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[swordfucker]

Guren Ichinose | Red | #A5211F

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[messianic]

[He's an idiot, that's for sure.

Minato just sighs and closes the laptop and moves.....a bit.... he doesn't want to, because lying down in bed is very comfortable when he's pretty much still dealing with that lingering ache and pain from before, but he's not in crippling misery anymore, just a bit pale and disheveled. He can handle this.

So he'll snag the potion and make his way downstairs. Slowly.]

[swordfucker]

[Guren is there as fast as he can be. If the front door is actually locked, he'll pound knock at it, but otherwise, he's going to be letting himself in. So.]

Minato! [It's one of those "you're in trouble" yells, and he can't help it. He just got in a fight with Dextera over this same thing, and they're still not speaking because of it at this point.]

[messianic]

[He's super duper in trouble... and he accepts that. It was a stupid thing he did, and he knows it. The door's not locked, so it's easy for Guren to open up. Minato's...definitely just blinking owlishly at him from where he was sitting at the foot of the stairs to catch his breath, still pale and little overwhelmed.

Teenagers probably aren't really well-equipped for dealing with things like being poisoned, even if briefly.

But he just kind of...blinks up at Guren--and then moves to stand, offering him the bottle.]

[swordfucker]

How long ago did you drink it?

[Guren takes the bottle immediately, eyeing how much is left to guess how much Minato had to drink of it. After that observation, he pockets it and pushes at Minato's shoulder to sit him back down. His hand moves to his forehead right after, testing his temperature.]

[messianic]

[He's not too stupid, at least (still dumb though), and the bottle is still mostly full; he was just testing it, and only had a little.

Still enough to knock him on his ass, though; what potent poison.

He obediently sits when Guren pushes him down, but while he's still pale and a little clammy to the touch, he's not running a fever or anything.]

...Two days ago. Like I said, I'm okay... I'm not in any danger. [Anymore.]

[swordfucker]

[Guren's body had went through training to withstand most poisons, but that didn't mean that it was any more pleasant to go through. He imagines that Minato is telling the truth, and he isn't close to death, especially if it's been this long, but that doesn't make him any less worried.]

Shut the hell up. You were in danger the minute you decided to drink some strange potion just to see what it was. Did you think you were helping anyone else that way? You just put yourself at risk!

[Harsh scolding, but he's glad there's no fever. Still, it looks like his body must be exhausted.]

[messianic]

[Yeah... he deserves all of that, so he won't argue it; instead, he bows his head a little, rumpled hair falling forward to hide at least some of his face.

His expression is just...kind of rueful, but mostly accepting, though.]

... I know. Sorry, Ichinose-san. I didn't mean to worry you.

[He's not sure if he was asking that question sincerely--what he was thinking, that is--or if it was just part of the scolding, so Minato will keep that to himself for now; it's not like it makes it much better, he knows.

Besides, he... would still make the same choice again, probably, but that doesn't mean he thinks it was the right choice either.]

Or... anyone else.

[swordfucker]

[Strangely enough, Guren goes quiet. There's a tension in his shoulders he can't let go of, his eyes are tired as he looks Minato over, and he doesn't know what he wants to say. His temper just came out. Anger, irritation, frustration, and a desperation to help himself. He doesn't want to lose any of these new, precious friends.

But he doesn't want to yell them away, either. He sighs, finally moving to sit next to Minato on the stairway.]

Next time, bring anything like that straight to me. It's not just some act of selflessness here. My body can handle things that others can't, and I'm already working with drugs.

[messianic]

[... That was less yelling than he was expecting, but perhaps this hits even harder; Minato's used to sucking up and taking yelling and whatever else might come his way, but this sort of sincere request is...

He really did scare Guren, didn't he?

He sighs softly, and... leans, until he's quietly leaning against Guren's shoulder, eyes fluttering shut. Minato's not generally a touchy-feely person, and after everything he's been through, he's not afraid of death or dying, but... even so, it was painful and unpleasant and a little scary even for him, so maybe it's a little comforting to be like this.

Just for a moment.]

... Okay. I'll bring it all to you next time.

[Though he sighs, and admits tiredly:]

But I don't want you to suffer either, even if you're used to it. [He'll obey anyway, but he really doesn't like the thought of Guren in pain either.]

[swordfucker]

The only suffering I'm doing is watching my friends carelessly take these potions and risk harm. Among other things.

[It's all about that, not himself. He leans a tiny bit back into Minato's weight, encouraging it.]

I was trained to be able to handle torture and anything else the Hiiragi family could throw at me, and then I dealt with it directly. Something like a poison wouldn't have affected me at all. [...Probably, at least. Or, well, it would have made him sick, too, a little— but not as much! Or as long! But he wants Minato to feel comfortable, not worried.]

[messianic]

[That's true too, isn't it...? It definitely hurts to see your friends hurting or in danger. He was just telling Dave that too, and yet here he is...

Being selfish too.]

Ha... [He breathes out a rueful sigh, dragging his knees closer to his chest so he can wrap his arms around them.]

I guess things like this end up hurting someone no matter what. [Guren either gets hurt physically or emotionally--and that's shitty. Which is why, flatly, all he's got is:]

That sucks.

[swordfucker]

Unless you have enough power to stop it.

[Guren says that softer, but not too quietly for Minato to hear, if he's listening.] I'm not as strong as I'd like, but there's plenty that I can handle. Rely on me, next time. It's what family is for.

[messianic]

[Enough power to stop it, huh...? He wonders about that. Even in the end, when he'd had that much power, when he'd been so prepared to do what needed to be done--

He remembers how Mitsuru had looked when she arrived here. He still caused her pain, so wasn't he still not strong enough?]

... I'll rely on you. [Minato says that softly, eyes downcast.] But I want to become stronger too. I...want to protect the people I care about. I don't want to hurt them.

[swordfucker]

Then we're the same.

[Guren takes his fist and lightly bumps it against Minato's leg, next to him.] I can help you with that strength. That was the whole purpose of those teacher and student pair ups I was handing out, but if you ever feel like you need help with something specific, you can talk to me.

We help each other, and through that we can grow stronger.

[messianic]

[... Right. They're all the same, right? They want to protect each other, they want to protect the people they care about.

Minato's always been the one sacrificing, for that. But when Mitsuru saw him again after all of that, she'd looked--

... Well. Self-sacrifice isn't always the answer, it seems.]

Got it. I'll do that. I'll get strong enough that you won't have to make the sorts of faces you made when you came through the door.

[.... A beat, and he adds, with a pale and wan but sincere smile, tilted up Guren's way:] ...Thanks, Ichinose-san. I really am sorry for worrying you.

[swordfucker]

...Don't worry about that. Just worry about taking care of yourself. I'm going to worry anyway.

[He moves his hand to Minato's head, now, ruffling his hair a bit as he looks away. He feels bad, that his face had been so openly concerned. This place was making him drop his tendency to shield his emotions better. He was so worried with everything else... Maybe he had to watch that more, too.]

After all, you're just a brat. [He had to add some tsun, okay.]

[messianic]

[Guren's tsun is really cute, honestly... Minato just hums softly to himself, the noise more contemplative than anything. He's just a brat, it's true, but he's more than that too, and Guren will always insist that he worries about himself, but:]

I might just be a brat, but it's not going to change my mind.

[He looks up at Guren through totally mussed up hair, expression calmly certain.]

You're important to me too, Ichinose-san. It's not such a bad goal, is it? To want to be strong enough to not worry you so much?

[swordfucker]

[He almost doesn't know how to handle such an earnest look like that. Guren drops his hand away, looking forward instead of at Minato, hesitating.]

It's not a bad goal at all. [It's a nice one. He can understand it.]

[messianic]

[Even if Guren looks away, Minato's entirely satisfied by that response; he nods peacefully, leaning back against the stairs a bit more.]

Good, then. That's what I'll strive for.

[In the meantime...]

...The other potions haven't been like this, have they? [POISON...] The ones I've heard about have been strange but harmless.

[But now he's concerned for his friends receiving potions from this quest.]

[swordfucker]

No, nothing like that. Dextera's knocked him unconscious, and that was the most worrying one there was.

[Everything else has been harmless.] Some are even useful. Asuka has one that I tested that boosts your strength for a bit, at the cost of getting a migraine for the rest of the day. Obviously it's not a go-to, but it's a good for emergencies.

[messianic]

... Okay.

[So it really is a random roulette, and Minato drew the very short straw. Being Minato...he just breathes out a sigh of relief.]

I'm really glad it was me and not someone else then.

[It could've been Dextera who ingested the poison, that's terrifying.]

Thank goodness.

[swordfucker]

[His response to that, of course, is to thump Minato harshly over the head. He doesn't care if he's recovering from poison, he earned this!!]

I don't want to hear you saying crap like that.

[messianic]

[GHEGH.

He wasn't actually expecting that one, so he cringes, wincing as he lifts his hands to his head and stares up at Guren with muted but sincere surprise.

Ow...!!!]

But it's true...

[Rude...]

I have spells to heal poison, so it ended up being okay. [Therefore, it was better that it was Minato.]

[swordfucker]

Don't give me that! What did we just talk about?

[Ugh, he's frustrated.] If you want to get stronger, then don't throw yourself into situations where you risk death. I don't care how well you can take it compared to others. [hypocrite]

You can protect them in different ways. If you use your body as a shield, then it's just going to last for that one time. Keep that in mind.

[messianic]

[Yeah... that's a bit too hypocritical for him to let go. He looks up at Guren quietly, brow furrowed.]

... I don't understand.

[It's said calmly, at least, but there's a certain firmness to his words, too.]

I agreed to give you the poison, and any other potions, because you're better equipped than me to deal with it. But I won't be ashamed, either, to be grateful that it was me instead of someone who couldn't heal themselves after--like Akechi-san, or Dextera-san, or Midoriya-kun.

[It's better, in that case, that it was him.]