Yasu needs comfort and Trik has priorities, so he ignores everything that isn’t his best friend or the screens around them. It seems like the time for the trial has run out, and his heart is pounding so hard in his chest that he can feel it in his throat. Even as he strokes Yasu’s hair and murmurs soft reassuring things to him, Trik’s eyes keep darting around the screens anxiously. The theories felt right, or at least plausible, but… was it Sen, or Komugi? Should he have voted for her instead of him?
The uncertainty lasts until Ayame appears on the screen, announcing the results… he wrinkles his nose a bit as she glitches out, and then sags with relief at the final verdict. So they were right! It was Sen! Duh, of course that was right. Now he felt foolish for even being worried, ugh, and if there was anything still questionable going on then… whatever, they could worry about it later. It was weird that they didn’t get more of an explanation, and that they were just being let go… but Trik is so fucking ready to be out of here that he doesn’t want to think of anything else. Probably just lingering paranoia.
“This is all fucked up, but Sora’s right. Much as I’d like to sweep this traumatic shit under the rug, I can’t. Like, partially ‘cause I’m down a fuckin’ eye an’ that’s gonna be a reminder every single second of every goddamn day, but also you’ve all like… had some serious emotional impacts on me. I think I might have grown as a person a wee bit an’ I blame all of you.” His tone is wry, but there’s a faint grin tugging at his lips as he helps guide Yasu to his feet again.
“So, and I swear this ain’t sarcastic, thank you. All o’ ya.” He gives warm nods around to all his classmates… almost all of them, anyway.
“Except you Giorno, you can choke.” Trik’s smile drops and his expression becomes a cold blank slate that he directs towards Jack. “Ya wanna dish out threats? Okay. Cool. Ya wanna murder me like ya murdered your own brother, Mr. DiCosta? I don’t really feel the need to keep your secret, actually, now that it comes to it, you filthy hypocritical traitor. Teru deserves to know the trash they’re holdin’ hands with. Your brother avenged your mum after your dad murdered her for tryin’ to leave him, an’ like a chip off the old block ya go an’ kill your brother too. Good fuckin’ job. Y'know, where I’m from, killin’ your siblings is heavily frowned upon.”
There’s a brief pause as he waits for that to sink in, Trik’s eyes narrowed and his tone is wry and disdainful as he continues.
“Now, I ain’t gonna attack ya, 'cause for whatever reason they like you. But if ya attack me, I will fight back. An’ what I said before still stands. I don’t care if you’re scared o’ me or not, I don’t need ya to be scared, I really cannot emphasize enough how much I do not care about a single one o’ your feelings or opinions. Anyone who would side with a domestic abuser over their own brother is not someone I’m impressed by. So as long as ya just make Teru happy, I’ll go about my life pretendin’ ya don’t exist. Don’t reply to me. Don’t talk to me. Either square up an’ come at me or just nod an’ go about your business. Anythin’ else is a waste of my time an’ yours. Oh, by the way- Teru, if ya ever get tired o’ this asshole, I got friends in the FBI who would probably love to put fratricidal garbage like him in prison. Fun fact, I’ve put a lot o’ criminals in prison. So y'know, that’d be no problem.”
Jack raises an eyebrow. So he really was going for it, huh? Really going to take that bait? How intriguing. He listens, an unimpressed look glazed over his face. At least, only for a moment. As the pyrotechnician continues, his expression contorts and he’s taken aback for a moment.
“Me, a traitor? I’m anything but!” He hisses, squeezing the hand in his own once more to keep himself at bay. “What, is that bologna seriously what th’damn dongle gave ya? M’dad was a good dad! He loved us! What are you fucking supposed tah do when you find your brother hanging over one of tha only people you’ve ever really loved with a knife, hah? He was the traitor. He was the one that betrayed my trust. So maybe that’s why I’m so skeptical about ya after last trial, ya fuckin’ Leprechaun.” He pauses for a moment, letting himself inhale deeply, to push any sort of rage away. Right now wasn’t the time to fight, despite desperately wanting to punch something, anything at all. His eye flickers down to the floor as his feet shift slightly, giving himself more sense of balance.
“And besides, he didn’t… M’dad didn’t kill m’mom over somethin’ petty like that. She betrayed us, betrayed th’family somehow, so she fuckin’ deserved it. That’s what he told me. He wouldn’t lie tah me about that.” His grip around Teru’s hand remains firm. The last thing he wanted was for some prick’s misconstrued information on him change anything here.
“Though it’s a small group, almost everyone I’ve ever loved’s been taken away from me and I ain’t lettin’ ya do it to me again.”
Trik is still glaring, though he’s also still holding up Yasu. And as Jack talks his expression shifts to one of incredulity, and then a mixture of that and pity.
“Wait, seriously?” He tilts his head, eyebrows raising, “Ya seriously didn’t know your dad was a terrible fuckin’ person? Seriously? There was no reason for the info on that drive to be fake, I know for sure some was real, an’ you’re tryin’ to tell me your dad wouldn’t lie to ya but he made up some vague bullshit about her betrayin’ ya "somehow” an’, what, it never once occurred to ya that lack o’ detail was suspicious? Or that maybe your brother had a reason for killin’ him? Jesus and Mary. Did ya even ask your brother what happened? Did ya ever look into any of it? Or did ya just take a murderer’s word for everythin’ like a goddamn sucker? 'Oh sure I murdered your mum but she betrayed us so it’s fine, don’t ask how or why.’ Are you stupid? I ain’t tryin’ to take anyone from ya, I’m tryin’ to make sure someone who my friend is attached to isn’t gonna treat them the way your dad apparently treated his partners. An’ maybe if ya actually had two brain cells to rub together an’ used them ya wouldn’t have lost almost everyone ya loved, maybe you’d still have your brother if ya bothered to stop and think for five minutes. He didn’t betray you, but you didn’t even hesitate to murder him, did you? Wow. Just, fucking wow.“
At that point, Jack’s exasperation could only grow, before falling flat into pure disinterest.
“…You don’t fuckin’ know anything about m’family and the way I grew up so I’d suggest ya stop implyin’ I’m an idiot when I gotta be on m’tip-toes on who I trust constantly!” Jack groans, rolling his eyes in annoyance. “As I took it, Betrayal in a fuckin’ American mafia family can be a valid reason fer death. So fuck you for thinkin’ I should’ve questioned it. And what, would you fuckin’ stop and ask someone why they killed yer boyfriend, or any of yer family that you love, if ya just walked in on em doin’ such? No you fuckin’ wouldn’t, would ya? And even if m’dad did do shit like that, fuck you for assuming I’d ever do tha same. My dad loved tha both of us and maybe if my brother tried fucking talking tah me maybe I’d still have them both! I ain’t the one at fault here, I’m not a fucking imbecile! Quit tryna start shit. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m gonna be the adult here, Love, and quit taking up to yer bullshit.”
"I’m sorry, fuck me for thinkin’ you should question why your own mother was murdered? Do ya even hear yourself?” Trik snaps right back, “I can’t believe your whole argument here is "sometimes murder is valid” like, yikes. So ya gotta 'be on your toes’ about who ya trust unless that person is your murderous father who is also apparently a criminal that loved his kids so much he made them complicit in his crimes. Yeah, you’re so wary but you trusted him without question. No, whatever, ya wanna add ignorant to brother-killer, have fun with that, ain’t my job to help ya work through your denial. That’s your business. You say fuck me for assuming anythin’ about you an’ then turn right around an’ assume shit about me. You didn’t attack “someone” standing over your dad, you attacked your brother. And for your information I would actually not immediately murder my sister, or anyone else I love with no questions asked, if I saw her standing over someone’s body, no matter whose it was. But sure, you’re the adult here whining about how it’s not your fault you murdered your brother. I don’t know who ya think you’re kiddin’ here, or if you’re just tryin’ to convince yourself, an’ I don’t care. I already told ya to stop talkin’ to me or make good on those little threats of yours. So please, by all means, shut the fuck up.“ And with that he pointedly turns his attention back to Yasu, albeit keeping his right side towards Jack so he’ll still be in his peripherals.
Jack narrows his eyes once again, but does not speak. He isn’t about to pull back on his own remark, no, not when that’d make him look like a fool. He asked for this, anyways, did he not? There were no regrets or arguments left. He couldn’t keep saying that 'you don’t get it’ despite that being the truth, as far as he was concerned. A cycle of the same thing over and over in front of so many people was the last thing he needed. His eyes, full of rage, only seem to simmer when he turns back to Teru to whisper something to them. They… they needed to hear this, but they didn’t need to see it.