ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼

⠀
،̲،̲ 𝕹ow that 𝓈𝓌𝑒𝑒𝓉’s gone 𝔰𝔬𝔲𝔯 ,
⠀seeping down the cracks.
⠀

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
⠀
୭ 𝐈𝐕. 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋.
⠀
❝ i want to believe in goodness ,
⠀but there’s a poison in me that
says i shouldn’t. and i don’t know
if i’m doing this right , but i know
⠀that i love you. ᥫ᭡.
⠀

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
if you don’t want to though , we’ll find something else.
⠀
and for what it’s worth , your life’s never been boring. i was planning on spending the rest of mine with you.
⠀

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
i know a way.
⠀
( he hesitated to bring it up before , in case his anger returns in the morning. )
⠀
stay. you take the bed , i take the couch.
⠀
( separate but not out of each other’s reach. that might be what they need. )
⠀
[…]

[⋆˚꩜｡⋆【 재 | 𝐉𝐚𝐞 】⋆˚꩜｡⋆ @WindThatSways]

+ I don’t know what to do anymore..

For once in my boring life, I have /nothing/ planned out…

( his lips are shaking. )

I’m sorry it ended up this way… I’m not the Jae you knew, but I promise I’m still Jae…

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
ooc. i don’t think the fact that most of my muses can be categorised as having a crippling fear of being left says anything about me tbh. /s/j.
⠀

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
maybe it doesn’t. the only thing datu is really sure of is that even when they disagree , he has to have jae. he can’t let anyone else step in. it’s such an unhealthy way of thinking but he doesn’t care. )
⠀

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
children don’t deserve to die.
⠀
( that much he could agree with. he’s too emotional to consider the rest. he knows that. he’ll keep it in his pocket for later. )
⠀
look at me.
⠀
( his priority now is making sure they’re both calm …
⠀

[⋆˚꩜｡⋆【 재 | 𝐉𝐚𝐞 】⋆˚꩜｡⋆ @WindThatSways]

+ Avatar lives a different.. life. Has a different story..

Korra may have been the Destroyer, but.. that doesn’t mean every single one was, or is as well…

( leaning back a bit and sniffling, wiping his face on his sleeve. )

I had to put the world’s needs above my own..

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
enough to achieve what they want to together. )
⠀
you and i don’t go down without a fight. this isn’t any different.
⠀
( it’s undoubtedly going to be a long haul but datu doesn’t mind that. maybe it looks like time apart , time to grow , …
⠀

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
first time , he looked much more broken than lost and angry , as he had before. he hated seeing jae standing alone and unmoving but nonetheless , he faced home and kept on walking. turns out home wasn’t right here after all. )
⠀

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
( without another word , he turned around. ten steps in , datu looked back at jae and if the words hadn’t dried up in his throat , he might have asked what he should tell his family.
⠀
instead , his features scrunched and for the …
⠀

[⋆˚꩜｡⋆【 재 | 𝐉𝐚𝐞 】⋆˚꩜｡⋆ @WindThatSways]

Yeah… I guess he does..

( slowly lowering his eyes and giving a nod. )

Right.. um.. I hope they’re well. Give them my regards… or don’t.

( and he’s just going to be standing there— he doesn’t really.. have anything right now, and doesn’t want to return to the brigade..)

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
can you tell me why you chose them .ᐣ it’s gotta be more than they were nice to you once for you to do this. it has to be deeper than that.
⠀

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
( hearing such a profuse , sincere apology quelled some of datu’s anger. he could breathe a sigh of relief to hear it and as his lungs released , his arms gripped onto jae just a little tighter. )
⠀
i don’t forgive you … yet.
⠀
[…]
⠀

[⋆˚꩜｡⋆【 재 | 𝐉𝐚𝐞 】⋆˚꩜｡⋆ @WindThatSways]

+ I didn’t want to lose you, but I couldn’t lose the girls either. I’m sorry for breaking your trust, for… hurting you.
For doing all of this…
I can't expect forgiveness but... It just feels relieving being able to open up.. and talk to you honestly about it now...

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
he certainly lives up to his name.
⠀
( ‘ if he hadn’t seduced you into his cult , we’d probably have been okay , ‘ he thought but didn’t say. )
⠀
i should probably go. i need to check in on my family anyway.
⠀

[⋆˚꩜｡⋆【 재 | 𝐉𝐚𝐞 】⋆˚꩜｡⋆ @WindThatSways]

... well, yeah. But do you think the Human Hurricane really has time to sit down to teach a cooking class?

( there's an awkward pause. one could almost hear a cricket chirping in the distance. )

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
you had karthik.
⠀
( there’s not necessarily jealousy to his tone but definitely a bit of bitterness. )
⠀

[⋆˚꩜｡⋆【 재 | 𝐉𝐚𝐞 】⋆˚꩜｡⋆ @WindThatSways]

Well, it's not like I had much of a teacher. I am very... self-taught.
Just like with most things.

( He'd rather Datu do the cooking. Much less smoke, and much more edible food. )

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
a little bit more each time you didn’t.
⠀
the last time …
⠀
i love you but how do i trust you .ᐣ
⠀

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
you have a really funny way of showing it , jae.
⠀
( his brows knit , whether out of frustration or focus , he didn’t know. maybe those two things were one and the same. still , he couldn’t yield any more words for a long moment. …
⠀

[⋆˚꩜｡⋆【 재 | 𝐉𝐚𝐞 】⋆˚꩜｡⋆ @WindThatSways]

+ justify any of his lies, but it could at least give some answers. )

I didn't want you scared, but all I did was make things worse.
I trusted you, I still... do, someway, somehow, to make the right call...

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
there were so many but none were substantial enough , until ... )
⠀
i’ve always wanted to believe there was a good reason for it. i gave you a few opportunities to explain. i begged , in my mind , for you to take them. it broke my heart […]
⠀

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
you tried your best.
⠀
but don’t stop doing it.
⠀
( he wants the bad cooking more than never getting to taste it again. he’d risk food poisoning for that. )
⠀

[⋆˚꩜｡⋆【 재 | 𝐉𝐚𝐞 】⋆˚꩜｡⋆ @WindThatSways]

...

( an awkward sniffle. )

so... um.. was my cooking really /that/ abysmal?

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
i should be more concerned that you betrayed ellora but i’m concerned that you betrayed 𝙢𝙚.
⠀
i can’t help asking why over and over in my mind. i was waiting for —— i thought we trusted each other more than this.
⠀

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
( now that’s he’s closer , it’s likely jae can detect that datu’s airways are tight , collapsing in on themselves. he looks crestfallen but not as distraught as it’s now clear he is. he just barely finds it in himself to loosely hug back. )
⠀
[…]
⠀

[⋆˚꩜｡⋆【 재 | 𝐉𝐚𝐞 】⋆˚꩜｡⋆ @WindThatSways]

if it's too much to ask, don't feel compelled. it's alright...

i just... am being selfish. it's okay. it's okay, really.

( and he's making his way right over, anyways, latching right onto him. )

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
a lot.
⠀
( but now that’s been said , there’s not much left to say. now he can understand what a guy once meant when he said silence is a plague. )
⠀

[⋆˚꩜｡⋆【 재 | 𝐉𝐚𝐞 】⋆˚꩜｡⋆ @WindThatSways]

( deeper breath in. )

FUCK-!!!

( Unnecessarily loud, thanks to that burst of air from him. )

Better?

[ᗢ ◌ೄ 𝑫𝑨𝑻𝑼 @ELLORANSHIELD]

⠀
a little bit , right now. i don’t really know if i want to hug you or keep my distance.
⠀
i don’t think running ever did anyone any good though. i’m not afraid , i’m not a coward and fear is for the weak.
⠀
come here.
⠀

[⋆˚꩜｡⋆【 재 | 𝐉𝐚𝐞 】⋆˚꩜｡⋆ @WindThatSways]

I just want him to hold me, and never let go.
Datu.. please? Is it too much to ask?