watch me, 'cause I'm on a mission

[rigging]

Who: Jesse Finch & Kenzi + anybody else!
What: Galen is gone and his housemates huLK SMASH (or, y'know, window smash). First bit is for Kenzi, second bit is for anybody to respond to!
When: Day 44
Where: House 20 + anywhere else
Warnings: Language! Shouting! Window breaking! Violence! (also, new: mentions of abuse)

[ When Jesse wakes up, the bed is empty.

That's not unusual. Galen often wakes up before him and goes out to do whatever it is he does, drink coffee or mess with the guitar. That doesn't bother Jesse, but this morning he sort of wanted to just sleep on his boyfriend for a while instead of sprawling out in bed by himself. So he gets up to go look, plodding around the house in just his pajama pants. It's not unusual.

What is unusual is that he can't find Galen anywhere. And Galen doesn't answer when Jesse calls him. And - no. No, Jesse refuses to even think that. He will not fucking accept the idea that... that maybe... ]

Kenzi! [ Jesse shouts from the living room, and it is not the shout of a calm person. He's this close to breaking something. ] Kenzi!

--

[ And later, he's not done freaking out. He's just started, really, and even though he'd scoffed a little at the threat of burning down buildings at a disappearance... he doesn't care, now. Because this is more important to him than anyone could be for anybody. He doesn't want to be here, he wants to go home, he wants to go home with Galen, he can't be stuck here by himself, and he's shouting himself hoarse, not bothering with threats, just looking.

And if he has to break a few windows, some glass, with his pipe, well. It's just a sacrifice he has to make. ]

Comments

[tooghoulforschool]

[He's the first on the scene when the glass shatters, and that's probably for the best. Though it's likely that his face would have saved him at first, the reactions afterward would have been unpredictable in two out of three other possibilities.

Ghoul crosses the room with steady determination, boots crunching the glass under his feet as he moves towards the broken window. He kicks out the remaining pieces of glass along the bottom of the frame and jumps through it to grab the shirt of the piece of shit that smashed it.]

You got five seconds t'give-- [And he promptly lets go of that shirt.] Jesse?! What the fuck, man?

[rigging]

[ It's a good thing, because Jesse was about ready to beat the fuck out of whatever it is holding his shirt with the pipe. But he doesn't! Because Ghoul says his name and Jesse sort of freezes, because it's still weird to see it coming out of his own mouth. For a moment, Jesse can't say anything, throat stuck, and then he rubs at his face and shakes his head, backing up. ]

Ghoul. Just - I don't got time for this. Lemme alone, I gotta find him.

[tooghoulforschool]

Find who? [Better be someone that can fix a fucking window, you little shit.] You got a bone to pick with Poison, you can take it up with me. That pipe of yours is just gonna make him even nastier, so lets settle it. What'd he do?

[rigging]

What? [ It's so... far off from what he was thinking that it actually throws him off. He stops, staring. ] Wh -- no, the fuckface didn't do anything, I'm not looking for him. Christ, I'm not stupid, I --

[ That's not important. It's not important right now. His grip tightens. ] Galen's gone. I'm looking for Galen, asshole.

[tooghoulforschool]

... [Oh. Wow. He really thought-- that's kind of a relief? Not really. This is worse. He goes from pissed off to concerned in no time flat.]

So you figured you'd find him by breaking our windows? Help me see your train of thought here, gorgeous, because from where I'm standing it hasn't left the station. Gone where? Disappeared-gone?

[rigging]

[ Now he sounds angry. Furious, in his own brand of terrifying angry, and his expression reflects that. ] No, fuckin' on a trip to summer camp gone, yes, disappeared-gone. You break enough shit, you kick up enough of a fucking fuss, and you get results.

[ And he snarls it, because he hurts: ] It's none of your damn business, he ain't part of your crew, you don't give a shit, so go the fuck away and let me find my goddamn fucking boyfriend!

[tooghoulforschool]

That don't get you results, little boy. Break enough shit and someone comes out to break you. You ain't lookin' for Galen, you're just lookin' for a fight. [Ghoul steps forward, hands up where Jesse can see them. He frowns. This is a new level of self loathing when yourself isn't even you but you can still see it like a twisted mirror. Huh.]

Don't tell me what I care about. You got no right t'say what I give a shit about. Care about you, fucker. You wanna break somethin'? Fine. Take a shot. Not with the pipe like a bitch, be a man. Take a fuckin' shot. Hit me.

[rigging]

You don't tell me what I'm looking for. [ Jesse snaps. There's nothing worse that he hates than having to listen to someone tell him how he feels, when he knows. What maybe makes him more angry is the fact that Ghoul's mostly right - he's past looking for Galen, and now he wants revenge. Something to hurt as much as he is now. ]

I ain't gonna fuckin' hit you. [ Jesse sneers, gripping the pipe more tightly. You'd go too easy on him. ] Don't act like you fuckin' know better, you smug fuck, 'cause you don't. You're no better than me, you're no fucking wiser. You're the same piece of shit as me, so stop trying to get your rocks off on acting superior.

[tooghoulforschool]

Superior? Heh. [He smiles down at the ground, all amused like Jesse just told him some great joke. And then his head snaps back up and his eyes are cold. One hand shoots out to grab the pipe and the other goes for Jesse's throat. Regardless of what he gets hold of, he gets in real close and speaks real low.]

I'm not better or wiser. I'm the worst motherfucker you're ever gonna meet. I'm shit. This is you if you keep this up so get a good fuckin' look. This is what happens when you fuck up enough.

[rigging]

[ He gets hold of Jesse's shirt, his collar, and it scares the fuck out of him. But Jesse's never backed down from anything, from anybody, not even himself, and this is absolutely no different. He grabs back, dropping the pipe to grab at Ghoul's shirt. He's afraid, but like fuck will he show it. ]

You ain't as scary as you think you are. [ Jesse snarls. ] You don't know shit about me. You don't know about the shit I've fucked up. I ain't asking for a cautionary tale, you stupid son of a bitch.

[ He might not be strong, but he's wiry and squirmy as fuck, and he can get out of this hold, can attempt to shove away. Coldly: ] Don't you ever fucking call me little boy again.

[tooghoulforschool]

[That's better. That's more like it. But it's still not enough.

He's not afraid to play the villain for a cause, to make a difference, to save a life. That's what Killjoys do. Every fucking day. Jesse needs this. He needs to get it out of his system. Ghoul knows because he did the same shit when they took Party's body. He may not know the details or the past, but he knows.]

Why? Does it bother you? You sure as hell ain't bein' a man right now.

[Squirm away. Try to shove. All it's gonna get him is a fast shot to the guts and a swing at his face. Just enough to set him off. Get it going. He is most definitely holding back.]

[rigging]

[ It does bother him, and he doesn't register right now what Ghoul is doing, even if he's done it for other people in the past. Ghoul is picking a fight and Jesse is too grief-dumb to give a fuck if he should or shouldn't fight back.

So he does. A shot to the guts and a swing at his face and it's enough to make Jesse double over -- and then snarl as he's right back up, swinging right back. He's not concerned with playing fair, he's angry, he's hurt, and he fucking needs to hurt back.

He goes for weak spots, he'll claw and punch and bite if he has to, knock Ghoul to the ground if he can, kick him if he can, hell, fucking roll around in the dirt with him if he can, not really fighting with anything but an animalistic urge to tear something apart. ]

[tooghoulforschool]

[He feels a weird sense of pride every time Jesse lands a cheap shot. Fighting dirty isn't frowned upon here, it's how you survive.

Yeah, he's on the ground. Yeah, he's taking a beating, and it fucking hurts. But it doesn't hurt half as bad knowing he's giving this guy an outlet before the need to hurt becomes self-destructive. Ghoul can take it. And he does. But he also deals it back at half power because fuck just lying there and taking that shit! It's not a fight to the death. It's not vicious on Ghoul's end, it's practiced and controlled. He's helping, but he's not just rolling over. That might just make it worse.

They'll go as long as Jesse needs to. Until he tires himself out. That's the drill. How it always goes. Even when Ghoul's bruised and bloody, he's not giving in until it's over.]

[rigging]

[ No, no, he wouldn't expect Ghoul to -- he'd really rather get the shit beat out of him, but it's not vicious enough. It's not enough to get more than a few punches to the face, scratches, bruises. It's not enough when he's too tired to keep going, when he scrambles away and finally slumps against the wall of the building.

He rubs at his face. Feels at his bruises, catches his breath. Doesn't look at Ghoul. He can't. ]

[tooghoulforschool]

[It's good enough. At least, that's what Ghoul's thinking when he struggles to get to his feet, turning his head to cough and spit blood on the ground. He looks right at Jesse, but doesn't say anything.

It's done. It's enough. He can stay there as long as he has to. No one's gonna touch him.

Ghoul heads inside, using the door this time, and leave Jesse alone. Hopefully Galen comes back. Hopefully he finds him. Argue all you want, Ghoul does know how it feels. Get some rest, man. Take it easy. Be smart about this shit.]