[Not nearly, not at all, not if the slight frown on Polnareff's face is anything to go by. It's not that he wants Kakyoin to start bawling or anything, but still. There's gotta be more to than just this, right? Seeing someone related to DIO, someone who looks like him--]

I nearly killed him.

[He says it quickly, like maybe it'll make it easier that way.]

I saw him and I was in Cairo again, and I nearly killed him, cuz I swear, Noriaki, I thought it was-- I thought I was gonna--

I thought that was it, you know?

[Okay, maybe don't start killing teenagers. Kakyoin frowns sympathetically; it hadn't happened to him, but he can imagine it would have if Giorno had the same menacing presence as his father— he too would have gone for the kill, probably.]

Yeah.

[Maybe if it had been someone else unceremoniously killed up there on the roof— he's spent so much time since waking up thinking about not being dead anymore, maybe he's too distracted to fight anyone? It doesn't matter; he gets it, that's the point. In that case, since that can't be all--]

Your turn. Talk to me.

[Oh, fun, now it's his turn not to know what to say. He rubs the back of his neck, grimacing slightly.]

Can you sleep the entire night through?

[He's not dodging the issue, just. Give him this.]

[Oh. Hmm. Well. If it's honesty hour.]

Most of the time. Sometimes. I haven't kept track.

Yeah, well. I haven't. Not one night since.

Sometimes you're in them.

[Sometimes. Sometimes not. Sometimes it's Avdol, or Jotaro, or Joseph. Sometimes it's even Sherry, and those nights are the worst, because they're an awful amalgam of past and present and future.]

I can't stop thinking about it. About that night, and what I coulda done different, and--

You know, he told me I keep fighting. Thirteen years later. How many times do I fail in that time?

Don't worry about that.

[The next thirteen years, he means, but stewing in regrets isn't a great idea either. Now that Kakyoin's alive again, of course he's going to look out for Polnareff... in his way, so at least this gives him a point of reference.]

That night... I don't want to think about it anymore, but I guess that isn't up to me.

[...]

What do you do when you can't sleep?

Get a drink. Or play solitaire, or . . . I dunno. Fuck around until I'm not thinking of it.

[Of blood, of gore, of screams and dead bodies and voices begging him for help.]

If you've got any suggestions . . .

Solitaire? [boy. at least play freecell or something.]

Come and wake me up next time. I promise I won't get mad.

[He shrugs, trying to look more casual than he feels. This is earnest - as long as he's not woken up for something stupid like a dog video, he'll get up to listen. Being earnest is hard.]

[It's a surprise to him, honestly, but not so much so he comments. His eyes flick over Kakyoin's face again, just once, before he offers a little smile.]

Yeah? Cuz you can't say that now and then get all bitchy when I do it.

If you wear out your welcome I'll be bitchy for days.

[But they've had enough hotel room late nights, so what's the difference? Trauma, but. Still.]

Anyway, I'm serious.

Yeah, I know.

You know that goes for me too, right? I mean . . . even if you can't sleep or whatever, I mean, I don't care. You can always come over.

Sure. I will.

[Maybe. Probably. Remind him in a week and he'll give up being weird about talking about his feelings. Speaking of, is it still feelings time, or is it time for a break...]

Do you still want me to hold Chariot's hand?

[He huffs out a laugh and extends his left hand. The metallic prosthetics glint in the lamp light, and then they glint in a different way, because it's Chariot's hand there, not Polnareff's.]

Try it. And then look me dead in the eye and tell me we feel the same as some stupid bug.

So you are going to be insecure, good to know.

[He reaches out to take Chariot's hand, tapping his chin thoughtfully with his free one. Judging... There's the flow of Chroma, and that's the same, but okay - not bug-like.

However.]

I'm getting a hint of bugs, actually.

[Ooh, but that extra layer is odd. Not overwhelming, but noticeable, and he squeezes Kakyion's hand reflexively. It's nice.

It also doesn't last. Within an instant the texture beneath Kakyoin's hand changes, becoming flesh-and-metal, and that's because in the next second Chariot's hand is behind Kakyoin's head, smacking him lightly.]

Asshole.

[But he hasn't let go of his hand.]

[He deserves that, but chuckles anyway and squeezes Polnareff's hand back as a little plea to not hit him again. Insecure.]

You're worrying too much about giant bug people.

What the hell else am I supposed to think? And what the fuck is this world, anyway, where that's a thing, I should be worrying a lot more about giant bug people, that's disgusting.

[Valid points. And maybe he'd elaborate on that, but right now he's honestly more distracted by the way they're holding hands. Or rather: what's happening as a result because of that.]

Hey.

[It feels . . . strange, but not bad. Bizarre, but addicting.]

Do you feel-- I mean-- I guess this is the, uh, Chroma thing?

They were pretty polite.

[And quiet! He'll defend this polite bug's right to hold hands if it wants, since it didn't seem violent or anything... and, you know, for the sake of petty argument.

That said. Oh, Polnareff.]

Why do you think I held hands with a bug? [for lunch money.] I feel it. It's not bad.

You're weird.

[So, like, he'd probably hold hands with a bug just to say he had. And that's a lot easier than focusing on what he's really thinking right now.]

You think it'd be the same if it was Hierophant and Chariot?

[He is weird, that's fair enough.]

Logically, why wouldn't it...? [Hmm!! Well he's always up for a Stand adventure, so let's do this right now— and Hierophant appears to hover behind the couch. Hey.] Let's find out.

[Hey, bruh, and here's Chariot right next to him, reaching out impatiently to take both hands in his. Polnareff tugs his own hand back at the same time, just to be sure, but--

Oh, no. No, it's there. Faint, but noticeable, and slightly surreal, and yet Chariot doesn't pull back just yet.]

This is gonna be a lot to get used to.

[Chariot, please chill!! Kakyoin can feel it too-- weaker but there, like their Stands are battery charging each other.

Ah, but he remembers Polnareff in the desert, with Chariot too exhausted to stay solid for very long, so that would mean the amount of Chroma is--]

Maybe not; I'm not sure this is a net gain. We might be breaking even, at a stretch.

Should we--

[But Chariot keeps hanging on to Hierophant, so yeah, maybe it's a break-even, but he likes it too much to stop. Even if Chariot is starting to go hazy at the edges.]

How, uh, how much energy does using Hierophant burn now?

[Chariot, darling, that's very sweet but please don't abruptly disappear. Hierophant isn't on the verge of flickering just yet, and he's not inclined to find out how long it takes for any reason other than empirically... but still.]

Hmm... enough that it's noticeable. I don't like it. [what shock] This place shouldn't be able to mess with something like this.

[Moon furry transformation time? Whatever. Stand edits? Back off!!]

I mean, it shouldn't be able to give us, like, fangs or whatever either, I kinda like my body the way it is.

[JUST SAYING . . . and hm, hey, that seems to be that, because Chariot abruptly vanishes, the space utterly empty, as Polnareff grimaces.]

Edited 2019-09-08 07:43 pm (UTC)