003 // Put It Back Together

[bigkanimaoncampus]

[ Spam ]

[ It was about a week after the barge had settled after the arena. Jackson seemed to have regained some sense of composure, back to his arrogant self. But in reality, he'd just managed to get the mask back in place. It was a thin disguise over all of that turmoil and pain. Most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but anyone capable of detecting emotions in any way would be able to tell it was just a ruse.

He moved through the ship with a well practice confidence, like he owned the place. It wasn't too unlike high school, after all. The dining all wasn't unlike the cafeteria. Where he sat like a king upon a throne. Even if his table were lacking in his usual followers.

If he wasn't there or in his cabin--which is where he spent most of his time--he was working out. Mostly running, because almost anywhere else required warden access and he refused to go to anyone for that. The stairs were great for running. He was alwas pushing himself as hard as he could. A look of stern determination on his face. ]

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[whatthefoxsay]

[Kira has been watching Jackson from a distance. His desperation, his anger, it carries a certain scent that attracts the nogitsune like a fly to garbage. All she had to do was wait for the right moment and then she knew she'd have herself a tasty treat.

She waits until just the right moment, just the right spot at a turn in the stairwell to collide with him.

'Accidentally', of course.]

[bigkanimaoncampus]

[ Fury flashed across his face at the collision. He hadn't really considered Kira, having not really noticed her presence here. He was too wrapped up in his own business. ]

Watch where you're--

[ But then he recognized her. The girl with the sword. That fury deepened into a cold anger. ]

YOU!

[whatthefoxsay]

[Ooh, she's famous. Oh, yes the island. Sweet little Kira. Not so sweet to this boy, though.]

Me. You were threatening my friend. [Her tone is too sweet, too reasonable.] What did you expect?

[She doesn't wait for an answer. The nogitsune reaches for his throat, a disturbing mirror image of his own mirror-self's encounter with Lydia, intent on slamming him up against the wall.]

Did you enjoy it? Hurting Lydia? Did it make you feel strong? The kind of strong you've always wanted to be?

[Ask the right question and it's such delicious pain.]

[bigkanimaoncampus]

[ He should have had the strength to fight her in a heartbeat. But it reminded him too much of what he'd done to both Lydia and Erica. And before he could recover from that reminder, her words slammed into him.

He tried to pull her hand off his throat, but the fear undermined even any human strength he'd have. His heart hammering in his chest. ]

I don't know what the hell you're talking about! LET GO!

[ The anger in his voice wavered, obviously forced. ]

cw for simulated choking, psychic violation

[whatthefoxsay]

[The nogitsune takes ruthless advantage of Jackson's weakness; physical and emotional. She slams him up against the wall, her eyes going wide as she gets a sense of the true depths of his pain, her other hand coming up to cradle the other side of his neck.

Her voice is chillingly intimate.]

Oh Jackson, I had no idea how much you've suffered. Give it me. Give it all to me.

[Black veins begin to creep along her face and arms, and once the connection is established, they'll start tracking onto Jackson's flesh, too. The nogitsune reaches deep into that connection, trying to find all the corners and crevices of his psyche where he's tried to put away even the most deep-seated of anxieties.]

If my current host wasn't so pretty, I'd take you instead in a heartbeat.

cw for simulated choking, psychic violation

[bigkanimaoncampus]

[ He tries to shove her off. This girl couldn't possibly be stronger than he was. But he's shoved back against the wall anyway. And before he can do anything about it, her hand is on his face. And then it just feels wrong.

He doesn't understand it, or what she's doing. He feels like he's going to be sick. It's all focused on where her hand touches his face, but he's gone rigid and he can't pull away.

But then, when he thought it couldn't be any worse, something in her words hits on another fear. One that's already been dragged to the surface after recent events. Even under the terrifying torment, the dots connected themselves. The girl was wrong because she was being controlled. Even the mention of doing that to him terrified him on a fundamental level. Teeth clenched hard, he gripped at her arm, looking like he might cry. ]

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[voluntaryapnea]

[Stiles is bored. He's bored of hanging around his room, bored of being on the wrong damned barge, because being here isn't going to get him his deal. He's exploring the parts of the ship that don't require a warden's permission for entrance, because he isn't interested in helping out with maintenance. The unsettling part about this place is that despite the boredom, he feels more settled here than he feels on the other barge and he's not sure what to make of that.

He's making his way into the stairwell to check out the other floors when he spots Jackson Whittemore, running up an down the steps. He rolls his eyes at the other man's efforts, but turns to go because he did promise Lydia he wouldn't go after him if Jackson stayed away from him.]

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[bigkanimaoncampus]

[ Ever since they were returned to the barge, Jackson was in dire need of a target for his aggression. But by the same token, he was afraid to be near anyone, even Lydia, for too long. His other self had completely fine with hurting people. No qualms about killing them. He even took pleasure in it. He was worried enough about being dragged back into a mentality he didn't really remember. But this he feared almost as much. Because it was so alluring. To just let go of all that emotion. It's why he clung harder than ever to that anger, keeping it near to the surface.

So when he Stiles, broke through without second thought. He was bellowing the other's last name, bolting up the stairs. Not yet picking up on the fact that this wasn't really Stiles. ]

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[voluntaryapnea]

[It won't take Jackson long to realize his mistake. Stiles hears Jackson's footsteps rushing toward him, and he turns with speed and grace he never possessed as a human, eyes flashing blue as his hand shoots out and catches the other boy by the throat. He lifts him up effortlessly, a smirk twisting his features.]

Surprise, Jackass.

Spam

[bigkanimaoncampus]

[ His anger falters under the weight of absolute dread. His sneakers struggle against the stair he'd been stopped on, as those fingers wrap around his throat. But even that stops when he registers the color of Stiles' eyes. He still doesn't know the meaning of the blue, but he knows werewolf eyes when he sees them. His fingers wrap around Stiles' wrist, his heart pounding frantically in his chest.

The pieces slam into place before he can say anything. Memories from his time spent as the alpha. This was the other Stiles. And he froze. ]

What do you want!?

CW: choking ahead

[voluntaryapnea]

Well, I want a lot of things.

[Stiles sneers at him, eyes returning to normal even as anger flares within him as he remembers the marks on Lydia's neck.]

But you're the one who decided you were going to attack, weren't you? [His grip tightens momentarily around Jackson's throat.] Except you got a little more than you bargained for. Bit easier to to pick on someone too weak and pathetic to fight back, isn't it?

[He smirks, but there's no light in his eyes. No sign or hint of empathy or compassion.

No spark of hope.]

[patheticvillain]

[Frankly, Cassel is kind of surprised he's alive and not counting on it for much longer. Knowing his own penchant for getting into it with the wrong person, add to that the fact that he's surrounded by even more total psychos than usual, plus his inmate having been replaced by a psychotic demon - basically he wouldn't place a bet on himself. No way.]

[Which doesn't stop him from staring a little at Mister Serious Stairs Workout.]

You know we do have a gym, right? [This sort of shouted past Jackson as he whizzes up the stairs. Because wow.]

[bigkanimaoncampus]

[ The words yanked him to a halt. He hadn't paid much attention to the guy apart from being a mild annoyance he needed to bypass on the stairs. His shoulders tensed before he slowly turned to face the offender. He started moving down the stairs at a slow, ominous pace. ]

If I wanted the gym, I'd be there.

[patheticvillain]

So . . . you want to run up and down the stairs like an idiot. And get in people's way.

[He raises his eyebrows, leans against the wall, watching Jackson come.]

Yes? Correct?

[bigkanimaoncampus]

[ He's nothing but self-entitled arrogance, as he reaches Cassel. He looks the guy over, regarding him with nothing but distaste. ]

No. They get in my way.

[patheticvillain]

Oh. Right, my bad. Because you're the center of the universe and we all orbit around you. Nice to meet you, I'm a satellite.

[Sudden instinctive dislike is a go. Jackson is reminding him of someone in a major not-good way. To his credit, he doesn't back up or flinch at that look. Just grins in Jackson's face.]

[theresalwayshope]

[Allison was heading for the dining hall to eat (because the luxury of a meal she could eat in peace wasn't one she took for granted, and she had the metabolism to support a little emotional eating) when she spotted Jackson. Fear was the gut reaction, but testing the air told her all she needed to.

This boy was hurting. This wasn't her Jackson.

More curious than anything, Allison moved towards the stairs just as Jackson was reaching the top of his flight mid-run. There were a thousand things she could say to him, but she said the first thing that came to her mind with a thoughtful, guileless look of wide-eyed concern.]

Are you okay, Jackson?

[bigkanimaoncampus]

[ Any other time, he would have brushed her off and ignored the question. But after his encounter with Stiles and with Kira, he was starting to understand his senses. The smell of human versus non-human. And when it didn't match up right.

With her, it was like getting smacked in the face. Werewolf. And that was wrong. So very, very wrong. It made him stop, his heart dropping into his stomach with dread. And for a moment, that registered on his face. Would she be like Stiles? ]

What's it matter to you?

[ He managed something close to his usual disdain, but there was an unsteadiness to it. ]

[theresalwayshope]

[His scent was thick with uncertainty, apprehension. Her own Jackson was also a werewolf, his nature didn't surprise her...

But that cocktail of chemosignals struck her as very...uneducated. Like he was new.

She regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, rolling her lips together before she made a decision and nodded to herself. Straightening, she schooled he features into unreadable lines and focused on her choice: feelings of concern, compassion, hope for friendship.]

Tell me what it matters to me. Take a deep breath, but don't look for a smell...look for a feeling. Something you only feel when you inhale.

[bigkanimaoncampus]

[ He rolled his eyes. Of course, he didn't know what she was talking about. That whole business with being able to pick up on emotions hadn't been introduced to him.

And right now, he very much needed her to fit into what he remembered her as being. An accessory. A pawn. Unimportant. And most certainly, not a friend. ]

Why don't you scurry back to McCall and have him smell...or feel...or whatever for you.

[ He moved toward the nearest door. He had a run to finish. ]

[semifreakingnormal]

[It's the walk that pisses Scott off the most. Jackson is too recent an addition to his own Barge for him to know much, but he knows he's an alpha. Which means the other werewolf is probably an inmate here, too, which means that he's a perfect target for Scott to assert himself against.

It helps that he never liked Jackson in the first place. Some things just transcend universes.

Scott catches him as he's leaving the mess hall, schooling his features: flat nose, long fangs, red eyes.]

Where are you rushing to?

[bigkanimaoncampus]

[ There was a slump to his shoulders. Everything about him shouting that he did not have time to be putting up with this. He'd been avoiding Scott, for good reason. He was very much not prepared for the new reality in which his biggest and most irritating rival had once again surpassed him.

He turned to insult Scott, but then he saw the other wolf's face. And he stopped. Fear shooting through him like a bolt of electricity. It barely registered on his face, before he settled into an irritated glare. ]

Go bother someone else, McCall.

[ He moved to leave. ]

[semifreakingnormal]

[Scott made a show of inhaling, like the aroma of fear was something tangible. He thinks, belatedly, that it's too bad Kira isn't around. She'd love this.

When Jackson moved, so did Scott, staying effortlessly in his path. His abilities may be diminished, but he was getting used to the focused bursts of energy. He reached out, pressing a hand to Jackson's chest, intending to push him back.]

But you're right here, Whittemore.

[bigkanimaoncampus]

[ He was pushed back a resistant step. Scott had always been a pushover. But with everything he'd seen from those from the other side, he didn't know what to expect. But there was most certainly an undercurrent of fear that weakened anything he tried to use to hide it.

He glared at Scott, eyes flaring blue. He tried to push the hand aside. ]

Why don't you go find that white trash kid? He seems more your speed.

[ Still trying to maintain his usual attitude. ]

[semifreakingnormal]

[Scott laughs, knocking back at Jackson's hand. Hard, too, like he's hoping to snap against his knuckles and make his whole hand sting.]

You can't keep up with me in any universe, asshole. What makes you think it's okay to talk to me like that?

[He grins.]

You're not even an alpha.