IC Inbox II

[rattlingthestars]

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'S Jim. Leave a message.

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night 242; @zd; audio

[swatsflies]

[ He decides to leave a message in his inbox. ]

Hey, Stars. I wanted to say good night to you. [ There is a pause. ] Good night.

[ What does he even say? How much he misses him, even though it's been half a day? How he'll be watching videos and replaying messages from before?

He makes a soft noise under his breath before he settles on something. ]

Love you, baby.

[ Then he hangs up. ]

Day 243; @zd, audio

[swatsflies]

Hey. [ His voice sounds subdue. ] Letting you know I'm in one piece.

[ #snowhellthings ]

Morph is fine. He's been keeping an eye on Mochi for me. [ There is a small bit of his usual energy there, but it's quickly gone. ] Thinking of you, Stars. I'll talk to you so- [ There is a clamor and then the sound of Mochi freaking out. ]

Oh shit. [ And it ends there. ]

@jphawkins, audio

[rattlingthestars]

Zell? Zell!

[ His voice is choppy, like it's carried from a far-away wind. ]

What the hell happened?

Re: @jphawkins, audio

[swatsflies]

[ Seconds drag onto minutes. Half a hour lapses, before Zell finally responds. ]

Hey, Stars! [ Other than tired, he sounded fine. ] Sorry about that. Seifer scared Mochi and Morph.

Re: @jphawkins, audio

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim is restless. He doesn't want to leave his hiding place - too much risk of being caught - so he paces between rooms and desk, knocking into things and knocking them over as he goes.

The sound of an incoming message hurts his ears and he wants to curl back, but he's never been so relieved to hear that voice. ]

Seifer?

[swatsflies]

The anomaly from before, but he's... [ He stops as he looks at the different pieces all stitched together. His stomach drops as he matches them to people he knows. His voice drops with his mood. ] He's different, Jim.

Night 243; @zd, audio

[swatsflies]

[ After those adventures, Zell has settled down for the night in a place. Victory.

Jim will probably hear a few chords from the guitar first. ]

Hey, beautiful. Happy Anniversary! [ He's going to start singing the love song Jim taught him. This time with chords being played along with! When he finishes, Jim might be able to pick up the sound of him kissing the screen before hanging up. ]

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim can't bring himself to respond to this one. Not like this. ]

Late night 243; @zd; text

[swatsflies]

✨✨✨
Having trouble sleeping.
Looking through the pictures I have.
Maybe I should change my wallpaper.
I have one of you sleeping.
It's pretty cute.♥（ﾉ´∀`）

@jphawkins, video

[rattlingthestars]

[ There's nothing visible on the tablet screen, except the occasional glimmer of something that might be an entire galaxy, far away.

For a long while there's no sound, either, but finally there's a shifting. Something groans like old metal forced into motion, and between it there are words. ]

alone - alone help - alone - alone - left me -

[ The video ends. ]

audio

[swatsflies]

[ Seeing the name on the screen, he could feel his heart rising in his chest. The video itself dashed the feelings fairly quickly. The galaxy reminds him of the anamoly of Jim's dad. Missing. Empty. Gone.

Then the words. The words make him feel wretched.

Swallowing back the wave of emotions that are threatening to claw their way out, as he shakily responds. ]

Jim?! No one left you. You aren't alone! Tell me where you are... I'll come find you! [ His voice cracks with desperation. He hopes Jim actually tells him. Actually gives him a clue or something. Anything.

He misses him so badly. ]

We can figure this out together. Let me help you.

perma video

[rattlingthestars]

No!

[ It sounds, for a moment, like Jim. The tablet shifts back and the light catches his terrible face - Jim's face, with no eyes, just stars where they ought to be.

He corrects it as fast as he can and the part of him that's still human hopes it hadn't been enough for Zell to see. ]

alone - Don't follow me - alone, alone, quiet - I don't want to hurt you -!

you know those cheesy lines about seeing stars in their eyes

[swatsflies]

[ He takes in a sharp intake of breath. The expression and color he loves seeing were now gone. Only thing left was space...

When he picked Stars for a username he never could fathom it being twisted in this way. ]

Oh, Jim.

[ Swallowing. ] You won't hurt me. I trust you, Jim. Where are you?

@jphawkins, text

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim's eyes burst half an hour ago. He can still feel the phantom sensation of it, around the gaping pits where they once where.

He can feel something dripping down his cheeks, still, and knows if it were blood he would be dead right now. He doesn't want to think about what it could be instead.

The message he plays over and over again, even when it hurts his ears, even when he feels almost too sluggish to hit play.

He wants to respond, but he doesn't want to be seen and doesn't trust himself to speak. ]

Goodnight, Sunshine.

[swatsflies]

[ He sees the text. He can feel something in him leaping at the contact. A part of him wants to continue it, to keep Jim talking to him.

He's also dreading the use of text. It means he can't talk or doesn't really want to talk, right?

Sighing as he asks his animal companions there thoughts, but eventually he lets it go. He'll try again tomorrow. ]

morning 244; @zd; audio

[swatsflies]

[ The whispering has began. At first Zell put distance between himself and the anomaly, but he couldn't lose it.

The whispering seems to get louder and louder, and nothing was drowning it out. Zell is lucky. Zell is the one who made it one piece. Why did it have to be him?

The sinking feeling of dread for worse when he picked out the pieces all over again. Seeing the parts of his friends from home all stitched together with Seifer of all people. That Zell was actually the lucky one from the whole group. From all of his friends and matron...

It starts getting to him as he is reminded more and more that he's alone right now. He can reaffirm what's real or true. The network isn't helping matters either.

He starts writing out Jim's username. Then he erases it. Then he writes it in again as he shuts the bathroom door behind himself, keeping the whispering mess of his family and friends on the other side.

Hitting the call button as he swallows the lump. ]

J-Jim? [ His voice is shaky. ] Jim, please. Please talk to me. Please.

@jphawkins, audio

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim woke up with the clear-headed knowledge of what he needed to do. It's not a question of if, not really. He just has to work up the nerve and figure out how.

A message on his tablet from Zell is what finally spurs him into action. There's something wrong and Jim doesn't know what and he can't fix it until this is dealt with.

Until he kills him.

Jim still has the scalpel. It's dangerously sharp, and it will be easy. He hopes it will be easy. He doesn't want to do this, but he does - but he doesn't - but he has to.

And he's always been good at doing what he has to, so he does, and afterward he's glad that it - he - didn't bleed.

He answers the tablet the second it's done, and sounds clearer than he has since the entire thing started. ]

-I'm here.

[swatsflies]

[ Relief floods him as he hears Jim's voice in response, but it lasts only for a moment. Leaning his head back against the door and hearing the voice or maybe the voices starting up again. Thumping the back of his head against it as if to get them to quiet down, but it doesn't do anything. ]

I don't want it to be true. Please tell me it's a lie, Stars.

[ Choking back a sob. ]

I can't do this. Not alone. I can't... [ The tablet clatters on the ground next to him as he hugs himself. Trying to make himself as small as possible as the voice continues to accuse Zell of being lucky. Being the only one to make it there whole. ]

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim hears the voice in the background and strains to make out what they're saying. His hearing is still enhanced - and his eye sight gone - so he can hear most of it before Zell starts talking.

Tell me it's a lie.

Jim can't. Not if Zell wants the truth from him. He thinks it has to be true. It has to be true, or he just killed his father for nothing.

The tablet falls and Jim flinches. He keeps his voice level, though he's not sure how. ]

I need to know where you are. Now.

[swatsflies]

[ Jim can probably hear the sharp breathing that came as he tries to keep himself from falling apart completely. There is the telltale stinging in the corner of his eyes. Bumping the back of his head against the door again.

They are explaining why. They are talking about only parts of them could make it. ]

Jim. It's them. You couldn't see it, but it's them.

245 finale

[swatsflies]

[ Zell stayed up all night to watch Jim sleep. At first, his boyfriend stayed at the very edge of the bed, but by morning he was close to Zell. The dizziness from his proximity certainly helped staving off sleep. Moving to brush his fingers through Jim’s hair every so often to remember he’s still warm. That he’s still Jim. Even with the additional appendages on his back and missing his eyes, he was still Jim.

Mochi stirring from his sleeping place with Morph told Zell that it’s almost time to start the day. Moving his hand to Jim’s back to give it a rub and rouse him from his sleep. ]

Morning, Stars.

[ Before he can do anything more, like kiss him, there’s a sharp pinch in his arm. ]

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim is floating, only half awake when Zell touches him. His dreams were a troubled mess of blood and sails, but they weren't bad enough to wake him.

It's the pinch to the arm that's done that. He's felt that before, a handful of times since they came to Norfinbury, and he can guess what it means.

It's almost, but not quite, a relief when the dull ache of the sail at his back turns into agony. He can't scream or writhe, he can't call out to Zell, but he can thank the universe when he feels the stars falling from his eyes. ]

[swatsflies]

[ The paralysis sets in immediately, as Zell slumps over. He can feel more contact with Jim, but the dizziness and everything associated with touching the monsters slowly dissipates. He can see the wings as they change.

He wants to desperately call Jim's name. To hold him. He tries to move but can't. It's a different kin of agony being so close and being unable to do anything to help. He can't do anything if they decide to take him.

Fifteen long minutes of being unable to do anything. ]

[rattlingthestars]

[ Fifteen minutes that feel like hours, for all the agony Jim's in. At one point he thinks he stops breathing - it hurts too much - until finally whatever's holding them releases his body and he gasps, taking in deep lungfuls of air. Too much; he's hyperventilating, or maybe just panicking, and he knows he should do what Zell taught him but he can't.

Not yet. ]

[swatsflies]

[ And then they are free and he immediately spings back up. Relief floods him as Jim is still there, and is actually normal. Then he realizes he might be having a panic attack. Moving to put his hands on his back to rub it in soothing motions. ]

Stars. Hey, Stars. It's okay. Try to breathe. [ A part of him wants to just gather him up, but he needs him breathing normal first. ]

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. [ He keeps his voice low. ]