doggone

[repeatedprayer]

[In the time following his departure from Tabito and Manabu's company, the alias "Grey" has wound up sticking.

Not that everyone calls him that, he's used a few other aliases since then, but it's what he's wound up thinking of himself as. If Grey had taken the time to think about it a bit more he might have picked something with a little less connection to Rezo's name, but it's still leagues better than thinking of himself as "Rez- wait, no, just a copy." And maybe that's why he's felt significantly calmer since he left Sairaag.

By his own standards, Grey has been laudably well-behaved; sure, he's been mostly doing under-the-table psychic work, often on behalf of criminals, but! He's been trying to keep a low profile so it's usually things like clairvoyant spying rather than anything violent, and he's been making a point of not doing anything that directly impacts the galaxy railways.

It would be extremely awkward if Manabu Yuuki had to try and arrest him, after all.

He's found himself frequently thinking about Manabu, much to his annoyance. He has no serious expectations of ever seeing Manabu again, so it's simply a waste of mental bandwidth to find himself wondering what Manabu is doing right now or where he is, or to reminisince over their incredibly brief acquaintanceship. Grey can only suppose that because Manabu was the first reasonably normal person he got to know after leaving Sairaag that Manabu is going to stick out in his mind for a while.

And it's probably because of the real estate that Manabu is hogging in Grey's mind that he's been very aware of every mention of the SDF that crosses his path. He hasn't exactly been tracking the SDF's activities deliberately, but he does pay attention to the news and the SDF frequently winds up in there, even if Manabu's name in particular isn't normally dropped.

Until the day it does.

SDF Officer Taken Hostage By Pirates]

* * *

[It's taken several weeks of investigating, but Grey has been able to track down The Huntress's client, a Dr. Parish and associates. It must be a small galaxy, because Dr. Parish is someone Grey knows. Sort of.

Rather, Dr. Parish was a colleague of Rezo's who collaborated with the man on chimera research (and other unsavory things) in the past. Not only that, the man was an ardent admirer of Rezo's superior psychic prowess, and desperate to improve his own meager abilities.

He'd had quite a shock when Grey approached him in town, but after the initial surprise it had been sickeningly easy to convince Dr. Parish that he was the real Rezo. Grey can only surmise that the man wants to believe too badly to let himself be properly suspicious. It had only taken a day for Grey to be invited to tour Parish's laboratory.

The lab's located on the grounds of a former Marquess's estate, a ways out of town and secluded by trees, a high wall, and a long drive. Grey's done a little recon before, but actually being here is different, especially since he has to navigate by cane at the moment. Grey is doing his best to politely nod and smile as Parish guides him from room to room, explaining their work and occasionally handing him things to examine himself.

But evidently Parish realizes that "Rezo" isn't entirely interested, because he stops partway through an explanation of some stem cell experiments he and a few others have been working on to say "Of course, the really interesting specimens are kept in the basement floor."

Grey already knows this. He hopes his expression seems the right sort of eager.]

Interesting?

["Something along the lines of what we did in the past. Would you like to see them?"]

Nothing would please me more.

[Grey can practically hear Parish's delighted grin. To soothe the surge of irritation, Grey reminds himself that he's going to kill this man before the end of the day and allows Parish to guide him out into the hall and to the basement entrance at the back of the building.]

Comments

[siriusly]

[a fresh blush blooms on Manabu's face; he'd be safely hidden in the dark were he not so earnest in his startled fidget and sounds.

after the fumble:] That, that would mean...doing a lot less dirty work, you know.

[repeatedprayer]

[The startlement makes Grey wary, but once Manabu does not respond with outrage Grey relaxes. Mostly.]

I think my work is fairly clean as far as these things go! [Harumph!]

Besides, maybe you have a hitherto untapped talent for crime.

[siriusly]

D-don't say that...! [that's the last thing he wants to hear!]

[repeatedprayer]

I suppose it is rather hard to picture you in that role.

[Grey can't so much as imagine a younger Manabu shoplifting a candy bar from a corner store... His mother probably would not have tolerated such acts.

Grey gives Manabu an absent pat on the head.]

But the rest of it doesn't sound too bad, does it? The galaxy's full of interesting sights. We could go see them together.

[They could run away from responsibilities together.]

[siriusly]

[even in the dark, Manabu's eyes are bright. the prospect makes his chest tight, the swirl of emotions shifting from the shame of his stupid dream to the fearful prospect of...giving up everything he ever worked and fought for in order to stay at Grey's side.

why can't he have both?]

That would be nice... [nicer than he can admit.] But you'd get sick of me after a while, wouldn't you?

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey's first thought in response to that is:]

Nonsense.

[The head pat turns into a brief ruffle. Never mind that Grey has outright told Manabu that he finds him annoying sometimes! Manabu clearly has no reason to be concerned about the possibility.]

You're the most enjoyable person I know.

[siriusly]

[Manabu's breath catches, held for that ruffle. he reaches up and catches the offending hand near the wrist, guiding it away from his hair.]

At, at this point, I hope so. [anything less would be hard to grasp - almost as hard as reality itself.

before letting the hand go, he gingerly kisses at Grey's fingers.]

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey's fingers curl a little when Manabu takes hold of his wrist. After Manabu kisses those same fingers Grey's hand lingers by Manabu's face for a few moments before sliding back down to settle by Manabu's chest.]

...You're too sweet.

[It is taking a great effort of will for Grey not to pounce on Manabu all over again.

Really, if anything, Grey's afraid that Manabu's the one who would get sick of it if they ran off together. Or at least, he'd start to regret it sooner rather than later, given how conscientious he is.

But it's much more pleasant to think about than about then wonder how he's possibly going to be able to give Manabu up when the time comes.]

[siriusly]

I don't know anything about that. [he can't just take a compliment of that sort to the face, even in the dark.

he closes his eyes.]

...Two kilometers. [he has to do it. no matter where he'll wind up beyond them, the SDF or some far-off planet, he still has to walk that far first.

Manabu tucks his head down under Grey's chin and tries to relax, though the weight of all the choices and circumstances makes it hard to feel safe to settle. why can't he have both? well, the blood...the killing, for his sake...if it was for the sake of an officer, for the sake of saving a life...he'd been down that path before in his own way, so maybe...

but he can't force a man to follow a path he doesn't want to walk. if Grey doesn't want to do it, it wouldn't be right. it'd just...hurt. a lot. letting go would hurt near as hard as losing all the others he'd loved - maybe more! there's big feelings building in him that he can't fully comprehend, so he can only intuit based on what he's gone through before. this...isn't one of those experiences. this is new.

day breaks without another nightmare preamble, and Manabu remains tangled up in Grey, hidden safely away from any light cracking through shaded windows. rest without the distress is a valuable commodity his body's going to soak up as much of that it can.]

[repeatedprayer]

[Two kilometers. It's easier for Grey to think about that immediate next step and what he can do to facilitate it than it is to make longer term plans. He lets his brain run that particular hamster wheel until he's able to fall asleep, the warm weight of Manabu gently pressed against his front.

Grey dozes for quite a while, sleep broken up by random dream nonsense until well after day break. Reality filters in and with it, the contents of their conversation from last night. Grey heats up a little, not sure if he's more flustered by the fact he offered to take Manabu travelling with him indefinitely- or by the fact that Manabu didn't reject the idea outright.

Could we really...?

While Grey would like to lie there indefinitely until Manabu wakes up, he needs to use the washroom. Grey extracts himself from Manabu as carefully and quietly as he can, trying not to wake Manabu before he's ready.]

[siriusly]

[Manabu stays sound asleep for a time, his body needing the rest that uneasy dreams and worries denied him, but that lots of exercise in and out of bed demand. his tail twitches idly here and there, an errant thump stirring him to lucidity slowly but surely, until he's rolled on his stomach and laid face down, more aware of the world and a new day by the moment, but too sleepy to want to engage with it.

at least until Grey's reemerged, clean and ready for said day, already steps ahead of him; Manabu can hear him moving about.

he grumbles incoherently into the pillow.]

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey does his best to stay quiet but, well, one can only be so silent when getting ready in the morning, so he's not terribly surprised to see that Manabu's changed positions since Grey left him. At the sound of grumbling Grey pads softly over to the bed and glances down at Manabu- Grey is looking positively fresh as a daisy, although Manabu's probably still not in a position to appreciate it.]

Shall I make coffee or is it still too early?

[siriusly]

Mrhh, hrmh? [Manabu mumbles before even thinking to turn his head and be intelligible, belatedly doing so and blinking blearily in the blurry shape's direction.] You drink coffee?

[repeatedprayer]

[That earns Manabu a bemused look.]

Upon occasion, yes. There are times when even I want to wake up faster.

[siriusly]

Mmrrrrmmnn... [yeah, okay. sure. coffee. it's almost as bitter as Tabito tea, but not as tasty.

slowly, Manabu pushes himself up, getting his knees under him to sit, yawning loudly and rubbing at his eyes.]

How early is it...?

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey would complain that "mmrrrrmmnn" is not a clear answer, but he's distracted by the sight of Manabu being sleepy and cute. Give him a moment.]

...It's roughly a quarter past nine.

[siriusly]

Eh-? [he startles, eyes big.] That late already?! [it's like he's late for school or work or something...some things never change.]

[repeatedprayer]

[Grey grins, enjoying the reaction.]

We still have plenty of daylight left and I thought you needed the sleep. If it really bothers you I can set an alarm next time.

[Though since Manabu's now close to five months late to work surely a few hours doesn't make much of a difference.]

[siriusly]

[his face reddens a bit.]

Hey, I just...I don't want to waste too much time, okay? [he says that, but he's still just sitting there, isn't he. time to get up and get on his feet and go wash up.]

[repeatedprayer]

I know. We'll take it steady.

[i.e. don't rush yourself.

Grey lets Manabu handle the business of getting up and cleaned up while Grey gets dressed, then there's breakfast and all that other hootenanny to get through first before they can get down to business. As dishes are being washed, Grey suggests they head out immediately afterwards.]

Your energy should be at its highest right now, so you have a better chance of actually making it.

[Surely Manabu appreciates that vote of confidence.]

[siriusly]

[he's not going to make it through the morning routine without nearly falling over once, so he's not free from any scolding for moving too fast. even so, he still horks down breakfast as fast as he's able after cleaning up, binding the tail, and getting dressed.

he...is not going to enjoy the damp tail fur on his leg soaking the pantleg, but he's also not going to wait around for any of it to dry; let someone try and ask! he doesn't care! he'll fight!!!

the remark comes as Manabu's tugging his cap on. stubbornly:] I'm making it regardless of chances. I made the decision, didn't I? Two kilometers. And whatever else is left that we have to do. Are there things we need to pick up?

[repeatedprayer]

Making a decision is one thing; whether or not your body will cooperate is another.

[Grey eyes Manabu with no small amount of dubiousness; ironically, the more stubborn and impatient Manabu is about this, the more tempted Grey is to just tie him to the bed and make him rest instead.

He towels off the wet dishes and replaces them in the cupboard.]

There's nothing we need to pick up, no. We can simply enjoy a leisurely walk.

[And Grey will also be getting shoes and things on at a pointed, leisurely pace. Slow down, boy!!!]

[siriusly]

Ehhh... [walkies without a purpose or mission beyond the walkies themselves? seems suspicious. Manabu stuffs some of his hair under the hat to get it out of his eyes; he hopes it doesn't get too warm or sunny, or wearing this thing is going to be torture.]

Alright, fine. But something may come up anyway...

[repeatedprayer]

[Congratulations, that earns Manabu an even more dubious look before Grey hands the apartment keys over. (Manabu gets to be on look up duty.)]

Something such as?

[Manabu you had BETTER not be planning on getting into any fights today or so help him!]

[siriusly]

[oblivious to the scrutiny, since he's moving to go get shoes:] Like seeing something useful to get. I haven't seen what's further out from here, so who knows?