:: ready the countdown ::

TO : Ms. Ibuki FROM : Teddy

[ ♬ ]—— Teddy. Dear Satan in Hell, that’s so… 

“You are not heavy in the slightest, so please do not trouble yourself over my comfort.”  Indeed, Ibuki was fairly light in his arms compared to the people he often carried around.  Sometimes he would carry Koutaro, when the young man fell asleep and refused to wake up to get into his bed, and if he had to weigh them against one another he felt like he could hold Ibuki for much longer.  “Though if you would like to sit, there are some seats available over there.  It should be easier to breathe for you as well.”

He asked for this, he supposes. Koutaro did want Teddy to be more assertive. He’d say this in the nicest way possible, but his best friend was a complete pushover most of the time. So, he was glad Teddy was standing his ground about something. It’s just…Koutaro wished it was about something else, like what to eat for lunch or what show to watch. Not whether he would stay the night or not.

“Then I’ll be over in the morning.  Make sure you wake up and wash your face.”  Teddy’s voice echoed out from where he was placing the items in the bathroom.  It was clean, like Koutaro had said (Teddy was impressed!), but that didn’t stop him from straightening a few things out.  “Perhaps we can get breakfast together, and you can show me around this Sector?  You’ll do a better job if you’re well rested.”  He walked out into the living room, watching Koutaro stomp his foot.  “I’d rather you not fall asleep on me again, even though I don’t mind.”

Under different circumstances, Koutaro would have answered jokingly that his name was Tendon. The nickname was something Teddy sulked over and it was amusing to watch, but now was clearly not the time. Teddy was upset about something, that much he could tell, so Koutaro represses the urge to answer smartly. 

That explained everything, and Alex sighed the moment he heard this Koutaro so eagerly speak that he was Teddy.  “Koutaro, I... have not been Teddy in a very long time.  I’m Alexandrovich.”  His contract, though they’d attempted to break it that time, had never properly returned.

“You can stay the night. It’s late.” It was more of a demand than a request. They had just gotten together again. Koutaro didn’t want them to be apart so soon, as needy as that might sound. Still, he knew Teddy would go. They had been subtly bumping heads the entire night and if Teddy didn’t listen the first time, then he wasn’t going to at all.

“No, Koutaro.  I want to find my apartment.”  Teddy wasn’t going to follow the demand no matter how much Koutaro seemed to want to make it.  He was following what he wanted - and Koutaro had always told him to do what he wanted.  Perhaps the young man wasn’t expecting this when he insisted over and over.  Too bad.  “And as for your hair, it’s done.”  A gentle run of his fingers through the now dry mass indicated what he was saying was true, and Teddy slowly gathered up the items.

An affronted sound escapes his throat and he faces forward once more, arms crossed. “The bathroom is fine.” Not because Koutaro cleaned it or anything, but because it seemed like one of his roommates was neat. That was great, because then it meant Teddy was wrong and Koutaro was right and that was something the rider could revel in. Teddy didn’t need to know the small details.

“I don’t have to do anything, but I am going to.”  Teddy alternated how he was rubbing Koutaro’s head, noticing the small tells that usually came with anyone falling asleep.  If him doing Koutaro’s hair didn’t work, there was always warm milk or something like that.  Koutaro wasn’t much of a child though despite how he often acted, and Teddy just stayed the course.  He was going to get his partner to sleep whether he liked it or not and Koutaro could just grouse at him over it tomorrow after a good night’s sleep.  “I need to find my apartment anyway.  As much as you loathe for me to leave, I don’t live here.”

He never ignored Teddy. If anything, Koutaro paid too much attention to his friend, as embarrassing as the thought was in retrospect. The idea that Teddy would think that he would ever be ignored was ridiculous, but this was Teddy. If Teddy felt like that then there was a reason for it and even if Koutaro didn’t realize it, there was always the chance he was doing something subconsciously. Whatever he did, it must have been bad. Teddy never spoke to him this way and Koutaro had to keep himself from visibly recoiling.

This wasn’t making any sense.  Alex (inwardly) pressed his lips together, clearly not amused by whatever was going on.  If Koutaro was playing at something, like he thought before, then they boy seriously seemed to be continuing down that track.  Unless... to be honest he hadn’t considered the possibility, but given the nature of today and all the events involved, it wasn’t too much of a stretch to think so.  Obviously he was too smart to have something so common fool him, but as for Koutaro - or should he say this Koutaro, he wasn’t sure.  That thought stung at him ever so slightly, just when had he become so bitter?  This wasn’t like him, it didn’t need to be him, and so Alex pressed it away and decided to ask the most simple of questions.

This whole war was a pointless endeavor. 

Something was wrong, different.  Teddy could tell just by how Koutaro looked at him, how Koutaro felt.  He had only seen that sort of expression once before and it had been during a time he didn’t wish to think about.  He was about to ask Koutaro what exactly was going on and what he meant by ‘no’ when someone rushed past him, knocking into the young man.  He didn’t have time to say anything before he reached out and caught Koutaro’s wrist, pulling him up and against him as more people rushed past.  They seemed to be fleeing something, or rushing to something, and he frowned at the crowd before looking down at the teen in his arms.

Keiuske raised his brow at the creature. Ah yes, no matter how similar one might look in appearances to his subordinates back home, that did not mean they would answer to him immediately. He longed for those days to return. The attitude of this creature, honestly, wasn’t all that unfamiliar.

“I am Teddy, an Imagin.”  There wasn’t much more Teddy could say on account there wasn’t much more to him.  He could mention that he was partnered to Koutaro, the new Den-O, but something about this man sent enough warning signals to his brain that prevented him from speaking further.  If he were able to keep Koutaro safe just by keeping his mouth shut then he would make himself mute for eternity.

[ ♬ ]—— Despite how she’s kinda seen it coming, she can’t prevent herself from letting out a soft squeak as the stranger lifts her up and holds her in such a bold manner. Upon a closer look, he does have a little too many spikes poking out of his body. Are those natural or just part of his fashion sense? Either way… it looks really, really rad. She has to smile under her hands, which she’s using to cover her face from the toxic air. It feels lightly better now that she’s off the polluted ground.

Teddy smiled down, or maybe he was smiling despite having a face that was incapable of emotion.  He needed to move faster yet keep steady, lest he cause her any further discomfort than the area around them seemed to be doing.  “I’m Teddy, Ms. Ibuki, and we’re almost there.  I can see the station ahead of us.”  

“I agree! Actually, I think lately there’s been all sorts of unusual things happening as of recently. I hope its nothing horrible…” Madoka was always hopeful and the pleasant optimist. 

“I’m certain that if someone like yourself is here, nothing too wrong can happen.” Teddy meant the comment to be a good one, a compliment of sorts.  He liked the young lady’s outlook on things, and he wondered if he were ever able to become that positive.  “Of course, I would hope I can help improve situations too were I ever needed.”

[ Ω ]—— The more he hears this stranger, the more he sounds trustworthy, and Shouichi could allow himself a smile if the other person could see it. Making him trustful is rather easy, as naive as that is. “Looking for someone?” he repeats, and then nods his head. “Got it. I will help you in that case. It’s good you’re also looking out for people.” 

Teddy sort of gave pause at the honorific attached to his name.  He was an Imagin, something not really worth anything to people outside of those contracted to others, so to hear someone actually offering him respect was a little... unsettling.  It wouldn’t make due, of course, for him to be actually stunned, and so he simply offered a bow of his head in response to the thanks.  He would likely store the fact someone was being overly polite to him for later use, but for now he wouldn’t dwell on it.  Much.  

Really? What sort of question was that? Did Teddy not realize the city was metaphorically on fire? He holds a finger up, signalling to wait until he caught his breath fully.

“I am never late, I was just simply unaware that we had plans.  Last time we met, you barely acknowledged me before leaving.”  The curt tone from before was still there, and Alexandrovich felt his fingers tighten as he held them against his stomach.  

Koutaro relaxes, shoulders sunk and head leaning back as Teddy runs his fingers through his hair. A couple snags here and there notwithstanding, it felt good. He could probably sit there forever if he was allowed to.

“The noise was because you apparently don’t know how to wash your hair on your own without destroying everything in your wake.  I suppose if I go into the bathroom I’ll find it in a state of disaster, won’t I?”  There was no need to reveal the truth, no need to actually say anything at all.  Teddy could easily cover what he was really thinking, what he was really feeling, by pressing forward.  He’d had years and years of experience doing so and he wasn’t about to start being more honest.  Not again.

[ Ω ]—— “It’s dangerous here, though… we can’t know when someone will attack next.” Shouichi tries to sound mature, but the strain is evident. Still on his machine rider, the Agito nervously takes a look around, trying to sense eventual presences. If it were the Lords, he might have been able to predict when they would assault, but the difference between this world and his Earth puts him at disadvantage. He shakes his head.

Teddy looked around the area, at the the ruin and what he was trying to salvage.  “No, this isn’t very urgent nor is it personally important.  I’ve just been trying to busy myself since I - “  He cut himself off, either unwilling or unable to finish that sentence.  “Aside from defending any people I come across, I will admit there has no been anything I’m doing.  There’s someone I’m looking for and I’m hoping to come across him, but until then it’s just... busy work.” He needed to keep himself busy or he would make mistakes, though this Agito didn’t need to know that.  If it turns out they were an enemy then he could not show any signs of weakness.

The idea was a good one, at least to Koutaro. If he busied Teddy with seemingly meaningless tasks then he would forget his whole “Koutaro has to go to sleep” thing. Maybe it would get too late for the Imagin to leave as well. Two birds with one stone. It was perfect and Koutaro was stubborn enough to make it work.

Teddy took the towel and immediately draped it over Koutaro’s head, rubbing it against his hair in an effort to dry it.  Maybe he didn’t hear the question, or maybe he was ignoring it, but either way all of his attention and focus went into making sure that Koutaro’s hair was dry enough to brush and dry enough that he wouldn’t wake up with knots.  After a few rubs here, a few there, and a dab behind the ears, he pulled the towel away and set it on Koutaro’s shoulders, careful to make sure it would dry the wet collar he could see poking around the boy’s neck.  With gentle hands he poked at a few places, making sure to get out whatever tangles he could with his fingers first before running a brush through.  With Koutaro’s luck, or knowing how it could be, there was a chance the brush might get snagged and he’d end up having to baby him all night over a patch of ripped out hair. 

[ ♬ ]—— “That’s more or less how it seems to work… everywhere else the air seems average from what you can see in a city, but here… it’s like they did it on purpose and didn’t care.” A weak shrug accompanies her statement, and then she’s caught by a coughing fit. Wheezing and covering her mouth, she pauses indecisively on whether it would be best to go by hand or let the scary but gentle horned person pick her up and save her from the wheezing mess she has become.

“Then, if I may.”  Teddy waited until she was completely done talking and had given her consent and approval before reaching down and lifting her into his arms.  She was light, easy to hold, and a princess carry ensured that he wouldn’t accidentally poke her with any of the spikes on his shoulders.  “If at any time I make you uncomfortable, please let me know and I shall put you down.”  That being said, he turned on his heels and started walking back towards where he’d come.