reanbeanmachine | This has spoilers for tocs 2 end game

[It's been a tough month and some change. While Erebonia has been settling back into normal Rean has been trying to find Crow, desperate with worry and frustration at the lack of any progress for weeks, only to hear alarming news yesterday. He came, the whole class did, with Angelica and George and Towa outside, as soon as they could, and yet he knows it's not soon enough, and there's no excuse for that. Looking at Crow now, it takes every ounce of his own willpower not to lose control of the anger in himself, to keep calm and not tear back outside and rip through the men upstairs.

There's a glint of bright red in his eyes all the same, yet his voice stays measured as he follows Crow and reaches to undo his restraints regardless of Crow's wariness.]

I'm sorry I'm late.

[He really doesn't want to be seen like this. It's stupid, but he's furious just that Rean is being kind. That of course he's not alone and now all of Crow's friends are going to see him a mess. It's not fair on Rean but nothing in the last six weeksish has been fair on Crow so he doesn't give a shit. (He does actually, he's just decided not to.)]

Go away.

[Not the nicest thing to say to your rescuer but he's actually panicking at the very idea of how humiliating this could all be, and it's hard to direct that emotion. Rean is there and it's the thought of Rean pitying him, of Class VII seeing those tapes, that's making Crow upset, so it's Rean he's lashing out at. He looks every bit the hissing feral kitten just pulled out of a storm drain.]

Not a chance.

[He's getting the shackles off first, no matter how difficult Crow is being, and next is the collar before he shrugs off his coat and holds it out to Crow. He'll make sure they get real clothes for him fast, but for now this much is necessary to help Crow get some dignity back.

Hell Claire's already on ordering clothes brought in, he's pretty sure, but he's only keeping half an ear on the woman behind him, his whole attention really focused on the man in front of him.]

Not without you, anyway.

[He'll take the coat at least, though he's looking at Rean like he's expecting him to hit him and ready to hit back. It's dumb. He's tucking himself into the coat and breathing in Rean's scent, but he's also glaring at him like it's his fault Crow's in here.]

I don't need you. And if you don't get all those people out of here I'm going to kill them.

[He doesn't take his eyes off Crow but he does raise his voice.]

Claire, could we have some privacy? Just leave clothes inside the door.

[There's an affirmative and the room empties almost instantly on Claire's command. The door will only open again for someone to set clothes inside in a few minutes but otherwise it's just Rean and Crow.]

Okay. It's just us.

You too.

[He wants Rean's eyes off him stat. It feels like he's being stared through, and that's a vulnerability he doesn't like.]

I can wait outside if you want.

[But going out the door is the furthest he's willing to go, and only that much because there's literally no other exit to this room, not even an air duct to crawl through.]

Fine.

[Not fine but if it gives him some space he'll take it. He needs to destroy any recordings that haven't been taken away yet, for one.]

Just go.

[There's a lot he wants to say and do, like hug Crow, but he nods and steps back, giving Crow room as he heads out the door. He crosses his arms and leans against the wall by the door to wait. Unfortunately for Crow the RMP is real efficient so plenty of the recordings are already gone, but there's still some things he can smash, and clothes to put on. And an empty room of trauma to wreck all he wants before he has to go out and face Rean waiting for him.]

[Oh he's absolutely going to wreck it. Once Rean is gone he very calmly gets dressed, then picks up something hefty and just starts smashing. He doesn't give a single fuck if the RMP considers this evidence. Anything left in this room is going to be left in tiny pieces, even if it means giving himself more cuts and scrapes punching and stepping on things.

So there's a lot of breaking things noises. And also a lot of yelling because he has a lot of steam to blow off. He's not saying anything worth listening to he's just cursing and screaming and generally being a disaster.]

[Claire looks unhappy but she doesn't say anything. Rean just bows his head and listens, fists clenched, waiting out whatever Crow needs to do in there. He really doesn't know everything but the glimpse he had is bad enough, and being stuck here, in the hallway, while the RMP finish processing the arrests and the evidence and Crow vents and Rean has nothing to do but feel useless is pretty draining. But all he can do is wait, and talk quietly to Claire when she walks over.

On his insistence they'll give Crow to Class VII instead of arresting him. As long as Rean or a member of Class VII is with him 24/7.]

[He takes awhile. He has to smash everything, and hit the unsmashable things until his knuckles bleed. After that he has to take a moment to break down crying, overwhelmed by emotion that hurts every bit as bad as the torture had.

He does eventually come out. He's puffy-eyed and bleeding here and there and he leans heavily on the doorframe, but he's upright and that's doing pretty well. He's tired. The only reason he can move this much is adrenaline. He really ought to be on a stretcher but instead he's gesturing with the metal pipe in his hand, with raw pain and fury and nothing else in his eyes.]

Where are they?

[Rean is pushing away from the wall turning to look at Crow as soon as the door opens. But Claire is the one to answer first, frowning.]

They're in the RMP's custody. Which you would be, if Class VII hadn't made every case to have you back. I understand you're under a lot of strain right now, but you should go with your classmates.

[His anger is tempered just a little bit when he looks at Rean, because underneath the horror Crow absolutely adores Rean. Claire on the other hand he'd gladly have shot before all this so it's a real wonder he doesn't start swinging. It's not remotely hard to tell he wants to.]

Look, Lady Ironblood, I don't give a damn about due process. This isn't about you. I'm not pressing charges so unless they were doing something that's actually your business you should fuck off. And leave the tapes.

[He's not waiting for an answer. He's unsteady on his feet but he's still taking off to search for murder targets.]

[This is already going really not so great. Rean can't say he's not with Crow in wanting to hurt people right now but that's exactly why they can't. He steps in Crow's way, holding his arm out to block Crow as if his body weren't doing that enough.]

Crow. You can't. Leave them to the RMP. I know you're hurting and I know you want to pay them back, I do too and I haven't been the one suffering here. But if you go after them, Captain Claire is going to have to arrest you, and I don't think you need that right now. So just stop and come back with me.

Don't talk to me like I don't know what I'm doing!

[No way. Crow is not at all receptive to being talked down.]

This is their idea of justice. They don't care about the police so they're not going to be protected by them. End of story.

It doesn't matter what they think, Crow! Or how they'd do things. We're not them, you're not either. So we're not going to do things their way. We're not doing things lawlessly! Even if you get past me the RMP will arrest you before you get anywhere! So just for once in your life do things my way.

Hah! You really think I'm more like you than them? That's rich.

[He uses the pipe to shove Rean out of the way and try to walk past.]

If the RMP wants to defend these bastards they can try. I'm sure they'd love an excuse to take me down. Aidios knows they're probably jerking off to those recordings right now.

[Rean is a lot harder to brush aside than that, Crow should know by now. He's getting in Crow's way, again, this time, planting his hand ont he wall and setting his feet so Crow can't walk past without actually attacking him.]

No one is defending them. They're going to be brought to justice. Lawfully. I don't know exactly what happened, but I'm the last person who's going to sit aside and let them get away with hurting you.

But I'm not letting you do this, either. Even if I want really badly to help you right now, that would make us no better than them.

I'm already no better, in case you forgot.

[He can't bring himself to swing at Rean. Still, being stopped just makes him anxious. If he can't take out his feelings on the people who hurt him then they're going to boil over.]

You've done things I don't agree with. But I don't think for a second you're anything like the people who hurt you. Come home, please. I'm not moving anyway. so you might as well.

[He's stubborn, and patient, and mostly trying to keep the great amounts of distress he feels from showing, but it's still there, his concern and care for Crow obvious in his expression and voice, the upset he feels at this whole situation and even the relief to see Crow alive, tempered by his anger at how bad Crow looks.]

[He almost does hit Rean. He's not against fighting him, obviously, and he wants through. But after all that's happened he just can't. He missed him too much.

But if he can't kill those people then what does he do with his emotions? They're too much. He gives. He's nust going to sit on the floor.]

...I'm still not pressing charges. It's not their business.

[He doesn't want to be the victim in a trial. Talking to the cops sounds awful.]

Then I will, or Captain Claire will. There's more than enough evidence without you.

[He crouches down, in front of Crow, wanting so badly to just hug him tightly right now. He hasn't even seen the footage Claire recovered, but he's sure it's not good, just from what they learned on their way here.]

Thank you.

[For listening to him. And now... Now he is going to hug Crow, even if Crow doesn't want it.]

I was so scared when you vanished, I'm so glad we found you, I'm sorry it took us so long.

[He definitely doesn't want the hug. As soon as Rean moves in Crow tenses up and leans away. He tries to scoot backwards out of it but failing that he just... freaks out. He can't stand being touched or restrained anymore. His body has gotten too used to pain, so that's what it assumes he should be feeling.

It actually hurts. His attitude flips like a switch -- as soon as Rean touches him Crow starts struggling, shoving at Rean and outright biting any bare skin in range.]

[He doesn't force the hug, letting go as soon as Crow struggles, though he still gets bitten hard enough to bleed. He doesn't care about that at all, it's the fact that Crow went wild and feral just from a hug that has his eyes watering with tears. He hates this. He hates that he wasn't here in time. That bad things happened because he wasn't strong enough.]

I'm sorry.

[He says softly, staying still, watching Crow and wishing he could hug him more, hug the light of mad wildness out of his eyes.]

I won't touch you. But let's go home.

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