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+---- Thread: cut our teeth and make our bones right here (/showthread.php?tid=7764)
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 07-18-2023
[say]"Yes, you can."[/say] Ronin surprises himself with the heat in his own words, as his guiding arm turns more into an attempt to half wrestle the wendigo back and away from the brawl. Dropping the empty tranquiliser to the ground (there's enough glass and other illegal shit down there that it won't matter, he's sure), his free hand comes up to grasp the other man's jaw, as if to force him to look away and into Ronin's face instead.
[say]"You can. You have to,"[/say] he says again. [say]"You have worked too hard for this. If you want to take a bite out of me when we get out of here, so be it, but we are leaving."[/say] Maybe it sounds more like a plea than a demand because it is; for all the bodyblocking he's currently performing, if Remi doesn't want to go, the hunter is in no position to stop him.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 07-18-2023
Snarling and sneering as Ronin's fingers come up to grasp his jaw, it's with the muscles of his neck straining in protest that the hunter finally sways the wendigo's stare. For a moment Remi sees nothing at all, so unfocused are his eyes and so heightened are his other senses, but then he does. He sees dark blue points of steel, pale Irish skin beneath a mop of dark hair, and,
and,
and red.
With his own hands suddenly wrapped around Ronin's skull, Remi leans forward as if he means to kiss the hunter (or more realistically, bite his entire face off
Roughly, and though it'll hurt (though not as much as the alternative), one of Remi's hands drags shakily down the side of the hunter's face, wiping away the blood freckled there.
[say]"-another vial"[/say] He whispers, blinkinly. [say]"-in the neck."[/say] Remi pleads, able to look at Ronin with eyes that seem vaguely normal before they begin to roll predatorily back into his skull.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 07-18-2023
Were it not for the current and dire situation, Ronin might have had a sarcastic answer locked and loaded behind his teeth for the fellow hunter calling out to them. Don't get him wrong, he's had a few exes in his time, some crazier than others, but Remi probably takes the cake in his current predicament.
With his head suddenly seized between hands more than capable of crushing his skull, the hunter thinks this finally might be it. He's been too trusting, expected too much too soon from the wendigo, and this is the price. Still, at least maybe his friend might make it topside before he's caught, though given that they're presently armpit-deep in the nest of vipers that is undertown, he doubts it.
Almost ready for death, he still winces at the rough hand that drags along his cheek - cleaning off his face, unbeknownst to Ronin. [say]"Another...?"[/say] he mumbles, and thank gods for instinct, because his hands are reaching for another tranquiliser before he's even fully comprehended Remi's words.
Surging forward as if to wrestle the wendigo back another few feet while he's distracted with trying to keep his own sanity, the sedative is mostly hidden by the sleeve of his shirt as he plunges it against the side of Remi's throat. Behind them the fight has escalated to a near-riot; something that both helps and hinders at a time like this. [say]"There are two more, if I have to use them,"[/say] he says.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 07-18-2023
It's lucky that Ronin has kept his wits about him because Remi's mind is fully taken with not tearing Ronin's throat out and then lunging for the nearest warm body. Gods it's tempting though, and were it not for the tranquillizers already dulling his senses and the obnoxiously warm smell of ronin, ronin, ronin wafting from the hunter and the sweater Remi wore, he might have lost himself entirely to the siren song of violence happily serenading the bar.
Almost tripping over his own feet, Remi clutches at Ronin's shoulder with fingertips liable to leave perfect imprints on the hunter's skin come morning as the needle sinks into his throat. Though he snaps his teeth at the vague sting of it, he softens just enough to feel like a real person against Ronin instead of some strangely weighted mannequin.
[say]"Okay."[/say] Remi pants, able only to make fleeting eye contact before squeezing his eyes shut and pressing his nose down under the collar of the sweater. It doesn't drown out his senses by much, but it's better than nothing. Reaching out for Ronin - his hand, arm, shoulder, whatever - that he might be led out in such a way which didn't require him to take note of his surroundings, the wendigo grunts a keening sort of sound that begs for a hasty retreat.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 07-18-2023
Letting out a shaky breath he hasn't realised he's been holding, Ronin nods his agreement as he feels Remi become something more (dare he say it) human before him. Okay. With an arm back around the wendigo, he's focused more on keeping others at a distance than how close he currently is with the other man, leading them through the throngs of people towards the neon-lit Emergency Exit across the bar.
It feels like an eternity of sticky floors and air bitter with the scent of blood before he reaches the door, Ronin swatting at it and shoving it with a shoulder that's already going to have quite a bruise by morning. But it works, at least, and the relative silence that envelops them as they spill into the back alley is not unlike the popping of a cork, Ronin thinks.
[say]"We're out,"[/say] he's saying to Remi as if the wendigo might not have noticed, and he's already turning them towards home. [say]"Quite enough excitement for one night, don't you think?"[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 07-18-2023
Though it's noticeably quieter outside of the bar - and even more so as the door slams shut behind them - Remi can still hear far more than he wants to. Eyes still squeezed shut and his teeth grind against one another, no sooner does Ronin give the all clear than Remi is roughly shoving himself free of the hunter's guiding arm and stomping a few feet away. Tilting back his head the wendigo screams into the night, and though the sound is guttural and full of violence, for the undercity it's really nothing new.
[say]"FUCK."[/say] He bellows, snarling at the fake stars sprinkled thoughtlessly overhead. It does no good to breathe as deeply as he is, but Remi can't seem to shake himself out of the repetition of furious inhale after furious exhale.
The taste of blood is still in his mouth, on his hands, and flecked on Ronin's sweater. Nearby he can smell the sweet notes of whiskey from the spilled drink the hunter hadn't gotten to taste, and from inside the bar he can still hear the sound of the brawl going strong. Balling his hands into fists, Remi stares at the ground menacingly for a moment before giving his head a slow but resolute shake.
[say]"Take me back."[/say] He murmurs in a voice that sounded thoroughly defeated and tired. [say]"Just...take me back."[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 07-18-2023
It isn't that Ronin lets Remi go free so much as he can't do shit to stop him even if he wanted to, the hunter instinctively shaking out his arms and hands and rolling his shoulders as if to get rid of the excess tension. It's a tension that returns tenfold, naturally, when Remi's howl into the night comes echoing off the alley walls, Ronin raking both hands back through his dark hair.
Not knowing whether back refers to the complex and his apartment or the medical wing, Ronin chooses to believe it's the former, and so he steps up beside the wendigo to nudge him gently with his shoulder, as if to steer him in the right direction. [say]"Alright,"[/say] he says softly. [say]"It was a bit busy for my taste anyway."[/say]
Heading out of the alleyway and onto streets made even quieter by the developing brawl and the authorities sure to arrive soon enough, Ronin lets their trip pass in silence for a while before glancing to his friend. [say]"Is there anything I can do to help?"[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 07-18-2023
Wanting to cry but not having the emotional energy for it, the wendigo merely regards the slightly off-colour darkness all around them. It wasn't true darkness, at least, not natural darkness the way it would be topside, and something about it made him feel vaguely caged in and wild.
Remi, who had absolutely meant back to the medical wing because fuck if this wasn't all seemingly like a huge mistake, can only frown at Ronin as the hunter begins to lead them back in the direction they'd come. [say]"Where are you going?"[/say] Remi asks in a dull voice, his movements made slightly sluggish by the chemicals in his body that his system was rapidly taking care of. [say]'It's that way.'[/say] He adds, a touch doubtfully, if only because...well, it isn't like Ronin doesn't know where the medical wing was.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 07-18-2023
Continuing up the steps and walkways towards the hunters' wing, Ronin is busy thinking of ways they might have improved the situation for Remi and mistakes they certainly won't be making again, when the wendigo pipes up. Blinking and glancing back at the other man, he offers him a gentle smile. [say]"Back to my place,"[/say] he says easily. [say]"You still want the spare room, right? Because you aren't having my bed."[/say]
Slowing his steps so they can walk beside one another, Ronin rests his hands in his pockets and considers his next words carefully. [say]"I know it might not feel like it to you, but what happened back there was impressive. Like, really impressive. I know, I know - before you say it, I have no idea what it would have been like for you. I can't ever imagine. But you didn't hurt anyone. You got blood in your mouth and we're still walking home with no casualties other than the people beating each other up back there."[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 07-18-2023
Ronin's congenial tone feels like a slap in the face given everything that has happened that night, and though Remi has kept a lid on his anger thus far, now it threatens to bubble over. Part of him wants to reach out and deck the other man in the jaw, and part thinks it might be just as well to disappear into the lacklustre darkness and see how good at hide-and-seek the hunters really are. Instead, he bites his tongue, eyeing his partner warily and tries to rationalize what's merely left-over violence in his system and what's genuine emotion.
[say]"But.."[/say] Remi begins, his fingertips flexing out from his palms slightly as the last of the sedation wears off. [say]"You can't honestly want to share a room with me after that."[/say] No, Ronin didn't know what it was like for Remi, but surely he knew just how close he'd come to losing his own throat given how very close Remi had been to him. [say]"You could bite your tongue while you're sleeping, or scratch at a scab..."[/say] He continues, his pace slowing even more as if there was some forcefield keeping him from getting too close to the apartments.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 07-18-2023
[say]"All that is true, yes. But I've been bleeding a lot more than that when we've been out hunting, and you've been a lot closer to me then than when we're in the apartment,"[/say] Ronin points out, as if trying to figure out where the difference lays between him and nosebleed idiot back there. [say]"Maybe at this point you're just over-familiar with the smell of my blood or something."[/say]
He's not stupid, though - not enough to not take extra precautions, and not enough to imagine that Remi is looking for fluffy, oh no you're harmless as a kitten reassurances. [say]"I'll put extra silver around my door before I sleep, and a few other things besides,"[/say] he tells him, approaching the entranceway and holding the door open for the wendigo to step inside.
[say]"Remi, please,"[/say] he murmurs, his voice growing softer. [say]"We fucked up. We shouldn't have gone inside. And now we know that, and it won't happen again. If you're really all that concerned, you can take the rest of the sedatives now."[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 07-18-2023
Remi thinks that with his hands around Ronin's skull and his mouth quivering by the hunter's throat was in fact the closest they've ever been - or at least, the closest Remi's mouth has been to any of Ronin's vital organs, but nevermind. Sighing, he has to agree that when it comes to minor cuts and scrapes, Ronin's blood doesn't rile him as much as it would in someone else. A touch stunned by this, Remi just walks in silence for a moment, frowning at the ground before pausing at the entranceway.
[say]"The sedatives that will last all of 15 minutes?"[/say] Remi wonders, though he finds that there's an unbidden smirk on his lips as he regards his friend. [say]"I just...I mean, I know it goes without saying, or at least I hope that it does, but.."[/say] There's blood on Ronin's cheek that he hadn't been able to wipe away, and the sight of it has him feeling both guilty and violent all at once. [say]"..I don't want to hurt you."[/say] God it feels so stupid to say, and the way Remi drops his eyes toward the hunter's shoes says as much.
[say]"I wonder if I can get aids."[/say] Remi says abruptly, stepping inside and padding up the stairs. [say]"You know, from the blood."[/say] The blood that had sprayed into his mouth. Remember that, Ronin? He probably couldn't, but what the fuck else was there to talk about.
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Ronin - 07-18-2023
[say]"15 minutes is long enough for me to barricade myself behind my bedroom door, you beast."[/say] Ronin says with a smirk that he can't help either. [say]"Maybe I'll see if I can get us a pair of walkie talkies. You can read be bedtime stories from your room."[/say] With a relief he can't place as Remi finally steps into the complex, Ronin shuts the door behind them and finds himself momentarily tongue-tied by the wendigo's admission.
Then, finally, it's with a softer smile that he claps Remi on the shoulder on the way up the stairs. [say]"I don't want to hurt you either,"[/say] he says. [say]"So if you think about what just happened in those terms, we nailed it. Neither one of us hurt the other, besides a bruise or two and some needle pricks. But I feel like those were fair game for the occasion."[/say]
He's halfway up to his floor of the complex when Remi speaks again, and the hunter snorts out an undignified laugh. [say]"Gods, wouldn't that suck?"[/say] he says. [say]"You come this far and it's aids that gets you. We'll have to have Dr. Lockwood give you an STI check. I can't wait for her to make up theories about why you'd need one."[/say]
RE: cut our teeth and make our bones right here - Remi - 07-18-2023
[say]"We'll see."[/say] Remi says with a grin as if it's a playful challenge rather than a very realistic scenario. [say]"Ahh, ma solo se riesco a leggerlo in italiano così posso cambiare il finale delle storie."[/say] He responds to the suggestion of bedtime stories, falling into some musical nonsense he knows Ronin won't understand but underscoring the words with theatrical gesticulations just the same.
Stiffening slightly if only because physical contact usually was followed by pain, torture, or incredibly demeaning examinations, Remi relaxes his shoulders and chuckles. [say]"Well, one of us has already healed over, so.."[/say] He murmurs, glancing at Ronin over his shoulder and grinning. [say]"If you want to step on my foot with your boots on, I'd understand."[/say]
Chuckling boyishly now, Remi raises an eyebrow and sucks in a breath. [say]"Can you imagine?"[/say] He asks rhetorically before flinching and clearing his throat. [say]"You know, it would probably come up on one of my blood tests, no need to mention it."[/say] The very last thing he needed was to explain to Isla why he'd need such a test, especially if said test came with any sort of physical examination.
Groaning impatiently as Ronin coaxes the 85 locks to open, Remi glances up and down the hallway before averting his eyes as a pair of hunters saunter toward their own rooms.