hearts and junk

[borntobewildcat]

WHO: Tom and Ggio
WHERE: Their apartment
WHEN: Night of/after Valentine's Day
WARNINGS: Nothing... Talk of soul... cannibalism?
SUMMARY: Post VD shenanigans. The truth comes out! Dun Dun Dun
FORMAT: Quick


[Ggio had left the bar before Tom that night, since he had to make sure certain people were okay before sending them home and then clean up the bar to close. He was exhausted, and didn't really have anything else planned for the holiday other than sitting out on the balcony to smoke and then crawling into bed.

That's why he was a bit surprised when he opened the door and the entire apartment was covered in pink and red tissue paper, foil, and candy wrappers.]

Ggio? Are you here?

Comments

[ridethetiger]

Oh.

[Tilts his head up to nuzzle Tom's jawline.]

It's like every day. It's fine.

[When Tom put it that way, the holiday didn't seem any different from any other day.]

[borntobewildcat]

Well, I'll still take a couple days off soon. We can go camping again or something.

[It's hard to feel bad about not doing anything special for Ggio when the other was like this. He sighs and finally wraps his arms around Ggio, resting his forehead on the other's mask.]

Can I ask you something?

[ridethetiger]

Cool.

[Even if it was still a bit cold for that; just meant they'd chill out in a nice hotel or something.

Ggio groans as he's ready to go inside now, but stays put save for some wriggling.]

What is it?

[borntobewildcat]

[Tom just smiles a little, petting Ggio and knowing that he won't be going anywhere for a while]

It's nothing important, really. I've just been thinking about it for a while and... We've known each other for a year now. How come you never told me you could sense souls?

[ridethetiger]

[Groans again. Now was so not the time for this talk!]

I forgot. It's nothing.

[But Tom wasn't going to let up, damn it.]

Did I tell you what arrancar are?

[borntobewildcat]

No. You've never reall told me anything about them except that they consume each other for power.

[Tom probably would have let it go, but since Ggio was already starting...]

[ridethetiger]

It's, ah... [How to explain?]

We're like what humans call ghosts, I think. We live in another world, where souls go. Only humans with strong spirits can see us. When I came here, the machine gave me a human body. Sort of. That's why.

[borntobewildcat]

[Tom listens patiently, his hand stops moving and rests on the small of the arrancar's back. He isn't a stranger to ghosts. He can't help but wonder if he would be able to see Ggio if he was in the other's world... Probably not.]

That's why you can sense them? Because you're technically a ghost- a soul - too?

[ridethetiger]

Yeah.

[He nods, and takes a deep breath.]

I feel strong souls the best. Most humans are very weak, but here, the imPorts have strong souls.

[And he waits to see Tom's reaction. He's never minded that Ggio wasn't human, but technically being a dead creature was another thing.]

[borntobewildcat]

[Tom can't deny that it is a little strange. It's kind of like he's living with a zombie ghost or something, but... words and titles weren't really things that meant anything to him anymore, when it came to Ggio. Even if there were still things about Ggio that Tom didn't understand, he knew the other, and trusted him.

He hugs the arrancar a little tighter.]

Strong souls... To fight? [One thing he did know about arrancars was that the majority of them were violent.]

[ridethetiger]

No. Well, if I wanted to, but not most humans.

[He hesitates, presses his face against Tom's shoulder.]

... Strong human souls are good for eating.

[borntobewildcat]

[Finding out that Ggio is a ghost wasn't a problem, but Tom obviously tenses a little when he hears that the arrancar eat souls.

He pulls away from Ggio a little bit, looking down at him critically.]

And have you been eating souls here?

[ridethetiger]

[His eyes flicker between Tom's and anywhere else, unsure of what to say, whether he can look him in the eye when he says it. It's something Ggio tried not to think about for almost a year now.]

No good souls, here.

[Not the answer he wants, but it's honest, at least.]

[borntobewildcat]

Even if the import souls are strong?

[That definitely wasn't the answer that he wanted, and Tom had no idea how to even process that. Messing with a persons souls as akin to killing them, as far as the werepanther was concerned. It was something that he couldn't permit or ever be okay with... But this was Ggio. Tom was completely and utterly codependent on him.

He doesn't know what to think, and he's reaching for the half-finished cigarette, sticking it between his lips and smoking for a few minutes, completely silent.]

Have you harmed anybody's soul while we've been living together? YOu haven't, right? I mean, nobody has died around us, so... You haven't been eating souls... Right?

[ridethetiger]

It's different.

[It wasn't like he had taken the soul out of a living person - just the ones that had already died. Taking just some spiritual energy was different, and was something Ggio did freely. Even to Tom.

The specifics are difficult to explain in English, however, and it makes the arrancar grow even more agitated. The cigarette gives him a good excuse to stand up, pace the balcony and look out over the City until Tom speaks again.]

Right. I haven't eaten.

[And that was a complete truth. Ggio hasn't been 'hunting' since he was abandoned here. Since he found his days filled with school, shopping, visiting the old lady and Tom. Mostly Tom.

And it's been taking its toll.]

[borntobewildcat]

[Even taking the souls of the dead wouldn't really be okay with Tom... Not really. It was pretty much the same thing to him, since souls were supposed to transcend death... right?

Tom really didn't know what to do or say, and it was frustrating. He trusted Ggio, that would never change, but this was just... How could he expect Ggio to go against his nature when he couldn't even go against his own?

He finishes the cigarette, putting it out again, and then stands up to look out out over the balcony. He catches Ggio's wrist as he paces by and pulls him close.]

But you need to, don't you? Do you need to do that to survive?

[ridethetiger]

[Another pause. Ggio looks at Tom this time, but still avoids his eyes. His mouth parts and no words come for a few, tense moments.]

No. [Another pause, and then, more quietly:] I don't know.

[It was all right to admit at least that, wasn't it?]

[borntobewildcat]

[And that just made Tom's chest ache even more.]

You were checking for souls at the porter building... Do you still want to, Ggio?

[His tone wasn't accusing at all. He just needed to understand.]

[ridethetiger]

[His gaze drops to their feet, and he nods. This hurts. This sucks. He thought he had accepted it when he came back to the City, but no. He doesn't want to acknowledge that his arrancar self was essentially dying, and he doesn't know what, if anything, would be left after it was gone.]

[borntobewildcat]

[At that moment, it didn't matter what they were talking about. Tom pulls Ggio into his arms, hugging him tight. Part of him wished that he hadn't asked (which... usually always happened), because now he was conflicted. He was a pacifist, he hated killing... How could he give that up, even if such a thing would keep Ggio around?]

What are your options?

[ridethetiger]

Options?

[He doesn't understand the word, but Tom's tone was easy enough to read: What can we do? It was just like him to not leave Ggio alone, even when he was horrified or disgusted. It's a wonder Ggio was even remotely worried.]

Just a little. It's not enough because souls are so weak, but I can feed a bit without taking them.

[borntobewildcat]

[That... was at least a little reassuring. If Ggio was some kind of soul vampire, that could take them without killing or taking the souls, that was okay, right?

Though, Tom couldn't let Ggio just take from anybody.]

What about mine?

[ridethetiger]

[Laughs bitterly. Been there, done that.]

It will make you sick, tired. Your's isn't strong enough.

[Though it had gotten a little stronger in the time they've been together. Which makes it absurd that Tom would grant him permission; Ggio wasn't going to stop, anyway.]

[borntobewildcat]

[Tom didn't know that Ggio already had been. Sure, there were times that he felt exhausted for no reason, but he didn't think it was anything strange. He wasn't exactly the healthiest guy around.]

But can you use just mine?

[ridethetiger]

... Yeah.

[He doesn't want, and probably would continue to graze off the bar's customers, and crowds whenever he pleased. It wasn't enough, but he's been denying himself for this long already.]