Day 260 (Backdated) - Homeward Bound

[windgod]

Who: Ippo and Ibuki
Open: Open
When: Day 260
Where: The Bastion In General
What: Ippo's home and not feeling too hot.
Format: Action
Warnings: Sad feels and happy feels and Ibuki probably

[The entire way home, Ippo had been for the most part, silent beyond a few words in response to things said to him. His heart was still beating in his ears and his chest felt like someone had trapped it in a vice.

How loud had he been yelling? How hard had he been pounding on that creature? Everything had gone by in such a blur, he didn't even notice until someone was pulling him off of the dead body so they could drag Colin out. He'd been fine of course, as Colin was wont to be most of the time, but he couldn't shake that raw terror he'd felt watching his friend get swallowed whole. A fear had gripped him so absolutely that even in the face of saving the engineer, he couldn't shake it even now.

His feelings weighed around his neck like chains and even as he came in off the Skyway, he landed hard on one knee, much opposed to his usual, more solid landings.

Even as lost in his thoughts and emotions as he was, he couldn't not notice the small tuft of brightly colored hair poking out from beneath a blanket near the entrance. Had...Ibuki really slept here waiting for him to get back? It was a shock enough to pull him from his thoughts and into the present as he walked over to the blanket and knelt down, putting a hand on Ibuki's shoulder.]

Ibuki...? You shouldn't sleep here, you might catch something.

[His voice sounded distant, even to him, as if he were listening to someone else speak, but the meaning was there all the same. He might have not been here for that plague, but he'd heard about it, and had his own fair share of sickness as well. The last thing he wanted was for Ibuki to come down with something because she was waiting outside for him to get back.]

Comments

[windgod]

Y-yeah...

[He was still shaking...rather badly, to the point where when he let go of her hands so he could move the tray off his lap for safety, the silverware was audibly clattering against the plates, but it seemed to abate a bit once he took hold of Ibuki in a hug.]

Y-you're right...I'm just...I'm just saying things...it's the nerves...right? I just...saw something bad...it's over now though...isn't it?

[No...no it wasn't over. He could come back here, come back to Ibuki and distract himself for a while, but eventually he'd have to go back out there. Go back out to the danger. It was always there, in the back of his head, no matter how he drowned it out with happy feelings and doki doki's as Ibuki would say. It was all he could do, really.

Not that it was a bad thing though. Everyone coped with things in their own ways, and with Ippo...it was taking pleasure in the more minute things in his life. His friends, his relationship, even the taste of good food and the feel of warm sun on his skin. He might have to go back out there...yes, he would definitely, he might even see equally or more horrifying things, but he had an out from them at the end of the day.

He had Ibuki. And his room, and the food next to him and the friends he cared about. That was enough for his day to day existence.]

[scary_music]

...

... It's... okay to cry, Ippo-chan. Just... you know, you know, go for it...

[she squeezes him gently]

It's... it's nice to have somebody there for you when you're feeling bad, right? Right? So, so, Ibuki's here! She'll always be here for you!

[Though, as she spoke, there was a small hitch in her voice...]

[... as far as she could tell, besides that small incident at the hospital, she was safe here at the Bastion. The excursions she made for shards were more or less safe, because she never ventured too far, and she was always with somebody who could easily overpower what they went up against]

[... but now that she knew about cores... that there was another one out there that they'd go after... and that apparently these core hunts were always so dangeorus]

Just... just... let it all out... okay...?

[... there was that possibility that Ippo wouldn't come back... and Ibuki herself couldn't help but cry]

[windgod]

[He took a deep, deep breath...but he didn't cry. No, he couldn't bring himself to cry; he'd gotten a lot of those particular feelings out turning the side of that creature into mush, so instead he focused on the hug and just...enjoyed it for what it was worth. Though when Ibuki started to cry he did start to rub her back.]

It's...alright, I'm fine now. I'm here, with you, and food on our bed in our apartment. Even if things do get dangerous in the future...things will end fine I think. We all have our reasons to come back and if we work together, there's no way we can't. I know that I promised I'd never leave you alone, I intend on keeping that promise.

[scary_music]

Y-yeah... yeah...

[Ibuki sniffles a bit, and she clumsily brings up a hand from behind Ippo's back to rub her eyes a bit]

It's a promise we'll never break! We'll always have each other!

Ahaha... Ibuki was trying to cheer up Ippo-chan, but she turned into a crybaby instead... whoops?

[windgod]

It's fine...I feel a lot more at ease now.

[He smiled, genuinely and warmly, and brought a hand up to rub the spot between her horns.]

I think that's enough negative talk for one day. Let's finish breakfast and take that nap, alright?

[scary_music]

Eheheh...

Yeah, yeah! Breakfast, before it gets all cold!

... it... it might already be a bit cold now! But but, it should still be delicious???

[windgod]

If you made it, there's no way it couldn't be delicious.

[And now he's got a fork full of pancakes! Open wide Ibuki!!]

[scary_music]

Aaaaaaahhhhhhh~

[windgod]

[...No he'll steal a kiss first.]

Thank you very much Ibuki.

[Now he'll give you the pancakes.]

[scary_music]

...!

[Even Ibuki can be taken offguard at times! What she'd thought was going to be pancake time turned to kiss kiss time!]

[... and so the pancakes would bump against her lips a bit, which snaps her out of it]

U-uwah! Ippo-chan, Ibuki has been caught off guard! The doki dokis are out of control!

[windgod]

I wouldn't be a good boxer if I couldn't adapt. I'm full of surprises.

[He gave Ibuki a wink and held up those pancakes for her to nyom on, it was like his confidence was increasing every day that went by at this point.[

[scary_music]

Ehehe... Ibuki will have to come up with new surprises, just for Ippo-chan!

[And then nom, pancakes~]

[windgod]

I'll keep that in mind. Knowing you, it'll be something spectacular.

[Ibuki wasn't one to go halfhearted on things after all.]

[scary_music]

Ooh! Now the challenge has been set! Ibuki will try not to let you down, Ippo-chan!

[windgod]

I don't think that's physically possible.

[scary_music]

Surprise egg attack!

[Suddenly, forkful of eggs coming at Ippo's mouth!]

[... if he doesn't open his mouth in time, Ibuki will stop just short of his lips]

[windgod]

[How did Ibuki get a fork? How did she get eggs? How did she do both with Ippo looking right at her the whole time? Questions without answers, and all Ippo had for them was a mouth full of delicious eggs.

Nyom~]

[scary_music]

Nyom~

How was it, Ippo-chan, how was it?

[windgod]

Egg-cellent!

[...]

[scary_music]

Ibuki is glad! She's so glad that she's eggstatic!

[windgod]

Your cooking has gotten Eggceedingly better than last time, and that's saying something! I'm very proud of you.

[scary_music]

[She laughs at that]

The next time will be even more eggstravagant!

[windgod]

That's eggciting to hear, I can't wait!

[scary_music]

Don't get too eggcited, or you'll get eggshausted from working yourself up!

[windgod]

With all the eggcercise I do? I'm surprised you eggspected so little of me!