savetheearth | ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏ. ( post-snake fight! )

You don't have to. Just. Don't do anything crazy again.

I... will try not to.

A-and I'm coming home now.

You'll tell me what you were distracted by, right?

[ he hasn't forgotten. ]

As soon as I get there. I promise.

I'll wait for you.

Thank you.

[ Sure enough, he's there not too long afterwards, looking completely and utterly exhausted. The "scandals" have been keeping the police department busy, along with the fallout from the Wise Snake attack, that was for sure. Overtime and no pay; Keith had only just managed to sneak out. ]

Ah, I'm home...

[ ivan has busied himself with keeping john company while he waits for keith to come home. once the door opens and he hears that familiar voice (it saddens him a bit to realize that the exhaustion is familiar by now, too), he gives john one last pat on the head before standing up from his place on the floor.

he walks over to come greet keith. ]

Welcome home. [ ... ] Did you want to eat anything first—?

Oh, no, you needn't worry. I'll be fine.

[ Keith tries to put on a brave smile, but to be quite honest, it doesn't reach his eyes. As much as he tries to pretend that everything is alright, it's proving more and more difficult to do in front of Ivan. He can see right through every wall that he tries to put up. Not that it will stop him from trying to do so this time. ]

[ that smile looks off. it's the first thing ivan can think of once he sees it on keith's face, thinking it's wrong, it doesn't quite fit. he's so used to so many of keith's smiles that he can tell when one isn't as bright. he wants to know why this is the case. didn't keith tell him, promised him that he'll tell him what was bothering him?

maybe he should use the direct approach. ]

... Then, what's wrong?

When you and I discussed superheroes, I never thought that such a thing would happen to the two of us. Even if others here exhibited such powers, I thought nothing of it. I am but a normal person, after all.

[ There's a hesitant pause, then, and he adds: ] Or, I was.

[ His expression turns pained as he considers how to tell Ivan this, but there's really no delicate way to say it. ]

During the battle, I gained some powers too. I can't control them, either - it's...

[ More of a curse than a blessing, at this point.

Keith fears for his life now more than ever before. ]

[ at first, ivan is silent, unsure of how to proceed. he never would have thought that even keith would be dealing with something like this—after all, they both agreed on their first network day, didn't they? it's not possible, to become superheroes just because they lived here.

... or at least, to gain weird abilities they have no idea what to do with. but look at them now.

ivan wants to comfort him somehow. he can tell keith (fear is an old friend, he can spot the signs from miles away) is scared but he has to understand what's going on first. ]

What kind of powers—?

I can manipulate and conjure wind. At least, the first part is debatable right now. I haven't had much luck yet.

[ As much as Keith is trying to make a joke out of it, all of a sudden he feels right on the edge of hysterics. It's been hard to hide from people in the office, spending every waking minute paranoid that he's accidentally going to activate them, that he's going to be outed and something terrible will happen to him as a result.

He doesn't even realise that he's trembling until he tries to smooth out his tie. He'd been wringing it in his hands earlier, and it was almost tempting to start doing so again. ]

[ ivan doesn't even give himself time to digest that, moving forward right away to get closer to keith and take his hands away from him. he holds them in his as a small effort to still them, calm him down even thoug he can't tell how much help that would be. keith is nervous, and understandably so. if this somehow gets out and the police discovers it—

top that off with the current scandals that arose after the wise snake, and it's no wonder why keith is on edge. ]

How uncontrollable is it? Does it happen without warning at all? [ ... ] We'll figure out a way to make it manageable somehow.

[ he's no good at this. it had always been the other way around. ]

Yes, it has been happening without warning. Usually during times when I am highly distressed... Mr. Kaburagi has already witnessed me using my powers, although I am fairly sure that I can trust him.

[ Still, it didn't make Keith feel any better to think of it like that. However, when he feels Ivan's hands close around his, the shaking seems to stop for the time being. How long that will last for, if he'll work himself up into a frenzy... well. Who knows. ]

It causes quite a mess. I suppose I shall need to practice, but first I must learn how to voluntarily conjure it up.

... So stop stressing about it.

[ if keith in distress is one of the ways to bring out it, it only makes sense that cooling his head will lessen the chances, right? ivan seems to twitch at the mention of kotetsu's name; their last encounter at the mall went strangely, but if keith trusts him, maybe he can too.

(he doesn't know why his heart tells him to be wary, but he'll listen to that later.) ]

Will thinking about the wind work or something?

I haven't tried something along those lines yet, so I do not know. Perhaps I could practice... But I would not know where to practice. If I draw any attention to myself, it's all over.

[ Did you just say stop stressing, Ivan? Apparently Keith took that as an invitation to stress more. Oops. ]

[ gdit keith. what is he going to do with you? ]

Then practice here. I'll clean up the mess afterwards.

I would not ask that of you. You have enough of your own concerns, without tidying up after me.

... I'd rather add more to my plate than let you deal with this alone.

[ isn't that why ivan agreed to move in with keith? so they could help each other, like they have been since the first day they met. ]

I... I will be alright. You needn't worry. It was simply a shock, that is all.

[ Evading the issue right here. ]

[ his shoulders sink a little lower, defeated. ivan completely takes this the wrong way. ]

So you don't trust me?

[ Immediately, Keith is alarmed by the very thought of it, and he can't help but cry out in protest. ]

N-no, Ivan, that is not what I mean! I trust you implicitly; I would not have told you otherwise. So please... Please do not think that...

[ To his horror, tears start to well up in his eyes. ]

[ ivan is caught by surprise. ]

... Keith?

[ he's never seen him cry, he's not sure he ever wants to, but how can he stop this now? ]

[ To his horror, now that the tears have started, he doesn't know how to bring himself under control. No matter how many times Keith wipes at his face in a frazzled attempt to somehow make them stop, nothing works. He doesn't remember the last time that he cried, or if he's had reason to at all lately.

Ivan has definitely never seen this before. Because he's always tried to be the strong one, for him. Why is he faltering now? Even now he can only see it as a weakness in himself. ]

[ shit. he fucked up.

ivan spends a long time trying to figure out what to do here and then he just, lets his body act on reflex. he pulls keith in for an embrace, and he hopes, he really wants it to be enough. that it'll stop the other man from crying more than he already is.

what could he even say here? to make things right? ]

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