No, I was just curious. You don't have-? [anything in mind?? This is just a walk... around?? He can't honestly remember the last time he went for a walk that didn't involve skulking behind something and spying on someone.
Or alcohol.
Or dogs. He sort of expects the dogs though. But now that Knuckle is just walking away from him—] Uh- alright.
[In the meantime... well he'll pick up this book again, then.]
[Surprisingly, Knuckle does only take the twenty minutes he asked for. He's always oddly prompt in the mornings, too, but let's leave that question for another day. For now, he's walking down the hall, tugging his shirt sleeves over his arms before he starts buttoning it up down the middle.]
Allllright! [Grinning wide, that grumbling from earlier seems to have dissolved with his shower. The truth is, they did, in a way. He'd thought them through bit by bit, and now he had a Plan.]
[From the couch, where he has been for that whole twenty minutes, Shoot looks up. That book is open again, and he's... not ready at all. He thought he might just read for a few minutes and then go find wherever his shoes wound up last night, but, hm.
That didn't happen.] Oh.
[... Well, he's getting up now, leaving the book behind to go actually get ready. He'll have to do something about his useless floppy sleeve, too, or people will stare!! Wearing a big purple sheet is less conspicuous, apparently. He'll tie it off, no one will be any the wiser...
In any case, give him a few minutes before he comes back and stands there looking at Knuckle expectantly.]
[That's the brunt of his grumbling for now as Shoot reappears. He's already heading for the door, one hand in a pocket as the other waves for him to follow. He'll even hold the door open a little longer so it doesn't shut in his face, how nice.]
I was getting pretty antsy in there, just sitting around! Last night too, come to think of it... A walk's not so bad, is it? [He looks from the corner of his eyes to Shoot.]
[How considerate of him, truly. Shoot follows, trying his best not to look overly worried about not wearing a purple sheet right now. He may be stuck on this for a while, forgive him.
Still-] You're always like that.
[... ah.] It's better than being stuck inside all the time.
[Honestly he means stuck in a hospital bed, but whatever, he'll pretend he's not a homebody unless forced outside.]
[Bristling, his shoulders bunch up and he looks about ready to fight Shoot for that first comment, but it eases out slowly and with a heavy, disgruntled sigh. Ahh, geez... But he is antsy. He's all worked up and thinking stupid things, now. All thanks to reading those books, he thinks!
No, but wait, hadn't some thoughts crossed his mind the night before, too? And sometimes, in the hospital--
Waving his hand at the air between them, suddenly, he picks up his pace slightly so he can walk ahead.]
Anyway!! You've got that right! You need some sunlight, too, it'll help you heal better! [He has no idea how that works, but he thinks he's read that somewhere. Or heard it?]
[What did he say about running a marathon- don't leave him behind here!]
I think you mean fresh air... I'm not a plant. [For once he sounds more amused than accidentally like an asshole, though, luckily. Knuckle probably doesn't have to worry this much, but the fact that he undeniably is!! is- well, there it is.
He'll let that be instead of getting worked up over it, he thinks. Still, sTOP trying to go ahead, racing isn't part of the healing process... if he winds up lagging behind, it's not his fault!!]
If I said sunlight I meant sunlight, damn it! You're too pale! You're not getting the right vitamins!
[Knuckle you are Not a doctor, please. He slows his pace eventually, but maintains so that he's a slight bit ahead of Shoot the whole time they're walking, for whatever reason.]
More importantly... [Agh, how does he ask this. He keeps his back to him, stiff and shoulders bunched together as he practically stomps down the street.] How are you feeling?
[Vitamins... pale... That's just how he looks, Knuckle, come on! Shoot gives the back of his head a look, less amused; why is Knuckle suddenly making it sound like he's sickly and going to drop at any second??]
It's not sunlight... [TRUST HIM but anyway, after a pause to give Knuckle's dorito hair more looks,] I'm fine.
To be honest, I felt just fine days ago, but they wouldn't let me go home.
[Frowning to himself about that, yeah, because he has never willfully ignored his actual limits, never.]
[He's been focused on this, and he knows it's probably showing. How many times had he asked this? Nowhere near as many as he'd wondered. And still, he can't even look at him, facing ahead as they walk and trying to keep his face straight.
It's hard not to remember Shoot on the floor, back there. Shoot about to die. Shoot being left behind...
There's this level of concern that's expected for any comrade, of course, but why does it feel heavier than that? The weight of the situation, sure, but his hands curl into fists at his sides and none of it's quite enough. Shoot is here, okay now, walking and well and with all his... usual body parts, and yet...]
Shoot... [He hasn't said anything, but the tone carries with just his name, enough.] I've been a shitty partner.
[The tone takes Shoot by surprise even before the guilty admission. He feels like he's missed a step in this conversation, somewhere - weren't they just going for a walk while he happened to complain about being stuck in a hospital bed for ages? What's this, suddenly?
And— didn't they just have this conversation, sort of...? Sometime before the stupid drunk part of last night's festivities, he's sure. Hmm.]
Knuckle— [Well. To be fair, Knuckle is overbearing and yells at him all the time and can be way more critical than is necessary, but-!! He's never considered that being bad, just... what? Fine, because Knuckle isn't scared of everything?? Is that okay...
He'll let Knuckle do the talking while he figures it out, so instead of telling him no,] What do you mean?
[They sort of had this conversation, but somehow, this seems different. It's Knuckle-- definitely Knuckle. Something's different with him. As always, his emotions are all over the place but not always easy to track.]
I didn't think about you until it was damn well near too late! And if that wasn't bad enough, it's my fault you ended up in that damn hospital to begin with! [He wasn't strong enough.]
[... Oh. That's—well, wrong. Shoot's back to frowning almost instantly, wondering if there's any way he can get the point across now without dismissing Knuckle's- feelings. Probably not.
Thankfully he's not known for his tactful wordsmithing, huh.] No, it isn't. Don't be an idiot.
[nice]
You- Don't you remember what I told you before the mission started? Worrying about our own lives wasn't going to make it go any more smoothly. Your part wasn't to think about what happened to me.
[Not that he didn't appreciate not dying pathetically... and not that he didn't let pride get the better of him and ignore his own words in the end anyway, but the point stands.]
pretty much. in this tag, knuckle is too emotional from reading twilight
[Stopping in his tracks, Knuckle spins around again to face Shoot. They're still on a normal sidewalk, so the few people walking around them stare as they pass, but at least they're not attractive a crowd, technically...]
The whole mission... the whole world... I dumped all of it to save your pride, damn it! And I still don't give a damn about that! I don't regret it! But why... [He's working himself up here, it's clear. Tears aren't actually falling yet, but they're clear in his eyes as he looks torn between being angry and sad.
His hands are clenched into fists, but he swings one out at the air in his frustration.] Why hadn't I considered you at all before that?! Damn it... damn it, I'm an idiot!
[They're definitely making a scene... Shoot raises his hand a little as he glances back and forth at the people going by, like waving weakly at him is going to placate Knuckle at all. Do they have to do this here, whatever it is-? And on top of that, where does he even start?]
Calm down! [yes this has always worked before] Getting worked up over it won't help!
[Ah, the usual line... He knows most of this already, is the thing. Throwing the mission just because his pride was stomped on, Knuckle getting too worked up over every little thing - he knew! But the rest tugs at him in a way he can't immediately put to words, and so before he can stop himself he's closing the distance between them to put his hand on Knuckle's shoulder. Calm the hell down, first of all.]
Knuckle... thank you. [This isn't perhaps the way he should respond after that last comment - didn't think of him at all, well! thanks!! - but,] You know, I— I would have done the same for you.
[Don't think too hard about that or he'll get embarrassed, but it's out there in the world now. He doesn't really know how else to say "it's okay," so...] It looks like we're both idiots.
[As expected, the comment to calm down only makes him bristle further. But before he can retort, there's a hand on his shoulder, and all of the fight falls right out of him at those words. He's not sure why. That's not usual.
Knuckle finds himself gawking at Shoot. He would have done the same? Shoot, who was always avoiding things nervously? Who was much more composed, despite his nervousness in general... Shoot would?
His chest feels tight, and that's strange, so he looks to the side, to the hand on his shoulder. Why... Why does he want to take it?
(About now, he probably looks intensely bewildered.)]
Shoot... [No. He looks back up to his face, letting his expression settle down into something more neutral and serious. Shit. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't want to pull away, because that would be completely wrong, that would say the opposite of what he wants, but he can't just--
Ahhhhhh, damn it!! His head's going to explode from all this thinking! Maybe he understands a little what Gon went through after dealing with APR, now.]
...Yeah. Maybe.
the comment count is 326.... the hands still have not touched... rations are low.....
[Is this good?? Knuckle stopped yelling, so has Shoot done his job? It's a little cold to think of getting Knuckle to calm down as an obligation, he realizes vaguely; it's not like he enjoys watching him get upset, or anything...
But, hmm, he really can't tell what's going through his head right now. At least being yelled at gives him a clue-!]
Then— [Should. Should he move his hand?? Is this too much, if he keeps standing here it is going to be weird, has it already been too long? His thoughts race away from him and he's then somehow convinced himself that moving away now after standing here for too long already would be worse, so he - doesn't move.
He might look a little tragic about it, though. Par for the course...]
You're- Are you still upset?
the sun hasn't risen in 4 days..... hope is dead........ knuckle is crying somewhere
[For some reason, that question makes him stiffen. His face is twisting in that coverup way it usually does, but he can't bring himself to whirl around like usual and brush it off. Damn it... damn it!! Damn it all to hell!]
I wasn't upset to begin with, fool! [That must sound so convincing when he's making tense faces like these.] Let's...
[He can't... He can't do it! That damn werewolf comes to mind, and he just gets too damn embarrassed. What the hell is he thinking... Is he still drunk?? Did he have that much to drink? But he sobered up!]
[Yelling— Shoot's tragic frown twitches, like he's not certain what to do now - and he's not, honestly. Knuckle's clearly still upset(!!) and all he can think of to do is stand here and touch his shoulder.
This very passionate declaration of not being upset does them the misfortune of drawing a few more odd looks, however. In reality that's all, but Shoot leaps to the conclusion that one particularly obvious stare is leading into someone actually coming up and asking them if Everything's Alright. That won't end well, he's sure - Knuckle will yell and someone will cry, so—]
Then- come on. [Before a SCENE is made!! He almost goes for Knuckle's hand on reflex, to pointedly tug him out of the middle of the sidewalk, but at the last second has a sort of mental stutter and goes for his wrist instead. It's Shoot's turn to walk a pace ahead and not look back, even though he's not sure if Knuckle was actually going somewhere specific... shut up.]
[It's okay. He had literally nowhere in mind since he didn't think that far ahead. His wrist is grabbed and he blanks for just long enough for his first steps to be a stumble.
To make up for the embarrassment, he clicks his tongue and grumbles about it, of course.]
Alright, alright, what's with the pulling! Hey! [Not that he actually minds. He feels like he should mind, though, or it'd be weird. Following along, he tries to peer at Shoot's face to get a look at his expression. What's he thinking, come on--!]
You're... never mind! [You're upset in public and it's getting to him too, now!! This is Shoot's interpretation of events, anyway. He doesn't keep pulling for that long, at least, just until he's satisfied by some arbitrary amount of distance between them and where they stopped to make a scene.]
Like I was saying... [He starts (without looking at Knuckle, sorry, but the side view of his face doesn't hide his drawn expression), and then trails off. His first instinct is to insist there's nothing to worry about, but is that... dismissive?
They're supposed to be opening up still, right, so he ought to resist the urge to slam the metaphorical door in Knuckle's face. Right. Somehow.]
... The whole world, huh? [That's a lot of pressure, man.] When I said I would've done the same...
[No, no, abort mission, this is way too melodramatic!! How can it be this hard to say 'you're important to me,' anyway?]
[His wrist is freed, and he's not sure how he feels about it. What the... Why? Why does he feel like he just ran a marathon? Like he's still running it? Shoot speaks again, and Knuckle blinks out of his daze to watch him and that expression.
Wait, wait, why's he trailing off?
Without thinking, he reaches forward and grabs at that wrist in return, to draw his attention more than anything. His thumb slips a bit so he's half grabbing his palm, but he doesn't notice.]
[Trailing off wasn't meant to be an invitation to grab him, now. Shoot blinks a few times like he needs to- come back to the present, sort of. He looks at Knuckle - his hand, then up at his face - and whatever he might have said to change the subject again dies on his tongue.
The usual yelling would be more relaxing than the present situation, he thinks. Damn.]
Well... We're- we're partners, so— of course you'd come first.
[Strike him down where he stands, that STILL... isn't what he was trying to go for, hm.]
[Those are simple words. Words he'd say easily himself, and yet, he finds himself incredibly touched by them. Even if it wasn't what Shoot was going for, he feels like that says a lot. How long has he thought of them as partners, truly? Was it longer than even himself?
He grips Shoot's hand tighter in his thinking. Once again, he doesn't notice what he's doing at all. What a guy.]
Shoot...
[Shit, it feels like words are stuck in his throat right now. What the hell does he do? Say? Think?? It probably doesn't help that he's staring at Shoot's face right now.]
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I WILL.... in my heart
[Knuckle's extra grumbly all of a sudden, but he doesn't clarify it, even as he stands up.]
Give me twenty minutes to take a shower! Then we can go. [Just like that, he's off down the hallway to know god knows what with his hair in there.]
look away....
Or alcohol.
Or dogs. He sort of expects the dogs though. But now that Knuckle is just walking away from him—] Uh- alright.
[In the meantime... well he'll pick up this book again, then.]
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Allllright! [Grinning wide, that grumbling from earlier seems to have dissolved with his shower. The truth is, they did, in a way. He'd thought them through bit by bit, and now he had a Plan.]
You ready, Shoot?! Let's get going!
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That didn't happen.] Oh.
[... Well, he's getting up now, leaving the book behind to go actually get ready. He'll have to do something about his useless floppy sleeve, too, or people will stare!! Wearing a big purple sheet is less conspicuous, apparently. He'll tie it off, no one will be any the wiser...
In any case, give him a few minutes before he comes back and stands there looking at Knuckle expectantly.]
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[That's the brunt of his grumbling for now as Shoot reappears. He's already heading for the door, one hand in a pocket as the other waves for him to follow. He'll even hold the door open a little longer so it doesn't shut in his face, how nice.]
I was getting pretty antsy in there, just sitting around! Last night too, come to think of it... A walk's not so bad, is it? [He looks from the corner of his eyes to Shoot.]
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Still-] You're always like that.
[... ah.] It's better than being stuck inside all the time.
[Honestly he means stuck in a hospital bed, but whatever, he'll pretend he's not a homebody unless forced outside.]
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[Bristling, his shoulders bunch up and he looks about ready to fight Shoot for that first comment, but it eases out slowly and with a heavy, disgruntled sigh. Ahh, geez... But he is antsy. He's all worked up and thinking stupid things, now. All thanks to reading those books, he thinks!
No, but wait, hadn't some thoughts crossed his mind the night before, too? And sometimes, in the hospital--
Waving his hand at the air between them, suddenly, he picks up his pace slightly so he can walk ahead.]
Anyway!! You've got that right! You need some sunlight, too, it'll help you heal better! [He has no idea how that works, but he thinks he's read that somewhere. Or heard it?]
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I think you mean fresh air... I'm not a plant. [For once he sounds more amused than accidentally like an asshole, though, luckily. Knuckle probably doesn't have to worry this much, but the fact that he undeniably is!! is- well, there it is.
He'll let that be instead of getting worked up over it, he thinks. Still, sTOP trying to go ahead, racing isn't part of the healing process... if he winds up lagging behind, it's not his fault!!]
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[Knuckle you are Not a doctor, please. He slows his pace eventually, but maintains so that he's a slight bit ahead of Shoot the whole time they're walking, for whatever reason.]
More importantly... [Agh, how does he ask this. He keeps his back to him, stiff and shoulders bunched together as he practically stomps down the street.] How are you feeling?
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It's not sunlight... [TRUST HIM but anyway, after a pause to give Knuckle's dorito hair more looks,] I'm fine.
To be honest, I felt just fine days ago, but they wouldn't let me go home.
[Frowning to himself about that, yeah, because he has never willfully ignored his actual limits, never.]
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It's hard not to remember Shoot on the floor, back there. Shoot about to die. Shoot being left behind...
There's this level of concern that's expected for any comrade, of course, but why does it feel heavier than that? The weight of the situation, sure, but his hands curl into fists at his sides and none of it's quite enough. Shoot is here, okay now, walking and well and with all his... usual body parts, and yet...]
Shoot... [He hasn't said anything, but the tone carries with just his name, enough.] I've been a shitty partner.
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And— didn't they just have this conversation, sort of...? Sometime before the stupid drunk part of last night's festivities, he's sure. Hmm.]
Knuckle— [Well. To be fair, Knuckle is overbearing and yells at him all the time and can be way more critical than is necessary, but-!! He's never considered that being bad, just... what? Fine, because Knuckle isn't scared of everything?? Is that okay...
He'll let Knuckle do the talking while he figures it out, so instead of telling him no,] What do you mean?
uses this icon forever I guess
[They sort of had this conversation, but somehow, this seems different. It's Knuckle-- definitely Knuckle. Something's different with him. As always, his emotions are all over the place but not always easy to track.]
I didn't think about you until it was damn well near too late! And if that wasn't bad enough, it's my fault you ended up in that damn hospital to begin with! [He wasn't strong enough.]
talks to the back of his head forever i guess
Thankfully he's not known for his tactful wordsmithing, huh.] No, it isn't. Don't be an idiot.
[nice]
You- Don't you remember what I told you before the mission started? Worrying about our own lives wasn't going to make it go any more smoothly. Your part wasn't to think about what happened to me.
[Not that he didn't appreciate not dying pathetically... and not that he didn't let pride get the better of him and ignore his own words in the end anyway, but the point stands.]
pretty much. in this tag, knuckle is too emotional from reading twilight
[Stopping in his tracks, Knuckle spins around again to face Shoot. They're still on a normal sidewalk, so the few people walking around them stare as they pass, but at least they're not attractive a crowd, technically...]
The whole mission... the whole world... I dumped all of it to save your pride, damn it! And I still don't give a damn about that! I don't regret it! But why... [He's working himself up here, it's clear. Tears aren't actually falling yet, but they're clear in his eyes as he looks torn between being angry and sad.
His hands are clenched into fists, but he swings one out at the air in his frustration.] Why hadn't I considered you at all before that?! Damn it... damn it, I'm an idiot!
that's only a little bit superlame
Calm down! [yes this has always worked before] Getting worked up over it won't help!
[Ah, the usual line... He knows most of this already, is the thing. Throwing the mission just because his pride was stomped on, Knuckle getting too worked up over every little thing - he knew! But the rest tugs at him in a way he can't immediately put to words, and so before he can stop himself he's closing the distance between them to put his hand on Knuckle's shoulder. Calm the hell down, first of all.]
Knuckle... thank you. [This isn't perhaps the way he should respond after that last comment - didn't think of him at all, well! thanks!! - but,] You know, I— I would have done the same for you.
[Don't think too hard about that or he'll get embarrassed, but it's out there in the world now. He doesn't really know how else to say "it's okay," so...] It looks like we're both idiots.
together they're full superlame
Knuckle finds himself gawking at Shoot. He would have done the same? Shoot, who was always avoiding things nervously? Who was much more composed, despite his nervousness in general... Shoot would?
His chest feels tight, and that's strange, so he looks to the side, to the hand on his shoulder. Why... Why does he want to take it?
(About now, he probably looks intensely bewildered.)]
Shoot... [No. He looks back up to his face, letting his expression settle down into something more neutral and serious. Shit. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't want to pull away, because that would be completely wrong, that would say the opposite of what he wants, but he can't just--
Ahhhhhh, damn it!! His head's going to explode from all this thinking! Maybe he understands a little what Gon went through after dealing with APR, now.]
...Yeah. Maybe.
the comment count is 326.... the hands still have not touched... rations are low.....
But, hmm, he really can't tell what's going through his head right now. At least being yelled at gives him a clue-!]
Then— [Should. Should he move his hand?? Is this too much, if he keeps standing here it is going to be weird, has it already been too long? His thoughts race away from him and he's then somehow convinced himself that moving away now after standing here for too long already would be worse, so he - doesn't move.
He might look a little tragic about it, though. Par for the course...]
You're- Are you still upset?
the sun hasn't risen in 4 days..... hope is dead........ knuckle is crying somewhere
I wasn't upset to begin with, fool! [That must sound so convincing when he's making tense faces like these.] Let's...
[He can't... He can't do it! That damn werewolf comes to mind, and he just gets too damn embarrassed. What the hell is he thinking... Is he still drunk?? Did he have that much to drink? But he sobered up!]
Let's keep walking!
chimera ant arc tbh
This very passionate declaration of not being upset does them the misfortune of drawing a few more odd looks, however. In reality that's all, but Shoot leaps to the conclusion that one particularly obvious stare is leading into someone actually coming up and asking them if Everything's Alright. That won't end well, he's sure - Knuckle will yell and someone will cry, so—]
Then- come on. [Before a SCENE is made!! He almost goes for Knuckle's hand on reflex, to pointedly tug him out of the middle of the sidewalk, but at the last second has a sort of mental stutter and goes for his wrist instead. It's Shoot's turn to walk a pace ahead and not look back, even though he's not sure if Knuckle was actually going somewhere specific... shut up.]
ah it's true
To make up for the embarrassment, he clicks his tongue and grumbles about it, of course.]
Alright, alright, what's with the pulling! Hey! [Not that he actually minds. He feels like he should mind, though, or it'd be weird. Following along, he tries to peer at Shoot's face to get a look at his expression. What's he thinking, come on--!]
it all returns to chimera ants
Like I was saying... [He starts (without looking at Knuckle, sorry, but the side view of his face doesn't hide his drawn expression), and then trails off. His first instinct is to insist there's nothing to worry about, but is that... dismissive?
They're supposed to be opening up still, right, so he ought to resist the urge to slam the metaphorical door in Knuckle's face. Right. Somehow.]
... The whole world, huh? [That's a lot of pressure, man.] When I said I would've done the same...
[No, no, abort mission, this is way too melodramatic!! How can it be this hard to say 'you're important to me,' anyway?]
you're not wrong
Wait, wait, why's he trailing off?
Without thinking, he reaches forward and grabs at that wrist in return, to draw his attention more than anything. His thumb slips a bit so he's half grabbing his palm, but he doesn't notice.]
Hey, what about it?
as it should be, stares into camera
The usual yelling would be more relaxing than the present situation, he thinks. Damn.]
Well... We're- we're partners, so— of course you'd come first.
[Strike him down where he stands, that STILL... isn't what he was trying to go for, hm.]
kite is dead
He grips Shoot's hand tighter in his thinking. Once again, he doesn't notice what he's doing at all. What a guy.]
Shoot...
[Shit, it feels like words are stuck in his throat right now. What the hell does he do? Say? Think?? It probably doesn't help that he's staring at Shoot's face right now.]
what the fuck you come into my house you tell me kite is dead on this the day of my son's wedding
yes
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crawls out from my inbox jesus christ
old man knuckle......
he sure is... by uploading more icons I may have ruined all the old ones, ignore that
for the sake of small dorito, i will
thank
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am i real i whisper as i slam these all down
you are the realest and shoot is precious
for ironic purposes i'm not going to announce my return