genessia | This Was No Accident

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This Was No Accident

WHO: Yang Xiao Long & Others
WHAT: Yang's in poor shape after her last encounter. But she gets better. And she gets angry. Then at the end of the week she hunts Mercury down to give him so many words.
WHEN: October 15th - 21st, 2017
WHERE: Hospital - OPEN (10/15-10/17), Anywhere but Attleton - OPEN (10/18-10/20), Mercury's Apartment - CLOSED (10/21)
WARNINGS: Mentions of past traumatic events (Yang's lost arm, child abuse, shitty circumstances all around), possibly some Dad jokes

"Hahh--!!"

Yang jerked awake with a start. The smell of a hospital room carried a lot of strong, awful memories for her. That sickening plunge in her gut when she'd tried to lift her right hand only to see the blood-stained bandages tied around a useless stump...the sight of everyone's faces gathered around her but no sign of Blake or Ruby...

...The dread, sorrow, and guilt on her father's face that he tried to hide behind a smile when he came to take her home, telling her that Ruby still wasn't awake...

And for one horrible moment, when she looked at the empty space where a right arm should have been, all of those memories surged up and threatened to overwhelm her. But then she saw the yellow and black of her prosthetic, resting neatly on the nightstand beside her bed. Slowly, the terror began to wane, replaced by disappointment. Again, she'd needed saving, and again, she'd failed to save someone she cared about.

Her gaze shifted to the nightstand on her left side where her communicator rested. She picked it up.

Inbox - 0 Messages

Yang frowned. Well, it was still early. People didn't recover quickly from the beating of an angry, overprotective father who'd seen his daughter's life in danger. She'd just have to give it some time. For now, she had to concentrate on the good things. Her dad (of all people!) was here. The nurses could restore Yang's aura and fix her injuries. Her father could help her pick up the pieces of a broken heart.

Hunters and Huntresses of Remnant seldom stayed out of a fight for long. As Yang's aura returned, so did her strength and vital energy, accelerating the superficial injuries she'd sustained. Her nose would hurt for a while, and her ribs ached, but the only wound that seemed like it might not fully mend over without a scar was the deep gouge in her right shoulder that Marcus had deliberately carved into her. She only needed two days to recover, but those 48 hours were agonizing. Once the nurses told her that Mercury had checked out almost the second he'd opened his eyes, Yang's worry turned to annoyance, and she checked her comm.

Inbox - 0 Messages

After several minutes of mulling over, she decided to reach out first. For all she knew, he assumed she blamed him for what happened and was afraid she'd track him down again the way she had in Nova City for their reunion. She left a message and went to sleep. When she woke up, another check of the comm device yielded the same results.

Inbox - 0 Messages

"Aaaaaagh!" she growled her frustration, hurling the device across the room.

...

...And then she sheepishly asked a nurse if she could please have it back.

When Yang was well enough to leave, she hooked her painted metal arm securely back in place and rolled her sleeve down over the elbow. If Mercury needed time to sort things out, she'd leave him alone. That couldn't have been a good experience for him, the last thing he needed was Yang showing up to flaunt her injuries in his face.

But he wasn't going to be left alone forever. With each passing day, Yang's impatience and irritation pushed her temper closer and closer to the surface. There were still some people she needed to talk to, so she'd seek them out if they didn't manage to find her first. Once she ran out of distractions, though? She knew exactly who she was going to be gunning for, and he couldn't hide from her for long.

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[ It hasn't been a good week.

The events of last Saturday were playing on an infinite loop in his mind - the voice of his father, the sight of him in the reflection of nearby windows, the feel of his poison in his blood as he brutalized two of the few people here who knew who he was and still wanted anything to do with him. It wasn't just the sight of it that sickened him, but the memory.

Because he can't tell where his thoughts end and those of Marcus Black begin.

Some of it was blatant lies, things his father would say to hurt someone just because he could. Of course he wanted Emerald around. Of course he doesn't want her out of his life. They may treat each other like shit now and then but they've always had each other's backs when push came to shove. She's his friend, as alien as that word feels for him to use.

But some of it was true.

They'd made him soft, in some ways. He didn't feel that same ruthless edge that he used to, and a part of him misses that. Forming these bonds had taken some of that away from him, and he knows it. A couple years ago, he never would have considered even pretending to like Yang for any reason other than to hurt her in the end, and now hurting her is one of the things that has him feeling the most miserable.

But in some ways, in some dark part of himself, it still felt good.

The lights haven't been turned on in about a week - Mercury hasn't done much other than wake up, eat, go straight to work (where he's been next to useless, truth be told), and come back home to mope until he falls asleep. Yang's tried to reach him, but he hasn't figured out what to say to her so he's ignored it completely. Emerald... he doesn't know where she is, and he doesn't blame her. He doesn't have any right to say it's safe to come back when he's the one who drove her away in the first place.

The chairs are ignored today, his back to a wall with his body slumped against it, staring unfocused at the floor. On the table, a short distance away, is a bottle of whiskey.

It's not full. ]

[Yang leaves for Nova City just an hour after daybreak. She'd rather not wade through the sea of monsters that plague Genessia City every night. Nova's got its problems too, sure, but Yang isn't in the mood to suffer fools. Anything that tries to block her path receives a ruthless punch to drive it into the ground, and Yang steps right over their unconscious bodies. No, she knows what she wants, and nothing's going to stop her from getting it.]

[She checks the old note in her communicator, verifying the floor and room number of Mercury Black's apartment. She'd been told that Mercury had been showing up for work at least, and hearing that just made her even angrier that he'd chosen to ignore her. All he'd have to do is send one text. Tap a few buttons with his fingers, and she knows those fingers aren't broken. But he doesn't, and his grace period is up.]

[Reaching his door, she lifts her fist and knocks.]

[Or rather, 'knock' is too kind a word for her trio of short, forceful pounds from the flat of her fist. She's pretty sure he's home, she just needs to know for sure before she starts wreaking havoc.]

[ He hears the footsteps coming up the stairs, but he's surprised that it's his door they stop outside. Well, initially surprised - thinking about it for half a second gives him an idea of a couple people it may be, and he doesn't want to see any of them. ]

Go away.

[ Because surely, that will work. ]

[Oh, that is the wrong answer. Yang's heart thumps faster as her temper rises. At least now she knows she's found him. She 'knocks' again, three times, more forceful and insistent than before.]

[Last shot. Open the door.]

Take a hint and get lost.

[ He's not sure if he'd go out there and throw someone down the stairs, but god damn if it isn't tempting.

But it's not necessary. They'll leave. He's not letting them in, that's for sure. ]

[Silence.]

[There are no retreating footsteps, but the knocking stops.]

[Well, almost. There's just one more 'knock', but it's a doozy. The door doesn't even get to creak in protest as its blown clean off of its hinges with one swift punch from Yang's metal fist. She stands in the doorway, hair flickering, eyes burning red, while Mercury's buckled and dented door clatters and skids across the ground to bump into the wall beside him.]

[She takes one step into the room, then another.]

You and I are going to have a talk, Mercury Black.

[ He jolts upright with a start as the door explodes into the room, but the surprise in his face is dimmed immediately at the golden blaze of aura that walks into the room. Of course. Of course it's her.

He doesn't get up, eyes wandering to the side as he shrugs with forced indifference. ]

Apparently so.

[ He's not looking forward to this. ]

[There's not a trace of fear on his face; just resignation. He must have known she was coming for him, but as she registers the disconsolate slump of his shoulders and defeat on his face, a sharp pang twists inside of her.]

[It's not a good look on him. Is this how it was after his father laid hands on him, digging in another mark with that knife, peppering a child's body with a coat of bruises?]

[Yang looks at the glass bottle on the table, then back at Mercury. At least it isn't vodka.]

[She moves forward, coming to a stop just inches from the heels of his boots stretched out in front of him.]

Get up.

[ He watches her boots as they approach, rolling his eyes at her order. ]

Or what?

[ It's a dull challenge - but a valid question all the same. After what they'd gone through, he doubts she'll physically make him. So what will she do, then, if he doesn't feel like getting up? ]

Edited 2017-10-15 20:28 (UTC)

[Yang closes her eyes, lips pursed as she forces out a sigh.]

I'm not giving you an ultimatum, Mercury.

[She remembers just how well that worked out the last time she put a choice before him. But she's not budging from her spot, nor is she backing down.]

I know you're feeling pretty crummy right now. But those feelings aren't going to go away if you keep drowning yourself in all of that loathing and misery.

[Yang's brow furrows.]

You think I'm just going to ignore everything that happened out there?

[She points behind her, ignoring the sharp bite of pain in her shoulder that comes with the gesture.]

There are consequences you're just going to have to face, and the longer you put it off, the harder it's going to be to accept those consequences and move on. So I'm not giving you an order. I'm telling you that this is what you need to do, and you know I'm not wrong.

Get. Up.

[She holds her left hand out to him...the same one she extended to Marcus Black when he lured her in for that first blow.]

Edited 2017-10-15 20:48 (UTC)

[ He lifts his head to stare at the hand being offered to him, expression numb save the slightest twitch of his brow. Her words piss him off a little, not because he disagrees but because he knows she's right. It's the hardest thing to do, but it's what has to be done.

God damnit.

He doesn't take the hand - he's a stubborn thing, getting onto one knee before pushing himself upright the rest of the way. He wobbles a bit - stood up too fast after sitting for too long, maybe? - before looking her dead in the eye.

There's nothing sharp in there. The steel is dulled. ]

I'm up. Come on. Hit me with some consequences. Let's get this over with.

[He did it.]

[In spite of all of his pain and misery, he still managed to get back onto his feet, expecting her to lay into him, and punch him out for all that she suffered at Marcus's hands...his hands. The steel might be dulled, but it's still there, and that's what she was hoping to find.]

[She kind of thought she'd give him a nod of respect, or at least utter something like 'You asked for it' or 'Here it comes.' But honestly? There's only so much she can take, and she's held back too much for too long as it is.]

[Without warning, she's on him, taking that half-step to erase the space between the two of them. With a soft rustle of cloth and a creak of leather from her jacket, her arms come up.]

[And she enfolds him in a tight hug.]

[Her metal arm circles the back of his shoulders, her other hand cradling the back of his head as her eyes squeeze shut, and her cheek presses to his.]

I...am so...so...proud of you.

[Her fingers lift slightly, as if she's going to let him go. She doesn't. Instead her fingers come back down, brushing through the short grey hairs on the nape of his neck as she holds him tight.]

I never really appreciated how far you came. I know you'd had some tough times, but seeing how far that road goes back...at the path you could have chosen, that no one could have blamed you for choosing...you're here. You're here, and you're amazing, and strong.

[Her heart still aches for what he suffered as a boy. It probably will for a long time. But though she does feel pity, it's nothing compared to the warmth and admiration she has for him to stand on his feet in spite of all his pain and humiliation. Her fingers stroke his hair as she exhales against his shoulder.]

Edited 2017-10-15 21:18 (UTC)

[ He waits, impatiently, for her to just do what she no doubt came here to do. Get even. He would take it, he deserved it.

Turns out he would be waiting a long time.

He doesn't understand it at first, the way she wraps her arms around him - he thinks at first she may throw him or slam him back down, but she just... holds him. It's not that he's never been close to someone, physically - between dancing and his occasional romps in bed he's no stranger to physical proximity. But this was...

She was proud?

His lips fall open as she strokes his hair, eyes wavering in uncertainty. A part of him yearns for this, whatever it is, desperately wants to reciprocate, but his stubborn pride keeps his arms at his sides, hands balled into fists. He can't understand it. She's praising him, him, after he carved a hole in her body and nearly strangled her with her own arm.

Well, not "him" exactly. He... no, he definitely wouldn't have done that. He's still figuring out where the lines between Mercury and Marcus were that night, but what he did to Yang was not on his mind at all before falling into Attleton.

He's shaking, not a lot, but it's been so draining on him that he just can't hold it back. ]

That was me.

[ He takes a long, careful breath - he's not sure what it is that he's feeling, right now, but it's something he hasn't held in his heart in over a decade. ]

The first time you met me here, I would have said those same things with that same smile if I had the chance. How can I know I'm not just fooling myself?

[ What if he goes back? ]

I'm not him. I'm not, but... I'm his son. And that's always going to be in there, somewhere.

Yeah...maybe. We all have that inside of us. I know I do.

[He doesn't need to embrace her in return. He's not ready, she knows that. But as long as he isn't pushing her away, she's staying right here.]

And you know why you're not going to become him the same way I know... Because you're afraid of doing those things. Your dad...he wasn't afraid. He was just angry, and violent, and full of hate. That place was showing you what you feared most...the way it showed me Adam, just as we were leaving.

[The identity of the man who haunts her nightmares is not something she admits easily, even if she's sure he already know, but he's already had so much of himself stripped raw and exposed to her, whether he wanted her to know or not. This is the least she can do in return. Besides, it was Adam she saw, not Mercury. Not even after all that happened to her that day.]

A man who's afraid of becoming the person who hurt him the most...instead of fearing the person himself...is never. Never. Going to become that person. Do you understand that?

[Yang withdraws, just enough that she can look him in the eyes. She needs him to see her conviction and faith, and know that she's not just saying it because it's what she wants. Her hand rests upon his cheek, and she brushes her thumb over the line of his cheekbone.]

If I thought for one second that you might pick up where he left off, I wouldn't be here.

[ What is she?

In his gut there's a part of him that doesn't want to listen to a thing she says, because he's had far more experience with the bad things in life than the good. She can preach her optimism all she wants, but there's no way for her to know that any of it is true. What if he just gets bored of playing nice? He remembers how it felt to have so much fun at the expense of so many innocent people, what if that urge comes back? He can't deny the possibility. He just can't.

But she makes him want to, so bad.

He looks at her and it's like staring into the sun, brilliant and warm and painful, and he's at loss. He's not used to this. He's used to being berated, scolded, beaten in the past and chided in the present. Even Weiss, who encouraged his new direction, had her own attitude about it. There was always that lingering "if" - if he'd really turn a new leaf, if he'd stick it out, if he'd actually try. Yang, in such short time, has determined it not to be an "if". For her, it's a definite.

He's the one who was ripped from the earth and exposed to the sun - but maybe, only now, is the sun actually shining on him. ]

...

[ What the hell can he even say to that? ]

Yeah. I get it.

[ Eyes dart to one side, trying to figure out something, anything else to add...

Before meeting hers again. A gleam, somewhere in the steel. ]

For what it's worth? I'm fine if you think the scars are hot.

[ TOO SOON????

... But it's only because of her that he can even crack a joke now, that he can start to pull himself out of the muck of his emotional distress. Hopefully, she takes that away from his remark more than anything. ]

[Yang blinks, her mouth falling open. He just...]

[Then the corners of her mouth curve, and she's smiling. He's going to be okay. Unable to suppress a helpless little laugh, she puts her arms around him again and squeezes tight. Get over here, you dork.]

Yeah. They're hot.

[Not just because he's tough, but because he weathered the very worst life had to throw at him. He didn't just survive. He endured, thrived, and made himself strong. She meant it when she said she was proud of him, and it's more true now than ever before.]

...But I'm still going to yell at you later for not returning my call.

[Later, though. Not now. Now, she just wants him to feel the warmth of her aura bleeding into his, to shake off those feelings of misery and guilt for at least a little while.]

[ He grunts a bit at the squeeze, because she gives hugs like a bear, but he doesn't try to pry her off or anything. In fact, after a moment's hesitation she'll actually feel his arms around her waist, and while he doesn't threaten to crack her spine the way that she does there's a light pressure there, just enough to make sure that she stays against him even if she loosens her grip.

He's new to this hugging thing. It's not the worst. ]

Could we just skip that part? I'm not looking forward to it.

[ That sensation of aura's intermingling is also mostly alien, and in this kind of context it's definitely the first time. He's tempted to not encourage her to let go even further, but.

There's his stomach.

Growling.

Because he decided not to eat today. ]

... At the very least, can it wait until I get some fuel in me?

Consequences.

[She'll probably skip it, though. As long as he gets the message that he shouldn't worry her like that. But...the broken door is punishment enough, she can't really get much clearer about how he should never ignore her calls again.]

[She starts to rest her chin on his shoulder, surrendering to all of the warm feelings they're sharing, when his stomach rudely interrupts. Yang jerks back in surprise, blinking down at his abs. Then she grins.]

All right. You get a pass this time. But you're not eating anything until you've had a shower.

[She lets go only so she can take his shoulders, turn him in the direction of the bathroom, and give him a firm nudge.]

Go clean up, I'll fix you something to eat.

So demanding!

[ Is his token protest, but he doesn't do a thing to stop her from pushing him towards the bathroom. Honestly, now that he's out of his mental funk, he's regrettably aware of his physical one. He hasn't taken very good care of himself, this past week.

He'll do better.

He turns his head in the doorway, giving her a look with a weak sort of smile, something a bit strained. ]

Just watch out for the glass.

[ Is all he'll say before he closes the door behind him.

In the kitchen, she'll find, is the remains of a glass shattered along the floor, near a wall with a stain where the impact must have taken place. It's still wet, and if she were to get a sniff...

Whiskey.

He had been this close to actually drinking it. ]

[Yang slowly rises from where she'd squatted to get a better look. She might not be as quick on the uptake as some of her teammates, but she realizes what this is. Realizes what it means. And she knows her faith in Mercury was neither misplaced, nor false optimism. She smiles, closes her eyes, and exhales. He's going to be okay.]

[There's not a lot in his fridge to work with, but there are eggs, and strips of meat that she's pretty sure are bacon. That'll work. Honestly she spends more time scouting around for something to tie up her hair than scrounging up groceries, and after shooting a rubber band a very dirty look, she grits her teeth and threads her thick mane through the loop. Only once; the ponytail is loose, but she doesn't want the rotten thing to pull her hairs out when she removes the band later.]

[She scrubs a pan clean, oils it, and cracks two eggs to fry them sunny-side up. And while she cooks, she can figure out where he keeps the broom and dustpan to clean up the evidence of his willpower as well as throw away the empty whiskey bottle. The longer Mercury takes in the shower, the cleaner his apartment will be when he emerges, and the colder the plate of eggs and bacon conveniently arranged into a happy face is going to get.]

[ He doesn't hurry in the shower - though there's a part of him that wants to, something in him that's almost giddy, and he's struggling to keep himself in check as he washes his hair. A day ago he felt lethargic and uninspired, but now it's like he has a week's worth of energy to make up for. He wants to get back out there, have some breakfast, dump that damn whiskey right down the drain, go somewhere, do something--

He can't.

It's not a return to his dismal state that brings him to that conclusion, but in his euphoria, the endorphin rush of having Yang come and snap him out of it, he couldn't let himself ignore the fact that Emerald was still nowhere to be seen. Once he was up and ready, he needed to reach out to her. The more he thinks on it the more he realizes he fucked up by not reaching out to her sooner, and it's only then that he hurries to finish showering.

... He didn't bring a change of clothes in with him. Yang had kind of pushed him in without giving him a chance to.

So he steps out of the bathroom with nothing on but a towel around his waist, single-mindedly making his way to the side table by the couch where he left his comm device, picking it up to thumb a message to Emerald. Hopefully she'd respond, and soon.

It's then that he realizes the litter that was strewn near the couch is missing. And the bottle on the table. And... his breakfast is smiling at him.

He peers at Yang, an eyebrow arched as he heads for his bedroom to get some actual clothes on. ]

You're kind of a mother hen, you know that?

[Too bad it's not a voice or video message, otherwise Emerald would have heard Yang's cheerful 'rowr' of appreciation as she walks past the entry dividing the kitchen from the living area, still cheerfully engaged in cleaning up. Coincidentally, she's been trying to think of how to broach the subject of Emerald. She wants to make sure Mercury is steady first before she starts pushing him to make amends.]

[But when she passes by again, and sees him tapping on his communicator, she stops. And smiles. See? He doesn't even need her to support him and tell him the right thing to do. He's got this.]

[And if he wants to stab his happy breakfast, Yang won't hold it against him.]

It's a big sister thing.

[And a daughter thing, but she's not telling him too much about Tai's heartbreak just yet. Soon, though. Now that her father is here, Mercury should know what he's about to be dealing with. Yang watches as he heads toward his bedroom, and though she's respectful about staying away from the view of his doorway, she can at least appreciate the sight as he walks that way.]

You look a million times better, by the way.

[And, as she notices there's no more Old Spice lingering in the air...]

Smell better too. Nice upgrade on the bodywash!

Only a million?

[ He calls back through the door, before picking out his attire for the day. Nothing fancy - a grey long-sleeve shirt with some sort of black pattern on the sleeves, a pair of black jeans. He doesn't bother with shoes - it's his apartment, it's mostly carpeted, and he doesn't care about scratches in the floor wherever it's wood.

When he steps out, he continues: ]

Besides, I couldn't walk around smelling like your old man. Probably better not to cross those wires.

[ It's a little hard to joke about her dad given everything that happened, but if anyone can snark his way through discomfort it's Mercury.

He seats himself down at the table to start eating, promptly stabbing an eggy eye with his fork to get to work. ]

Didn't know he was actually here.

Ha ha! I appreciate that.

[The breakfast dishes are washed up...these Nova City apartments are kind of amazing with their dishwashing technology...so she comes out to join him on the couch, very, very carefully working the rubber band out of her hair.]

He must have just arrived. I didn't know he was here either. Lucky for us, he was.

[She watches him eat with some small sense of pride and satisfaction. She has a mild tendency to overcook eggs and make bacon extra crisp, since that's the way she likes it. Her semblance might influence her cooking style, too.]

When you're up for it...maybe you can meet him. I mean, we are getting hitched.

[She elbows his arm with a wink before getting back to work on her hair.]

Did you call Emerald?

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