[log] Let the walls break- What we have they cannot take [Closed to Sad Losers]

[heroproceeding]

Characters: Kunsel (deus_ex_phs), Zack (heroproceeding), Zell (swatsflies), and Jim (rattlingthestars)
Location Building 141 [Post Office]
Date: Evening/Night of Day 122
Summary: THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN. And finding each other again after TERRIBLE THINGS HAPPENED IN HOGWARTS SNOWHELL. As usual. TIME TO GET THE WHOLE GANG TOGETHER AGAIN.
Warnings: Likely lots of mentions of character death. Snot. More snot. Blah blah serious business.



[ BOO HOO HOO GHIBLI TEARS EVERYWHERE AGAIN.

MAKE YO' OWN TOPLEVELS, BITCHES. ]

Comments

Arrival!

[heroproceeding]

[ He felt lighter that morning.

Lighter than he'd felt the past few days, even if he still couldn't help but feel a little concerned when he'd woken up with Kunsel right next to him.. and the only way he'd known was when he'd seen him right next to him. He was still next to him though. Still alive. And if things went well- if nothing turned up on them and made trouble for them... they'd see the boys again by nightfall and that gets the weight on his heart slowly... very slowly lifting with each imprint he makes in the snow.

They're quick and nimble, making for a fast pace that only slows when they get to those icy stalactites that hang dangerously over them. But once they're past them, Zack wastes no time returning to that pace from before. Despite their early start, time continues to move forward quicker than he'd like and he finds them pushing their luck. That push gets him walking to jogging most of the way. His lungs burn with from the exertion, but there's also something- a reminder. That he's still there. Still alive. He can still do something and his story hasn't ended just yet. So, regardless of the way his lungs burn, he doesn't stop until they're just a short ways from the door into the post office.

It's only then that he breaks his stride to something more cautious, eyes meeting his companion's as he nods his way. He's already drawing his knife from his belt as per usual. Already starting towards that door right alongside him. At least they don't have to worry about traps anymore... Not that he doesn't flinch anyway when they've been opening doors lately. ]

[deus_ex_phs]

[Kunsel nods back, understanding with a glance what the look Zack gives him really means. They've known each other too long, gone on too many missions, spent too much time together in this frozen hell not to know what the other is saying when it comes to approaching danger together.

And it could be dangerous. They don't know that it will be Zell and Jim behind that door. Maybe it'll be the boys, or maybe they won't be alone. Maybe it'll be the Joker, or someone they don't know.

Or maybe it'll be a monster.

So his own knife is drawn and ready when he reaches out to open that door, off to one side so he's out of the line of fire. Paranoid caution has been kicked into high gear ever since that series of traps. Another silent look tells Zack that he can take the lead.

This time, Kunsel will be the one who has his back.]

bam

[swatsflies]

[Good news everyone: They didn’t die from their slumber party with Professor Stein. They did take their time arriving at the post office to follow closely beside the wall. It was a nice walk, albeit colder thanks to the wall being beside them. Excitement keeps trying to bubble over and burst out every so often at the prospect of their family being together. That they did a good job completing the quest. They were okay and will soon take on the hotel together and the secrets there.

Upon entering the post office with time ticking away towards lockdown, Zell drops his bags off in the office. They methodically search the place to ascertain that they were completely alone. Zack and Kunsel weren’t waiting for them, which stifled some of the happiness. That would have been too easy for this place. He murmurs a they will be here and it’ll be okay to Jim for both of their sakes.

He sets up Mochi in the lounge with his food, so he can act as an alarm when someone comes in from the front. Then he’ll snag his bag and start pulling out the pan, whisk, and numerous other instruments to use as an alarm system. Pulling out the zip ties and velvet ribbon to tie things together.]

We can make use of the keys to your heart. [He’s keeping his tone light as he clinks a spork against the pan.] Let’s set up the back door first.

[With Mochi as their guard for the front and there still being people to be wary of in downtown. Keeping Jim focused on something that isn’t the flashing warning of lockdown approaching comes first. Corralling his boyfriend to the back office to get that situated. He’s not sure how long they work on rigging their own door chime, but it feels like a matter of minutes.

Mochi, meanwhile, has been hyper aware of every sound ever since the jewelry store incident. Life is hard when you’re a cat and things explode in a shower of glass out of nowhere. At the sounds of snow crunching and someone’s hand touching the door, Mochi immediately goes to investigate with a loud meow and moving to the door to trip people by weaving in and out of their legs.. What a good alarm.

Peeking out of the office to see the front door is opened. He knows he should proceed with trepidation, but they were expecting the rest of their family and Mochi was greeting whomever it was so it can’t be bad news, right?]

Jim. [He will make sure his boyfriend is good by nodding towards the hockey stick.] Someone’s here. [And he knows Jim will have his back if it’s someone bad. Giving a reassuring smile before he moves out of the office and hopping over the counter that once separated the clerk from the lounge.] Yo! Zack? Kunsel?

[rattlingthestars]

[ It was a nice walk, with Jim more animated than usual at the prospect of things fitting together again in a way that makes sense. The traps, the deaths, the dreams, the hallucinations - all that is done now, Jim thinks, and they have a good idea of where to go next. This discovery could be big; Jim hopes it's enormous for all the suffering they went through to get it.

The quiet post office brings down Jim's good mood as he exchanges a glance and soft words with Zell. The last time they'd come through here hadn't ended well, and there's a part of Jim that wants to head out into the ice spires to make sure Zack and Kunsel are going to make it on time.

He's quiet as they set up their alarm system, though he appreciates what Zell is trying to do in the face of the too-quick passage of time.

He looks up sharply at the first noise from Mochi, tense and unwilling to be hopeful just yet, and grips his stick. He follows quickly after Zell, but manages to slip around him to lead rather than cover the rear.

From their line of sight, the doorway is empty, and it's too quiet except for Mochi. Jim hefts his stick much the way he had in Zack's dream and shifts into one of the stances he's learned. ] If it's not, you should know we're armed!

[heroproceeding]

[ There really are a lot of maybes as he sets his eyes on the door, a lot of possible outcomes that could end in yet another horrific end where the boys are left alone. For all they know, as soon as he steps in, they could end up killed by an anomaly or maybe Joker really did plant a bomb or something... But Zack's stubborn- stubborn to never let that happen again. Stubborn to never lose Kunsel again like he almost did. Stubborn to push past the paranoia and continue to drive forward to find them, to reunite with them, to be together again.

And he couldn't have had a better man to have his back in this.

So, he doesn't hesitate to stand tall if not coiled and ready to spring at the slightest note of danger as he shines his tablet into the threshold while he raises the knife. Nor does he hesitate to flick that light towards the loud thud of someone making a landing on the floor. The glare he gives flares with the that extra touch of mako as he gets ready to deal with whatever trouble's about to cause him. He doesn't have time for this shit. Four days has been four days too long and anyone who gets between them is just asking for it at this point.

Those thoughts crash as soon as he hears those shouts. Others flood in as soon as the light catches exactly who he was hoping to see. There's just the shortest pause as his expression falls mixed, unreadable in the way all his thoughts suddenly mishmash. But eventually, he does land on one thing: ] You two been practicing? Form's gotten a lot better.

[ He steps forward then as he starts to slide his knife back into his belt- and probably a good thing, too. Because next thing he knows, he's yelping and staggering forward. Mochi, that gosh darn cat, just had to decide to come up and rub against his legs. Never mind he was trying to navigate across the room to the other two at the moment.

Guess that's what he gets for not paying attention to him. He'll get to you soon, too, fur ball! ]

[deus_ex_phs]

[Guess that's what he gets for taking the lead on this. Trying to take the brunt of any traps means he definitely took the brunt on this one. Even as Kunsel instinctively reaches out to snag Zack's arm, to keep him from going down, the fact that it was the cat is registering, and he can't help but laugh at his friend.]

Whoa, careful there, Zack. No one wants to scrape you off the ground.

[Maybe he's teasing, but his voice is far too warm, and he's not even looking at the other man. No, it's the two teens in front of him that have his attention now. The sight of them, alive and well, minus a few minor cuts and scrapes, makes relief and joy swell inside of him.]

Hey.

[swatsflies]

[When Jim slips past him, Zell is taken momentarily taken aback with how amazing Jim is. It’s easy to parse why Jim wants to take lead, and that in itself should make his heart ache, but he only feels pride. Jim is picking up stances with ease and taking charge.

He’ll pulls himself out his thoughts as he sees something glinting in the dim light. A knife? Moving quickly to get to Jim’s side, preparing to attack anyone who tries to go near.

Then relief floods his system as he hears their familiar voices. It’s Zack and Kunsel! There they are. Alive without gas masks over their faces. They were really there and not just wandering some where downtown without the kids or laying on top of shattered glass in a pool of blood. They were really there with them.

Seems like Mochi missed them just as well. Laughing as Zack nearly kisses the floor, Zell moves in to pretty throw himself at both of the SOLDIERS.] What’s with this place making you want to kiss the ground? [That is said to Zack as he wraps an arm around him to pull him close.]

We can show you just how much we've been practicing later. [There is an undercurrent of warmth as he says that. He really wants to show how much they have improve. He really wants them to see how much Jim has improved. Right now isn't the time. Not with the pair of Soldiers looking worn out from booking it as fast as they could to get back to them both.

Zell lifts his other arm to make sure Jim had room in the hug, too. No one is escaping, and they still had long enough to hug for a few minutes before needing to worry about the door.]

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim casts a quick, sideways glance at Zell as he comes even with him, but he doesn't complain, just tenses up a little more.

The familiar voices take all the tension out of his body, though, as he relaxes and lowers his stick. His knees are a little weak with the relief, and he might've started crying or said something sappy except then Zack tripped over the cat and everyone made fun of him.

Spoilers: the laughter looks a little like crying, anyway, and he's wiping his eyes sneakily with his sleeve before he charges in, pulling Kunsel into the hug from the other side and leaning into it. He can't help but running his hand over his friend's back, just to check that it's real - they're here, and Kunsel has no sign of the glass in his back except the mending on his coat. ]

Hey. [ He can't exactly manage a joke about faceplanting, but hopefully his smiling makes up for it. ] You two were cutting it kinda close. Just waiting to make an impressive entrance?

[heroproceeding]

[ He can't help the 'Hey!' aimed at Kunsel and that indignant vibe doesn't stop when he finds himself grunting out a 'Beats me' to Zell, too. Seriously, rude, guys. Making fun of him first thing! He's at least glad that Kuns caught him when he did.

Of course, that's all lost anyway when Zell tugs him into that hug. It's a hug he stumbles into, hands a bit more hesitant than usual to find their purchase. Eyes following his own movements as he places them. His hold's light but gradually growing the tighter. just like the smile that's gradually rising with it. It's hard not to when the ones surrounding him are so infectious. Perhaps that hug's not as tight as he usually would hold onto them though...

Doesn't stop him from huffing a bit in mock offense. ] Of course. Gotta make a grand entrance. Makes things interesting. Right, Kuns?

[ Though after all the... not so wonderful excitement they've had lately, really, something less panic-inducing might have been better off for them. But details. He reaches back with his free arm, glancing as he does, to curl it around the fellow SOLDIER, bringing them full circle. Then his eyes are searching them from one face to the other and back until he finds himself murmuring: ] It's good to see you, too.

[heroproceeding]

[ Even after initially reuniting, Zack hadn't strayed far out of sight or earshot since.

He might not remember what happened- but they do. They all do. It makes him want to ask questions, but he doesn't. Not yet. Instead, he just stays. He's here. He's not going anywhere. He still hurts just a little- still wants to talk. But he's also been given time to think. To reflect. And some two cents from others have helped.

Just a matter of ironing out the rest when he's ready to.

Doesn't make him any less welcome to any company as he sits up against one of the walls. Not the counter- never the counter. He figures it's a reminder- and they've got more than enough memories of a time when he'd been sick and things had looked ugly. No need for that, too, on top of what just happened. ]

{+For Zell}

[ At some point, he raises his head, trying to track down the young mercenary. ] Hey! Don't think I've forgotten. You owe me a drink.

[swatsflies]

[He almost did forget, since he told Zack they would save him some when he was buzzed. It was also before all the excitement of nailing Jim and finding out they were hanging with someone who performed a lobotomy on his friend. Fun times.

At the mention, it takes a moment or two before he snaps his fingers.] Oh yeah! Give me a moment, man. [Dropping down to a crouch to snag the bottle from Jim's stuff. Pausing to help himself to Zack's bag to grab the drinking glass from it. Setting up stuff on the lobby's counter as he pours a shot.]

It was really good with strawberries. [Snagging the glass and then offering it up to Zack as he stands in front of him.]

[heroproceeding]

[ Welp.

At least he wasn't drunk enough to entirely forget. That's a good sign- even if it takes him a moment to remember. But then Zell's set on situating himself.. and Zack's following along. He lets him do his thing, grabbing the bottle out and everything. Though he doesn't exactly expect Zell to pour him a drink, himself, but then maybe he should have.

He takes that offered glass and sniffs at its contents. It's admittedly nothing familiar although- ] Smells like it would. Hm.. [ He pauses only a moment to give the bottle a measured gaze before he seems satisfied with something and takes a sip, enjoying the warmth in his belly that follows, licking his lips. ] Wow... This stuff's really good.

[ Explains why him and Jim drank it a lot, too. It's like liquid fucking candy. ]

he doesn't mean it like THAT

[swatsflies]

[Helping himself to lean against Zack's side as soon as Zack finished the drink. Reaching around to touch the middle of his back. Letting his fingers brush heavily around to try to feel for any missing chunks from Zack. He felt pretty sturdy earlier with the hug.

His gaze looks over their friend carefully. Checking for any signs of what happened. It looks like the spiders and the admin did their best to eliminate any signs of what actually happened besides what one could see on his outfit. Good news, it looks his hair has been tamed.]

Yeah, it is pretty good. We mixed in with milk. [Which made it easier to drink more of.] Think Jim's planning on taking all of my firsts. [Reaching up with his free hand to poke the loop in his ear.]

SURE HE DOESN'T. --LIES--

[heroproceeding]

[ He counterbalances Zell easily enough when he catches him leaning against him out of the corner of his eye. It's surprising how much of a habit it's become, really. It would honestly be odd if Zell didn't do that at this point. So, he takes it in stride. He keeps himself strangely still otherwise. There's no tension in his back as Zell's hand explores, no twitch or flinch of any sort, even as Zell will find Zack's back to be clear of any indication of what had been. The last remnants remain soaked in his coat and dried up but otherwise...

Otherwise, he's whole again.

Zack, himself, nods a little at the mention of milk- probably a good idea but also a bad one considering how out of it Zell was by the time he'd hit up the network. The latter comment gets a soft snort out of him though. He rolls his eyes, but if the smile's any indication, it's all in good humor. ] Hey, just as long as I don't find you... [ The words leave him there as he glances away.

Somehow, mentioning bleeding on the floor again just... seems far too morbid at that poi- and that's when he flinches back noticeably in surprise. ]

[swatsflies]

[Relief floods over him as he verifies nothing is missing. Moving his hand up to rest a little higher on his back. It's niggling again that something is wrong. There is no arm throw around him. No hand in his shoulder or subtle lean in to the touch that Zack some times does.

He cants his head to the side curious as he listens to Zack. Not at the snort, but just how peculiar Zack has been. Then Zack starts joking back, from his tone, when he flinches. Zell lifts his hand off of the older Soldier.] Whoa! [Looking from his hand, and then craning his neck to try to look at Zack's back. What do you do when your friends suddenly flinch? Poke the spot. Zell places his hand on the spot again, and looks at Zack.]

Something wrong here?

[heroproceeding]

Huh-? No- No, I'm... I'm good, Zell. [ Because clearly all that pausing wasn't suspicious at all. Nor the way not even a hint of a reactive cringe comes from the way Zell prods like he does. Zack does scowl a bit though it seems more to himself than anything as he reaches up to instinctively rub at the back of his head, breathing out a slow exhale.

Through that, he finds his gaze traveling back to the young man and his brows narrow as he studies his own share of cuts. They might be minuscule... but they're a reminder all the same. ]

Must have been one hell of a night... [ The words are quiet. Belatedly apologetic. What they put the boys through then... It had never been his intention. ]

[swatsflies]

[Zell continues to poke and prod just to be sure. Shit be weird, man. He's not going to stop there. Zack's scowl isn't adding up to his words, either. He could be annoyed with people making sure he's okay though.

At the mention of that night, Zell freezes with his inspection. Looking at Zack's eyes to figure out he probably means his new cuts. Reaching up to touch the one on his cheek.]

Yeah. It was...[It was a lot of things that he still is having issues describing.] You were heavier than I remembered.

[heroproceeding]

[ Even as he continues to poke around, Zack just keeps watching him. Listening. Feeling a weight sink in his gut the moment Zell makes that admission. It doesn't take much of an imagination to figure what he means. Zack glances away again, debating... Expression flitting through a myriad of emotions before- ]

What happened- How'd it happen? [ He finds the questions slipping out before he can stop them. But he wants to understand. Even if it's not an easy thing to talk about, even if it's hard, he's not going to stand there oblivious to whatever pain he's put them through. He'll shoulder it with them and not forget this.

Even if it's not an easy thing to face. ]

ten million years late with starbucks

[rattlingthestars]

[ It was really only a matter of time before Jim sought him out. It was the floor sitting that drew him in. He hesitates in the door between the lobby and the office, propped against a wall, and studies Zack before he approaches. The memory of Zack collapsing isn't lost on Jim, but it's been replaced with other, worse things. Not just Zack's death - though there's that, too - but what he witnessed in the dream.

It's been long enough that Jim's starting to put together those pieces now: that it hadn't entirely been a dream. Zack's consciousness must've been around, at least, for Jim to enter it. And if it hadn't been Jim's dream, that meant that all that came from somewhere. Rounded up the survivors, he thinks, and the thought sounds like Tifa's voice.

He's not going to spring talking about it on Zack just yet. Not when he's not entirely sure where they stand, or how Zack's doing. Better with Kunsel, he's sure, but those awful minutes of crying over the network stand out in Jim's mind too. He's more careful than usual as he walks over to Zack and drops down beside him, more hesitant to knock shoulders together from the memory of scars. ]

-Hey.

[ Not exactly the most awe-inspiring of beginnings. ]

I... We should talk, right?

/takes that starbucks and sips out of it like a butt

[heroproceeding]

[ It's the sound of boots shuffling in their familiar gait that announces Jim's presence far before the cadet, himself, finds a spot at Zack's side. He doesn't have to look to see who it is at this point. And he doesn't- not immediately. He seems momentarily lost in thought, actually... Even when he's first nudged, he doesn't react. It's only at his voice that he finally seems to fall out of those thoughts and back into the present.

They should talk... right. They really should. It helps he's talked to Zell. It's helped things went as well as they did, too. It still hurts a little... what they did and he knows they need to talk about that, too. About that. About his loss of composure... Whatever they need to talk about, 'We should talk' seems like an understatement. It's enough to get shaking his head with the vaguest uncertain smile. One that fades as soon as it comes and he finds himself looking at the floor again with slightly narrowed brows.

Where should he even start... He guesses... ] ...Been doing a lot of thinking the past few days.

the starbucks is now moldy

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim waits, unsure of exactly what he's expecting at this point. The silence isn't as comfortable as he could be, though htere is a sense of rightness that comes just from sitting together like this. The world's a little closer to realigning.

It's not there yet, though, and it won't get there without Jim doing something about it. Before he can try again, though, Zack breaks his own silence.

A lot of thinking. That could mean basically anything. Jim studies his profile with narrowed eyes, trying to work out some hint of what that faded smile meant. ]

Me too.

[ It's lame, but true. ]

-What've you been thinking about?

RIP Starbucks

[heroproceeding]

[ There's a vague part of a shrug, abandoned halfway. Zack shakes his head a little, still not meeting Jim's eyes though he certainly's looking out of the corner of his own here and there. ]

Just... must'a been hard. With me and Kuns suddenly- you know... [ Gone. Dead. And no guarantee they'd ever be back. Nothing's ever guaranteed. A life can be snuffed out in seconds- Zack's known. He knew something could happen. He's seen it far too many times in his life. And he has a feeling he'll see it far too many times more to come until they get out of there. Until because it's not an 'if'. It can't be or that'll be one more step closer to never and he won't accept that. Not for them.

But that's just the surface to all of this, really. There's more and he knows it. ]

[rattlingthestars]

Dead.

[ Jim finishes the sentence for him, maybe a little too bluntly. Sometimes the best way to avoid hurting, Jim thinks, is throwing something out there before it can be thrown at you. The problem with that - the one he's only just learning his way around - is that sometimes it hurts other people, too.

He takes a deep breath, holds it in for a moment before letting it out slowly. ]

You were gone, and it was just the two of us. We had to move.

[ After they'd pulled the two of them apart, and waited for Kunsel to bleed out. After they'd made the choice between spending the night with corpses and leaving their loved ones behind. ]

We had to keep moving.

[heroproceeding]

[ Maybe it is a bit too blunt- but it's not the first time Jim's been this way with him and he doubts it'll be the last. Hell, Jim had been blunt about his own death. Doesn't change the bite to it. But then nothing really would anyway.

Dead. Gone. Left them alone. Left them to see to Kunsel who'd then died, too. Two lifeless bodies that had only seconds ago been vibrantly alive. Zell, in the state he'd been in, left even more lost between what's real and what's not. But ultimately, no matter how much Zell's been in, Zack knows his bleeding heart. Knows Jim's, too, even if he isn't as avid to show it. The amount of hurt that had put them both through...

They had to keep moving, Jim says.

Zack sits up, but it's only to curl a little more over his knees until he's almost got his face buried in them. Until he's staring forward sightless for a brief moment. ]

I know... You can't do anything for the dead. So, better off focusing on things you can do. I wouldn't'a wanted you two to stay there either. [ Zack slowly shakes his head, biting his lip. ] Zell told me everything.

[rattlingthestars]

[ You can't do anything for the dead. Jim remembers how warm Zack's hand had felt still, when they threaded it through Kunsel's. The awful time between when Zack died and Kunsel faded. Maybe you couldn't, but they'd tried their best to do something.

Jim's watching Zack out of the corner of his eye as the tall, muscular man seems to try and shrink away to nothing. ]

Everything ...?

[ He leaves it hanging, waiting for Zack to elaborate. ] About the day you died?