In collaboration with Naoiz from Tumblr/ Ughlevi from AO3. Perspectives change every chapter and updates will be irregular. Inspiration gleaned from The Walking Dead with loose twisting of the canon plot from Kuroko no Basket to fit the idea that we're running with. Leave a comment or review if you're interested in this piece, it'd be nice to hear where you guys think we're going with this. Thank you for reading.
He was sick of this shit, day-in and day-out. Cutting through a city had been insane and he'd told Takao as much. Without Oha Asa they were as good as dead anyway, he was loyally fatalistic when it came to horoscopes and though he'd matured and grown a little older he was no less cynical.
"Are you awake?" He'd demanded quietly, back pressed to the wall of the house they had holed up in the past few days. Windows boarded, stairs destroyed so as to stall anything that did manage to break in. Living in the top floor of a house wasn't ideal but it was safer... Then most things. All considered. Takao crashing on the couch, not about to share the bed where two corpses were curled together in what had no doubt been their decision to take the 'easy way out'.
Midorima could hear things. A noise, it was outside but- Any noise was cause for concern. C-could it know there was living beings within? Surely not but... His heart was racing.
It went without saying that the first five or so seconds after waking up every day were the worst; when reality overtook the last remnants of easy dreams were had and reminded them of the hell they now lived in.
Unbeknownst to Midorima, Takao's eyes blinked open, once, twice, seeing the tiny specks of dust that filtered through the thin rays of warm sunlight as it washed through small cracks in the window boards. Next to hit home regardless of where you awakened was the smell that constantly hung in the air, followed by the feel of stiff muscles and hunger pains.
A low noise indicated Takao's head had lifted from the dirty couch, if not that he had moved in some other slight manner. Louder as he begun slowly pressing himself up to sit up slowly. reply Midorima received was breathed and quiet.
"Yeah.." The hawks breath abating. "..Walker?"
Midorima's words were horrible resigned. "I don't know." He always expected the worst but had learned to at least not voice his thoughts aloud. Only keeping to the facts, if applicable. His eyes rolled closed as he continued to listen. Silence, for the longest moments. Had he imagined it?
"...I'll look." He stated, though it was more a question then anything in the way his unsteady voice lilted at the end. It wasn't as if being a 'pro' at basketball had given him outstanding abilities in any other area. If anything, it left him feeling painfully incompetent when it came to things like this. Eyes flickering open and tugging his glasses off to scrub them a little cleaner before he rose. Pushing with his feet so his back slid up the wall.
Recieving a small nod to the rather unsure statement, Takao quietly got up from the sofa, giving his limbs a quick stretch before heading over to their duffle bags at the other side of the room and fetching their daggers. He was quiet, Midorima only became aware of him when he suddenly crouched next to him at the window and held out the other blade, handle facing the shooter.
"See anything?" He was asked as the hawk gave the perimeters a quick glance for any signs of life, or… the dead, ironically. "Hey, how long do you wanna stay here before moving on?" It was relatively safe for now, as safe as one possibly could be given the circumstances, though they knew from experience that that wouldn't last much longer than a couple of days if they were lucky.
With his eyes locked on the top of the stairs, Midorima only glanced back after a few moments and by then Takao was looking more awake than he had a few seconds ago. His eyes dipped to the knife and he accepted it with his right hand. Switching it over to his left, still taped though it wasn't exactly the cleanest job he'd done being unable to change it day to day. Some habits just stuck. Stepping out, he winced at the soft creak of the floorboards and paused briefly, only to go on. Squatting at the top of the steps and peering into the gloom.
Time stretched, on. And on. And on, as silence occasionally alternated to the sound of footsteps which indicated that Takao was either pacing, or keeping watch out the window and then seeing what Midorima was doing. Both equally likely things in any case. As the other abruptly asked him, with concern in his voice "Shin-chan? You alright?" he jerked into movement. Standing with a sigh, unconvinced but with nothing to prove his paranoia was nothing but that. As he turned back, he observed the other leaned against the wall, crouched as he had been before, prior to pacing away. He must have come back to his side, he had taken him by surprise in any case. The others brow was pinched in a defined crease of concentration, or worry.
"Maybe it was a cat." Unlikely, highly, but there was little more that could be said. He looked as tired as he felt as he dropped onto the couch that Takao had just risen from, playing with the dagger that Takao had given him, flicking it in and out of the sheath by mere millimeters with each shift of his thumb. "We should move on soon. They're... We've been lucky so far." Too lucky.
Takao took the move to close the small distance back over to the couch, shifting to sit just in front of it, leaning his head back to rest on the pillows next to Midorima's arm. "Mn, too good to be true, right? Did you sleep at all?" he asked, almost out of habit now. They both worried about traveling—about surviving—on little to no sleep and apparently Takao was especially so about himself, likely unsure how much of it Midorima got though he was sure he didn't sleep very well most nights, perhaps even on the quiet ones. "Find something to eat then move out?"
He admitted begrudgingly; "...I didn't," knowing Takao disapproved heavily of his reluctance to do so. It left him sluggish on the days leading to that occasional 'crash' where he slept so heavily it'd be a blessing if it occurred on a quiet night as opposed to one where they were sleeping to the howls of zombies unable to clamber into their place of residence.
"Ah... There's cans in my bag." He'd picked up a few, intending to keep them for until they were really necessary but reluctance to descend the stairs in search of food prompted him to offer. Not.. That the contents weren't too appealing but if Takao didn't want the dog food then he could have the vegetables instead.
Takao gave him a look—the look he always gave after getting that answer—after turning around to face him, arms folded on the edge of the sofa and chin rested against them. "I'll stay up tonight then." Less than an offer and more of a statement.
With a small, tired sigh, the dark haired boy pushed himself to his feet and headed to the steps to begin the descent after grabbing one of their empty water bottles. "Gather our stuff, I'm gonna look for things downstairs." Another that could be used as a weapon, food or water if they were lucky; anything that could be of use without being too heavy to carry around.
A strangled noise heralded the others decision to stay up courtesy of the stubborn greenet, but he said nothing having learned by now that it was easier to simply allow him to do so. Climbing upright once more Midorima reluctantly shifted about the room to gather together the items that had been scattered here and there. Letting Takao go on ahead, alone, though it wasn't for lack of worry as to what could have been down there. "Don't... Go too far."
Takao managed a tiny hint of a smile at the other's request, replying in a hushed murmur that he wouldn't being climbing down to the lower floor, landing with a quiet thump on the wooden floors below, out of sight.
By the time Takao called "Shin-chan, it's clear" he'd finished and had hoisted his and Takao's bags on respective shoulders. He'd hesitated before deciding over practicality and leaving the pillows. They were too bulky to carry and the coverings weren't clean enough to consider stripping the cases for bandaging.
"We should move on... It's not midday yet so we could get a lot of distance covered." Although he hadn't exactly been specific as to why they needed to go to that place. Even if it meant heading through cities, the equivalent to death traps at best. He jumped down from the upper half of the stairway, once sure he wouldn't land on the dark haired hawk. Trusting him that it was clear.
At least Takao extended the courtesy of siide stepping out of the way to give him enough room to hop down before his bag from Midorima, slinging it over his shoulders after stuffing some of the items that he picked up into one of the side pockets. He followed the greenet to the back entrance, opening the door as quietly as possible and using his large field of vision to scope the area, checking it was safe before giving the go-ahead and taking the first step out of the dull house and into daylight; squinting his eyes to stop the glare from the sun.
Initially, Midorima followed, trusting in the others eyes as he too squinted, blinking rapidly. No doubt it affected Takao's eyes worse though and as such he recovered quickly and continued to keep an eye on their surroundings as he took over leading the way. Trusting that he'd receive a tap to the shoulder if he was about to err in judgement. It was always best to keep from the main roads but that way was to progress more rapidly.
Midorima hadn't disclosed to Takao why exactly they had to cut through the city, though it seems the hawk had decided to trust in him that it where they had to go after realising that it was follow him or go alone with no-one to rely on.
As always he hesitated between the decisions for a second or so before choosing to cut through a building. Leaning against a door so as to listen even as he peered at the hinges as if to try and calculate how much noise they might make while Takao stood guard, watching his back while he was distracted. Once inside, they were equally as cautious, checking through doors before entering a room as well as picking up anything that could be of use to them and storing them away safely. They managed to make it as far as they could travelling through houses along the way before exiting the abandoned residential area and approaching the main streets that they needed to pass through to be on their way to where they needed to go.
"Have you got some plan or something, or are we just going to walk out there?" Takao asked, seemingly steeling his nerves as they crouched the corner of a building before proceeding, his head abruptly tipping back against the wall so as to sigh— now or never.
Midorima had managed to glanced over the layout, the cars piled up would give them some leeway on hiding but at the end of the day the street would act like a funnel for any undead that came through. If they did manage to make it through it was unlikely they'd easily return that way. He thought about leaving the city, taking the long route around then dismissed that idea. They didn't have the food for it. "Behind me, but- Not close." He said simply. He knew Takao would be able to tell if someone was approaching from a fair distance but he rather selfishly wanted the other to have the chance of a headstart should they be walking headlong into a trap. "Let's go." It didn't occur to him that they might come from behind, though he did consider this to be too good to be true.
The other scanned his face for a moment, seeming to be looking for something, trying to read him as if he'd become more difficult to read recently and less like an open book. Just giving a nod that he understood, drawing the knife from it's holder on his belt, knowing to only resort to gunfire if it was absolutely necessary when the concentration of walkers was so dense as it was here that they would risk being swarmed. They'd both learned from experience. He gave Midorima a few steps head start before leaving the relative safety of the corner they were huddled at and made the first successful dash to behind a nearby car.
So far so good. As they progressed little by little Midorima felt less nervous, with the anticipation of success coiling more and more insidiously at the back of his mind. Emerging behind a car had left him face to face with a walker but the face that met his was already rent firmly in the brain, leaving him startled and gasping but very much unassaulted. As this took place, unbeknownst to Midorima, Takao's head snapped forward when he heard the familiar sound of a blade slicing through a skull, eyes wide and mouth agape as he took in the sight in front of him; lingering over the lifeless body on the floor as he stepped over it. It was only a natural reaction, right? To kids who had been pampered with an easy life playing basketball until two years ago.
As Midorima cursed himself for being caught unawares he drew his own knife and forged ahead at a pace that bordered on hurried. Glancing back once to ensure Takao hadn't been left behind.
They encountered three more, Midorima handling the first two as though it were routine and Takao the third, wincing at the spray of blood that hit him. At some point the hawk disregarded his instructions to remain a little way away from each other, to give them room to dispatch anything that attacked, giving Midorima's arm a soft tug once he reached him at the next car the crouched behind to catch their breath and check the area for their next move forward.
"Hey, are you alright?" Takao had thought to ask, although Midorima could only imagine that it was because of the most recent corpse they'd stepped over courtesy of Midorima's skills with a knife. Not impressive skills, but practical and learned through a fear of dying and the unknown. A corpse with green hair.
"...I don't have time for your jokes right now, Takao." His words were far from firm. He was- It didn't matter what he was, but they were still in the open. Even though he felt sort-of crushed. Was it? He couldn't tell clearly enough thanks to the rot but it had been the same hairstyle he remembered her favouring among other things.
"...I- Never mind." He'd almost admitted his suspicions before deciding the better of it. If he needed to cry, he'd do so when they were safe, even though his chest ached and shook. He was so... Angry. "Is it clear?"
Based on some kind o internal judgement, Takao held his tongue and seemed to will away everything he was feeling and the tight feeling in his chest just like they had learned to do long ago though it was always difficult forcing yourself to be detached and shoving off the weight that hung. Swallowing dryly, the hawk leaned up just enough to see through the dusty windows of the car they were hiding behind, scouting out their best route considering how far from clear it was.
"Four on the right and another group a little further up but if we can cross the street there's a clean stretch and an alley at the end of the street."
Midorima surmised in a low tone "...It's going to be tough." Thinking as he spoke slowly "Can you tell if it's a dead end?" They could rush it but that would be the end of them if there was nowhere to go. They could go slowly but then there was the risk of being trapped and then overwhelmed, pinned between the two groups. Neither a desirable option. Playing absently with the top of the drawn blade in his opposite hand.
Sinking back down and leaning against the door of the car Takao shook his head, looking regretful. Takao had been here before before things began, though he wasn't familiar enough with the layout of the city. Not that Midorima knew this fact in any case. As a thought struck him suddenly the dark haired teen murmured for Midorima to keep an eye out as he leaned up to look into the car again. Carefully opening the door, cursing the rusty creaking it made as he leaned in and pulled open the glove compartment; thanking his stars when he found a map. "Can you buy me like, two minutes so I can read this?"
Midorima replied immediately, albeit stumbling over his words "I- Yes." There was no 'maybe' in this sort of thing. Feeling distinctly out of his depth thanks to his narrower line of vision then what Takao could command he willed his thumping heart to be silent and kept his ears and eyes open. Of course, one just had to come groaning past, wet and fetid flesh sucking at air and letting loose a low and aggressive noise even as Midorima pulled it back with him and let the dagger awkwardly slip up through the bottom of the creatures jaw and into it's skull with a sharp exhale. Long moments had him lowering it, his shirt entirely covered in splatters too now and attention on his surroundings. He could hear... More, but he couldn't tell if they were coming closer just yet. Peering about the cars they were wedged between. "Takao, hurry up." He hissed under his breath.
He could hear Takao flipping through the pages with haste, cursing under his breath while seeming to have a spot of difficulty finding the appropriate pages, no doubt trying his hardest to drown out the sounds around him and to concentrate; hushing Midorima when he hurried him along, trying not to panic and delay himself any further. Unseen, he dragged a grubby finger across the page after locating the correct one, he found the street they were currently on after looking around to find a street sign, following it along the page to the alley he spotted a moment ago, almost jumping to his feet after determining it wasn't a dead end. Stuffing the map under his arm, he dashed out from behind the car. "Go, run—" Takao took the lead this time only because he knew where he was going, planning on letting Midorima take over again once they had cleared this area; plunging his knife into the creature that took him by surprise from behind a ruined bus stop, dropping the map in the process and hoping to whatever gods there was that Midorima picked it up. He made sure not to run too far ahead, that he stayed within earshot of Midorima though used the chance to clear the path for him while he was a few steps forward; inching closer to the alley.
The ace'd snatched for it, startled by Takao suddenly taking off but that left him the worse for it. One walker slipped between them and he hesitated, eyes flickering to a clear route before deciding resolutely he wouldn't leave Takao that easily. He'd twisted to let the bag on his shoulder take the brunt of the sudden, lunging bite and had stabbed it's neck somehow. The knife grated against it's spine with a disgusting noise but apparently that was enough- perhaps he'd severed it's spine? It slumped though it was still making noises. Stepping over and shuddering as he hastened up behind Takao who was doing an unexpectedly good job of cutting down the walkers that could impede their journey.
He almost felt bad that he'd hesitated to follow him when the route had become a little tougher, and not by much at all. "Just run, they're- They can probably.." Hear them. There was a disheartening, no, terrifying rumble in the distance. Well, not so much a rumble but multiple footfalls were clearly audible. Jerking Takao's arm and somehow managing to deftly tug them through a knot of three of the lurching creatures.
Takao almost lost his footing when suddenly tugged though he righted himself quickly. His plan was a risky one, hoping that the walkers wouldn't have breached the chain fences that covered the alleys and that the back paths were kept clear; he knew it was risky but if he was right then it gave them some leeway cover some distance out of the retail district that was heavily infested with the creatures and reach the stretch of road that lead to the next city. Highways were littered with abandoned cars though experience told them that they were mostly clear by now with walkers migrating constantly to places where the living still survived. If they could make it that far they could breathe a little, though of course not completely let their guard down. As far as Midorima knew it was a clean stretch, a home run but to where? He couldn't read the map on the go like this and had to hope Takao would pick out somewhere they could hole up or else that was it. He was never more relieved than he had been now that their stamina was good.
Reaching the fenced alley, a small sliver of hope plucked at the hawk after seeing the fence was still in tact and the stretch of narrow alleyway was clear. He threw his bag up over it and took a few steps back, running at it and making a jump, grabbing the top bar and using the mix of momentum and terrified adrenaline to clear the fence; making room for Midorima to do the same.
The shooter threw his bag over too but hadn't felt buzzed enough to jump over cleanly. Scrabbling up it, the tape on his fingers making it a bit more difficult to scale but he was up and over before the walkers hit it at least. Landing heavily, a sharp grunt. Not the best landing but at least he hadn't been hurt. Snatching the bags, unwilling to stay. "Look at the map and let's go." He snapped, not angry but scared. He didn't want to hang around any longer then they had to. Especially when the chainlinks were beginning to creak in a manner that was nigh on worrying under the weight of the snarling critters.
Taking the map back, Takao flipped to the right page with ease this time after memorising the page number and walked close to Midorima's side, holding the map where he could see it as they walked, pointing out the route so that they both knew where they were going, making sure he understood before taking his bag back from him and storing away the book that had proven to be useful to them and would no doubt continue to in the future. Another quick check after reaching the end of the small alley that the coast was clear before proceeding.
Midorima just wants to get as much distance between them and that fence as he can so he picked up the pace to a light jog, attention still on his surroundings and ignoring the convenience stores that were raided long ago. They're tempting but it's unlikely there's anything left. If anything they'd have better luck checking houses. He slowed a little; "Keep with the road and take our luck? Or bunk down while it's safe?" At this rate they'd make very little movement if they chose the latter, but it'd take time to proof the house enough to be confident they could sleep with ease.
Takao tried to sound more convinced then he felt as he instructed that they should; "Take the road for now, there's some houses a while away but if we can make it there before it's dark we'll have somewhere to pitch for the night. If we don't waste any time we can make it," It was a long stretch of land to cover in one day but it was the best of both worlds if they made it; covering a fair bit of distance like they wanted to as well as finding somewhere to rest for a few hours while it was dark. If they were in luck they'd find some supplies depending on how many other people had done the same as them.
Midorima echoed the hawk "If.." He had repeated, although he seemed to take the suggestion on board seriously, nodding in agreement. "We should move quickly then... It... Let's try and avoid them instead of fighting every single one we come across." Already in movement, his gaze roaming about his surroundings although not checking perhaps as thoroughly enough as he should as he hurried. Sometimes it was better to cut your losses.
It was always an 'if' when they did anything, there were no guarantees anymore. Takao gave a curt nod when the plan was decided on, readjusting the bag on his shoulder and followed along, handing lead back to Midorima as he planned, returning to the few steps behind from before and trusting the other to keep the path in front of him clear and to notify him of any danger. He took most time searching around them, sometimes checking in cars when he thought he spotted something in the corner of his eye though only bothering to gather anything that would be especially useful to them.
Sometimes it was better to cut your losses, Midorima reflected, especially when you tripped over what seemed like a dead body only to realise you'd grazed your shins in the process of discovering a duffel. The ace had not hesitated to open it, expression tight with surprise before zipping it closed and throwing it over his other shoulder before brushing off the blood speckling his calves as he continued onwards. Making sure Takao wasn't left behind- Did he glance back too much?
As if noticing the ace's stumble and wondered what took him so long to get back to his feet Takao had hurried forward to catch up with him though by the time he reached Midorima was already up and carrying another bag.
"I'm fine, just keep going," Takao called out as if belatedly noticing he was being checked on, not that he didn't appreciate the concern though he didn't want him tripping over anything else and they still had a couple of hours to travel before reaching their hoped refuge for the night. After an hour or so on the road he admitted to being pleasantly surprised at the relative lack of roaming creatures, glad that they had all seemed to be concentrated in the town they just left sans for the odd wanderer though they dealt with those quickly and quietly before heading back on their way.
When it had started to grow dusky Midorima was relieved to see houses become more frequent, over the slightly larger buildings that had been dotting each side of the roads. His body ached, no less his shins, and he quickened to a jog in anticipation. Which? His stomach gurgled and he grimaced, hoping they'd find food soon enough. Not that they'd have long to look if they needed to pick and clear a house of the undead before more or less using furnature to board up and block all the entrances and exits. He decisively picked one at random, pushing the door open and stepping in as his heart raced. It stank of rot which could mean one of three things, and it was darker inside then out. Adjusting his glasses as he gripped the knife tighter and moving intot he first of the rooms as his heart fluttered nervously.
Lifting an arm to wipe sweat from his brow once they approached the house, Takao used to moment to catch his breath, trying to keep his breathing as quiet as possible as they inched inside; both recoiling with the smell they were hit with though the fact they didn't have to force the door opened was a relief that nobody was home using it as shelter already. People, those who had managed to live this long, had changed and were often just as dangerous as the undead; untrusting and surviving on instinct alone, willing to kill others just to take their supplies. Kill or be killed.
Snaking quietly over to cover Midorima's weaker side as they stepped through the room, Takao peered around the corner into the next and waved the other to follow him, there were two walkers in what used to be a living room though they didn't seem to notice them. By now they could co-ordinate attacks like this without planning, simply using actions like pointing and a nod to make their intentions clear; doing just this before darting forward and jamming his blade into the back of the creature's skull with a sickening crunch, catching the body and laying it down quietly to avoid an attention-drawing thump when it would hit the floor.
Midorima on the other hand was slow on the uptake, the second creature had already lunged at Takao while he was lowering the first body and with the finesse that he had made his shots back in Shuutoku practise he acted on instinct, hurling the dagger. Alas, his accuracy was nothing compared to the weight of a ball in his hands and the dagger went awry, striking in the face hard enough to knock it down with a sizeable thump but not to kill it.
While struggling to free his arm that had been grasped, panic-stricken to say the least as his heart hammered against his ribs, Takao recoiled in shock as he watched the blade whiz past his face—too close for comfort—and lodge itself in the creature's face. He fell backwards once he was released, bracing his fall and catching most of his weight with his palms once he hit the floor before quickly scrambling to his feet and stifling the the laugh he felt in his chest. "That was like something out of a movie, Shin-chan. What if you hit me by accident?" he joked though kept his voice hushed as he grabbed the other's arm and tugged him back up to his feet.
Midorima was astride moments later with a knee pressed against it's throat as he tried to tug the embedded weapon free. Thanking the lord that nothing else had appeared despite the noise. Unless the bang hadn't been as loud as he thought, but then they were jumpy and overly cautious. "Detestable." He muttered under his breath as the blade wiggled free and drove it home as eyes averted, through optic nerve and straight into brain.
He missed basketball. In any case, they weren't done clearing the house and if there were two downstairs there was bound to be more throughout the house.
In retort, Midorima grit out "-Shut up." His face reddening as he adjusted his glasses, smudging them a little in the process and swallowing a curse word in turn. He received a brief grin as he was helped up which was gone as soon as it had been gifted. He shivered, recalling the look on Takao's face when his arm had been grabbed and turned out from the room. It was too quiet, he didn't like it in the slightest. The air was thick and musty, he eyed the stairs. Footprints, too many of them to count. He swallowed firmly and begun the ascent, waving Takao to check the rest of the first floor as he went ahead, not that there were many other rooms. It was a pretty risky move, receiving an unsure look from the hawk when told to scope the rest of the lower floor himself and a resigned, tired sigh though Takao nodded once.
"Call if you need to." The hawk stated as he heading off to check the rest of the lower rooms. Eventually, after apparently securing the ground floor, Takao called in an altogether too loud voice; "Shin-chan, anything up there?"
He could hardly reply could he? Midorima hadn't even entered the rooms he'd glanced into and the total made him utterly miserable. Especially since they had jerked into action at the others yell. Yanking the door shut and wincing at the thumping. It was loud, frantic and pretty much answered the others question impeccably. "I- Think there's three of them." He called back, unsure how long it'd take them to emerge. "This is going to attract more... We have to let them out and split them up, or something."
At the sound of the thumping Takao abruptly appeared, climbing up a few stairs to look up at Midorima at the top of the landing. "..Draw them out and push one down the stairs? I'll run up and help after I kill it." He sounded unsure but he had no other ideas, unless Midorima had a better one.
The ace affirmed; "...I'll try." He couldn't promise he'd succeed but it was better then dying or something. Or maybe he would- No, if he had surely Akashi wouldn't have bothered making him swear? A little confidence seeped into then as he broadened his shoulders. "Don't let anything sneak up on you from behind." He breathed softly even as he kicked at the door. It didn't shift- Their bodies physically pressed against it. If anything the arm that had forced it's way through was a blessing. He could do it this way couldn't he?
"Yeah, yeah, I won't," Takao had replied, sounding confident even as Midorima moved closer and tugging at the arm to prompt the walker in question to redouble it's efforts and earn a stabbed face in reward. One down, and another was already lunging at the too-small gap above the sagged, slain corpse. Shit shit shit.
The grip that tightened his arm had him yelp and he yanked, feeling hot breath and panting abruptly, wide-eyed and feeling much like Takao must have mere hours ago he lashed out indiscriminately. It was... Quiet. Maybe he'd miscounted in the panic? Only two?
Belatedly he realised how tired he was. Swaying a little on his feet. An unfortunate time for realisations. "I- Sorted it. Sorry." Apologising, likely for worrying the other. "We don't have time to sit around, we need to block up the doors and windows."
Once Takao had seen Midorima was in a spot of trouble he'd begun to ascend the stairs, though he managed to take care of himself by the time Takao had reached the top stair. Maybe it was the lingering panic and fear that was clear in his face, but it only took a second of looking at him from the close distance to knew that the ace was running on reserves, most likely from not having slept the night before coupled with the long journey they'd covered with little to no rest.
Shrugging his bag off his shoulders, he handed it to Midorima and gave him a small nudge towards one of the clear rooms upstairs. "I'll do that, you set things up up here." He wasn't for negotiating this time; he was tired himself though not as much as the other, deciding to take on this task that had become a standard procedure on his own.
Downstairs, Takao pushed the sofa across the floor to barricade the front door, wedged planks of wood and pieces of broken broom sticks in front of windows to block them off, while wedging the back of a kitchen chair under the door handle at the back to stop it being opened. When he was satisfied that they downstairs was secure enough, he headed back towards the stairs to check on the other.
Once Midorima had managed to force the walkers out of the ruined doorframe and had been able to open it he had regretted it, the room was... Squalid. Disgusting. He'd checked the cabinets and cupboards, finding some pills and a few thick blankets in a cupboard before heading into another room. Empty, dark and actually kind of clean. There wasn't much but boxes and he decided there wasn't much point looking through them all. Ornaments and the such, hardly useful. The old clothes might come in handy though, and surprisingly there were towels in the bathroom. Retreating back to the room of boxes he shoved enough aside to turn the small room into somewhere they could sleep, or take turns in doing so. Throwing down the blankets and towels to make something a little softer than the bare floor. As Takao called up to ask if he was done, he shrugged to indicate he wasn't sure as he returned to the room with the corpses in search of unsullied linen of any sort. "I made up a bed." He said finally as he drug an armful of crumpled sheets and returned to the pile, tossing them down inelegantly.
It'd do.
"I'll see what food there is." He volunteered, needing to be kept active and doing something. If any was even left. But with walkers here it suggested it was untouched and thus a prize to be had.
Ascending the stairs to check on how things were going, Takao watched the taller boy's back as he exited the room without a word.
"Looks good," the hawk mused aloud, glancing over the makeshift bed that wasn't exactly five star though definitely an improvement on some of their previous lodgings. "'Kay, I'll be here," he announced, letting the other wander off in search of food now that he was sure that the lower floor was safe.
Once left to his own devices, he smoothed out the last pile of sheets that were tossed on to the pile and sat down, cross legged. Pulling out the first aid kit that he found downstairs, he searched through it to see what was left and sat aside things they could use; a little ecstatic at some of the things he found, including a pack of disinfectant clothes, gauze, scissors and fresh tape they could use for Midorima's fingers.
It was definately a haul, that Midorima could say for sure as he absently checked cupboards but that hadn't been why he'd wanted to go downstairs. No, that was a lie- He'd wanted to distract himself but it wasn't working. His thoughts kept straying back to his sister, his sweet if non horoscope-abiding sister. A shiver ran his spine, he leaned heavily on the counter and settled his face in his hands. Letting the darkness of the room envelop him. Why was it that the stupidest of memories and thoughts surfaced at times like these?
He hadn't even meant to kill her, walker or not. Had he known it was her bearing down on him he might have at least hesitated but it hadn't been until he'd stabbed her that he'd realised, and with another lunging he'd had no time to stop and think, only enough time to take the small, stuffed toy which had been all but wedged in her pocket and keep going. He sought it now, in his pockets and realised he must have left it upstairs with his bags as his breath caught in his throat and sadness assailed him. He wasn't a robot, he was human and of course he was upset. Now he wasn't in- that mindset where he would do anything to survive and it was too late to stop himself from sobbing softly. Thankful at least the distance between them would mean Takao was unaware he was breaking down like this.
For a while, the hawk had distracted himself with fiddling through the first aid kit and even rearranging the contents of his bag, packing it more efficiently and making more room for whatever else they may come across. So much so that he almost didn't realise how long Midorima had been gone and how quiet it was; he couldn't hear him moving about at all, no cupboards opening and close, nothing.
Worry began to sink in when he remembered that they already had food in their bags, and that Midorima knew this after he mentioned it earlier that morning before they left. The image of one walker they encountered flashed through his mind and things clicked into place for him, little pieces of the puzzle fitting together and all he could do was sit where he was, torn about what to do; give him the space he wanted or try to bring some sort of comfort. He was a closed off character to begin with but this was different. This was delicate and Takao knew he could very easily make things worse if he didn't approach it properly.
Takao waited for a while, impatient as he let the minutes tick by after deciding to leave the other be for the time being. Eventually he made the quiet descent to go find him; sitting on the floor and slouched back against the cupboards in the kitchen. Takao crouched in front of him, fresh bandages in one hand. "Want me to change them?"
Midorima was exhausted and his eyes were both dry and red from the tears he had shed in his stubbornly silent grief. By the end of it he just felt empty, how could she have even been that far from home? What had his parents been doing- Had they just abandoned her? Perhaps she'd run away looking for him, he should never have gotten separated from them to begin with, oath or not. He couldn't remember when he had shifted from leaning over the counter to sitting crumpled against it but the abruptly soft and understanding tones from the man who had silently padded into the kitchen drew him from his reverie. He fumbled with his glasses in some passibly weak semblence of adjusting them and lolled his head back with less then a little zeal, letting his gaze meet the hawks.
Blue hues watched every little movement, every rare thread of emotion that played out across the shooter's face when he allowed their eyes to meet; keeping his mind from wandering down the track that the very same thing could have happened to his own family by now. It was a miracle the both of them were even still alive as it was.
It was hurting again, Midorima's chest, and he was battling with his pride while without an answer for the others offer. His kindnesses, his indulgence and his understanding. It was rather selfishly he leaned forwards and let his frame crumple against the slightly smaller one, craving the comfort of another person but not indiscriminately so. "...Yes." He finally said, though he didn't loose his arms, if anything tightening them.
Tired arms wove around the taller boy's frame as the hawk came forward to rest against him, lifting his chin slightly and tucking it over the other's shoulder. His eyes closed over, breathing out a quiet 'Okay,' before tightening his own grip around him, finding comfort in Midorima's body heat and only hoping the same could be said vice versa.
Reluctantly he pulled back after he felt the arms around him go slack, sitting down properly in front on him and carefully grasping his left hand. Old, dirtied bandages were unravelled and sat to the side, replaced with fresh, clean tapes; much better at doing this now compared to the first time he tried, loose and just a general mess. After securing the last wrap, he gave the elder's hand a small, reassuring squeeze before looking up at him again, properly this time instead of the small glances he stole while he was at work. "Good as new, eh?"
The warmth seared, it made the ace feel even more exhausted and as such he had succumbed to his tiredness easily, surrendered to the now expert hands which picked apart the bindings. His eyes drifted to a far wall and then out the door. Dully taking in the barricaded door. His attention only wandered back when he was spoken to. Blinking at how neat his handiwork was.
He probably shouldn't have kissed him, it wasn't appropriate and they certainly hadn't done anything like that since before- Since they had been back in school and even then it had been nervous and fumbling, and a mess of spontanious emotions that had developed into something a little more consistant. Were they even together any more?
Takao's breath hitched at the unexpected kiss, eyes wider than usual as his chest tightened with the distantly familiar feel of lips pressed against his own; far more chapped than the last time he remembered though somehow still just as soft. He wasn't sure what they were anymore, wasn't even sure it mattered. All he knew that so long as he had a breath in his lungs, he'd not leave his side even if he asked him to.
He hoped it would linger for a little longer than it had.
He was overthinking, as he drew back with a heady sigh. At least it kept his thoughts from- That. "I... Is it okay if I sleep first again?" He hadn't indulged in selfish requests for a long time, until now. Receiving a small smile at the other's request before the hawk hopped to his feet, taking both of Midorima's hands to help pull him up as well.
"Yep, your turn anyway," Takao answered easily, having already decided he'd let him sleep this time around whether he wanted to or not. After heading up the creaky stairs and blocking off the path as they did every time, he leaned against the door frame of their makeshift room, staring down at the pile of sheets and blankets. "Will you be able to sleep?"
Midorima remained quiet for a moment, having almost said 'as long as you sleep with me' but such a thing was impractical. Even if no walker had broken in for a long time it was too risky, he regretted that factor a lot. They'd sacrificed security and happiness for a selfish whim- his selfish whim to stick to old promises. Allowing himself to be tugged up, exerting some effort himself too, he stood and followed him up the stairs after assisting him to ruin them, an effective but tiring way of assuring some extra safety. "I'll try." Taking off his glasses and placing them aside as he tugged the two bags closer, glancing in one before pushing it towards Takao. "I found this while we were out- food. It was pure luck, that's all." Enough food to tide them over a while. With that plus what was in the cupboards they probably wouldn't be anywhere near to hungry for a week. It was a good sign, things were in some small way picking up. The other bag had what he wanted and he extracted the toy that had been shoved in it with a bitter smile, gripping it tightly in one hand as he curled on the bed. His new 'lucky item' until he found something else.