[ Had Hoshina had his sense about him a little more, he might not have been so open with her. At least not right off the bat like this. He hardly knew her! Other than her being his new playmate, she was an enigma to him~ He was interested beyond the surface level but he wanted to find out more about her on his own terms. This felt like cheating!
Still, no matter how he looked at it, he was dying... She was saving his ass, he could let it slide for now and make up for lost time after.
The way she tended to him was so careful and caring, he wouldn't have expected it. And, maybe it was nice, having someone care for him like this? He's going to have to pay her back for this, even if she doesn't want him to. Squeezing her hand as he coughed, cracking open those violet eyes of his as she spoke, voice slightly muffled by her own cough and that mask. ]
Do they--? The Force? ... N-no... We're not allowed to tell a-anyone. B-but never mind that... Are you okay?
[ Reaching up with a feeble hand, fingers brushing across her mask lightly. ]
[ His fingers brush across her mask. His answer, his question hang in her air, ringing in her ears. Beneath her amber-colored contacts is a deep, dark black onyx. They're turned, her eyes, and catch that violet she's been chasing since the day they met. It wasn't long ago at all by her standards; and yet, it feels so long, as if she'd been waiting to meet him forever, to be seen by him.
It's impossible. It makes no sense, the sort of witchcraft decried when a single person has two colored sets of eyes, two names, and the dead walk among the living. She isn't that person, that's what she always claims; and yet, Nao hasn't been alone in her pursuit of his color. Long before Nao Mizushita was made, Haruka Shizuoka searched and searched and found no one outside her clan who could meet her onyx gaze.
He'd made her curious that day. Makes her wanna open her mouth and tell him the truths she isn't allowed starting with the answer to his question: "Are you okay?" ]
No, I'm not okay.
[ The words are poured like a light shower before a torrential rain and she knows. This Soshiro Hoshina couldn't possibly know what he's achieved.
If he takes it from her, she'll never forgive him. ]
Are you okay?
[ It couldn't be anything like tears making her eyes glassy. That wouldn't make sense. If that viral lifeform would just die, then maybe they could breathe.
[ Hoshina makes a point of always having his eyes closed, or practically closed, just cracked open, he finds it helps to keep the mystery when meeting new recruits, makes him seem more a badass, like he doesn't need to see, to cut down Kaiju. So the fact he even looked at her in the first place, with open eyes, all deep and dark, violet like a nebula, meant his guard was completely down right now.
The way he looked at her like he was looking through her. Like he could see through her contacts and at the curious if not cautious girl looking back at him. A glaze in his hues, the fever breaking making him weary and weak as beads of sweat rolled down his temples. Maybe it was something she said or did without him knowing, but something had changed, something deep inside him. These vines, though they had yet to withdraw had at least stopped crushing and squeezing his lungs and heart as they buried in. Allowing him a moment to take a deep breath, coughing as no petals tumbled from his lips, just a small splatter of blood. ]
I'll be okay... If you are...
[ The trembling reach of his hand, the one that had brushed across her mask, moved to cup the side of her face, offering her a weak little smile. ]
My chest... It- it's not as tight. S-still hurts like a motherfucker but...
[ Hoshina sighs, sinking back into the bed, breathing a little more stable thought the vines and flowers can still be seen just under and poking through the surface of his pale skin. ]
[ She almost tilted her cheek into his hand, almost. To be seen, to be the recipient of those words with that condition placed upon her is... she couldn't describe it if asked. She wouldn't know where to begin. It's a swell and a shake and her heart pounding thunderously in its rattling cage. She sees him and hears him and feels him and she doesn't turn away, doesn't leave this contact at one hand.
Nao raises the pointer of her free hand and gently presses it to his lips. Still worrying about her... this man... ]
Try to relax, okay?
[ She moves the finger at his lips to rest five at his throat. She doesn't grip, doesn't press, just rests her fingertips atop his skin so as to give herself another five points through which to work. She doesn't want to pull her eyes from his, but she does so as to better see what she's doing, and oh, in the instant she sees the invasive energy fading, she is doing.
He's hers now.
It's her threads to his senses, his energies, and she is nothing if not skilled in manipulation. With energy, it comes naturally to her, her understanding innate. It's a simple matter of directing the flow to achieve the results she desires and his body will respond to her prompting. Blood will clot. His immune system and natural healing ability will experience a sudden resurgence and she, she can see it all, sense it, feel him beneath her still warming fingertips, her hand.
She doesn't remove them, but she does turn her eyes back to his as if to ask him how he feels now. Please say "better". ]
[ Even if she doesn't tilt her face into his hand, his fingers still twitch against her warming cheek, thumb gently stroking a little even as he fights back the shake the muscles in his arms want to surrender to. He has to be strong, if not for himself, for her. Hoshina has been there where Defence Force members died, out in the field, bloodied and afraid, and he doesn't want to look like that now, doesn't want to put that burden on her.
Still, as she pressed her finger to his bloodstained lips as if to hush him to silence, Hoshina smiled that cunning little smile of his and pursed his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the pad of her finger, humming out a sound of acceptance. Okay, he'll be quiet. Nodding in agreement. You win, Nao. ]
--Hnng?
[ Grunting out a questioning sound as she slides her hand from his lips to around his throat. He wants to pass a cheeky comment, something something choke me, something something dinner first? But thinks better of it as he starts to feel the way his body responds to her touch. Just what was her deal? She had a multitude of neat tricks up her sleeves, didn't she? He'd have to try and remember to ask her about it sometime if they both survive this horrible sickness.
Come to think about it. That's strange... He can almost feel his body rejecting the plants. Didn't feel great mind you, but there was a distinct feeling of wilting and withdrawing deep within his veins where they had tangled and clogged.
Taking a few panicked breaths and writing a little on the bed, the sheets tangling around his middle and legs as he panted then coughed, feeling inside his mouth to pull a rotten flowerhead from the back of his throat. Whatever she was doing, whatever he had said to trigger it, seemed to have disagreed with the plants. ]
N-Nao-chan? ... W-What are you doing? How are you d-doing that?
[ She tries to spit it out like a quip and mostly succeeds. She didn't actually say the words aloud, but it was implied through the finger she put to his lips that he... that he kissed, and with a flash of that familiar cunning smile of his, which has nothing to do with the bit of red dusting her cheeks or her heart doing that thing it actually didn't just do. Neither did that -- he wasn't stroking -- she needs to stay focused, damnit!
She'd turned her eyes sharply back to his body. Ducking her head to hide her cheeks won't work given their positioning. His movements are good, though. The rotten flowerhead he pulled from the back of his throat was not the prettiest thing she's ever seen, but it's a good sign. His body is rejecting and purging the virus. Good. ]
[ He said with a weak chuckle, his breathing was coming easier now but it still hurt a little.
She was easier to fluster than he first thought. She should have expected the little finger kiss, what else was he supposed to do when she pressed her digit there!? Bite it? No, he couldn't do that, not when she was somehow making his illness weaken its hold over him. Lightly stroking her face a while longer, noticing how warm the red-ish apples of her cheek had become where the flush bloomed into her smooth, pale skin. She was cute, he shouldn't have let Shiro take credit for her cuteness... Speaking of that cat, it decided to rub itself against Nao's leg with a low rumble of a purr.
As Nao dipped her head, so too did Hoshina, if only so he could watch her. Those bright, deep violet eyes of his were still open for the time being as if being sick had made him forget his usual foxish slant and smirk. ]
You'd gag an already choking man? And here I was just starting to think you had a heart, Nao-chan... You wound me.
You're obviously feeling better, running at the mouth like you are.
[ Nao returns smoothly despite her lingering color and the fact that she is quite conscious that he's observing it. There's little she can do to address it or play it off right now, not that the latter usually works. She's much too fair-skinned for it to be anything but what it is and what it is is... inconsequential! So much so that she can work 'blind,' turning her eyes briefly down at Shiro, then up to catch those deep violet eyes of Hoshina's.
Who knows when she'll get to see them again? ]
Shiro-chan agrees with me or [ and she pauses ] am I misunderstanding and that's what you're asking of me?
[ Her head pounds with each word. She's been so intently focused on the task at hand, the severity of her own worsening symptoms is only just beginning to be realized. It hadn't moved that fast, had it?? She clears her throat, something tickling the blood-coated back of it. She feels.. cold? She shouldn't, not with how she's warming the air in the bubble around him. ]
It has a mind of its own, I keep it running on an emergency generator, in case of situations just like this~
[ Coughing as he chuckled, yet there were no petals, just a little splatter of pollen mixed with drying blood, the worst of his infection seeming to have passed, thankfully.
It's cute, the way she flusters when she helps him. There's something about her, he can't quite put his finger on. He wants to say she reminds him of someone from home, but, no... It's not that at all, still, he can't shake this feeling that feels like he's known her most of his life. A side effect of the illness? Must be. I mean, what else could it be? ...
His eyes narrow slightly as he starts to feel better, not needing to look as intently at her now. Letting his arm that was dangling off the bed, feeling around for Shiro as Nao mentioned them. Fingertips brushed the side of Nao's leg before they found and scratched the cat. ]
At least buy me dinner first, okay? I don't usually let a lady get what she wants until the third date, and this is what, our second one?
[ Ah but, all jokes and Schrödinger's flirting aside, is she okay? ]
--Hey, take it easy, alright... C'mere, you've done too much.
[ Reaching up and gently wrapping his arm around her, pulling her in close as she scoots aside to sit on the edge of the bed, he's going to motion to lay her down if she'll let him if she doesn't mind resting in his warm sheets that is. Feeling to remove her mask with a concerned look about his clammy face. ]
You're sick too huh? Tch and here you were, worrying about me you dummy... Breathe okay, you've got this.
[ As he'd laughed, she'd wondered: What's that saying about how you shouldn't roll your eyes 'cause they might get stuck? What if you never stopped rolling them? What if you rolled your eyes at somebody forever? Would his eyes roll if they followed hers? Wouldn't that be funny? Going 'round and 'round and round like -- that's fever thoughts, isn't it?
Ah, and that was her leg and that, that was a... joke! A joke that had the red originally staining her cheeks reach the tippy-top of her ears. She'd been about to start on him about it. She made to stammering, but she didn't get the chance to really refute it between his words and the realization that the heat inside her chest borne from her body's confusion about the disease had intensified into a near-roaring furnace.
She feels cold, but she's started to sweat and it's harder to swallow the petals and blood in the back of her throat. It's a bit more like choking them back and she should know what's happening; yet, there's a discordant note of confusion reverberating in her. He's pulling her in when she should be hopping off the bed and preparing to head out. (Why's she letting him?) It's a trip from Stellari to Somnius and she needs to make it much more quickly than she'd thought and he's talking -- it's an okay sound, not nearly so harsh to her aching head as when she herself speaks -- and he's reaching to -- ]
D-don't!
[ No sooner than she says it do her hands scramble to secure her mask against the scent of blood permeating the room. Their mission changes. One abruptly pulls her mask down and out of the way whilst the other caps her mouth as she's suddenly racked with a coughing fit, rasping and wet. It shakes her whole body. Most people wouldn't be able to move in the midst of such a thing; and yet, she's trying to pull away.
There's a mantra waiting to be chanted. Perhaps Hoshina is familiar with the dishonest insistence of, "I'm fine," that's waiting behind the blood and petals still coming up her throat? If not, he's due to be introduced... if she ever stops coughing, that is. ]
[ She should have said that comment about rolling her eyes at him out loud, he would have got a good laugh ot of that one. It would have been a great way to see if he really was feeling better too, seeing as the laughing would have inevitably led to a coughing fit.
Honestly, Soshiro was the kind of guy who, even if he was about to die, with no way out, would still find a way to smile and joke about something, after all he won't go down without a fight, regret or a smile on his foxy face. She'll learn that the more they hang out... If she ever wants to see him again after this, that is. ]
It's okay, I think we have the same affliction. It's not like we can infect each other more than we already are... Just, breatheNao-chan... You're suffering. I want you to lay down on your side and just take small, little breaths, okay?
[ He was still weak, still suffering, it didn't just vanish the moment he confessed his secrets. As the plants inside of him started to die off and withdraw, they still ached with each twist, making him wince every so often. He managed to stumble over to the window and even though it was cold outside, opened the window to make it easier for them both to breathe.
Hopefully with a little distance between them, what with Hoshina now slumped against the wall and sliding down it, just under the window, she might feel like she can relax a little? ]
Y'know... I don't know how it's connected but... I started to feel a little better when we were talking.
[ As her coughing had subsided, she'd finally allowed the warming bubble she had sustained to dissipate. Initially, she offered no response to his request that she lie down, having had something more odd than blood, chestnut and red rose petals in her throat. It necessitates a pinch to draw whatever it was from out of her throat. A near-gag later, there's what appears to be fair portion of prickleless stem between her fingers and her eyes are half-lidded for her efforts.
Lying down sounds like a good idea now that she can maybe begin to attempt to catch her breath, so she does, and on her side like he'd asked with her mask at rest beneath her chin. It's almost entirely her blood she smells; it's certainly all she tastes, and that... is that fine? It's not. The roots are piercing her lungs and her body is trying to heal the wounds, making her hot, too hot.
Still, she can muddle through her thoughts. She's been listening to Hoshina speak, thinking, watching him. Kind of hates how far away from her he is right now. She didn't want that, she just... didn't want to risk hurting him if the scent of his blood in the air got to be too much. ]
Hmm?
[ Just loud enough to be heard. How? That's what she's asking, bloodied fingers fiddling with the hem of her dress. Pulled up a little? Just enough to allow a little circulation. She's cold, but she knows she's hot. ]
[ Seeing her start to lie down, on her side like he asked, drew a small smile from his lips, head tipping aside, his bowlcut bangs sticking in place from the sweat glazing his forehead. As he sat there, contemplating getting up, wishing his muscles to move, Shiro meowed and used him as a stepping stone to climb up and walk across the window sill.
Watching as Nao pulled and gagged those stems out, making him swallow and chew what was left in his own mouth, not wanting to have to do the same and possibly throw up (he didn't have much of a gag reflex after all.) After he was done clearing his own throat, he pushed himself forward, crawling over to the bed, feeling up to the basin at the skin on his way and grabbing a sodden wet cloth. ]
You're origins are shutting down. The fever is heating you up to unnatural temperatures. You need to cool off before unrepeatable damage is done and you pass out, nao-chan... here, lemme help you... Please?
[ Though he asked, he had no intention of waiting for a response. Making it to the side of the bed, he knelt up and with one hand, brushed her bangs aside, squeezing some of the cool water from the flannel directly onto the forehead, smoothing it over her skin with his fingertips. ]
Don't jump... It's gonna be cold, but you need to cool down, sharpish.
[ With that said, Soshiro pressed the wet, cool cloth against her thigh, wiping across it like he was bathing her, slipping it between her legs then down under her knee, holding it there with a squeeze, trying to cool her pressure points fast. ]
[ Cold? Hot. Cold..? Hot?? The sensations muddle for a brief moment as she blinks slowly at him, her eyes ultimately resting half-lidded. He's closer now. That's good, what she wants. She just needs to rest a minute before she pulls enough of herself together to speak and speak the right things.
Nevermind that she can't really afford a minute, or can she? Even in this state, she's grasping her threads, quietly redirecting the energy her body would otherwise command to heal the injuries being inflicted upon her. It's the only way any attempt at cooling her down can succeed and the only reason she knows this is thanks largely to Kanemaru-kun. He's why she recognizes what Hoshina's doing. That, and the fact that Hoshina asked her to let him help her rather than told her what to do is why she does little more than tense about the clotch, where it's moved. (Some small part of her knows it wasn't a question, but he posed it as a question and it's excuse enough for her to take it.) ]
Two.
[ She doesn't marvel at how rough her voice sounds, choking back another cough and swallowing defiantly. She inhales sharply, gold-amber eyes searching briefly for his. (She shouldn't be saying this. She shouldn't say --) ]
This body, at one point if you took prints, would've registered two names.
[ Would've. ]
Once upon a time, Detective-san. [ She sighs the words and reaches... to try to boop his nose with her pointer. Stupidly, stubbornly. It's important!! ]
[ The fact that she didn't fight him off or try and say nothing cheeky or playful, let him know she was suffering. He didn't feel good by any means, but he didn't feel worse, which was enough for him to stop focusing on himself and solely on her.
Moving the cloth from under the back of her knee, he gently took hold of her ankle and raised it up so he could bath the rest of her leg before dipping it back in the sink to cool back off, considering she'd heated up the fabric. ]
Huh? Two?
[ Two what, exactly? Soshiro covered his mouth and coughed, a wilting petal splattering in his palm. That was better than the live ones from before, at least. Grabbing the wet cloth again, never minding to wring it out, as he knelt over closer to her face, gently dabbing her throat and across her collarbone, watching the water run down her skin and onto the bed beneath her. Softly, he brushed her hair back from her face as he listened.
He blinked and opened his deep violet eyes when she booped him on the nose. Keeping them open as he listened with a shake of his head and a smile. Detective-san, really now. ]
I always knew there was more to you than what meets the eye, Nao-chan.
[ The left corner of her mouth tugs slightly upward, half-lidded gold-amber greeting his deep violet and catching his smile. See? It was super important and now that her hand's mission has been accomplished, she allows it to drop and settle atop her stomach. ]
Think 'bout me much?
[ There's something more to be said, but the words die on her lips as her stomach interjects and its muscles contract suddenly, painfully. She clenches her teeth, pressing her hand and digging her fingernails through the fabric of her dress into her skin to distract from the combined pain. The roots that had been working to pierce her lungs had slowed with her initial confession, but their grasping has not. It's weaker, more sporadic than steadfast and determined, but it hasn't halted completely.
Flowers are still growing in her chest, a weight that hangs heavy and dips down from her lungs through the black hole that is her stomach into her unending Hunger.
It dulls and she gasps, not quite relaxing completely, but the direction is there. It happened so fast; and yet, it seemed like a forever.
Right then. She shouldn't -- ]
One's legally deceased.
[ -- and yet, she does. She wills herself to push past the pain and tension attempting to seize her yet again, to rebel against the disease, to speak these small, monumental truths to him. Just a few when she wants to tell him everything. ]
This [ -- and she blinks twice rapidly -- ] is and isn't my true eye color. I [ -- and here, she trails off, her eyes flickering briefly to his lips, where they linger a second too long before returning to find his eyes -- "I really wanna kiss you," that's what she wants to say, but those red words are swallowed in favor of attempting a deep breath ] -- my favorite ice cream is those little balls from that place, Dippin' Dots.
[ Finally, she pauses to let herself try to breathe, to wait and see. She should be looking inward. Instead, she's looking at him, and how. ]
[ She seemed to be settling a little, even if neither of them was out of the woods yet. At least it hadn't affected either of their sense of humour. He chuckled then softly, as he let the cloth rest against her forehead, gently caressing the side of her face with the back of his fingers, chasing a stray droplet of water as it ran down past her cheek. ]
Yeah, I do... More than I'd usually care to admit.
[ Well, if getting things off their chest was helping kill the flowers, he didn't see the harm in letting slip another little secret, huh? Seeing her wince as she holds her tummy, the way the plants will writhe and move around inside her, coating her organs and choking the space between them? Yeah, he feels helpless and it sucks. ]
Woah there, easy huh, nice slow breaths, like you told me to take. Okay so... You have two names this name and a dead one, that makes you pretty damn interesting Nao-chan. Like a secret agent or something.
[ He's trying to keep the mood light, so she doesn't slip into shock or anything. Hoshina tilts his head when she mentions her eyes, fascinated by the idea that her eyes are some other colour, that she hides for some reason. ]
Oh? What colour are they then? Are they as rare as mine, huh? And well then, soon as you're feeling better, we'll see about getting some Dippin' Dots style ice cream balls yea? Sound like a deal?"
[ He was surprisingly gentle and compassionate when trying to keep her from choking down on the petals, vines and blood she'd been coughing up. ]
[ She's breathing, and with a surer steadiness than moments earlier. It would be easy for her to go to sleep like this, listening to the sound of his voice, the backs of his fingers caressing the side of her face. She doesn't. As the roots shudder and fail, vines and leaves beginning to shrivel and wither, she hangs on his every word, his touch. She reaches, even, to catch his fingers and turns her cheek into them, eyes closed, clenching, unclenching as she tries to redirect her focus from the internal movement, the persisting pain.
Death isn't a painless affair, not even for intrusive plants, vines, and flowers.
Did he say... that he thought about her? That they'd see about getting some Dippin' Dots style ice cream as soon as she was feeling better?
He has no idea what he's saying. Couldn't possibly know, not when it came to the ice cream. The reason why that particular ice cream is her favorite, she hadn't told him that, had she? She hadn't realized until he offered that... that she really wants someone to go with her to get some. Wouldn't undo the past, couldn't bring anyone back, but to have someone go with her, maybe... maybe if it was him, she could finally do that. ]
No take-backs.
[ She breathes the words a little shakily, her body suddenly racked with a small coughing fit as beads of sweat begin to roll at a quicker pace down her head despite the cool towel resting atop her forehead.
No petals this time, just a dab of blood at the corner of her mouth as her fever breaks. That, and a bit tighter grip on his fingers. ]
I promise… And if they don’t have them here, I can wish for them for you.
[ He promises and he intends to keep that promise.
It’s hard, though, watching her suffer. Sure, it’s taking his mind off of his own pain and suffering, but it's horrible watching her fight through it. Smiling when she says ‘no take-backs’ to him, nodding and cupping her cheek in his hand as she nuzzles into it.
He was struggling, feeling his chest bubble with thick, wet clots of blood. Groaning as he noticed she was sweating more, so he dragged himself to the sink again, wringing out the cloth and wetting it again, this time, when he returned to her side, Hoshina slipped onto the bed behind her, laying on his side to spoon her as he draped an arm over her, lazily dabbing the cloth at her head and neck, hoping to sooth her even though he was feeling it again himself. ]
We just… need to break the fever… We’ll be fine come morning… I just know it.
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Still, no matter how he looked at it, he was dying... She was saving his ass, he could let it slide for now and make up for lost time after.
The way she tended to him was so careful and caring, he wouldn't have expected it. And, maybe it was nice, having someone care for him like this? He's going to have to pay her back for this, even if she doesn't want him to. Squeezing her hand as he coughed, cracking open those violet eyes of his as she spoke, voice slightly muffled by her own cough and that mask. ]
Do they--? The Force? ... N-no... We're not allowed to tell a-anyone. B-but never mind that... Are you okay?
[ Reaching up with a feeble hand, fingers brushing across her mask lightly. ]
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It's impossible. It makes no sense, the sort of witchcraft decried when a single person has two colored sets of eyes, two names, and the dead walk among the living. She isn't that person, that's what she always claims; and yet, Nao hasn't been alone in her pursuit of his color. Long before Nao Mizushita was made, Haruka Shizuoka searched and searched and found no one outside her clan who could meet her onyx gaze.
He'd made her curious that day. Makes her wanna open her mouth and tell him the truths she isn't allowed starting with the answer to his question: "Are you okay?" ]
No, I'm not okay.
[ The words are poured like a light shower before a torrential rain and she knows. This Soshiro Hoshina couldn't possibly know what he's achieved.
If he takes it from her, she'll never forgive him. ]
Are you okay?
[ It couldn't be anything like tears making her eyes glassy. That wouldn't make sense. If that viral lifeform would just die, then maybe they could breathe.
He needs to breathe. ]
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The way he looked at her like he was looking through her. Like he could see through her contacts and at the curious if not cautious girl looking back at him. A glaze in his hues, the fever breaking making him weary and weak as beads of sweat rolled down his temples. Maybe it was something she said or did without him knowing, but something had changed, something deep inside him. These vines, though they had yet to withdraw had at least stopped crushing and squeezing his lungs and heart as they buried in. Allowing him a moment to take a deep breath, coughing as no petals tumbled from his lips, just a small splatter of blood. ]
I'll be okay... If you are...
[ The trembling reach of his hand, the one that had brushed across her mask, moved to cup the side of her face, offering her a weak little smile. ]
My chest... It- it's not as tight. S-still hurts like a motherfucker but...
[ Hoshina sighs, sinking back into the bed, breathing a little more stable thought the vines and flowers can still be seen just under and poking through the surface of his pale skin. ]
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Nao raises the pointer of her free hand and gently presses it to his lips. Still worrying about her... this man... ]
Try to relax, okay?
[ She moves the finger at his lips to rest five at his throat. She doesn't grip, doesn't press, just rests her fingertips atop his skin so as to give herself another five points through which to work. She doesn't want to pull her eyes from his, but she does so as to better see what she's doing, and oh, in the instant she sees the invasive energy fading, she is doing.
He's hers now.
It's her threads to his senses, his energies, and she is nothing if not skilled in manipulation. With energy, it comes naturally to her, her understanding innate. It's a simple matter of directing the flow to achieve the results she desires and his body will respond to her prompting. Blood will clot. His immune system and natural healing ability will experience a sudden resurgence and she, she can see it all, sense it, feel him beneath her still warming fingertips, her hand.
She doesn't remove them, but she does turn her eyes back to his as if to ask him how he feels now. Please say "better". ]
Hoshina-kun?
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Still, as she pressed her finger to his bloodstained lips as if to hush him to silence, Hoshina smiled that cunning little smile of his and pursed his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the pad of her finger, humming out a sound of acceptance. Okay, he'll be quiet. Nodding in agreement. You win, Nao. ]
--Hnng?
[ Grunting out a questioning sound as she slides her hand from his lips to around his throat. He wants to pass a cheeky comment, something something choke me, something something dinner first? But thinks better of it as he starts to feel the way his body responds to her touch. Just what was her deal? She had a multitude of neat tricks up her sleeves, didn't she? He'd have to try and remember to ask her about it sometime if they both survive this horrible sickness.
Come to think about it. That's strange... He can almost feel his body rejecting the plants. Didn't feel great mind you, but there was a distinct feeling of wilting and withdrawing deep within his veins where they had tangled and clogged.
Taking a few panicked breaths and writing a little on the bed, the sheets tangling around his middle and legs as he panted then coughed, feeling inside his mouth to pull a rotten flowerhead from the back of his throat. Whatever she was doing, whatever he had said to trigger it, seemed to have disagreed with the plants. ]
N-Nao-chan? ... W-What are you doing? How are you d-doing that?
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[ She tries to spit it out like a quip and mostly succeeds. She didn't actually say the words aloud, but it was implied through the finger she put to his lips that he... that he kissed, and with a flash of that familiar cunning smile of his, which has nothing to do with the bit of red dusting her cheeks or her heart doing that thing it actually didn't just do. Neither did that -- he wasn't stroking -- she needs to stay focused, damnit!
She'd turned her eyes sharply back to his body. Ducking her head to hide her cheeks won't work given their positioning. His movements are good, though. The rotten flowerhead he pulled from the back of his throat was not the prettiest thing she's ever seen, but it's a good sign. His body is rejecting and purging the virus. Good. ]
Keep it up and I'll have to gag you.
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[ He said with a weak chuckle, his breathing was coming easier now but it still hurt a little.
She was easier to fluster than he first thought. She should have expected the little finger kiss, what else was he supposed to do when she pressed her digit there!? Bite it? No, he couldn't do that, not when she was somehow making his illness weaken its hold over him. Lightly stroking her face a while longer, noticing how warm the red-ish apples of her cheek had become where the flush bloomed into her smooth, pale skin. She was cute, he shouldn't have let Shiro take credit for her cuteness... Speaking of that cat, it decided to rub itself against Nao's leg with a low rumble of a purr.
As Nao dipped her head, so too did Hoshina, if only so he could watch her. Those bright, deep violet eyes of his were still open for the time being as if being sick had made him forget his usual foxish slant and smirk. ]
You'd gag an already choking man? And here I was just starting to think you had a heart, Nao-chan... You wound me.
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[ Nao returns smoothly despite her lingering color and the fact that she is quite conscious that he's observing it. There's little she can do to address it or play it off right now, not that the latter usually works. She's much too fair-skinned for it to be anything but what it is and what it is is... inconsequential! So much so that she can work 'blind,' turning her eyes briefly down at Shiro, then up to catch those deep violet eyes of Hoshina's.
Who knows when she'll get to see them again? ]
Shiro-chan agrees with me or [ and she pauses ] am I misunderstanding and that's what you're asking of me?
[ Her head pounds with each word. She's been so intently focused on the task at hand, the severity of her own worsening symptoms is only just beginning to be realized. It hadn't moved that fast, had it?? She clears her throat, something tickling the blood-coated back of it. She feels.. cold? She shouldn't, not with how she's warming the air in the bubble around him. ]
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[ Coughing as he chuckled, yet there were no petals, just a little splatter of pollen mixed with drying blood, the worst of his infection seeming to have passed, thankfully.
It's cute, the way she flusters when she helps him. There's something about her, he can't quite put his finger on. He wants to say she reminds him of someone from home, but, no... It's not that at all, still, he can't shake this feeling that feels like he's known her most of his life. A side effect of the illness? Must be. I mean, what else could it be? ...
His eyes narrow slightly as he starts to feel better, not needing to look as intently at her now. Letting his arm that was dangling off the bed, feeling around for Shiro as Nao mentioned them. Fingertips brushed the side of Nao's leg before they found and scratched the cat. ]
At least buy me dinner first, okay? I don't usually let a lady get what she wants until the third date, and this is what, our second one?
[ Ah but, all jokes and Schrödinger's flirting aside, is she okay? ]
--Hey, take it easy, alright... C'mere, you've done too much.
[ Reaching up and gently wrapping his arm around her, pulling her in close as she scoots aside to sit on the edge of the bed, he's going to motion to lay her down if she'll let him if she doesn't mind resting in his warm sheets that is. Feeling to remove her mask with a concerned look about his clammy face. ]
You're sick too huh? Tch and here you were, worrying about me you dummy... Breathe okay, you've got this.
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Ah, and that was her leg and that, that was a... joke! A joke that had the red originally staining her cheeks reach the tippy-top of her ears. She'd been about to start on him about it. She made to stammering, but she didn't get the chance to really refute it between his words and the realization that the heat inside her chest borne from her body's confusion about the disease had intensified into a near-roaring furnace.
She feels cold, but she's started to sweat and it's harder to swallow the petals and blood in the back of her throat. It's a bit more like choking them back and she should know what's happening; yet, there's a discordant note of confusion reverberating in her. He's pulling her in when she should be hopping off the bed and preparing to head out. (Why's she letting him?) It's a trip from Stellari to Somnius and she needs to make it much more quickly than she'd thought and he's talking -- it's an okay sound, not nearly so harsh to her aching head as when she herself speaks -- and he's reaching to -- ]
D-don't!
[ No sooner than she says it do her hands scramble to secure her mask against the scent of blood permeating the room. Their mission changes. One abruptly pulls her mask down and out of the way whilst the other caps her mouth as she's suddenly racked with a coughing fit, rasping and wet. It shakes her whole body. Most people wouldn't be able to move in the midst of such a thing; and yet, she's trying to pull away.
There's a mantra waiting to be chanted. Perhaps Hoshina is familiar with the dishonest insistence of, "I'm fine," that's waiting behind the blood and petals still coming up her throat? If not, he's due to be introduced... if she ever stops coughing, that is. ]
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Honestly, Soshiro was the kind of guy who, even if he was about to die, with no way out, would still find a way to smile and joke about something, after all he won't go down without a fight, regret or a smile on his foxy face. She'll learn that the more they hang out... If she ever wants to see him again after this, that is. ]
It's okay, I think we have the same affliction. It's not like we can infect each other more than we already are... Just, breatheNao-chan... You're suffering. I want you to lay down on your side and just take small, little breaths, okay?
[ He was still weak, still suffering, it didn't just vanish the moment he confessed his secrets. As the plants inside of him started to die off and withdraw, they still ached with each twist, making him wince every so often. He managed to stumble over to the window and even though it was cold outside, opened the window to make it easier for them both to breathe.
Hopefully with a little distance between them, what with Hoshina now slumped against the wall and sliding down it, just under the window, she might feel like she can relax a little? ]
Y'know... I don't know how it's connected but... I started to feel a little better when we were talking.
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Lying down sounds like a good idea now that she can maybe begin to attempt to catch her breath, so she does, and on her side like he'd asked with her mask at rest beneath her chin. It's almost entirely her blood she smells; it's certainly all she tastes, and that... is that fine? It's not. The roots are piercing her lungs and her body is trying to heal the wounds, making her hot, too hot.
Still, she can muddle through her thoughts. She's been listening to Hoshina speak, thinking, watching him. Kind of hates how far away from her he is right now. She didn't want that, she just... didn't want to risk hurting him if the scent of his blood in the air got to be too much. ]
Hmm?
[ Just loud enough to be heard. How? That's what she's asking, bloodied fingers fiddling with the hem of her dress. Pulled up a little? Just enough to allow a little circulation. She's cold, but she knows she's hot. ]
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Watching as Nao pulled and gagged those stems out, making him swallow and chew what was left in his own mouth, not wanting to have to do the same and possibly throw up (he didn't have much of a gag reflex after all.) After he was done clearing his own throat, he pushed himself forward, crawling over to the bed, feeling up to the basin at the skin on his way and grabbing a sodden wet cloth. ]
You're origins are shutting down. The fever is heating you up to unnatural temperatures. You need to cool off before unrepeatable damage is done and you pass out, nao-chan... here, lemme help you... Please?
[ Though he asked, he had no intention of waiting for a response. Making it to the side of the bed, he knelt up and with one hand, brushed her bangs aside, squeezing some of the cool water from the flannel directly onto the forehead, smoothing it over her skin with his fingertips. ]
Don't jump... It's gonna be cold, but you need to cool down, sharpish.
[ With that said, Soshiro pressed the wet, cool cloth against her thigh, wiping across it like he was bathing her, slipping it between her legs then down under her knee, holding it there with a squeeze, trying to cool her pressure points fast. ]
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Nevermind that she can't really afford a minute, or can she? Even in this state, she's grasping her threads, quietly redirecting the energy her body would otherwise command to heal the injuries being inflicted upon her. It's the only way any attempt at cooling her down can succeed and the only reason she knows this is thanks largely to Kanemaru-kun. He's why she recognizes what Hoshina's doing. That, and the fact that Hoshina asked her to let him help her rather than told her what to do is why she does little more than tense about the clotch, where it's moved. (Some small part of her knows it wasn't a question, but he posed it as a question and it's excuse enough for her to take it.) ]
Two.
[ She doesn't marvel at how rough her voice sounds, choking back another cough and swallowing defiantly. She inhales sharply, gold-amber eyes searching briefly for his. (She shouldn't be saying this. She shouldn't say --) ]
This body, at one point if you took prints, would've registered two names.
[ Would've. ]
Once upon a time, Detective-san. [ She sighs the words and reaches... to try to boop his nose with her pointer. Stupidly, stubbornly. It's important!! ]
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Moving the cloth from under the back of her knee, he gently took hold of her ankle and raised it up so he could bath the rest of her leg before dipping it back in the sink to cool back off, considering she'd heated up the fabric. ]
Huh? Two?
[ Two what, exactly? Soshiro covered his mouth and coughed, a wilting petal splattering in his palm. That was better than the live ones from before, at least. Grabbing the wet cloth again, never minding to wring it out, as he knelt over closer to her face, gently dabbing her throat and across her collarbone, watching the water run down her skin and onto the bed beneath her. Softly, he brushed her hair back from her face as he listened.
He blinked and opened his deep violet eyes when she booped him on the nose. Keeping them open as he listened with a shake of his head and a smile. Detective-san, really now. ]
I always knew there was more to you than what meets the eye, Nao-chan.
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Think 'bout me much?
[ There's something more to be said, but the words die on her lips as her stomach interjects and its muscles contract suddenly, painfully. She clenches her teeth, pressing her hand and digging her fingernails through the fabric of her dress into her skin to distract from the combined pain. The roots that had been working to pierce her lungs had slowed with her initial confession, but their grasping has not. It's weaker, more sporadic than steadfast and determined, but it hasn't halted completely.
Flowers are still growing in her chest, a weight that hangs heavy and dips down from her lungs through the black hole that is her stomach into her unending Hunger.
It dulls and she gasps, not quite relaxing completely, but the direction is there. It happened so fast; and yet, it seemed like a forever.
Right then. She shouldn't -- ]
One's legally deceased.
[ -- and yet, she does. She wills herself to push past the pain and tension attempting to seize her yet again, to rebel against the disease, to speak these small, monumental truths to him. Just a few when she wants to tell him everything. ]
This [ -- and she blinks twice rapidly -- ] is and isn't my true eye color. I [ -- and here, she trails off, her eyes flickering briefly to his lips, where they linger a second too long before returning to find his eyes -- "I really wanna kiss you," that's what she wants to say, but those red words are swallowed in favor of attempting a deep breath ] -- my favorite ice cream is those little balls from that place, Dippin' Dots.
[ Finally, she pauses to let herself try to breathe, to wait and see. She should be looking inward. Instead, she's looking at him, and how. ]
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Yeah, I do... More than I'd usually care to admit.
[ Well, if getting things off their chest was helping kill the flowers, he didn't see the harm in letting slip another little secret, huh? Seeing her wince as she holds her tummy, the way the plants will writhe and move around inside her, coating her organs and choking the space between them? Yeah, he feels helpless and it sucks. ]
Woah there, easy huh, nice slow breaths, like you told me to take. Okay so... You have two names this name and a dead one, that makes you pretty damn interesting Nao-chan. Like a secret agent or something.
[ He's trying to keep the mood light, so she doesn't slip into shock or anything. Hoshina tilts his head when she mentions her eyes, fascinated by the idea that her eyes are some other colour, that she hides for some reason. ]
Oh? What colour are they then? Are they as rare as mine, huh? And well then, soon as you're feeling better, we'll see about getting some Dippin' Dots style ice cream balls yea? Sound like a deal?"
[ He was surprisingly gentle and compassionate when trying to keep her from choking down on the petals, vines and blood she'd been coughing up. ]
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Death isn't a painless affair, not even for intrusive plants, vines, and flowers.
Did he say... that he thought about her? That they'd see about getting some Dippin' Dots style ice cream as soon as she was feeling better?
He has no idea what he's saying. Couldn't possibly know, not when it came to the ice cream. The reason why that particular ice cream is her favorite, she hadn't told him that, had she? She hadn't realized until he offered that... that she really wants someone to go with her to get some. Wouldn't undo the past, couldn't bring anyone back, but to have someone go with her, maybe... maybe if it was him, she could finally do that. ]
No take-backs.
[ She breathes the words a little shakily, her body suddenly racked with a small coughing fit as beads of sweat begin to roll at a quicker pace down her head despite the cool towel resting atop her forehead.
No petals this time, just a dab of blood at the corner of her mouth as her fever breaks. That, and a bit tighter grip on his fingers. ]
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[ He promises and he intends to keep that promise.
It’s hard, though, watching her suffer. Sure, it’s taking his mind off of his own pain and suffering, but it's horrible watching her fight through it. Smiling when she says ‘no take-backs’ to him, nodding and cupping her cheek in his hand as she nuzzles into it.
He was struggling, feeling his chest bubble with thick, wet clots of blood. Groaning as he noticed she was sweating more, so he dragged himself to the sink again, wringing out the cloth and wetting it again, this time, when he returned to her side, Hoshina slipped onto the bed behind her, laying on his side to spoon her as he draped an arm over her, lazily dabbing the cloth at her head and neck, hoping to sooth her even though he was feeling it again himself. ]
We just… need to break the fever… We’ll be fine come morning… I just know it.