For a moment, before they warp, Kou swears he sees his own- or is it Goro's?- face staring back at him. Stark disappointment, judgemental, disdainful. Kou feels sick.
It's only for a moment though, and after what feels both like maddening eternity and less than a second... they're out.
Kou stumbles, clutching Kira's hand for a moment to keep his balance. They're out of Maruki's Palace (hopefully- he's not wearing his Metaverse outfit anymore. They have to be, right?), but he's still on high alert, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Glancing around the room, he realizes it's a hotel room- one that's been thoroughly ransacked and adjusted to someone's needs.
Kira's needs, he realizes. This must be where he's been staying.
He blinks when Kira lets go of his hand, quickly snatching his own back. Even if this is Kira's home, he's not quite out of fight-or-flight mode, still breathing heavily. He barely hears Kira's question.
The tape. Where's the tape?
"My- my tape," he says, jittery as he pats himself down, "where is- where's my-"
He breathes a sigh of relief, calming visibly as he pats the front pocket of his hoodie, only to be met with something hard and square, immediately fishing it out. It is, indeed, his tape- the one Maruki stole from him, the one he held hostage in favor of...
He's been holding himself together remarkably well, all things considered. But, now that he's coming down from it all, adrenaline slowly leaving him- everything Maruki said and did, everything he was forced to live through-
It comes crashing into him at once- the horrific images of Goro, the anger, the grief, the regret of letting Goro kill himself again for the sake of reality, the guilt of that thought alone, the temptation that Maruki's offer brought. His breath catches, and he staggers- only managing to not fall by virtue of his knees hitting a bed, catching him as he drops on his ass, cradled around the tape. Palnatoke worries in his mind, but he can hardly hear it over his own heartbeat, over his own whirling thoughts.
He wants to scream. He wants to cry. He wants- he wants-
But Kira's still here. Kira, who's seen at least some of the worst shit in his life- and he, in return, awful secrets he's sure Kira never wanted to share. It wasn't much, but enough to paint a picture- one Kou's unable to properly think about right now.
It is only by virtue of not being alone that Kou doesn't break down, right then and there, his expression shuttered into a careful neutral. His eyes are still red. He's still shaking.
"... I'm fine," he answers, belatedly. It's a blatant lie, but if Kira doesn't call him out on it, he won't call Kira out on his own objective lack of being fine, either. "You?"
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It's only for a moment though, and after what feels both like maddening eternity and less than a second... they're out.
Kou stumbles, clutching Kira's hand for a moment to keep his balance. They're out of Maruki's Palace (hopefully- he's not wearing his Metaverse outfit anymore. They have to be, right?), but he's still on high alert, adrenaline coursing through his veins. Glancing around the room, he realizes it's a hotel room- one that's been thoroughly ransacked and adjusted to someone's needs.
Kira's needs, he realizes. This must be where he's been staying.
He blinks when Kira lets go of his hand, quickly snatching his own back. Even if this is Kira's home, he's not quite out of fight-or-flight mode, still breathing heavily. He barely hears Kira's question.
The tape. Where's the tape?
"My- my tape," he says, jittery as he pats himself down, "where is- where's my-"
He breathes a sigh of relief, calming visibly as he pats the front pocket of his hoodie, only to be met with something hard and square, immediately fishing it out. It is, indeed, his tape- the one Maruki stole from him, the one he held hostage in favor of...
He's been holding himself together remarkably well, all things considered. But, now that he's coming down from it all, adrenaline slowly leaving him- everything Maruki said and did, everything he was forced to live through-
It comes crashing into him at once- the horrific images of Goro, the anger, the grief, the regret of letting Goro kill himself again for the sake of reality, the guilt of that thought alone, the temptation that Maruki's offer brought. His breath catches, and he staggers- only managing to not fall by virtue of his knees hitting a bed, catching him as he drops on his ass, cradled around the tape. Palnatoke worries in his mind, but he can hardly hear it over his own heartbeat, over his own whirling thoughts.
He wants to scream. He wants to cry. He wants- he wants-
But Kira's still here. Kira, who's seen at least some of the worst shit in his life- and he, in return, awful secrets he's sure Kira never wanted to share. It wasn't much, but enough to paint a picture- one Kou's unable to properly think about right now.
It is only by virtue of not being alone that Kou doesn't break down, right then and there, his expression shuttered into a careful neutral. His eyes are still red. He's still shaking.
"... I'm fine," he answers, belatedly. It's a blatant lie, but if Kira doesn't call him out on it, he won't call Kira out on his own objective lack of being fine, either. "You?"