homralings | After the Memory (Eric + Kusanagi)

After the Memory (Eric + Kusanagi)

[ Eric stared into space, barely focusing on the bar's counter as he heard a clock ticking somewhere.

Just two days after Mikoto's passing...or was it three? Eric couldn't tell sonce he hasn't really slept since then. Which was ine of the reasons why he volunteered tonight to watch over Anna and the bar. Fujishima offered to stay as well but after Eric snapped at him for babying him, he managed to be alone. He felt bad for that and would apologize the next time he saw the other but his mind was just in a fog.

He closed his eyes to doze but sprang them back open as flashes of what happened thay day came back. The uneasiness of watching himself do something he had no control over made his skin crawl. As well as the other patches of memories he was sure weren't from his own head. But he kept quiet. He didn't think anyone saw him being taken control of by the Colourless King and with everything that happen, he didn't want to worry anyone for it.

He vaguely heard the clock chime to 4am and sighed. Just a little longer and he would be through. ]

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[Chuckling when Eric seems to stare at the food, Izumo smiles.]

Ya can eat whenever you're hungry. Kamamoto's gone ta pick up some extra drinks for everyone. [It makes Izumo remember he needs to go grocery shopping at some point.]

How was your sleep?

[ He glances from the food to Kusanagi, not reaching for the former. Eating wasn't the most tempting right now, even if his stomach was telling him food would be nice. ]

...Better.

That's good. Always good ta get some rest once in a while.

[Even if, you know, Izumo didn't get any sleep himself. He's been up all night, but no one needs to know about that.]

Yeah...

[ He shuffles a bit to put his feet on the ground, getting a bit ready to at least have a bite or two. ]

Are the others coming soon?

They're on their way right now.

Anna's up, too. [But the princess hasn't made herself known yet, still upstairs. Izumo will get her later.

He checks the time and goes to pour himself another cup of coffee.] Just eat up. When the others get here, they'll start ta get loud.

Then...Kusanagi-san! Uhm...

[ When Kusanagi wanders off he trails off, tugging on his hair a bit. ]

Edited 2015-10-16 00:26 (UTC)

[He comes back soon enough, having an eyebrow raised.] Did'ya call me?

Yeah.

[ He grabs a bit of Kusanagi's sleeve, the one that doesn't have coffee and grips it a bit. He sees that tiredness, hiding it by someone who goes through the same thing is a bad idea. ]

Stay...for a bit. Please...

[ Even if he can get him to sit just awhile it would help. ]

[If Izumo's surprised by Eric suddenly grabbing his sleeve, he doesn't show it.

The request strikes him as odd, though, but he relents.]

Alright.

[He sits next to Eric, refusing to let his exhaustion show, and instead sips his coffee. It's hot, scalding almost, but he's used to it. The heat of it helps wake him up.]

[ Eric's glad that he agreed, he not only came here so early but made breakfast, chased him and calmed him down enough so that he could sleep. he figured he could return the favour a little.

He shuffles a bit and Kusanagi might be surprised to find a piece of the blanket being draped onto him. If Kusanagi looks over Eric pretends like he didn't do anything, just staring a little away from the other. He can't see it but hes got a small almost mischievous smile on. ]

[He glances over when he feels a piece of the blanket draped on hmm.

He smiles, placing his free hand on top of Eric's head. It's a silent 'thanks' from him.

Izumo leans back against the couch.] Go ahead and eat.

[ He feels the hand on his head and he reaches over to grab the plate and the fork. There was a lot on there, even for his standards, he probably wouldn't finish more than a quarter of it. ]

Itadakimasu.

[ He takes a small bite. ]

It's good.

I would hope so. It'd be bad if I lose my cooking skills.

[Otherwise, who else would cook for all of these kids?]

[ He takes another bite before he pauses, putting the fork down. ]

...Did you talk to Anna?

I have. [Izumo drinks his coffee, letting the sudden silence sit for a moment before he finally decides to put the cup down onto the table.]

She's happy about it. [The conversation had been long, though Anna has agreed to it. Izumo's determined not to let her lose another parental figure in her life, and with everything still fresh in their minds, the company would be good.]

[ His hand tightened on the plate as he began to play with some of the food, moving it around on his plate. ]

Did she...say anything...about it?

[ He was going to ask if she said anything about him, being her brother. What if she didn't want him as well? Or what if Kusanagi only wanted Anna instead? This thing was still so new...Thinking that he would actually have a guardian after all these years was so weird to him, he wasn't sure if this was real ]

[The hand that's on Eric's hand moves to give him a few pats before he withdraws it.

He shifts a bit so that the blanket is on his lap as he looks up at the ceiling.] She's happy ta have an older brother. Her family's growing again and she's happy about that.

[ No Kusanagi you're suppose to keep it on yourself to nap on!

He accepts the pats but hearing that made him worry once again, even though it made him happy. What if he didn't know how to be a brother? What if he messed this up? Maybe he shouldn't have agreed to this, maybe tell Kusanagi it was a bad idea. ]

But...

Anna and I want ya ta be a part o' our family, Eric. Even if ya don't know how yet, 'm sure you'll still be a good brother ta her.

[Izumo can see the doubt on Eric's face, feeling the need to reassure him. While none of them aren't exactly experts on this kind of thing, they can learn in the process.

He needs Eric to be able to see a glimpse of that, at least.]

I know...I just...

[ He tugs a bit at his hair, a lot of mumbled messes coming out. ]

To have a real family again...

[ He doesn't know if he's ready for that again. ]

Instead o' thinking o' us as 'real', just think how ya would normally see us. [Already a family? A group of strange people?

In the end, that's what Homra really is — family.]

Just take your time with this. Ya still have time ta adjust — don't think too hard about it.

[ A family of strange people ]

Before...I never thought I would find anyone to help me. [ He chuckles a bit, albeit sadly ] Who would save someone a dog? I remember thinking... it was okay to die like this. It was fine.

[ He puts the plate back on the table, the little appetite he had had was gone for now. ]

Then you all began to teach me to be human again. And it hurt, it still does. Life...would be easier if I was a dog again...sometimes I still think that.

[ A little bit more then a year and a half of happiness against 7 years of orders and punishment. It was hard to topple them. ]

To have someone...have you say you want to help...being a...guardian for me. It's a lot, to take in, and I don't think I'll ever be ready to adjust. But, I'm happy at the same time, that I can be a part of it. Besides just Homra, just a little bit more...means a lot.

[Izumo's gone quiet as he listens to Eric talk, watching him.

It's the first time Eric's ever opened up like this, so he's not going to interrupt, a slight frown as he hears the word 'dog'.

But when the younger man stops talking, Izumo says nothing for a moment. He gazes at Eric, appearing thoughtful, before he looks away.]

Even if ya think you'll never be ready, 's okay. Ta us, you're not a dog - you're part o'us now. The hardships ya had ta endure before, it'll never go away, but with us - hopefully the good memories will replace the bad over time.

Ya don't have ta think o'us any differently; we're still gonna be there for ya. For us, you're someone special, too.

[ It's like the memories the Colourless King gave to him, the good will eventually outweigh the bad. But there was just so much bad...how could he replace them all? ]

You're still Homra. You will always be Homra. And Homra...is home. And I know I'm a part of it, and to be a part of it even more, would make me happy. Even though it's hard to think I'm worthy of it, even still...

[ He grows silent. It was hard to try and express what he wanted to. But he wanted to get the message to Kusanagi. ]

I want to be part of it, to try...and be Anna's...I want to try.

[Izumo smiles, a chuckle escaping from him as he pats Eric's shoulder fondly.]

Sometimes, trying is just enough. [He would know. It took him a bit to get used to being surrounded by so many people, too. In the beginning, it's always just been him, Mikoto, and Totsuka.

So now, it's his job to keep this small family together.] 'm sure Anna would be happy ta hear that, too.

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