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Something felt weird.
No, that wasn't right.
Everything felt weird.
Like someone had taken him and turned him inside out.
He felt sticky.
The air smelled of iron.
He cracked open an eye, and flinched back, raising a hand to protect his eyes as the setting sun tried it's best to blind him.
He froze.
Slowly, he turned his hand around to inspect it.
Soft, human skin.
Calloused fingers.
Scarred arms.
He reaches up, tangling those calloused fingers in soft dark hair.
The other hand comes up, unbidden, to rest over twitching lips.
He's gasping for air.
He bends over, the hand that was tangled in hair coming to rest on trembling knees as he comes to a slow, earth-shattering realisation.
Kinich is dead.
"The next time you throw me like that, I'm going to burn you to ash, Kinich! How dare you disrespect your almighty sovereign ruler!" Ajaw screams, voice echoing around the cave they were exploring, face red as his hands swing around wildly.
"You say that every time. Follow through next time, and maybe I'll believe you," Kinich drawls.
Ajaw growls in rage, flying in Kinich's face, annoyance reaching it's peak as Kinich swats him away like a simple bug.
"Kinich!" Ajaw shouts, as the cave shakes around them.
"Shh-" Kinich attempts to quiet him, a bad feeling filling his chest.
"You can't shush me, I-" Ajaw is cut off, choking as claws rake straight through his body.
Kinich's eyes widen, and Ajaw feels his physical form glitch as it attempts to stabilise itself.
With a leap, Kinich jumps to defend him from what was clearly another attempt on his life.
Ajaw feels himself fade, everything seeming to go by far too quickly to parse.
Before finally, blessedly, everything falls quiet, and he slips into unconsciousness.
Ajaw feels himself heave in a breath, attempting to keep Kinich's lungs working.
It didn't truly matter, though.
Kinich was gone.
Ajaw was free.
Kinich was gone and Ajaw had Kinich's body.
Ajaw had Kinich's body.
Ajaw had....
Ajaw.............
Ajaw was going to be sick.
He felt the remains of whatever Kinich had eaten that morning slide up his throat as he coughed and heaved, forming a disgusting splatter in the grass.
He didn't remember how he'd gotten here, himself or...
Kinich's body ached.
A dull throb, coming from the chest area.
With a deep breath, he steeled his nerves, and looked down.
He nearly threw up again at the sight.
Blood soaked Kinich's shirt, which was covering what appeared to be a huge gash through his torso.
Not too deep, but if left untreated, especially in a fight...
Ajaw didn't know what to think.
This is what he'd wanted, ever since he and Kinich had made their deal.
This is what he'd been hoping for, even going so far as to heckle Kinich, tell him how close he was to death.
And yet...
Ajaw brought Kinich's knees up to his bloody chest, and rested Kinich's chin on them.
Why did it hurt so much?