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did your comm get its language changed to stupid

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5 seconds

[Those sure are footsteps scrambling up the stairs.]

[ohfuck

That sure is Tetsuo making a break for the window, slamming it open, climbing out, and casually drifting out of it to hover out of reach in the yard.]

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[Think fast Tetsuo, because that is one of Capsule's tennis balls literally sailing up to knock you down like a stone to a bird.]

wanna say that again

[Hubris. A long tradition of pride... before a very literal fall. Too occupied with poking at his phone, he does not see the ball until it smacks him.]

Itai!

[In one single well-aimed ball, Tetsuo trades emulating a bird for a rock. He just barely catches himself before he hits the ground, slowing down to a graceful halt in the last two feet. Aaagh!

No text followup?]

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💩💀 ❗️

[There it is.]

[Tetsuo, just because you're psychic and can leap off the balcony to safety doesn't mean your brother can't follow. He's the world's biggest adrenaline junkie, and it shows in the way he gets a running start and vaults over that balcony top, hand swinging from the railing and dropping him down with as little shock as possible.

He rolls, getting to his feet almost seamlessly and breaks into a run, hand and comm out as he texts with one hand.]

keep running [You're dead. You're so dead.]

[Logically, Tetsuo knows there's no way in hell he can outrun Kaneda. It's not his strength, and never was; Kaneda was the one who could clear half of a chain link fence in one jump, or kick a Clown off his bike, or run fast enough to make it hard for Tetsuo to lock onto him the first time they truly fought.

Sometimes, instinct overrides every ounce of common sense and intelligence. This isn't a fight, there's no stand to take... so he runs. There's no time to get his bike out. No time to do anything but try to book it and trust he can jump farther than Kaneda can now.

... but he can't resist continuing to escalate this for no reason.]

😛

[Tetsuo was right to accept his inevitable fate, and Kaneda couldn't blame him for at least trying to run anyway. Kaneda was fast, but he'd get a little distance before he caught up with him. And with the texting feud going on between them, it might even take a little longer. Hell, Tetsuo might even get around the block before he's overtaken by his more-athletic older brother.

His vigor escalates with the situation, and his brain focuses more on his feet carrying him than what his hand is doing.

So the next text might not come out as--]

adfddddddddddddddddddddffffffffkjjjjj

[Trust him. He's angry.]

[Tetsuo's job, now that he has learned the secret of emoji, is far easier than Kaneda's. He needs all that concentration to shoot out one foot, hitting the ground at an angle to sharply pivot to the side as he races out of the yard and into the street. He's not crossing, keeping to the sidewalk. Kaneda's text reply barely gets a glance before he's laughing wildly with the rush of fear and adrenaline, enjoying this mad rush as long as it lasts.

Texting is hard. But he instantly knows what to do, and this is easy. There is one other trick in his arsenal, one he only really grasped when figuring out base coding on that stupid pinball machine. Or, rather... ]

did your comm get its language changed to stupid

[The fine art of copy and paste.]

[That text comes through, and Kaneda's eyes harden not in sheer anger, but competition. Tetsuo was going to get it--there was no doubt about it. And sometimes, actions speak louder than words.

Much, much louder. With a megaphone.

His glove tips back other hand held out to catch that coin that often housed itself in his middle finger. Out it comes, and with a quick little flip in mid-run, he lets it fall into his palm.

Heads. Heads.

Kaneda couldn't have smiled more if Maya had just fuckin straight up kissed him. Because not long after he gets that verdict...he literally tosses that comm like a skipped rock right at Tetsuo

The joys of good luck? Your aim's always spot on.]

[It's been a while since Tetsuo had to run, really run, and he's out of practice. He can tell already, in the strain in his legs and chest completely different to when he's letting his power do the heavy lifting. But there's a newfound thrill to the sensation. He can keep going. He doesn't even hear Kaneda behind him beyond footsteps somewhere behind him. No angry yelling, no threats-

Maybe he'll get out of this scott free! Hah! Take that, Kane-

That illusion is shattered when something hard slams into his leg at just the right spot to alter his balance at just the right second. One foot gets knocked out a little too far at the impact, the other catching on his leg long enough to send him straight down to the pavement. He's lucky he's got no exposed skin; the worst he gets is a few bruises.

...

Not wasting time with looking behind him, he scrambles desperately to try to get back to his feet before karma catches up with him, his own comm clattering to the ground in his haste.]

[Too little, too late. Kaneda was faster than most military recruits, a skill that had come quite in handy when it came to getting away from the cops. And when he really put his mind to it, he could keep up with even running vehicles. So when luck rings true, and the comm hits his brother in the back of his leg, he wastes no time in keeping the pace and covering ground, using the awkward scramble of Tetsuo's feet as his last window of opportunity to take him down.

With a half dive, half scoop, he rolls onto the ground with him, shielding most of the blow with his own back before upright again with Tetsuo in a headlock, elbow right around that neck while the other ruffles those white locks.

And...that's as far as it goes. No physical harm comes, no punches thrown or smacks upside the head. Just the equivalent of roughhousing, those fingers purposely mussing up that already-hopelessly styled hair.]

WHAT'D YOU CALL ME?

C'MON! SAY IT! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

[Footsteps approach far too quickly, and the next thing he knows, Kaneda's hand roughly shoots under him, pulling him up off the pavement and halfway onto him, death grip firm enough that no amount of frantic squirming can hope to free him. On the ground like that, he can't even try to kick, doing little more than yelping in surprise as he's pulled up again.

God damn,Kaneda's gotten strong.

This reminder comes with a flash of panic that he's entirely at the mercy of his older brother. His hands scrabble desperately for ground as it sweeps away from him, angling one elbow back to try to shove into Kaneda's side, but the angle is off and he can't get any power to the blow.

The absolute worst thing in the world comes to pass. Kaneda's elbow hooks harmlessly around his neck, locking him firmly in place while not constricting anything. His other hand roughly digs into Tetsuo's head, making his unbrushed white bird's nest even worse. And everyone on the street could see this happen.

NOOOOOO!]

Rrg- LET GO!

[Hands immediately go to Kaneda's arm, trying to pry it away. He arches his back to draw his shoulders further down, trying to slide underneath that elbow and struggle his way to freedom. He can win this! He can still fight!]

Edited 2016-04-24 19:52 (UTC)

[All the while, Kaneda's laughing. The public could see this, maybe, but it was such a better alternative to the way they'd been only months ago. When a streetlamp would be the endgame, and Kaneda's head sporting a nice bruise at best and a concussion at worst.

His hand doesn't yield from that hair, ruffling until it resembles a stray tumbleweed and pulling him closer.]

C'mon, Tetsuo! I mean...I'm only shit, right? This is what you expect of me!!!

[It's choked out between laughter, his grip harder to maintain the harder he tries to keep it under control.]

[Failing getting under Kaneda's elbow, he tries to slide a hand between his head and Kaneda's hand. Kaneda's arm, solid from months of exercise, prevents him even ducking his head defensively. There's no direction to move.

Before he found his powers, he'd have been a lot angrier over this than he is now. There's few things worse than being powerless against everything in the world, without agency or the ability to stop what happens. Until he found his powers, that was his life; things like this could damage what little image he'd built up, reminding him that there was no one he was ever going to be equal to. The rage built and built, without even his outlet standing as a reminder of somehow being less.

But now? If he needed to, he could turn this on its head. He COULD do something, if he could focus enough, and twist that power dynamic to the extreme opposite. The streetlight just down the road stands testament that in this world, right now, he's not helpless. Maybe it's because there's a choice that he's not exercising it that it's not infuriating and deeply humiliating. Just a little humiliating, more irritating than anything.

There's no psychic retribution. The worst Tetsuo does is jam an elbow hopefully into his side again to distract him.]

You're worse than shit! Get off me!

[Kaneda takes the blow, and it might hurt that elbow a little more than it normally would--like Tetsuo had just slammed it right into a metal door or wall. It doesn't go without recoil though, as Kaneda's hand goes to cover the area where the damage was dealt, laughing and falling over onto the sidewalk.]

Yeah? Well, what does that make you then?

[It's hard to form coherent sentences when you're laughing, but he does feebly grab his comm again and flick it at him again, with 1/20th the power he originally did.]

A little shit!!

[He has to resist the urge to rub at his elbow. He always forgets that this stuff hurts more than he's ever expecting it will. Kaneda Shotaro, made of stone. Hell, his head was always full of rocks, at least the rest of him matches....

Stupid Kaneda.

All of that is broken the second Kaneda opens his mouth, still laughing.]

Oh yeah??

[He whirls back around to tackle his brother, either completely forgetting his earlier revelation that this would do absolutely nothing, or counting on it. Once there, all he's going to try to do is pin him. Emphasis, probably, on try - Kaneda can probably lift him up without too much trouble.]

You wanna say that again?!

[If Tetsuo was going to try and be a threat, it does the complete opposite, Kaneda laughing like a playful puppy as he bats at Tetsuo's fierce pinning. It's weird, seeing him this carefree as Tetsuo tries to yell at him. He could flip Tetsuo over right now if he wanted to get the upper hand physically, but he doesn't see the need to. It's not a show of dominance or strength.

He's literally just being a shit to his brother.]

LITTLE. SHIT!

[Takes one to know one, after all.]

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