reveilation | IC INBOX

[ Apparently Orien has Jiro in the medical room right now, but he's been quiet about it since he's the first thing he saw after coming back from the wedding first. ]

... What happened yesterday with you and Jiro that you two almost died?

[ He looks worried. ]

[ Timelines are so weird. We'll just say that Kido brought Jiro in sometime... instead of Jiro crawling his way here from the hospital by himself which he wouldn't do... Everything happening meant there was no time to talk about anything anyways, until now. ]

We went back to Rei's dungeon to make sure we weren't missing anything. I... [ am going to skip a lot of unimportant details, she decides ] We were battling one of the Shadows inside and the building started collapsing. There must have been five floors above us, and I didn't know what to do. Jiro kept us from being buried. Both of us would have been dead if it weren't for him.

[ Here she was, thinking she would only ever die facing off with a Shadow or the Daitengu or murder Terry, but it's so easy to die from any little reason. Collapsing buildings. Drowning in the lake. It's so easy to die and you can't prepare for any of it. ]

[ Humans sure are fragile. Terry should just be everyone's meatshield again even if he can no longer absorb phys. But even then, it won't save people from other things. Terry realizes that, and looks at her. ]

Is he... okay?

[ He was cold to him out of pettiness and they didn't get along. Maybe it was his demigod existence that wanted his opposition to die, but he wouldn't actually want Jiro to die. Probably. Maybe. Either way, Terry does seem worried at least. ]

[ Kido shakes her head, which is normally her way of conveying that she doesn't know, but in this instance, it also means Jiro is very not okay. ]

He was coughing up a lot of blood, and I couldn't heal him. Everything looked fine until we were outside— before, he had this black smokey thing surrounding him that made him a lot stronger. I only saw it once before, earlier in the month when I was... little.

[ She was a stupid six-year-old child who immediately stopped thinking the smoke claw was scary when Jiro redirect her attention to Rago instead. ]

He saved my life back then too. Is Rago around? Maybe he knows what's wrong with Jiro?

[ Oh, come to think of it... Rago has been in the house all this time, hasn't he? Terry realizes this and from his experiences, he could connect Jiro's powers with Rago. But it seems that Jiro could still use his powers without Rago, so he wonders... ]

I'm wondering if he forced himself to use it...

[ Though guesswork isn't really effective at this rate. ]

... We should rest for tonight. Let's deal with all we can tomorrow.

[ "Forced"? Kido has no idea what any of this is about, but it looks like Terry has some idea. It's a conversation she'd want when Jiro is awake, though, which hopefully will be soon... hopefully that medical room can be made soundproof so they don't have to sit through the sounds of Jiro screaming through heart surgery all night. ]

Yeah, you're right. I'm exhausted and can't think straight...

[ Too much crying... ]

The apples are going to be brown by now.

[ They're still good oxidized, but still ): ]

[ Terry picks up all the stuffed animals, and leads Kido back to the kotatsu. He places the jellyfish plush on the table, puts the black felt cat next to Kido and puts the kangaroo plush next to himself. ]

The apples still look good. Let's eat.

[ Fruits give nice energy. ]

[ Kido slides under the kotatsu and takes the cat so she can hold it. The jellyfish is going to make her want to cry every time she sees it from now on. ]

The kangaroo is cute... Are you collecting them too?

[ Once she permanently moves into Terry's room, she is also moving in with a dozen stuffed animals of her own that she got from various people. They're all going on the bed. ]

Toki gave it to me.

[ It's like a fond memory, even though they just talked about Toki and death. ]

He said that a friend gave it to him when he was going through a hard time. He gave it to me so that I could be happier. It was... really moving.

[ Is it okay to regift something like that? She supposes it's not her place to say one way or another. She looks from the toy to Terry. ]

Are you happier?

[ It doesn't have to be happy. Just happier. She moves so she can put her arms around him, not a clingy desperate hug like before, but loose and warm. ]

I wish I could do that for you. Make things happier when you're going through hard times.

I... wanted to make this work. All those years of living and I still feel like I don't have the basics down on what I should do to be on good terms with everyone. But... even with everything thrown my way, I'm a little happier.

[ It's like starting from rock bottom when he wanted to die, so things can only get better from there on out. Even so... ]

You say that as if you can't.

[ He hugs her back. ]

[ She wishes she could help by doing something more concrete— she wishes she could be like one of those heroes they used to pretend to be when they were little, fighting all the injustice in the world so everybody could find happiness. But she'll take even little things now, she'll take being a little happier, hugging Terry a little tighter, hoping this little bit will help. ]

Everybody's different. It's almost impossible to be universally liked since everybody is different. I still stand by what I said months ago: just be yourself, and there'll be people who like you. It's impossible not to.

[ Terry smiles. ]

You think so? I know at least one...

[ Though they started out great. Now it's... eh. ]

That's that, I guess, since it's impossible to be universally liked. But that's fine. I'm trying to come to terms with that too. I don't ever regret choosing you either.

[ There are different levels of "like," in Kido's opinion. She likes Kano and at the same time, she would smash his face into the ground with zero hesitation. ]

...I'm glad. I thought you would have moved on after all this time, but you still came back to me. Thanks for not leaving me alone.

Mn...

[ Being left behind sure sucks. He closes his eyes, making himself comfortable in the hug and leans in so that they both fall and lie down on the floor. ]

Maybe I'm just obstinate, but at least it was good for something.

[ Kido lets out a small grunt when she's pulled to the ground, reaching up on top of the kotasu for another apple slice before tucking herself against Terry's chest. She's here for the apples. ]

You sure are obstinate all the time.

Aren't you the same?

[ It's a lighthearted tone, almost teasing, and Terry kisses her forehead. ]

No.

[ She says, obstinately, talking through a mouthful of apple. Maybe she would have kissed his jaw or wherever she could reach, but again, apple. ]

[ Terry laughs a little and hugs her closer. ]

It kept me loving you all throughout those years. I think... that's good enough.

[ He buries his face into the crook of her neck. ]

[ Like that, he can probably hear the pulse in her neck picking up and feel her swallow-- the apple, but also out of nervousness. ]

Lucky you're so stubborn...

[ She really is. Some people think absence makes the heart grow fonder, but it's more trying than not. Terry couldn't even go missing for a full week without her worrying and crying.

She turns to kiss Terry's forehead now, to finally return the one from before. ]

I love you.

I love you too.

[ He gives her a small kiss on the neck and continues to hold her there because it sure is cuddle season. ]

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