Forum Thread

A knock on the old door had the two of the males freezing, eyes darting from each other to the door and back again. The knock came again and Mika dove into the bedroom, scrambling to give Mademoiselle to an equally frantic Shu before diving into the wardrobe. The next series of knocks shook the thin fragile walls, impatience vibrating with each knock and Mika shuffled to the edge of the closet, curling up and closing his eyes. Shu's angered yelling and Madomoiselles attempts to placate her charge could be heard through the walls as Mika made a small noise, covering his ears. The ever present heat that lived in his chest flared at the sound of prey present in the vicinity and he shoved a hand into his mouth to muffle to whine that spilled out of his salivating mouth. The acrid stench of blood burst across his tongue as his jaw latched onto the flesh, the mere action satisfying the innate hunger that wracked his body. A sudden intrusion of light in his dark sanctuary had Mika hissing, head snapping towards the source as he craddled his meal protectively against his chest, lips peeled back as his body coiled up in preparation to fight for his right to survive.

When no movement was made, Mika lunged forward, determened to get in the first blow and drive away his adversary, blood speckled teeth moving to clamp down on whatever it could sink into. A sudden sharp sweetness cut through the metallic tang coating his tongue and Mika reeled backwards, shoulders banging against the wood as his narrow pupils blew wide open. Biting down on the intrusion in his mouth, his teeth was meet with resistance as he rolled the hard candy around his mouth letting the flavour chase away the thick iron and replace it with a melting crunch that made his limbs pliant. The sweetness had his his head spinning as he slid down against the wardrobe wall trying to catch his breath, awareness slowly coming back to him as the heavy fog cleared from his mind. A dull throb had Mika holding up his mangled hand and he observed the flesh that he himself had gnawed off himself. It certainly didn't look very pretty. Lowering his hand, Mika could see Shu's disgusted face and he quickly shoved the wound behind his back and chuckled nervously. "'m sorry Shu." he mumbled with an apologetic smile, trying not too seem too insincere. "'m tryn' ta be better, I swear, but 's hard y'know. 'm trying real hard though so please don' throw me away just yet, please?"

The only response Mika received was a sharp look as Shu swept out of the room, leaving Mika to sit in the suddenly very cold wardrobe. Meekly licking off the blood that was dripping off his wrist, Mika shuffled around to wipe up the blood that had dripped down to pool onto the polished wood with his ruined sleeve before a horrified grasp made him snap his head up. "Kagehira! What in the world are you thinking?!" Shu snapped, striding forwards to catch Mika's wrist in his hand. Dragging the frail boy up onto his unsteady feet, Shu dragged him out to the table to sit him down. "Oh never mind, that was certainly an absurd question for me to ask, you never think." He grumbled plucking out a spool of thread from the still propped open sewing kit. A patch of scrap fabric was picked up and dipped into the small water bucket they kept by the leg of the table and Shu gently cleaned his mangled hand, all while grumbling under his breath. Mika sat frozen in place under Shu's soft ministrations as he barely flinched as his wound was poked and prodded, moved around to Shu's liking as the other examined the extent of the damage he had wrought upon himself. Long ago, before the world went to hell and back and went back just for good measures, the two had a small routine of what they liked to call "maintenance". Neither of them knew for certain what they were doing, but it was a small moment of relaxation and bonding for the two of them under the frail guise of doing something productive. In that moment, it was simply a doll and his owner, sitting together as Shu worked out what best to aid his doll when his body became stiff and immovable, unfit for use. Ever since Mika had fallen ill, they never returned to their old ways of bonding, yet here they were with Mika sitting silently as Shu gently patched up his broken body, gentle touches reminiscent of the grazing of fingers over a swollen ankle or a stiff joint. A wave of nostalgia rushed over him and he nearly felt himself tear up as the two sat in silence only the occasional hum from Shu breaking the stagnant air around them. He barely felt the pass of a needle through his skin, faintly registering the entry and exit points where the thread tied his flesh together, more focused on the past where Shu would scold him for something or another, harsh words carrying little heat behind them. The snipping of the thread brought him out of his introspection as he glanced down at his repaired hand, flexing it once or twice to test if it would hold up. Of course, Shu's work was of the best quality as always, holding up despite Mika's tests.

"Mgggnh, thank ye kindly Shu, 'm sorry 'm such a defective doll." He smiled sadly, tugging his sleeve down to hide the stitches. His lips instinctively found itself trapped between his teeth as he worried them between bloodied canines, the skin peeling off as Mika fell back on old habits. His fingers picked against the seams of his clothes as he made his nervousness clear. All that he received in return was a sigh and Shu holding his hand out annoyance written all over his face. When Mika seemed confused, the other only clicked his tongue and his hands came up to push off the ragged blood soaked jacket that lay limply over his scrawny frame. Ah, so Shu really was throwing him out, of course he would. Mika was a danger to him, a blood thirsty ticking time bomb who could at any time jump on his former partner and devour him whole, ending his life right there. Even back when he wasn't all messed up (you were always messed up a tiny voice told him but he pushed that a side), Mika was never of any real use to Shu, only tagging along as the one doll who could move as its master desired, jerked around by the puppet master and he was acutely aware that he could replaced at any moment if Shu found a better doll to work with. He was in the middle of planning out what he could do to survive on his own before a loud clearing of someone's throat alerted him that the only other person in the room was about to speak.

"Don't you dare go anywhere." Shu snapped, his haughty tone piercing through the fog that settled over Mika's hazy mind and his head snapped up, staring at his roommate with wide eyes. Shu wasn't even looking at him, meticulously folding the jacket but Mika could see the slight shake in his hands as he tucked the article of clothing under his arm. "Goodness, you've gone and stained my work again. When will you learn that our resources aren't infinite? No matter, I'm heading out to clean up after you again. I expect you to still be in the house by the time I return, understood?" Mika was given no time to respond to the wavering statement before Shu slammed the front door behind him. Mika was left staring slack jawed at the door, a small hopeful smile booming on his cracked cheeks. Perhaps he still had a place to call home.