Breathe Me (Closed)

Terra frowned at his denial of the seriousness of his wound. She knew he wasn't okay, whether his mental state was worse than his physical so her concern for him was almost palpable.Jamal had lots of blood stains on his clothing and skin, but the only onethat was bleeding was his leg. Terra's large eyes followed his every move as he lowered himself to sit beside her. He noticed her shaking and placed his hand on hers, maybe trying to quell her anxiety. A warm spear popped into her heart at the cool touch, but faded soon after. What was that?
She had no time to dwell on it because he spoke.
"A couple of humans forced another neko and myself to fight," he explained, just loud enough for his voice to carry to Kiki as well. "Has Adint not returned yet?"
Terra bit her lip and winced at the thought of the nekoes pitted against each other. What had Jamal been subjected to do?
"He hasn't come back yet." Terra informed him quietly. Kiki came rushing back into the room, only to drop the first aid kit off, for it was obvious that the sight of blood was nauseating her. Terra took the kit from her willingly. She wasn't worried about the blonde right now. She'd be fine. It was Jamal she was fretting over. He took care of her, so she'd take care of him.
She slid off of the bed swiftly, landing on her knees to shift in front of him. She hissed under her breath and tried her best to keep the pain off of her face. She was fine. Just fine. Now that she was situated, she lengthened the nail on her index finger into a claw in order to snap open the kit.
She dug through it quickly, finding the disinfectant and gauze in no time. Terra looked up at Jamal in warning of the coming sting as she rolled up his pant leg as high as she could, mindful of the pieces trying to stick to the dried blood. She gently cleaned the areas around the cuts of excess blood with a small piece of gauze and then applied the disinfectant swiftly, smearing it over the long cuts. They were deeper in some places and shallower in others. Remembering how much it burned earlier for her, she blew cool air softly onto his leg, again ignoring her own well-being when her ribs protested against her lungs movements. "Someone should have gone with you." Terra said, staring at his injury with concern as it dried. She began to wrap the gauze around his leg, starting at the bottom so she wouldn't have to stretch up just yet. She hoped she was doing it correctly. Though the procedure seemed like common sense to her
 
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Jamal nodded his head twice at the information. He had suspected as much when he had entered and not seen Adint on his bed. Kiki re-entered a moment later with the kit in hand, then just as quickly left once more after Terra had taken it from her. She seemed to slip off the bed, making Jamal instinctively leaned forward to catch her, but pulled his hands away again upon understanding that she was only lowering herself to the floor. She hissed in pain, and although he could tell that she was being hard pressed to stop the feeling from becoming evident on her face, he had seen it in that first jolt of pain as her knees touched ground.
Jamal wasn't accustomed to being medically treated and taken case of in such a manner as Terra was putting into order, but neither was he objecting to it. In his mind he viewed it simply as her way of making them equal. Even he this were not true, he couldn't think of many other reasons for why she would hurt herself to help him.
He hadn't caught her warning look and could only inhale sharply as a sudden burning sensation ran across the flesh of his legs. It was closely followed by Terra's cool breath in contrast, making his eyes close in relief and body physically shiver before he regained his senses, hearing her comment about how another should have gone with him, and the awareness that she was now binding his leg with gauze.
He opened his eyes and stared down at her sadly before responding. There was a stray strand of her dark hair that threatened to fall into her eyes, and it took a good amount of self-control to resist the urge to tuck it neatly back in place behind one of her small, fuzzy ears. He looked away from her. "Then they would have gotten hurt as well." he stated simply, now looking though the living room window from where he sat.
 
Terra looked up at him as he stated that the other would have been hurt as well. She had bound his leg up to his knee and after that point she'd have to stretch up her arms and torso to bind the entire injury. She knew that if she wrapped the claw marks properly the roll of gauze would be left empty for anyone else to use, but she didn't care. She was going to do everything she could to pay him back for how he'd saved her even if she knew nothing she was capable of would be enough.
She blew a small bit of hair away from her face, but instead, more strands fell into her line of vision. She frowned, but ignored them.
"But it may not be that way all the time...wouldn't going out in pairs be safer?"
again, Terra bit her lip in anticipation of pain and slowly stretched up, leaning forward shakily as she bound the rest of his injury.
 
Adint finnally made it to the floor of their apartment, he wanted to hurry up and be done with the day, he made sure his wound's were mostly covered, he didn't want the other's to see him in his weakened state, especially since they had to conserve as much supplies as possible, he knocked on the door.
 
"Thank you," he said softly, once she had finished up with his leg. He nodded absently at her point. "Safer but also more dangerous. We're more likely to be noticed by the humans if there are more of up around, together in an area. And although it may discourage some from assaulting them, it will feel like a dare to try, for others. It would also mean help if one becomes injured, but also means that there's a higher chance that the other will get hurt as well." Jamal pursed his lips together briefly in thought and looked at Terra, eyes soft. He didn't think that he could ever forgive himself if he allowed one that he cared about to get hurt while under his watch.
His hand reached out and brushed the loose locks of hair away from her eyes, hand hesitantly hovering a centimeter frome her cheek afterwards and his eyes watching her closely, when he heard a knock on the door. His ears perked up, and abruptly he pulled his arm away and stood, making his way to the door. The bandaging made him hobble slightly, but overall he hid the movement well. He looked through the eye-hole and, seeing Adint, yanked the door open, ushering him inside with haste. "Where have you been? You look cold as death." He quickly left the room with the excuse of needing to find a sheet.
 
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Terra nodded in response to his grateful remark and listened closely to his words. She wanted to argue, but he was right. She had to agree with Jamal in this case, though she wished she had at least been there with him to help defend him. She guessed she wouldn't have been of much help, even if she were healthy.
Jamal's warm, emerald eyes grew soft then, staring at her with something in his eyes...she couldn't place it. Couldn't guess at his thoughts. Then he reached for her and Terra, for once, didn't feel the urge to lean away from his touch. Instead, she let him brush away the dark hair that had fallen out of place and his hand linger, his fingertips not an inch away from her cheek. Terra never tore her gaze from Jamal's. He seemed so focused on her...why?
The sudden knock at the door had Terra's ears up and alert again as the moment diminished. She had to keep herself from getting close to the other nekoes, so in her mind, she was glad Adint had arrived, but her heart seemed to say otherwise. Not that she paid it any attention.
Terra had followed Jamal's slight hobble to the door with her eyes, since she was facing away from the door now. Alarm rushed through her at Jamal's reaction to the male ushered in to the apartment. Adint was hurt. Now that Terra was alert and at a distance, she finally noticed his lack of a tail. Her eyes widened for a moment at the sudden realization as she watched their interaction. Jamal left the room and Terra immediately questioned Adint.
"Adint...sit on the couch, you look freezing. What happened to you?" Though Adint was hiding it well, Terra could see through his mask. He was in pain. Physically. And she wanted to know of his injuries so she could tell Jamal or help him herself. She was still kneeling on the floor a little awkwardly, but she didn't want to move unless she had to anymore. Her ribs were stable now that she was still and she didn't want to change that.
 
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Adint sat on the couch, obeying her command, "Just a little cold." He lied, "I'll be fine soon." By soon he meant a week or two, but he simply wasn't the one to ask for help, Jamal had helped him so much before, it just felt like imposing on his resource's that he had. He had also noticed the fact of Jamal having gauze around, another reason right there, the 3 of them were injured, what if they found another neko? Or what if Kiki were to be injured, as much as he wanted to, he simply couldn't tell them.
 
A little cold? He'll be fine soon? Didn't he realize that hiding it all wouldn't do anyone any good?
Terra knew why he didn't tell her though. She would have done the same thing if she'd had a choice, but she'd have made it more convincing by making up a story. Adint didn't seem to be able to focus enough for that. She was about to call him out on his lie, but then Jamal came back into the room and she left it to him. Jamal knows him better. Terra may have come off as rude if she told him flat out that he was lying.
 
Jamal re-entered the room with a blanket almost identical to the one he had wrapped Terra in earlier that day. He wrapped it over Adint's shoulders snugly, hopping enough of the boy's body heat would be able to stay trapped inside of the woolen material. Satisfied, he went to the kitchen and poured a cup of tea made from dried peppermint leaves and warm water. It may be a bit bitter at times but it was better than the metallic aftertaste that the plain water left in your mouth. He came back out again and set the warm cup in Adint's freezing hands. "What happened?" he asked simply.
 
Adint looked between Jamal and Terra, "I was ... " he decided to tell them the truth, "Iv'e been trying to earn extra money ... to help with our operation." Adint admitted sheepishly, "The man I was working for ... set me up ..." he didn't mention killing a man, however he did pull the gun out and gave it to Jamal.
 
Kiki stepped gingerly back into the room. "Sorry." She said sheepishly as she apologized for leaving them earlier. She looked surprised to so Adint, then worried as she listened to his explanation. "Are you alright?" She asked as she walked over to them. "You aren't hurt too badly, are you?"
 
Jamal accepted the gun and, after turning on the safety lock, set it down on top of the aid kit for the time being. He would inspect its current conditions, number of bullets and other similar matters later. "Thank you for telling me, Adint," he said in earnest with a small smile. He waited to see how he would reply to Kiki's inquiry on his physical condition.
 
He looked at Kiki smiling softly, at least he was around them, they were like his family, he sighed a little, "I suppose i'll be alright." He looked toward his drawer, now that he wasn't able to earn money for the time being, he would do anything he could at the time being to help, unless he ... no he couldn't do such a thing, it was his most prized possesion, the only thing he had left from his mother, he couldn't part with it, unless their very lives were on the line, he would wait.

He looked away from the drawer, and pulled a fake smile over his face. He realized ge was still on the couch, and stood up shakilly, this was Jamal's and Terra's spot, he made his way toward his bed.
 
Terra was glad Adint had told the truth around the others. She hadn't said anything because she wasn't....with them. She was apart from the three of them. Phisically and emotionally. The new girl no one knows about. And even though she wanted to keep it that way, it didn't affect the longing she felt for a family.
Also, the gun Adint gave Jamal was freaking her out a little. She admired that he was working to help everyone out, but coming back with that pistol had her heartbeat racing. She didn't want to look at it, but she couldn't stop staring. From where she was sitting, the barrel seemed to stare right back, it's chilled surface like a monster's skin. If she didn't pull her gaze away soon, she'd drown in memories.
Luckily, Adint decided to sit on the bed right beside her spot on the floor she hadn't moved from and her ears twitched toward him some. She gave him a half smile and tried to keep her bright eyes off of the metallic weapon that had killed her parents.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Terra felt something wet touch her chin. Her brow furrowed a little as she stuck her tongue out and tasted blood. Oh not again...Stupid scab.
She had bit her lip too hard while staring at the gun without realizing it, and now she knew the smile she'd given to Adint was made of bloody lips. What a freak. Terra swiftly brought the back of her hand up to wipe off the sticky substance, looking at he ground in shame. How the heck could Jamal say she wasn't disgusting?
 
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Jamal placed his hand on Adint's shoulder as he passed by him, making his way from the couch to his bed. "I appreciate your trying to help," he said seriously, eyes firm. "I really do, and I don't mind either. Just, be more careful." He lightly squeezed his shoulder before releasing him.
His gaze momentarily drifted past Kiki and Terra, assuring himself that they were both alright as well after such a long day. His mind backpedaled to Terra when a thin streak of red caught his attention at first but as he truly tried to focus on what had grabbed her attention and spiked her anxiety levels to bite her lip until it bled, his eyes were inevitably drawn to the gun. He saw her smile at Adint as he sat beside her, only then noticing that she had reopened her lip when she wiped the blood away. Without warning, he sidesteped in front of Terra, blocking her view of the weapon and crouched down in front of her, with some difficulty from his leg, so that she would be looking at him instead. Jamal ran his hand through his hair once to push it into place and tilted his head to the side ever so slightly in curiosity and worry. His hand reached up and lied warmly on the top of her head, the way an older brother might do. "What's bothering you, Terra? Really, I would like to know if you don't mind telling me..."
 
Adint looked between the two of them, before laying down on his back, he was tired, he groaned quietly, and closed his eyes, attempting to drift off to sleep, though he couldn't, he remained awake, his eyes tight, and alot on his mind.
 
After his brotherly exchange with Adint, while Terra was glaring at the ground, she noticed Jamal's feet in front of her from beneath her dark veil of hair. He placed his warm fingers on her head and she finally looked up at him crouching between her and the gun.
"What's bothering you, Terra? Really, I would like to know if you don't mind telling me..." She could tell Jamal's voice held genuine concern and care for her. Her violet eyes stared into his green ones as her face grew hot with the contact he'd initiated. Her ears flipped flat against her hair beneath his hand and her breathing picked up speed to match her heartbeat. Should she tell him? She had only met him today and she was already considering trusting him?! No. No...she can't. Terra sucked on her bottom lip to stop it from bleeding anymore. Shouldn't she at least tell him something though? If he wanted information and she owed him, she'd say something if not the whole story. Her tail wrapped around her aching torso protectively and she finally opened her mouth hesitantly whispering, "The gun. It bothers me. That's all." She prayed he wouldn't ask for details as her chest grew tight and she ripped her eyes away from his to yawn softly.
 
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Kiki looked from the men and their brotherly exchange, to Terra and Jamal's quiet conversation and Adint's apparently sleeping form. She didn't really fit in anywhere here, and it felt awkward standing around and watching the group like an outsider. She picked her book up off of Terra's bed and glanced over at the gun with a slight frown. It seemed to bother Terra, but Kiki felt a little safer now that she knew they had a surefire way to protect themselves. She glanced at the stack of mail in the corner before turning and heading back to the bedroom.
 
(( Sorry, I just crashed suddenly last night. ))


Jamal watched her closely for a moment longer, bottom lip sticking out a little in a small pout of thought and uncertainty. "Alrighty, then," he agreed, letting the matter drop as it was. He wasn't going to force information and endless explanations from people when they clearly didn't want to answer something. "We should all go and get some much needed sleep anyway," he reasoned aloud. He stood from his crouch beside Terra and went to retrieve the gun in order to put it somewhere out of plain sight.
Searching inevitably brought his attention to the package and letters that had been neatly tucked into the corner, out of immediate sight. He sucked in a shaking breath and tried to release a more stable one. At least they hadn't opened it, he tried to reason with himself to stop from getting angry. Jamal clenched his jaw and decided to settle with putting the gun underneath the letters. Out of view, beside the door if they needed it and it sent the distinct message of 'Do Not Touch', it would do.
 
Kiki paused in the doorway. "Goodnight." She said quietly. She noticed Jamal looking at the package and letters and she bit her lip. He looked a little angry, and when he tucked the gun under the letters she knew that he wasn't happy she'd brought it inside. She considered apologizing, but reasoned to herself that she'd done nothing wrong. He'd told them not to open the mail. He didn't say anything about bringing it in. She gave him a last long look before turning to step into the room.
 
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