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At the most critical moment of the fight, Zanka was seriously torn between throwing himself to the ground, tacitly surrendering— something he refused to do— and pretending to be dead, or performing an unforgivable sinful act: Escape the fight.
Not for any particular reason, well yes, indeed, yes: Jabber corrupted the pure spirit of a serious and deadly fight with stupid and unnecessary words. They weren't vile insults that even affected his fragile and insecure shell; they were cordial words meant to force the start of a conversation. It didn't make sense..
Zanka simply couldn't believe how that idiot Jabber could be so eager to strike up a casual conversation during a confrontation where they should both be focused on trying to kill each other, not becoming friends. Because they weren't going to be.
In the most intense frenzy, the tension would break abruptly due to absurd interactions such as:
“Hmph… I think after this a good chicken and cheese empanada would be perfect to end the day.”
And that wasn't the most absurd thing he'd said throughout the entire damn fight, because Jabber's problem was his tendency to get too close to people to throw punches— understandable, he was a physical, direct fighter— but that also gave him the opportunity to keep interfering with his inane chatter. And that drove Zanka crazy in a way he couldn't even describe.
“Shut your damn mouth!”
"How violent..." he teased playfully.
That he didn't take it seriously was already a given, because Jabber didn't take anything seriously; it was something he'd grown accustomed to, something he couldn't change. Because that was Jabber, and he'd gotten used to it— even though he shouldn't have— to his way of being. But he never intended to accept those absurd, nonsensical comments he made from time to time.
- You look sooooooo cute when you're angry..." he chuckled. "It's a shame you're going to look like a wrinkled old man before you even turn twenty."
"Shut up!" he roared.
“Oh… How savage..." he chuckled. “I like it…” He smiled like a malicious cat.
"Jabber! Damn it! Shut your damn mouth!" he yelled at him, almost recklessly, managing to knock him to the ground abruptly, fitting Lovely Assistaff's intersection, burying it against his neck to immobilise him against the ground, even if only momentarily.
Jabber let out a loud, manic laugh, kicking him in the gut, which made Zanka choke and spat a trickle of saliva and blood from all his wounds. It had been a very long fight; exhaustion weighed heavily on his open, bleeding injuries.
Gasps escaped him uncontrollably, barely able to stand were it not for his cane. Jabber sprang to his feet, so effortlessly that he barely seemed bothered by the shocking wounds that scarred his skin. They were truly on equal footing. But Zanka reveled in seeing him slightly hunched over in a pained expression, though he didn't even try to hide it. His gasps were a rapid mix of adrenaline, and Zanka knew perfectly well that he was enjoying it. And it made his stomach churn with disgust— and many would say with envy— for being able to conceal his physical exhaustion, skipping about indifferently and radiantly as if the wounds weren't throbbing like blades digging into his body with every movement.
“A silent battle is so boring…" he rolled his eyes, bursting into laughter at the obvious exasperation on Zanka's face. "At least say something!"
He didn't even care if it was an insult or a death threat. At that point, all he wanted was for the fight not to become boring in his opinion. But Zanka wasn't cooperating with his unbearably strict seriousness.
Zanka calmed down, desperate to end the fight before Jabber drove him any further into a rage.
Jabber realised he had let his guard down with the rapid movement of his teeth, grinding with rage. His steps were erratic, and the attack he was about to launch had three openings that could knock him out, kill him, or potentially paralyse him with just a swipe of his claws. But, of course… That would make the fight incredibly boring, because taking down the enemy so easily was absurd when it was undeniably entertaining to tease him and elicit such funny reactions— even if Zanka didn't find them as amusing as he did. A real shame, though; Zanka didn't share his sense of humor.
"I could have killed you so many times throughout the fight..." It was a spoken thought, although Jabber was clearly aware that he said it out loud, stopping Lovely Assistaff dead in his tracks with his bare hands, even taking the liberty of deactivating Mankira.
"Obviously you're not fighting seriously!" A headbutt made him take a step back. And the fact that he wasn't fighting seriously wasn't what angered him most about all of it, not even not taking him seriously, but the fight.
A subtle trickle of blood flowed from his nose; the impact was precise and intense.
Jabber wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand, and a demented smile spread across his face.
He was definitely enjoying it more than he should have.
“Make him fight for real, Zan-Zan…”
"Don't call me that, you psychopath!" he demanded angrily, launching another attack full of openings that Jabber deliberately dodged without any side effects for Zanka.
It was more entertaining to laugh at his rage than to take the fight seriously and knock him out with just one move.
“Is so easy to annoy you..." he purred playfully.
“Shut up!”
“Shut me up…” he smirked.
Although then a loud and almost deranged laugh echoed throughout the place when Zanka audibly growled.
And… Suddenly… Silence.
Jabber froze in place the instant Zanka caught him by the collar. His body stiffened like a statue, and his eyes widened. Zanka had just slammed him against one of the walls close to his back, an impact that partially cut off his air but also immobilised him.
He only processed that he'd been kissed when Zanka pulled away. And it still took him several seconds to realise what had just happened.
The place had fallen into a deathly silence. They stared at each other, and finally, Zanka looked triumphant after the frustration and irritation that had been evident in his angry expression. A sudden calm washed over him, and Jabber blinked several times before pulling himself away from the wall where his body had been frozen. He hadn't noticed when his face had turned so red it was almost alarming.
"You have permission to kiss me whenever I drive you crazy..." A smile began to grow wider and wider on his lips, even more so when he saw the angry expression that reappeared on Zanka's face.
"You never know when to shut up?" he hissed irritably.
Jabber chuckled playfully. He took a step back, pressing himself against the wall again, needing to lean against it to stay upright. He admired that expression of growing irritation and watched his posture tense once more, anticipating another attack. However, at that moment, if it were up to him, he would devour Zanka whole right there on that filthy, dusty, rocky ground— uncomfortable, but exciting enough for him— though surely not for Zanka. But he was certain he would take it as an attack and try to kill him without hesitation. So, for once, it was best to be cautious.
“We'll leave it at a draw for today… Zan-Zan…” He winked at him.
Before Zanka could say anything, Jabber had practically skipped away, humming an impromptu song about what had just happened, as if he were on cloud nine. Zanka blinked in disbelief.
"Did that really work?" he whispered to himself.
He had just discovered a new— unexpected— way to silence Jabber. An effective one… If only he knew it only worked once, because the next time Jabber wouldn't hesitate to shove his tongue down his throat, he surely would have thought twice before doing it…