[ video - forward-dated to morning ]

[unmanliest]

[He's clutching his NV so hard it starts broadcasting before he means to address it. He's staring off past the edge of the diamond toward the Tower Apartments.]

This place again...

But everything's... all messed up...

[None of that tough-guy attitude right now. He glances down at the NV almost like he's scared of it. Hell, he's pretty scared of

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[showbizpanache]

[There is a long moment in which he hesitates, just staring at his NV and waiting for it all to be some kind of joke, some other cruel trick the Core is playing on him. It happened before, right? When those ghosts were walking around. He'd seen Kanji then, waiting outside by the stairs, ready to take him on another date.-- to someplace silly, probably, and Kurt would have probably hated it, but he would have gone anyway-- Because it's with Kanji, and Kanji is sweet and makes him so happy and... He's there.

He's really there, isn't he? Kurt takes a moment to fix his hair, check his clothes, make sure he looks okay, and he thinks why am I doing this? I'm with Blaine now. But I just--]

[showbizpanache]

[He clears his throat. When he finally appears, he looks older, and his eyes are a little darker.]

Kanji? It's me. It's Kurt. I'm here.

[unmanliest]

[Kanji's expression brightens when he sees Kurt, although maybe not as much as it used to. It's a little difficult to grin at a time like this.]

Hey, man. You a sight for sore eyes or what.

[showbizpanache]

Can I come to see you? Now, please?

[unmanliest]

Uh, yeah, sure. Should I start heading over to your place, or..?

[showbizpanache]

Yeah. [He's putting on his coat and shoes as he talks.] Yeah, just start walking, I'll-- I'll meet you halfway.

[unmanliest]

[He's already moving, albeit slowly. Nausea from the Pull and all.]

Yeah, gotcha.

[showbizpanache]

[Well Kurt does too, at least at first. He just kind of takes his time for a while, running things over and over in his head. Then he sees Kanji approaching in the distance, and his feet speed up a little. Faster, and then a little faster, and then he's running.

It would probably be a full-on tackle if Kurt were bigger and weighed more. As it is, it's just a very enthusiastic hug, which nearly has Kurt flying off his feet as he lets out a tiny sob.]

[unmanliest]

[He catches Kurt in his arms, picking him up off the ground as he pulls him close and breathes him in. As disoriented as he is from the journey, it hadn't hit him until now - just how long it's been since their time together, how much he's missed Kurt even though their memories were nothing but a dream until minutes ago.]

C-Come on... Ain't nothin' to cry about.

[showbizpanache]

[He shakes his head, clinging more tightly as tears bead in his eyes. I thought you'd died, he doesn't say. You disappeared one day and I thought you'd died. I put flowers on your grave--]

[A sniff, and then a tearful little laugh.] I'm crying 'cause I'm happy. You big idiot.

[unmanliest]

[He's not going to be the one to let go. He doesn't know if it's okay to kiss Kurt. It's been a long time, he knows that. But he really needs the hug. Even before he got back here, he needed one.]

I, uh... Y-Yeah...

[showbizpanache]

[Kurt holds on for a long time, then slowly and reluctantly pulls away. His tippy-toes touch the ground as he reaches out to gently touch Kanji's cheek with one gloved hand. The other boy looks--different. Not drastically so, but something has definitely changed, and he finds himself worrying more and more. He rubs at his eyes, pulling himself together.]

Let's get you out of the cold, okay? Why don't I buy you some coffee? We can--catch up.

[unmanliest]

Yeah, okay.

[He hadn't felt the cold much, only noticed it was snowing and that it hadn't been snowing when he was killed. When Kurt mentions it, though, he realizes he's gone a bit numb. He wipes his palm quickly over his eyes as he straightens up.]

[showbizpanache]

[Scanning about, Kurt locates the coffee shop and starts leading them toward it, holding delicately onto Kanji's arm as they walk. He stills holds on as he orders them their coffee, and quickly finds them a seat near a window. It's that quiet hour of the morning after the initial breakfast rush, so the shop isn't too crowded, and Kurt's thankful for that.

After they sit down, he casts about for a way to break the ice. So, you died, huh? Cool, so did I! What was YOUR post-death experience like? Yeah, not going to work.]

So... I missed you. [That's a good enough place to start.]

[unmanliest]

Me too. Uh - I mean, I couldn't remember, but now that I do, I miss you. Er... You know.

[He slouches down a little in his chair, running his hand over his forehead.]

[showbizpanache]

I get it. I think.

[He stares down into his coffee, turning it a little in his hands.]

Um... My best friend and my brother are here now! It's kind of nice having them around. [He tilts his head a little, looking up.] How much time passed, in your world, after you--left? Here you were gone a few months, though it felt like longer. [A sad little smile.]