[For all that Junpei has been through the wringer when it comes to life or death situations, as it were, he hasn't done much literal running for his life. And he still needs to breathe, so give him a moment as they sprint away from the snake before he can speak again, focused solely on moving his legs and clinging to Charles' hand lest he, who knows, trip and somehow roll all the way back to the snake or something—!!
So yeah, give him a moment to catch his breath; he shakes his head, and yet he still says:]
Yeah, I'm good. I'm okay. I should get more rocks, or... something.
[Just in case? Maybe? He's looking around for rocks for lack of anything else to do; doing nothing would make him feel more antsy and freaked out, so. Rocks.
And,] What if it follows us the whole way? That thing could eat Gab like an appetizer.
[ meanwhile, in direct contrast, charles not only has no need to breathe, but also "running for his afterlife" is a regular, run-of-the-mill, every third day of the week type of an activity for him — but he slows their pace to let junpei catch his breath, while very genuinely wondering if it'd just be quicker for him to carry him. ]
Not a bad idea. That was a right proper throw. [ his earnest little compliment aside, ] I know. [ he grips his bat tighter as he says, ] Pretty sure that's a smaller version of a snake that was fed little girls on the regular. The only upside to this whole thing is that the witch isn't here —
[ that's all that charles manages to say, before a rattling sound cuts him off; the snake's taken a different route, not following them directly but rather rounding the block the other way around, and charles has just the time to let go of junpei's hand and say one single fuck before the snake's tail smashes right into him and sends him flying straight into the nearest building, the sound of breaking glass mingling with the snake's hissing as he forgets to phase through the building and breaks the window instead.
it's okay, he's fine, it looks far more dramatic than it is — the snake's fangs would have done some real damage, but this is just damage to the property and not him. ]
[So, here's the thing: knowing more facts about this snake is not making Junpei feel any better about their current situation. He makes a face, looking stricken and shocked and probably some other emotions all at once, and he manages to get out a—]
Oh yeah, the upside, jesus—
[And then lots of things happen at once, and before he can even stop to comprehend most of it he's been practically blown out of the way by the suddenness of the snake's tail swing, stumbling and falling back on his ass, because of course he does. One moment Charles was there and the next he's gone and the side of an actual building is smashed in, holy shit—
And is this the part where he's supposed to run on his own? Possibly! Could very well be! But saying it and actually doing it are two separate things, so Junpei has already grabbed the nearest thing he can reach - a piece of metal, looks like it was part of the window frame - and thrown it as hard as he could at the lamppost on the corner, where it clangs and clatters loud enough to get the snake to turn its head and move a few meters in that direction. Junpei takes that moment to dash to the broken window and just—haul himself right inside, hi, he's here, sorry—]
Charles? [He's sort of half-whispering, hey-] We gotta- fucking- loop around or something—
[Does this building have a back door, great question!]
[ charles has the time to grimace back, almost apologetic, looking two seconds away from saying sorry and regretting that he said anything about the snake in the first place — but then, well, he's too busy crashing into an unsuspecting house, so there goes that.
it takes him a moment to phase through the rubble, covered in dust but otherwise unharmed; when he does, it's to gape at junpei just dragging himself through the window to get inside the goddamn building, what the hell, ]
You, [ he says, looking like he can't decide whether to be worried or incredulous or fond and ending up doing some kind of amalgamation of all three. but, well, they're both here now, so... so. recalibrating the plan. ]
Right. Yeah, looping around. Think there's a door?
[ a functional door, at that... no, you know what. he's tired of this fucking snake, actually. ]
I'm gonna try one more thing. Wait here. [ that's literally all the warning he gives before he's just floating up and through the ceiling, onto the roof; ghost physics, those, very handy sometimes. once on the roof, he just yells out, ]
Hey! Looking for me? [ and the moment the snake turns, well, he's throwing his bat like it's a boomerang; it spins through the air in an arc until it crashes right at the snake, knocking it into another building (whoops, sorry aldrip infrastructure). the bat continues its spinning right back into charles' outstretched hand, and the second it's there, he's sinking back down through the roof and into the building. ]
Let's go, [ he says, and unless junpei has found a door in the meantime, he's going to help him out of the window so they can resume operation: escape from the snake and save the dog. ]
[Hi, hello, he's here indeed— And there goes Charles, leaving Junpei to boggle at the ceiling for a moment before he hears the noises outside, swears, and resumes picking through this half-destroyed room for a viable second exit.
...Well, there's another window in the back, which he's shoved open and half-climbed onto the sill, waiting for Charles to come back down. It's no door, obviously, but he's still set on leaving this building from a different direction than they entered it, for the sake of not running right back into the snake's definitely waiting jaws—
So, hey. He holds out his hand, ready to grab Charles and go as soon as he gets over here.]
Come on, we've probably got a minute if we're lucky. How do you even kill a big snake?
[Rhetorical, they're getting out of here, never mind—]
[ sorry, he wasn't about to leave the snake out there ready to come after them if he could help it — and his bat didn't even break in the process, so he's counting this as a win. a small win, but a win nonetheless.
so he jogs over to junpei the second his feet touch the floor again, reaching for his hand. ]
With a sword, [ comes his answer, entirely serious. and there's a plan forming already — one that'll have to wait, though, because junpei's safety goes before anything and everything else. ]
Right, ready to run some more? [ he doesn't think they're too far, now — hopefully the snake will be delayed enough that they can actually make it back home. ]
[Don't answer the question, let's go!! As soon as he has Charles' hand, Junpei is all but tipping them out of the window, ready to dash in whatever direction Charles points them in. They're behind the building, sure, but Junpei didn't see where the snake went and he's not taking the lead on that himself.]
Sure, yeah, let's go. Tell me about swords later.
[Actually do? He'll see how he's feeling when they get the dog and find somewhere safe to hunker down, he might be in the mood to hear about cool swords.
There's a noise like a lot of stone being knocked to the ground somewhere in the near distance, though, which means it is time to go. Junpei makes a face, dire.]
[ look, he can answer the question and move at the same time! multitasking, it's a skill. one borne out of having entire arguments while running for your afterlife on the weekly, no doubt.
and oh, charles has no intention to tell him of swords later at all, actually, remembering junpei's reaction to hearing about what had almost happened to becky aspen — in fact, there's very little that's not going to make him worry about the whole of port townsend, so it's probably best to forget about that. he's very carefully told him of the easier cases, so far, the ones that aren't little girls getting eaten by a giant snake and a man murdering his own family in a loop for thirty years and shitty teenage guys causing one girl to kill herself and another to become a murderer — and, yeah, he's going to keep it that way. he knows junpei would get it, and that's exactly why; he's had enough of the shitty sides of being a detective, hasn't he?
none of this has been a very conscious decision, and it certainly isn't something charles spends more than a few seconds thinking of, not with the noise coming from the distance-and-yet-still-too-close, and, ]
Bollocks, [ he says, with feeling. ] Right. New plan. D'you think there'd be a mirror in any of the houses nearby?
No, no, it's definitely for the best to get out of here, grab Gab, find somewhere snake-free to be and then forget about all of this entirely. They can reminisce about the cool rock-hitting moment later and nothing else; that's for the best. Junpei makes a face like he can't quite comprehend the question, then-]
Every house has a mirror in it, don't they?
[Why wouldn't they— And he hates the way being inside the mirror feels, but he'd probably hate being bitten in half by a giant snake more, so alright, he can get behind where this plan is going.]
I mean, I'll climb over a bathroom sink if I really have to, so— pick a house. [On cue, somewhere behind them, there's another crashing sound.] I love breaking and entering, let's go.
Except the one just now, [ he says, and corrects with a wince, ] Or, well, it did before I broke it.
[ by smashing in half of the wall, anyway — good, so plan mirror is a go, then. he tugs junpei with him to try the closest house; the door is locked, though, and he grabs his bat and just, hm, smashes the door in. it makes a crash, which causes noise behind them, which is decidedly not great; but if this works, then it'll be fine. they'll be fine. ]
Oh, thank fuck, [ he breathes out as there's a perfectly acceptable mirror mounted above a vanity desk in one of the rooms; better than having to climb over the sink, that. he places his hand on the mirror, searching for the quickest way; and when he finds it, he just turns to junpei. ] Right, ready?
[ for the mirror, yes, but also for charles to crouch down, slide his free hand around his back and, letting go of junpei's hand for this, then hooking his other hand behind his legs and just scooping him up in a princess carry like he weighs exactly nothing. ]
[Maybe they should start toting a full length mirror around with them at all times, that will help. Junpei has no quips for that, not really, and so he falls silent as Charles leads them to the next house - and, uh, smashes the way inside, at which point he finds his voice long enough again to mumble,]
Should we leave these people a note, or something...?
[Someone lives here, right? Even if they're a local who hates them now or someone who's already been turned into a coffin or whatever, it's— well!
Maybe it's not so important. There's a mirror, and Junpei can only remember the last time he went through the mirrors, frowning at it even as the sound from outside continues to get closer and closer. That's where he is mentally when Charles scoops him up like it's nothing, and, huh.
Give him a minute. He's not thinking about the noise outside anymore, blinking rapidly a few times like he has to aggressively force himself to focus. Faced with this heroic rescue in the midst of terrifying danger, after watching Charles do action movie stuff all over several city blocks, unfortunately(?) the first thing that comes out of his mouth is,]
Sorry, this is the hottest thing that's ever happened to me. [he's focused. he is.] Uh—I'm ready, I— yeah.
[ he does hear the suggestion, and actually takes it into account — only, junpei's safety is the most important thing right now, and everything else comes second, property damage included.
and he's not really thinking about re-enacting an action movie, here, he's thinking that carrying junpei will be faster, which means it will take them less time inside the mirror, which means less of a headache for him; so when junpei's comment is, hm, that, it throws him for a second or so, just because he really wasn't doing this to woo him —
but then he grins, and despite the fact that the noise is now pretty much at the front door, he leans in to give junpei a kiss best described as searing — and, pulling back after hearing a distinct slithering sound coming from the next room over, ] Now we're ready.
[ and then he's jumping up onto the desk in one swift move (thank you, optional gravity) and ducking his head to step into the mirror just as the snake crashes into the room.
which is why he says, ] Don't worry, I'll leave them an anonymous donation, for the repairs. [ of course he will; the locals may hate them but they did just pretty much destroy that house, so. he's going to fix it.
luckily, this time the trip through the mirror takes only a handful of seconds, and then they're bursting through the mirror in their house. ]
[Well, he was ready, but when Charles kisses him like that it knocks the wind out of him more than any of the running from the big snake did. This is action-movie-ready, for sure; he presses into it automatically, wrapping an arm around Charles' shoulders just in time for the desk jump. Is he still ready, actually—]
I dunno, a note's a... gesture.
[A note and also the donation, but never mind it yet. The kiss-dizzy gets momentarily compounded by the mirror-dizzy, until they're out of the chaos and danger and into the comparatively deafening quiet of their house. The darkness makes it feel even more stifling, and Junpei looks over Charles' shoulder to the mirror, just in case - can a snake get through there? Probably not, right, but if it's a snake from Charles' very own ghost adventures, then...?
The noise that interrupts and makes him startle isn't the snake smashing through the glass, though, but the little pads of Gab's steps as he trots over to circle their feet in the dark.]
—Oh, fuck. Shit. Okay. Uh, what do we need to-? We've gotta get Gab, and put Gab in a bag or something, I don't know? Do we even have a duffel bag?
[Gab makes some appreciative yapping noises upon hearing his name. Put him in a backpack!!]
[ did he manage to emulate an action movie scene sufficiently? he may have been missing a snazzy line to say, really, but maybe he'll be forgiven that oversight — regardless, it's a nice, short moment there in the middle of a situation that sucks quite badly, actually, and he has to focus once they're inside the mirror, and even when they're outside of it, too.
he lowers junpei down to his own feet only when he's entirely sure the only other living being in the house is gab — the silence inside the house is oppressive, almost, the darkness now a real danger instead of a mere inconvenience, and the reality that they have to get out of here and fast is what spurs charles into action.
in one swift move, he pulls the bat out of his bag, and holds it out for junpei to take. ] Here, use this. I can come back for other stuff later. [ it's just big enough; luckily, gab isn't a big dog, and charles can make multiple trips to get junpei a change of clothes, gab some of his food, and whatever else they might need. ]
The inn, [ he says then, as he crouches down to pick gab up gently so he can be placed in the backpack. ] Should be our best bet. There's a big mirror in the hall, I put one there just in case. [ thank you richard for asking for his help in redecorating, ] If it's not safe, well, reckon there'll be others, so strength in numbers and whatnot.
[Junpei takes the bag without looking, already looking down to mumble at Gab that they're going on a trip and he's got to be a good boy and hang out in this backpack for a while, okay? It's a good thing, too, because if he actually said, out loud, that there's nothing else to come back and get, well— maybe he'll hold off on admitting he would willingly sit in the inn and stare, in the same clothes, doing nothing, for however long this takes. As long as Gab is fed and he himself doesn't, like, starve or whatever, who cares...
He'll keep that much to himself. He holds the bag open for Gab, who personally, is having a pretty good time, now that he's not alone in the dark.]
More mirrors. [blegh.....] Yeah, okay. That'll work.
[He puts the backpack on backwards, so it's more like a baby carrier with Gab in it, because he's not going to lose his damn dog in the mirror world or somewhere else. Then he stares down the hallway into the dark, thinking - he's still fairly convinced that snake is going to track them down no matter what, so- so yeah, they have to go, they can't hang around here.
He sighs and turns, shuffling up beside Charles to grip the back of his coat and lean his head on his shoulder, just for a moment. Did he mention blegh? Blegh.]
Let's get out of here. If something wrecks the place... Well, let's go.
Sorry, [ he says immediately, frowning apologetically — he knows junpei hates the mirrors, and really, he wouldn't be suggesting it if running to the inn was an option... but it's not. not with the snake and god knows what else out there.
he draws junpei into a tight side-hug as he leans against him, there, before leaning over and pressing a kiss to his temple. ]
Yeah. Just — [ with a glance at the door, too; so far no sounds from the outside, so. he looks at the mirror, its surface still for now. ]
I could go ahead, open the way, then it'll just be stepping in and out, for you. [ but it will mean him having to, well, go ahead, literally, leaving junpei and gab waiting there for the ten or twenty seconds it'll take him to get there.
he adds, with a half-shrug, ] Or I could just carry both of you. [ that's an option, too, gab is no added weight at all. but he wants this to be as easy as possible, and junpei hates mirrors, so if there's anything he can do to make it more comfortable... well. of course he'll do it. ]
[He just watched Charles get snake-slapped through an entire building, and even if Charles is far too unconcerned with himself, Junpei doesn't want to leave him on his own. Just as much as he doesn't want to be left behind in the dark, even for a minute.
And carrying him was, ahem, quite delightful the first time, but now that they've stopped for a few minutes and the reality of the situation has had time to settle heavy in his stomach, ugh... It's probably the best plan? It is not, however, super hot this time.
(Well, it's normal hot. Anyway.)]
Whatever works, man. You're faster than me, so...
[He extracts himself from this side hug and takes a step back to... stand there. He's ready. Specifically for uppies.]
[ right, so that's out of the question, then — which is fine, really, because charles isn't too keen on leaving junpei by himself here, either. and he's not exactly concerned about anything he's doing being, hm, hot in any way at all; he's all about being pragmatic right now, has been through all too many supernatural chase situations to think of anything else except the best plan to get them through it relatively unharmed.
so he ducks his head, to drop a kiss on gab's little head, then lifts it enough to kiss junpei, too, just because he can, and because it's a nice distraction from what the mirror is going to be like — and then he's just sliding his arms in place and scooping him up just as easily as before. ]
Sorry, buddy, [ he says to gab, ] You're gonna hate this, but I'll be quick. [ which he is; it's clear that it's not the first time he's walked the distance between their mirror and the one at the inn, and it takes perhaps half a minute total for them to be in and out — and as soon as he steps out of the mirror, it's clear something's different: the inn is still brightly lit as usual, and charles can't help but heave a relieved sigh. ]
Fucking hell, [ he says, and sets junpei back down gently. ] Think this'll be fine. They've got the lights on, that's got to mean something.
[Up again and back through the mirror, ugh... At least Junpei has Gab to distract himself with, hugging the dog-in-backpack close to his chest during the brief jaunt through the mirror. Gab has no idea what's going on although not in his usual pleasant old man way, and so whines the entire way through the mirror and is still whining when Charles puts them back down. Junpei crouches immediately to get Gab out of the backpack - and maybe because two mirror trips in a row make him feel extra awful.
He keeps Gab cradled in one arm as he straightens up again, holding the backpack out to Charles and looking at the inn. The lights are on?
Somehow, it kind of makes him angry. The fucking inn has the lights on and nobody said anything? They ran from a big evil snake and the inn was fine the whole time?]
The fuck... [aaaaAAAAAA—] Okay, whatever. Let's go, maybe my old room is empty.
[Angrily, let's go. It's stupid and illogical to be mad about the inn, he knows this, but it's the easiest target for all of his frustrations right now, so: fuck this building in particular, but fine.]
[ he grabs the backpack and swings it over one shoulder, reaching out to junpei, to take his hand — unnecessary, perhaps, given that the inn seems to be a safe place... but you never know, and he feels better like this, like gripping his hand tightly reassures him that he's still there, and safe, and relatively okay.
relatively, because there's a tightness around his eyes and an undercurrent of anger in his words, but that's fine — he's used to junpei's anger sparking at a variety of different things, some of them more easily explained than others.
so he just nods and says, ] Yeah, [ and then pulls junpei along, hoping that his room is indeed free, that'd be a very dusty silver lining for this whole thing... and maybe their shit luck for the day is finally turning, because his room is empty, and charles lets out an exhale when the door closes behind them, and the light in the room remains on. ]
Right. Guess this is us, then, for however long this thing's going on. [ "this thing" meaning, of course, the darkness and the monsters and whatnot. ]
[Charles' hand in his is a comfort, of course, it always is; still, Junpei remains quiet as they enter the inn and head upstairs. He doesn't want to look around and see who else is here, if there are any familiar faces, who all is accounted for—
(He wants to do that very much, actually, but he can't or he will never sit down.)
So. His old room. Gab is still unsettled, so Junpei takes a moment to mutter to him about how this is totally home away from home, they'll get him some food soon, for sure, while putting the dog down to let him explore the new space. Junpei sits on the floor, because of course he does.]
Hey, [up, to Charles, hi,] Before you go out there and do some big hero thing...
[And he raises an eyebrow briefly, as if to say don't even pretend to deny this, they both know Charles can't resist the pull of good deeds, Junpei loves him immensely for it but right this second, well—] Stay here with me for a while? I won't even ask what the hell happened with the big snake.
[ as junpei mutters to gab, charles does a sweep of the room, just in case — and he does end up hovering somewhere near the door, so junpei's assumption is... not altogether wrong, really. ]
But I — [ he starts, and then swallows the rest, because the rest is definitely need to go and take care of that snake; richard's got some swords, he's pretty damn sure of that, so maybe he can just borrow one and go cut the snake's head off. he dealt with the bigger one on his own, this one shouldn't be a challenge, either.
but he's also incapable of saying no when junpei asks him for anything, and after a moment, he sighs and sits down, too, right next to him, wrapping his arm around his shoulders and pulling him close. ]
Yeah, alright. I'll stay as long as you want me to. [ or at least as long as he's awake; when the night comes and he's asleep, well. won't matter if he's gone then, will it? ]
[See, he's doing it, he's thinking about it—Junpei continues to give him the same look, knowing and fond despite the circumstances (knowingly throwing oneself into danger, please, he wrote the book on that one). That holds until Charles sits down and Junpei leans against him, putting his head on his shoulder and winding an arm around his waist. There's a touch of intensity in it, because he really doesn't intend to let Charles run off anytime soon.
Surely he can stay awake forever— Eh, they'll get there.]
It'll still be there later. We didn't see anyone else out there, so...
[So that's blatantly an excuse, a hasty balm slapped over the situation, Junpei can selfishly monopolize Charles' time for a handful of hours, at least.]
I know. [ there's an attempt at a smile, there, a kind of reassurance that he's not going to go out there right this second — but whether he's trying to convince junpei or himself that it's all fine for him to remain here, well.
but it's fine, it has to be fine, because junpei is his first priority, always — and this is no different. the entire world could be full of snakes, out there, and he still wouldn't run out on him, not when he's explicitly asked him to stay.
so he sighs again, and turns his head to drop a kiss on junpei's head. ]
You don't need to thank me, love. Nowhere else I'd rather be. [ a pause, and then, softly, ] You matter to me more than anyone or anything else, yeah? So if you want me to stay, I'll stay.
[The snakes can wait, there are other people in this town who can swing a sword or a bat or whatever, but there's only one Charles. Junpei doesn't want to sit in this room with nothing but the dog and his thoughts, and since he's comparatively useless against a big snake (or snakes! who knows how many there are!) he can't go back out there with Charles...
So, this: sinking into Charles with a sense of, hm, dread? Guilt? There are other people in this town but what if they're one short— No, it's stupid to think about it like that.]
I always want you to stay. [And yet, is he going to fall asleep sooner or later, yes...] Just keep me posted if you go out.
[... ....... .....,] The rock baseball thing you did back there was pretty cool.
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So yeah, give him a moment to catch his breath; he shakes his head, and yet he still says:]
Yeah, I'm good. I'm okay. I should get more rocks, or... something.
[Just in case? Maybe? He's looking around for rocks for lack of anything else to do; doing nothing would make him feel more antsy and freaked out, so. Rocks.
And,] What if it follows us the whole way? That thing could eat Gab like an appetizer.
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Not a bad idea. That was a right proper throw. [ his earnest little compliment aside, ] I know. [ he grips his bat tighter as he says, ] Pretty sure that's a smaller version of a snake that was fed little girls on the regular. The only upside to this whole thing is that the witch isn't here —
[ that's all that charles manages to say, before a rattling sound cuts him off; the snake's taken a different route, not following them directly but rather rounding the block the other way around, and charles has just the time to let go of junpei's hand and say one single fuck before the snake's tail smashes right into him and sends him flying straight into the nearest building, the sound of breaking glass mingling with the snake's hissing as he forgets to phase through the building and breaks the window instead.
it's okay, he's fine, it looks far more dramatic than it is — the snake's fangs would have done some real damage, but this is just damage to the property and not him. ]
no subject
Oh yeah, the upside, jesus—
[And then lots of things happen at once, and before he can even stop to comprehend most of it he's been practically blown out of the way by the suddenness of the snake's tail swing, stumbling and falling back on his ass, because of course he does. One moment Charles was there and the next he's gone and the side of an actual building is smashed in, holy shit—
And is this the part where he's supposed to run on his own? Possibly! Could very well be! But saying it and actually doing it are two separate things, so Junpei has already grabbed the nearest thing he can reach - a piece of metal, looks like it was part of the window frame - and thrown it as hard as he could at the lamppost on the corner, where it clangs and clatters loud enough to get the snake to turn its head and move a few meters in that direction. Junpei takes that moment to dash to the broken window and just—haul himself right inside, hi, he's here, sorry—]
Charles? [He's sort of half-whispering, hey-] We gotta- fucking- loop around or something—
[Does this building have a back door, great question!]
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it takes him a moment to phase through the rubble, covered in dust but otherwise unharmed; when he does, it's to gape at junpei just dragging himself through the window to get inside the goddamn building, what the hell, ]
You, [ he says, looking like he can't decide whether to be worried or incredulous or fond and ending up doing some kind of amalgamation of all three. but, well, they're both here now, so... so. recalibrating the plan. ]
Right. Yeah, looping around. Think there's a door?
[ a functional door, at that... no, you know what. he's tired of this fucking snake, actually. ]
I'm gonna try one more thing. Wait here. [ that's literally all the warning he gives before he's just floating up and through the ceiling, onto the roof; ghost physics, those, very handy sometimes. once on the roof, he just yells out, ]
Hey! Looking for me? [ and the moment the snake turns, well, he's throwing his bat like it's a boomerang; it spins through the air in an arc until it crashes right at the snake, knocking it into another building (whoops, sorry aldrip infrastructure). the bat continues its spinning right back into charles' outstretched hand, and the second it's there, he's sinking back down through the roof and into the building. ]
Let's go, [ he says, and unless junpei has found a door in the meantime, he's going to help him out of the window so they can resume operation: escape from the snake and save the dog. ]
no subject
...Well, there's another window in the back, which he's shoved open and half-climbed onto the sill, waiting for Charles to come back down. It's no door, obviously, but he's still set on leaving this building from a different direction than they entered it, for the sake of not running right back into the snake's definitely waiting jaws—
So, hey. He holds out his hand, ready to grab Charles and go as soon as he gets over here.]
Come on, we've probably got a minute if we're lucky. How do you even kill a big snake?
[Rhetorical, they're getting out of here, never mind—]
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so he jogs over to junpei the second his feet touch the floor again, reaching for his hand. ]
With a sword, [ comes his answer, entirely serious. and there's a plan forming already — one that'll have to wait, though, because junpei's safety goes before anything and everything else. ]
Right, ready to run some more? [ he doesn't think they're too far, now — hopefully the snake will be delayed enough that they can actually make it back home. ]
no subject
Sure, yeah, let's go. Tell me about swords later.
[Actually do? He'll see how he's feeling when they get the dog and find somewhere safe to hunker down, he might be in the mood to hear about cool swords.
There's a noise like a lot of stone being knocked to the ground somewhere in the near distance, though, which means it is time to go. Junpei makes a face, dire.]
Okay, we're out of time, uh, again—
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and oh, charles has no intention to tell him of swords later at all, actually, remembering junpei's reaction to hearing about what had almost happened to becky aspen — in fact, there's very little that's not going to make him worry about the whole of port townsend, so it's probably best to forget about that. he's very carefully told him of the easier cases, so far, the ones that aren't little girls getting eaten by a giant snake and a man murdering his own family in a loop for thirty years and shitty teenage guys causing one girl to kill herself and another to become a murderer — and, yeah, he's going to keep it that way. he knows junpei would get it, and that's exactly why; he's had enough of the shitty sides of being a detective, hasn't he?
none of this has been a very conscious decision, and it certainly isn't something charles spends more than a few seconds thinking of, not with the noise coming from the distance-and-yet-still-too-close, and, ]
Bollocks, [ he says, with feeling. ] Right. New plan. D'you think there'd be a mirror in any of the houses nearby?
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No, no, it's definitely for the best to get out of here, grab Gab, find somewhere snake-free to be and then forget about all of this entirely. They can reminisce about the cool rock-hitting moment later and nothing else; that's for the best. Junpei makes a face like he can't quite comprehend the question, then-]
Every house has a mirror in it, don't they?
[Why wouldn't they— And he hates the way being inside the mirror feels, but he'd probably hate being bitten in half by a giant snake more, so alright, he can get behind where this plan is going.]
I mean, I'll climb over a bathroom sink if I really have to, so— pick a house. [On cue, somewhere behind them, there's another crashing sound.] I love breaking and entering, let's go.
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[ by smashing in half of the wall, anyway — good, so plan mirror is a go, then. he tugs junpei with him to try the closest house; the door is locked, though, and he grabs his bat and just, hm, smashes the door in. it makes a crash, which causes noise behind them, which is decidedly not great; but if this works, then it'll be fine. they'll be fine. ]
Oh, thank fuck, [ he breathes out as there's a perfectly acceptable mirror mounted above a vanity desk in one of the rooms; better than having to climb over the sink, that. he places his hand on the mirror, searching for the quickest way; and when he finds it, he just turns to junpei. ] Right, ready?
[ for the mirror, yes, but also for charles to crouch down, slide his free hand around his back and, letting go of junpei's hand for this, then hooking his other hand behind his legs and just scooping him up in a princess carry like he weighs exactly nothing. ]
don't read this cringe
Should we leave these people a note, or something...?
[Someone lives here, right? Even if they're a local who hates them now or someone who's already been turned into a coffin or whatever, it's— well!
Maybe it's not so important. There's a mirror, and Junpei can only remember the last time he went through the mirrors, frowning at it even as the sound from outside continues to get closer and closer. That's where he is mentally when Charles scoops him up like it's nothing, and, huh.
Give him a minute. He's not thinking about the noise outside anymore, blinking rapidly a few times like he has to aggressively force himself to focus. Faced with this heroic rescue in the midst of terrifying danger, after watching Charles do action movie stuff all over several city blocks, unfortunately(?) the first thing that comes out of his mouth is,]
Sorry, this is the hottest thing that's ever happened to me. [he's focused. he is.] Uh—I'm ready, I— yeah.
im reading it.
and he's not really thinking about re-enacting an action movie, here, he's thinking that carrying junpei will be faster, which means it will take them less time inside the mirror, which means less of a headache for him; so when junpei's comment is, hm, that, it throws him for a second or so, just because he really wasn't doing this to woo him —
but then he grins, and despite the fact that the noise is now pretty much at the front door, he leans in to give junpei a kiss best described as searing — and, pulling back after hearing a distinct slithering sound coming from the next room over, ] Now we're ready.
[ and then he's jumping up onto the desk in one swift move (thank you, optional gravity) and ducking his head to step into the mirror just as the snake crashes into the room.
which is why he says, ] Don't worry, I'll leave them an anonymous donation, for the repairs. [ of course he will; the locals may hate them but they did just pretty much destroy that house, so. he's going to fix it.
luckily, this time the trip through the mirror takes only a handful of seconds, and then they're bursting through the mirror in their house. ]
noooo how embarrassing
I dunno, a note's a... gesture.
[A note and also the donation, but never mind it yet. The kiss-dizzy gets momentarily compounded by the mirror-dizzy, until they're out of the chaos and danger and into the comparatively deafening quiet of their house. The darkness makes it feel even more stifling, and Junpei looks over Charles' shoulder to the mirror, just in case - can a snake get through there? Probably not, right, but if it's a snake from Charles' very own ghost adventures, then...?
The noise that interrupts and makes him startle isn't the snake smashing through the glass, though, but the little pads of Gab's steps as he trots over to circle their feet in the dark.]
—Oh, fuck. Shit. Okay. Uh, what do we need to-? We've gotta get Gab, and put Gab in a bag or something, I don't know? Do we even have a duffel bag?
[Gab makes some appreciative yapping noises upon hearing his name. Put him in a backpack!!]
Where do we go?
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he lowers junpei down to his own feet only when he's entirely sure the only other living being in the house is gab — the silence inside the house is oppressive, almost, the darkness now a real danger instead of a mere inconvenience, and the reality that they have to get out of here and fast is what spurs charles into action.
in one swift move, he pulls the bat out of his bag, and holds it out for junpei to take. ] Here, use this. I can come back for other stuff later. [ it's just big enough; luckily, gab isn't a big dog, and charles can make multiple trips to get junpei a change of clothes, gab some of his food, and whatever else they might need. ]
The inn, [ he says then, as he crouches down to pick gab up gently so he can be placed in the backpack. ] Should be our best bet. There's a big mirror in the hall, I put one there just in case. [ thank you richard for asking for his help in redecorating, ] If it's not safe, well, reckon there'll be others, so strength in numbers and whatnot.
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He'll keep that much to himself. He holds the bag open for Gab, who personally, is having a pretty good time, now that he's not alone in the dark.]
More mirrors. [blegh.....] Yeah, okay. That'll work.
[He puts the backpack on backwards, so it's more like a baby carrier with Gab in it, because he's not going to lose his damn dog in the mirror world or somewhere else. Then he stares down the hallway into the dark, thinking - he's still fairly convinced that snake is going to track them down no matter what, so- so yeah, they have to go, they can't hang around here.
He sighs and turns, shuffling up beside Charles to grip the back of his coat and lean his head on his shoulder, just for a moment. Did he mention blegh? Blegh.]
Let's get out of here. If something wrecks the place... Well, let's go.
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he draws junpei into a tight side-hug as he leans against him, there, before leaning over and pressing a kiss to his temple. ]
Yeah. Just — [ with a glance at the door, too; so far no sounds from the outside, so. he looks at the mirror, its surface still for now. ]
I could go ahead, open the way, then it'll just be stepping in and out, for you. [ but it will mean him having to, well, go ahead, literally, leaving junpei and gab waiting there for the ten or twenty seconds it'll take him to get there.
he adds, with a half-shrug, ] Or I could just carry both of you. [ that's an option, too, gab is no added weight at all. but he wants this to be as easy as possible, and junpei hates mirrors, so if there's anything he can do to make it more comfortable... well. of course he'll do it. ]
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[He just watched Charles get snake-slapped through an entire building, and even if Charles is far too unconcerned with himself, Junpei doesn't want to leave him on his own. Just as much as he doesn't want to be left behind in the dark, even for a minute.
And carrying him was, ahem, quite delightful the first time, but now that they've stopped for a few minutes and the reality of the situation has had time to settle heavy in his stomach, ugh... It's probably the best plan? It is not, however, super hot this time.
(Well, it's normal hot. Anyway.)]
Whatever works, man. You're faster than me, so...
[He extracts himself from this side hug and takes a step back to... stand there. He's ready. Specifically for uppies.]
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so he ducks his head, to drop a kiss on gab's little head, then lifts it enough to kiss junpei, too, just because he can, and because it's a nice distraction from what the mirror is going to be like — and then he's just sliding his arms in place and scooping him up just as easily as before. ]
Sorry, buddy, [ he says to gab, ] You're gonna hate this, but I'll be quick. [ which he is; it's clear that it's not the first time he's walked the distance between their mirror and the one at the inn, and it takes perhaps half a minute total for them to be in and out — and as soon as he steps out of the mirror, it's clear something's different: the inn is still brightly lit as usual, and charles can't help but heave a relieved sigh. ]
Fucking hell, [ he says, and sets junpei back down gently. ] Think this'll be fine. They've got the lights on, that's got to mean something.
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He keeps Gab cradled in one arm as he straightens up again, holding the backpack out to Charles and looking at the inn. The lights are on?
Somehow, it kind of makes him angry. The fucking inn has the lights on and nobody said anything? They ran from a big evil snake and the inn was fine the whole time?]
The fuck... [aaaaAAAAAA—] Okay, whatever. Let's go, maybe my old room is empty.
[Angrily, let's go. It's stupid and illogical to be mad about the inn, he knows this, but it's the easiest target for all of his frustrations right now, so: fuck this building in particular, but fine.]
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relatively, because there's a tightness around his eyes and an undercurrent of anger in his words, but that's fine — he's used to junpei's anger sparking at a variety of different things, some of them more easily explained than others.
so he just nods and says, ] Yeah, [ and then pulls junpei along, hoping that his room is indeed free, that'd be a very dusty silver lining for this whole thing... and maybe their shit luck for the day is finally turning, because his room is empty, and charles lets out an exhale when the door closes behind them, and the light in the room remains on. ]
Right. Guess this is us, then, for however long this thing's going on. [ "this thing" meaning, of course, the darkness and the monsters and whatnot. ]
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(He wants to do that very much, actually, but he can't or he will never sit down.)
So. His old room. Gab is still unsettled, so Junpei takes a moment to mutter to him about how this is totally home away from home, they'll get him some food soon, for sure, while putting the dog down to let him explore the new space. Junpei sits on the floor, because of course he does.]
Hey, [up, to Charles, hi,] Before you go out there and do some big hero thing...
[And he raises an eyebrow briefly, as if to say don't even pretend to deny this, they both know Charles can't resist the pull of good deeds, Junpei loves him immensely for it but right this second, well—] Stay here with me for a while? I won't even ask what the hell happened with the big snake.
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But I — [ he starts, and then swallows the rest, because the rest is definitely need to go and take care of that snake; richard's got some swords, he's pretty damn sure of that, so maybe he can just borrow one and go cut the snake's head off. he dealt with the bigger one on his own, this one shouldn't be a challenge, either.
but he's also incapable of saying no when junpei asks him for anything, and after a moment, he sighs and sits down, too, right next to him, wrapping his arm around his shoulders and pulling him close. ]
Yeah, alright. I'll stay as long as you want me to. [ or at least as long as he's awake; when the night comes and he's asleep, well. won't matter if he's gone then, will it? ]
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Surely he can stay awake forever— Eh, they'll get there.]
It'll still be there later. We didn't see anyone else out there, so...
[So that's blatantly an excuse, a hasty balm slapped over the situation, Junpei can selfishly monopolize Charles' time for a handful of hours, at least.]
Well, thanks. It's just— thanks.
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but it's fine, it has to be fine, because junpei is his first priority, always — and this is no different. the entire world could be full of snakes, out there, and he still wouldn't run out on him, not when he's explicitly asked him to stay.
so he sighs again, and turns his head to drop a kiss on junpei's head. ]
You don't need to thank me, love. Nowhere else I'd rather be. [ a pause, and then, softly, ] You matter to me more than anyone or anything else, yeah? So if you want me to stay, I'll stay.
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So, this: sinking into Charles with a sense of, hm, dread? Guilt? There are other people in this town but what if they're one short— No, it's stupid to think about it like that.]
I always want you to stay. [And yet, is he going to fall asleep sooner or later, yes...] Just keep me posted if you go out.
[... ....... .....,] The rock baseball thing you did back there was pretty cool.
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slaps a beautiful 🎀 on this