Day 30: Men's Showers (Third Shift)

[notachick]

The lockdown had been interesting. The fact that the staff had enough power to put down a rebellion that quickly and then lock people into their rooms just as fast was something of a feat to be admired. Their efficiency would have been much more impressive if Okita had been on the other side of it, however. As it stood, he had to keep his

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[never_learns]

[Waiting for Schuldig]

Well, at least his roommate seemed to be a decent guy, someone Yohji wouldn't mind sharing with. And they were both hiding things from what he could tell which meant neither of them was likely to pry too much. It was a definite relief.

He stripped off quickly and found a shower where he could keep an eye on as many people as possible, as well as watching the door surrepticiously in case Cliff came in. He just needed to get rid of this ominous feeling that CLiff's words had left in him.

He stepped under the spray and sighed softly in bliss as the hot water soaked his bruised body. Damn, he'd got a few more than he'd thought and a few of them were really dark and already turning a sickly yellow at the edges.

[k4t4str0ph4l]

"Hey."

Whether by accident or design, Yohji had picked a relatively secluded location for a shower, as far from the supervising orderlies as possible. It wasn't exactly concealed, but there were a lot of people and showers between them and the nearest orderly, which meant they might be able to get away with some interesting things...

Of course, Schuldig would probably have to get any intriguing activities out of the way quickly, before the subject of Cliff came up. He knew Yohji would brood about that; he hardly needed an excuse for brooding, and one of his friends disappearing was a damned good excuse. But he couldn't resist the chance to continue what they'd started the last time they'd met in the showers...

[never_learns]

Schuldig's voice shook Yohji out of his increasingly worried thoughts. He smiled tiredly at the other man and nodded. It felt odd to not be snapping at Schuldig now, but he preferred it. Not to mention that he was too tired and sore to want to get into a fight that he couldn't win. Or any fight for that matter.

"Hey. I see you're in one piece and unsedated," he said, a wry note in his voice. Not that he'd really have expected Schuldig to jump into the fray anyway.

[k4t4str0ph4l]

"To an extent," Schuldig replied, running fingers over the bandage on his cheek. He was pretty sure he had stitches under there, but he hadn't yet given in to the impulse to pull off the gauze and check. (Crawford and Farfarello would both smack him if he tried - they both knew better than to let Schuldig possibly infect his wound, and truthfully so did Schuldig, but the telepath had never been known for his ability to resist his urges). "It could be worse."

The redhead stepped closer, reaching up and now running fingers over Yohji's cheek instead. "What about you? You look exhausted. Has the anticipation been wearing you out?" He smirked.

[never_learns]

"Things can always be worse," Yohji agreed with a bitter twist of his lips. That had been his exerience anyway. First just killing, then taking down the Prime Minister, then foiling some kind of demonic ressurection by a cult with psychics, then the previous Weiss, then a school of genetically modified psychics. And then here. He had to wonder what would get worse next. He just hoped it held off for a while.

Yohji closed his eyes at the touch but couldn't help but lean into it and he laughed softly. "I'm working on barely any sleep here," he reminded the telepath. "And I was sparring last night."

[k4t4str0ph4l]

"Oh, for fuck's sake, stop brooding," Schuldig admonished him with a roll of his eyes. "I've already got plenty of angst for flavor around here, and when has it ever done you any good?" He reached past Yohji to crank on the spigot next to him, and then slid past him under the spray if only to show willing to whatever orderly might be watching. And, of course, to show off in front of Yohji...

Eyes closed as he tilted his face into the spray, he murmured, "But you're right. It could've been much worse. You could've lost me to some damned rock shrapnel, of all things. A little higher, into my temple, or a little lower into my neck...and then you'd have no one but Weiss, and they make you want to kill yourself nearly as much as you make yourself want to. You're luckier than you realize."

[never_learns]

"I wasn't brooding," Yohji replied with some exhasperation. "I was thinking." His eyes followed Schuldig as the telepath stepped under the water, watching him with far less hesitance than the last time they'd been in the showers like this.

He frowned when Schuldig continued, glaring at the other man for a second. "I don't want to kill myself," he said sharply. "But how'd you get caught in rock shrapnel?"

[k4t4str0ph4l]

"With you there's no difference," Schuldig replied, without opening his eyes. He could feel Yohji's on him, could see the picture he made in Yohji's mind, and adjusted accordingly, deliberately making himself as appealing as possible for his audience. Being admired was something the telepath simply never got tired of

[never_learns]

Yohji scowled at the telepath, figuring that he'd pick up on it even with his eyes closed. "Of course there's a difference," he said somewhat grumpily. And then Schuldig was moving and looking even more appealing and damn it, he was doing it on purpose!!

He couldn't help but wince at Schuldig's words, knowing that they were true but still hating that he had to hear it. He'd nearly lost it the other day but he'd been getting better! Really he had! This place was just fucking with him.

He raised an eyebrow at Schuldig's description of what lay in the basement. "So they're basically running a knock-off film studio downstairs then?"

[k4t4str0ph4l]

Schuldig grinned. "Of course I'm doing it on purpose. And you love it." He shifted closer to Yohji, a hand reaching out and brushing fingers along the line of his hip. "And you're getting better because you have me. Before I showed up, you were just getting worse, weren't you?"

He couldn't help snorting as he thought about the basement again. "You'd have to see it to believe it. You're welcome to come with us tonight, if you want; I think Schwarz may go down there as a group."

[never_learns]

The blond let his eyes drop closed as Schuldig touched him, enjoying the feeling of skin against his own. He nodded in response, a little shakily. "Yes." The first few days here, he wasn't sure what he'd have done without someone familiar here.

"It does sound that way," Yohji replied with a faint smirk although it faltered when Schuldig mentioned going down there with Schwartz. "I'm not Schwartz though," he said, although the lure was there. It wasn't as though he'd been getting anything actually acomplished, just spending his nights drifting when he didn't have plans with Cliff.

[k4t4str0ph4l]

"So what?" Schuldig countered with a grin. "You're with me." After a swift glance past Yohji to make sure they weren't the focus of any orderly's particular attention, Schuldig slipped even closer, slipping his arms around Yohji's neck and leaning in to kiss him hungrily. It was a risk, but a calculated one; the showers were crowded and they were some distance from the nearest member of the staff, with a bunch of bodies between Point A and Point B. They could probably get away with it provided they didn't drag it out too long

[never_learns]

"So I get the Schwartz five-star treatment because you're the equivalent of a VIP pass?" Yohji replied with a grin. He was a little startled when Schuldig kissed him, feeling a little panicked in case the orderlies decided to intervene, but he relaxed after a moment, closing his eyes and kissing back just as hungrily. He even felt reluctant when Schuldig pulled away.

But all of the enjoyment left when Schuldig spoke again. Yohji's eyes widened, his face going milk white with shock as the news hit him. He barely heard any words beyond the news that Cliff was gone. He didn't even ask if Schuldig was certain, he had to be and now... He leaned back against the wall and slowly slid down it, wrapping his arms around his knees, a numb feeling spreading through his body.

[k4t4str0ph4l]

Well, Schuldig hadn't exactly expected him to take the news well

[never_learns]

It felt like something had broken inside him, something that had broken so many times before that he wasn't certain he could put it back together again. He stared blankly ahead, not really seeing anything, starting to shake slightly.

He didn't moved when Schuldig sat next to him, barely even seeming to notice when the other man leaned against him., but after a moment he leaned back, taking a shuddering breath. "I did it again," he whispered.

[k4t4str0ph4l]

"Bullshit," Schuldig replied flatly. "That's crap and even you know it. Lots of people vanish in this place, and only one of them has been connected to you in any way at all. It's coincidence, not a curse. Feel as sorry for yourself as you want, but you know damned well this isn't your fault. It's this place."