Chapter Text
His choker had been making strange vibrating and static sounds since he arrived in his room, at first he thought it was Rudo, trying to guess the operation of the choker and get used to the communication system— even though he should have already got used to it, which was frustrating and annoying.
So, he activated it with a groan, asking him to stop making the choker sound like it was trying to contact him, with the most rancid and grumpy possible voice to make clear he was tired and wanted to sleep.
However, no voice came from the other side but a heavy breathing that contained itself with a gasp. Zanka assumed Rudo may have been ashamed or startled by the scolding, so he just sighed and rolled his eyes, leaving the collar on his nightstand. The static melted into silence.
He would talk with Rudo the next morning, asking if he was okay and why he was touching the choker last night— and not responding to him. But for now, he needed to rest his wounds and change his clothes for more comfortable ones. His blue eyes slowly closed once he laid in his bed, with the subtle sound of the static coming from the choker once more. But he was too tired to respond or even listen to it, and he didn't care the least.
He would talk to Rudo. He will. He just needed to rest properly.
A faint light illuminated the room with a subtle welcoming awakening. Zanka sighed, though not irritated by the light of a new day, but the recent memory of the static coming from the choker last night.
There was a conversation waiting for him. Preferably in private.
He strolled to Rudo’s room with a dull expression after dressing in his comfortable clothes and grabbing his staff tightly, confidently, comfortably. He stood right in front of the door, but his fingers paralysed right before his knuckles tapped the door. The choker emitted a faint vibration, along with a soft static, a heavy breathing, which he couldn’t perceive at the other side. He touched it, trying to stop its movement.
Zanka knocked at the door, narrowing his eyes with distrust, but Rudo, at the other side of the opened door was not breathing heavily, which made him innerly tense, and his skin paled. Rudo stared at him in an awkward silence, larger than expected, and Zanka wasn’t even able to say anything. His mind was rolling through all the interactions he’d made in the last days, and who could be the one that purposely or non willing, was calling him through the choker.
“You didn’t touch the choker last night?” Rudo shook his head. “Right, thanks.”
Anything else, he left. His occupied mind searched for answers, there were infinite possibilities. He frowned, leaving a confused Rudo blinking in his door, not even able to say anything, nor ask him why he was asking that. Zanka turned the corner.
“Oh, I know that lovely bad tempered voice!”
Zanka froze in the middle of the empty hallway and turned around, so confused as well as tense that for a moment his eyes almost shone by inertia. But he was completely alone in that corridor. His skin paled even more when his neck vibrated for a moment. Zanka approached a hand to his choker, and his mind turned blank at the realisation.
No way…
“Talk to me a little more, man!” the voice echoed around him once more, which made him shudder again.
No, no, no…
The fight… The fight against Jabber… In the middle of the fight, the blood skipped and dropped like a river, or rain from his wounds, and his… They were serious, profound, wild… It had been a really bloody fight, he’d been almost knocked down and killed by that bastard. But whatever they did and no matter how much they fought, just a drop was enough… He shook his head slowly, unable to believe, his throat closed, making it impossible for him to be able to breathe for a second.
“Your voice is amazing! Talk to meeeeee!”
Such an impulsive and childish tone. He didn’t want to listen to it anymore. His heart tensed with rage and distrust. Zanka had the feeling that at any moment Jabber would just appear at his back… and his claws… His body tensed because he couldn’t help but feel he would die this time. He wouldn’t be that lucky that Rudo was at his side. He couldn’t be around anyone at any moment, at least until he managed to get rid of that noisy voice in his choker that he of course didn’t want to have at all.
He swallowed hard and walked as fast as he could down the corridor.
“Are you so stunned to hear my voice that you cannot talk?” he heard from the choker once more. “I just wanna talk!”
No.
He just cut the connection, but the voice was still sounding, at least if he didn't touch the choker, that bastard wouldn't be able to listen to him.
He needed…
He needed Semiu… Semiu must know how to take that infernal voice from the choker. He wouldn’t handle it any longer. He wouldn’t.
“Semiu…” the aforementioned raised their head, turned to him, perfectly able to see how Zanka was sweating and trembling, utterly nervous, with his choker in his hand, which was shaking as much as his eyes. “Please, tell me you can get someone’s voice off this…”
There was a brief silence.
“Why?”
“Something terrible happened last time I got out of here…” Semiu raised an eyebrow.
“What happened?”
“During the fight against…”
“I SAID, TALK TO MEEEEEEE!”
Semiu’s eyes widened at listening to that demanding, albeit without authoritative voice, but still took a long sip of the drink before leaving it on the desk and took Zanka’s choker, analysing it accurately.
“There was an exchange of blood during the battle…?” Zanka nodded immediately, trying to keep as serious as possible, but Semiu had realised how worried he was about the issue. “Willingly?” Zanka shook his head, narrowing his eyes as it was obvious. But Semiu had asked just in case Zanka lost his mind completely in the battle. “This is strange…”
“There’s someone you can do?”
“Unfortunately no…” a response as simple as a shrug. “At least the two of you want the connection to break. And you already can hear he’s so eager to talk to you…”
“He’s the enemy!” Zanka interrupted, almost sunk in a firm despair.
“Well…” sighed. “You can get him to talk about their people and his boss…”
Zanka bit his lip.
Actually that was… true…
But for that he would have to talk with that noisy jerk!
“Good luck”
“You’re not going to do anything, then?”
“There’s nothing I can do” grabbed the mug and took a sip once again, shrugging simply, drawing a smile at Zanka’s despair. “I’ll just wish you good luck and patience…”
There’s no fucking way…
He almost dragged his feet lazily through the ground while walking to his room again, he was not in the mood to talk to anyone, even less with that noisy voice echoing in the corridor as impatient as a child asking for a sweet. Zanka closed the door, the choker in his hand and bit his lip, responding to the laments and begs of Jabber.
“What?”
A panting noise silenced the choker for a few seconds. Surely he didn't expect an answer even though he was being so irritating and insistent.
“That lovely annoyed voice is responding to me!”
Zanka frowned.
That would be as difficult as Hell.
The dusk came earlier than he thought, time ran so much. His steps strolled through the corridor, as slow as meditant, while Jabber’s voice echoed in the immensity and loneliness of hallways— And yet it was not an annoying echo, because no one had come out to complain about the noise—, the eerie narrow way to his room filled with his voice as company made it a bit less sinister. Zanka couldn’t believe he got used to him that quickly, indeed, he couldn’t believe he had accustomed to his voice almost rumbling near his ear the whole day.
It was not as annoying as it was at the beginning.
“You barely talk to me. I like your voice…” Zanka rolled his eyes, unconsciously drawing a smile, Jabber had been telling him that since their connection through the chokers started and he still didn’t trust him on that. He forced his mouth to fade his smile, he couldn't trust him. “What do you think about mine?”
“No opinion”
“You listen to me rumbling and you don’t have an opinion of me!?”
“No” he shrugged as he could see him.
He reached his door and after unlocking it, he pushed it forward and sighed, closing right at his back and locking from the inside, avoiding anyone to get in, and also because he didn’t want to be disturbed at those night hours. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway, damned Jabber wouldn’t let him.
“What do you think about me?”
“Why do you want to know that?” asked Zanka, squinting his eyes as he took off the choker and left it on the table as he changed his clothes for something more comfortable for sleeping, if Jabber would let him. “Would you try to not kill me if I say I have you on good consideration?”
“Do you?” His voice sounded excited.
“No” rolled his eyes.
“Then why do you make me smile like a dumbass believing you like me?”
“I never said that… It was hypothetical…” he sat on the edge of the bed, crossing his arms on the table, getting closer to the choker, then rolled his eyes when he listened to a pout at the other side of the connection.
Zanka held the choker and laid on the bed, sighing and losing his eyes on the ceiling for a moment.
“Your voice is annoying…” he admitted with a lower, softened tone. “But still it’s a good company… I got used to listening to you and… frankly… sometimes you make me draw a smile…” Zanka bit his lip, suddenly feeling he was revealing too much, and also that he had said something he shouldn't have.
He was saying something too intimate— uncomfortable—, that was his consideration.
“Forget that last thing…”
“I… I make you smile?”
Zanka bit his lip.
Shit…
“I said forget it…”
There was a brief silence. A sigh, it looked like a smile, although he didn't want to believe that he had made him draw a smile.
“Rest well, my dear Zanka…”
Zanka shuddered, widening his eyes as the static on his choker faded, suddenly it felt so empty and silent in his own room that he couldn’t believe he was not feeling relief at that moment, but an intense and disgusting cold and loneliness.
“Rest… well…” he stammered, leaving the choker aside and staring at the ceiling with a strange grimace on his face. “… What am I doing?” he complained to himself, grabbing the side of his face, shaking his head slowly.
What does ‘my dear’ mean!?
Zanka refused to wear the choker when he went to have breakfast with the rest. He didn’t want to hear Jabber that day, he didn’t want to think about him at all. Enjin glared at him, confused.
“You’re not the kind of person that forgets about something as important as your communication device, Zanka…” the aforementioned tensed and glared at the blond, Rudo also stared at him, confused. “Why did you left him? You’re suppose to give example to Rudo”
“I…” he pressed his lips. “Don’t mention it…”
“Why wouldn’t I mention it?” Enjin narrowed his eyes.
“It’s my own business…” cut off, refusing to continue talking about it.
Rudo and Riyo stared at them, as confused and amused as Enjin when Zanka’s blue eyes darkened and his jaw tensed and clenched, turning his eyes away as he silently took breakfast. Enjin was speechless, but he realised something must have happened with Zanka to reject wearing the choker right in front of them and so suddenly. He’d been a bit obsessive with his collar since the fight he had against that poisonous freak among Rudo.
Zanka left the room in silence once he finished and he closed himself in his room again. Enjin and Rudo shared a glance, but none of them said anything. Riyo, instead, folded her arms, leaning her head to one side.
“I’m not the only one who realised something weird happened with him, right?”
“A few days ago Zanka asked me if I called him with the choker…” muttered Rudo as he lowered his eyes, pensive.
“What?” asked Riyo. “Why?”
“He didn’t let me ask him… He left… He’s been paranoid since then…”
Enjin narrowed his eyes.
At the same time, Zanka took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the choker on the desk, he pressed his lips, his jaw clenched, trying to control the sudden nerves. He licked his lip and gently stroked the collar, initiating the connection.
“… Jabber…?” he couldn’t believe his voice lost strength when he called him.
“Shit…” could be heard from the other side.
The connection broke. Zanka paled, blinking in disbelief, realising he called him in the worst moment possible. Possible a reunion with his colleagues, probably with his boss. Zanka left the choker on the table again, and turned it his back. Knowing that he had screwed up.
Jabber was always wanting to yap. He was eager to receive an answer to his childish and cat-in-heat-cries to be able to rumble for hours and hours non-stop. He didn't become hoarse, never. Zanka had never been the first to communicate, he never talked to him first, he never started a conversation…
“Zanka…” he almost skipped to the ceiling, he turned back to the choker. “Man! I was not expecting you to talk to me!” His cheerful voice was tense, which made a shiver crawl his back when he realised he was probably pretending to be as joyful as always, he probably was in front of his companions, and he got away rapidly, trying to not worry him. “This is so, so, so, so amusing! Your voice it’s even more precious when it’s unexpected!”
“Jabber…” he whispered, a bit more secure than before, he took a deep breath, and swallowed. “I… I was inopportune…”
“No! Don’t say that! I love listening to you! I always have time for you!”
Zanka sighed and unconsciously a grin appeared on his face, but he tensed and gasped, erasing the smile.
Don't smile! He's your enemy!
“There’s something you desperately want to tell me?” his cheerful voice echoed with a laugh at the end.
Zanka sighed. He was paranoid, it seemed like he wasn't really doing anything important, his initial tension had been due to excitement and shock at having been the one to contact him in the first place, he should calm down…
“Thanks to be there…”
Jabber— unexpectedly— fell silent, just his breathing. Zanka regretted his words the same moment he said them, and wanted to hit himself for it. A nervous chuckle echoed from him, seeming to be suddenly ashamed. Did he make Jabber blush?
“Awe…” he whispered, with a gentle giggle, touched. “T-Thanks to be there too…”
Zanka felt miserable that his heart was beating so warmly against his chest. Shit… He couldn't refuse it anymore… He sighed. He shook his head slowly and held the choker, surrounding his neck with it, sliding delicately his fingers through it, not cutting the connection.
“I'm looking forward to seeing you again...” muttered Jabber.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a surprise…” a malicious, playful giggle escaped his lips.
“Jabber…”
“No, no, no…” he said joyfully. “I won’t tell youuuuuu” hummed.
Zanka rolled his eyes, when he realised he was smiling, he didn’t even dare to erase it from his face, just slid his finger through the curve, then sighed.
“Fine…” he accepted. “I’ll wait for you…”
A cheerful noise, almost like a stunning scream echoed in his room. Jabber was such a child… He didn’t seem to understand how serious the situation was between them, he didn’t even care they were enemies, he didn’t even care he was supposed to fight against him. And Zanka couldn’t help but admit he liked those dummy noises he made. He ended up falling for them.
He erased his smile.
He ended up falling for him.
SHIT!