jin character piece #10

alright so here's the rest of these that i have right now, they were up on my tumblr but i want 2 have em all in one place lol

 

“Ben, pick up your fucking phone! You can’t - fuck, dude - whatever bullshit you’re tryna pull right now, there’s no way you’re gonna pull it off on your own. We gotta take NutriTech down, and we gotta do it together, remember, we’re a team? You gotta meet up with us so we can get a plan figured out, and we can’t do that if you won’t pick up your goddamn phone!”

It takes Jin three tries to hang up, jabbing at the end call button with a blunt, shaking fingertip. Their hand is huge, muscular and veiny and crawling beneath the skin with nanobots and stress. They grip the phone in a bulging fist and pace to the front of the diner, breathing fast and shallow and tight, shoulders humped up around their ears. No searchlights outside this time, thank fuck. But this is an abandoned diner, not a secure bunker underground. AEGIS will do a more thorough sweep at some point, and that will be it for them.

What was he doing at the museum? Where was he taking Belle? Where was Belle taking him, if she wasn't unconscious? Jin runs a shaky hand through their hair, fervently wishing for a smoke. Fuck, how long has it been since they had one? Ben brought some to the AEGIS infirmary, and then they busted the fucking walls down to escape. Fuck. They should have at least gotten dressed and pocketed the cigarettes first. They should have at least said one of the dozen-odd things they wanted to say before he walked out.

“Hey, uh - Ben?”

He stops in the doorway, turns back. “Yes?”

Thanks. Thanks for the clothes. Thanks for the cigarettes. Thanks for having my back. Answer your fucking phone. Don’t leave me. Call Jori, you asshole, it’s been three days and she keeps asking me if you’re safe, if you’re okay. You know I’d be a real mess without you, right? I’m sorry. I’m sorry I hit you on the beach, but you were being a dick. Stay until I fall asleep. Why are you still with her when you couldn’t give less of a shit about her? God dammit, why didn’t you text me back? I -

“Nothing. I - nothing. Never mind.”

“Alright.” And he leaves.

Jin pushes their glasses up their forehead and muffles a groan in their musclebound palms. There’s a citywide manhunt in progress. Astin is gone. Ben could be gone. He almost hurt Soul. Soul did get hurt, badly enough to regenerate. And Jin couldn’t stop any of it.

At least, thinks Jin miserably, I’m not actively bleeding out anymore.

jin character piece #11

more backlog

“Hello. You have reached the voicemail of Ichiro and Michiko Saito.” Though it is Jin’s mother speaking, she lists her husband’s name first. “We are unavailable to take your call. Please leave your name and telephone number and a brief message and we will return your call at the earliest opportunity.”

“Hey, Mom,” says Jin into the phone after the beep and a brief consideration with their thumb over the end call button. “You’ve, uh, probably seen the news. Just wanted to let you and Dad know I’m okay.” They hadn’t thought farther ahead than this, which is resulting in an overly long pause at this point. Thumbing at the edge of the bandage taped over their bicep, they stare blankly for a moment across the wide room at the diagnostics table where Soul is sitting, swinging their legs with perfect rhythmic accuracy and glowing that pale minty seafoam color. “I missed a little school but I’m doing the catch-up work - my adviser doesn’t think I’ll need to add a semester or anything. Maybe a couple of summer classes.”

If they’re gonna be spending more time here in the future, they should ask Jess if Lord Midnight has any rules about smoking in his super secret base.

“I’m fine,” Jin says again, after another extended pause, chewing the inside of their lip. “Don’t worry too much about me. I have friends here, even. You’d be proud.” That’s not strictly true. Thinking of Jess and Astin getting smashed at the party, of smoking with Ben on the edge of the pier, Jin almost laughs, but swallows it back. “Hope you guys are doing g- doing well. Talk to you later.” They hang up.

Hopefully that will head off most of the questions.

jin character piece #12

last of the backlog thank u for ur patience 

The red numbers on the digital clock by the bed read 4:58 AM when Jin finally forces themself to crack an eye and peer at it. They reach out an exploratory hand, find their glasses on the bedside table with only minimal shuffling around, sit up, run a hand over their face. Mouth tastes like hot garbage. Jin puts their glasses on and swings their legs out of bed, leaving Ben, an unmoving shape half-covered by the blanket, as they fumble their way to the tiny bathroom by the dim slice of light spilling under the door.

The fluorescent overheads in here are harsh at the best of times and straight up unbearable now, but Jin doesn't give in to the urge to slap at the switch on the wall. The water they splash on their face is lukewarm, even after almost a full minute of waiting with their hand under the faucet for it to run cold. They swish their mouth out with it anyway, grimacing at the furriness of their tongue. Sure would be great if they could brush their teeth, but that would necessitate keeping a toothbrush here, and that’s not what kind of a thing this is.

Jin can almost bear to open their eyes now. They squint at themself in the cabinet mirror, then grumble and look down to find the fresh bruises along one collarbone and another matching set of fingerprint-shaped ones lining each hip. That’s their own fault, they suppose.

Quit handling me like I’m fucking fragile, asshole. You’re not gonna hurt me, I promise. I can fucking take it.

Ben had made the mistake of touching Jin’s face, albeit drunkenly, just for a moment. Jin had smacked his hand away and scolded him, and then they had found themself on their stomach suddenly, Ben’s fingers digging vise-like into the ridge of their hips.

Ben didn’t usually do that tender shit. Maybe he and Jori are fighting again.

Speaking of whom, Jin needs to get a move on and clear out of here before she comes back. If she comes back. It always seems to be a toss-up. Maybe if Ben didn’t treat her like shit.

Maybe you should tell her.

Jin shakes their head at their reflection and gets in the shower.

***

The water is scalding, filling the white-tiled cubicle with steam. Water pressure’s fantastic too. AEGIS perks, Jin thinks, eyes closed, face turned up to the hard spray. It’s been a fucking day and it’s not even 3pm. And they’re taking the kids to Jori’s party later, so they can’t even look forward to getting fucked up. That’ll be a zoo - Soul at a dorm party, wearing clothes. Chatting with drunk upperclassmen. Dancing. Does Soul know how to dance? Probably not, right? But they learn fast, they’ll pick it up.

Jin tries to let the water pound some of the tension out of their shoulders. It’s not like they’re worried Soul can’t handle themself, or that Astin and Jess can’t (well, maybe they’re a little concerned about Astin, but only because he’s so clearly nervous about going). Jin just wants everyone to chill and kick it and not think about AEGIS or the Medusians or fucking helicopters crashing into buildings for a quick minute, is that such a big ask?

Oh god, and they keep forgetting that the whole goddamn world has seen the footage from the Medusian invasion now.

Jin pushes their sopping hair off their forehead. It’s been what, three, four days since their last shower? They can’t remember. Thinking about the veins slowly writhing and crawling under their skin has been enough to stop them from stripping down more times now than not.

God fucking dammit.

They’ll break your heart.

Their hands, resting on the back of their neck, ride up on a brief swell of artificial muscle. What the fuck was that supposed to mean? They’ll break your heart. How the hell would he know? Motherfucker. Now there was a legitimate worry - Ben cornering Soul and giving them more ideas about what to expect from hanging out with Jin. Most of which weren't even real. Or true.

Shut up. Don't say my name like that.

Jin slaps a gob of soap in their hair and and works it into a disgruntled lather.

Jin, duck!

“Fuck off, asshole,” says Jin, but it comes out as a gurgle as their mouth fills with sudsy water. They tilt their head all the way back and let the spray beat down into their open mouth until they can’t taste the suds anymore.