you've got a friend in me | CLOSED.

[crossespurpose]

WHO: Colin Wilkes (crossespurpose) & Yachiru Kusajishi (tinypinkterror)
WHEN: October 21st (B A C K D A T E D) | morning.
WHERE: Suite 9D.
SUMMARY: After essentially finding himself the fault of Midnighters heroic death, Colin suffers a miniature breakdown that he possibly can be pulled out of by a certain one hundred seven-year-old girl.
RATING: PG-13.
WARNING: Mentions of

Comments

[tinypinkterror]

[Jungle week is kind of fun, Yachiru thinks. She's gotten to go exploring and run around and collect funny fruits and meet more people. But she hasn't seen Middy since early this week, and... well, she hasn't seen a few people since then, but mostly she wants to see Midnighter, maybe con him into reading her another book she found in the rec room jungle. She's even dragging some bananas with her because story time requires snacks.

So she comes prancing into Suite 9 that morning all smiles and cheer and still in her ruffly pink pajamas, carting around a bunch of bananas (a few of which are bruised like she beat off a vine with the whole bunch) and her book.] Ne, Middy! Middymiddy! [She calls out, apparently not realizing that other people live in the suite, too. Yachiru can't remember which room he's in, so she checks them ll in turn, until she gets to D.

Upon opening the door, she finds Colin instead, curled up on the bed. She can't help but frown a little at that.]

Ne, ne, Strawberry-Head, are you okay?

[crossespurpose]

[His face remains pressed into the pillow even when the door opens quietly but when he hears the familiar voice, Colin lifts his head and looks outward at the familiar face of Yachiru that stands there. His eyes are wet but he's long run out of the effort to cry anymore, just simply sit there and stew over the situation. He wished he had the strength he had back home--he would be useful, not useless like he was now. Taking in a deep breath he looked at the younger looking girl and his brows furrowed. She was close to Midnighter, wasn't she? And in that moment he was not certain he had the ability to tell her what happened.] Yachiru.

[He stammered, looking distressed.] No--I, it's all my fault.

[tinypinkterror]

[Yachiru makes a face at him when he says that. Has he been crying? He has been. Well, that seems silly, what is there to cry about, jungle week is fun. She pulls off a banana from her bunch and leaves the rest of the stuff by the door, hopping over nimbly and climbing up the bed to sit by him, thrusting the banana at him as if that'll help.

Shut up, snacks help everything.] What's wrong? What's your fault?

[crossespurpose]

[He looks at the fruit and tentatively abandons his death-grip on the pillow to take it from her, muttering a quiet thanks in turn as he wipes his face upon his sleeve. Looking down, he can't look her in the eye and his shoulders shake slightly.] No--

I can't tell you because if I tell you you'll get upset. I don't want you to get upset.

[tinypinkterror]

[Yachiru makes a huffy little face at him, putting her tiny hands on her hips and giving him the bossiest look she can manage - which is pretty bossy. She's used to bossing around grown men, after all.]

Don't be stupid, just tell me! I'm notta baby, I'm not gonna get upset. [She's basically outgrown being upset about much of anything - Kenpachi never really tolerated crying and boohooing, even from her.] What happened?

[crossespurpose]

[The bossy look does not serve him very well as he looks away, back into the pillow. Taking a deep breath he thinks about--she's another kid, he knew she might be upset but at least he could confide in her. Taking in a deep breath, he watched her carefully as he looked back up, his eyes rimming with tears again--] It's Midnighter.

I got him killed, Yachiru! It's all my fault.

[tinypinkterror]

[She doesn't like the news that he has, but she also doesn't like that he's crying. Like her "father", Kenpachi, she... doesn't know how to handle people crying. Her Division does not really do emotion like that. So Yachiru does the only thing she can think of to do, she practically crawls onto him and kind of smooshes one hand into his cheek scoldingly. It's... sort of a hug, at least.]

Don't cry! Middy's the strongest person ever on his world, he'll come back! He'll figure out how. An' crying doesn't do anything anyway!

[crossespurpose]

[Colin does not have much of an outlet but instead he tenses at the touch, the tears only gathering in his eyes for a moment as he lets out a shaky breath, looking down at the pillow in his hands. She is pretty nice, he likes her so far and she seems really tough. He's not sure what she's all about but he is sure he'll figure it out one way or another.] I know--I know but I just, I don't know.

[He shakes his head.] It's my fault, I shouldn't have run out if I didn't then he'd still be alive and what if he doesn't come back!

[tinypinkterror]

[Yachiru huffs a little at his upset babbling and sits back on her knees, tiny hands on her hips and that bossy look on her face.]

No more cryin'! Cryin's for babies and we're not babies, okay? Middy's real strong, he'll come back fast, so bawlin' won't do any good anyway! You should worry about gettin' revenge on whatever killed him! Don' worry, I'll help. So what killed him? We'll go kill it!

[Yachiru what. Your solutions are so insane.]

[crossespurpose]

[The others words caused him to pause and while he knew that Yachiru was not from his own world and was likely much older than she looked, listening to her made him tense because it seemed like another kid was telling him to suck it up and well--he could not have that happening. Still, Colin was a strange case and tried to calm down, taking a few deep breaths and staring at the other for a moment before nodding once, then twice.] Okay.

[He took a deep breath.] Okay--It was just one of those plants, with all the vines. . .

[tinypinkterror]

[Yachiru huffs once again, nodding firmly as she comes up with a game plan in her head. A game plan that seems to be go out and beat things with sticks. No one ever said she was good at planning.]

We can be sad after the bastard vines are dead. [She says firmly, then hops off the bed, practically marching like a little soldier.] Ne, ne, let's go kill the vines with sticks and we can get my pillow and blanket and crayons and come back here and have a sleep over til Middy gets back!

[crossespurpose]

[Watching her hop off the bed he looks after her and hesitates before stumbling forward and cautiously following behind her.] You think you can kill the vines with sticks?

[A quiet pause--] Do you really think he'll come back?

[tinypinkterror]

[She hops out through the common room and pauses in the hall to break off a large stick that's about twice as tall as her.] Sure you can! You can stab anything and it'll die! [Her 'father' teaches the best life lessons.] Grab a stick and try it!

Of course he'll come back. He's really strong. The strongest! He'll be back.

[crossespurpose]

[He follows after her and while it's with obvious hesitance stepping out into the jungle the facility has become, he follows her lead and grabs a stick off the ground that has already been broken from someone passing through.] But plants are kind of like sticks--don't you think they'll not care?

[tinypinkterror]

[Yachiru just takes her stick and, when a vine slithers out at them as if to grab them, she whacks it - hard. She's missing her usual strength, but she knows how to hit things mercilessly and relentlessly until they stop moving - which she does to the vine.]

You can beat - anything - with a stick an' it'll die!

[crossespurpose]

[He steps back and just watches the other, till the vine eventually tenses and then falls once it is severed by the abuse. A pause and there is a quiet smile.] Wow--

Yeah, I can see that now.