The return trip over the Atlantic Ocean was longer than Toki ever remembered it being. He wished that he could sleep, could whittle away the dragging, tense seconds that passed between he and Dethklok's only other conscious member. Nathan, Pickles, and Murderface had been lucky to escape this. Toki knew that they wouldn't have felt what he did right now though anyway, for Skwisgaar's annoyance was obviously only for him. Things had been okay when they first boarded. Good, even. As hard as the three American members of the band tried to hide it, they were happy Skwisgaar was back on more than just a professional plateau. Even Toki himself had found a hard time in keeping a smile back as they all settled in for the overseas flight. The atmosphere between them was light.
And then Nathan gave Skwisgaar an update on what had happened while he was gone.
Toki had watched with growing unease as Skwisgaar's sneer became more and more pronounced, those blue eyes, narrowed and cold, finding him so frequently throughout Nathan's recounting. He sunk in his seat, trying to hide himself from the other guitarist by blending in with the furniture. Even now, hours later, he could still remember the sound of Skwisgaar's laughter when he was told that Toki had failed as Dethklok's lead guitarist, citing that it was probably much more responsibility than some little crybaby dildo could manage anyway.
Once the joke was made about Skwisgaar's superiority over Toki and the rest of the band had soon ingested enough alcohol to send them on their way into forced unconsciousness, it was he and the blond. Skwisgaar had skipped out on drinking for obvious reasons, as far as Toki could tell, needing to practice his guitar after so long of musical inactivity. Toki himself. . .he wasn't entirely sure why he wasn't drinking. Alcohol would give him a very good way to escape the obvious discomfort aboard the aircraft, but something more instinctive, more. . .deep down told him to remain alert. He didn't know why, but it definitely stayed his hand from reaching for a bottle of any kind. It wasn't a good feeling. It was what kept him awake, as well. It was what kept him from escaping this tension between he and Skwisgaar.
Silently, Toki regarded the blond guitarist. As far as he was aware, Skwisgaar thought he'd followed in the others' footsteps as they attempted to pass the time before they were back on ground—if one could call it that, given where Mordhaus was currently located—and wasn't aware that he had a spectator. Toki became as lost in watching as Skwisgaar was in playing. He forgot sometimes why he admired Skwisgaar, especially given how much of a dick the Swede usually was to him. He hadn't been so bad since the fire and Offdensen's brief disappearance, but it took more than a few months to make up for years of abuse, as far as Toki was concerned.
He watched the fingers flying over the fretboard. Every once in a while, his pale blue eyes would flicker up to Skwisgaar's face. He wondered what the Swede was thinking, what was fuelling his speed. It was a bit of a dumb thing to ponder, really. Obviously, it was Sweden. If something hadn't happened in Sweden—Skwisgaar had yet to mention what it was exactly that had changed his mind in returning to Dethklok—there was no way his fingers would be reaching this speed. Toki could remember how fast they'd gone when his mother embarrassed him on international television, and was finding this speed to be very familiar.
"So. T'oughts you woulds be Det'klok's lead guitsarist, dids you?"
The sudden address made Toki jump a little in his seat. He decided not to question how the other man knew he was awake. The further discomfort he felt in just knowing that Skwisgaar was aware he was being watched the whole time was bad enough without an actual explanation attached to it.
Toki spluttered first, hand flying to his hair as he scratched lightly at the back of his head. "I—I just. . .somesbodies had to takes your spot."
Skwisgaar laughed, the same mirthless guffawing that had overcome him when he was first told of Toki's temporary promotion. "Ams you crazy, Toki? Nobodies coulds take my spots. Nots you, nots nobodies."
Toki frowned at that. "That's stupid, Skwisgaar. What's you think, thats the whole band ams just goings to stop because you decides all of a suddens that living with your mom ams more importsant? That ams reallies stupid. Don'ts be so selfish alls de time."
With those words, Skwisgaar's fingers came to an abrupt stop. The Swede was still, immensely so, for a moment before picking up again. A prominent sneer graced his features and he was playing even quicker than before. Toki's brow furrowed further, the strange anxiety reemerging. He didn't care, really, if Skwisgaar was mad for calling him selfish. Skwisgaar had been selfish. He was just beginning to self-congratulate in sticking up for himself with Skwisgaar when the Swede spoke up again.
"Oh, so I's de selfish one?" Skwisgaar snarled at Toki. The Norwegian was sure that if so much space didn't divide them, he would have been swatted at or hit. "I's de selfish one? Who de fucks ams you to talks, Toki? Who fuckingks trieds to cheers you up whens you finds out yous dad ams dyingk, ah? Who dids dat? Dat was me! Who wents to Norsway wit' you to sees him whats once last times? We alls wents wit' you! Den what happens when I's havingks troubles findingk someones dat I nevers gots to knows alls my life and beingks sads about it and tryingks to keeps my eeimage whens all dese ladies say dats I's givens dem kids? Where was am you? I tells you were you was. You was am t'inkings about what dis meants for you. You was am t'inking abouts how you coulds bensfit froms my family shits! If dat ams nots selfsgish, dens I don'ts know what ams. Ams dat seriousklies alls dat you t'inks about, Toki? Guitstars?"
The longer Skwisgaar went on, the louder he got. Around them, Nathan, Murderface, and Pickles were beginning to rouse. Nathan grumbled, running a hand down his face, but Skwisgaar wasn't done yet.
"You didn'ts t'inks of nobodies but youself, Toki! You didn'ts t'ink abouts me, you didn'ts t'ink abouts Pickle, you didn'ts t'ink about Nat'an, and you didn'ts t'ink abouts Moiderface! You t'oughts about you. Yous and yous guitar. You didn'ts care dat I was havingks a t'ing. You careds dat I was outs of de way so dats you could plays in mine place. You didn'ts care abouts de band. You knows how I know? Bescause yous am a sloppies guitar players and you can'ts write music for Det'klok and if you careds at all abouts de band you woulds has helpsded me and nots let me go!"
There was a lurch as the Dethkopter touched down on the airborne Mordhaus. Now that Skwisgaar had said all that he wanted to, there was silence. Nathan blinked at Skwisgaar, still trying to understand what the subject of argument was, Pickles had one eyebrow cocked, and Murderface looked as interested in the fight as though it were a tennis match.
Skwisgaar was still sneering at Toki. Whether he was waiting for a response or not, the rhythm guitarist really didn't know. He was actually rather speechless. He'd been the subject of Skwisgaar's lash outs, but never that severely and never that personally. Words finally returned to his mind when Skwisgaar huffed, stood, threw his guitar over his back, and strode towards the nearest exit to leave.
"Don'ts even pretend that you woulds have done differently, Skwisgaar."
The Swede stopped in the doorway, growing still once again. Slowly, he turned back. "Whats did you say?"
Toki stood up as well, feeling better about the uneasiness he felt now that his bandmates were awake. "You wouldn'ts has done any differentlies. If its was me that was the lead guitarist and I was goings through shits you wouldn'ts of just waiteds until I was outs of the way, you woulds of pushed me."
Nathan cleared his throat uncomfortably as Skwisgaar strode back across the length of the room, standing up just in case things should get out of hand. It wouldn't be the first time he'd torn his guitarists apart.
Toki stood his ground as Skwisgaar approached and towered over him, his exterior showing nothing of the urge he felt to either flee or step down. He reminded himself that he was stronger than Skwisgaar and that if anything should happen between them physically, he'd have the upper hand.
Skwisgaar jabbed Toki in the chest, eyes narrowed. "You don'ts say a t'ing. You watch what you says. You don'ts know what I's capable of."
Having said that and satisfied with himself, Skwisgaar took a step back. He sneered at Toki again before glancing at the frontman, who loomed nearer. He pushed past Nathan, bumping his shoulder as he departed the Dethkopter.
The rest of the band watched him leave. Toki blinked a few times, running those words over again in his mind. What Skwisgaar was capable of?
He looked to Nathan. Normally, the frontman would be more confused than anything, but that didn't seem to be the case. Nathan's brow was furrowed and his head bowed, a lock of hair in his face.
Toki honestly couldn't figure out if that bothered him more than Skwisgaar's threat.