voidtreckerexpress | Luggage Reunion

"Taiiiki? Taiki! You in here pal? It's Tidus! Taiiiki?"

Taiki's return isn't a quiet one. Perhaps for a short while, but as soon as there was the opportunity to get back onboard, he and Inigo had sprinted at the chance, heading for the luggage car; their orders from the shop the last things on their mind, but someone far more precious.

Granted, a sweeping gaze - quick as it was - didn't provide Tidus the sight he was looking for, his impatience mixed with the giddiness, with apprehension. Neither of them had seen Taiki leave. That meant he might be in here, right? Or they should check the ICP, see if his name isn't still in gold-

But look. Sometimes, you just want to get calling for a pal.

It's true that they hadn't seen him leave. It was the one relief about this whole situation, really - though there was the chance that his name would still be in gold, and that they'd have to go through this entire worrying and hoping thing all over again during the new platform.

So Inigo's chest feels tight all the same as they enter the luggage carriage, wishing so desperately that Taiki is there. Inigo hears Tidus call, but even though he's standing right next to the other guy, the sound feels oddly distant, maybe because Inigo's heart and thoughts are both absolutely racing.

Inigo doesn't call out. Instead he looks around, trying to spot Taiki, but it's hard. There's people's orders stacked up all around, and it makes it hard to tell whether the other is just not here entirely, or if it's just hard to see him behind everything else.

"Tidus?" He heard his friend's voice and he scrambled to exit the suitcase quicker. There are parcels piled around, it's platform day? The luggage carriage is usually full but more so on platform days.

He moved towards the voice and peered around a tower of trunks, a smile tugging at his lips when he spotted Tidus and growing larger when he saw he was not alone.

"Tidus! Inigo! How long was I gone?"

He moves as he speaks, towards them.

Was there any reason for this to work? For them to find Taiki, when a platform stop meant nothing for people reappearing? No, there wasn't, and it was likely madness to do; to potentially build their hopes up and to have them crash on down when there was no friend returned to them. Just disappoint waiting.

Except - there's a voice, a call. Tidus freezes, not sure if he heard right, if that was Taiki or someone else. Until he calls out for him again, and there comes Taiki emerging from a suitcase, stumbling onto his feet, coming over to them with questions.

Tidus doesn't answer right away. Instead he leaps to shorten the small distance between them, arms coming around Taiki and a laugh loud and delightful out of his throat. His embrace tight, and upper torso rocking the pair of them.

"Too long!" he finally replies. "We missed you! Oh man, I'm glad you didn't leave-!"

Which he may have feelings about later, but for how, his mouth isn't restricted.

Tidus leads the charge in heading towards Taiki - because Inigo is still frozen up for a moment, standing there like he's nailed to the ground, rooted to the very spot he was standing. He's just staring as if he can't quite believe what he's seeing, as if he's worried he might just want to see Taiki so badly that he's hallucinating the guy.

But then Tidus moves forward, and Inigo can see Tidus hugging Taiki, and that means it can't be fake, right?

It has to be real.

So Inigo, too, finally forces his legs to move so he can head over the luggage towards the other two.

"Taiki, we seriously thought you were going to leave.." Or, well, mostly Inigo did. But he knows that Tidus must have realised the possibility too, deep down.

He feels guilt straight away, both of them sounded so worried. They had both feared that he would leave them, disappear off the platform like so many had before.

None of them had any choice about that and Taiki could only be glad that that had not been his fate. He hugged Tidus tightly, holding him as if that alone would tether him to this train.

After a moment he pulled back, but only to reach out towards Inigo, to invite him into the hug.

He knows as worried as Tidus had been Inigo would have been all the more so.

No need to tell Inigo. He is already here for this hug. The moment he reaches the other two, he easily joins in on the hug, fully burying his face into Taiki's shoulder for a moment - like he wants to be as close as possible to the other right now.

He'll leave the actual saying words part to Tidus for a moment, because Inigo needs his own little moment here. A moment where he can just cling to Taiki, and realise that the other really is back. That the three of them are reunited once more, feeling complete again.

They end up in this kind of situation frequently, don't they. But it's always warm, a little overwhelming, but a good kind that offers relief. The weight of them all pressed close together, and Tidus enjoys for a good moment. But he can be the one to speak over their heads, to move it away from a shoulder.

"We're glad you're okay," he says, as obvious as it is. "You disappeared...the day after the party. What timing - but don't worry, Gyōkō's okay."

Tidus made sure of that. He wouldn't let the poor little guy starve because Taiki wasn't around.

Taiki wrapped his arms around them both, holding Inigo tightly and letting him cling. After all he knew how worried Inigo must have been, how much he feared people leaving.

That he had left just the day after the party must have hit them even harder, they had all got to have fun together and then he had vanished on them.

"I'm sorry." He can't help the apology, just knowing how much pain he had brought both of them.

"Thank you for looking after him for me, I hope he behaved." He was sure he did, the little jerboa was never any trouble.

"Tidus did a lot, even though you were gone." It's only barely audible, considering it's mumbled right against Taiki's shoulder, and therefore heavily muffled. But the fact that the three of them are so close right now still renders them able to understand what Inigo is saying.

Besides, it's a compliment. Inigo felt like such a useless lump in the time both Taiki and Roland were gone - which is why he admires the way Tidus was just able to go on so easily so much more. Even though Inigo knows their absence must have weighed down on him as well. They both love Taiki so much.

"He was taking care of a lot of things."

"You've got nothing to say sorry for." He raises his hand to rub affectionately at the back of Taiki's head, resting it back along some shoulder or limb by the time that Inigo's mumblings come out.

Tidus shakes his head, short and softly.

"I was distracting myself, that's all. We all had a lot to do." Which reminds him, that they should tell him about the stop. But maybe later, once they've settled down.

"You're not hungry or anything, Taiki? It's a platform stop; we've got something new."

Though he doesn't know himself what yet.

"That's because Tidus is so strong." Always so strong for others. It was remarkable just how strong he was. He doesn't let go of Inigo, able to understand him even as he muffles just as if he was speaking clearly. It was one of the advantages of being a kirin.

"I guess... We can go and see what they have. Are you hungry Inigo?" He doens't want to move him much but shifts so they should be able to talk even with Ingio clinging to him.

"Yeah."

Well, in all actuality, he is not particularly hungry. But he knows that answer will get Taiki to the food much more quickly, and they should probably get some proper food in him after he was gone for all this time.

Besides, he doesn't mind checking out the new food either, even though it hasn't even been on his mind at all until now, too worried about the possibility of what could have happened at this platform stop to really consider any of said stop's other implications.

Inigo pulls back, considering even he realises there's no way they're going to be able to move if he's clinging to everyone present.

"Let's go see the food."

He slowly releases his hold so they can actually walk.

Tidus moves away as the plans for food come to an agreement, but he stands in wait beside them, a smile tugged onto his face and eyes watching the pair, but particularly Taiki. Getting to see him again for the first time in a while, soaking in the sight of him.

When he begins to walk, he's already looking back at Taiki, pausing to ask:

"Were the transgates up when you were here? We can move over to the stores from here!"

And now he's heading over to where the floating gold disk hovers, waiting to be used.

Inigo might have pulled back but Taiki's hand finds his quickly, a promise that he is back. He's not going anywhere else. Not right now.

He would reach out for Tidus' hand too but Tidus is already ahead of them, impossible for him to stay still for long.

"Transgates?" He shook his head. "Lightning was talking about them, on the ICPs." That was transgates... He thinks.

"They help us get around the train faster."

Look, there's probably a more technical explanation. But Inigo is not good with all this newfangled technology at all, so he knows he's not the person to try and explain that sort of thing. He figures that Tidus will add it if there's something important he's missing, since the other seems much more familiar with technology than Inigo himself.

Or wait, maybe--

"Do you want to demonstrate, Tidus?"

While the other is slightly ahead of them anyway. He'd do it, bro, but he's busy holding a hand here!!

~~tidus is feeling so attacked right now~~

Please, some of us don't think about holding the hands of our friends!! Which makes Tidus the odd one out, but at least he stopped to address them, nods and perks up when Inigo speaks about a demonstration.

"Sure!" And there he goes over to take up the transgate, floating disk gate that it is.

"There's a pad here on it, and you just pick which of the other transgates you wanna use! They've got a number and the name for them. So stores iiiis..."

Tink tink tink tink; that's the sound as Tidus presses through the buttons to get to where they want to be. Going in the longer, opposite direction until he backtracks, and there we go.

The lightly hazy centre swirls in one itself, readying to be used. Tidus looks to the pair and steps aside, making room.

"Come stand with me."

Let's do this, fellas.

Helped them get around quicker? Teleportation? That was useful, considering how long the train was and how long it took to actually get anywhere.

Tidus seemed confident with them at least and Taiki wondered if similar technology had existed in his world. He watched as Tidus pressed buttons and the light started to swirl.

He glanced at Inigo just to check he was alright with this teleportation device and then moved to stand next to Tidus.

No problems with the teleportation device here. Is it weird? Sure, but if there's anything Inigo has encountered during his long stay on the train, it's way too weird technology. And it's not like he hasn't used these things yet before now.

"Alright, captain." Inigo says as he walks over, following Taiki. "Ready for.."

.. if Inigo was a little more tech-savvy, he'd say 'launch'. Or 'take-off'. He's probably looking for those words in his mind right about now, but it's coming up blank. So as he's saluting with his free hand, he just adds: "Ready to go!"

Just trying to keep the mood light for Taiki. It doesn't look like the other thinks this is all that strange, but.. you never know.

You tried, Inigo. Good job.

With everyone in their place and the machine going, it doesn't take long for the centre to turn bright, and in a blink - in a blink is what it feels like, a second where everything turns white instead of black. And there, with their eyes that never perhaps shut, they're staring out into the stores, the shelves and different food crates piled fresh and new.

It's funny, in the way that it would be for anyone opening their eyes to another area so abruptly. But Tidus is used to technology enough to take a few steps away and to stretch his arms, giving them a small swing on the way down.

"Ta-da!" He turns, looking at Taiki. "Handy, huh?"

He kept hold of Inigo's hand, he hadn't used such a machine before but he can figure out what it is meant to do.

And even though it is done with technology not magic it is not so different than some things in Tai.

So he is not afraid as he stands close to Tidus, hand linked with Inigo and in just a second they are in the store room.

"Very handy. It makes things a lot easier, I would think."

No more long walks just to get from one place to another.

Even though it's definitely not the first time Inigo has used the devices, it still had a momentary dizzying effect on him. He shakes his head to try and quickly shake it off, but then lingers in the surprise for a moment longer - mostly because Taiki seems so unaffected by it.

But then again, he supposes Taiki has seen a more modern world than just Tai. Maybe this is normal to him.

"Look at you, dealing with it like a champion!" He says, with a laugh and a squeeze of Taiki's hand as he gently tugs the other away from the device, in case someone else wants to use it. "You see that, Tidus? He didn't even blink! Our Taiki really can handle anything!"

"I'm not surprised!" Tidus says with all the confidence for a pal that a guy can have. "Taiki ever tell you about how he had to stare down a monster friend to make a bond between them? I forget the name," he says to Taiki, in case 'monster friend' is rude.

"But it went on for hours, didn't it? For days?"

He just remembers it being the sort of situation he knows he would have given up on in minutes, or had the smarts to know he couldn't handle. Just staring at another to win over them? He doesn't have the patience.

So what he's saying is, Taiki can put up a good face when he wants.

Taiki blushed slightly, looking a bit awkward but nodding at Tidus' words. He supposed he was pretty good at hiding surprise when he wanted to be, even if his friends might be more used to him welling up in tears at everything.

How could he not when he was surrounded by such kind people all the time? "I guess I am used to things being unusual, so it doesn't worry me as much."

After all he had gone from a world with no magic to another where beasts flew, there was a sea in the sky and found out he wasn't human. Not much could be stranger than all that.

For days. Inigo can't even imagine it. Sure, he may have lasted for more than a few minutes himself, but sitting there and doing that for days? Usually Inigo would assume no regular human was capable of doing anything like that.

But then again, Taiki is a little more than a regular human, isn't he? Even aside from the whole kirin thing - he's just so great in every way. So no wonder that if anyone could do it, it's him.

"Oh great Taiki, I will strive to be more like you!" He laughs, but then stops the whole thing, because he knows it might just be a little too flustering for their friend.

Instead he glances between Taiki and Tidus, releasing his hold on the former.

"Anyway, let's look at what's on display here! What do we have for this month?"

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I'M GOING FIRST MOVE OUT OF THE WAY

we're letting inigo have his hug

How would we ever deny him?

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