Polo and Dreameh's fanfic RP... ;D Jimmy/Kougu [Probably mature]

Kougu paused a moment beside the car, and glanced back to find Jimmy following him. His friend mumbled something about having to look after him, but Kougu only smiled meekly. He would be fine on his own; he always was. But he appreciated the gesture, in any case. 
“Fine." Jimmy huffed, following reluctantly behind him as he began making his way down the road, "But if our car gets stolen it's your stupid fault.”
"Not technically," He pointed out placidly, then stopped himself before he could go off on a tangent. "We won't be long." He said instead, "It's probably just an accident or something, but I have to make sure..." Despite what he said, it was obvious that Kougu was expecting far worse than some common accident. The frown on his face said it all. He hesitated at the thought, wondering what they would find, and as his feet ceased moving, Jimmy's voice suddenly piped up to urge him on.
“Come on then, mophead.” He demanded, nodding toward the  queue, “Lead the way.”
"Right." Kougu nodded, striding determinedly forward again, "Stick with me, then."

They trudged on a while longer, until at last they reached the front of the queue, where the distant din of shouting was close and sharp. Authoritative figures barked out orders, and in the background came a plaintive cacophony of screams and wails from the group of people fleeing before guns and batons of the guards. A car alarm beeped shrilly from a Taxi with a smashed window, and somewhere further down the road, a black minivan was up in flames beside the smouldering wreckage of an old blue family car. Smoke rose in plumes to the sky, but Kougu barely even saw that. It was impossible, with the terrible sight right before his eyes.
The guards marched steadily forward in a firm ring, clad in stiff uniform and every one of them armed, and the people before them flocked like a school of frightened fish in a net. They huddled together, wide-eyed and terrified, and marched on until one of them broke ranks, and the entire group panicked all over again. There was blood on the road, and bodies littered the streets. As Kougu watched, he saw a guard's heavy-toed boot fall upon the wrist of a fallen person. When the bone snapped and the figure did not move, it just confirmed what Kougu already knew. These guards were here to kill.

"Get a move on!" One of them barked, shoving his gun roughly into the back of a slow-moving old woman with a little girl attached to her hand. She stumbled, then scrambled back to her feet, and whispered timidly, "Please, sir. My granddaughter is only six, and I'm not well. We just can't move any faster."
"Anybody who questions authority will be shot on the spot," He snapped heartlessly, "Now MOVE!"
He shoved the woman again, and this time, she fell to her knees, crying out in pain. The little girl stooped down beside her, taking her grandmother's hand to help her up, but before the pair could move, the guard behind them raised his gun.
Suddenly, Kougu couldn't sit back and watch a second longer. Without a thought for the consequences, he strode boldly forward, and grabbed the gun. Just as he knocked the barrel upwards, a bullet shot into the air with a thunderous bang. Kougu didn't flinch.
"Stop this!" He said angrily, standing between the guard and the lady, "You have no right to treat these people like this-"
"Actually," The guard cut him off with a cruel sneer, producing a letter signed by the president, "I have every right. These felons are to be put to death by fifteen hundred hours."
"On what grounds?" Kougu demanded incredulously, "What could a six year old possibly have done to deserve to die?"
"This is government business, boy. Don't go sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong! Your name may not be on my list, but stand in my way a moment longer, and it will be."
"You can't just kill innocent people!" Kougu argued defiantly, raising his voice, and standing his ground firmer than ever, "These people have done nothing!"
"They have embezzled government fund-"
"Bullshit!"
The guard huffed, clearly taken aback, and fell silent a moment, glaring at Kougu. Then, in a dangerously soft voice, he murmured slowly, "If you don't step aside right now, you are declaring yourself an enemy of the government, just like your little friends here. Now move, boy!" He shoved roughly past Kougu, aiming a heavy punch at his stomach for good measure. Too weak and slow to dodge it, Kougu grunted as he felt the blow, and toppled instantly to his knees. The guard's fist had slammed clean into his newly stitched wound, and the resulting pain was unbearable. It pounded in his ears, and he found himself deaf as he watched the guard aim a gun at the old lady, who had just found her feet with the help of her granddaughter. He tried to say something, but blood spouted from his lips, and as he spat it out and his vision began to fade, he saw the shot fired. In a splash of blood, the old lady fell, and the last thing Kougu heard before he blacked out was the brokenhearted shriek of the little girl, before the gun was turned on her, too.

The queue of traffic seemed at least a mile long, and it took them longer than usual to get there with Kougu's deteriorating state. Jimmy wasn't even sure why Kougu had wanted to come. Could he not see how frail he was?
But Jimmy knew Kougu could sense there was something wrong. It loomed in the air like a horrifying stench, and the tension was more than evident. After a few minutes of walking, even gunshots could be heard in the distance. Jimmy's heart fluttered with nerves. What exactly were they walking into?
Nothing could have prepared him for the sight his eyes befell upon.

The street was a mess; littered with bodies, rubble and smashed up cars. Jimmy couldn't breathe, not only because of the shock but because of the fumes that burned his lungs. A hideous mix of car fuel and blood filled the air and yet, nothing was being done about it. What had caused this?
But when Jimmy raised his eyes he saw them, the army of armed cops circling around a group of people, their faces menacing, their guns raised. They rounded the citizens up like pigs to the slaughter, and the people looked terrified. He heard a few crying and pleading, but the cops didn't respond.
So, in a moment of panic, some tried to flee. Jimmy saw, then, what sort of people they were. They were normal people, probably innocent, and they were being shot to th ground like rabid dogs. What the Hell was going on?
Kougu noticed an elderly woman and her granddaughter being ushered towards the circle of cops, but when the elderly woman asked the cop something in a terrified voice he just spat back in her face. Jimmy's eyes widened in horror as she fell to the floor. A gun nib was pointed right at her.
Kougu was the first to act, before Jimmy could stop him. What was he doing?! He overestimated himself, again, and Jimmy knew exactly how this was going to end.
“Kougu!” He growled, but his friend had already stormed ahead. Of course, he wasn't going to listen. When did he ever?
Yet still. Kougu tried. He tried to reason – or argue – with the cops. He tried to make them see sense. But he was going to get hurt at some point, and before Jimmy could stop them, Kougu was punched brutally in the stomach. Jimmy winced at the sound. The poor guy had only had his wound stitched up the other day...
The cops had obviously lost their patience by this point, and without a second warning, shot the elderly woman in the head. The little girl's wail was heart-wrenching, and Jimmy knew then that he couldn't stand there and do nothing. But he'd have to try a different tactic.
Before the gun could be pointed in the girl's direction Jimmy leapt in front of it, watching it raise to his stomach where the little girl's head was level behind him.
Jimmy's eyes met the cop's with the most reasonable, bravest look he could muster, but it took all he had not to look at the tip of that gun.
“Please forgive my friend.” Jimmy murmured, jerking his head in Kougu's direction. “He didn't know what he was doing.”
He swallowed nervously
“How much would it cost to pay off this girl's bail?”
Sorry, Kougu. We'll have to use your money. But what you did was just. We can't let her be shot for nothing.
“Name your price. I promise I'll meet it.”
Yeah, and when all this is over I'll make sure you take her place for what you've done tonight, you evil bastard.

"Price?" The guard asked, his lip curled into a distateful sneer. He snorted, and a sickening laugh rolled from his thick lower lip as he spat on the ground, shouldering his gun. "You clearly don't know how we do things here, kid. Why don't you run on back to whatever shithole country you've called from, and let us do our job, huh?" He cast a knowing look at his colleague beside him and rolled his eyes, mouthing sarcastically 'tourists'. The red-faced guard beside him gave an appreciative grunt of laughter, and when he turned back to Jimmy, it was with a deeply self-satisfied smirk on his face.
"Look here," He said, pushing Jimmy out of his way, "These people are death row prisoners. There ain't no bail for that. Now get lost, and quit meddling in our f*cking business, a'ight?"
The guard shoved past with a huff, then tsked his tongue irritably when he realized that the little girl had vanished, crying, into the crowd. After muttering something to his companion, he went shoving through the throngs of people in search of the girl. Behind him, the guards slowly closed in around the group, blocking them from sight, and so the procession moved on, out of the public eye and on to the prison facility where the 'convicts' were to be put to death.

Kougu regained consciousness just as they began to move off, but with the agonizing pain in his side, his recklessness was curbed, and he clambered to his feet with sense once again guiding each footfall. Without a word, he touched Jimmy's shoulder, then turned away, walking back toward the car. They left screams and gunshots in their wake, but if Kougu heard them, then he showed no indication. His expression was unreadable.

Jimmy felt himself tense at the patronising tone of the Copper he'd been talking to. Clearly they hadn't been taking him seriously, and this worried him. He had expected them to at least compromise for a single child for a tip. A few million dollars would have probably done it. But they were having none of it.
“You clearly don't know how we do things here, kid. Why don't you run on back to whatever shithole country you've called from, and let us do our job, huh?”
Jimmy frowned. 'Kid'? 'Shithole country'? What the Hell had happened to cops? He knew they were arrogant sometimes but someone who had just pointed a gun at a child...
He watched the two exchange some sort of private joke, and clenched a fist by his side. He could almost feel the consciousness of Kougu slipping away by his feet and these guys were laughing...
The first cop pushed passed him, and Jimmy was forced to step aside. It was either that or cause a fight bad enough to get him and Kougu killed.
“These people are death row prisoners. There ain't no bail for that. Now get lost, and quit meddling in our f*cking business, a'ight?”
“But she's-” Jimmy began as he wheeled round, and noticed the girl gone. He hoped for a brief second that she'd got away, but soon heard her cries back towards the crowd. Damn... She's herded herself into the slaughter already. Jimmy's heart sank.
He followed the cops towards the group, begging them not to hurt her, to let her into his care, to accept bail... But they ignored him. Eventually another cop stopped him in his tracks and pushed him so hard he fell back onto the ground, staring up in horror at the group as they were shoved towards the van.
“This is madness!” Jimmy screamed, scrambling away. “What the hell happened to morality?” Just then, a steel-toed boot came swinging his way. Unlike Kougu Jimmy wasn't that injured, so he rolled away quickly to avoid it and scrambled to his feet. The van had sped away before he had the chance to chase it.
The sound of gunshots echoed through the night.

It took a long while for Jimmy to move, as he was so frozen with fear at the things he'd seen that he daren't move. In fact, when he felt a touch on his shoulder he actually jumped in fright.
He turned to see Kougu, stood – goodness knows how – with an unreadable look on his face. Without a word, Jimmy wrapped Kougu's arm around his shoulder and helped him back to the car. They wouldn't talk about what had happened yet, and he doubted either of them knew how to. And so the walk back to the car was that of silence, eexcept the odd concerned comment aobut Kougu's well-being.
They both got back in the car, and as if there had been nothing causing it, the traffic began to move again. Someone guided the cars around the scene of bodies, giving no reason as to why they were there, but no one stopped to question it.
Jimmy drove silently until they found their way back to the house again, an when he parked it in the gravelly driveway, he did nothing but lean on the steering wheel.
“I thought you were being dramatic when we first got here.” he murmured, his voice quiet with despair. “I didn't think society would change so quickly. I didn't think that-” His voice cracked, and he quickly swallowed it back. He didn't feel like crying, he just wanted to vomit.
“I didn't think it would go this far.”

After he'd taken a few steps, Kougu felt a touch on his arm. Without so much as raising his head, he allowed Jimmy to support his weight, and trudged on beside his friend, grim and silent. It was all he could do to block out the gradually diminishing sounds of the screams behind them.

When they reached the car, he shrugged himself free of Jimmy's shoulders with a mumbled word of thanks, and climbed inside. He didn't have the stomach to speak, and since Jimmy didn't either, the silence grew thicker as they drew away from the scene. With each passing minute, Kougu felt his throat grow tighter. Even with the roar of the engine drowning out all noise, he heard the screams clear as day, trapped in his ears, reverberating back and forth across his troubled mind.
With a face like a statue, he turned to the window, watching the scenery flash by, and willing himself to keep it together. His head was pounding, and his heart throbbed at an unsettling pace in his chest, bringing a warm, seeping feeling to the wound on his side. No doubt that punch had started the bleeding again. It was a welcome distraction.

Shivering at the thought, Kougu rubbed his shoulders, bowing his head so his face was hidden by a curtain of raven-black hair. He felt the car begin to slow, then rock gently to a stop as they reached their destination, but he made no move to leave his seat. Since Jimmy didn't either, Kougu assumed his friend was feeling the same paralysing helplessness that he was... It was a despair like no other, and the weight of it was just about crushing him.
There was nothing I could do... I just let them die, right before my eyes...
The reality of it was harsh in its naked truth, and it left Kougu's mouth feeling dry. When he swallowed, his throat was like sandpaper.
“I thought you were being dramatic when we first got here.” Jimmy's voice muttered beside him, more quiet than Kougu had ever heard it. 
“I didn't think society would change so quickly. I didn't think that-” He heard the crack in his friend's voice, and in an instant, his own throat tightened. A strange heat was rising up in him, flushing his cheeks and the back of his ears, and yet his skin felt cold as ice. Presently, he began to shiver.
“I didn't think it would go this far.” Jimmy managed, but Kougu could not reply. As the shaking grew more intense, he wrapped his arms around himself, fingernails digging sharply into flesh, and swallowed quickly, trying desperately to hold himself together.
But the voices grew louder; shouting, screaming, bellowing in his head, until finally, Kougu could take it no longer.
He uttered a quiet sound of despair, raising his hands to clutch at his aching head. Then he crumbled.
Tense shoulders dropped like sacks of sugar, and his head tipped forward limply on his neck, letting his face fall into his hands, where his own fingers pressed cruelly into his cheeks.
"It's my fault." He whispered, his voice so soft that he barely knew if he'd spoken aloud. He felt his gut twisting hotly with guilt like a colicking python, and he groaned, clawing at his pale face, and beginning to rock where he sat. "This is my fault!" He repeated, voice rising now with the intensity of his despair, "If I'd only acted sooner, this never would have happened. If I'd killed him when I had the chance, those people wouldn't have had to die-" He broke off suddenly, muscles tensing for a moment, then he uttered a shout of frustration, and slammed his fists into the dashboard, leaving his whole body shaking with shock at the sudden lack of self control. "If I wasn't so damn weak, then-" He stopped suddenly, tensing as the pain in his head suddenly skyrocketed. It was becoming overwhelming, throbbing red and black before his eyes, and he heard the din of the voices growing stronger. He was sick, hot and dizzy all at once, and then suddenly, he was afraid.
I'm losing myself. I have to get a grip!
Taking a shuddering breath, he reached clumsily into his pocket, fingers snagging on a thread in their haste. He rummaged around until he found his tub of painkillers, but when he raised it and gave it a shake, no sound came from within. His eyes widened in panic.
Like a crazed beast, he clawed off the lid, then dropped it like something boiling when he saw there was nothing but air inside. The pain pulsed again, stronger this time, and Kougu damn near fainted from the force of it.
It's too late! He realized with a flash of panic, making a grab for the door, even as the suffocating pain grew denser. "Jimmy, get away from me." He gasped, throwing himself out of the car and staggering back, clutching his head, "Go!" He groaned with the pain, clawing at his temples, "Oh God, let me die..."

It wasn't until Jimmy had stopped talking did he notice how Kougu was sitting, with his head bowed in his hands, fingernails clawing with fury into his pale cheeks. It was a sight of pure despair, and by Kougu's reaction, Jimmy could tell this wasn't the first time Kougu had witnessed something this horrifying.
“It's my fault.” He whispered to himself, almost so quiet Jimmy had to strain his ears to hear. Then, with his voice rising, he bellowed. “This is my fault!”
Jimmy shook his head. He couldn't let his friend believe that. “Kougu-”
“If I'd only acted sooner, this never would have happened. If I'd killed him when I had the chance, those people wouldn't have had to die-”
“You could barely stand!” Jimmy insisted. “I was surprised you even made it to the front of the line. Kougu, you did everything in your power. If you'd shot the cop a war would have erupted and-”
“If I wasn't so damn weak, then-”
Kougu cut off suddenly, his entire body frozen. Jimmy couldn't tell what was wrong with him, but he had a bad feeling he knew where it was going to go. Get a grip, Kougu he pleaded silently, but could only watch as his friend crumbled beside him, shouting and gripping his head as if it was going to explode. Then, in a panic, Kougu scrambled around for his pill box, only to find that empty. This broke him.
Wincing at the sight, Jimmy raised a hand to comfort his friend, but there was nothing he could do. Despair was hard to deal with, and someone who struggled with his emotions anyway wouldn't take it very well.
Without a word, Jimmy got out of the car to follow him to the house, but Kougu didn't make it that far. Jimmy stopped as he backed away from the car, begging and pleading Jimmy in fright to get he Hell away from him. Jimmy knew then that he was very close to going crazy again. But this time, he would not grab his friend's face and shout at him. What would be the point? Nothing could erase or calm them down after they'd seen horrors like that. So instead, he did exactly what Kougu needed.
He stepped forward, very calmly, and raised his hands to Kougu's face. He stared into the man's wide, terrified eyes for a moment, then wrapped his hands to the back of Kougu's head, and pulled it to his chest. The very motion caught Kougu off-guard and he lost his balance in his weak state, and Jimmy followed him to the ground as he dropped to his knees. But Kougu's head remained slumped on his chest, and Jimmy refused to let it go.
“Why can't you just cry uncontrollably like normal people?” He whispered with a sad smile, keeping Kougu's head firmly in his grip. He felt the despair, too. It pulled at his heart like an anchor, threatening to take him over like a plague. But he held it back for Kougu's sake.
“Mate... Calm down.” He murmured softly. “You're badly wounded, just... Stop for a moment. Let it go. This won't bring 'em back.”

"No-" Kougu gasped as Jimmy moved toward him, but then a pair of hands caught his face, and he froze, his wide eyes searching Jimmy's as his heart fluttered like a caged bird in his chest. "Jimmy, don't-..." He broke off, uttering a murmur of surprise as he felt his head pulled forward, a strong hand folding about his hair to push his face firmly into the warm, soft material of Jimmy's shirt. The suddenness of the motion pulled him forward, and in his dizziness he stumbled, falling with Jimmy to his knees, where he braced a hand against his friend's chest, straining weakly back. "Don't-" He choked, "G-get away-"
“Why can't you just cry uncontrollably like normal people?” A soft voice questioned as the hand around his head pulled tighter too. The pain raged on, stronger and stronger, and Kougu felt himself start to shake again as he struggled desperately to resist it. He could hear somebody groaning, an agonizing, heart-wrenching sound, but he did not recognize the voice as his own. As his despair grew, the sound grew louder, and pain overwhelmed him like a tidal wave, drowning him, suffocating him. He felt it dump him down, toss him back and forth, but he clung to his last thread of consciousness like a hooked fish, desperate not to lose himself, desperate to hold on...
“Mate... Calm down.” A soft voice urged, warm and clear through his panic, “You're badly wounded, just... Stop for a moment. Let it go. This won't bring 'em back.”

Another bolt of pain stabbed him, and like a line snapping, Kougu felt his consciousness whisked away. By the time he caught it, he already had Jimmy pinned to the ground, a hand at his throat, and a feral sneer on his lips. He felt Jimmy's windpipe collapsing under his hand, and with a burst of terror, he pulled his hand away. It took everything he had to loosen his grip, and even then, he felt that his will was weakening. He couldn't fight it any longer. "Jimmy," He choked, every inch of him trembling with the effort of holding himself back, "Go, before I-" He coughed, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. He closed his eyes, squeezing them tightly, and on his brow, too, the blood was beading, tainting his sweat with the mark of sheer strain. He couldn't hold it back any longer.

Despite Kougu's pleas Jimmy kept a hold of his head, determined to make him calm down. Perhaps once he felt comfort, he'd realise he'd been saughting it all along. But Kougu wasn't playing, and before he knew it, Jimmy had been thrown on his back by his throat. The back of his head hit the gravel with a hideous thump, and for a brief moment, Jimmy saw stars.
Then, he realised he couldn't breath.
His mouth formed words that never vocalised, but before he could panic Kougu pulled away, as horrified as Jimmy. How could he move so swiftly with the wounds he had? It made no sense... And although Jimmy wouldn't admit it, the fact he'd not even had a chance to block it scared him.
He took a moment to cough and rub his neck, grateful for the oxygen. Then, he tried again. But he wouldn't be so soft, this time.
He ignored Kougu's pleas, even the blood trickling from his lips, and instead focused on the main problem.
“Kougu, look at me.” He told the man firmly, lifting Kougu's chin with a single, curled finger. “Look at me! Getting in a state won't bring those people back. Niether will hurting me.”
Jimmy's eyes glanced down to Kougu's stomach. The blood from his stomach wound had seeped through the stitches, easily, which meant they'd probably ripped off when he was punched. He'd pass out any minute. “You want to get your father back, don't you? You want to stop this madness? Then get your sh*t together, you idiot!” Jimmy reached up and grabbed Kougu's fringe, forcing their eyes to meet. Kougu couldn't look away and avoid him anymore.
“Do I have to knock you out? Be honest. 'Cause I ain't running away from you, mate. It's not my style.”

“Kougu, look at me.” He groaned, shaking his head like a wounded animal, and clutching his temples so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He barely heard Jimmy at all, until a single finger touched his chin. He jumped in fright, and with a suddenly feather-light head, he slowly raised his gaze to meet Jimmy's, his eyes glazed and shaking, “Look at me!" Jimmy repeated, more firmly this time, "Getting in a state won't bring those people back. Neither will hurting me."
"I-I didn't-" He stammered hoarsely, coughing at the roughness in his throat. The pain was drowning out his senses, deafening him with the pounding in his ears, and blinding him with the red veil before his eyes. It was all-consuming, and he knew that if it weren't for Jimmy's voice, he already would have lost himself entirely.
“You want to get your father back, don't you?" Jimmy demanded, voice rising fiercely, "You want to stop this madness? Then get your sh*t together, you idiot!”
A rough hand grabbed his fringe, and yanked his head up, bringing Jimmy's face into his line of light. He tried to meet his friend's gaze, but the image blurred before his unfocused eyes, and he felt himself grow weaker.
I can't, Jimmy... He thought silently, clenching his fists tightly at his sides, I just can't!
The darkness was closing in.
“Do I have to knock you out?" Jimmy's fading voice asked, giving Kougu one final strand of hope, "Be honest. 'Cause I ain't running away from you, mate. It's not my style.”
"Do it!" He gasped, grabbing desperately at his friend's collar, "Quick, I can't-"
But before he could finish his sentence, the panic died on his face, and he slumped back, fingers sliding from Jimmy's collar. For a moment, his face was a blank canvas. Then he looked up, and his expression painted it black. His fingers curled slowly at his side, and his eyes hardened dangerously. The ferocity in them at that moment was so utterly intense, so full of pure, murderous intent, that even in a world of near-monsters, he seemed completely inhuman.
Knock me out, big shot? I'd like to see you try.

Despite Jimmy's lightheartedness Kougu was quick to stress on how desperate he was. He begged Jimmy to knock him out until he could no longer get a grip on his sanity and, with a look of horror, Jimmy watched his muscles slacken for a moment like a zombie. It was almost as if he'd died standing.
Nervous to find out what was going on, Jimmy took a cautious step back. He didn't quite understand it, but he had a horrible feeling about what was happening to his friend.
“Kougu...” He murmured, eyebrows slowly coming together. He didn't like this.
Then, with long hair falling over his dark eyes, Kougu raised his head. Gone was the terrified look on his face, or his darting eyes. Gone was the pained look on his face. Now he looked nothing less than insane, and probably more homicidal than before.
Jimmy narrowed his eyes at him. Kougu was looking at him very much like he wanted to rip his throat out with his own teeth.
“So...” Jimmy said slowly, forcing his breathing to calm. “It's gunna be like that, then?”
He didn't hesitate. Without so much as a hiss of breath, Jimmy lashed out towards Kougu's face. But before he could even make contact, Kougu had grabbed his wrist, holding it in a vice grip. Jimmy stared at his arm with terror, feeling the bones grind horribly together. He winced, trying to hold back a cry of pain as he knew that would provoke Kougu further.
“Kougu...” He tried calmly, watching the blood flow decrease in his hand. It tingled with pins and needles. “Let go.”
His eyes flicked up to glare at Kougu's but they were hidden by an eerie shadowed that covered the majority of his face.
“I said, let go!”
Hiding the panic brewing beneath his skin, Jimmy tried to snatch at his wrist, but the grip was so tight now that his hand was struggling to remain clenched. Any tighter and he was sure his wrist would snap like a twig.
He could feel a pair of intense eyes glaring at him so hard they could have burnt a hole in his skull, but Jimmy refused to crumble. He'd seen Kougu go insane before. He'd snapped out of it eventually, even if he had to go into a coma or be slapped in the face in order to do that.
He struggled to get his hand back again, but this only pulled Kougu closer. The struggle was only provoking him, and if Jimmy didn't do something soon he'd definitely be killed.
Feeling himself being pushed backwards, Jimmy stumbled under his feet and fell onto his backide. He landed clumsily, almost in the same position as before, with Kougu's hand wrapping around his throat. Jimmy's other arm was pinned, crushed, beneath Kougu's knee, the other trapped in a vice grip. Jimmy was stuck to the ground, and it seemed his only way out was death.
But there wasn't a chance in Hell he was choosing that.

He closed his eyes, trying desperately not to panic as his air way was cut off, and waited for Kougu to let go of his arm. It took seconds of feigning unconsciousness for it to happen, but the second he got the opportunity, Jimmy took it.
He snatched his wrist back to his body and reached up shakily to grab Kougu's hair. All through this Kougu might have been talking, he could have said any pile of crap whilst Jimmy's blood was pumping loudly through his ears, but Jimmy didn't hear him.
Kougu need something... A shock of some sort, and it seemed Jimmy wouldn't be capable of kicking his arse when he was the one being strangled. So he did the next thing that came to mind.
He yanked Kougu's head to his and kissed him. Hard. Mercilessly. He didn't care if Kougu was usually shy, or whether he held moral values for kissing someone else besides Charlie. If Jimmy didn't take this risk, he would be dead in seconds.

((That may be an awkward time to snap out of a trance, don'tcha think? XD))

Through a haze of pulsing adrenaline, Kougu heard Jimmy say his name, and his head jerked up, eyes narrowing in a predatory fashion as they fixed savagely on the gray gaze of the man before him. 
“So...” His quarry breathed softly, “It's gunna be like that, then?”
Without missing a beat, Jimmy launched at Kougu, and the result was almost amusing. His lips twisted into a cruel smirk, for with reflexes honed to an inhuman degree, it was as if Jimmy was moving in slow motion by comparison. Effortlessly, he knocked the attacking hand upwards, and grabbed Jimmy tightly by the wrist.
"Nice try." He sneered, lifting his hand, and lording his ten extra centimeters of height over Jimmy like a typical grade school bully. He tightened his grip, and grinned when he saw Jimmy's handsome features twitch from the pain. The reaction drew up a rush of excitement within him, and like a shark scenting blood, it egged him on. It was as if he was playing with his food...
“Kougu...” A calm voice said firmly, “Let go.”
He did not oblige.
“I said let go!"
With this, Jimmy started to struggle, and Kougu's eyes flashed dangerously as his grip tightened further still. He yanked Jimmy closer to him, but as he was about to make a snatch for the man's throat, he suddenly fell down where he stood. Taken by surprise, Kougu felt himself pulled along with him, but he caught himself on one knee, and made another snatch for the quivering, pulsing throat before him. The excitement was building, rushing through his veins with each beat of his heart, and he was done playing. He wanted to feel the delicate bones grinding beneath his fingers, feel the struggle of suffocation as he pressed the sweet air from this man's lungs. He wanted to feel him thrash and struggle, until at last, he stopped.
Driven mad by the hunger, he flashed a grin of pure lunacy as he launched himself at Jimmy's throat, pressing down with sharp, bony fingers. He laughed silently, hands quivering with vicious energy as he felt the thrashing thing beneath him start struggling for air. He felt Jimmy's pulse rushing on as the panic grew stronger, and he became blind to everything except the sheer ecstasy of killing. He ignored the limp hand grasping at his hair right until the last moment, when suddenly, Jimmy's lips slammed into his.
Stunned, he froze, dropping his victim's still-pulsing throat as a pair of hot, chapped lips trapped his own in a kiss so fierce, it had him paralysed. 
Through his shock, his focus was lost, and he felt his heart start to race with a feeling that was not his own. As his consciousness began to fade, he let his eyes close, slackening his shoulders as he succumbed to the kiss.
Well played, James. Well played.

Slowly, slowly, Kougu's mind began to shift, and as the murderous intent left him, his eyes flickered open to find a startling sight: Jimmy. Far too much of him, really, and far too close. Heart skipping a beat, Kougu felt his stomach lurch as - after a moment's stunned delay - he realized what was happening. Jimmy was kissing him, kissing him desperately. Suddenly, all he was aware of was the feeling of his friend's lips against his, and the strange tongue that had forced its way through his teeth. A flush of heat darted up from his toes, colouring his face instantly, and he felt his stomach leap so high that it ended up somewhere at the base of his throat, nearly choking him in his surprise. Jimmy's fingers were clasping his hair, and from the tingling in his scalp, goosebumps raced down the back of his neck, making him shiver dramatically. He felt so lightheaded he feared he might faint, and yet he couldn't find it in him to pull away.
What is this?
Through his state of petrified panic, Kougu couldn't help but feel the onset of something akin to affection. With the warmth spreading through him, it grew, wonderful and terrible all at once, and he was terrified. Never before had he felt something quite so powerful, so utterly confusing, that he had no clue of how to react. It took several long, heartstopping seconds until, finally, panic took over. 

With a startled grunt, he pushed Jimmy quickly away and pulled back, instantly starting to tremble. If asked what it was that scared him, Kougu wouldn't have been able to say, but the galloping speed of his heart screamed clear as day that he was terrified, and it was this terror that glistened in his wide eyes as he stared at Jimmy, pupils dilated in deep rings of blue. Short of breath, he just knelt there, sitting back on his heels, and panted mutely as he stared at Jimmy.
As he began to catch his breath, and the shock wore off, he swallowed awkwardly, rubbing his arms as he looked away.
"I..." He attempted weakly, "I, um... I'm sorry..." His tongue moved uncertainly over his dry lips, and another punch of shock struck him when he realized that Jimmy's taste still lingered there. Once again, his heart began to race.
What... Is this?

The kiss, despite the supposed passion and ferocity that went into it, didn't last very long due to the attack Jimmy had received to his throat, thus causing him to burst into a sudden coughing fit. But the little time he managed to keep it together and make damned sure Kougu wasn't ignoring his efforts finally paid off, and when he felt Kougu finally relax he moved to pull away. Except, he was surprised to find, his friend was kissing him back. He wasn't immediately disgusted by what had previously mean as an attack move, if a slightly bizarre one, and although Kougu was now apparently in a sane mood, this shocked Jimmy. However, despite not being able to breathe and slowly feeling his throat swell inside, he wasn't exactly hating it, either.
But thankfully, as he'd expected it, this didn't last for long. Just before Jimmy thought he was going to go blue in the face Kougu pushed him away, and Jimmy was left on the floor to cough and splutter and rub his sore throat with an awkward look on his face.
He could feel Kougu's eyes staring with horror at him, but Jimmy chose to ignore them and focus on pretending that everything that had happened since they'd got back hadn't happened.
He was surprised, really, that he'd found it in him to kiss Kougu so easily. Or that it had even occurred to him. A year ago, he wouldn't have thought past hitting Kougu in the face, and anything that happened after that he'd presume it went to his favour. Was he learning, or had the urge to kiss Kougu come from somewhere else?
Once he'd finally got his breath back, he brought a hand to his sore neck and rubbed it gently, finally stealing a glance in Kougu's direction. He nearly smiled. The poor guy looked terrified, and Jimmy was the one who'd just had his life flash before his eyes.
“Oh... 'Ello. You're... Back then.” He croaked, smirking at his friend.
It seemed that Kougu had to let his state of shock pass before he could talk, but for Jimmy, no shock came to him. It seemed the kiss had taken that away, however the Hell that worked.
Eventually, Kougu spoke. “I... I, um... I'm sorry...” He mumbled awkwardly.
But Jimmy just smirked. “I'm not. I'm... Just glad that worked.” He coughed again, realising his throat was slightly hoarse. “That would have been a terrible 'final act of my life'.”
He made a soft noise that might have sounded like a laugh, then stiffly pulled himself up onto his knees. Oh... No, maybe he was in shock. He could barely stand, yet. Rolling his eyes he sat back on his hand and rubbed his head awkwardly.
“You look terrible.” He admitted cheekily, leaning forward to curl his legs beneath him. With a hiss of effort, he used the side of the car to drag himself to his feet. He swayed for a moment, then sat quietly on his bonnet, bringing a hand to his aching head. “Come on. Let's get you sorted out.” He gestured to the door, then managed to stagger a step forward in Kougu's direction. He wouldn't mention the kiss for now, since it seemed they both had to get their heads around it first, and there was no point troubling the guy further.
Jimmy lowered a hand to offer Kougu, shooting him a kind, slightly teasing look like the present events hadn't bothered him at all. That wasn't necessarily true, but after everything they'd seen that night there wasn't any point adding to their troubles.

At first, Kougu could not meet Jimmy's eyes. His own were downcast, hidden by a sweat-dampened fringe as he bowed his head, silently looking over the ground before him. He could see ridges in the gravel from where the scuffle had broken out, and a distinct dip where Jimmy had fallen; yet another near-victim to his insanity. His jaw clenched tightly at the thought, and he felt his hands curl into fists at his sides.
I'm sorry, Jimmy. He repeated silently to himself, shutting his eyes and bowing his head further still, I'm so sorry...
Then, as if he could hear him, Jimmy cleared his bruised throat, and answered hoarsely, “I'm not. I'm... Just glad that worked.” He heard Jimmy cough - a weak, painful sound - only to continue in his light, teasing voice, “That would have been a terrible 'final act of my life'.
Jimmy might have laughed then, but Kougu didn't want to believe it. He didn't understand how his friend could stand there, still staggering from the shock of the attack, and sound so damn cavalier.
Perhaps it was the disbelief that did it, but at last, Kougu found the strength to raise his head. When he did, he felt nothing but regret.
His dark eyes met Jimmy's at last, and for a moment, his heart stopped beating. He wasn't sure what he had expected to see. Anger, loathing, betrayal? Worst of all, fear? But the sight before him differed so vastly from his expectations, that it hit him harder than a punch in the gut. Jimmy's eyes were shining with kindness, and his handsome features remained soft as he looked down at Kougu, faintly silhouetted by the moon. For several desperate seconds, Kougu searched urgently for the fury and hatred, longing to find it hidden somewhere in his friend's face, and yet he found nothing but kindness, and the thought of it sickened him. He didn't understand. He just didn't understand... And then, as if sensing his distress, Jimmy stepped forward to make it infinitely worse.
“You look terrible.” He teased, and Kougu's disbelieving eyes followed the movement of his arm to find a hand outstretched toward him, “Come on. Let's get you sorted out.”

That was it. Thick as bubbling goo, emotion welled up in him, and he felt it lodge lumpily in his throat, bringing a stinging sensation to the back of his eyes. It occurred to him that, were he anybody else in the world, he would surely have shed a tear at that moment. Instead, he turned his head away, raising a fist absentmindedly to bite into his knuckles. "How can you look at me like that?" He mumbled softly, dropping his arm limply back to his side as he frowned at the dirt, despaired and broken. His frail shoulders were hunched forward, and his spine might as well have been spaghetti for all the straightness it showed. He looked ready to dissolve there and then, melting away into the ground.
"How can you show me such kindness? And not hate me, even knowing what I am...?" Slowly, he raised his head, looking up through his fringe with wide, haunted eyes to search Jimmy's face for answers. His own hatred at that point was so fierce that it sickened him, and yet Jimmy - his would-be victim - stood there with something akin to a smile, and held out his hand as though Kougu was actually worth something more than the dirt on the sidewalk. He struggled to believe it, and he couldn't understand, but one thing he knew for certain was that he would never forget the way Jimmy looked at that moment, with his brave face smiling, and his open palm waiting patiently to help Kougu to his feet, even when he least deserved it. His heart contracted at the thought, and he turned away as he struggled to his feet, avoiding Jimmy's hand like the plague.
As he found his feet, he swallowed, brushing some dirt from his shoulder, and straightening his bloodstained shirt. When he was ready, he inhaled shakily, and cast a brief glance beside him, to find Jimmy still standing weakly, looking dizzy and shaken from the shock. At the tug on his heartstrings, he reached out automatically to support his friend, but as he was about to put an arm around his shoulders, something seemed to hit him, and he pulled away as though burnt, rubbing his own arm, and dropping his gaze to the floor. He shrank where he stood.
The knowledge of what he had done, and what he had almost done, was all-consuming.
I could have killed you.
He drew in a sharp gasp of air, and suddenly, he started to shake.
You're all I have in this place, and I nearly killed you.
As images of memories locked sorely away began flashing through his mind, Kougu's neck folded, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he wrapped his arms around himself, feeling the desperate trembling of his own shoulders. For the first time in a long time, he honestly wanted to drop dead on the spot.

Jimmy tried his best to look as carefree as possible. Despite his near-death experience, he wasn't quite in the mood to bear a grudge against his crazy friend, after everything that had happened that day. His throat ached and his head throbbed, but all he wanted to do right then was make sure Kougu wasn't going to drop dead in front of him.
“How can you look at me like that?” Kougu murmured, and he sounded very much like he wanted to burst into tears. Jimmy's soft smile fell from his face.
“How can you show me such kindness? And not hate me, even knowing what I am...?”
“And what is that?” Jimmy asked him quietly, slowly drawing his hand back into his pocket. His voice was still gruff, but he ignored it. It was his own fault for not knocking Kougu out, so he wasn't going to blame Kougu for what happened there. “A crazy guy? A multiple personality arsehole? I don't care about all that, Kougu.”
He took a step back, watching pityfully as Kougu struggled to his feet without the aid of Jimmy's hand. There was no way that wouldn't be painful with a freshly closed bullet wound leaking onto his clothes. But it was almost like Kougu couldn't feel it, and the guilt of the situation was eating him more ravenously than the physical pain of his wounds.
But despite his tall frame, Kougu managed to shrink into himself where he stood, and he reminded Jimmy of nothing more than a scared little boy. A boy scared of, not the world around him, but himself.
“I don't care that you're crazy.” Jimmy told him frankly, cocking his head slightly as he considered his friend. “I'm used to it by now. But a lot has happened today, most of which has been out of our control. But...” He turned away to cough again, then straightened up with his eyes watering slightly. “But you can't beat yourself up over every tiny piece of guilt you feel. I know,” he placed a hand on his chest to gesture towards himself, “I know, because I'm not an innocent guy. I've done things that I'll never forgive myself for. But if you let it eat you up every time, you won't get through the day.”
Sick of having Kougu avoiding his eye, Jimmy ran a hand up Kougu's fringe, purposely raking his hair in the wrong direction to spite him, and grabbing his hair gently at the top of his head.
“Now, we have more important things to think about right now. Like going inside and working on our mission, bandaging you up again and...” He grinned cheekily, ruffling Kougu's long hair with a sparkle in his eye. “Trying to figure out how a p*ssy like you became such a good kisser. Got it?”

“And what is that?” Jimmy's gruff voice startled him out of his thoughts, and Kougu looked up in surprise, opening his mouth to answer. At first he'd thought it was obvious, but when he actually thought about it, he had no idea what to say. Luckily, Jimmy filled in the blank for him.
“A crazy guy?" Well, yes, but that wasn't the current problem.
"A multiple personality arsehole?" Not exactly.
"I don't care about all that, Kougu.
Blinking in surprise, Kougu glanced questioningly at Jimmy. For a moment he just blinked curiously, but then his eyes narrowed to show something akin to concern. Jimmy was nuts. "You don't care?" He mumbled incredulously. Are you mad?
“I don't care that you're crazy.” Jimmy repeated, and Kougu watched him suspiciously, pulling back slightly. He was still rubbing his arm, and though his skin was raw by this point, he still hadn't noticed.
“I'm used to it by now. But a lot has happened today, most of which has been out of our control. But...” Jimmy paused to cough, “But you can't beat yourself up over every tiny piece of guilt you feel. I know,” Forcing himself to look up, Kougu saw Jimmy gesture to himself, and allowed his shoulders to drop an inch as he handed his full attention to the man before him. “I know, because I'm not an innocent guy. I've done things that I'll never forgive myself for. But if you let it eat you up every time, you won't get through the day."
Looking away again, Kougu tugged absentmindedly at his collar, and frowned miserably at the ground. Didn't Jimmy understand that it wasn't that simple? How could he ever forgive himself for what he'd done? It had been eating him his whole life, and he was still standing somehow. Perhaps he was only half alive, but he had made it. Perhaps he loathed himself for every breath he took, but he was alive. Regrettably.
"You don't get it..." He muttered under his breath, "All of this is because of me. I-"
Then he broke off, incoherent mutterings lost as Jimmy grabbed a thick handful of his fringe, pulling his head up, and forcing his gaze to lift. He found a pair of strong gray eyes before him, and again, he let his shoulders drop as he met his friend's gaze, blinking hopelessly up at him. Something about the look in Jimmy's eyes soothed his troubled soul, and he hated it, because he craved the punishment like light in the dark. But even as he stood there, his scalp tingling faintly where Jimmy had pulled at his hair, he felt the anger and resentment slowly begin to melt away, despite his best efforts to hold on to them. 
“Now," Jimmy told him firmly, "We have more important things to think about right now. Like going inside and working on our mission, bandaging you up again and...” He paused to grin, and Kougu grunted when a heavy hand ruffled his hair, pushing it messily over his eyes, “Trying to figure out how a p*ssy like you became such a good kisser. Got it?”
The moment the words left Jimmy's lips, Kougu froze, turning rapidly scarlet right to the tips of his ears. Embarrassed to within an inch of his life, he uttered a pathetic little squeak like a deflating balloon, and buried his face in his hands like a child hiding from the boogie man.
"Okay," He mumbled into his hands, gulping, and pushing his hair back shyly, "I get it."
If I don't suck it up, you're going to torture me, right?
"Let's go inside." He scratched his hair awkwardly, then took to rubbing his arm again as he scuttled obediently after Jimmy. In his flustered state, he nearly tripped over his own feet on the way to the house, but he quickly righted himself, and hurried on ahead to unlock the house. His heart was banging wildly like a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos, and he fumbled with clumsy fingers as he pushed the door open.

Jimmy knew at the sudden obedience to him that he'd got Kougu right where he wanted, and watched with a very proud grin as Koug scuttled into the house.
“Good lad.” Jimmy cooed, slapping his friend teasingly on the back. He'd never forget the adorable, flushed expression on Kougu's face, and the memory would always make him laugh. That guy was a funny one.
He followed Kougu into the house, closing the door behind him, then went straight to the kitchen to look for a first aid kit. For Kougu, yes, but he could really have done with a pain killer. He found some aspirin and gulped it with some water, then downed another glass of water. His throat had gone dry at the back, and it was making his eyes water.
He coughed himself back to normal, and headed into the lounge with the first aid kit and another spare glass of water for Kougu, and placed them both down on the coffee table in front of his friend.
“I think I'd better do this.” He said matter-of-factly, getting across that it wasn't up for debate. “If you move too much you'll just bleed out, and I don't think this house is insured for blood stains.” He smirked, and started to tear open a packet of alcohol.
He glanced up at Kougu, who still looked shy as ever, and bit back a smile. Poor guy.
“This requires you to take your top off, you know.” He teased, lifting his finger in an 'up' motion to gesture for Kougu to obey.

“Good lad.” Jimmy teased, and Kougu flinched when his friend slapped him playfully on the back, muttering under his breath. As they entered the house, they parted ways - Jimmy heading to the kitchen, and Kougu sitting down on the couch, and pushing back his hair in an attempt to get a hold of himself. His mouth was dry, and his heart was still thumping, but as he slowed his breathing and calmed himself, it gradually began to quieten. 
By the time Jimmy returned he was already feeling a little better, and the moment his friend set the glass of water down on the table, Kougu snatched it up and downed it in a few quick gulps, moistening his dry mouth. He licked his lips, then wiped his mouth and slumped back on the couch with a sigh. "Thanks." He murmured softly, "I needed that."
When Jimmy didn't answer, he looked up, only to feel his eyebrows pull together in a frown at the sight of the first aid kit in Jimmy's hands. "What's that?" He asked suspiciously, even though he already knew.
“I think I'd better do this.” Jimmy informed him, and it was obvious to Kougu that arguing would be pointless, “If you move too much you'll just bleed out, and I don't think this house is insured for blood stains.”
"I'm fine." He lied pointlessly, shuffling away, "You don't have to do anything."
His friend seemed to be ignoring him, but from the hidden smile on his face, Kougu could tell that he was actually enjoying himself.
“This requires you to take your top off, you know.”
"Huh?" He grunted, blinking stupidly at Jimmy. The other man smirked at him, then gestured with his finger for Kougu to remove his shirt. Just as it had been starting to cool, his face went hot all over again. "Don't make it weird..." He complained, his voice small and plaintive as he reluctantly grasped the bottom of his shirt, and twisted it up to pull over his head. He got it halfway, but then the material stuck to the drying blood on his wound, and he hissed as it pulled at the tender skin. His muscles tensed automatically, but he exhaled to soften them, then tried again, giving the shirt another soft tug. With a soft ripping sound, it lifted a little further, but Kougu's face twitched as he felt a sudden stab of pain in his side. He clenched his jaw to keep from wincing, and looked down to see a trickle of fresh blood creeping down his midriff where the half-healed flesh had torn. He didn't much mind the pain, but if he continued the slow process of wrestling off the shirt, he had a feeling he'd pass out before he succeeded.
"This isn't working." He admitted with a sigh, dropping his shirt back down, then rolling his shoulders, and cracking his neck to one side. "Would you do it, please?" He raised his arms, and looked expectantly at Jimmy, "Just give it one good tug. It's halfway there."
((Undress me, Jimmy! ))

Kougu's face went pink again, causing Jimmy to grin a him. “Don't make it weird...”
“Why would I do that?” Jimmy asked innocently, shrugging at his friend. Of course, 'making it weird' was obviously what he intended to do.
Except he didn't realise, when Kougu managed to lift his shirt, how serious his wound was. The stitches had ripped right through the middle and he could see the skin straining against them whenever Kougu made a move. All around he skin was bruised from the blow to the stomach he'd got, and the blood soaked his clothes right the way through to his jacket.
Kougu struggled for a bit to try and get his top off, but once he'd wriggled his arms out that was it. Jimmy wondered how on earth he was still conscious.
“This isn't working.” Kougu admitted with a sigh. Jimmy nodded in agreement. “Would you do it, please? Just give it one good tug. It's halfway there.”
“Hm?” Jimmy grunted, glancing up at his friend with his eyebrows raised. Kougu was sat there with his arms over his head, looking at Jimmy expectantly.
Slowly, very slowly, Jimmy smiled cunningly at him.
“You... You want me to...” He began, then snickered and curled his fingers around the hem of Kougu's shirt. “Alright.” He said finally, and that was it. No teasing, no cheeky threats. They went through his mind, of course, but he kept quiet. Kougu would be embarrassed enough already.
He peeled the top off carefullly, wincing for Kougu as it dipped against the sticky wound, and tugged it over Kougu's head.
He screwed it up and threw it on the sofa beside him, then dropped his eyes right down to Kougu's stomach. He was supposed to be studying the wound, but he couldn't help but notice the rest of Kougu's chest as it rose and fell with each breath. What had been practically skin and bone before was now subtly covered with a thin layer of muscle, which rolled gently under the skin at each movement. Kougu would always be a skinny guy, but having Jimmy forcing to look after himself was making one Hell of a difference.
“You're looking healthier.” Jimmy complimented quietly, then turned away to get the alcohol wipes together. This time, it was his turn to start feeling a little warm. “Perhaps you can now work towards avoiding having a hole in your body.” He smirked, pulled open the alcohol wipe and began to gently dab it on the blood. The wound would probably need re-stitching, then bandaging, but Jimmy was hoping Kougu would talk him through that bit.

Kougu waited patiently as Jimmy fixed him with that goofy smile, and asked with a snicker, “You... You want me to...” Kougu nodded mutely, expression unwavering, and Jimmy's fingers closed around the hem of his shirt. “Alright.”
He waited suspiciously for a moment, half expecting Jimmy to crack some sort of awkward joke. When he didn't, Kougu inclined his head briefly, and murmured, "Thanks." He nodded to the shirt, "Do it."
He took a deep breath, and held it as Jimmy lifted the shirt. Contrary to what he'd said, his friend peeled the material away from his wound in a slow, painstaking fashion. If he hadn't known any better he'd have thought this was Jimmy's way of getting revenge for what had happened before, but in reality it was more likely that Jimmy was simply trying not to hurt him. It was effort wasted, of course, but Kougu chose not to point this out. He simply kept his jaw tightly clenched until, at last, the blood-dampened shirt brushed over his face, and vanished in a gust of cool air. He shivered, and swallowed the bile in his throat as his bleeding side began to smart. As one, he and Jimmy looked at the wound, and Kougu considered it as one might a mildly interesting science experiment. The lips of the wound were splitting around the stitches, making him feel mildly like a poorly sewn rag doll, and blood was oozing slow and thick from the crevices. The punch he'd received earlier had left some ugly bruises blooming too, but Kougu was not concerned. It all seemed superficial, for the most part. He was already through the worst of his injuries. 
“You're looking healthier.” Jimmy's voice noted quietly beside him, making him lift his head, and look away from the wound. When he laid eyes on Jimmy, he found that his friend had already turned away. "Hm," He agreed with a hint of what might have been sarcasm, "If you'd consider Frankenstein's monster healthy, then sure." He managed a faint smile as Jimmy turned back toward him, opening a pack of alcohol wipes to cleanse the wound.
“Perhaps you can now work towards avoiding having a hole in your body.” He advised with a smirk, drawing a faint breath of amusement from Kougu. "That would be convenient, wouldn't it?" He mused, watching meekly as Jimmy slid the cold wipe gently over his broken skin. It stung, but he made no objection. Physical pain was not his enemy; it never had been, really.

The time ticked on in comfortable silence as Jimmy tended to his wound, and Kougu watched mildly, his soft eyes tracking his friend's progress. It was strange, in a way, seeing Jimmy's large, rough hands handling antiseptic and gauze. He was used to seeing those hands clenched into fists, or wrapped around the handle of a gun. Seeing them focused on healing rather than hurting was a touching sight, and it relaxed him somewhat. Jimmy certainly had changed from the man he'd been when they met; Kougu only wished he could say the same for himself.
The minutes dragged on until, at last, the dried blood was cleaned from the gash, and his whole side felt numb from the cool sting of the antiseptic. 
As though coming out of a trance, he blinked quickly, refocusing his gaze, and looked up at Jimmy with a subtle hint of a smile.
"Thanks." He murmured, and although part of him would have been happier being left for dead, he truly did mean it. "You don't need to bother trying to stitch it. I think it will hold, and one more scar isn't going to make much difference to me." He leaned over to reach the first aid kit, grabbing a roll of bandage, and handed it to Jimmy. "Wrap this around as tight as you can. I'll pin it."
He lifted his arms, shifting around to allow Jimmy easier access to the injury, and held his breath as his friend bound the bandage around him. When it was done, he pinned it, and sat back with a sigh, closing his eyes a moment. He was exhausted, and although he was uncomfortably aware of the fact that he was still shirtless, standing up to dress just didn't feel like an option at that moment. It had been a long and tiring day, and he was drained.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, and cast a sideways glance in Jimmy's direction. His eyes found Jimmy's lips, and some heat flowed to his cheeks. He had nearly forgotten about the kiss...
Suddenly shy, he uttered a decisive grunt, and pushed himself to his feet, trudging over to his room to pull on a clean shirt. It messed up his hair as he squirmed his way into it, but he just pushed his fringe away from his face with an unconcerned swipe, leaving it sticking up in its usual charmingly messy fashion.
"You're not hurt, are you?" He called, leaving his room again and kicking the door closed as he made his way back over to Jimmy, "After everything that happened, I..." He trailed off as he reached Jimmy, scratching his head anxiously. The troubled frown had returned to his face, but after a moment, he shook it off, and added, "Anyway, are you okay?"

They both sat in silence as Jimmy tended to Kougu's wound. Jimmy tried to ignore the eyes burning in the top of his skull and focused entirely on the task at hand, trying to ignore the way his heart thumped his chest every now and then when his fingers brushed over Kougu's skin. Without so much blood the wound didn't look quite as bad, although it still seeped through the lips of the wound without Kougu even needing to move. That would be a problem.
“Thanks.” Kougu mumbled gratefully.
“I'm not done, yet.” Jimmy replied, narrowing his eyes as if daring Kougu to say that the wound was nothing, that he'd survive from now on.
“You don't need to bother trying to stitch it. I think it will hold, and one more scar isn't going to make much difference to me.”
“I don't care.” Jimmy tried to argue as Kougu leant over him, causing the blood to spurt again “K-”
“Wrap this around as tight as you can.” Kougu pressed a bandage into his hand. “I'll pin it.”
“You had better know what you're doing, then.” Jimmy threatened, pressing the bandage into Kougu's unwounded side, then nodding for him to pin it. “As long as it doesn't get infected and kill you, I mean.”
Once Kougu had it in his side, Jimmy had no problem wrapping it around the man's firm torso, awkwardly hugging him every time he passed he roll behind Kougu's back. Every time this happened he ended up with his face very close to his friend's, and it made him tense up at the memory of the kiss every time. Eventually, however, he managed to bandage it up well and the blood stopped seeping through.
He taped it closed and sat back to admire his handiwork. But before he had a chance to get much of a view, Kougu grunted and fled to his room for something, with surprising stamina for someone who should have remained in hospital for at least another week.
He arrived back with a shirt on – the poor guy must have been itching to cover himself up again – and seemed far more comfortable than before. “You're not hurt, are you?” His friend asked him. “After everything that happened, I... Anyway, are you okay?”
He'd reached the sofa, now, and was scratching his head shyly. Jimmy studied him with raised eyebrows then, with a shrug, replied honestly. “I'm absolutely fine. Taken a pain killer and had some water. It's forgotten about.” He waved it off with a flick of his hand. For now, it meant nothing to him.
He turned to the TV and turned it on, kicking off his shoes and twisting his legs to the side of his seat as he flicked through channels. There was nothing interesting on.
“Are you okay?” He asked, one side of his mouth lifting into a devious smile. “Did I harass you enough? Or should I go a little further next time you try that on me?”
He'd planned on leaving it alone, but Hell... He couldn't resist it. Besides, he wanted to find out how Kougu had felt about it. Was there a reason why Kougu had kissed him back, or was it automatic? He needed to find out.

“I'm absolutely fine." Jimmy answered, shrugging off the incident like it was nothing, "Taken a pain killer and had some water. It's forgotten about.”
"Hm." Kougu mumbled in response, unsure whether to be relieved or disappointed. Honestly, he still wanted Jimmy to be angry with him, but unfortunately it seemed as if he really was - as he said - just fine. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and sat back on the couch as Jimmy turned on the TV. He had never watched television in his childhood, so it was still something of a novelty to him, and even the crappy drama shows that were on most of the channels fascinated him in some way, even if it was just to study human behaviour. 
“Are you okay?” Jimmy asked suddenly beside him, and Kougu frowned. Of course he was okay. Hadn't he just said that? But when he looked at Jimmy and saw the devious smile on his face, Kougu realized that he wasn't quite done. “Did I harass you enough?" He pressed, "Or should I go a little further next time you try that on me?"
Groaning, Kougu slapped a palm to his face as he felt himself start to blush for the umpteenth time that day. The only thing he could take solace in ws the distant hope that he would eventually become so used to Jimmy's teasing that it wouldn't bother him any more. But as the image of the kiss flashed through his mind again, and his heart fluttered nervously in response, he realized that was far from likely.
"Here's to hoping it happens again..." He muttered dryly, raising an invisible toast. He cast Jimmy a sideways glance, and his expression softened slightly upon seeing the unconcerned look on his friend's face. At least Jimmy was okay. It had been a close call, but he had survived. That was why Kougu had originally decided to take him along on the mission, after all. He was a fighter, a survivor. He didn't go down easy.
"Well," Kougu sighed with a ghost of a laugh, pushing his hair back again as it fell over his face, "That was a creative defensive tactic, I'll give you that. I certainly wouldn't have thought of it. Anyway..." He actually smiled, even despite his flushed cheeks, "I'll live, hopefully."

“Here's to hoping it happens again...” Kougu said dryly, raising his hand in an imaginary toast. Jimmy snickered to himself. Who would have thought Kougu had a sense of sarcasm?
“That was a creative defensive tactic, I'll give you that. I certainly wouldn't have thought of it.”
Jimmy regarded this with a cock of his head, turning back to the TV with his eyes narrowed boredly. “Well, I'm a creative guy. And it was the last option. I might use it again, though, it's far less painful than hitting you.”
He grinned, then switched the channel to a comedy show. After the things they'd seen he didn't really want a reminder of it by watching the News.
“Anyway...” Jimmy heard the smile in Kougu's voice, and he raised his eyes to glance at his friend with a twinkle in his eye. “I'll live, hopefully.”
“Yeah, you'd better.” Jimmy winked, then pulled himself to his feet. All he wanted now was a large drink of something hot and a TV to watch blindly.
He stopped just before he ran right into Kougu, and stopped abruptly. Grunting in surprise, he lowered his eyes and felt his cheeks flush. That was close. If he'd run into Kougu he might have hit his wound and made them bleed.
“Um...” Jimmy murmured, eyes fixed on the ground passed Kougu's shoulder where he wanted to go. But when he shifted sideways to pass Kougu, Kougu moved in the same direction in an attempt to move. Jimmy laughed awkwardly, and slipped passed Kougu with his eyes cast downwards. Once he was in the kitchen he released a breath he didn't know he had, and frowned at himself.
What the Hell was that?
Clearing his throat, he prepared his coffee with more concentration than needed, trying to distract himself from his racing heart. The memory of the kiss mocked him through the process, but he tried not to let it bother him. He couldn't afford to be thinking about it now.
“You want a drink?” Jimmy called into the sitting room. “The kettle's boiled.”

Kougu shook his head at Jimmy's response, sighing softly under his breath. Ordinarily he might have been alarmed at the threat of Jimmy using his creative new 'defensive tactic' a second time, but by this point he had grown rather accustomed to his friend's tricks and mannerisms, and he was fairly confident in his knowledge that Jimmy was, in fact, joking. He cast another glance at the TV, then turned back to the couch, only to find that Jimmy had suddenly stood up. After nearly walking into his friend, Kougu stumbled back a step, looking faintly startled. He was usually more attentive to his surroundings, but he supposed that the shock from earlier had left him a little scatterbrained. He half expected Jimmy to mock him, but instead, he was met by a very strange sight indeed. Jimmy quailed before him, his eyes locked on the ground and - unless Kougu's eyes were deceiving him - his cheeks flushed with colour. It was funny, but... He had never really noticed before; Jimmy was shorter than him, by nearly half a head.
"Um..." The other man mumbled awkwardly, looking pointedly over his shoulder. Kougu blinked in surprise, not entirely certain of what was going on, now that Jimmy was acting so uncharacteristically timid. He followed the man's gaze over his shoulder, and then, at last, it seemed to click.
"Oh... Sorry." He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he stepped side - only to find that Jimmy had stepped with him. An awkward chuckle and another mumbled apology later, his friend had slipped past him into the kitchen, and Kougu was left standing in the door way, frowning to himself. After several brain-whirring seconds of trying to analyse the situation, he shrugged and thought to himself, Well, that was weird.
Satisfied with what was clearly a half-arsed analysis, Kougu was quite content to give up and flop down on the couch before he gave himself yet another headache trying to puzzle out Jimmy's sudden strange behaviour. He would just never understand the way people operated. 
“You want a drink?” Jimmy called from the next room, just as Kougu had sat down on the couch to watch some strange comedy show about an American family, “The kettle's boiled.”
"I wouldn't mind some coffee." He answered, turning around to peer into the kitchen over the edge of the couch, "Black, please. Thanks Jimmy."
Rather touched by the simple offer, he smiled to himself, and turned back to the TV, where a father and a daughter were having a screaming match over a broken shoe.
A few minutes later, Jimmy returned bearing two steaming mugs, and Kougu accepted his with a grateful smile.
"Thanks." He said, cupping the warm porcelain in his hands, and taking a careful sip. It tasted like hot tar - he hated black coffee - but he didn't care. The taste of the caffeine was strong in his throat, and that was all he wanted. He wasn't keen to fall victim to nightmares that night, so he didn't intend to sleep, even for a minute. Of course, that was easier said than done when he was as tired as he was.
"I think we should plan the assassination for next week." He mused out loud, taking another sip of his coffee. He said it so casually, it was as if he was planning to go to the grocery store, rather than assassinate a world leader. "I'd like to do it right away," He continued, "But with this," He patted his side carelessly, clearly not showing enough concern for his delicate state, "I figure we'll have a disadvantage we can't quite afford. So I'm thinking-" He drank down another gulp of coffee, finishing it and placing it back on the table, "I'm thinking we can spend the week planning, training, preparing... Getting ready, I suppose. If you can ever be ready for something like this." A smile of grim amusement curved his lips, and he looked over at Jimmy, automatically brushing his fringe out of the way of his eyes, "What do you think?"

Grateful for the distraction, Jimmy busied himself in making the second coffee, then headed back over to the lounge and handed Kougu his drink. Jimmy sat immediately back down on the sofa, sipping his own coffee, and wondered vaguely whether either of them were going to manage to sleep that night.
“I think we should plan the assassination for next week.”
Jimmy swallowed his mouthful, then glanced sorrowfully down at his coffee. A few tiny milk bubbles swirled around the middle. He really didn't want to talk about the assassination, not yet, just... One break. That's all he needed. One break, and he had that, with his coffee and the comedy show on TV.
Kougu gestured to his wound and said something about them being at disadvantage. Jimmy was barely listening. He just wanted to watch the crappy show and go lie down for a bit. But Kougu wasn't done yet.
“I'm thinking we can spend the week planning, training, preparing... Getting ready, I suppose. If you can ever be ready for something like this. What do you think?”
When he realised Kougu had stopped talking, Jimmy took another sip of his coffee, evidently stalling for time. He would probably sound like a coward for not wanting to talk about it, or even think about the assassination, but it was late, and he was tired. And he had a lot on his plate already.
“I don't wanna talk about it now.” He said gruffly, leaning against the opposite arm to Kougu. It meant he was a little further away than before, at least enough so without being too obvious. “Please. Can we...” He lifted his eyes, suddenly sad and pleading, to look at Kougu. “Can we leave it for this evening? We can talk about it in the morning.”

When Jimmy didn't answer right away, Kougu glanced toward him, watching as he took a quiet sip of his coffee. He was about to speak again, when at last, Jimmy grumbled reluctantly, “I don't wanna talk about it now.”
"Oh..." Somewhat taken aback, he shifted away slightlywhen he saw Jimmy lean over the arm of the couch, looking distinctly miserable. 
“Please. Can we...” At last he looked up, and Kougu was shocked to see the sad, pleading look in his eyes. “Can we leave it for this evening? We can talk about it in the morning.”
"O-of course..." He stammered, swallowing his surprise as he felt a sudden spike of guilt lodge in his gut. "I'm sorry."
Feeling bad for upsetting Jimmy, he shrank away into his corner, and turned to watch the TV in obedient silence. That is, he went through the motions of watching, but in truth, he barely saw the pictures on the screen, nor heard the cheerful voices shouting from the speakers. His mind was fixed entirely on Jimmy, and out of the corner of his eye, Kougu watched his friend, anxious and concerned. The past twenty four hours had brought Jimmy closer to him than ever before, and he just couldn't shake the strange sense of peace that he felt whenever his friend was by his side.

It took a good half hour before he'd found the courage to speak again - perhaps the show was over, but he wasn't sure. He'd not been paying attention, after all. Swallowing thickly, he looked toward Jimmy, then glanced quickly away again. "Hey, Jimmy..." He mumbled at last, twisting his hands absently in his lap as stress began to tighten his shoulders, "I... I just want to thank you. For being so understanding and... For accepting me, even despite-" He broke off, still not quite able to give words to his curse. "I don't know what's wrong with me." He admitted softly, "But you have to know that I'd never want to hurt you, no matter what. So, thanks for kissing me, I guess, if it saved you." With a soft breath of amusement, he glanced toward Jimmy at last, offering an awkward smile. I may not be good at expressing myself, but you have to know how much you mean to me... Especially now. Even if you don't want to talk about it, you have to know. I need you to.