Fic: Conversation Over Quiche (USS Sky Island/Gransazer, Go/Jin, Makoto/Ai/Tappei, PG-13, 1/1)
Summary: Oh yeah. He's got no chance of escape.
Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue
Warning: Reference to self-harm.
Written for H/C bingo prompt "loss of hearing (permanent)". (creative interpretation of the prompt)
* * *
Go raised his eyebrows at Jin, who nodded back.
Jin slid gracefully into the seat next to Makoto at the little round table, as Go plonked himself down on the other side. The seat cushion squeaked under him. Makoto's hands instantly clenched into fists. Not a positive sign.
"Hey, Makoto," Jin said cheerfully. "What's good today?"
"I was just going, actually," Makoto said, furrowing his brow at Jin. He turned to give Go the same treatment. Very impartial of him. Go didn't react.
"You've been here for thirteen minutes since Ai left, and you haven't moved in that time," Go told him. "Hard to believe that you're going right now."
Makoto sighed. "Okay, fine, so I wasn't just going."
"I repeat, what's good today?"
"Uh, the quiche?"
Go felt his eyes crinkle with worry. It wasn't like Makoto to give way this easily. He was a stubborn pain in the ass, generally. One of the reasons why Go liked him.
Of course, very little fazed Jin. Outwardly, at least.
"Gouki, my good man!" Jin called at Gouki, who was scurrying towards them in with a big spotless white apron on over his blue uniform, and a tiny chef's hat perched incongruously on top of his sproingy black hair. "Three quiches, please!"
"Sorry," Go mouthed at Gouki, but Gouki just grinned and nodded, scurrying back behind the counter again.
"I'm not that rude, Gouki doesn't mind," Jin protested. "And before you say anything, Makoto, you're too thin. You need quiche even if you've already had some."
"How *are* you guys, anyway?" Go asked quietly.
Makoto toyed with his fork, making the handle scrape along the wooden tabletop.
~eeee eeee eeee~
"Tappei and Ai will be fine, don't worry. So you heard."
It wasn't a question.
"Yeah, but only a little," Jin admitted.
~eeee eeee eeee~
Go said, "We don't know what it means, exactly."
"And you decided you had to poke your noses in."
~eeee eeee eeee~
Go blinked.
Jin's mouth was a hard, thin line. He jabbed a finger at Makoto's chest. "Don't be an asshole. You know that's not why we're here."
"You know us better than that. We want to know how *you* are. Not just how Tappei and Ai are, and we're not here to gawk at you. Asshole," Go said flatly.
Makoto didn't move; just sat staring at the table. His face was unreadable.
The damn fork started up again.
~eeee eeee eeee~
"Yeah, you're right," he said at last. "Sorry."
Go put a hand on Makoto's shoulder, and felt sure that when he opened his mouth something helpful and supportive (while still showing a small amount of irritation, because that had been *harsh*) would come out. Except Gouki arrived with the plates in a flurry of motion.
Gouki was often clumsy and shy in day to day things, but he always shone in Ten Forward. He deftly set out all three plates, plus glass of water, serviettes, and various seasonings. Jin smiled brilliantly up at him in thanks, and Gouki smiled shyly in response, then swept off again.
"Wow," Go said inadequately, staring at the plate in front of him. Makoto hadn't been kidding. The slice of vegetable quiche was pale yellow, bursting with vegetables, topped with a thin layer of cheese, with a soft, flaky crust. He didn't recognise all the vegetables, but they were vibrantly coloured and looked *delicious*. The side salad had been lightly spritzed with some kind of sesame oil. Tangy greens were interspersed with wildberries and chunks of baked goat's cheese.
Makoto reached out and picked up the sea salt, then began shaking it on his quiche. At least he'd stopped with the fork.
...except he was still shaking it.
"Isn't that enough?" Jin asked, wide eyed.
Makoto said grimly, "No."
"Your tongue will melt off," Go contributed.
Makoto shook his head. "No, it won't."
Go and Jin's hands met on Makoto's wrist. "Stop that," one of them said. Go wasn't sure which one. Maybe it was both of them.
"Only if *you* stop *that*," Makoto growled. His wrist was trembling under Go's hand.
"What?"
"Being all together. We don't *have* that any more."
Go's breath hissed between his teeth. "Not at *all*? I thought you'd just lost a little of your bond."
"No. Can't hear each other at all any more."
He wrenched his hand free, except Jin caught his wrist again. "Are you trying to hurt yourself?" he demanded, pushing up the sleeve.
An angry burn mark marred Makoto's smooth skin.
"No!" Makoto snapped. "Didn't even *realise* when I did it. It just -- everything feels different, you know? Do you *get* that at all? It's like I'm walking around inside a bubble. We're born with certain knowledge of everyone around us, just a background hum, it's not like telepathy exactly, but we *know* what's going on around us. Then if we bond," and Go noticed here that Makoto was very carefully talking in the abstract, not about himself, "that gets heightened for the members of the bond. But if the members are exposed to ilkavirus, apparently *all* of that's gone. All of it. Nothing's left."
"Makoto," Go said inadequately, but Makoto wasn't done.
"I can't hear them, and I can't let on just how much that kills me, because they still need me to be strong-"
He finished on a whisper, chest heaving, then buried his face in his hands.
"You don't have to be strong around us," Jin told him fiercely.
Go slung an arm around him, resting his head on Makoto's shoulder. Makoto was shaking. "I think I get it, a little more, now," he said softly. "I'm sorry."
Makoto sighed, then sat up a little straighter. He didn't move to make Go disengage, and Go saw Jin reach out to take his hand. "I'll be okay," he managed. "And I don't know that I really get telepathy, either."
"I sure didn't, until Go started dropping thoughts into my head," Jin said, rubbing his temple in mock pain. He offered Makoto a rueful smile. "He really could've messed with me. Made me think that it was *my* idea to go places he wanted to go, do things he wanted to do. But he's too uncreative."
"Too *ethical*," Go protested.
Jin sailed on, ignoring him with the ease of long practice. "I know this won't be easy for you to deal with, Makoto. But we'll kidnap you now and then so you can be not 'the leader' for a while, mmkay?"
"I'm fine," Makoto grumbled.
Go sighed. "Yes, and Jin's a shy, delicate flower."
"Hey!"
Go kept talking, ignoring *Jin* with the ease of long practice. "Is it absolutely definitely permanent?"
Makoto chewed, then swallowed. Ah. Good. So he was actually eating. "...maybe not. They just don't know our physiology well enough, though Akira and Juri are both good doctors. Ai knows more, but she's not a qualified doctor yet."
"I could look at you telepathically if you ever want me to," Go offered tentatively. He absentmindedly broke off a chunk of the pastry crust and lifted it to his mouth. He had to bite back a groan of pleasure. *Heavenly*.
"Go, you're a mannerless heathen," Jin muttered, still gripping Makoto's hand tightly.
Makoto shook his head, but the smile on his face seemed a little more genuine now. "I'm not ready for that yet. Maybe later. Thank you."
"You be okay?" Jin asked, eyes intent on Makoto's face.
Makoto put down his fork, and reached out to take Go's hand, as well. "No, but I'll cope."
Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue
Warning: Reference to self-harm.
Written for H/C bingo prompt "loss of hearing (permanent)". (creative interpretation of the prompt)
* * *
Go raised his eyebrows at Jin, who nodded back.
Jin slid gracefully into the seat next to Makoto at the little round table, as Go plonked himself down on the other side. The seat cushion squeaked under him. Makoto's hands instantly clenched into fists. Not a positive sign.
"Hey, Makoto," Jin said cheerfully. "What's good today?"
"I was just going, actually," Makoto said, furrowing his brow at Jin. He turned to give Go the same treatment. Very impartial of him. Go didn't react.
"You've been here for thirteen minutes since Ai left, and you haven't moved in that time," Go told him. "Hard to believe that you're going right now."
Makoto sighed. "Okay, fine, so I wasn't just going."
"I repeat, what's good today?"
"Uh, the quiche?"
Go felt his eyes crinkle with worry. It wasn't like Makoto to give way this easily. He was a stubborn pain in the ass, generally. One of the reasons why Go liked him.
Of course, very little fazed Jin. Outwardly, at least.
"Gouki, my good man!" Jin called at Gouki, who was scurrying towards them in with a big spotless white apron on over his blue uniform, and a tiny chef's hat perched incongruously on top of his sproingy black hair. "Three quiches, please!"
"Sorry," Go mouthed at Gouki, but Gouki just grinned and nodded, scurrying back behind the counter again.
"I'm not that rude, Gouki doesn't mind," Jin protested. "And before you say anything, Makoto, you're too thin. You need quiche even if you've already had some."
"How *are* you guys, anyway?" Go asked quietly.
Makoto toyed with his fork, making the handle scrape along the wooden tabletop.
~eeee eeee eeee~
"Tappei and Ai will be fine, don't worry. So you heard."
It wasn't a question.
"Yeah, but only a little," Jin admitted.
~eeee eeee eeee~
Go said, "We don't know what it means, exactly."
"And you decided you had to poke your noses in."
~eeee eeee eeee~
Go blinked.
Jin's mouth was a hard, thin line. He jabbed a finger at Makoto's chest. "Don't be an asshole. You know that's not why we're here."
"You know us better than that. We want to know how *you* are. Not just how Tappei and Ai are, and we're not here to gawk at you. Asshole," Go said flatly.
Makoto didn't move; just sat staring at the table. His face was unreadable.
The damn fork started up again.
~eeee eeee eeee~
"Yeah, you're right," he said at last. "Sorry."
Go put a hand on Makoto's shoulder, and felt sure that when he opened his mouth something helpful and supportive (while still showing a small amount of irritation, because that had been *harsh*) would come out. Except Gouki arrived with the plates in a flurry of motion.
Gouki was often clumsy and shy in day to day things, but he always shone in Ten Forward. He deftly set out all three plates, plus glass of water, serviettes, and various seasonings. Jin smiled brilliantly up at him in thanks, and Gouki smiled shyly in response, then swept off again.
"Wow," Go said inadequately, staring at the plate in front of him. Makoto hadn't been kidding. The slice of vegetable quiche was pale yellow, bursting with vegetables, topped with a thin layer of cheese, with a soft, flaky crust. He didn't recognise all the vegetables, but they were vibrantly coloured and looked *delicious*. The side salad had been lightly spritzed with some kind of sesame oil. Tangy greens were interspersed with wildberries and chunks of baked goat's cheese.
Makoto reached out and picked up the sea salt, then began shaking it on his quiche. At least he'd stopped with the fork.
...except he was still shaking it.
"Isn't that enough?" Jin asked, wide eyed.
Makoto said grimly, "No."
"Your tongue will melt off," Go contributed.
Makoto shook his head. "No, it won't."
Go and Jin's hands met on Makoto's wrist. "Stop that," one of them said. Go wasn't sure which one. Maybe it was both of them.
"Only if *you* stop *that*," Makoto growled. His wrist was trembling under Go's hand.
"What?"
"Being all together. We don't *have* that any more."
Go's breath hissed between his teeth. "Not at *all*? I thought you'd just lost a little of your bond."
"No. Can't hear each other at all any more."
He wrenched his hand free, except Jin caught his wrist again. "Are you trying to hurt yourself?" he demanded, pushing up the sleeve.
An angry burn mark marred Makoto's smooth skin.
"No!" Makoto snapped. "Didn't even *realise* when I did it. It just -- everything feels different, you know? Do you *get* that at all? It's like I'm walking around inside a bubble. We're born with certain knowledge of everyone around us, just a background hum, it's not like telepathy exactly, but we *know* what's going on around us. Then if we bond," and Go noticed here that Makoto was very carefully talking in the abstract, not about himself, "that gets heightened for the members of the bond. But if the members are exposed to ilkavirus, apparently *all* of that's gone. All of it. Nothing's left."
"Makoto," Go said inadequately, but Makoto wasn't done.
"I can't hear them, and I can't let on just how much that kills me, because they still need me to be strong-"
He finished on a whisper, chest heaving, then buried his face in his hands.
"You don't have to be strong around us," Jin told him fiercely.
Go slung an arm around him, resting his head on Makoto's shoulder. Makoto was shaking. "I think I get it, a little more, now," he said softly. "I'm sorry."
Makoto sighed, then sat up a little straighter. He didn't move to make Go disengage, and Go saw Jin reach out to take his hand. "I'll be okay," he managed. "And I don't know that I really get telepathy, either."
"I sure didn't, until Go started dropping thoughts into my head," Jin said, rubbing his temple in mock pain. He offered Makoto a rueful smile. "He really could've messed with me. Made me think that it was *my* idea to go places he wanted to go, do things he wanted to do. But he's too uncreative."
"Too *ethical*," Go protested.
Jin sailed on, ignoring him with the ease of long practice. "I know this won't be easy for you to deal with, Makoto. But we'll kidnap you now and then so you can be not 'the leader' for a while, mmkay?"
"I'm fine," Makoto grumbled.
Go sighed. "Yes, and Jin's a shy, delicate flower."
"Hey!"
Go kept talking, ignoring *Jin* with the ease of long practice. "Is it absolutely definitely permanent?"
Makoto chewed, then swallowed. Ah. Good. So he was actually eating. "...maybe not. They just don't know our physiology well enough, though Akira and Juri are both good doctors. Ai knows more, but she's not a qualified doctor yet."
"I could look at you telepathically if you ever want me to," Go offered tentatively. He absentmindedly broke off a chunk of the pastry crust and lifted it to his mouth. He had to bite back a groan of pleasure. *Heavenly*.
"Go, you're a mannerless heathen," Jin muttered, still gripping Makoto's hand tightly.
Makoto shook his head, but the smile on his face seemed a little more genuine now. "I'm not ready for that yet. Maybe later. Thank you."
"You be okay?" Jin asked, eyes intent on Makoto's face.
Makoto put down his fork, and reached out to take Go's hand, as well. "No, but I'll cope."