the first place ?  “

❛❛ Je suppose que sarcasme est une langue étrangère pour toi, huh?❜❜   Ce même ombre d'un audacieux sourire est, petit à petit, remplacé par la mince ligne de lèvres tandis que son expression est tendue un peu plus, presque imperceptiblement on doit dire. Bien sûr, la colère est présente comme d'habitude, portant, l'actuel contexte ne lui permettrait pas d'agir sans réfléchir. Se comporter civilement ne devrait pas être si difficile, non? Même si les autres à son tour ne l'aidait. Au moins, lui resterait ses propres pensées dans lesquels il pourrait imaginer de meilleurs circonstances ————— Comme torture et meurtre, par example. Un dernier soupir en même temps que la tête s'est penché en arrière comme un clair signal de frustration alors que les yeux bleus ont défléchi de son partenaire, en observant d'autres figures pas si distant d'eux.

❛❛C'est pas bonne humeur en rien: Je ne supporte plus avoir à traiter avec ces gens avec leurs précieuses petites vies en pensant qu'ils sont tellement meilleurs que les autres.❜❜    Étrange… être si ouverte sur ses pensées pour la première fois. Même s'ill était un peu hypocrite, huh?

[ iii. ]       CET AIR DE MÉCONTENTEMENT QUE RIEN NI PERSONNE ne pourrait jamais régler était plus habituel, et surtout de bien moins mauvais augure. Pour un bref instant seulement, Krory sent la tension se relâcher, le noeud dans son ventre se dénouer ne serait-ce que d’un fil ou deux ---quelque chose, mais surtout quelqu’un tombe quand même sur les nerfs de Kanda, et ça, ce n’est jamais un bon signe. Il va peut-être y avoir des cris, des coups, du sang, des meurtres sans les mystères, peut-être même des larmes et de ferventes prières pour être épargnés, et il ne sait vraiment pas s’il pourra réagir adéquatement dans de telles circonstances. En fait, il ne sait pas vraiment s’il a la moindre idée de comment gérer Kanda tout court.

          “  S’ils se pensent vraiment meilleurs que toi, je crois que tu n’auras pas trop de scrupules à leur faire ravaler leurs paroles, non ?  “

UN terrain miné, une pente savonneuse, choisir s’il faut couper le rouge, le bleu ou le vert, tout en sachant que n’importe quel câble va causer une explosion de toute façon. Rendu là, aussi bien abandonner toute prudence.

[ iii. ]       HE HAD BEEN READING when she walked into the room, illuminating it with her presence alone, her grace in itself a gift to his eyes, her voice a present to his ears, and her smile a treasure he’d cherish forever, even if said forever only lasted two more days or two centuries. What more could she think of offering to him, when all she had to do was say his name, for him to feel blessed ? He did not need more than her being here with him for his life to feel fulfilled —a gift was really unnecessary, yet if she wanted to give him something, who would he be to stop her ?

         “  What is it, Eliade ? “

THERE was a child-like excitement to his voice, a glimmer of glee in his eyes, and a much more than simply genuine smile on his own lips. Placed there by her kiss, alongside a faint blush to his cheeks.

AH, being too curious could be dangerous, but he couldn’t help it.