Fandom [CLOSED] Tokyo Ghoul: Dead Enmity

[yaint]

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NOTES

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i've decided to torture adrian even more lol


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@Yoki

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Wake me up? What? Jackson's eyes stared blankly upwards at nothing. He couldn't see Adrian. It was too dark. But he could hear every little scuff and click, every movement and every word that was uttered in the apartment.


"Adrian..." This isn't right. That noise... That strange, unearthly yipping coming from somewhere in front of him didn't sound like Adrian. It sounded mad. Jackson felt an icy finger trace down the back of his neck, causing him to shiver and shudder as his friend stood in the doorway even though he couldn't see what was happening. I can't see it... Oh. An outstretched arm and grasping hand fumbled around in the space to his right until he found the switch for the lamp.


Click. There. Now he and Adrian weren't shrouded in darkness, for a dim but warm light pooled down onto the floor and walls, leaving inky black shadows in the corners and crannies. Now, though without his glasses the image was blurred, Jackson saw Adrian stood before him in the awkward, contorted position in which he had before laughed like a maniac. It was not a normal position.


"Oh my God, Adrian," Jackson whispered, shakily lifting up his head for a better view of the younger male. His eyes were wide and wild and his voice tremored as he spoke. It had all been guessing before, but now it was definite - somethins was wrong. Oh Christ, I've got to figure this out, I have to do something. "What's the matter? N-no, don't worry, it's fine. Come here. You need help."

 

[Yoki]

Dead Enmity

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One of his arms hit the wall in an attempt to prop himself up, this was awful... This was horrendous... He didn't want Jackson to talk to him, he didn't want to hear his voice, he didn't want to talk back, he didn't...he couldn't... Adrian whined and wrapped an arm around his stomach, avoiding looking at his friend at all. This was bad, this was so bad. He shouldn't be in this room, why did he come in here? He needed to get out before he did something he'd regret. No no no. This wasn't him, he wasn't going to hurt his friend!


At light went on and the boy hid his face behind his arm that was leaning on the wall, why, why, why? Why did Jackson have to do this to him? Why couldn't he accept that he wanted to be alone... He should have locked himself in his room, if he'd done that then he wouldn't have been standing there, tempted by the thought of tearing flesh from bone.


"Jackson...Please..." His voice sounded desperate, strange after speaking he let out a quiet sob, putting his hand over his head. "Don't." His jaw clenched, if he went any closer who knew what he'd do to Jackson...but the other telling him to was tricking his own mind into thinking it was okay, it wasn't okay. Eating people wasn't normal! He wasn't like this... He wasn't like them. What was going on? What did they do to him?


"Tell me to go away... Please tell me to go away..." His head was in his hands, he was fighting against temptation and desperation, it wasn't fair, this wasn't fair. What was going on with him? A quiet whimper escaped the boy as he sank down to the floor in the doorway. Just go in... It would make the feeling go away. He could feel better if he just gave in. "No...No no no... Make it stop! Please make it stop!" Adrian's voice kept cracking, he could hardly control himself. Right in front of him, there was food right in front of him and no one would ever know. It wasn't that bad...

 

[yaint]

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NOTES

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AHAHA TeMPTATiON


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@Yoki

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This had never happened before. Jackson had seen Adrian cry, he had heard Adrian whimper in agony; after all, they had grown up together for seven years. It was hard not to witness another person's trauma in such a long stretch of time. But this? This was all too new for Jackson. Never before had he seen Adrian in such a state, appearing to be driven nearly to madness, wailing with a pain he couldn't see or even imagine. And for once he had no idea what to do.


Oh my God, he kept thinking to himself, frozen in place as he could do naught but watch his best friend writhe in pain whilst he himself hugged the duvet to his chest like a child. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't move... Could he? Oh God, I can't just lie here and do nothing. Even if it probably wouldn't work, there was no way that Jackson could just remain idle where he was. Something had to be done about whatever it was that was happening to Adrian.


"H-hang on, I'm coming!" he shakily promised Adrian, trying to raise his voice over the boy's irrational cries for help. How's this going to work!? I can't... No... No, he had to try. Come on...


One by one, he set the palms of his hands against the headboard, then pushed backwards with as much force as his muscles could manage. No movement. He tried again, once more with no result. Oh shit, Adrian, this isn't working.


Something else, there had to be something else he could use. It was an emergency. What is there!? The lamp? That would just get pulled off the end table. The wall? ...No, there weren't any handholds there. Come on!


"Adrian, don't - don't move! Okay? Just stay there," Jackson instructed as he paused to catch his breath. He was becoming desparate now, and that was reflected in the pitch and unsteadiness of his voice. I'm running out of time, oh God, oh no.


Furiously, he grabbed at the edge of the bedside table on which his lamp and glasses were propped, then pulled with all of his might. The effort turned his body on its side, and the opportunity was taken to push each of his legs over the edge of the bed with his free arm. One... Two - oh, shit! That was it. He was out of bed. Lying on his front with his face pressed against the body of the table and the duvet twisted around his ankles behind him.


Useless! Jackson scolded himself, pushing at the table to distance it from his head. When he got the chance, he craned his neck around to look at Adrian again. The panic returned, causing a sudden flutter in his heart, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. I've got to do something about this... Whatever is is. "Adrian!" he panted, twisting and turning his head about to get a better view of the boy who so desparately needed help. "Tell - tell me what's wrong, okay? I can help!"

 

[Yoki]

Dead Enmity

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What was he doing? What was that idiot doing? No...no he needed to stop, he needed to listen. He didn't understand, he didn't get it. All Adrian wanted him to do was tell him to get out, he didn't want his help, Jackson couldn't help him, he just didn't want to hurt the other. His body was screaming at him, it needed something, he had to eat something. He just couldn't take it.


As Adrian stayed in his ball, curled up on the floor, he heard movement...but he didn't dare to look up. His whimpering and panicking was still apparent, but not knowing what Jackson was doing, and knowing that he wanted to help, wasn't making it any better. Why did he get it? Why didn't he get that he really couldn't help him? That unless he had some way or satisfying Adrian's hunger he just couldn't help. It wasn't going to happen, he needed to stop and give up. He needed to stay in bed.


There was a thump and the boy was forced to look up. He gasped, his eyes were wide, no...no... Why... Somehow it seemed Jackson had managed to remove himself from his bed and land on the floor, he was trying to get closer to Adrian. That wasn't okay. He could hardly control himself, Jackson coming any closer to him would be bad for the both of them.


"Stop it..." His eyes were now glued on the man on the ground, he pulled his legs closer to his chest, only staring. Adrian's voice was quiet, but desperate, "Please don't come any closer..." It was obvious he was frightened of something, obvious he was upset, but there was something more in his eyes, something similar to longing, frustration, hunger. It was just a piece of meat...right? When Jackson found out about him he'd tell on him anyway... So what was the problem with eating him? There was no problem.


Adrian bit the inside of his cheek.


He was right there. Jackson was right there. He was on the floor. Wait... He was on the floor.


"Y-You..." Holding his breath, Adrian managed to uncurl his rather shaky form and attempt to stand up, "You shouldn't do that..." He went to walk towards Jackson, his arm outstretched to try and lift the other back up, but he noticed himself moving faster the closer he got. So he freaked. He freaked and jumped backwards, yelping, after suddenly shocking himself Adrian tripped over his own foot, sending up tumbling back to the ground. Once he was back in a sitting position, he just stared at Jackson, the guy was so helpless, and he started crying, he just...he just started sobbing. "Please Jackson... Please listen to me. Please. I-I can't..." Now he really was begging, the words broken up by his sobbing, he didn't want to hurt him, he really didn't.

 

[yaint]

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NOTES

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I'M SORRY ADRIANNNN


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@Yoki

MAIN

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Don't come any closer? What? Why? The man clenched his teeth as he pushed back against the table, sliding back into the tangled mess of the duvet as he forced himself backwards.


"Just tell me what's wrong... Please, Adrian!" What was going on? Don't come any closer. Oh. Adrian had pleaded him not to move any more than he already had. But why? Am I the problem?


For a moment, Jackson's breath caught in his throat as he considered the possibility that he could be at the roots of whatever was happening to Adrian. No, no, no way. Don't be stupid. That couldn't be right. Jackson wasn't sick, and he wasn't making anyone else sick. There was no way that he could or would ever do something like this to Adrian. It's impossible. It was something else, it had to be. But what!?


Suddenly, it dawned on Jackson that he had not taken the time to examine Adrian's wounds from his first day working with the Quinx squad. Oh no. What if the wounds had been infected? What if it was deadly? Jackson could have prevented this, if only he had helped... No, it can't be, I don't want it to be my fault.


Stop. Jackson became still for a moment. He really was stuck - even if he wanted to ignore Adrian's plea, warning, whatever it was, there was no way to close the distance between him and Adrian. Not unless Adrian came to him. But he isn't going to do that! So what do I do..?


Adrian was in pain. Jackson could not, and was not allowed to, come closer or apparently even know what was wrong. If there wasn't any way he could directly help Adrian, there was only one other answer he could think of in his sleep-dazed state. That's it. I'll do it. I'll dial 999.


The sudden triumph of figuring out an answer was short-lived, for it took mere seconds for Jackson to realise that his phone was up on the table that he had just pushed himself away from. It was high up. The table was out of reach now, and Jackson was propped up against the floor with his elbows. The phone is out of reach. Oh God, that means I have to get him to do it.


"Adrian? Adrian, listen to me. I - you - uh, I'm going to call you an ambulance. Okay? P-pass me my phone, it's on the table." Come on, please, Jackson silently hoped, Please just do this. This one thing, I don't know how to help you if you don't.

 

[Yoki]

Dead Enmity

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Adrian really wanted to help Jackson, he really wanted to help the other back into bed, apologise for this, and leave...but he couldn't do that. He didn't trust himself to do that. Who knew what he'd do in this state, he was acting like a goddamn monster! To think he'd even think about killing his best friend, he imagined it, that was bad enough.


No matter how much Jackson wanted him to, explaining was hard, telling him what was wrong was hard, because he wasn't even one hundred percent sure himself. But...the mention of an ambulance... He didn't need an ambulance. In fact that was the last thing he needed right now. The boy put his hands on the sides of his head, shaking it and hitting his feet off of the floor.


"N-No...No...y-you can't!" His voice still contained that pleading tone, "They'll hurt me- I-I'm not...I'm not hurt! I-I don't nee-... I don't-" Suddenly his hand went over his mouth, the kicking stopped, and Adrian just looked down, eyes wide. Oh god... He didn't know how long he could go on like this... How long did he have to feel like this for? It was some of the worst pain he'd ever been through, it was worse than earlier that day...this rivalled the physical pain of having something break through your back...this was so much worse. It had him feel desperate, it made him think irrationally, and he didn't know what to do about it.


"Jackson..." He sobbed, voice muffled by his hand, "Jackson I-I'm scared..." Again Adrian was whimpering, he was trying to back up slightly from the other, but he whole body wanted to do the opposite. It was desperate to eat something. "It hurts...I-It hurts s-so bad..." He was shaking violently, he couldn't stop, tears streamed down his cheeks... Everything sounded so loud in the silence around them. He didn't like it.


"I-It won't g-go away... I-It won't..." His hands grasps his hair and he hid his face in his legs, "I-I can't eat anything, I can't... It...It makes me feel sick and-..." The boy let out a whimper, "I-I...I j-just...I just throw it u-up again... I don't...n-need an ambulance... I-I don't...everything...healed..." It was hard for him to conjugate a sentence in this state, he didn't really know if he was making any sense, he didn't care at this point, he just didn't have the capacity to focus on making a coherent sentence and stop himself from launching his body at Jackson and tearing into flesh.


"There's...There's...blood...and metal...and people...and ghouls...and granny...and-....and-..." Whilst he could think of the sentence, it just wouldn't come out of his mouth, and it was stressing him out even more. He let out a high pitched whine, making himself as small as possible in the process. No...he wasn't going to eat Jackson. Jackson wasn't just food for him. No one deserved to be killed for him to feel better. He could suffer, he deserved to suffer. Only monsters behaved like this.

 

[yaint]

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NOTES

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HE CRIES, THE OTHER GUY CRIES, EVERYONE IS CRYING BECAUSE ANGST IS FUN


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@Yoki

MAIN

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I'm scared, echoed Adrian's voice in his mind. I'm scared, I'm scared.


"God... Goddamn it, A-Adrian..." Jackson whined into the carpet, his elbows sliding apart and forcing him back down onto his chest so that his chin dug down into the floor below. "I'm scared too, okay? I don't know... I don't know what to do. I don't know what the fuck is going on, none of this makes sense..."


I don't know what's going on, Jackson continued to lie to himself, trying to convince himself that he was wrong, he knew he had to be wrong.... He, like Adrian, was shaking now, and there was a strange wetness on his cheeks where tears he didn't know about had pooled in the spaces around his eyed and ran down the sides of his face. He didn't know what was going on. But was that right? Did he really not have any idea?


"Adrian, I..." Jackson tried not to let the notion develop in his mind, pushing it down into the back of his head with other, more rational possibilities. It's shock, he thought. He's in shock after the surgery. Or the sudden imbalance of hormones is making him queasy. Or... He gulped hard and shook his head. ...Or there were complications in the surgery. No... No, no, that's not right, that doesn't happen. Complications? No way. That was one in a million. Adrian was one in six. If there was any chance of anything strange happening, it was so small, so slim. How could it happen..?


"Adrian, you're not..." Shut up, shut up, shut up! One fist slammed into the floor, then another. He couldn't lose it now. Not now, not when Adrian was still there, crying out in agony and unable to utter anything sensible. Even if he was stuck twisted around on the floor, Jackson couldn't abandon his friend. Not when... Not when I know what's going on.


"Adrian, it's not..." No, no, no, no! No matter how he tried to reason with himself, that niggling sensation of wrongness always came back to him. And he knew, for once, that he was right.


He gets surgery, goes missing the next day, then hours later he comes home covered in blood and unable to eat food that was perfectly fine last week. And now he's... Hungry?


There.


There it was. The answer. The answer to everything that he had been pondering that night. Everything that explained what was happening, what was wrong with Adrian. Oh no. Oh no, oh no, God, please no. It was possible; it had happened before. They couldn't just pretend that ghoulification did not exist, not when it was the very process to have inspired the original Japanese Quinx modification.


That's... That's why I can't call an ambulance. That's why Adrian was in so much pain. That's why he wasn't allowed to come any closer. Goddamn it, no, no! Again he slammed his fists into the carpet, which was damp with the salty tears that had welled up in his eyes. What could he do now? What could he say now? No, no, shit, I've got to do something, I can't just... Oh, fuck, oh God.


"Adrian," Jackson began hoarsely when the time since his last attempt to speak began to feel like an eternity, "Adrian, it's okay. It's... God... It's okay. You're okay. Wha-whatever's happening, I... It's okay."

 

[Yoki]

Dead Enmity

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He could hear Jackson trying to justify why Adrian was acting how he was, he'd start sentences and then not finish them, because what was there to say? There was only really one thing they both knew for sure...and that was that something was seriously wrong. Yet neither of them wanted to admit the obvious.


The boy sat there, wailing in pain, unsure of what to do...of how to make it go away. He was desperate, he'd do anything, it was torture having something placed in front of you when you were starving and not being able to eat it. He felt like he was being tempted on purpose, that this was meant to happen and now he was being testing...but why? Why did this happen to him? He didn't want this. He wanted anything but this...why?


Jackson's voice was a whisper up against his own screams and cries, he could hear him, but only slightly. The reassurance didn't help at all, in fact it only make Adrian cry louder, shaking his head as his hands tightly gripped his clothing. All that Jackson did was remind him that he wasn't okay.


"D-Don't lie to me!" He whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to forget the temptation of human flesh in front of him. "I-It's not! I'm...Im not. It hurts so much..." Adrian started rocking in place again. Forget it. Forget it. He wasn't going to eat Jackson. That was his best friend in front of him, if he hurt him he'd pay for it. If he decided to hurt Jackson who would trust him? Who would he have to turn to? He needed to get out of there.


"I'm sorry...I'm sorry... It hurts... Why won't it go away? Make it go away!" Adrian sounded like a child crying about something they were afraid of, except he sounded like he was in a lot more pain than most could imagine. It wasn't like he wanted this, but he'd rather suffer than injur Jackson... He just didn't know what else to do but try and get out of the situation.


There were scuffling noises as he pushed himself along the ground, trying to get further and further away from his friend. It felt unnatural to him to do so, he felt guilty for leave the other face down, but he knew this was the best thing... He needed to stay away... But...how long did this last? Did he...did he have to eat before it went away? But...but eat what?! Eat who?! He couldn't do that!


The boy's soft sobs turned back into violent cries as he realised that he was going to be stuck in this agony for ages unless he got something to eat. That made Jackson look a little more favourable, which only made him cry louder. He still wouldn't eat Jackson! Nothing was going to make him!


"H-How do I make it stop? When will it go away?!" He was whining, rocking back and forth, hands on the sides of his head. It was surprising he hadn't pulled out hair yet, it was becoming harder by the minute to resist biting into Jackson...and he didn't know how long he could really last.

 

[yaint]

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LOL I LOVE MAKING IT EVEN HARDER FOR ADRIAN TO COPE. MORE HUMANS AT THE DOOR


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@Yoki

MAIN

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"Adrian..." Shit, shit, shit! Jackson pounded the floor with a fist again, his movements becoming weaker as he lost the faith that he really could do anything at all. What was there to do? The truth was there, right in front of him. He didn't want to admit it, because he knew that it would destroy the both of them - but all he had to do was look. And right now he needed to see Adrian's face more than anything. It didn't matter if they were streaming tears of agony, or if they were ravenous, dangerous, black and blood red. He had to see them to be able to face what he knew was happening.


With the palms of his hands, Jackson weakly attempted to push himself up off the floor. It's no use, it's not going to work, he thought as he remained flat on his chest with arms sinking back down into a folded position. His head wouldn't move up far enough for him to lock eyes with his friend. It won't work!


"Adrian, I'm sorry," Jackson croaked into the carpet. His brows had furrowed, eyes squeezed shut, and his lips stretched outwards into a thin grimace. Nothing, nothing he could do would help. I'm making it worse, I have to stop, I have to stay away. "I do- I really don't know what to do. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I can't help you, I'm sorry..."


Just as Jackson had begun to babble his uncertainties, fears and apologies into the carpet, he was shaken back into reality by a sudden knocking sound.


Rap rap rap.


Jackson stopped speaking. Instead he froze, lying still against the floor, as he realised what was happening. Oh God, he thought, a bead of sweat trickling down the back of his neck. Oh my God, the neighbours. They must... They must have heard Adrian. They heard him screaming.


"Excuse me!" called a muffled voice from outside of the door. Jackson remained still, listening but not responding. Rap rap rap. The knocking continued before the voice came back. "Hello? Is everything okay in there?"

 

[Yoki]

Dead Enmity

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Of course Jackson couldn't help him, Adrian didn't expect him to be able to...he just wanted to leave, he just wanted to calm down and leave, but this was so painful. If he could have just left the room, he would have, but Jackson was on the floor, he had to help him, he couldn't just leave him there! He had to help!


Yet...he was too afraid to get any closer. If he hurt the other he'd never forgive himself.


Adrian just shook, staying curled up in his ball as he listening to Jackson apologise over and over again, it only made feel worse about himself... It only made him cry out louder and curl into a tighter ball. He was so useless, why did this have to happen? Why did he have to act like this? He needed to gain some self control, for...for everyone's sake, otherwise someone was going to get hurt. And he wouldn't know what to do about it. He didn't want to hurt Jackson, he didn't want to feel so desperate...but...but-


The knock broke the boy's train of thought, snapping him back to reality. In less that a second he'd fallen silent, a hand over his mouth and his eyes fearfully staring out of the room. There was someone at the door. No...no no no no, they needed to go away, they couldn't come in here. If they came in...but if he didn't answer...if he didn't answer they would think something was wrong, they might call the police or something and end up hurting him. He didn't want to be hurt...


Opening that door was dangerous, but it was even more dangerous to leave it closed. Opening it left him open to attack someone, or for them to ask too many questions, or for him to break down, but...not opening it could lead to something much worse.


For a moment Adrian's eyes darted to Jackson. Jackson... Don't touch him. He couldn't touch him. It was too risky. It could leave them both hurt.


After staring at his friend for a few seconds, he removed his hand from over his mouth, biting the inside of his cheek instead, and scrambled to his feet. Head down, hide behind the door, don't show them what's wrong, don't let them see. If they saw they'd hurt him. Okay. Okay. He could do this.


But...what if he just tricked them and...no one would ever know. If he didn't leave any evidence, no one would ever know. The thought made Adrian's eyes go wide with hunger as he stared at the door, he couldn't help it, he couldn't help acting this way. It wasn't how he wanted to act...but it's what they'd made him.


That thought made the boy whimper, but he quickly shut himself up as he moved to the door, grabbing the handle with the sleeve over his right hand. It took him a few seconds to calm down to a point where he could open that door, and even when he turned the handle he was still shaking.


"H-Hello?" Adrian opened the door slightly and peered through with one eye, keeping it closed enough to that no one could see completely inside... So no one could see him. He was shaking and his voice was rather quiet, but he was doing it best...he just...he couldn't stand how tempting it was.

 

[yaint]

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NOTES

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PLOT MOVEMENT


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"Oh!" The person on the other side let out an involuntary gasp of something that sounded like relief or surprise. Whatever it was, they clearly weren't expecting a response as humane as this when compared to the unearthly wails that were shaking the block mere seconds ago.


For a moment, there was a pressure on Adrian's hands from the other side of the door; whoever was out there was attempting to open it wider. Clearly, a tiny opening wasn't enough for them, but they soon gave up after feeling that Adrian was holding it in place from within the apartment. Instead, the person's face appeared at the door; it was an elder, a dark-skinned and white-haired man with a thick snowy beard. He was familiar to Adrian as he lived on the same floor and oftentimes passed him and Jackson in the corridor on the way in and out. Though barely any of his face was visible through the tiny crack in the door, his voice and combination of contrasting skin and hair colours betrayed his identity almost straight away.


"Oh, err, ever so sorry, lad," the man began, shifting his position so that his lower face was in line with the opening of the door and his voice did not carry elsewhere. "I was just thinking I ought to check up, because of all the noise. Are you all right? May I come in?" Once more the neighbour pushed against the door in an attempt to open it, then gave up his efforts when he felt the pressure from Adrian's side again. If he wanted to come inside, he would have to wait for a response.


"Adrian?" Jackson stage-whispered, twisting and craning his neck upwards in an attempt to search for where the boy had gone. He was facing the wrong direction to see what was happening at the front foor, but when he heard the neighbour's voice, his chest seemed to tighten. "Adrian... No, you shouldn't..." Shouldn't what!?


Jackson bit down on his lower lip and chewed at the dry, scabbed pink skin until he could taste blood. Shouldn't go outside? Was Jackson about to tell Adrian to stay indoors, where he was trapped in his own agonising starvation? Was he going to stop him from finding his own solution? No, no... He couldn't do that. He couldn't even imagine what kind of pain Adrian must have been in. But what if somebody finds out? Oh no, no, no no no... There was nothing he could say, nothing his exhausted mind could come up with that would help. All Jackson could do was grab at the fibres of the carpet and grind his teeth together in frustration as he waited and listened.

 

[Yoki]

Dead Enmity

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Adrian's hold on the door was steady as it was pushed against, he wasn't just going to let anyone in. In fact he didn't want to let anyone in at all. He was very nervous at that moment, too nervous for his own good. The boy was rubbing the back of his heel with the opposite, whilst attempting not to shake too much, he wanted to keep the door steady. He was trying to give the impression that he was fine, that they didn't need anyone's help, but...it was hard when he could hardly put together a sentence.


He recognised the man, they didn't see each other all that often, but he definitely lived on the same floor. So, he'd heard them? Then...had everyone else? Oh god. The panic set in and Adrian's eyes widened slightly, but he controlled it within seconds, biting down hard on the inside of his cheek. This was not the time.


He really needed to eat... Human meat smelled too good.


The man asked if he could come in, pushing on the door again, and Adrian's foot went behind it. He was looking at the other like at shy child whose mother had told them not to open doors to strangers, he obviously didn't want to be there...he wanted to be eating... He could eat this guy right? If he let him in...he could just eat him... It was satisfy the hunger he had. Adrian was really getting desperate, anything looked good to him, he didn't know how much longer he could hold out before he finally gave in and ate whoever was in front of him. This guy would be a perfect target... No. No no no, what was he thinking...that was bad, that wasn't good, people didn't do that...plus the whole block would hear him scream.


"No..." Adrian's voice was quiet as he answered, his one visible eye staring up at the older male anxiously, he wasn't going to let anyone in. He'd heard Jackson, and he knew himself that it wasn't good. You didn't let strangers into your house anyway. That's what Jackson had told him. Leo too. He wasn't about to start doing it now.


His stomach was churning, he felt so sick...and weak. All he wanted was to eat. This was torture, his food source was right there, he didn't even have to pay for it...he could just... What was he thinking?! That was stupid. At the thought of eating another human Adrian shuddered, backing up a step, but keeping hold of the door, he didn't want to do it...he wouldn't do it...

 

[yaint]

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NOTES

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no notes


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@Yoki

MAIN

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There was no surprised 'oh' or a mumbled 'sorry' this time, not when Adrian denied his older neighbour entry to the apartment. Instead, there was simply a scuffling noise and a grunt of irritance as the man's face disappeared from the crack at the door.


Jackson, still on his front in the bedroom, was still attempting to push himself up into a better position. No, no, I need to see what's going on. He was beginning to regret pushing himself out of bed, and it showed in the huffs of frustration he kept making at the expense of his already-aching lungs. Every time he managed to lift his chest up off the floor, his elbows buckled and he was forced downwards again with a heavy thump.


"Adrian!" Jackson wheezed up into the doorway, his voice carrying over to the area in which the exchange was happening between the boy and his neighbour. "Who is it? Is it Liz?"


"Hm?" Suddenly there was an eye at the door again, and it squinted and flitted from left to right, straining to see the apartment past Adrian. Something seemed different about the man now; his face had become stony and rigid, almost icy, even. And he kept looking, kept searching with that one eye. "Is there someone else there? Oh, I wasn't expecting that, sorry." Though his words were kind, the tone was bland and devoid of emotion; a mimicry of his cold and unreadable expression. Still, he searched and scanned all in his field of view with that one unblinking eye.

 

[Yoki]

Dead Enmity

​

"Hm?" Adrian's head turned to the side as the other disappeared, he was finding it extremely hard to control himself...he wanted to rip the door open and claw at one he could, rip them apart. How he was keeping it together at all he really didn't know, but...he was doing it to survive.


His head turned as he heard Jackson...was it Liz? No, it wasn't. It was... He turned back, getting slightly startled by the eye that had just appeared at the door again, jumping back in response to it. The boy wanted to cry, he didn't like this, this man was scaring him and he didn't know what to do... Did he close the door?


"C-Can you..." It seemed to hurt to talk, "S-Stop..." His voice was still quiet, child-like with just a hint of fear and pain, "You're...You're s-scaring me..." Of course that was only half true. This man at the door was scaring him, but what was also happening was his hunger was taking over...he was relying more and more on instinct by the second...and Adrian knew exactly what that meant.


Someone here was going to die if he didn't eat soon.


He tried pushing the door back, it was time this encounter was over, sure, he was scared of the police finding him...but if he wasn't there they couldn't find him. He...He could run away for the night...let himself be taken over by hunger somewhere he wasn't going to hurt anyone he cared about. Whilst he didn't want to eat any human, his morality was slowly fading as he became more and more famished. If it got worse than this he knew that he'd have no resolve left, that he'd kill anyone and he wouldn't be able to stop himself... He didn't want that person to be Jackson.

 

[yaint]

tฬเxt

​

NOTES

​

this is going somewhere...


TAGS


@Yoki

MAIN

​

"No, wait." Before Adrian could click the door shut, the man jabbed his foot in the way and jammed it open with the thick black leather. It made a horrible squeaking sound as he dug his foot further into the gap, forcing the space to widen enough for the man to fit his head inside.


Surprisingly, now that he had a 180-degree view of the apartment's interior, the man seemed to lose interest in looking around; instead, his eyes glazed over as he twitched his head from side to side, nostrils flared as he drank in the still, stuffy air and spent several moments considering the environment. There was an electric atmosphere about the room where the silence from outside had crept in, consuming everything. Even Jackson's grunts and calls were becoming distant, drowned out by the nothingness that stretched across the metres between him and the door.


"You... You're not all right, are you, child?" he finally said, the same monotone voice seeming impossibly loud in Adrian's ear.


"Adrian!" Jackson yawped again, "What's g-going on out there!?"


The man ignored Jackson's cries and instead broke the ice in his expression as his brows sunk down together in a deep, wrinkled frown. "You're giving me a funny look. What's wrong?"


"Who's at the door!?"


"Hey. It's okay, I promise I'm not going to come in - not that kinda guy."

 

[Yoki]

Dead Enmity

​

At the sound of the door hitting against something that wasn't the frame, Adrian jumped, letting go for a moment. He panicked, backing up even further in an attempt to get further away. This wasn't good, everyone was confusing him. There was this person he didn't really know at the door and he'd tried to close it, but they hadn't let him, and he didn't like it when things like that happened... What was he meant to do? Usually there was someone else around to help...but Jackson wasn't able to get up...and he wasn't sure how to deal with someone bigger and older than him practically forcing their way into his house.


Jackson was shouting about what was going on, the man in front of him was trying to speak to him... Who did he listen to? Did he reply to Jackson? Did he answer the person standing in front of him? Adrian's eyes were darting back and forth, looking between the two, trying to work out how best to go about the situation. His friend was vulnerable in the other room, he was starved and close to devouring the only thing that meant anything to him... Having another person involved was not a good thing.


"P-Please...do-" He'd started speaking when he felt a rather awful pain start in his head, the boy cried out, put his hands on his head and doubling over. What...what was going on? Why did it hurt so much? It was like the pain that he used to be whenever he had headaches...except ten times worse, why was this happening? He didn't understand!


Adrian backed up, shaking his head and whimpering in agony. What did he do? What did he do? Was it going to go away? Was Jackson still shouting? He couldn't tell, it was too much, he just... "Why won't it stop..." The boy was talking to himself rather than anyone else, but he was trying to be as quiet as possible, he was trying to move away from the man at the door. That guy was going to think he was insane, he was going to call someone on him or something and he was going to get him hurt... Or what if they separated him and Jackson? He didn't want to be separated from Jackson...


"I-I-I...I don't know...I don't know what to do... I-I-I...I..." His sentences were quick, but he couldn't say more than a sentence at a time, if he tried it just became a jumble of words and noises. Oh no. He was acting insane in front of some random man he didn't know, but it felt like someone was stabbing him, over and over again...and they didn't plan on giving up. How could he hide that?

 

[yaint]

tฬเxt

​

NOTES

​

Back again


TAGS


@Yoki

MAIN

​

Jackson's hands curled up into fists, so tightly clenched that the bones of his knuckles jutted out and made visible white marks in the skin. He felt his biceps beginning to ache with the effort of holding up his head and neck, and there was cold, clammy sweat forming in a film over the back of his shoulders.


What the hell do I do!? He couldn't see what was going on, he couldn't move to find out... And Adrian wasn't answering him anymore. It was the type of isolation that made him want to scream and shout. It was fear. There was a person at the door, someone he didn't know, and Adrian didn't seem fit to be speaking to outsiders. Not now, not when he was in such great pain that he couldn't control his body or voice. What if the person called somebody, or lashed out, or what it Adrian did something that he would regret...


Oh no, oh no, oh no! Again, Jackson made an attempt to drag himself forwards, but once more it ended with his chin pressed into the carpet. No, no, no! This sucks!


Useless. That's what he was, all he could think of at that moment. His friend was in more trouble than he has ever even had the mind to imagine, and all he could do was lie on his front and cry and listen and hope to God that nothing would get worse than it already was. I'm useless.


Meanwhile, the stranger outside the door started at Adrian with a mixture of shock and pity, the ice in his eyes having been melted away to nothing by the screams of pain.


"Hey! Shh, shh, quiet!" he hissed, his voice lowering to a hoarse whisper as he ducked his head forwards to block out the noise. "It's okay, lad, listen to me. I think I know what's going on. In fact...." As his words died away into the silence, a dark index finger rose and tugged down at the man's lower left eyelid. The eye flashed the familiar colours of black and red before returning to normal within a second. "I think I might be able to help. Is that okay?"

 

[Yoki]

Dead Enmity

​

Adrian's attempts to keep quiet were failing miserably, his hands were pressed firmly against his mouth, but it wasn't doing much to obstruct the whimpers...it was just making the words he spoke that little bit less coherent.


"Jackson... Jackson I want him to go away... Jackson..." It would be a miracle if Jackson could make out Adrian's muffled words, but the pleading and afraid tone was obvious to everyone in the room. He was shaking, finding it hard to stand straight, and the man in front of him really wasn't help. Although the boy knew he wasn't trying to do anything malicious, he was still afraid, he still just wanted to be left alone. He could cope better with it alone. Even if it did help.


When the older man started to talk the boy stumbled backwards a few more steps, he swallowed in attempt to shut himself up, wide eyes staring towards the white haired figure in the doorway. Everything was fine...he needed to calm down...he needed to relax.


At first all Adrian wanted to do was yell at him, tell him he didn't understand, and shout at him to go away, to leave him alone...but then he saw his eye. That... He seemed to freeze in spot, the whimpering stopped, in fact all sounds he was making, par his uneven and shaky breathing, ceased in that moment. This man was a ghoul.


He said he could help. Did he trust him? What was he going to do? What could he do? Adrian's head was filled with questions once again, he wanted to take up the offer, he really wanted to...but he was afraid. What if the other betrayed him? What did that matter? Whatever this was it was going to stop him from eating Jackson. He couldn't eat Jackson.


After adjusting his standing position in an attempt to stand a little more straight, Adrian hesitantly nodded his head, his eyes never leaving the ghoul in front of him.

 

[yaint]

tฬเxt

​

NOTES

​

what is this shitty uninspired sensation? could it be writer's block??


TAGS


@Yoki

MAIN

​

The sudden onset of silence seemed to catch the man's attention, and he raised a frosty white eyebrow as Adrian finally quitened down. There was no doubt to be had anymore; his scent was warped by the environment, and he didn't appear to be particularly athletic with soft-looking arms and an undefined face... But those eyes didn't tell lies. He was a ghoul.


"Okay," said the ghoul, removing his face from the door and jerking backwards to clear the area in front of Adrian. A moment was taken to glance to either side, and only when he was satisfied did the man curl his index finger to beckon Adrian outside. "Come on, then. You can tell me what your name is on the way, but if you want to eat then you'll have to get moving now."

 

[Yoki]

Dead Enmity

​

"Ba..." It sounded like Adrian was trying to say something that was rather important to him, but he wasn't really making much noise at all. His hands had dropped from his mouth and he'd pointed over to the other room, where Jackson was, but he really was past the point of speaking. He didn't even want to look into the other room, his mind was focused on one thing and one thing only. Food. He wanted to eat, he had to eat...


He looked guilty, as if leaving Jackson there with no one was something he really didn't want to do...but he wanted to eat and he wanted to eat now. Even if he'd wanted to stay, something very bad could happen, and...if he left, well, Jackson would be there, Jackson would be fine...and he'd get to eat. This ghoul could help him, he could... Although...Adrian really didn't understand what he was getting himself into as he moved forwards.

 

[yaint]

tฬเxt

​

NOTES

​

WRITER'S BLOCK VANQUISHED


TAGS


@Yoki

MAIN

​

Strangely, Adrian's neighbour refused to say another word for the duration of their time spent inside the apartment building. He ignored the boy's whimpering, putting a finger to his own lips as a gesture of silence and paused every few seconds to sniff and check the surroundings.


Oddly enough, it seemed as though none of the other residents had paid any attention to the screams coming from Adrian's apartment, because as the ghoul led him through the block, down the elevator and into the foyer, they did not meet the eyes of another person.


Just as the man's hand pressed against the cold white metal of the door handle, he turned back to face Adrian and made the shh gesture once more. "I'm gonna have to ask you to keep quiet until I say the word," he droned, nodding at the boy for several seconds. Once more, his nostrils flared as he took in Adrian's scent and passed his all-seeing gaze over the boy's image.


Eventually, the door was pushed open and the chill night air flowed inside, swirling around the man and the boy's arms and ankles and causing the ghoul to stop for a moment as a violent shiver wracked his body. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the surroundings that both parties were familiar with - the rows of street lamps glowing with a cold, tinny yellow, the cars piled together in the parking spaces outside and the dark orange hue of twilight hanging below the sky.


There was no time to be wasted admiring the ground view of night-time London, for already the white-haired ghoul had darted across the road with an arm stretched backwards to beckon Adrian to follow.

 

[Yoki]

Dead Enmity

​

Maybe he should have thought about locking the door as they left the apartment, but he didn't. Adrian wasn't thinking straight, he just wanted food, he just wanted to be given the opportunity to eat. Every other priority had slipped his mind...and whilst he felt guilty for leaving Jackson alone in the apartment, he forgot about it very quickly.


He didn't like himself in this state...


As the two moved the younger kept suspiciously looking around, his eyes darted from side to side, but he wasn't sure why. He couldn't differentiate between searching for prey and being wary about being spotted at this point. He kept sniffing the air, as if that would do something, honestly...Adrian didn't really understand himself what he was doing...but he was doing it...


This couldn't actually be happening.


Before he knew it, they were at the entrance to the apartment building, and he was being told to shut up. He needed to be quiet, but why? Where was this man taking him? This may have been a bad idea. No, no, of course it wasn't! Anywhere he could get food was good, it couldn't be bad, he wasn't even being threatened. All he wanted was to act like himself again, this was insane. He was insane. It was horrible to feel this starved, it didn't feel like a day, it felt like months, it felt like...like...like someone had forgotten about him and let him starve for weeks on end...


Adrian let out a quick breath as he walked into the cold night air, this was England, what did he expect? They weren't in a warm sunny paradise. Plus, it was the middle of the night. The cold made him shiver and pull his sleeves down in an attempt to stop the air from freezing the parts of his body that were still left warm. It was warmer inside...but there was no food there...


His eyes started darting left ad right again like a mad man's, so far he'd managed to keep himself quiet, but he didn't know how long he'd be able to stand and move around for. Hunger was painful, his body ached, his head hurt, he wanted to scream and cry, and shout, and hit something. He wanted to rip something apart.


Not right now.


Seeing that his companion had already set off, Adrian quickly followed. He wasn't going to get left behind. Wherever they were going...it was going to be worth of it. Think of how great it'd feel to finally be free of this pain...

 

[yaint]

tฬเxt

​

NOTES

​

*laughs maliciously because of plans*


TAGS


@Yoki

MAIN

​

For what felt like forever, but in reality lasted but for a few minutes, the ghoul traced across the streets of London with practiced steps. Even when he turned to the side to check for prying eyes, his feet kept moving. He had gone this route many a time in the past, and habit was his best guide for when his eyes were busy elsewhere.


Finally, after rounding a corner and sliding into a tiny crevice between two brick walls, the older ghoul heaved a heavy sigh and nodded at Adrian. "Okay," he began, scratching at the thick whiteness of his beard, "It's safe here. You can relax."


For a moment he inspected the wall on the opposite half of the alley, which was less than an arm's length from where he was leaning backwards against the other brick-built side. There appeared to be chalk-like scratch marks at the edges of the bricks, with sections of the mortar chipped away at somewhere near shoulder height. At one site there were red-brown stains that stretched all the way down to the concrete ground.


Awkwardly in the confined space, the ghoul extended a hand towards Adrian. "My name's Sam," he said, averting his eyes as he said it. Somehow Sam gave the impression that he never quite knew where to look - at times he stared insensely into the boy's eyes, and at others he could look everywhere but his face. Indecisive. "I've seen you around, lad, but... Didn't ever realise you were a ghoul. What's your name?"

 

[Yoki]

Dead Enmity

​

It was really hurting to move, every step was agony to Adrian, but he knew he had to push it back and continue. So he did, he thought about the outcome, thought about how once they got to wherever they needed to go everything would be okay again. He didn't need to worry, he just needed to stay calm. If he blew it now...well...it really would be all over. Possibly for both of them.


They both seemed to be looking around as they walked, but the younger of the two seemed to be trying to keep himself to himself much more than the older. He had his arms wrapped across his front, his head was down, and he moved quickly after the man leading him. Where were they even going? He didn't know how things worked with ghouls...he didn't know where he was supposed to go...but he really wasn't in a position to question anything at the moment. It would only end badly for him.


Leo would kill him for this. Going off and trusting someone random he didn't know.


But what if he knew he had no other choice?


The two came up to a small alley-like gap in the wall, which the man in front of him seemed to slip in. After looking around, Adrian followed. It was a thin space, he didn't know why they were there, but he still wasn't questioning it completely. His only question was when was he going to get to eat? That's the only thing he wanted to know. Anything else could be left until afterwards.


It seemed that the man wanted to do introductions first though. What a strange place to choose... There was another sharp pain in his head after the man said his name, Adrian's hand went to his temple and he winced, taking a minute before actually being able to reply. This...was awful. Control. He just needed to keep himself under control for a little longer.


"A-Adrian..." The boy replied, looking at Sam's hand and, after a few brief moments, taking it. Then he looked up, he wasn't going to mention anything about himself becoming a ghoul, it wasn't that long ago after all, he just waited for an answer, twitching impatiently.

 

[yaint]

tฬเxt

​

NOTES

​

*malevolent cackle*


TAGS


@Yoki

MAIN

​

"Adrian... Adrian..." Sam quietly repeated the name to himself, staring out of the corners of his eyes at the boy as he practiced the movements of the mouth and felt the way his tongue rolled and flicked as the word was pushed out. When he was done, Sam licked his lips and whipped his head around at an alarming speed to face the other end of the tiny alley-like passage.


Sam grunted. Hidden inside the shadow of the wall was the black silhouette of a crow. The bird strutted about for a few seconds, staring up at Sam and Adrian as it restlessly twitched its tiny head from side to side. With one quick movement, Sam stomped his foot into the ground, raised an arm into the air and hissed at the bird, scaring it back up into the darkness of the night sky.


Satisfied that they were safe from the blackness of the crow's invasive stare, Sam slowly turned back to face Adrian with a pair of red eyes whose crimson glow quickly dissipated into the familiar, human brown. Normal.


"Say, Adrian..." Sam's voice was low and husky now, as though he were trying to keep it somewhere between speech and a whisper, "You're not with the Link, are you? Or Aegis?"