[ ♠ ] Bleeding Out « #killjoy »

[Aᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ.]

♫ on top of the world ♫
ＪＡＹＣＥ ＡＴＫＩＮＳ
[age twenty-three] - [location the boot] - [element metal ;; secondary identity theft]
▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ⚖ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬

Every breath felt precious to the sharpshooter -- felt like it could be his last. But more than that, all he could sense was Daichi's presence. Why was he making the guy worry like he was? How could he just break down like that in the face of somebody he cared about? Jay desperately clung to consciousness, using every hint of motion or movement he could to jostle him awake. But his eyes stayed closed and his breath weak. Was it possibly to give your heart beat to somebody? Because if Jayce's was about to fail, and slowing down it was, he'd want to give what little life it had to Akino. A soft groan left his lips when he felt himself being lifted. It made his whole body scream in pain but there wasn't much left in him to do anything about it. Then he was back in the car and... lying down? Whatever. All he really knew was that Daichi was still there with him. He could still feel the man hovering. Feel his fire element's skin tracing along his.

And through the muffled haze, he made out the ex-contract's words. Of course they brought the weakest hints of a smile to his lips. 'Haven't you ever heard the expression: don't put all your eggs in one basket, lover boy?' His mouth had opened but no words came out. Just a tired breath of air against Dai's face. God, he didn't want to leave that man alone. How the hell could he leave Daichi alone? It was his fault Dai was here in America at all. It was his fault they'd met. Sometimes, Jayce wondered how many people would be better off if he just forsook the lot of them. Because every time... Every damn time.. the people he cared about were either used against him or used by him. And how did Daichi fit into all of this? Jayce wanted the other more than he'd wanted something in a long time. He wanted to wake up next to the guy every morning. And in the end, he simply thought about the boy he'd left so he could go join the military. Jayce'd been convinced that him leaving would only lead to a brighter future for both of them. He'd been lying to himself then and he was lying to himself now.

But why?

Why did people care about him so damn much? He really was a rotten guy. Hell, there were plenty of normal people out there that didn't go around shooting others and bringing down buildings. Plenty of nice guys. Good looking guys. And Jayce was a mess through and through, even if it wasn't apparent at first. Throw a little knife into the mix and he crumpled to the ground. A weak bastard. But somehow, he'd managed to convince people he was strong. Somebody worth following. And Daichi had stumbled into the same trap as everybody else. And if that was the case, Jayce had one hell of a job to do and see through. He was going to make this time count. He had to. And to do that, he couldn't die in the passenger seat of Hugo's truck. If only he could tell his body the same thing.

Meanwhile, Hugo shifted his gaze between Jayce and Daichi. Nothing looked more wrong than Atkins in a state like that. He'd never even thought it to be possible that the lad could die. Jayce always seemed a little too untouchable. Even his enemies didn't take to violence with him, which was quite often a mistake on their parts. Hugo knew that the sharpshooter had absolutely no problem with laying a bullet into any living creature, may it be a fatal hit or not. If there was anything that Jay loved more than people, it was the satisfaction of pulling the trigger. Another look over and he noticed the way Daichi was holding him. And glancing over, he noticed the way Jayce's fingers grasped lightly at Akino's clothes. But God, did he look unconscious. He figured that whatever state that lad was in, he was only staying awake for Daichi. It prompted him to drive faster.

When he pulled into the Diner's small parking lot, he was relieved to see the bright yellow Camaro already in the lot. Parking, Hugo didn't waste a second in pushing himself out of the car. "Oi, get him inside. Be careful," but he soon grumbled as he took in Daichi's height. Could that pipsqueak even carry Jayce? He huffed, realizing that they didn't really have time to be sentimental. Instead, he just threw up another field of tampered gravity, this one much larger than the last and a lot more passive. It consumed the entire diner lot and Hugo felt his muscles ache with the effort. But he simply dipped his head and disappeared into The Boot. Immediately, a face popped out from the kitchen and met Hugo. She was even smaller than Dai, with short brown hair at her shoulders and green eyes. "Hugo... what happened. Where-" The big chef shook his head, "I'll tell ya later, where's Andrew?"

"In the back, is he gonna be okay?" The girl's voice shook with concern. After all, these weren't people involved in Townsend business. Jayce had always done quite a good job making lasting relationships with people who were just... people. And Hugo didn't have the heart to tell her how bad the situation actually was. Instead, he squeezed her shoulder and turned back around, opening the door for to say something. "Hurry up, will ya? And take him around through the kitchen and to the back when you get here." And with that, he swept away to go find Drew.

//i woke up and wrote a thing <33

[important]

dropping our hearts to grip our brother's throats

⚔ ── ＤＡＩＣＨＩ　ＡＫＩＮＯ
xxxxxxxxxxelement: fire • age: twenty-five • location: the boot
It was terrifying, watching someone sit on the edge of death like that. Knowing just how close Jayce was to that end, it did things to Daichi's heart that he didn't even know was possible. Each time Jayce's eyelids would close or flutter, his heart would jump and he would rock himself forward just slightly, leaning down and trying to keep him awake, whispering lost words into the air between them. Daichi had pushed through the horrors that had faced them at Biotrinity only to be forced into a situation that was far worse, Jayce dying beneath him and Hugo clearly distraught. There was always this air of controlled calmness about the chef -- whether it had been indifference or something else, Daichi didn't know -- but, upon the situation they were now facing, that seemed to be shattered. The whole entire scene had completely rocked and turned Akino's world down, taking what he knew and flipping it, sneering in his face at the idea that he was absolutely clueless, left to wander and watch and wait. Gods, the waiting had to be the worst part. Time had never been his friend.

The entire drive seemed to go by far too slow, yet Daichi couldn't remember much of it save for the continious effort on his part to keep his trigger-happy idiot alive. When the truck finally yanked to a stop in its parking space, Daichi's head slowly lifted, though his eyes never left Jayce. Hell, he only heard two of the words that were passed to him from Hugo, the fire-element pausing and nodding slowly to show that he understood. After a long bout of hesitation, he finally got out of the truck, staring across through the window to Hugo before narrowing his eyes a bit, taking Jayce into account as well. Without asking, Daichi went ahead and gently lifted Jayce into his arms, giving a soft noise at the slight weight that still accompanied his body, even though Akino knew full well that this was nothing compared to Atkins' full weight, thanks to Hugo's efforts. He gently shifted the mercenary in his arms, another soft breath of words leaving him -- affirmation that they were getting Jayce help, taking him somewhere safe. Daichi knew that not many places in this world would be quite so safe in this game of monsters, dragons, and demons, though.

Daichi followed Hugo into the small diner, his eyes hardly travelling a few spaces in front of him, mainly focused on keeping his hold on Jayce and where he was putting his next foot. There weren't many people littered throughout the diner, and even those who were had tucked themselves in the back booths, not even bothering with the three of them. Hearing a female's voice, Daichi's eyes snapped up, locking on the woman that stood there. Assessed the threat she might pose to them, if any at all, before giving a quick and sharp exhale to signal that he deemed her safe. Trustworthy? He couldn't tell that much, no. People would tell you anything if you offered them just the right place. In the face of that, Daichi kept his guard up -- eyes narrowed, twisting his body as well as Jayce's in his arms just enough for to where she couldn't see the worst of their wounds. He held himself a bit higher, too -- shoulders back and down, chin slightly raised -- just so that she knew that he wasn't weak. Not that he thought it really mattered, but, well. All's fair in love and war.

Daichi continued to weave behind Hugo, following the large man back further into the diner, ignoring all glances that were cast in their direction. He gently pulled the door that led back closed with his foot, frankly not giving a s**t as he set Jayce down on the countertop, having to clear the items away a bit more to give him more room. He gently propped Atkins up against the back wall, standing between his legs and looking up to him. "I'm so sorry," he finally breathed, his head dropping forward and resting on Jayce's chest, eyes fluttering closed. He was still holding onto him, trying to keep him upright on the counter as he waited for Hugo to find whoever it was that he was looking for. In the meantime, his job was to keep Jayce company and, ultimately, alive. His fist curled into the other's shirt, a short hiss following. "I shouldn't have left you. I shouldn't have let you go alone." But, see, Daichi understood that neither of them had been presented with a choice over that matter. But Daichi was here now, and he wasn't going to let Jayce go that easily anymore.

[ um, look at how short this is? i'm sorry. i'm tired ]

[Aᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ.]

♫ on top of the world ♫
ＪＡＹＣＥ ＡＴＫＩＮＳ
[age twenty-three] - [location the boot] - [element metal ;; secondary identity theft]
▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ⚖ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬

The man felt himself being set on some hard surface, and he let out a small little noise. He didn't know where the hell he was, but he was positive that Daichi was still with him. He felt a weight on his chest and Jayce sighed. He had to stay awake. He had to stay alive. One fatally weak arm lifted and his hand grasped the back of Diachi's head and neck. God, he cared so damn much about this guy. Why was Dai in pain? Why couldn't he do anything about it? He was so useless right now. Don't mourn for me you idiot. I won't leave you. If he could just say something. If he'd never left Dai in the first place. It wouldn't happen again. If Jayce survived, and damn he was was going to survive, he would never let Daichi hurt for him again. Because more than the wound threatening his life, that was the true agony. There was a stirring behind both Daichi and Jayce. And a second later, Hugo had broken into the back room with a devilishly handsome man tagging along with him. He was maybe four inches smaller than Jayce but had a fuller build, as if going to the gym actually did something. Dark eyes shifted over the two of lovers by the counter, and the newest stranger felt something catch in his throat. "Jayce," his voice was barely more than a whisper when he saw the state their soldier boy was in.

Eventually, the stranger got over the initial shock and stepped forward. He would have extended a hand to Daichi, but didn't feel as if shaking hands was an appropriate activity to do right now. Instead he simply dipped his head and cleared his throat, "You must be Akino. Hugo mentioned you. Well, I'm Andrew. I uh... went to school with this damn bastard. May I?" He needed Daichi to give him space to work on Jay's wound. But he didn't need Daichi to go far, just... God, he just needed room. Andrew moved forward to inspect what he was dealing with. "Here, help me move him on his back." Carmen was busy closing up the Diner. Most people, those who were regulars, knew Jayce as well and while she reassured them that everything was fine, murmurs began to spread. When all the customers had left, she locked the doors and sat down at one of the booths. Hugo joined her soon afterwards. "What happened Hugo?" She asked, her voice shaking as if she were about to crack. Hugo sighed and began to tell her everything from the moment Jayce came back onto the ship with Daichi in tow. By the end of the story, she turned her head towards the back room despite that she couldn't see them, "He would be the one to take down that tower, huh. And Akino..." Hugo looked up, "What about him?" Carmen lowered her voice, brows furrowed, "Can we trust hi-"

"Yes. Yeah, we can trust him. Jayce trusts him." But then again, Jayce had a problem of trusting everybody. However, even Hugo trusted Daichi and he could see the way those two morons looked at each other. They wouldn't be betraying each other. And after this? If Jayce lived? He would assume that they would be closer than ever before. Back in the back room, Andrew had cut Jayce's shirt off his body. He'd cleaned the wound the best he could, and had cleaned the surrounding area. White scars littered Jay's chest and Andrew had to admit that they made him look grown. The last time he'd seen Jayce... it had been far too long ago. If the sharpshooter wasn't already close to death, Drew would punch him for never coming back to see him. He'd know Jayce had been back from the military within the first month Jay returned. Almost a year or two later, and this is the first time he'd seen his best friend. "You uh, you his boyfriend or something?" Drew asked, placing his fingers against Jay's neck to check the man's pulse. "Can you keep your fingers right here. Tell me if his pulse changes. I think he's still awake. Or at least conscious."

He then set to work on the actual wound itself. Andrew had been studying medicine since he was in high school. When he found out that Jayce was a power user in elementary school, he'd almost positively hated the boy for it. Especially when Jayce first pretended to be a parent to get out of class. Or when he would pull pranks on the metal playground, such as manipulating the bars on the jungle gym to be just too wide or high up for anybody but him to reach. Jayce, along with all the other power users ended up ruling that school. And damn, everybody had loved Jayce. He was always smiling and he was always making other people smile. It also didn't help that they'd been each other's first kiss. And Drew had punched the guy for kissing him afterwards. From that to best friends, he had to admit they had quite a lot of past. Not like that, though. There had never been anything more than platonic feelings between them. But hell, Jayce was... Andrew had to bite his tongue to keep himself from breaking. And unknown to the doctor, Jayce was very aware of who was working on his wound.

//youre so fine. omg. its perfect. youre perfect. hush <3

[important]

dropping our hearts to grip our brother's throats

⚔ ── ＤＡＩＣＨＩ　ＡＫＩＮＯ
xxxxxxxxxxelement: fire • age: twenty-five • location: the boot
There was something about the man that Daichi couldn't quite put a finger on that he, quite frankly, didn't like. It was largely unfounded, seeing as the only word he'd heard him speak was Jayce's name. His eyes flashed over to rest on the man, a sharp stab of emotions and thoughts and warnings tearing into him, Akino nearly bristling and telling the man off, telling him to stay the hell away. But Hugo had personally brought them here under the terms and idea that they would be getting Jayce help, so Daichi forced himself to relax. He took in the man's name with a gentle burst of noise from the back of his throat, not bothering to acknowledge him otherwise. It was good that Jayce was surrounded by people that he knew and loved. Not only that, but it was a hell of an ease on his own nerves to know that he could at least somewhat trust these people. If Jayce loved them and trusted them, then so did Akino.

When requested to do so, Daichi helped Andrew gently pull Jayce onto his back, his expression twisted gently with carefully placed amounts of worry. Daichi gave Andrew room to work without straying too far away, hovering a close and protective distance to Jayce, eyes constantly flickering between the two. Daichi would wince every time Andrew drew closer and closer to Jayce's wound whilst cleaning it, nearly jumping at the sudden sound of his voice. He picked his chin and eyes up to finally allow himself to look at the man, his own eyes slighstly widened. "No." No, the two of them weren't in any strict relationship, let alone have they exchanged that damn word that tore straight into his bones every single time. Daichi just so happened to be Jayce's current play-thing at the time everything decided to go to hell. As much as that small voice in the back of his mind sneered, telling him that he knew he wished it was something more than that, there was always that other voice of reason that reminded him that neither of them could afford that. Daichi finally cleared his throat, speaking in a normal volume rather than the earlier hushed one. "No," he repeated, shuffling closer when prompted to hold his fingers to Jayce's neck.

Occasionally, he'd flick his eyes up to look at Andrew, mostly for confirmation that he was actually doing this right. But afterwards his gaze would immediately travel back to Jayce, eyebrows furrowed and expression softer than it ever had the right to be. Because hell if he didn't care about the idiot, hell if he didn't only want to best for him, want him alive, well, happy, smiling... Daichi quickly flicked his eyes upwards, forcing himself to blink twice before forcing down that rising feeling that he was choking. He couldn't stand it, couldn't bear even thinking about. The last time Daichi had cared this much, heads had rolled and he was terrified for once in his miserable life. Daichi's nostrils flared slightly, head dipping down. He carefully pressed his lips to Jayce's temple, eyes briefly flickering. He swore on everything he stood for that if he didn't make it through this, didn't make it through the night, Daichi was going to make sure his afterlife was a living hell. He couldn't stand the idea of Jayce leaving him again or him leaving Jayce.

He curled the fist that wasn't tasked with keeping track on Jayce's pulse, carefully setting it over the mercenary's chest, just above his heart. "You told me once," he began, his voice a soft whisper, words completely directed towards Jayce, "that this beat for me. Let it beat a little longer, please." Under normal circumstances, he would have absolutely abhored the idea of showing even an ounce of affection towards anyone in the face of company, but here, with these stakes, he couldn't resist. Not that he wanted to, gods, no.

[Aᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ.]

♫ on top of the world ♫
ＪＡＹＣＥ ＡＴＫＩＮＳ
[age twenty-three] - [location the boot] - [element metal ;; secondary identity theft]
▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ⚖ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬

Andrew was working on Jayce's stomach with more conviction than he'd ever given a single one of his patients. But after all, this was Andrew. He wasn't exactly the most caring of guys -- not that he didn't care about people, but he didn't really feel any sort of motivation in life. He had thought that he would grow out of that particular characteristic by now, but it almost worsened since Jayce left. But looking over at the man that stood close by -- Daichi was his name? -- Andrew knew that he had to bring Jay back for him if he even could. Calm eyes watched as the stranger pressed his lips against the man's temple. The smallest of smiles fell onto Drew's lips. Not his boyfriend, huh? Now, Akino may be new to how Jayce worked, but if they'd reached a stage where emotions like that were clearly visible -- it was no fling. Drew could only wonder how hard Jay was falling this time. After Dai spoke, Jayce began to stir, his mouth splitting open a bit but a pained groan was the only thing to come out.

"Hey there, Blue," he whispered, "Be quiet for a second and listen up." He glanced over at Daichi despite that he was talking to Jayce. The man may not like to hear what came out of Andrew's mouth as much as Drew didn't. He could feel a knot forming in his chest, but a doctor sure as hell didn't cry over his patients. That had been the first thing he'd had to learn when he became a resident. "I don't know what you did, but whatever it was, you really f****d up man. How am I... how am I suppose to fix this?" It was a big hole, and with the tools he had here, Andrew was in no way able to do much of anything. He was able to sew up Jayce's intestine, from what he could see of it. But they weren't talking a surgical cut into Jayce's body. This was a damn crater that went through one side through the other. Granted, you couldn't see straight through, but there was too much injury to fix. And Jayce was losing too much blood.

And in the mind of a dying man, Jayce couldn't stand hearing the two of them so heartbroken. He wasn't going to die. He couldn't, right? In all the universes, Jayce didn't get killed by an accident. He'd thought a lot about how he would go, and this was never one of those scenarios. So it couldn't be true. But the way Drew was talking to him. The kiss he felt against his temple followed by Daichi's voice, maybe he'd been wrong. He wanted to grab Akino's hand but couldn't find it in himself to work up the effort. Instead, he blindly listened to Andrew's comforting medical opinion. "Remember that time you got in that accident when we were all coming back from Heather's? You were drunk off your a**, but you'd managed to spin car so only you would get hurt. Selfish bastard. We all thought you were dead because the back of your head was bleeding pretty bad and you weren't moving, but ten minutes later you woke up and walked it off like nothing even happened. All that was left was a scar. You gotta walk this one off, Atkins." He was talking about the man's regenerative powers.

Jayce did remember that night clearly. He should never have been driving in the first place but out of all his friends, he'd been the most sober. See, a part of him knew what he had to do but the other part doubted if he could do it. He couldn't even open his mouth and speak. Couldn't lift a hand to touch Akino. Couldn't open his eyes to see Andrew after so many years. So how the hell was he supposed to change into another person entirely? It would jump start the transformative cells, tricking them into working harder on that wound of his. The hand on his chest felt like a heavy weight and the world was only continuing to sink around him. And Jayce thought of Julian, of Lyric and his daughter, Sparrow, of Andrew and Hugo. He thought of all the people that he'd let down, but he couldn't get the head of Daichi out of his mind. Even if you rid yourself of me, physically, I will still be here. It was literally only a few days ago that the ember had said this to him in Hugo's kitchen. It was so damn true, and the man's face would always haunt his memory. But he didn't want Daichi and him to be a memory. He wanted the man now. Every last flaw and broken heartbeat Daichi could give him.

Forgive me for this, he thought, internally smiling as he pushed himself to every limit he could see and reach. There was one face that was almost as prevalent as Akino's. It had haunted his for a long time since he'd been in the service. His hair began to lengthen considerably, turning a rich blonde and his skin started to pale ever so slightly. Almost immediately, the man broke into a sweat and his jaw clenched as he fought against the agony of this transformation. His core was on fire, sending spasms of white hot pain washing through every limb. Underneath his eyelids, Jayce's eyes turned blue and his lips grew a bit fuller. And while the rest of him was depicting Julian Denmark, his wound was still desperately playing catch up. The man started to shake, his heart beat slamming through his chest at dangerous speeds. All the focus of his powers were being concentrated on the stubborn portion of his body that wasn't quite matching the genetic description detailed as Julian's identity. The process was nonstop pain, whereas before he'd been in a warm, sleep-like state as he slipped away. Now that he was fighting back he really did stand a chance -- a fifty/fifty chance. The wound would heal. But Jay's body might exhaust itself before he even bled out. All they could do now was wait.

//okay, just in case i dont catch you on chatzy, you can incorporate somewhat of a time skip in your next post. it'd be about six hours of jayce bby in pain, sweat, and shivers. they'd have probably moved Jayce to the floor so peeps could sit and manage his bleeding. but yes. he's almost back to daichi. so close. he's gonna be so happy to open his eyes and see the firepup <3

[important]

dropping our hearts to grip our brother's throats

⚔ ── ＤＡＩＣＨＩ　ＡＫＩＮＯ
xxxxxxxxxxelement: fire • age: twenty-five • location: the boot
It was absolutely devastating for him to hear medical affirmation that there was no fixing this. No-one could get a hole torn clear through them and just bounce back as if nothing happened -- not even Jayce. Some part of Akino already knew this, but to hear it confirmed by someone other than himself... It hurt. He continued to just linger, listening on as Andrew spoke to Jayce. It was clear that the two had known each other for quite some time, Daichi deciding to keep quiet and allow him some time. The recollections that he brought back made him think quietly -- the selflessness that came with the man wasn't surprising, no, especially not with the way Jayce had handled so many situations before between the two of them. That almost over-bearing sense of protectiveness that Daichi would lie through his teeth to say that he didn't like. Jayce didn't even give any indication that he'd heard, leaving Daichi to only worry more, watching with an unmatched attentiveness. It was clear that he was still breathing, yes, but it was also obvious that breathing was difficult for him, each shallow inhale an egregious mark of pain for the mercenary.

The beginning stages of the transformation weren't terribly obvious to Akino, who wasn't all too used to looking out for them. But the second his hair shifted colour, a jolt ran through him, striking him hard as he realised what Jayce was trying to do. The last thing Atkins needed was to waste his energy on trying to shift façades. His dark gaze immediately flashed to Andrew, unbridled worry that he'd struggled to restrain thus far unleashing itself in full on his features. Now, Daichi only half-understood why Jayce was attempting to do this -- he'd seen it before, after all. When the two were in the woods, Jayce had taken to shifting his features to match Daichi's, the plunge the knife had taken to his shoulder healing as soon as Jayce returned to himself. But to think that this was the only way... "There has to be..." Daichi trailed off, his hands lifting just slightly before dropping again, a clear sign of defeat. It wasn't something that Akino accepted with such ease, either.


───── ⚔ ─────


Before the first hour was even through, Andrew and Daichi had promptly relocated Jayce to the linoleum floor per Andrew's instruction, allowing for the easier ability for him to work on Jayce. Jayce? Well... The torture was prolonged, stretching out over a span of hours that Daichi had never once bothered to keep track of. Each movement that he caught from Jayce caused him to jump, to lean closer, to make sure that he was still breathing, desperate in his attempts to make sure that Atkins was going to die on them just yet. The face that Jayce had adopted towards the end of the shift was entirely unrecognisable to Akino, but he figured that if Jayce wanted him to know whose it belonged to, he'd tell him once he was out of this. Because at this point, there was no doubt in Daichi's mind -- Jayce was walking out of here. They were walking out of here, come hell or high water.

By the time Jayce was no longer Jayce, the worry that stained the very atmosphere of the room was ubiquitous -- pressing and bearing down on anyone within range. It hit Daichi especially hard, the ex-soldier struggling to make sense of things as they were thrown at them. Occasionally, he'd been instructed by Andrew to do this or that to keep Jayce's blood in and heartbeat as steady as they were going to get it, but the only good news that Daichi could really lay claim to was the fact that he was still breathing and still had a heartbeat. And that was a miracle enough for him.

[ um? it's ? short ? because i didn't know ? what to have daichi do the entire time ?? he's literally just waiting and worrying and being super sad and over-protective fire-bear-mama. yay for jayce living though! kind of want to cry for jayce's pain ?? bless him i love him so much ]

[Aᴛᴏᴍɪᴄ.]

♫ on top of the world ♫
ＪＡＹＣＥ ＡＴＫＩＮＳ
[age twenty-three] - [location the boot] - [element metal ;; secondary identity theft]
▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ⚖ ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬

When Andrew and Daichi moved him to the floor, which he was completely averse to, he began to count minutes. And he lost count at forty minutes, eyes closed and jaw tightly locked. The pain was too much for him to sleep or open his eyes, so he stayed in a state of forced paralysis. And Jayce would only remember to relax if he felt Daichi's touch. If he felt eyes on him, he would try to take a deeper breath to show he was alive. There was no way that Daichi was going to go through this all alone. And Jayce didn't want to go through it alone, either. To be perfectly honest, he was a little scared that, after all of this, he would still slip away.

However, six hours later, he finally got the answer he was looking for. There was no longer a painful stinging in his side. And everything stopped for him. His heartbeat all but locked into place. His breathing hitched and he sucked in air only to find that his lungs weren't helping. The man's face, though it still wasn't his own, was deathly pale, and it had stopped sweating due to dehydration about an hour ago. In other words, his body was shutting down.

Drew was in the corner when he heard a sharp intake of air. Seeing that it was the first sound he'd heard in a couple hours, the man looked up. And then he was standing without missing a beat. If his best mate was hooked up to a heartbeat monitor, he was sure that Jayce would be coding right now. Not good. Clearing the floor, he flicked his gaze up to Dai before pressing his ear against the mercenary's chest. No heartbeat. So he immediately began CPR, switching strategically between breathing into Jay's mouth and chest compressions. "Come on Jayce," he growled, at the six minute mark. Each second felt like a minute of in itself. Time was freezing. "Blue, wake the hell up."

By ten minutes, Andrew started to worry. But he wasn't a stranger to CPR. "I got all day, you idiot," he laughed, eyes shutting tight. And all day, he really did have. He'd go for hours if he had to. But Jayce didn't need that long. As predicted, the man's system began kicking at the 28-minute mark. His eyes fluttered open, he swallowed a breath of air, and his heart began to thump slowly in his chest. Andrew let out a deep breath when Jayce looked at both Dai and himself before slipping into a deep sleep.

---

It was late at night when Jayce woke up again. He was only able to stay asleep for about three or four hours before he awoke from a bad dream. When his eyes flicked open slowly, he stared up at the ceiling. His body felt strange. Weak. But strong at the same time. He was tired. Mouth dry. And his hair was way too long to be his? Oh, that's right. Gradually, Jayce triggered the change and he became himself yet again. And only after all of this, did Jayce tilt his head to the side and see the Japanese male.

"Daichi," he whispered, a charming and living smile on his face. The man's eyes crinkled -- brown, bright, and warm -- as he gazed at his ex-contract with an overabundance of affection. The man reached up and pushed the hair out of Akino's face. His breathing was slow, but otherwise normal. And it was almost as if Jayce really had come back from death. "I'm sorry if I scared you with all of that. It does, okay? My heart really does beat for you and I'm so sorry." He could have sat up -- he was healthy enough for it -- but his muscles were so tense from over six hours of physical stress that he motioned the other to come a little closer (not that Dai probably wasn't close enough already). "Just... come here, will ya? I missed you." The mercenary wrapped his hands around Akino's wrists and gave the man a little dug downwards on top of his bare chest. That's when he wrapped his arms around the fire element, pressing his lips against the man's jaw. "I'm sorry."