(no subject)

[stayb100ponyboy]

Who: Equius Zahhak and whoever
Where: various places around the bubble
When: evening/night
Style: I'll follow
Status: open

He had been STRONG enough to fend it off for a long time, his instinctual use of the Void protecting him, or maybe the chucklevoodoo that still lurked weakly in his head offering some form of resistance. But he hadn't been able to hide from it forever, and when his blue fairy had melted for the last time, it had seeped onto his clothing and hands and face, changing color and becoming... bloody. Equius had looked down and seen bright, garish splashes of blood all over his shirt and hands, olive and indigo and bright mutant red and even traces of deep, fatherly blue, all blending and washing together.

He would hurt them, he'd hurt all of them, possibly even kill them, because he couldn't control himself, he was too STRONG, a freak, a monster... and so he'd fled, not telling anyone where he was going and not answering his SFC, retreating into his own private hell and wandering the bubble aimlessly.

No matter how hard he tried, the blood stains wouldn't come off.

Comments

[terribubblykoi]

[ The one awesome thing about being a strange alien minority in a city filled with humans was how easy it was to recognize one of her fellow trolls. This time, it's no Eridan so there's no biting or globe-kicking.

This time, actually, it's technicolor splashed Equius.

That probably should have warned her off, but on the other hand...

Nope! ]

Hey there, water you doing?

[ She's as cheerful as can be when she approaches, though it's not like she's his biggest fan or anything. ]

[stayb100ponyboy]

[Equius does stand out in a crowd, even when he's not an alien minority.]

[His head jerks around at the sound of Feferi's voice, and when he sees her, his pupils shrink behind his glasses and he shies away. He knew she had left the bubble, thanks to Sollux, but he didn't know she was back. He also doesn't expect her to remember their time as moirails, but he still does, and a splash of bright tyrian blood appears across his shirt.]

Don't come any closer!

[terribubblykoi]

[ Was that the point where she should have screeched to a halt, giving the big blueblooded lug his space?

Hopefully not, because she's now much to curious about the brand new color splashed all along his torso. It couldn't be real blood, she figures, given the fact that it so obviously just came out of nowhere. ]

Don't be such a grub, I'm just coming over to say hi.

[stayb100ponyboy]

[Equius keeps back-pedaling. He knows he's just making her angry, but it's better she be mad at him than getting hurt by accident.]

I'll hurt you if you get any closer!

[It's not said in a threatening way, but rather on the edge of panic. The tyrian stain on his shirt gets larger.]

[terribubblykoi]

I'll stick a fork in you if you do, so there.

[ Did you not realize Feferi is crazy even for a troll? She'll just keep pursuing him as he backpedals. ]

I'm trying to be friendly, and there you are being a lunatic covered in fakey-fake magic blood. It's rude.

[stayb100ponyboy]

Feferi, I can't control my STRENGTH! If you get too close, I'll hurt you! I won't want to, but I can't control it!

[If keeping her from hurting herself makes him rude, then so be it.]

[terribubblykoi]

Then just don't touch me. Geez, can't you think that through? It's not hard.

[stayb100ponyboy]

[Oh. All right, then. That's easy enough.]

[Equius stops backing away, although he still looks as wary and jumpy as a purrbeast in a room full of slide-bottomed moving chairs.]

... okay.

[terribubblykoi]

See? Was that really so hard? I swear, you're a hard fish to hook.

[bestestfurrend]

"Equiuuuuus?! Equius, can you hear me?? Where are you??"

Do you hear that, Equius? That is the sound of a distraught moirail, blessedly free of the curse herself but frantic over not being able to find him, worried beyond belief after what she's seen other people go through. She's been following his scent for ages, in what seems like circles almost, and she cannot help but think that she must be getting closer by now.

[stayb100ponyboy]

Oh, he hears her all right... every time he hears her voice, the olive blood on his clothing gets darker and heavier. He doesn't answer, instead moving away from her. It tears him apart to do so, but... but better she's worried and upset than dead at his hands.

[bestestfurrend]

And yet she doesn't give up, even if it seems like he's almost deliberately trying to avoid her. That could never be it! Ever since they got back together they've been closer than ever. If Equius knows his moirail at all, he should know she's not going to stop looking until she finds him - or until an obstacle gets in her way that she can't overcome.

[stayb100ponyboy]

It's tearing him apart to hear her call him and not respond, but with so much of her blood on his hands, he can't stand facing her. It's better this way, and someday she'll realize that too.

He's not as good at evading her as he thinks he is, though, and the distance between them keeps getting smaller.

[bestestfurrend]

She senses that, knows she's getting closer, feels him somehow through more than just scent and is gripped by the paralyzing certainty that something is wrong with him. Her pace gets faster, near a run now, ceasing her calling for him since that hasn't helped so far. Better save her breath to try and get to him faster.

[stayb100ponyboy]

... she stopped calling for him.

Equius is too wrapped up in his despair and anguish to feel that she's still nearby, and he huddles in a convenient corner. He's a monster, a freak, he can't control his strength and all he does is hurt those he loves, she probably stopped calling because he killed her, and he puts his head in his hands and shakes.

[bestestfurrend]

"Equius! There you are, oh my paws I was so worried!!!" Yes, that is indeed a convenient corner, and she is going to ignore everything in favour of crawling into it with him, paying attention to nothing but the distress he's in. "Shoosh, shoooosh, what's wrong?"

[stayb100ponyboy]

Equius' ears perk up at the sound of her voice, but then he just tries to mash himself even further into the corner, wedging himself into a little ball. "Don't come any closer!" His voice is rough and cracked, like he's been trying to hold back tears. "Don't touch me!"

[420]

It's really luck more than skill that leads Gamzee to find him. When Equius hadn't come home, he had gotten worried. When he hadn't answered his SFC --sorry, man, you might have about 42 messages in your inbox now-- he eventually had set out to look for him. His own fears follow him, trailing behind him like a ghouls spectre of things he'd rather not think about, but after having hashing at things with Karkat earlier in the week, at least his doppelganger had gotten real quiet, kept to his motherfuckin' self, just fuckin' stood there and stared. He could deal with that.

He wanders the dark, foggy streets for a while, before suddenly the familiar outline of Equius' husk cuts though the fog, and he speeds forward, using that rarely used flashstep to come close enough to Equius to wrap his arms around him in a tight squeeze. He isn't even saying anything, just squeezing.

[stayb100ponyboy]

It's probably for the best that Equius doesn't see Gamzee coming and gets hugged from behind; if he saw that doppelganger following his matesprit, things would... not end well.

As it stands, he freezes, every muscle gone tense and rigid. He would recognize those skinny arms, with their wiry, clowny strength, anywhere, and he knows exactly who is hugging him. He also knows exactly whose indigo blood is dripping off his shirt.

"Let me go," he whispers, his eyes wide and rolling behind his shades. "Let me go, let me go!"

[420]

That does take a few moments to sink in, partially because Gamzee is still feeling the joy of Equius not being gone and partially because it is not exactly a comment desire between the two of them. When it does penetrate his skull though, he releases him easily, though he remains close.

"Equius? Babe, you aight?"

[stayb100ponyboy]

As soon as Gamzee lets him go, Equius pulls away, putting distance between the two of them. He still doesn't turn around; he doesn't want Gamzee to see him this way, all stained and horrible and out of control, and he wraps his arms around himself in a sad attempt at self-comfort.

Indigo blood drips off his hands and splatters on the ground near his shoes.

"Don't touch me," he mutters. "Don't touch me, I can't control it, I'll hurt you if you touch me..."

[420]

"Babe." He keeps his voice low and soft too, coaxing and calming. "What did you wrong? You know you ain't ever put the hurt on me. Is it this motherfuckin' wickedness what they did spell upon us?"

[stayb100ponyboy]

Equius shakes his head, his long hair falling over his eyes as he does. "It... maybe. But it's still true... I still can't control myself, I'm dangerous, I'll... I'll end up hurting you if you get too close!"

[420]

"Babe, that does all sound like it be my motherfuckin' thing to say so, yeah?" After all, between the two of them, Equius had never harmed Gamzee. Gamzee couldn't exactly say the same thing even if it had been in another timeline.

"You being dangerous be what gets a motherfucker's pity-factory all working like there ain't no fuckin' time to stop, you get me?"

[stayb100ponyboy]

"But if anything happens, it'll be my fault!" It's going to take more talking and reasoning before Equius can work through this, but he's listening, and his shirt has stopped dripping blood, at least. "If I hurt you, I couldn't forgive myself!"

His ears perk forward a little at the mention of pity, though, and he looks up through his fall of hair. "It... it does?"