deercountry | (closed) march catchall

Entry tags:

(closed) march catchall

Who: Ange (

entreats), Chizuru (

tealeafs), Daniel (

miyagimagic) and various others.
What: March shenanigans.
When: During all of March.
Where: Locations vary.

Content Warnings: Nothing right now, specific warnings will be in headers when they come up.

( starters in the comments! if you want to plot anything with me, feel free to either pm the journal or contact me at

queeningsquare, i'm always open to new ideas and threads! )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ The world is a chaotic thing. A mass of fragmented thoughts, memories, drenched in a heat that burns at Robby when he comes to in a gasping panic. He's restricted, Mister LaRusso is above his body again, or so he thinks; but it's the bedsheet twisted against his limbs that Robby frantically tears away with a sob. He needs to get out; he needs to get Mister LaRusso out.

Some part of him realises this isn't that time, but--it doesn't matter, really. Relief doesn't come, and the panic stays as he struggles to remember the events: Sunny asking him to help Mob, finding him with Paimon and Midoriya; Sunny and Mob disappearing for a time before coming back, being safe. Instances that blink in and out of Robby's memory as he pushes himself down, searching a way off from where he's laying until his feet and legs are hanging off the bed, and the rest of Robby joins himself on the floor. He only just manages to cling on, holding onto the edge as if for dear life.

And maybe he is, with how his limbs ache and the world feels like it's on fire. Is this it? Did he push it too far? Saeri--he's sorry. All those warnings, and he didn't even do anything worthwhile with the tattoo. It was a demon that got Sunny there.

But if he's dying, or only if he's sick, Robby doesn't want to be stuck in here in this room. It doesn't seem like he has a choice, when lifting himself up seems impossible, but Robby tries at, scraping his hands farther along the bed to get his feet under him. He doesn't know if he's breathing hard from the effort or from his burning head. Robby stops anyway to catch his breath, twisting his head to look behind him and the distance to the door.

It's farther than he likes. Even with his eyes closed, Robby feels the dizzying behind his lids. But he has to move, he has to--because what if Mister LaRusso isn't awake yet? What if he never does wake? Robby left him, and it kills him to think about, and that's reason enough for Robby to push himself onto his feet. The lamp on his bedside table knocks over when he stumbles towards it to grab at the wall, and that's how Robby fumbles his way towards the door. Clinging onto surfaces, pressing his face against any- and everything cool.

Sluggishly, miserably, Robby finds his hands on the handle of Mister LaRusso's bedroom door. It takes a few rattles to get it open, and he holds on as he walks carefully into the room. Purposely avoiding looking at the bed until he's a decent way in, and he sees a figure there. A body. A person.

A man.

He slurs his title and surname in a shaky breath, and wobbles on slow steps over to the bed. His knees buckle even at the lightest bump against the mattress, but Robby doesn't care--Mister LaRusso isn't moving, might be asleep, and no no no-- ]

You can' sleep, [ he mumbles, trying to be loud and failing. He lets his weight knock over, and he falls onto the better on an elbow, hunched over, but--it's fine. Mister LaRusso's right there, and he can get his hands onto him now. ]

L'russo, Mm-- 'Russo. Dad, dad. [ His upper arms ache with each push of his arms sore to the bone, but Robby persists. Pushing, nudging, pleading. ] You can't die--.... I didn't mean it, I thought I was helping... Thought I could do it.

[ And now look at Mister LaRusso, look what he did to him. Look what he did to everyone. ]

[ Ever since Daniel got hit by that slab of concrete, there's been nothing. Not even dreams, just-- a lack of anything at all. The man may have been out for hours upon hours into the very early - or late, depending on how you look at it - hours of the next day, but when there's suddenly something it feels like no time has passed at all to Daniel's brain.

Not that said brain remembers very clearly what's supposed to be going on. Opening his eyes feels hard, and he's not sure why. His body, too, feels heavy, like he's completely unable to move it. It's like someone suddenly dialed the force of gravity up to eleven, and Daniel feels completely stuck in the position he's in right now, unable to move anything. He feels so heavy. He feels so-- it hurts. It hurts so bad, and for a moment it almost feels like he's seventeen and lying on the mat of a karate tournament, except everything is too quiet and he can't hear mister Miyagi calling his name, so that's not it.

No, there is someone calling his name. Not mister Miyagi, but someone else familiar. It takes a moment for his brain to make the connection, his eyes still closed, but then the realisation of whose voice that is hits Daniel like a truck. Robby. That's right-- Robby. He was trying to think about Robby. He's in his fifties, and he's-- in bed, he thinks, since he can vaguely feel the texture of a blanket somewhere at the edges of pain. And Robby's there.

That last part feels more right than anything else as Daniel tries to recall how he got here in the first place. He remembers Robby. A frantic desire to protect the boy, he remembers that too.

.. protect him from what, though? Daniel's mind feels so foggy, and thinking through the pain that shoots through him with each passing moment feels too difficult.

Instead he decides to move his efforts towards attempting to open his eyes instead. It feels much harder than it ought to be, but slowly his eyes do open, revealing.. mostly darkness, which isn't too helpful.

His eyes fall shut again, with how hard it is to keep them open, but he does force them open again. Forces his sight to adjust to the darkness around him, trying to find Robby, only to realise the boy is already right there, Daniel's body too numb and yet hurt all at the same time to even properly register the way the boy is nudging him.

He mostly just hears him. Calling out Daniel's name, and-- and something else, something that only registers with a part of Daniel's mind right now, ready to think about and process later when thinking doesn't feel like it's so hard.

.. Robby is saying so much more though. He doesn't know if it's because he himself is feeling so weird, but the rest of it all seems to make so little sense.

How out of it is Daniel right now..? And there's someone else he's trying to remember too, someone who should be there-- who is it..?

He's so tired, and he lets out a small, exhausted breath as he tries to regain enough sensation in his throat and mouth to speak. ]

Robby...

[ The name is said so softly, little more than a whisper or a breath that carries the name, but it's still audibly escaping the man. ]

Mister LaRusso. [ The name leaves Robby without pause after the man speaks. Like lightning, snatching onto that small hope in a sound he almost didn't hear but wants to believe he did. Robby grabs at the sleeve of Mister LaRussoo's shirt, puts another on his head--because he doesn't know where else to grab, so he'll go for anywhere. ]

LaRusso, you have to stay awake-- [ his voice creeps into one more urging, delicate, like a boy trying to get a baby to agree with him, and not a man nearing his fifties. ] You can't sleep, see? You-- you're not good. You have to stay awake. That's what they say.

[ On the television, the shows that his mom sometimes watches with the good-looking doctors or firefighters. You have to keep the person conscious, and after what happened to Mister LaRusso, doesn't it make sense he should stay awake, too? Robby can't lose him, even if he'll come back from the sea. He doesn't want to lose him, though he has nothing to offer, nothing to make him better.

But it's hard to keep the world still in his own vision, looking down at a man that his vision keeps trying to twist around. Robby swallows against a dry throat, screws closed his eyes, and tries to steady the world and to no avail.

He just--he just needs to keep it together long enough to make sure Mister LaRusso comes out of this okay. That's right--he'll do that. He can do this. He'll make sure he keeps him awake. ]

[ He's not good?

Well, sure, it does feel like something is wrong with him. Even Daniel in his foggy state can tell that much. His body feels way too heavy, impossible to move, and surely that can't be right in any way, even if his mind is still a little fuzzy as he tries to recall what got him here in the first place.

But even through it, there's something that seems a little off about Robby. Something Daniel can't quite place, and the man isn't sure whether it's the fault of his own mind and how hard it feels to process much of anything right now, or if it's something on Robby's part.

And he doesn't want to risk Robby not being alright.

So Daniel assumes the latter for the moment, or at least wants to explore it. He can feel Robby's hand against his arm, the fabric of his sleeve, and Daniel wills his arm to move just enough so he can instead blindly grasp a hold of that hand, holding it in his own. (God, why does even moving little bits like that take so much out of him? It isn't right. It can't be right.) ]

Robby.

[ Even talking feels difficult still, and so he first just repeats the name, especially when Robby's words are coming so quickly that it feels hard to get a word in between them.

Daniel blearily blinks in the dark. ]

Are you.. alright..?

[ That feels important. Even when everything in his mind is foggy, Daniel knows this is important. The last thought in his mind before everything faded out lingers even now, taking precedence over anything else in there.

Robby has to be alright. ]

[ He's pliable under Mister LaRusso's touch, hand going where the man wants it, and the sound of his voice jolts something in Robby's chest. His heart? Maybe that, trying to lodge itself in his throat with how on edge he feels, erratic. ] Mister LaRusso, [ he answers to his name like a hope, and when Mister LaRusso asks how he is, he's nodding as vehemently as he can. ]

I'm fine, 'm okay. [ Nevermind how he sounds assuring it, breathy, like he's stringing the words together while under the influence. But Mister LaRusso isn't sounding much better, so who is anyone in this room to judge? Robby clasps the handing holding his with his other one, his shoulders slowly heaving and falling to his breathing. ]

Mob--'s okay. Got him back... we...I should've stopped him, 'Russo. Told him I would--didn't want him to die. I said it'd be okay-- I said he'd count on me, but he's Kenny all over again. Shouldn't have left him there, Mister LaRusso...

[ It's hot, it's hard to focus. Mister LaRusso's hand is refreshing against the skin of his hands, but it does nothing to the heat hovering around his eyes, making it dizzying. Thoughts that blur in his head, the ones he can barely grasp--he let Mob down, didn't he? He said he'd help, now look at them. Look at everyone.

Look at Mister LaRusso. Is he ali-- is he going to be okay? ]

LaRusso...

[ Mob. It's that name that seems to snap part of Daniel's brain right back to reality, no matter how weak he still is. It lights the memory in his brain right back up, filling in the missing gaps of what he was trying to recall, the last moments he remembers before waking up here instead.

He fully remembers now. The class, following Robby outside and seeing Mob rampaging, looking more like a monster than a boy, their fruitless attempts at making the other snap out of it. Then the debris, him holding Robby, nothing.

With how heavy and painful his body is, it doesn't make the man jolt, but it sure feels like his heart freezes in his chest for a moment at the reminder of just how bad that situation had been. At least Robby's presence next to his bed like this does confirm Daniel managed to protect him - and it also explains why Daniel's body feels like this right now in the first place - and at least Robby's words make it clear that Mob is thankfully alright too.

But.. is Robby alright? Daniel thinks about it as he slowly inhales, as he squints at the darkness. It could still be his own mind being unable to follow Robby, but even now he's a little more clear, it still all seems odd to him. The way the other is rambling, repeating his name like that, it seems almost feverish. Daniel can't tell from Robby's hands, since he couldn't feel the other's temperature even if he'd try, but it's not like he hasn't ever had to deal with a kid with a fever before. It seems oddly familiar. ]

.. are you feeling warm..?

[ He's not sure if Robby himself can tell, if the other is far enough gone to be rambling like this in the first place. But-- shit, what should Daniel do about it? He can't even bring his body to move, so getting out of bed to help Robby is out of the question. He doesn't know where his Omni is either to try and reach Chozen to ask the man to help, and judging by the darkness in the room, it's probably the middle of the night. The other must be asleep.

It leaves one possibility. Daniel is too weak to properly reassure Robby right now, but maybe he can at least do something about it if the other really does have a fever. His body heavily protests, but he scoots back a little bit in bed anyway, even if it makes flashes of pain shoot through him, powerful enough that the world blacks out in front of his eyes for another moment, his consciousness snapping to attention through sheer willpower alone. The same willpower that got him to embrace Robby, even knowing it'd severely injure Daniel himself. Robby has to be okay. He has to help Robby.

At least his efforts do create some space next to him, an empty spot he's facing while lying on his side. He feebly moves his arm a bit, forcing it to open up the blankets over that spot. ]

.. c'mere.

[ If Robby does have a fever, then.. well, Daniel is a walking cold compress.

Maybe this is the one thing he can do for the boy right now. ]

It's okay. [ Robby, at the very least--despite how incoherent he's being himself--seems capable of following questions, or understanding Daniel. He hears about 'warm', and he registers his own boiling skin. But then the clogs in his head keep going, and he considers: ] --You're warm?

[ Maybe that's what Mister LaRusso was telling him? Even though he's touched Mister LaRusso and his skin feels nicer than what his does, that hand of his he took. He should touch the man's forehead and figure it out, but his actions are sluggish compared to how easily he can ramble, the words flowing out. Daniel is already shuffling that painful amount, and Robby isn't sure why or what he's aiming for as he pushes back the blanket, the encouragement. He doesn't have a blanket, himself--he can't do the same thing.

It'll take a moment for him to get it and ask, ] You wanna cool down? [ and...well, okay, despite, what Robby actually says, he is slowly lowering himself to put his weight against an arm; giving time for Mister LaRusso to say he's doing the wrong or right thing. But maybe what the man is telling him is that he's too cold, and that could make a lot of sense for Robby. He reaches out with his free hand to touch for Mister LaRuosso's face, finding his cheek, trying to spread his warmth along the cold skin. ]

You okay? Y'need more? [ Sh--should he actually move in closer? Because he hasn't taken that space that Mister LaRusso freed up for him. But if there's any indication he could, Robby can inch in closer; his own muscles unhappy at any twitch of activity, but Robby can ignore the ache better than a broken back.

Because Mister LaRusso isn't feeling good, so he should make him feel better--make sure he stays okay. ]

[ Daniel is definitely not warm.

.. he thinks, anyway, because he can't ever quite register his own cold. He's grown used to it by now enough to usually remember that he just always feels this way now to other people, but there are the rare moments where it slips his mind.

Not right now though. He's pretty sure he isn't warm at all, but-- maybe the thing that is driving Robby to ramble like this in the first place also drives him to not fully understand what Daniel is trying to tell here. And the fact that mustering up enough energy to properly explain to the other is hard right now sure isn't helping.

In fact, the pain he caused himself by scooting over is so intense that it does threaten to knock him out again altogether. But he's hanging in there. He has to hang in there until Robby is safe and cool.

Even if it makes it basically torture to watch the boy moving so slowly, not fully getting it. When Robby asks if he needs more, Daniel answers - more a mumble than actually clear words: ] Just.. lay down.

[ And when Robby does, even inching closer, Daniel moves his own arm to try and help it along. It still hurts, but not as much as moving the rest of his body does. This much is tolerable, and he's able to move the arm just enough for it to be over Robby, a hand pushing against the other's back, trying to get the boy closer to him.

There's no point to this unless Robby is close enough to Daniel's body to feel the cold radiating from it, after all. ]

Closer. [ It's a little more direct than Daniel would usually be, but sometimes there's no time for a brain to mouth filter when you're working on your last two remaining conscious brain cells. ]

[ As painful and exhausting as Daniel's movements are, even to speak, it clocks in for Robby what it is the older man wants from him. And he's more than agreeable once he knows, the 'closer' not as necessary as the push to his back--he's scooting in compliance, until their bodies are close and touching, and Mister LaRusso is the shape of his head in Robby's vision and the dark of the night.

He's not sure if he's ever been quite this close before to Mister LaRusso, and if he wasn't a head full of burning cotton buds that was pretty sure his bed partner wasn't going to die any second, Robby might have some thoughts about this. But his thoughts are instead on that latter fact, Mister LaRusso's comfort, and perhaps he remembers something or other about a temperature when he touches the man's face again, fingers brushing from his jaw to cheek; or maybe he's just in his own little world.

It's somewhere in-between--a near-death that still seems possible, a reason he needs to give to make him stay. Mister LaRusso's body limp on the hard ground, never stirring, never coming to-- ]

I love you, [ Robby mumbles, a miserable thing. Love is never enough to make anyone stay, but maybe it helps, he thinks. Maybe it can do some good, he hopes.

And it's all he has to give, nothing else in his throat, when all the worries and fears he could voice are spoken in those three words alone, and succinctly. ]

[ There's relief in finally feeling Robby move closer, pressed against him - safe. Sure, there's no immediate threat right here, the Mob situation apparently having ended well according to Robby's words, but the idea that he has to keep Robby safe is still much too strong in Daniel's head after it having been his last thought before he passed out. And while he still isn't strong enough to start thinking more properly again, he just functions on it, even now, as if by instinct.

Besides, maybe the threat he's keeping Robby safe from is just his possible fever. A fever that should at least not get worse as long as Daniel can cool the other down like this. Robby in his arm(s), a body pressed against his own.

He's so lost in the thought that he doesn't even process what more is happening until he suddenly feels a touch on his own face, only realising it must be Robby's fingers a moment or two after he starts feeling it. He just silently allows the touch, perhaps also finding some comfort himself in having someone close after all of that. Daniel hadn't been sure either whether he'd really make it when he moved to shield Robby - but here he is, alive, with Robby alive right next to him.

.. saying those small little words they've exchanged before. So sweetly, despite the tone. Like a reassurance - like a gift. ]

Love you too. [ Daniel mumbles it back without hesitation, despite his own weak tone, despite the fact his eyes have now fallen shut, too tired to keep them open.

Of course he loves Robby. Why else would he have risked his life for the boy without a single shred of hesitation? Robby is his boy, his son. Trench is an awful, terrifying place, but Daniel knows he'd weather it a thousand times over for the boy.

His hand blindly travels up to the back of Robby's head. It almost seems like he might go for his usual affectionate gesture at Robby's neck, but instead it goes up higher, and then moves to move Robby's head forward, pressing it against Daniel's shoulder.

If Robby really does have a fever, he needs something cool against his forehead too.

(Thankfully he's too out of it, too tired, to wince at the fact that even this is a little painful.) ]

.. 'm here with you.

[ ...maybe the words aren't enough.

They aren't enough, not alone, when Mister LaRusso reciprocates them. Robby wants to follow them up, recreate the last time he said as much to Mister LaRusso but in reverse; find somewhere close he can reach and leave the man a kiss and know--even in this heat-fuelled state--that he'll never get his true meaning. But he can be greedy, he can show the affection he wants to offer; and it seems so easy, so simple in this moment, to do without shame.

Isn't this what he's wanted to give Mister LaRusso? Comfort, companionship. Robby could make him feel comforted, because what else can he offer him in this haze?

But Robby doesn't get the chance to. Mister LaRusso acts first, though Robby had started the effort of raising his weight by his arm trapped against the bed; but he's pulled closer to the body next to him, and now Robby can't see a face at all. A cold wafts against his nose and cheeks, and Robby lets his free hand rest down on the line of Mister LaRusso's shoulder, keeping there.

If this was that any other day, he might feel offended to have his opportunity lost. Instead, Robby's disgruntlement lasts for a few seconds at most before he buries his forehead against that inner shoulder, the cool touch, and tries to lock himself in closer by hooking his arm and hand around Mister LaRusso's back. Except it's not very comfortable, a strain his limbs don't approve of, and Robby has to relax.

But this is fine too, Robby reasons; as long as he repeats in his head like a prayer for Mister LaRusso to not fall asleep, then nothing bad can happen. That's how this goes.

Someone has to believe in miracles, of wishes coming true, and he will. ]

[ At first Daniel is still awake. First because he clumsily attempts to draw the blanket over them both - he mostly manages - since even if Robby needs to cool down right now, he can't run the risk of the boy falling asleep without covers and having too much of an extreme hot-cold contrast going on here. Then he shifts to allow for Robby's hold on him to be a bit more comfortable, while at the same time making sure to keep Robby close to his own body..

.. and it's only then that he can be reassured. Not fully, but.. Robby is a little bit safer, and maybe that's all Daniel can do for now. He's fulfilled his duty, and that's making the fight to keep his consciousness a whole lot harder.

Especially since it's like there's a voice calling to him. A voice who also spoke to him the last time he had this much pain, when he was much younger and lying on a stretcher in the locker room of a karate tournament. When mister Miyagi hovered over him, telling him there was no need to fight anymore.

Just like the Daniel back then, the Daniel of now feels like he ought to be fighting though, like he has to do what's right, but..

.. sometimes even fighting against yourself, your own body, is a losing battle.

His eyes were already closed, but the man slowly drifts off more and more, until he's fully asleep, his breath soft but steady, his hand still holding Robby as well as he can with his extremely painful back.

There's a sign of life, at least, though. Daniel's Omen disappeared the moment the man had gone down out there, but now it finally manifests again. First just a whisp of smoke, but then the Omen, still in its larger form, takes shape right on top of the bed, settling down on the blankets. It doesn't carry the weight a creature of its size should, since it'd just be painful for the two men the shisa is currently draped over, but instead the weight is more comfortable than that. Reassuring - like a weighted blanket.

Daniel may be asleep, but the shisa is awake, and if Robby is awake for a few moments more, he may spot the creature's eyes watching him in his haze, surrounded by the dark. ]

[ Sleep is an impossible thing to deny. As frantic as Robby had been in his efforts to wake Mister LaRusso from it, there's some comfort in how the two of them are now, some confidence he can feign that things will be better than he thought; because neither his thoughts before waking, nor his thoughts now need to make much sense. Only as long as Mister LaRusso fine--as long as he's safe, that's what's important.

And he feels like that, against him. Closer to him than he had been previous.

Whether Robby noticed the omen won't matter. Tucked in close to Mister LaRusso, it takes a while for him to stir again once he drifts off. His dreams are a hazier type of reality, his sleep both uncomfortable, but continuing on and off without much notice. Robby doesn't remember when he wakes, if he does, until sunrise has long since come and gone.

It's not light that wakes him, but simply his body telling him its time. A new and different kind of exhaustion greeting him as he does come to, a lethargy from limbs unused. There's a cool pack on his forehead, or so he thinks, but it doesn't follow Robby as he tilts his head up, breaking the darkness obscuring his vision, and sees--

Mister LaRusso, eyes closed, quiet as the dead. Robby's been here before, remembers (the man's weight pressed down on him, the darkness, the inability to move, Mister LaRusso--?), and there's a panic that takes a hold of his heart as Robby tries to take a hold of the man's arm to lightly shake. Hurriedly, urgently: ] M-Mister LaRusso?

[ Now would be a good time to notice an omen so one boy doesn't panic wake an injured old man. :( ]

[ Fortunately for Robby - or more directly, fortunately for Daniel - he doesn't seem to wake up as easily this time. The last time the other had stirred him Daniel had been relatively close to consciousness for the first time in a while, but after drifting off into sleep again, his mind is a little further away again, the sleep a little deeper.

And since Robby isn't full on jostling him yet, the shake of his arm doesn't seem to make the man stir.

(Let alone startle - which surely wouldn't be good for a person with a broken back.)

Then again, it's not like Robby couldn't resort to doing more out of worry here. It's the Omen, actually awake, that seems to realise this. Enough for the shisa to raise his head from where he was curled up on top of the bed, staring over in the boy's direction. ]

Robby.

[ Robby's own Omen may sound like him, just distorted in a very odd way, Daniel's Omen sounds nothing like the man. The shisa's voice is lower, much like the time Robby heard it back during the dojo's opening day.

.. though a little less imposing, perhaps, since it's not trying to make itself audible to an entire crowd of struggling people right now. It makes its tone a little less heavy, though there's still some serious calm to it. ]

He is fine. He is just sleeping.

[ The shisa continues to stare at the boy - unblinking, but not unkindly. ]

[ His name spoken startles him, and in an unknown tone. Someone else must be in the room, Mister Toguchi? --but when Robby's head snaps to attention, his wide eyes find Mister LaRusso's omen in its full form. One that should maybe be surprising, startling itself (where had it gone before--?), but Robby's dealing with his own panicked heart, looking back at Mister LaRusso with that reassurance given. Lowering his own hurried breathing, just so he can hear the man's more steadied breath...

It's a painful kind of relief. He wants to squeeze the shoulder he's holding, but lowers his hand away instead; ignores the way the slight weight feels on him, tries not to make the comparisons. Listening to the sound of Mister LaRusso in sleep helps, his own limbs still sluggish, heavy, and stubbornly ignored. ]

...He nearly died, [ Robby speaks, voice low. Glancing afterwards at the omen, his tone raising. ] --will he be okay? Does he need special help?

[ Magic? Some other supernatural aid? ]

He will heal as long as he rests. [ Sure, it won't happen quickly - but the Omen can tell this much about the other man's state. A Sleeper's body is able to take these sorts of blows better than a human body, after all, even if it might still reduce them to this state.

The shisa's gaze shifts to the sleeping man for a moment, growing silent as if he's observing Daniel, but then moves back to Robby again. ]

.. He is in a lot of pain.

[ It's the sort of thing Daniel would never tell Robby himself. The shisa is aware of that much, but it isn't stopping him from telling Robby that. In fact, it only encourages him - because the Omen thinks it's important for the boy to have all the information here, even if it's painful. It could help him make better decisions.

Besides, if the shisa is busy digging around in Daniel's feelings anyway, he might as well add: ]

But also grateful for your presence.

[ All the past few months have been for Robby is feeling on the verge of tears, and this, the simple remark that Mister LaRusso is grateful for his presence, that really doesn't matter much--Robby wants to bury himself against the man and give him his all, if that's what he wants. He nearly died. Robby thought he died. He thought he was dead.

He bites his lower lip instead, sucks and chews on it and he lets the emotion roll over him, glancing at the sleeping face. ]

I'll help him, [ he says like a promise, gaze returning to the omen. A sad twist of his lips. ] He's always helping me. All I want is to help him.

[ He speaks the admissions slowly, space between each one. It's all he wants, now and before this day--isn't that the one thing he knows is true? Whatever Mister LaRusso wants, he'll give. And he'll figure something out for the pain, too. He should have some of Melius's potions still on him, maybe in the hallway. ]

[ The Omen stares right back at Robby. Calmly - almost like he's observing the way the boy looks right now before speaking up again. ]

You are helping him. Always. [ The shisa says it with such a neutral tone that the creature manages to make it sound like an objective fact. It's not like it's hard to know when he can peer straight into Daniel's heart.

.. and maybe a little into Robby's heart too, being more perceptive than Daniel himself, though the Omen seems careful to not mention anything about that so directly. ]

He protected you because you are important to him. Daniel needs you. Do not ever doubt your importance to him. Sometimes the head forgets what the heart remembers.

[ The Omen grows silent for a moment, but after sounding so deep, it leans its head back down, as if to rest. ]

You should rest. You are not recovered yet, but you will both be fine if you sleep. I will watch over you.

[ Robby seems reluctant to heed the words to rest, mouth pressed uncertainly, his gaze restless. There's something more he feels he should do, more he wants to; to put a magical fix to all this, that cure that one always wishes to come in distressing times to fix the anxiety pulling a person down. Robby doesn't want sleep, he wants Mister LaRusso to be better, now, even if sleep will bring that fix.

And he knows that. Because he concedes to the omen's suggestion, to no delight. A brain that doesn't want to know if it can keep sleeping, or to put the effort into finding out. Robby's gaze never rises too far up Mister LaRusso's body, never seeing his full face; it's just his breathing he pays the most attention to, heart lodged somewhere in his throat.

He does fall asleep. Stays sleeping, despite the mind that would want to wake to anything unusual, or if Mister LaRusso were to awake. But his body is more exhausted, more tired than his mind can properly function to comprehend.

Give him some time. ]

[ The next time anything at all stirs between the two of them, much later, hours passing without any regard as to the time of day - it's Daniel.

Sure, he fell back into a really deep sleep after briefly having woken up that first time, but now he's finally and slowly awakening from it. Still not really feeling any better, since his body still feels like lead, like he couldn't move it even if he tried, yet with a persistant sharp piercing pain right in his back.

It's miserable, but it's the weight in his arms that keeps Daniel from making any sound about it. Instead all he lets out is a painful breath as he tries to control it somehow. Remember what mister Miyagi said. Breathe, just-- just breathe. Return to balance.

(Balance ends up being a surprisingly difficult thing to get when your entire body just hurts.)

So after a few moments of not quite managing to do much about it, Daniel instead tries to shift his attention. Having Robby in his arms in bed like this ought to be surprising, but memories of his brief moment awake do quickly return to the man, even if they're half-hazy. He remembers being worried about Robby. Before he ever blacked out in the first place, sure, before that debris hit him - but also after that, in that brief moment of waking.

Daniel stills his own breath for long enough to be able to hear Robby's instead. It's a little slower than before - if he remembers clearly, anyway. The hand that was holding onto the back of Robby's head shifts to touch his forehead instead, but of course Daniel still can't feel temperature.

He can only hope the boy is doing better now.

The man turns his head just a tiny bit, the only bit he can manage, and meets his Omen's eyes. The shisa stares at him quietly, but it's like they don't need words as Daniel's own tired gaze stares right back.

Moments pass like that before he finally breathes out, starting to actually mumble out loud. ]

.. need something for Robby. Dunno if-- If he's alright. Grab him some water, or something to help with pain..

[ Except between Daniel stirring a little, the Omen jumping off the bed, and Daniel speaking, it might be easy for Robby to slowly be moved out of his own sleep as well. ]

Can you ask Chozen..?

[ Not that the Omen wasn't already ahead of Daniel - it's why he jumped off the bed in the first place, pushing the door open and leaving the room. ]

Edited 2023-04-02 17:18 (UTC)

[ It's the touch to his forehead that leads to Robby stirring. Lips rolling together, dry and parched, pulled from a dream his brain doesn't even remember as he's pulled away from it. A mumbling that might be from those dreams or from reality, a darkness from his own closed eyes.

Only, there's a weight gone, and this time Robby doesn't imagine it's Mister LaRusso's weight on top of him, a body with no life. ]

L'Russo...? [ He tries mumbling out from where he's rested, his eyes slow to open. The space is dark where he sees, though it might not be true for the rest of the room. Robby doesn't want to stir too much in case the older man is still asleep, but a hand reaches out, fingers searching to touch the body in front of him, snaking up to find his shoulder. Listening, careful.

A hint of worry always present. ]

[ Daniel's gaze was lingering on the retreating creature for a moment, but it's the mumbled name that turns his attention entirely back to Robby. He's more comfortable to watch from the man's current position anyway - no longer having to crane his neck to try and look up without moving his back, instead able to rest his head back on the pillow and look at Robby while he's laying down. ]

Robby. [ The name is said in return. Softly. It's not like Daniel is feeling like his usual self already. He's still far from it, but.. his mind is feeling at least a little more clear now he's less tired. If anything is still bothering him, it's the pain, but that's much less likely to stop him from caring for Robby first than the fatigue was.

The only problem is that it doesn't allow him to move, but.. well, Daniel is more than fine with continuing to lay here and hold the boy, especially if Robby may still need it. ]

I'm here. [ Maybe he was even able to pick up on the hint of worry in the other's tone, wanting to say at least these words to reassure him, feeling the pressure of Robby's hand on his shoulder. ] How-- How are you feeling now..?

[ Daniel had been kind of out of it himself before, but he's pretty sure he didn't just imagine Robby having sounded so incoherent back then. ]

[ He gets a response, and it's a reason to open Robby's eyes properly, more. A blinking that finally peels them open, and the blur of Mister LaRusso comes together the more he screws his eyes to get rid of it, until he can see the features of him that make his heart skip harder for a different reason--for relief. A pang of grief, too, with the memories of what happened not knocked out of his brain.

Robby lays there a moment, despite the question; letting himself take in the sight of the man despite the tiredness in his eyes, the dizziness and heat he still feels lingering about him. But there's a better focus, and Mister LaRusso seems to actually be looking at him this time than in his general vicinity.

(Or maybe it's the light in the room that makes it easier to tell these things.) ]

I'm okay, [ he finally answers, just to give him one. Because Robby doesn't particular care about himself when he can remember a conversation with Mister LaRusso's omen, as weak as the details are--he remembers Mister LaRusso's state. It's as good of a reason as any to start slowing lifting himself to sit up, using his hands to push him up. ] Lemme get something for the pain...

[ Mister LaRusso's pain. He was in pain--he needs to find that bag with the potions. ]

Don't.

[ The word is not said as clearly, a little bit more mumbled, but the physical gesture that goes right along with it probably says more than any words could here in the first place. Because Daniel does his best to reach out with his arm to stop Robby from getting up too far, trying to gently push him back down into the bed.

(There's not much force in it, considering Daniel can't even lift his torso from the bed, and using his arm too much puts a strain on his back, which already feels like it's murdering him right now.

But he doesn't want Robby to have to get up yet for his sake when the other seemed so weak and ill earlier.) ]

My Omen's getting stuff. [ A little less mumbled now, but even though Daniel sounds a little more clear and awake, the man's tone is weaker than it'd usually be. ] It'll be okay.

[ Not that he knows that for sure. Daniel doesn't know how bad his injury is other than really bad. Will it heal? Do they even do surgeries for this here in Trench? Will he just be stuck with this pain that keeps him unmoving for the rest of his life?

It's a terrifying thought, but Daniel tries to not let it show. He tries to pull his thoughts towards Robby instead, where they feel safer. ]

So.. stay here, alright?

[ Robby stops, of course. Mister LaRusso speaks, he touches him, both easy to brush off in theory, but not in reality. He's always been a little too pliable to Mister LaRusso at his best of times, and how could he be otherwise at the man's worst? But Robby is hesitant, paused in his position instead of slumping back down to rest.

Because he's listening to Mister LaRusso say it's fine, but he says a lot is fine or alright about his health. It's the kind of man he is. But he remembers too, something; maybe it's his mind making up memories, but something his sensei's omen said about being there. It being the best help? Was it?

His eyes gaze over the man, teeth chewing on his inner lip. ]

Are you sure? I have stuff... [ But maybe it's not what he has he needs to convince Mister LaRusso of, and instead: ] I'm not hurt--just woozy. I didn't get hurt.

[ His voice is soft, words softer. Hesitating again. ]

You protected me.

[ And he wishes he hadn't, despite the trace of appreciation that isn't entirely false. ]

for daniel

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject