tampered | Log; ongoing

Log; ongoing

When; Right after this thread.
Rating; PG-13 for language, at the most.
Characters; Sakuya Kira

noswordjokesplz and Setsuna Mudou

sin_sacrum
Summary; Setsuna thought he would never see Kira again, and now they're going to reunite, as far as he knows, for the first time in months.
Log;
Annoyed at his Senpai? What?

Before he was even eagerly out the door and headed for the living room of the firehouse, Setsuna had already forgotten any trace of minor, and mostly playful, irritation Kira had brought on. All of it melted away at the thought he would get to see Kira again, even if he wasn't exactly alive.... Right, he had to get an explanation of that, too.

When Setsuna finally figured out where the living room was in relation to where he had been, the blond stopped short and stared at Kira for a while. The whole thing still reeked of surreal dreams, so much Setsuna clenched his hand into a fist, digging his short nails into skin, long enough to leave red impressions, hard enough to almost cut through. Only when Setsuna was sure the pain was real did he say, "Senpai," and rush forward to throw both arms around Kira.

"It feels like forever. Too long," Setsuna muttered. "Way too long."

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Kira had left his room and computer behind to head for the living room after the last comment. He was glad Alexiel had found Setsuna and brought him to the firehouse, it sure made things a lot less complicated. When he reached his destination, Setsuna wasn't there yet, but he had expected as much. While waiting, he reflected on the fact that Setsuna didn't remember his being here, and also remembered that people could come to the City from different points in time. It certainly left some questions open.

It didn't take Setsuna long. He was just suddenly there, in the doorway, and it wasn't quite that yet, but then the emotions his whole body displayed - because Setsuna always did things wholly, extremely, no questions asked, no grey areas left - that would surely have made Kira's heart have skipped a beat, were it still in possession of such a thing. As it was, there was still a strange feeling creeping up within him, and that alone was saying quite a lot.

He didn't quite expect the embrace, wild and unbridled as it came at him, but his only reaction was to make a step back; then, he wrapped one arm around Setsuna, reaching up to his hair and stroking it idly.

"Setsuna."

If this specific Setsuna had ever been in the City before, he certainly didn't remember a single thing. Thankfully, no one had mentioned it yet, so he was spared heaping amounts of confusion added onto his already conflicting and wild emotions.

Before this -- before feeling Kira, squeezing him tightly, breathing in his scent -- Setsuna could only think of getting out of the city and back to Sara, but now he was left in turmoil. Oh, it was easy to decide when Life said, "No Kira, no Katou, but Sara?" but that didn't mean it was painless. Now there was the offer in the opposite direction, and the blond couldn't accept it.

But to turn away from it? Give up Kira? It was easy to turn away when Kira was gone and Lucifer. But now?

Hearing his name -- Kira's voice -- Setsuna closed his eyes and cursed life, and especially the City, to himself. Not for long, though. He composed himself and finally pulled away, though he wanted to keep close to Kira, so he never stepped far.

"So...how long you been here? And what have you and Katou been up to?" the kid finally asked, giving Kira only a pure, beaming smile.

When Setsuna pulled away, Kira let his arm sink down again. He looked down on the kid calmly, listening to what he had to say. When Setsuna asked about him and Katou, specifically, Kira did have to keep himself from frowning, which thankfully didn't take very much effort.
And that smile just had to chase away any grumpyness, anyway. It was enough to make Kira's own features soften and a small, but warm smile appear on the normally aloof, if not even cold face.

Kira proceeded to sit down on the nearest sofa, from where he looked up at Setsuna, a silent suggestion to join him. They would probably have to talk a while.

"I've been here for about nine months, now. Haven't been up to very much, but since the deities decided to introduce money to this place, I've opened up a piercing studio." He leaned back, draping his arms over the sofa's back. "Oh, Katou? He's just been living about as usual." He wasn't going to mention the whole vampire deal, much less certain other incidents.

With Kira's overall lack of expression, despite knowing him well, Setsuna didn't catch anything amiss. Heck, he failed to catch Kira only started to slightly, barely, smile once Setsuna had smiled at him. But once he did notice the little softening, the kid knew he was one step closer to something like home. If only he had Sara there with them....

Setsuna took Kira's lead and gratefully plopped down next to him -- he hadn't even waited for the tacit invitation, but felt more at ease when he saw it.

At first, Setsuna just listened, but his smile faltered and his eyes widened at the mention of money. "Crap. Money? So I'm gonna have to think of something to make sure I get food around here, then?" Or consider that extra incentive to find some way out. The words, "piercing studio" elicited a quick whimpering like noise from Setsuna's throat, and he was suddenly glad he had no money. Kira wouldn't try doing it for free. Would he? Well, Setsuna didn't need any more holes anyway.

"Usual?" Setsuna asked upon hearing about Katou, with a slight frown for a moment. "Guess I'll have to track him down to find out more." The usual for Katou wasn't necessarily a good thing.

The kid leaned back in the sofa, mulling things over in his mind, now.

"Well, you're a minor, so you're off the hook for now, I think. They provide enough money for food and shelter for kids." He raised his eyebrow at Setsuna's whimpering. "Surprised I made a business out of it?"

Kira smirked when Setsuna talked about Katou. "Sure, go visit him. He lives in this building, too. Tell me what face he made in case I shouldn't be there to witness it."

And after that, Kira reached into his jacket's pocket to fish for his cigarettes and lighter, drawing one cigarette out of the pack and placing it between his lips.

He wouldn't be a minor forever, but Setsuna was certain he could get out of the place before he turned seventeen, let alone eighteen. Despite that, he still muttered out, "I ain't a kid." He had been through too much to feel like one, no matter his age, or how immature he was at times.

When Kira asked about the business, Setsuna gave him a nervous smile and said, "I guess I shouldn't be. I bet you talk your customers into all kinds of outrageous things."

He took note of Kira's words about Katou and now he thought something was weird. "What's that supposed to mean? And what room exactly is he in? How can all of us fit in here, anyway? There can't be that many rooms here, can there?" That would just be too creepy if there somehow were.

The cigarettes immediately got the kid's attention and he unabashedly asked, "Can I have one, Senpai?" He hadn't smoked in a while, and he never had much before, but if Kira was going to, he might as well join him, no?

"I can go see Katou later."

When Setsuna sulkily protested to being called a kid, Kira's smirk only returned and was now much wider than before. "Oh yes, you are, very much so", he said teasingly.

"Oh yes. Way too outrageous for your young ears." He reached out to roughly ruffle his favourite kouhai's hair.

He stopped smirking when the conversation turned back to Katou. "Well, I hardly have to help you two at saying hello, do I?" He finally lit his cigarette, then leaned back to look at the ceiling for a moment, inhaling the smoke deeply. "This place is apparently much more spacious than it looks. Michael, Raphael and his grumpy maid live here too, and I think that's not even all."

Hearing Setsuna ask for a cigarette, Kira turned his face toward him once more. Setsuna wasn't really a smoker, only having it tried a few times before. He had that rare ability to do that without getting addicted, something of which Kira had to admit that it wasn't the case for him.

He shrugged and fished another cigarette out of the pack, handing it to Setsuna.

"Hm."

"Am not," Setsuna half-heartedly argued, smiling again though at the sight of Kira's smirk. Kira's hand in his hair for a moment just made the blond give an even goofier, comfortable smile as he leaned against Kira to ask, "So what, you're piercing private parts now?" How else was he supposed to take that?

This time, Setsuna didn't notice when Kira's lips straightened as the kid's eyes were elsewhere. He listened and answered Kira with, "I guess not. It would just be kinda fun." Then his head jolted up at the mention of the other two angels. "Raphael and Michael are here too?" What was this place? Angel Central? "Who else lives here that you know?"

Setsuna took the cigarette, stared at it for a moment, then sheepishly put out his other hand and asked, "Lighter?"

"It's part of the job", Kira said in a rather dead-pan fashion. Of course, there was not at tall an underlying hint about his superiority by means of being mature enough to not laugh at such things, never that.

He took the cigarette from his mouth in order to blow the smoke out, only to place it back immediately, taking another long, deep draw. "Hn. Whom I know? Well, there's Lucifer. And apart from those of our world, there's Raphael's grumpy maid whom I already mentioned - his name is Kanda - and that Elaine girl."

Casually, he took his lighter out of his pocket once more and placed it in Setsuna's hand. "I do hope you can light it yourself."

"You're actually doing that...." Setsuna wasn't compelled to laugh, finding that more bizarre than anything. He hadn't seriously thought Kira was doing that, but well, so much for what he knew.

"Lucifer is staying here?" Setsuna squeaked out, suddenly wondering if Lucifer was different, or the same as he recalled him. This was so confusing with Kira and Lucifer, and himself and Alexiel in the same place. He figured he would get used to it, though. "Yeah, met Elaine through my journal entry. Seems nice enough."

When Kira handed him the lighter, Setsuna took it, irritation showing in a glare and the gruff manner in which he grabbed it. He sat up straight, and tried to show Kira he would have no problem no whatsoever, only to flip open the top, press down to strike the flint and find out it wasn't so easy after all. The flame barely ignited, and only displayed itself for a short while.

Cheeks a bit pink, Setsuna stubbornly muttered to Kira, "I can, just fine." So he tried again, with results just as futile. Then he tried again....

"Mhm. Though actually, no one's wanted one, yet." His expression took on a sly edge. "You want one?"

He dropped the whole subject of who was there and who not. The whole thing about Lucifer still wasn't something he particularly enjoyed talking about, even though he had long gotten over his little identity crisis. It was merely rather annoying.

Then, seeing Setsuna fumble clumsily with the lighter, he finally couldn't help laughing out loud at the sight - and subsequently wondering how long it had been since he'd laughed wholeheartedly. The impact the kid had on him certainly was almost scary.

With a smile still on his face, he reached towards Setsuna's hands with one of his. "Look, you do it like that..."

Quickly and firmly, Setsuna turned from the lighter to glare at Kira and responded to Kira's question with a forceful, "No." He might let Kira pierce his ears, but any other body part was out of the question. More than that; "And you can only pierce me if you pay me."

Setsuna noticed the lack of discussion, and let it drop as well. He could, after all, understand, as he had to deal with accepting himself and Alexiel; although he had long ago adapted to the concept it was still strange.

The laughing gained another narrow-eyed stare from Setsuna, but when Kira ignited the thing for him, Setsuna took that chance to light the cigarette and gave out a happy, "Thanks, Senpai," as he handed the lighter back. Content, he inhaled, only to have the smoke irritate his lungs and produce a few coughs. That alone said how long it had been since Setsuna had last smoked.

Taking a more shallow breath the second time around, Setsuna didn't look at Kira for the moment.

"Oh, as if I were that desperate. Don't delude yourself." He might just be inclined to give the boy new earrings, should it ever become necessary; although the protection spell on his current ones should hold up for a good while.

He gave another short laugh at Setsuna coughing. "Did you forget how to smoke, now?"

It didn't escape Kira's notice that Setsuna wasn't looking at him, but he didn't think anything of it. Staring at each other the whole time would be awkward, not the other way around. In turn, he set his eyes on the ceiling for a moment, idly looking for any possible cracks.

"I'm making sure I don't get any extra holes," Setsuna playfully snapped, leaning back in the couch comfortably, one elbow perched on the arm rest.

Kira's question brought on a soft admission of, "I haven't smoked since before you and Katou died." He would have preferred something more upbeat, but the truth escaped him before Setsuna could think things over. "And I never smoked much before then, anyway." He hadn't been drinking, either. Or gone to parties or clubs.

Eventually, Setsuna's eyes went to the ceiling as well, and he ended up asking, "What are we looking for?" while exhaling a puff of smoke, successfully this time.

Kira didn't think the piercing subject need be further discusses, so he didn't comment on that any further either.

"That's true. You've always been such a goody-two-shoes." Again, Kira teases, this time in part to avert Setsuna's thoughts from the subject of his and Katou's deaths. Wouldn't do to invite potential emo.

It took Kira a few moments to figure out what Setsuna meant by his last question, in which he took another deep drag of his cigarette. "I don't know. Maybe some unlikely wise realization will hit us while we're at it."

With the piercing subject left behind, Setsuna finally turned back to Kira to half-jokingly argue, "Have not," and stick his tongue out. "I'm still skipping classes without you, so there."

Setsuna completely doubted Kira's words, but as he had nothing else to amuse himself with at the moment, he laid back once more and stared at the ceiling, puffing small clouds. He let this go in silence for a moment, then, plainly, told Kira, "You're full of shit." Then a smile sprouted. "But I already knew that."

Not done with the cigarette yet already tired of it, Setsuna stopped inhaling the thing and asked Kira, "You gonna tell me how to get around this City, or do I have to figure that out for myself? And where is Katou's room in this place?"

Kira raised an eyebrow, all the while blowing circles of smoke out of his rounded lips. "Are you even still going to school? Because if not, it doesn't count."

Full of shit, he said? "Stooping to insult? That's a sign of running out of arguments, you know." And he countered the smile with yet another smirk of his own.

"His room is right next to mine. I can show you, if you want. As for getting around, you usually just have to think of where you want to go. City's weird like that."

He was, just not the same one he used to go to with Kira, so easily Setsuna responded, "Sara would probably skin me alive if I dropped out, so yeah, I am," and smirked. Won that one (in his own mind).

But naturally, he completely lost the next point and stuck his tongue out at Kira again. "So? I wasn't aware we were arguing. Maybe you're just too competitive." Really, it was Setsuna that was the competitive one, and he knew it.

"Yeah, show me," Setsuna urged, getting off the couch and reaching to jerk Kira up by one hand. That is...until Kira said the City would just take you wherever you wanted to go. The kid stopped on that and stared blankly as he asked, "What the fuck kind of place is this? And I still don't know what places there ARE to think of them."

And just in his own mind, really. Kira took great care to not let himself be beaten at any exchange of words. "Well, Sara's always been smarter than you."

Kira playfully flicked a finger lightly against Setsuna's head. "I'm not the one getting immature here." Granted, now he was the one doing the insulting, but he was not about to openly admit to it. It was all said in a teasing manner, anyway. Setsuna would know he didn't mean it that way, but probably bite and counter in an equal way, anyhow.

He was a bit taken by surprise when Setsuna yanked at him, quite strongly at that. He wasn't accustomed to this kind of casual contact anymore, it seemed. It wasn't so bad.
So he half let himself be jerked into a standing position, and half stood up by himself. "One that might very nearly top Heaven and Hell in points of utter weirdness. Guess I might as well give you a tour, while we're at it."

Then he started walking to lead the way upstairs.

"With books, maybe. But that doesn't make her really smarter than me," Setsuna hissed back, unable to come up with anything more clever than that. Which was fine, he was accustomed to losing to Kira in these pretend verbal spars anyway.

The "offended" place on his forehead got rubbed while Setsuna glared at Kira. "Of course you're not getting immature. You already were immature," he retorted, grumpily more because of the flick and his losing streak than anything else.

As for the energy and closeness, Setsuna couldn't help himself. He always had been openly affectionate, regardless of social standards, gender, and everything else that came with the territory. And time or none, Kira was his Senpai, and Setsuna was easily affectionate with him, forever and always.

He was also relieved at getting assurance of some form of a tour and quickly followed Kira to his room/Katou's room. "Who else is next to you guys?" the kid asked, following behind Kira on the stairs.

"She's got more common sense, too. It's good that you have her, really, else I might have to worry." But his expression did plenty to betray the fact that he was far from serious. Which was followed up by another jibe: "Only when I'm stooping to your level."

He began going upstairs, his leather soles making sharp sounds on the ground. "Well, there's no one living directly next to us..."

After which he explained a bit more about who lived who in the firehouse, to his knowledge, and showed Setsuna to his room.

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Log; ongoing

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