anything goes!

  “ We’re the same height, so no. ”

  A bold-faced lie considering it’s apparent that the heels are why they’re matching heights, but Ankh isn’t about to admit anything. He watches Eiji move about, one eyebrow up as he watches the other man make a one-man circus out of himself.

  It’s entertaining until he falls, at least.

  “ Oi–! ” he squawks, arms shoved under Eiji’s armpits and holding him up. He’s bending backwards to keep some semblance of control here, but in reality he’s hardly keeping himself from bringing them both to the ground. “ Idiot, get your footing back–! ”

eiji’s just a little embarrassed, but he’s somehow laughing it off even as he’s mumbling apologies.

“you sound like a bird,” he laughs, and it’s somehow funnier because ankh is a bird. 

eiji’s eventually pushed up, but his footing still isn’t right, and he grabs onto ankh’s arm even as he falls completely to the ground.

“ah, well, i didn’t exactly want to bother you or anything...!”

  “ I won’t, ” Ankh answers, though the fire in the response has mostly been snuffed out this time. He drops his head, burying his face in his hands and dragging them down his face.

  He doesn’t want to talk. The entire time when he let Eiji get his feelings out allowed him to escape from a conversation he never wants to have. Hands stuff themselves into his pockets and he brushes against the OOO driver, the medals–

  … The medals. Ankh quietly pulls his hand out to stare at what Eiji has in his possession, and…

  Ankh jumps to his feet fast, holding his three cores close to chest. Hawk, Peacock, Condor… he can use these, in a situation that besides the obvious distaste with it, can be made better. He looks back at Eiji, edge of his lips quirking into an almost smile before he moves for the front door.

  “ … I’ll be back. ”

those were -

his medals.

for a second, there’s a jolt. the red medals catch the light, and something burns in eiji more than he’s ever felt before.

( I wanted to taste that feeling of satisfaction once more. once more. once more. )

it was a foreign feeling, not unlike the purple medals. but it wasn’t the same - it wasn’t anger, it was -

desire. ankh’s desire. ankh’s memories.

( give it back! give it back! give it back! )

“give it back.”

( give it back... )

they weren’t eiji’s own words - not from this situation, or this time, or for him to ever hear, but they came out anyway as he stood up.

they were words from a dream. a dream of birds, and red wings, and satisfaction. a dream that shattered far too quickly.

        This stranger is making a whole lot of excuses for nothing. His effort is remarkably useless; his words nor his shameful expression can’t just wash away all the irritation soaking into Bede’s clothes. But, soon enough, the man’s words change to something that seems more caring, more genuine—

        And it gives Bede all the more reason to pull back. Suddenly, he’s grateful: the snow feels far more like an assistant now than a hindrance.

        “I see no reason for you to worry.” And being a ‘kid’ at fifteen isn’t a feasible rationale at all. “What harm or fear can this snow even bring? It’s not as if it’s made of rocks or poison, and you could have thrown far worse.”

he...really does have a sharp tongue for a kid. eiji just looks sheepish, looking back down at the hoards of snowballs he’s made.

“i mean, i guess it isn’t a problem, it’s just...inconvenient. unless you like the snow. i like the snow.” it’s sort of just a stream of words, but... “i mean. you want to make a snowman?”

there’s...a meteor. in the sky.

  “ HahI I doubt it, ” he says curtly, only tossing a brief look to Eiji with a smirk curving his lips. Ankh lets Eiji pass him at first, following behind him and keeping one hand on the walls to help keep his balance.

  He catches his reflection every now and then when he pays enough mind to it, pausing to stare before continuing on. It’s strange that he has no choice in his appearance this time. Would Hina commit on the fact he still has her brother’s face?

  ( Guess he’ll have to see if she comes here for that answer. )

  “ Speak for yourself. I’m not the one that ran almost head first into one. ”

eiji pouts at the smirk and the comment, but still laughs slightly as he makes his way through the mirror maze. some of the mirrors seem like the trick ones that make you look different - one makes eiji look very tall, and he looks at it for a while.

“hey ankh! do you think i’d be taller than you if i wore your boots?”

as if to test it, he stands up on his tip-toes. 

“how do you walk like this...?” there’s an attempt to walk backwards and show ankh, but it ends about as predictibly as one might think.

  Ankh catches that and gives the best scowl he can manage in this body. The talons jabbing his skin isn’t a pleasant feeling and all it does is light a more aggressive fire in his chest.

  He squeezes Eiji’s wrist harder and puts more force into pushing back.

  “ Like hell I will! ” he answers, other hand reaching out to grab onto Eiji’s (his, it’s his face, dammit) cheeks and press his nails in.

  Ankh takes note of the purple encroaching his vision, that familiar feeling of senses ebbing away and he thinks–

  ( Why the hell won’t you believe in me?! )

  There’s an audible gasp and he pulls back, head bowed so his hair at least somewhat covers his face. Ankh blinks, sight back to normal and hands gripping hard to his pants.

  He doesn’t need anyone to believe in him; that’s not validation he cares for because if anyone knows him it’s himself, and…

  And…

  Ankh stays quiet.

eiji lets go.

there’s something in ankh’s eyes as he pulls away, and eiji looks lost for just a moment. scared.

“ankh...” and eiji attempts to look at him, but there’s something about seeing that flash of violet that terrifies him. he could handle it just being himself. but ankh shouldn’t have to deal with that.

( but he has. he had to deal with it when eiji lost himself and almost killed him. he had to deal with it before then, when an axe lodged it’s way into ankh’s hand. )

( eiji can’t reach him - could never reach him with those hands, and he can’t reach him now. )

“...talk to me, ankh. you’re going to lose yourself.”

  He feels himself grimace when Eiji talks, the tonal dissonance between his own appearance and the way Eiji speaks like an itch in the back of his throat.

  Whatever. It’s the least bothersome part of all this, really.

  Ankh’s ready to speak up when a hand grips his face, a familiar gesture that he does not much appreciate being on the opposite end of. He scowls at Eiji, grabbing onto his arm and trying to force it from his cheeks.

  “ I’m fine, ” he answers in a hiss. “ It’s not the first time that I’ve… ”

  He quiets, remembering those spite-filled moments when Maki’s mansion was raided and huffs. 

  “ It’s not a big deal. ”

eiji shakes his head, even at ankh’s hiss, even at seeing his face frown in a way he’s absolutely not okay with. he just presses tighter, the talons beginning to dig into ankh’s cheeks.

or his. it’s worrying him how quickly he’s getting detached from his own body.

“it is a big deal!” eiji almost hisses the words out, and he has to pause for a second to choke any extra anger back. take a deep breath.

it’s not the same anger that he’s used to. it doesn’t feel like his own.

eiji shakes his head, before continuing.

“the medals, ankh.” now that the anger’s under control, it gives way to fear. “you could - you’ll go out of control.”

“What could you transform into before?”

“a hero, i guess. called kamen rider ooo. but i can’t do it unless i’m in my own body, and this...definitely isn’t it.”

eiji frowns.

eiji wants to sleep for a week, thanks. maybe he’ll just pass out on a bench.

  “ … Dunno. Hopefully it’s temporary, ” Ankh mumbles in response, glancing down towards their joined hands. His attention turns to look at his own face, a flare of anger in his chest at the sight.

  ( He hates this. Ankh takes a breath. )

  “ If you’re going to fall asleep, I’m leaving, ” he comments. It’s nothing against Eiji (not entirely), but the situation is so strange that he can’t stay without a distraction. Ankh’s foot is already tapping against the floor, a steady pace as to not alert Eiji to the underlying stress in the situation.

  ( Like hell is he going to allow a moment of weakness. )

“h-hopefully.”

he actually stumbles at that. his - ankh’s voice catches, and it sounds so wrong that eiji almost doesn’t want to speak again.

he wants to fall asleep, but if ankh would leave...

eiji shakes his head instead, cracking his eyes open.

“i’m just...tired,” he says instead, grabbing at his shirt. “it’s weird, like all the stress just...left for a moment -”

wait.

wait.

eiji’s eyes snap open, and he jolts back upright. his hand is wrenched out of ankh’s, and without even thinking about it, he’s grabbing ankh’s face.

it’d be funny if it wasn’t for the panic in his voice.

  He can’t find another comment to say, so he silently follows Eiji back into the townhouse. Ankh perches on the arm, not facing Eiji and idly staring at the ground. His hands itch for something to hang on to, to ensure this is something that’s happening and they can figure out.

  Ankh slides down onto the couch and sets his hand on Eiji’s. How strange, to feel the texture of his own arm and it’s not his own. 

  “ Oi… don’t rip out my hair, ” he grumbles, several seconds late to point it out. His hand wraps around some of Eiji’s fingers in particular, not tight enough to hurt but enough to give some sort of feeling, perhaps.

  Silence. He pulls one ankle to sit on his knee.

  “ What the hell do we do now? ”

the feeling of a hand in his helps eiji calm down a little, even if it’s the feeling of eiji’s hand in ankh’s. 

“sorry,” he mumbles, even if he doesn’t entirely mean it. eiji doesn’t like having a greeed hand like this. why won’t it change back?!

“are we just stuck like this?” he holds ankh’s - his - hand a little tighter. if he pretends like that’s his own hand, it makes eiji feel just a little less sick.

  Ankh sees his own arm on an impostor’s body and he can feel himself begin to seethe. This person isn’t him; they’re wearing his face, stole his hand– it’s like all those days a year ago when fear was palpable in his chest.

  ( Never again. He won’t be afraid of that.

  A tint of purple comes over his vision before he snaps from it at the sound of his name. )

  His heart calms, Ankh blinking and pulling himself back into proper standing position. He makes eye contact with the other, shoving his hands deep into his pockets and brushing his fingers against the OOO driver.

  “ … Eiji. You better be Eiji. ”

eiji’s eyes snap to his body’s, and he feels a wave of relief. ankh’s okay. that’s ankh in his body.

( a memory crashes over him, seeing ankh pretend to be him. but without his arm, it isn’t right, and the memory leaves a sour aftertaste. )

“yeah. eiji. we got...switched, i guess...”

eiji takes a step back, then another, before he’s sitting on the couch. alright. alright.

he runs a hand through his hair, but it’s still the wrong hand, because he can’t get it to switch back. and ankh’s hair isn’t the same, either, and the talons get curls tangled in them until eiji just sharply pulls his hand out.

  This result shouldn’t surprise him, yet his words turn to ash on his tongue anyways.

  How strange, to look at himself and not have it be in front of a mirror or the surface of the water. Ankh catches his breath and nearly falls into the door when he moves forward, the phoenix fire that drove him to Eiji draining with most of his thoughts.

  “ What the fuck? ”

  A click of the tongue, not looking at Eiji as he shakes his right arm. 

  Nothing. There’s nothing that happens and his arm slowly falls back to his side.

  “ What… ”

eiji’s silent, staring at his own face. there’s a lot he could pay attention to, here, but this whole scenario feels like something out of a strange dream. everything feels too fast, and eiji can’t quite catch up.

he’s silent, until he watches his body move. slowly, carefully, eiji looks at his own right arm.

( change back change back change back change back not again change back )

the fear of seeing a greeed arm cuts through the haze, and eiji bites his own - his new body’s lip.

but it’s not eiji’s arm, so the fear dies down, even if it’s still simmering. eiji feels more sick being able to move the arm.

@takatorabatta​

  “ OI, EIJI! OPEN THE DOOR! ”

  Ankh nearly chokes on the fact his voice is, in fact, not his own. He feels entirely too strange, what with the bagginess of the clothing he’s used to seeing hang off Eiji’s frame, the way he grips it and tugs like it’ll help.

  ( Seriously, what the hell…? )

  After a few seconds of silence, Ankh’s next plan comes to the forefront: slamming the bottom of his foot against the door as hard as he can.

  “ EIJI!!! ”

huh. that’s his voice.

that’s a little weird.

“i’m coming, i’m coming. give me...just a second...”

it takes a little more than a second for eiji to stand up from where he’s currently collapsed on the floor. huh. he hadn’t noticed that he was on the floor.

the whole situation is...taking its time to get to him. his voice isn’t right, his vision isn’t right, everything is almost right but yet isn’t at all. eiji’s just a little shaky, stumbling in his walk even though it’s a short distance.

but slowly, he pulls open the door, and is face-to-face with...

himself.