Clambering for the Scraps | Closed/incomplete

[suchselfishness]

Characters: suchselfishness & karmafree
Location: DCH 6, 3B
Rating: PG
Time: Shortly following this thread, September 2
Description: It's hard to blame the worst kind of intrusions on the Madness Wave, and Rhode is running out of ideas on how to avoid or mend the damage she's caused.

Comments

[karmafree]

Mukuro dropped in some thirty minutes later, entering from the balcony rather than the door - he was feeling whimsical that day, prone to indulging whatever flight of fancy he had at that moment even more than he usually was. Perhaps that wasn't so surprising, given how things had gone down during Asura's attack.

The Meister hummed as he pushed the sliding door aside and loped in. He noticed Rhode immediately, of course, and smiled at the girl, rounding over briefly to drop off his latest steal (tea sweets, oddly flavored) before making a beeline for the fridge.

[suchselfishness]

Mumbling something that could have been "hello," Rhode caught the sweets and started in on opening the bag. All the while, she was glancing over to her partner, seeing what he was doing.

He seemed oddly happy, and Rhode wasn't certain if that was a good or bad sign. So she waited and watched, unwrapping one of the candies and popping it into her mouth.

[karmafree]

He fished out the pineapple juice that he knew Izaya had left for him a few days back, took a generous swig straight from the bottle, wiped his mouth on his sleeve before shutting the fridge, shrugging out of his coat, tossing it on the counter. Then he was off to the couch.

"How are they?"

Leaning over and in now, to better peer at Rhode with a smile.

[suchselfishness]

She took her time before answering, staring back at him with big eyes as she puzzled out the taste. Finally, she shifted the candy into her cheek, pursing her lips slightly.

"Not bad. Not sure if they're very good, yet, though."

[karmafree]

On one hand, it was absolutely adorable, seeing how vulnerable the girl looked. It was also an affirmation of his control, in a way, because he knew that Rhode was not normally this honest about particular feelings.

Mukuro smiled at her kindly when she was done, and ruffled her hair.

"That's better." A pause. "I had forgiven you a long time ago, though."

What this whole exercise had been about was whether Rhode was capable of feeling remorse.

[suchselfishness]

Though it looked (and felt) like she was going to choke on the pride she'd swallowed, Rhode leaned into his touch, a blush still lingering as she kept her eyes low. She'd been played, and she knew it, but somehow it felt good to hear him say she was forgiven.

If her family could see her now...

But they weren't here, and Mukuro was completely different from her ever-indulgent family.

"You should have told me."

[karmafree]

"I wanted to see how you would react."

Might as well admit to some things for the moment. This, too, was a lesson for Rhode, after all.

[suchselfishness]

Rhode was unused to feeling so conflicted; it was a silent, harried argument in her mind, drawn out into a long silence.

"How I would react," she repeated, staring at him with an odd expression before she moved. She leaned in to kiss him on the forehead, almost whispering- as if she were afraid someone was listening.

"I don't need you."

A move to brush her lips over his left eyelid, affectionate and cautious.

"I don't care about you."

The right eyelid, hand coming to hover near his cheek.

"You aren't Family. So that's how it has to be."

But she leaned into him, possessively, lovingly, as her voice shook and cracked on her next words.
"But you make me feel... And I tried to convince myself it's like that, but..."

Too much exposed, she fell silent- Heart racing with her sudden vulnerability, common sense screaming for a retreat from this. But after a few moments, she closed her eyes, avoiding his gaze and gingerly reaching out with her soul.