Extraneous Solution [Minamimoto/Hanekoma, PG-13]
Title: Extraneous Solution
Pairing: Minamimoto/Hanekoma
Written For: grownupneko
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: spoilers all the way to the very very last of the special reports
He woke up, just when he thought he'd never see the light of day again. Groaned. Where was he? Agh, every angle and parabola hurt. Zetta hurt. He felt like he'd been sat on by ten elephants.
No, not ten elephants, he remembered, with a sinking sort of anger, but a car. One car and one vending machine, and that little iota of a Composer was the one who did it.
Tch, couldn't even finish the job. Sho leaned his head to the side and heard a satisfying crack, and then the other. Heh. He was gonna whup Joshua good this time.
...But there was one small problem. He couldn't seem to feel his legs.
Half of the equation is missing, he thought, frowning. The denominator. The lower half.
"You feelin' all right?"
Ah, that's why this place seemed so familiar. Alpha. The traitor could always be counted upon to perform miracles. The door opened and Mr. Hanekoma came in, a tray of coffee and breakfast neatly balanced on one hand.
"Like a discontinuous function," Sho grumbled. "He dropped a vending machine on me!"
"I saw that. Weren't you supposed to give him hell?" He pulled up a chair next to the bed, and sat himself down, leaning forward on his elbows.
"Tch. Didn't have the chance. Laid a trap, like a dirty little singular matrix. SUDDENLY, CARS!" He flung his arms out - holy epsilon, BAD IDEA, that hurt - as he shouted. "VENDING MACHINES! DEATH!"
Alpha quirked a grin. Sho liked that grin. He'd seen it often enough in the corner of the other's face, usually when he did something ridiculous. "Then how do you know it was Joshua?"
Minamimoto gave him a deadpan look. "Who else? Functions of falling death are that hectopascal's favorite way to deal out the damage."
"But why would he take you out with such a mundane trap? You gotta think, math-for-brains. He's the Composer. We've been over this before."
"Details. Fact is - " He frowned, and tried to move his lower body again. Not happening. "Fact is, I think this equation hasn't reached a - desirable solution."
Hanekoma frowned, and leaned a little closer, noting the frustrated, pain-laced tone of Minamimoto's voice. "What's wrong?"
Sho hissed. "I can't move my... legs."
If he didn't know better, he could have sworn that there was a panicked flash of guilt in Alpha's eyes before it smoothed over into his vague I-am-concerned face. "Your legs?"
"Yeah. Maybe that hectopascal broke something a little... permanent." He was trying to move more now, trying to stretch out his body and feel the position of every little ache. Every ache, that is, above his lower back, which seemed to be the epicenter of his pain. Everything below it, though, might as well have not been there at all. He growled, under his breath. "Couldn't even... kill me right. Can't do anything right. Tch."
But even as he went through the motions, his eyes watched his Alpha, saw the polite concern slowly fade into a growing, dry fear.
"Che, paralysis is gonna slow me down..."
As predicted, he heard the crash as Hanekoma stood up too fast, knocking the chair back against the floor. "We'll get you to a hospital, they'll - "
"Alpha." Sho grabbed Hanekoma's arm, Noise-blackened fingers digging into the tendons there. "We can't go to a hospital. You forget? Or did you teach me all that for nothing?"
Hanekoma sighed. "You messed up, you know. I had to fix your refinery sigil."
"Details." There was no way Mr. H could hide the tension, now, the shaking in his arms gave it all away. Sho yanked his captive close, until he could snarl in d < 1 in. from his face. "No more games. It was you, wasn't it?"
"What are you talking about," he growled, but he didn't try to fight it, and the shaking only got worse.
"You set that trap."
They faced each other off for a few long moments. Their breath was harsh, eyes hard and pained and questioning. Finally, as he shook himself out, Alpha ducked his head and closed his eyes. "...Yeah."
"Why?!" Minamimoto snarled. "WHY GODDAMNIT, TELL ME WHY!!!"
"...Because I couldn't stand to watch him erase you."
He let go, eyes wide and staring in a face that was nearly all black, now. "You... what?"
Sanae Hanekoma seemed to shrink in on himself, curling his arms around his head in a gesture of ultimate defeat. His face was pressed into a thigh that Minamimoto couldn't feel, teeth clenched against a new wave of tension. "I couldn't... I didn't mean for it to be like this, Sho. I just wanted to make him think you were dead, so he wouldn't wave his pinky finger and erase you from existence."
"SO YOU DROPPED A CAR ON MY BACK?!"
"Yes!" Alpha sat up, and Sho realized, with something akin to shock, that he was actually crying. "I... fuck." He ran a hand through his hair, chuckling, but the look on his face was anything but cheerful. "...I'm... sorry."
Minamimoto just blinked at him, utterly floored. "You......"
"...If things didn't go as planned, I was going to wake you up, and let you take him by surprise. But..." He waved a hand, vaguely, his other hand quickly whipping his glasses off and wiping his eyes with a sleeve. "...as you can see, things..." He shook his head, and did that run-hand-through-hair thing again. He did it so much, his hair was permanently vertical. "...are just like normal. Heh. Go figure. 'Trust your partner', I always said, and I wasn't even able to do that."
Suddenly, he felt a hand on his arm, and Sho was drawing him close again. "That hectopascal isn't your partner. Your partner wouldn't want to destroy Shibuya."
"But he didn't," Alpha pointed out, even as he let Minamimoto drag him over into a hug. "So..."
"...So I'm nothing but an exraneous solution, huh?"
Hanekoma chuckled. "Would I have saved your ass if I thought that?"
"You save my ass because you love me," Sho pointed out, with a shit-eating smirk to rival Joshua's on his face. "However, you broke my spine in the process. I can't say that makes for a good impression."
Hanekoma's face clouded over. "You're right. But there's nothing I can..." He trailed off, because the grin hadn't left the other's face. "...What?"
"Oh, you know."
"I don't know. Enlighten me."
Minamimoto leaned close, and nibbled on Alpha's stubbly jaw. "You've already been branded as a Fallen Angel..."
Realization dawned.
"...and if anyone can do something about these legs... you can."
"Well..." He sighed, and a sheepish smile crawled onto his face. "I guess I have enough Taboo left for one last miracle."
Pairing: Minamimoto/Hanekoma
Written For: grownupneko
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: spoilers all the way to the very very last of the special reports
He woke up, just when he thought he'd never see the light of day again. Groaned. Where was he? Agh, every angle and parabola hurt. Zetta hurt. He felt like he'd been sat on by ten elephants.
No, not ten elephants, he remembered, with a sinking sort of anger, but a car. One car and one vending machine, and that little iota of a Composer was the one who did it.
Tch, couldn't even finish the job. Sho leaned his head to the side and heard a satisfying crack, and then the other. Heh. He was gonna whup Joshua good this time.
...But there was one small problem. He couldn't seem to feel his legs.
Half of the equation is missing, he thought, frowning. The denominator. The lower half.
"You feelin' all right?"
Ah, that's why this place seemed so familiar. Alpha. The traitor could always be counted upon to perform miracles. The door opened and Mr. Hanekoma came in, a tray of coffee and breakfast neatly balanced on one hand.
"Like a discontinuous function," Sho grumbled. "He dropped a vending machine on me!"
"I saw that. Weren't you supposed to give him hell?" He pulled up a chair next to the bed, and sat himself down, leaning forward on his elbows.
"Tch. Didn't have the chance. Laid a trap, like a dirty little singular matrix. SUDDENLY, CARS!" He flung his arms out - holy epsilon, BAD IDEA, that hurt - as he shouted. "VENDING MACHINES! DEATH!"
Alpha quirked a grin. Sho liked that grin. He'd seen it often enough in the corner of the other's face, usually when he did something ridiculous. "Then how do you know it was Joshua?"
Minamimoto gave him a deadpan look. "Who else? Functions of falling death are that hectopascal's favorite way to deal out the damage."
"But why would he take you out with such a mundane trap? You gotta think, math-for-brains. He's the Composer. We've been over this before."
"Details. Fact is - " He frowned, and tried to move his lower body again. Not happening. "Fact is, I think this equation hasn't reached a - desirable solution."
Hanekoma frowned, and leaned a little closer, noting the frustrated, pain-laced tone of Minamimoto's voice. "What's wrong?"
Sho hissed. "I can't move my... legs."
If he didn't know better, he could have sworn that there was a panicked flash of guilt in Alpha's eyes before it smoothed over into his vague I-am-concerned face. "Your legs?"
"Yeah. Maybe that hectopascal broke something a little... permanent." He was trying to move more now, trying to stretch out his body and feel the position of every little ache. Every ache, that is, above his lower back, which seemed to be the epicenter of his pain. Everything below it, though, might as well have not been there at all. He growled, under his breath. "Couldn't even... kill me right. Can't do anything right. Tch."
But even as he went through the motions, his eyes watched his Alpha, saw the polite concern slowly fade into a growing, dry fear.
"Che, paralysis is gonna slow me down..."
As predicted, he heard the crash as Hanekoma stood up too fast, knocking the chair back against the floor. "We'll get you to a hospital, they'll - "
"Alpha." Sho grabbed Hanekoma's arm, Noise-blackened fingers digging into the tendons there. "We can't go to a hospital. You forget? Or did you teach me all that for nothing?"
Hanekoma sighed. "You messed up, you know. I had to fix your refinery sigil."
"Details." There was no way Mr. H could hide the tension, now, the shaking in his arms gave it all away. Sho yanked his captive close, until he could snarl in d < 1 in. from his face. "No more games. It was you, wasn't it?"
"What are you talking about," he growled, but he didn't try to fight it, and the shaking only got worse.
"You set that trap."
They faced each other off for a few long moments. Their breath was harsh, eyes hard and pained and questioning. Finally, as he shook himself out, Alpha ducked his head and closed his eyes. "...Yeah."
"Why?!" Minamimoto snarled. "WHY GODDAMNIT, TELL ME WHY!!!"
"...Because I couldn't stand to watch him erase you."
He let go, eyes wide and staring in a face that was nearly all black, now. "You... what?"
Sanae Hanekoma seemed to shrink in on himself, curling his arms around his head in a gesture of ultimate defeat. His face was pressed into a thigh that Minamimoto couldn't feel, teeth clenched against a new wave of tension. "I couldn't... I didn't mean for it to be like this, Sho. I just wanted to make him think you were dead, so he wouldn't wave his pinky finger and erase you from existence."
"SO YOU DROPPED A CAR ON MY BACK?!"
"Yes!" Alpha sat up, and Sho realized, with something akin to shock, that he was actually crying. "I... fuck." He ran a hand through his hair, chuckling, but the look on his face was anything but cheerful. "...I'm... sorry."
Minamimoto just blinked at him, utterly floored. "You......"
"...If things didn't go as planned, I was going to wake you up, and let you take him by surprise. But..." He waved a hand, vaguely, his other hand quickly whipping his glasses off and wiping his eyes with a sleeve. "...as you can see, things..." He shook his head, and did that run-hand-through-hair thing again. He did it so much, his hair was permanently vertical. "...are just like normal. Heh. Go figure. 'Trust your partner', I always said, and I wasn't even able to do that."
Suddenly, he felt a hand on his arm, and Sho was drawing him close again. "That hectopascal isn't your partner. Your partner wouldn't want to destroy Shibuya."
"But he didn't," Alpha pointed out, even as he let Minamimoto drag him over into a hug. "So..."
"...So I'm nothing but an exraneous solution, huh?"
Hanekoma chuckled. "Would I have saved your ass if I thought that?"
"You save my ass because you love me," Sho pointed out, with a shit-eating smirk to rival Joshua's on his face. "However, you broke my spine in the process. I can't say that makes for a good impression."
Hanekoma's face clouded over. "You're right. But there's nothing I can..." He trailed off, because the grin hadn't left the other's face. "...What?"
"Oh, you know."
"I don't know. Enlighten me."
Minamimoto leaned close, and nibbled on Alpha's stubbly jaw. "You've already been branded as a Fallen Angel..."
Realization dawned.
"...and if anyone can do something about these legs... you can."
"Well..." He sighed, and a sheepish smile crawled onto his face. "I guess I have enough Taboo left for one last miracle."