[closed log]

[couragemantra]

Characters: couragemantra, ih8spiders, and alphaspider.
Location: Kurapika and Kuroro's apartment.
Rating: PG?
Time: October 25, in the evening after Kurt makes his post and after this thread.
Description: These two guys use Kurapika's healing powers to restore Kurt's voice.

Comments

[ih8spiders]

Kurapika didn't think that there would ever come a time when Watson would actually recommend his services to a patient. Out of the medics with healing abilities working in the clinic, he was still the most inexperienced by far - healing himself with nen required more gut and power than technical knowledge of body parts, and that wasn't quite how things worked here, especially since he was now healing others as well

[alphaspider]

Kuroro looked up from where he had been reading a book -- still the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, still as incomprehensible as it had been weeks ago ago, but at least he had gotten to a quarter of the translation. His expression was relaxed, almost drowsy over the backrest of the couch, and he most definitely had not been about to pounce on the door to embarrass Kurapika, whatever the blond thought.

Well, maybe the thought had passed through his mind.

It was funny to see Kurapika scramble around for the door, though. This was the kid he'd left that note for during their little stealing stint, right? No wonder Kurapika wanted to help so much, probably wanted to redeem himself or something.

"If you trip, it won't make a good impression," he teased, closing his book and depositing the sheaf of Chinese characters on the coffee table.

[couragemantra]

When Kurapika opened the door, Kurt did his best to look confident and pleasant and not like he was forcing his smile. And he wasn't, not really - he was happy that whatever they tried tonight might get him his voice back. He was just... nervous that it actually wouldn't. That made him a little tense, not to mention uncomfortable.

"Hey." He greeted Kurapika with the throaty whisper four days of healing and preserving his voice had left him with. It was probably all right to say monosyllabic words like that, right? He was presumably going to be healed by the time this was through, either way.

[ih8spiders]

"Not going to trip," he muttered before pulling the door open, although he readily smiled at seeing Kurt standing in the hallway, expression both welcoming and concerned at the whispered greeting. This was his first time hearing the other boy talking after the attack, and it was saddening to hear the much-reduced volume and quality from when Kurt had expressed his indignance at the Watch exercise.

"Hi. Come in!" Kurapika suppressed the urge to tell Kurt to just stick to non-verbal replies as he stepped to the side. This was as awkward as when he returned the iPhone, but at least their flat felt more lived-in now, and as neat as he could make it without dumping all of Kuroro's books in the main bedroom. Speaking of--

"This is Kuroro," he added, pointing at said meister still seated at the couch. He hadn't degenerated to the point of including "my meister" or "my partner" in his introductions, especially with Kuroro around to hear it and gloat, so Kurt would just have to guess at their association. "I don't know if you've met?"

[alphaspider]

"Not in person. Nice to meet you," Kuroro replied, smiling as he got up from his seat to get a better look at their visitor. Thin kid, delicate, porcelain features, hair carefully tended to -- and anxious. Not surprising if his voice was his best asset, and Kuroro vaguely wondered what induced his supposed zodiac representative to wring this one's neck.

Kurt was probably going to need the couch, so Kuroro got out of the way, reaching over and plucking one of the dining stools over to set it beside the sofa. It'd be easier to hold Kurapika up later than keeping level with the patient. He wasn't sure if Kurapika wanted to dally on small talk and other courtesies, so Kuroro just let his partner take over this one.

[couragemantra]

Kurt shook his head no, and hesitated over whether or not he should shake Kuroro's hand. He didn't seem to have thought of it, though, so Kurt didn't bother. He managed a, "Mm-hmm," of agreement accompanied by a wave, thinking that nice to meet you too might not carry so well across the room the way his voice was now.

He looked around anxiously as Kuroro prepared the stool and exchanged a look with Kurapika at first, as if to ask if it was okay, before heading over to the couch. Apparently they were going to do this there. After sitting down, he removed the scarf he wore around his neck, followed by the bandage covering the surgery wound. The wound itself was mostly healed already, the stitches having been removed that very day, but it still felt odd leaving it be without a bandage so Kurt chose to keep it. Besides, the bandage covered the residual bruising, which he was also pretty ashamed of. He wondered if either of these two would have anything to say about it, and hoped not.

"Ready when you are," he whispered.

[ih8spiders]

Kurapika could almost sigh in relief at the pleasant, businesslike manner Kuroro was using - no mischief so far, nothing like their first meeting with Neku Sakuraba, and nothing odd that would otherwise damage Kurt's confidence in their ability to fix his throat, however tentative that confidence would be, considering their short acquaintance

[alphaspider]

If Kurapika thought that Kuroro wasn't going to try something, the blond was sadly mistaken. Kuroro was willing to put up with all this philanthropy and behaving like a gentleman to let the patient warm up to them (to Kurapika, in particular), but he had also been contemplating on trying something that might plausibly get him clobbered if they weren't in the presence of someone Kurapika particularly esteemed. Like Kurt

[couragemantra]

Kurt placed a hand up to his neck and frowned a little at the explanation. It was sort of a vulnerable position to be in, to say the least. He hesitated for a few moments, but really, what it came down to was allowing this and getting more of his voice back, or chickening out the last second and not getting it back.

The choice was clear. He doubted it would be all that bad. Gentleness would definitely be appreciated, too. He fixed both of them with a determined expression and nodded twice. "That's fine."

The... uh... hand-holding as a little bit of a surprise, though. Upon noticing that, Kurt immediately looked away and proceeded to not think about it. That was probably the partner thing to do, after all. Maybe he'd have to hold Dave's hand before he transformed some day in the near future. It didn't mean anything...

[ih8spiders]

It meant something to Kurapika, though. It meant a lot--or mattered a lot, rather. He just didn't do public displays of partnership solidarity, not with Kuroro, not in front of people who didn't know of their history and didn't understand what their relationship was like, and he absolutely hated it whenever Kuroro pulled these random stunts.

But Kurt had given his permission, at least, and only a few seconds passed between Kuroro grabbing his hand and his transformation--a few seconds where his face reflexively contorted into an expression of bewildered, surprised outrage. "Don't just grab at me like that!" he exclaimed indignantly, right in the middle of his body shifting into weapon form. It probably looked and sounded odd, his disembodied voice floating out of the ball of light that was quickly coalescing into a pair of daggers.

[alphaspider]

He only laughed, taking both hilts in his hands and stretching out an adequate measurement of the chain for Kurt's neck. A full stretch, according to experience, for two full turns, he thought vaguely. Less if he yanked very hard.

"Sorry, I forgot," he lied, and was so obvious about the lying Kurapika wouldn't even need to resonate with him to know it. Kuroro was moving towards Kurt a moment later, holding one of the knives by his shoulder, blade turned away, before looping the chain around his neck twice. Nothing too tight. "Your turn, Kurapika."

He grinned at Kurt. "This is all I do, really."

[couragemantra]

Oh. So their relationship was... a rocky one, apparently. Not too unlike his own with Dave - more full of banter and teasing than actual sincere hand-holding. It was almost a relief - clearly these two weren't best friends for life, but they could still get the job done and work together. It made him kind of hopeful for his own partnership's success.

The chain indeed wasn't too tight, but he couldn't help feeling just a bit apprehensive regardless. He didn't know how this worked at all, didn't know if it would hurt or feel uncomfortable. He sat still thought, and gave Kuroro a half-smile in return.

[ih8spiders]

Kurapika, in the meantime, was cursing all the fates for his getting saddled with a troll for a meister. Whatever happened to Kuroro's promise to try not to aggravate him? And Kurt probably wouldn't be as relieved or as hopeful if he only knew about the real nature of Kurapika's partnership with Kuroro - all the glorious details and their sordid past miraculously set aside for the moment, except in times when he couldn't stop himself from getting a jab or two in. Like right now.

"Liar," the blond groused as began the process of cycling and amplifying Kuroro's soul wavelength with his own--faltering at first, affected by his present vexation, until he made the conscious decision to set it aside and concentrate on what he'd promised to do for Kurt's throat. Perhaps he should be worried; it was getting ridiculously easy, parceling his emotions in this manner.

Get him to talk. I need to see how his vocal cords move, he told Kuroro mentally.

[alphaspider]

That was the point, wasn't it, pushing Kurapika just a little bit more every time he did something and see how Kurapika adjusted and conformed and eventually grew more tolerance for him. That sort of thing was best done with others around -- he was behaved most of the time, really! The jabs were welcome little things, proof that Kurapika was learning to get used to him. Four months ago, they would have taken this to the streets with either or both of them the worse for it.

"How unfair, reading my mind like that," he teased without remorse. Kuroro pushed the thoughts away from the forefront of his mind, turning his attention to Kurt instead. He peered at the singer's throat and eyed the bruises there with some curiosity about the person who had done this. Kuroro had never been one to strangle people to death; he usually needed them to talk if he had to steal their abilities.

"Kurapika says I should get you to talk. Tell me about the world you're from and what you do there," Kuroro instructed with an encouraging smile.

[couragemantra]

"All right..." There really wasn't much to say about it. And he didn't know for how long he could keep a decent whisper going, either. He hadn't been pushing his ability to talk at all since he realized he could. "It's a little like this world, but without the Witches and the Kishin eggs. So more boring, all in all. I was a high school sophomore and a member of my school's glee club, which is a singing club, if you don't know. Um... my favorite school subject was French, and other than music my biggest hobby was fashion. I guess it still is..."

His eyes dropped down a little, looking at the scarf in his hands. "There's not much more to say... but I can probably think up more stuff if you want me to keep talking?"

[ih8spiders]

"No, it's enough, thank you," Kurapika said gratefully in response to the uncertainty he could hear in Kurt's voice. The vocal folds were undoubtedly damaged; the muscles couldn't draw them tight enough to produce the right pitch and volume. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to fix the damage without an actual injury to heal, but he could clearly see what was wrong, and he'd learnt enough from Watson's lessons and his own reading to know that he had to prevent scar tissue from forming. The laryngeal nerves were a problem, too...

Of course, he had to do his best. Anything less would be unacceptable. Kurt's description of his world (really unremarkable, with nothing to distinguish it other than the sheer normality of things, and the lack of anything close to the danger he and Kuroro faced in their world on a daily basis) only cemented Kurapika's impression that his voice could be as dear to him as life itself.

Ready, he told Kuroro, the only warning he gave before triggering his healing ability, sending their combined wavelengths racing