When Chikai sees him go for the photo, his immediate impulse is to kick it away. He doesn't know exactly what'll be triggered, if anything, but he does know the subject of the picture and anything related to that's gonna suck. Except since that was a knee-jerk reaction instead of something he actually thought about, he accidentally kicks it at the intruder rather than away. Oops.
When the frame comes into contact, a funeral parlor overtakes the space. A slightly younger Chikai is talking with a much older couple. There's no one else in the room, but Chikai still hisses like he's trying to keep his voice down when he says, "What d'you mean you can't take him? You know we don't have shit."
"That's exactly why we can't afford to right this minute," the older man snaps back, waving a hand at the room. "Do you have any idea how much this all cost? We can't go taking in another mouth to feed without some preparation."
"But there's no fucking money left here. Nada! Zilch! How the hell do you think I'm gonna be able to feed him any better? You-" His eyes are frantic, like he's just starting to realize the size of the hole he needs to crawl out of. "Fuck, you know the size of the payments they're asking for, and we're gonna lose heat any day now-"
"So get a job! You're an adult, Chikai, you should be able to take care of your own brother for a couple of months at least." Without waiting for a reply, the man turns away with his wife, and mutters to her no where near quietly enough, "Honestly, if they'd had a more reliable son, maybe those two wouldn't have thought to do something so desperate."
For a moment, Chikai looks struck... then utterly furious. Teeth bared, he moves like he plans to grab the man by the collar, only to be startled by the sound of a door opening and a small voice saying, "Big brother?" When he looks over, a young boy with tired, puffy eyes, clutching a framed picture tightly, is peeking into the room at him. "Can... can we go home yet?"
Chikai hesitates, taking another look at the older pair. The man's already talking to what looks like an employee. The wife glances anxiously back towards him once, but says nothing. His jaw clenches, and he just barely manages to grit out, "Fine." Without another word, he pushes past his brother through the door, almost knocking the kid over and leaving him to follow silently after.
When the memory fades, Chikai's already up and trying to push the stranger back so he can drive the heel of his shoe through the glass.
no subject
When the frame comes into contact, a funeral parlor overtakes the space. A slightly younger Chikai is talking with a much older couple. There's no one else in the room, but Chikai still hisses like he's trying to keep his voice down when he says, "What d'you mean you can't take him? You know we don't have shit."
"That's exactly why we can't afford to right this minute," the older man snaps back, waving a hand at the room. "Do you have any idea how much this all cost? We can't go taking in another mouth to feed without some preparation."
"But there's no fucking money left here. Nada! Zilch! How the hell do you think I'm gonna be able to feed him any better? You-" His eyes are frantic, like he's just starting to realize the size of the hole he needs to crawl out of. "Fuck, you know the size of the payments they're asking for, and we're gonna lose heat any day now-"
"So get a job! You're an adult, Chikai, you should be able to take care of your own brother for a couple of months at least." Without waiting for a reply, the man turns away with his wife, and mutters to her no where near quietly enough, "Honestly, if they'd had a more reliable son, maybe those two wouldn't have thought to do something so desperate."
For a moment, Chikai looks struck... then utterly furious. Teeth bared, he moves like he plans to grab the man by the collar, only to be startled by the sound of a door opening and a small voice saying, "Big brother?" When he looks over, a young boy with tired, puffy eyes, clutching a framed picture tightly, is peeking into the room at him. "Can... can we go home yet?"
Chikai hesitates, taking another look at the older pair. The man's already talking to what looks like an employee. The wife glances anxiously back towards him once, but says nothing. His jaw clenches, and he just barely manages to grit out, "Fine." Without another word, he pushes past his brother through the door, almost knocking the kid over and leaving him to follow silently after.
When the memory fades, Chikai's already up and trying to push the stranger back so he can drive the heel of his shoe through the glass.