#chishiya misses kuina

[chishiya-of-diamonds]

I am missing her so much.

Why won’t she just talk to me?

-SC.

[sharpsuite]

CHISHIYA & KUINA

I've addressed this before that I tend to write Chishiya as somewhat of a blend between live action & manga portrayals. Not that the two are in total conflict with each other, they aren't. This reminder is just a bit more RELEVANT to remember in this post and in regards to the relationship of Chishiya & Kuina in the live action vs what we end up seeing in the manga. One point I don't see get mentioned very often though is Kuina in the live action was plenty aware of what Chishiya was doing, as opposed to the manga where she has a very HOSTILE approach to Chishiya's scheme. Or rather, she's ACCEPTING of it in the live action compared to the manga, which in a twist, does make Chishiya like her more and creates a closer bond rather than what we see in the manga. ( And of course for those who prefer writing Kuina in one portrayal or another, I'm happy to work with your portrayals! ) In the live action she simply quips that she feels bad but is pretty casual about it and is content to follow after Chishiya as he's headed to leave.

Don't get me wrong. I adore the artwork & fun stories and such of these two in fanon. But Chishiya ISN'T someone who is that attached to people. ( It's an important part of him - not just his lack of value of life, but lack of CONNECTION and understanding. ) In the manga he was just going to leave without her. Even in the live action, he was 100% willing to walk away and leave her if she wanted to go back to save Arisu from the situation that they (albeit mainly Chishiya) caused. But he does make the suggestion in the live action that she could go save Arisu if she wanted to. In some way, this is a rather NICE move on Chishiya's part. Chishiya doesn't give options to people. Or if he does it's heavily manipulated so it is more of an ILLUSION of choice than actual choice. For example, like i talked about here in this post, I genuinely think he planned to kill Arisu if Arisu disagreed to be part of Chishiya's scheme. Safety measures for him. So it's HELP or DIE. A choice, but not really a choice.

But the choice he offers Kuina is very real. He won't help her. But if she would feel better, then she can go back and help Arisu. He won't stop her, but he won't assist her either. The fact stands that HE CONSIDERS HER FEELINGS when he doesn't have anything to gain from it. Considering Chishiya's personality, it's a significant gesture from HIM even if it would be normal to other people. When she chooses to stick with him, he's a bit more willing despite her knowing more of his true colors, he's more willing to assist like the five minute craft bombs he made in season 2.

I think Chishiya is genuinely BAFFLED by Kuina's decision to stick with him. It's very OPPORTUNISTIC at first on his side. Chishiya is a manipulator, he takes fairly gullible and kind people like Arisu and Ippei and uses them to his benefit. He admits as much without shame. So if someone is sticking by him and he can use them? Why not? It benefits him. That said, he does come to value her company and in both sources he takes Kuina's assessment of Arisu into consideration. ( Enough to bother asking what she thinks of him at least. ) And in both versions, despite Kuina's hostility in the manga in the aftermath of the card theft compared to Kuina's WILLINGNESS in the live action, he's easily willing and accepting to keep her with him. He likes her company enough to value having her around with him OUTSIDE of just immediate usefulness. Although her physical strength compared to his lack thereof certainly doesn't hurt. It's not necessarily a best friends kind of care, but there's some value there to him enough that he wants to keep it around.

Maybe with time he opens up more and i'm certainly happy to explore this in threads and such! It's just that he's NOT attached at the hip, not quite as caring at it might seem or fanon makes it to be. Not without development at least. But he does value her regardless and would like to have her around if possible - but he's still going to put himself and his interests first.

[lovelybaka]

After watching episode 7 of Alice in Borderland S2 all I want to say is:

No dead character confirmed is a character alive.

That's all.

I keep the faith.

Always.

[mazojo]

Soulmatism at its finest

Promise, if we meet again, that we’ll be friends. ANN RIZUNA and HIKARI KUINA in ALICE IN BORDERLAND (2020 - 2022)

[ioaezz]

Hiii, can u do headcannons on the aib characters being jealous or when someone else is flirting with their partner!! Thanks, I love ur fics soo much.

( ℋit & miss ) . . . ♱ aib characters getting 𝔧𝔢𝔞𝔩𝔬𝔲𝔰 because someone is flirting with their s/o ♱ . . . aib masterlist ━━━ ioaezz. ౨ৎ

note: thank you sm for requesting && i’m so glad you enjoy my fics!! <3

HIKARI KUINA

♱ kuina had told you prior that day that she was going to meet up with chishiya and you had smiled at her before telling her that you’d probably hangout at the pool

♱ true to your word kuina found you in the pool but to her surprise you weren’t alone

♱ a girl that kuina vaguely remembers seeing around had jumped on your back while giggling loudly

♱ kuina and chishiya watched you play around with the girl but when she fluttered her lashes seductively at you kuina let out a scoff

♱ your girlfriend then marched over to the pool with a forced smile on her face

♱ when you saw kuina your smile widened and you almost threw the girl off of your back much to kuina’s pleasure

♱ but unfortunately the girl was determined to get you

♱ kuina jumped into the pool before she kissed you with a smile while subtly pushing the girl away from you

♱ as you were about to pull away kuina pulled you back in and you completely forgot about the girl as you made out with your pleased girlfriend

♱ after you finally managed to pull away you noticed that the girl had left but you didn’t really care as you wrapped your legs around kuina’s waist to continue your make out session

♱ after that experience kuina kept you away from the girl that would occasionally sent you flirty smiles but she would always stop once she saw your girlfriend with her arm around you

MIRA KANO

♱ you were sitting on mira’s lap as you fed her strawberries with a smile until a guy that you played a game with recently walked over to you shyly

♱ mira’s smile fell from her face as the boy handed you a bouquet of flowers, his reasoning being that he was thankful that you saved him during your last game

♱ her grip on your waist tightened as you awkwardly took the bouquet but he didn’t leave as you had expected

♱ instead he sat down while your girlfriend eyed him carefully

♱ he started talking to you about how he couldn’t stop thinking about you and even when you told him you were dating mira he wouldn’t back down

♱ fortunately you were finally able to convince him to leave after ten minutes

♱ mira noticed how bothered you felt afterwards so she made sure to distract you all day long by kissing you sweetly in your room or by doing each other’s hair

♱ when it became night mira sneaked out of your shared room while you were sleeping to set the guy up by placing a few cards that she managed to get a hold of underneath his bed

♱ then she went to hatter to inform him of the ‘traitor’ and he immediately send aguni and his militants after him

♱ while the militants tortured and killed the man cruelly, mira was watching everything what they did to him through the surveillance cameras with a sadistic and crazed smile on her face

♱ by the time you woke up the next morning mira was peacefully sleeping next to you and the man that had been flirting with you was long dead

MORIZONO AGUNI

♱ you and aguni were sitting at a table outside when a beautiful girl approached you with a charming smile

♱ she’d ask you if she could take a seat next to you while aguni was sitting across from you with a questioning gaze wondering whether you knew her or not

♱ after you told her that she could with a kind smile hers grew slightly before she sat down closely beside you so your bare thighs were touching

♱ the girl talked to you for thirty minutes straight while completely ignoring aguni which didn’t really bother him

♱ that is until she started complimenting you endlessly with seductive eyes

♱ her hands grazed your thighs and if aguni wasn’t as observing as he was he wouldn’t have noticed

♱ after having realised that she was flirting with you he’d watch your reactions closely with clenched fists and gritted teeth while glaring at her but when he saw that you were awkwardly smiling at her while blushing madly he got slightly upset

♱ but he’s impressed she hasn’t backed off yet as he glared at her

♱ he’d make up some excuse that the two of you had to leave and before you could even properly say goodbye to her he pulled his arm around you before leading you away

♱ you would be slightly confused as to what was happening but aguni reassured you that he just wanted to leave

♱ you didn’t question him and now anytime the girl was around, aguni would make sure that she was as far away from you as possible

♱ the next time she would try and hit on you aguni would send one of his militants after her in a way that you would never know that he was the one to kill her

RIZUNA ANN

♱ when you started dating ann you realised that if you wanted to spend some time with your girlfriend you had to be around her workplace a lot

♱ after a while ann noticed that you were always discarding your job as bartender just to be with her and she felt slightly bad so she told you that she’ll try and visit the bar more often even though she didn’t like being surrounded by drunk idiots

♱ but she knew she had to make some sacrifices to make your relationship work so she did exactly what she told you she would

♱ she swiftly moved through the sweaty bodies to make her way towards you when she noticed a man sitting on one of the barstools

♱ she wouldn’t have thought anything of it if he wasn’t there everyday staring at you while telling you some shitty pickup lines

♱ you hadn’t noticed your girlfriend yet as you talked to him while mixing a drink for some girl

♱ ann silently creeped up behind you before she wrapped her arm around your waist and burying her head in your neck while you let out a laugh at your girlfriend’s unusual amount of public affection

♱ the man glared at your girlfriend as she kissed your neck while staring right into his eyes with a flicker of amusement in her eyes

♱ when she pulled away there were multiple red marks left which was either her lipstick or fresh hickeys

♱ during the whole evening ann managed to piss the man off in every possible way by raising her brow temptingly while she kissed you or by ‘accidentally’ stepping on his foot with her heel

♱ after that you never saw the man again

RYOHEI ARISU

♱ you were eating with a group of friends that tatta introduced to you while arisu held your hand beneath the table as he ate

♱ he noticed one of the guys constantly staring at your lips which made him frown slightly before he shuffled closer to you

♱ after a while the guy called your name which caught your attention and told you that there was some food on your lip

♱ you tried to get it off but it seemed like you kept missing it

♱ the guy reached over the table to clean your lip with his thumb while staring intensely into your eyes which made arisu scoff

♱ he wrapped his arm around your waist and he pulled you into him while the guy glared at him

♱ you noticed that your boyfriend’s mood dampened so you quickly stood up while dragging him to your shared room entirely ignoring the guy that called after you

♱ when you’d get to your room you’ll both sit down on the bed while he played with your fingers

♱ you’d ask him whether he was jealous and he’d blush while shaking his head softly

♱ a smile spread across your face at your boyfriend’s shyness before you wrapped your arms around his neck and peppered his face with kisses

♱ he’s blushing so hard omg

♱ when you calmed down he’ll kiss you longingly while pressing your entire body into his

♱ the rest of the day was spend on your room and anytime arisu saw the guy that tried to flirt with you he’ll pull you away with some lame excuse

SHUNTARO CHISHIYA

♱ you were lounging outside as you waited for your boyfriend while he was in an executive meeting when your friend approached you with a flirty smile

♱ chishiya had told you that he didn’t like her because she flirted with you but you were completely oblivious to it and told him that’s just how she’s always been

♱ so he wasn’t very pleased when he saw her practically grinding her hips subtly into your lap while doing your makeup

♱ chishiya noticed that she was wearing a very revealing bikini that showed her cleavage off and he was sure that she wore it specifically for you which ticked him slightly off

♱ your boyfriend slowly strolled towards your lounge chair as you rambled to her about some movie that you watched before the borderlands while she smiled and nodded

♱ when you noticed chishiya standing next to you, you almost jumped off the chair with a happy smile which warmed his heart slightly

♱ he barely looked at your friend and pushed her away from you to kiss you gently on your lips which angered her slightly

♱ chishiya swore he could see smoke coming from her ears when he ‘accidentally’ spilled his drink on her white bikini that she had put on for you before pulling you into his lap

♱ when you had worriedly asked her whether she needed help your boyfriend cut your friend off by telling you that she was old enough to look after herself

♱ the girl had no other choice then to leave but not before glaring at the smirking man that was playing with your hair

♱ later on chishiya made sure she didn’t survive the next game she played with him while never directly killing her

SUGURU NIRAGI

♱ niragi often whined that you should have a little more fun at the beach so when your friend asked you whether you wanted to go dancing with her tonight you agreed

♱ your boyfriend was playing games tonight and you had still some visa over and so did your friend

♱ when you arrived at the dance floor there weren’t many people because most of them had left for the games but you liked it more this way

♱ after dancing for a while you decided that you needed a break from the sweaty people that were constantly moving around you so you sat down on a high chair that gave you a clear look of the room

♱ you noticed that people were returning from their games and your eyes couldn’t help but wander towards where the dj stood

♱ he was a man about your age and you knew that he was a pretty decent guy so you made your way over to him to ask him about how he did his job

♱ the guy was very funny and offered to teach you the basic skills of a dj which you excitedly accepted

♱ when niragi returned from his game he was ready to see you somewhere around waiting for him but he was upset when he didn’t see you

♱ your boyfriend looked for you in your shared room and the pool before he found your friend and demanded from them to know where you were

♱ with a trembling voice she explained to him that you should be somewhere on the dance floor which surprised niragi slightly

♱ he scoffed at your scared friend before he dashed off to find you

♱ the look on his face when he saw you laughing with a man at the dj booth was terrifying to the people around him and they all quickly scrambled away from him

♱ his riffle was the first thing you saw as he pointed it to your new friend who was both shocked and horrified

♱ you looked at niragi only to see him glaring coldly at the man

♱ you tried to convince him not to kill your friend and eventually you managed to coax your boyfriend by kissing him and telling him all kinds of sweet things

♱ after that niragi dragged you away from him and you spend every waking hour beside him for the next week

♱ unfortunately your friend ‘died’ during the next game but niragi won’t admit to doing anything

TAKATORA SAMURA

♱ on the ride to a game arena a girl sat down next to you while your boyfriend sat in the front passenger seat

♱ he didn’t think anything of it but when he saw that her face was inches from yours with a flirty smile on her lips he was sure that she was trying to hit on you

♱ samura didn’t say anything even though his grip on his sword tightened and just watched you nervously decline the pretty girl who was very persistent

♱ she giggled loudly when she put your hand against hers to compare your hand sizes, which made no sense to your boyfriend before she intertwined her fingers with yours

♱ you nervously chuckled while scratching the back of your head not knowing what to do while samura watched you suffer quietly

♱ then the girl proceed to twirl your hair around her finger for the whole ride and tell you corny pick-up lines that made you laugh awkwardly

♱ but samura totally felt like banging his head against the car door when the girl next to you let out an obnoxious loud giggle when you sneezed before she told you that it sounded cute which only made you blush harder

♱ your boyfriend couldn’t be happier when you finally arrived at the arena before pulling you away from the girl with an unfaltering gaze

♱ when she saw your intimidating boyfriend staring holes into her head while holding his sword tightly she stopped her attempts to charm you and tried to avoid him as much as she could

♱ but during the spades game he swiftly sliced her throat while you were distracted, ending her life effortlessly

♱ after that occurrence the people that were also in your car spread the word that samura had killed a girl because she flirted with you

♱ now your boyfriend is the only person allowed to flirt with you

YUZUHA USAGI

♱ the two of you were walking around the beach while holding hands when a guy accidentally ran into you

♱ you’re forced to let go of her hand when you fall down with the man following right after

♱ your eyes widen as you notice that his face is inches from yours and it doesn’t look like he’s planning on moving away until you let out an awkward cough

♱ the man crawled off of you while usagi worriedly helped you up, making sure that you didn’t get hurt

♱ after he composed himself he apologised endlessly, telling you that it had been an accident and you forgave him quickly

♱ he shyly smiled at you before introducing himself to you entirely ignoring usagi which made her frown shortly

♱ you introduced yourself before you introduced usagi as your girlfriend but you noticed her smile fall slightly as he dismissively nodded at her, keeping his attention on you

♱ when he was about to say something else you quickly made up some excuse that the two of you had to leave before you dragged usagi away

♱ you immediately reassured her that there was something wrong with him and that it had nothing to do with her which made her smile slightly at you

♱ but usagi felt like he was everywhere you went which angered her slightly

♱ when she confronted him he told her that she was exaggerating and being paranoid before harshly bumping into her shoulder as he left

♱ later that evening you noticed your girlfriend’s dampened mood so you tried to make her happy by spending the whole day together making her forget about the man

[wolfvmin]

House of Cards: The Last Dance

pairing: chishiya shuntarou x fem!reader genre: angst, unrequited love (but is it really), pining, fluff (can u believe it) wc: 15.7k (uhm) warnings: badly written action scenes, implied abuse, more flashbacks, unedited </3 summary: in which after leaving chishiya, you were forced back into the games of borderland. a/n: this is all i can do i'm sorry song used: when i fall in love - nat king cole PART 1 > FINAL

Death doesn’t discriminate between sinners or saints.

As you lay there on the ground with the smell of cinder filling your nose and the heat of the scorching fire warming your skin, your mind brings you back to the means you had to go through to live another day in Borderland. You’ve lied, beaten, betrayed, and killed to survive. You hadn’t expected the ten of hearts game to appear just as you leave Chishiya. You also hadn’t expected the massacre of the Beach through a witch hunt. Everything about this is unexpected, just like everything that has happened so far in this world you didn’t ask to be in.

Niragi missed anything vital or permanently life-altering, you know that much given your medical background. He missed the femoral artery, you were pretty sure about it. Well, not that he was aiming for it when he started his reckless free-shooting. You were one of the bodies thrown off to the ground and was shot in the leg. 

Arisu and Usagi scream for you as you hit the ground with a thud, your arms stopping your head from the impact. With a groan, you lie your head on the ground in defeat. 

Usagi starts moving instead of checking on you, maneuvering and avoiding the distraught running bodies and bullets. 

You didn’t feel it at first, and then it started to hurt like a bitch that you wanted to die right there and then. How do you survive this? You immediately start thinking. The bleeding has to be stopped, for sure. How deep is the wound? That’s the first thing you have to check. But why can’t you move? You’re so tired. 

You turn your head to your left, Usagi has jumped on Niragi’s back, distracting him from his shooting rampage. Arisu comes to her aid, trying to take the gun from Niragi. In return, he gets repeatedly hit in the back by the gunned man in the process. 

Arisu couldn’t do it. He had too much injury and was weakened by the constant beating. 

Niragi was able to overpower him and kick him to the floor. He spins with his strength, sending Usagi’s body away from his back and flying to the floor with a loud impact. 

“Usagi!” you scream, despair not hidden in your voice. 

You attempt to sit up, adrenaline rush filling your senses to be able to save your friends. This was game over for you. You have no one to go back to in the real world. Chishiya is safe, you’re sure of it. Kuina is still here so he might be here too. He had to get the last card of the deck, of course. But he’ll be fine. 

With a shot leg, you won’t be able to get far anyway. 

Arisu quickly crawls in front of Usagi in a useless attempt to protect her from Niragi as he aims his gun at the both of them. They’re both weak and tired, there was no escaping from Niragi as they were his sole target. 

“You…” Niragi mutters. “I’ll kill all of you!” 

Your body was moving before you even knew it. As if you hadn’t had your thigh injured, you sprint over as a head start and jump to where the perverted asshole is. Your heart raced faster than your feet did as you shouted with all your might, raising your uninjured leg as you flew in the air. You succeed in getting Niragi’s attention as he looks up at you with wide eyes. Unlike Usagi, you don't jump to his back, instead your foot slams into his head, sending him flying across the floor. 

This attack had you rolling on the ground and then on your stomach when you land. Coughs sputter out of your mouth as the burning building’s smoke begins to affect your lungs. 

Arisu and Usagi could only look at you with stunned wide opened eyes and raised brows as you landed a few feet away from them.

“Run!” You scream at them with tight fists as you attempt to get back up again. It seems the adrenaline rush was no longer there to help you as you struggle to support yourself again. 

Niragi was getting up again. This makes you furrow your brows and groan, tears forming in your eyes in frustration as you slam your fists on the ground. There was no time. If the two try to run away in their bad state, they’ll be shot dead by Niragi. 

You’re fucked. 

Why can’t this motherfucker just die? you grimaced.

You drag your body with whatever strength you have, barely sitting up as you stare down at the man who had just gotten up to his feet with difficulty and a hand on his bleeding head. 

Just as Niragi raises his weapon, like a raging bull, Aguni rushes in and attacks him, pushing himself and Niragi into the spreading fire deeper inside the building. You could no longer see their bodies but shots were heard. 

“Three minutes remaining,” the game reminded the players.

As your body collapses on the floor in relief, all the people of the Beach rush to carry Momoka’s body to the Fire of Judgement. 

Arisu and Usagi try to help you stand but you wave them off when they successfully make you sit. “No. No. Clear the game first.” You laughed in between coughs. “I need to catch a breath.” 

Usagi tries to argue with you but you glare at her. “I’ll be out as soon as the phone dings,” you assure them.

“Can you walk?” Arisu asks as he looks at your leg.

You nod and roll your eyes. “I was a med student, Arisu. I can handle it.” 

The pair looked at each other as if communicating with their eyes and then they nod, lifting each and limping out of the building to head over to the Fire of Judgement. You watch their retreating figures, relieved that the two are safe. 

You look back down at your wounded thigh and laugh. You were probably overreacting a bit. It seems that your presumptions were correct. It didn’t hit anything bad and the bullet did enter you but exited you as well. But you do have to stop the bleeding as soon as possible. 

Great, now you’re going to have ugly scars on your thigh. So it’s bye-bye bikinis? 

You scoff and take off the white cover-up you had over yourself, leaving you in the two-piece black bikini you’ve been wearing since you arrived at the beach. You began to wrap it around your thigh skillfully just as you were taught. Blood began to seep through the cloth and you knew that soon enough, you have to replace it with a real bandage and sew the open wound.

The phone for the game dinged and you sigh in relief. They were able to burn Momoka’s body, after all. 

Definitely not with ease, you were able to push yourself back up. If it wasn’t for your determination to keep your promise to Usagi and Arisu, you would’ve just laid there for a little longer.

So much for Utopia, you thought.

As you were about to exit the building, your feet stopped on their own accord when something crossed your mind, making the corner of your lips turn up into a smirk. 

You sat on the small round marble table with your legs dangling and fingers playing with the ten of hearts card. Flames are eating up the building around you but you know you don’t have to be around here any longer. As if on cue, you see the familiar white jacket from your peripheral, bringing a sad smile to your face. 

“I saved it for you, Chishiya.”

There was no greeting needed. You turn your head to your right and give him a happier, faker smile. His eyes stray down to your injured thigh for a second but back to your face in no time. He approaches you with no caution and no clue of emotion on his face.

You don’t doubt he saw the whole ordeal back there. He probably saw you and your friends struggle as he sat back and watched the scene unfold like a movie. He watched you almost die. It was so like him, quiet and scheming as he does whatever is best for him. 

Now, he was here to steal the last remaining card too. 

“It’s no longer Shuntarou, huh?” 

He doesn’t receive any answer from you but he knows the answer why. You were still mad at him. How could you not? He practically sent your comrades to their deathbeds if it wasn’t for the unexpected game venue. 

“To be honest, I don’t think it’s even important if we collect all the cards,” you confessed as you stare at the single card in your hand, flipping to its front and back. You finally turn your whole body to face him, stretching your arm to offer the card to him. “But here, just so you have it all.” 

He raises a brow, staring at you with a smirk. Goddamn, is he attractive. It’s so unfair. 

His mouth opens, about to say something but another person walks in. He realizes this when your eyes stray from his and shift to the tall woman in a blue swimsuit. You smile at her, uncaring of the interruption. 

“You two are quite persistent, aren’t you?” Kuina asks with a smirk. Chishiya turns to look at her for a second before facing you again. 

She nods over to your still wrapped-up thigh. “That was cool–what you did to Niragi. Where did you learn that?”

“It was just luck,” you tell her, earning a scoff from the man in front of you. 

He takes the card from your hand. “Don’t believe her. She’s a spades player and was an athlete.” 

Among other things, sports were one of the few things you had to give up on when you were forced to pursue medicine. But you never told Chishiya that you would still make time to compete in underground fights. It was the only way you could keep doing it with your parents not knowing. So yes, you were a retired mixed martial arts athlete that eventually became skilled in street fights. 

Chishiya knew, of course. You would disappear and not bother him for weeks, healing any injuries that you incurred during the fights. Most of the time, you’ll be gone for a week. Until, there was one time in particular when you had not bothered him for almost two weeks and even canceled the date you were so excited to be on. Curiosity got the best of him, leading him to your apartment where he found you tending to your wounds alone. It was when you finally told him what you have been doing. 

“So this is what you have been up to.” 

Chishiya was leaning against the doorway with an unamused face, holding a flier of the underground fight in his hand.

You had been applying ointment on your wounds. The fight was worse than usual and your opponent decided to destroy your face. Of course, you won because you were so pissed off that you were going to have to cancel a date with Chishiya so he wouldn’t notice the black eye and your wounded nose. 

You drop the cotton bud with wide eyes and a gasp, scrambling to hide your face in your hands. 

It was kind of funny—you in your underwear, exposing all the healing bruises all over your body and face. Chishiya doesn’t react seeing you almost naked. It was like the nonchalant man doesn’t see you as a woman. 

You lower your hands from your eyes so you could see him but still enough to cover your face from the eyes down. “Are you going to tell dad?” you ask like a kid being caught shattering a vase. 

He sighs, walking over to your bed and sitting down with his hands inside his jacket’s pocket. “What would I gain from that?” It was rhetorical. You know he’ll gain nothing from saying anything. Instead, you know he’d rather keep his mouth shut and use it against you. 

In front of the mirror, you watch his reflection fixate on your body’s bruises. Suddenly feeling a bit insecure, you purse your bruised lips and head over to your closet to grab a silk robe to wrap around your half-naked self. 

“Why are you here, Shuntarou?” you ask with folded arms.

He shrugs and looks away from you. “‘Was curious.”

Silence filled your room, only the ticking of your wall clock being heard. You sigh. “I won’t stop doing it,” you tell him firmly. 

“I know,” he responds as if he expected you to say that. “But tell me, how long do you plan to keep on doing this?” He raises the flier in his hand again as if mocking you with it. 

You understand. You used to fight in arenas with media, judges, journalists, and opponents who are trained the same way as you. Underground fighting—it was different. It’s illegal, messier, and deadlier. Often, there are no rules. It’s quite literally beat your opponent to death or be beaten to death. Sometimes, weapons are even snuck in and nobody cares if it’s against the rules. 

It was dangerous for you but more dangerous for your family name. 

But you couldn’t help it, the rush it gives you—it made you feel alive more than championships ever did. 

To hide the bruises from your father, you would over-accessorize and constantly shop for new clothes. During the day, you were the rich and elegant daughter he wanted. But at night, you were a fighter under a different name and a mask.

When you don’t answer, Chishiya dismisses the question and looks over the medicine you got for yourself on your vanity table. “There’s better ointment than that.” 

You roll your eyes. Of course, he has to be smarter about that. “It’s the only brand the nearest drugstore had.” 

Then you grin, a thought coming into your mind. “Maybe you can help me apply it?” 

“No,” he stands up from your bed. “I’m leaving.” 

But he didn’t and he spent the night treating your wounds like a doctor should.

“Well, I have to go back to my friends,” you brought yourself to your feet, a hand hovering over your injured thigh. Kuina reached over to help you but you rejected her attempt with a smile. There’s a struggle but you were able to walk away from them even with the pain. 

You would kill for crutches right now. 

“Wait!” Kuina stops you. You turn around, confused as she approaches you. She removes the sword sheath from her shoulder and hands it over to you. You quickly recognize this as The Last Boss’, the militant always around Niragi, sword. “You can use this to steady yourself.”

You smile and take it from her. “Thank you,” you accept it with genuine gratitude, looking over to Chishiya who was watching the exchange quietly on the side.

“I’ll see you around, Kuina.” 

Arisu, Usagi, and you found a place to stay along with the others from the Beach. There, you tended to your wounds and recovered. There were no games. Those whose visas were about to expire tried to go to previous game venues but nothing happened.

It’s as if Borderlands completely stopped.

Some assume that the games are over since all the numbered cards were completed but you know that’s hardly the case. This is the silence before the storm—a grace period if you will. 

“Where’s Usagi?” you ask Arisu when you wake up and the pretty climber was nowhere to be found. He was looking better and his injuries were mostly healed.

“She went and looked for supplies with the others,” he answered with a yawn. 

Even if the three of you only spent a few days at the Beach, everyone began to miss the luxury of hotel beds, warm breakfast, hot showers, and electricity. Following the ten of hearts game, the survivors camped together. Eventually, it began to be suffocating as the same people reminded them of the Witch Hunt massacre. Most militants were eaten by their guilt and left, while those who had their comrades killed by militants still felt disgusted by them and chose to separate from the group. Wounds heal but they can’t be rushed. 

The three of you stayed with Ann and Tatta, hopping from one place to another for a few nights. 

Last night, you stayed at a small house with two bedrooms which were occupied by the girls and boys each. It didn’t have much supply hence why Usagi must’ve gone with Tatta and Ann. 

You were pretty much useless because of your injury and one of your three companions always had to stay with you even if you try to assure them you’ll be fine. It was mostly Arisu who was being overprotective. You had a hunch that it was mostly because it was a leg injury. It must’ve hit close to home, you think. 

Nevertheless, you were thankful for their care. Plus, it was a good thing that the games have somehow stopped for a while because you surely wouldn’t have survived with a leg you could barely walk on. The bullet missed your muscle or any artery, what it hit was mostly fat. 

You raised your leg on the coffee table while you sat on the couch. You could walk better now and maybe even run. You haven’t pushed it though, opting to do exercises that would help you recover faster. You were a spades player, after all. It wouldn’t do you any good when the games finally start.

“It’s a good thing you were in med school,” Arisu points to your leg. You gave him a wide grin, taking in the compliment.

“What a shame it was so boring,” you say. 

Arisu smiles, handing you the cup of instant ramen. You thanked him quietly and began to eat. He sits down beside you and eats his cup too. For a minute, the only thing that could be heard in the living room was the sound of your slurps and chewing. 

“So,” Arisu started, “I’m sorry about Chishiya.” 

You shrug, trying not to show how the C-word affects you. “I’m sorry too. Y’know, because he basically tried to kill you and Usagi. I know that you mostly trusted him because of my feelings for him.” 

“That’s what I’m sorry for,” he explains, “I didn’t think he’d betray you too. I thought he really cared for you. Especially when he said those things about you.” 

His words make you pause from your meal, looking at the shaggy-haired boy in curiosity and confusion. “What things?” you ask and begin to chew again, this time slowly, waiting for your friend’s answer. 

“He told me we shouldn’t include you in our plans because…” He set down his cup on his lap and chewed away the fullness of his mouth before continuing. “Because he doesn’t want you in any danger. He said ‘I’m sure you understand. If you were in my place, you wouldn’t want the only person you like in this life to be in any danger.’” 

Your breath catches in your throat. You know it wasn’t real. But to hear that Chishiya Shuntarou said those words about you even if they were lies? You wish you would’ve heard it yourself. In fact, you would give an arm and a leg for him to say that to you.

Arisu sighed, slumping his back on the couch. “He said it was still my choice if I’ll ask you and it was just his simple request. I was an idiot. I didn’t know he was doing it because he knows you’ll figure out his real plans if you knew our plan.” 

You stayed silent for a few seconds and then replied in a low voice. “You’re not an idiot.” A frown paints on your face. “He’s a manipulative motherfucker, that’s what he is.” 

“What made you like him so much, then?” Arisu lets his curiosity free with the question.

His question was valid. It’s no doubt that the asshole was attractive and cool. These are traits he had in common with millions of men in the world so why Chishiya of all people? Is it because you had no option? But you do. In fact, you hated the idea of your parents saying you’ll marry one of their friends’ sons. 

But heck, do your parents know you. They’re clever, you’ll admit. They really got you where they wanted you. 

“I’m sorry, I’m late!” 

The door opens with a loud thud, revealing you with your hands on your knees, in your messily worn high school uniform, and catching your breath from the running. You came from morning training for the Karate team but lost track of time. All your classmates had their eyes on you, some snickering and laughing at you. 

“Miss L/N, that’s the third time this month,” your teacher deadpans while still writing on the board. 

“I know, sir! I’ll try my very very very best not to do it again this month, sir!” You shout, grinning from ear to ear as you stand up straight with your left arm on your sides and your other hand in a salute. Your teacher sighs, muttering “this month” and shaking his head, making the class laugh. 

“Just get back to your seat, L/N,” he replies in defeat. 

“Yes, sir!” you agree and set down your salute back into a military stance. Your class laughs once again and you laugh along with them. You head to your seat at the back of the class, a few of your classmates giving you a high-five greeting as you pass by them. 

Your steps halt when you notice you finally have a seatmate. He had mid-length blonde hair, half of it tied up with a few strands on the sides of his face. He wasn’t even looking at you, focusing on the writing on the blackboard instead. The stranger intrigued you so you raise a brow and look at your side where your nearest classmate sat. 

“The new student,” he whispers. “His name is Chishiya Shuntarou.” 

You smirk, thanking your classmate and heading over to your designated seat. You set down your backpack on the floor and sat down, facing the new student who was still not acknowledging you with his stare. 

“Hi. I’m Y/N L/N,” you introduce yourself and hold out your hand. “Let’s be friends, yeah?”

The stranger stops writing his notes and finally looks at you straight in the face and then back to your hand. 

He just ignores you and continues writing his notes again. 

You stare at him dumbfounded with your held-out hand, frozen and in disbelief. ‘What an asshole,’ you think. You shrug anyway and retract your hand, sitting properly to face the board. 

“Chishiya, right?” you start a conversation even if you sense that he won’t bother answering. “Why would you transfer in the middle of the semester?” You were bringing out your notebook when a thought passed by you.

Then it clicks. “Chishiya, that sounds familiar.” You say to yourself particularly when you flip open the pages of your notebook to a blank page. 

“Idiot.” It was him mumbling but you hear it all too well.

Your mouth drops at his voice and it finally hits you. It was him. Chishiya Shuntarou, son of most of your hospitals’ directors. You see him during events your parents drag you to ever since you were children. He was always reserved and quiet but you always admired him, even harboring a little crush on him. You’ve been so deep into your sports for years that you actually forgot what your life was like before you found something that really excited you. 

A smile unconsciously spreads on your face in recalling the memory. 

“Shuntarou,” you pause. “He grounds me down.”

Do you think Chishiya was a good person? Definitely not. You weren’t perfect, either. People are neither good nor bad. There’s no such simple person as that. Chishiya is a troubled person. He’s struggling with how to connect with himself and others. This is something you find in common with him. 

When you are in trouble, Chishiya always finds a way to be there for you in his own way. You used to think that he cares about you and you liked to think that way still. But for now, you two have different priorities. You are at war. 

And no one comes out the same person they were before the battle started.

“You sure about this, Y/N?” 

Usagi was asking you for the nth time. You nod. “I’m all healed,” you reply. That was partly true. You’re sure you can run now but there’s still a limit to what you can do specifically in terms of fighting. But you were stubborn enough not to leave Arisu and Usagi to investigate the Minami-Aoyama station alone.

The three of you traced the steps of Asahi and Momoka from the video that Arisu found on the phone she left behind. You walked in the dark train tracks just like they did until you found a door. 

It was opened so Arisu cautiously heads in while the two of you trail behind him, ready for any attack to come but there was nothing. You continued to walk the empty hallway, searching for the place in the video.

Arisu halts his step and you realize you were here. The three of you entered the dark room, Arisu pointing his flashlights around it. 

The lively room filled with monitors and people cheering in the video was now a dark lifeless room with multiple dead people slumped over monitors and evidence of being shot by a laser. They seemed to be players in Borderland too but unlike you, they were well-groomed and well-fed. 

“Holy shit,” you mumbled.

“You actually found this place.”

A voice startles the three of you and Arisu immediately points the flashlight in the direction of the voice. From another entrance of the room, Chishiya and Kuina strut in. You put on your guard. Why was he here? Are they one of the dealers? It’s unlikely the case but why?

“As expected from someone I have high hopes for,” the blonde continued.

“We meet again,” Kuina speaks. 

Usagi doesn’t hide the disgust in her tone and countenance. “It’s you,” she says with furrowed brows, no doubt still mad over the pair’s betrayal. Kuina looks away in slight guilt, looking over at Chishiya.

You follow her gaze and notice he no longer wears the jacket you gave him. Instead, he wore a blue and white gradient cardigan over his shirt. You feel a tad of disappointment in your heart at the thought that he has thrown it away or lost it. 

“Thanks to you, I have all the numbered playing cards with me.” He held up the deck of cards as he says it, a condescending smirk painted on his face. He truly is a despicable human being. 

Arisu glares at him and flatly asks, “How did you find this place?”

Chishiya brings out a small folded piece of paper and unfolds it to show you its contents. “It took me a while to realize that this is actually the route map of a subway station.” From afar, the drawing really did look like random scribbles. It’s a good thing that the man is observant. You don’t know where he got it but Arisu may have had a clue as you see the expression on his face. They have both participated in a game, after all.

“What happens when we collect all the cards?” He saunters closer to you with his hands in his pockets. “I thought I’d find the answer if I come here.” His eyes explore the room. “But there’s only one thing I discovered.”

“They’re not game masters,” Arisu cuts him off, finishing his sentence. 

“Right,” Chishiya agrees. “Judging from the fact that they were all killed after our victory. They’re humans like us and on top of that, there’s someone above them.” 

You scoff. “What? Like a God?” 

“Just who could they be?” Usagi asks no one in particular as she looks at Chishiya.

“Who knows? They might be aliens,” he pauses and shifts his eyes to you with a smug and mocking face, “or as your friend said, even God himself.” It was the first time he acknowledged you in the room. You raise a brow, slightly offended. His bitter tone doesn’t pass by you and the fact that he called you ‘your friend’ instead of your name, vexed you.

Not that you planned to give him a reaction but if you did, you wouldn’t be given the chance because the lights of the room turned on, followed by the wall of multiple television and computer screens circling the room accompanied by heightened ceremonial music. 

The screens reveal a familiar face—the executive specializing in the hearts game, Mira, sitting on a chair in a black gown. A vicious smile is plastered on her face. It sets an eerie feeling in your heart. What kind of fucked up shit is happening here?

“Congratulations to all players,” her voice sent chills down your spine. “With the exception of the face card games, all of you have cleared all thus far and emerged as victors by sacrificing numerous lives.” 

Her head tilts to the side, feigning innocence and wonder. “I wonder how many of your comrades have died?” 

She stands up, raising an arm. “Try to remember those that were shot dead with a gun.” She walks around as the screen shows recorded videos of the games. “That girl that you burned alive, those struck with the lasers, those that drowned, those whose heads were blown off, those comrades of yours.” You feel Arisu flinch beside you at the mention of the last sentence. 

“The despair you’ve felt so far and those dying moments that you can never forget.” 

One particular screen catches your eye but not because of a man’s head being blown off. It was because standing near that man was a familiar shaggy-haired boy. Your gaze flits to the man’s face beside you and you see the flash of horror in his eyes as the screams of people from the games fill your ears. 

“I’m extremely touched!” Mira exclaims. “All of you players, we would like to give you a present.” Her movements were odd as if she was really excited about this. One thing’s for sure, whatever’s Mira’s role is in this world, she isn’t being forced to do it. 

“Are you returning us to the original world?” Kuina thinks out loud. You purse your lips, doubting that that’s the case. 

Mira gasps, eyes widening as her body shakes in excitement. “There will be new games!” She exclaims happily like the words don’t mean death and destruction on a whole new level. “Let’s play games together. You’ll fight for face cards.” 

“Wow,” you react with a flat tone. “She’s fucked in the head.”

There’s disbelief in Kuina’s voice when she asks, “New games?” 

“I don’t dislike the idea,” Chishiya says, the smirk not being wiped off his face. Your fists clench at his words. You don’t understand him. How could he like these games? Death, betrayal, being played around like lab rats—were those entertaining to him? You always thought Chishiya was a little bit different than most and he was just doing his most to survive but is this a side to him that you’ve blinded yourself to? 

“We’ve still got many more wonderful games prepared for all of you, so look forward to it!” Mira ends her ridiculous speech. 

“This woman…” Usagi finally speaks.”Is she the game master?” 

“I’d rather see an alien appear on the screen.” Kuina thinks out loud. 

“The next stage will commence tomorrow at noon,” the camera zooms in on Mira’s face. “Let’s have some fun together!” 

“So we have to fight again,” Usagi says, feeling defeated.

“Yes,” Arisu replies. “But something is different... we’re finally seeing our target.” He says with his eyes focused on Mira, glaring and determined. 

“You’re mad again,” Chishiya states the obvious in the dark of the room you’ve entered.

You slam yourself on the nearest display bed, looking around the furniture store you’ve sheltered in from the King of Spades. By not answering Chishiya, you clearly agree with his suspicion. Of course, you were pissed off. If he ran with urgency as a normal person does, maybe you would’ve been able to jump inside that car with your friends. 

“It’s not like we would’ve fit. I’m sure you’ll find them again,” he assures you, unconvincingly with a bitter tone in his voice.

He looks at the sky through the glass window of the store. “The blimp is gone,” he observes out loud. “We can rest here if you want and then we can go.” 

“If his whole Arena is Tokyo, then that means we have no choice but to join the other games,” you think out loud. There are 12 face cards, meaning there’d be 11 games out there and one game where a single overpowered man aims to shoot down every player out here. Even if you were a spades player, your combat skills, no matter how great, are no match with his unending ammo. You can’t exactly kick or punch those bullets away. 

“That’s the point,” he replies flatly. 

You glare at him, scoffing and lying down on the bed fully with your head resting on your arm. “You should get me food,” you tell him and ignore his sarcastic remark. You don’t really expect him to comply, you were just doing it to get on his nerves like usual. 

“Do it yourself,” he says with a sigh. 

“As you can see, I’m injured…” You point to your thigh wound that was still wrapped and can be seen clearly from the ends of your gym shorts. Obviously, that was a lie and you can move freely now. “And hungry.” 

He scoffs, sitting on the mattress next to you. Deafening silence began to fill the room and you almost forget that Chishiya is in the same room as you. His presence begins to make you uncomfortable, not because you hated him but because you don’t like him seeing you vulnerable. So, you turn to your side with your back facing him. 

The king of spades, he just destroyed everyone out there. These next games, they’re much crueler than the numbered ones. You barely made it out alive and now you have to participate in harder games? And when they’re all over, who’s to say that you could actually go back?

Do you even want to go back?

If you were to die here, it wouldn’t be much loss to the real world, anyway. Things haven’t changed despite the circumstances—your priority was still to get Chishiya out of here if he can. You’re sure you will see Usagi and Arisu again. They’ll be fine. They even got Kuina, Ann, and Tatta by their side. Maybe you were separated from them so you can protect Chishiya somehow. 

You don’t doubt that he’d want to join the diamond games. In fact, maybe he’s even excited about it. If it came down to you joining him in one, you’ll try your best to help him win. But if you two somehow find yourself in a game where he will need your strength, you’d be glad to be there with him. 

The thing is, you know you would sacrifice yourself for him but the question is, would he willingly sacrifice you to win?

As you drown in your thoughts, your body shuts down to sleep, suddenly exhausted from all the running. 

The dress you wore flowed freely, the ends dragging on the floor. Even if you find yourself more at home with gym clothes, dressing up did excite you too. It just wasn’t as convenient as gym clothes where you can move freely. 

Tonight, you were ecstatic as the lavender gown you had a famous designer made sculpted your upper body perfectly as you fit it the night before the dance. Giggling, you think back to the blonde’s acceptance of your invitation to the school event. 

“So, Shuntarou, have you asked someone to the dance yet? or maybe been asked by someone?” you ask as you sat beside him in the classroom during break time.

“If you wouldn’t glare at any girl that would approach me, maybe someone would’ve.” He replies in a monotone voice as he eats his cookies. It was his favorite brand. 

“I do not glare,” you reply, glaring. “And if you want to go with someone, just tell me who and I’ll help you.” 

He raises a brow, finally looking at you but with full judgment. He knows you’re bluffing. “At least try.” 

You lose your facade. “Ok, then. Will you go with me to the dance?”

“I don’t really have a choice, do I?” he replies, dull as always.

You skip around your room, heart fluttering at the thought of slow dancing with the nonchalant blonde boy. You imagine the jealous stares of the girls who have a crush on him. You couldn’t help it. You were in high school and in love. 

Afraid to accidentally damage the dress in any way, you remove it and keep it in a safe place. Tomorrow, you’ll have a team to help you get ready. Then, Chishiya will fetch you and you will go to the dance together. 

In your excitement, you forgot to drink water or even eat dinner. You were only reminded when you feel your throat get parched. With that realization, you head to the kitchen to get something to eat. 

As you were munching on some leftover pasta you found, you hear your father’s voice in the living room. Since when was he home? You become more cautious of your actions, careful not to make any noise as you eat. It’s better to not encounter him at all.

“Ah, he’s taking her to some school dance? That’s good.” School dance? What is he talking about? 

Due to curiosity, you leave your food and tiptoe closer to eavesdrop on the conversation. It seems that he’s on the phone. 

“She’s still a kid, wasting her time on stupid matters. It’s good that Shuntarou is already thinking about a future in medicine.” Shuntarou? You now realize that he’s talking to Shuntarou’s dad and with the tone of his voice at the mention of ‘her,’ it’s safe to assume that he’s talking about you. Your father hated the numerous extracurriculars you were doing, especially those of sports. He always believed they were a waste of time and that if you wanted to do extracurriculars, you should’ve just joined the student council. 

“They’ve been getting along well, I’ve heard. As soon as Shuntarou finishes his residency and gains a little experience, we can have them married,” your father speaks to his phone. 

You froze at hearing the word ‘married.’ What did he mean by that? Could it be… Chishiya and you were being arranged to be married? And then it hit you. It’s all planned. The reason why Chishiya was transferred to your school in the middle of the semester after some unknown reason is because of your father. He was transferred there for you. 

Your father says more to his friend on the phone. It was all about you and Chishiya and some for the hospital. From what you’ve gathered, it was so Chishiya can inherit the position of chairman. 

You can practically hear your heart shatter as it sinks to the ground. At such a young age, your father doesn’t believe in you. It’s always been like this. He just believed from the get-go that you didn’t have it in you to win. You weren’t gifted like him. 

Chishiya is the child he wants, not you. 

“Tell Chishiya to keep up the good work. I’ll give him a reward for taking my daughter to the dance.”

And it seems that Chishiya knows all about it too. 

Your eyes fluttered open, lids feeling a bit heavy because of the unexpected sleep. As you sat up, your throat immediately felt parched from thirst. You really needed water. 

Looking around, you find no sign of your companion. You felt a funny feeling in your stomach, wondering where he had gone. Has he already gone and joined a game? It seemed like something he would do here in Borderland, leave you in the middle of nowhere alone and unguarded. 

You were about to stand up to actually look for the blonde man when you noticed something new on the display side table of the bed you slept on. It was unopened canned food and a bottle of water. There was no note or anything but it could only be from the blonde-haired guy himself. Has he really gone out alone and looted food for you?

You decide to quench your thirst first before dealing with him, grabbing the plastic bottle in a swift motion and opening the cap hastily before drinking in chugs. 

“Slow down.” 

As if on cue, Chishiya enters the furniture shop, now in the white jacket you gave him. Where did he hide that? Did he go back to where he left it when you were asleep?

You brought the bottle from your lips, staring at him like a puzzle. “Where did you go?” 

“Outside,” he answers flatly. You glare at him. “Just say thank you for the food and water.”

You don’t answer right away, watching silently as the man sits down again on the bed next to you, laying down some things he probably found around. It’s weird how it oddly felt domestic. If you were to disregard the numerous pieces of furniture around you, you could imagine yourself in a place in the real world where you two have your own home, happily married, and are in possession of what you two always wanted. 

You shake off the thought. Not only is that impossible in Borderland, but it’s also impossible in the real world. 

You open the canned food. It was mixed fruits. After you thanked him softly, you began to eat quietly, chewing slowly as he said to.

“Have you eaten?” you ask as he stares at you. He gives you a nod before taking his eyes off you and back to his tinkering. 

“Are you joining a game soon?” you attempt a conversation again. 

“I think we have to,” he answers.

He was right. “Yeah.” You bit your lip, afraid to ask what’s been lingering in your mind. “Do… do you want to join a game together?” 

He stills, “no.” 

“Why not? I’m strong. I can protect you,” you point at the sword you laid on the ground. 

“That’s not enough,” Chishiya answers in a heartbeat. 

“Would you rather I die alone?” It was a tough question. Not for him but for you. If you were going to be asked, you’d rather have your last moments with him. 

He audibly tsks, standing up from the bed and putting his hands in his pockets. He walks away from you and the conversation. Disappointment creeps into your skin. You knew he wouldn’t care about your sentiments. 

His hand stays on the door, not opening it yet. “Tomorrow,” he speaks, not even turning around to look at you. “We’ll join a game together.”

It sent a chill down your spine. You didn’t know what his motives are. Did he decide to go on a game with you because of what you asked… or did it give him an idea to finally end you?

It’s a good thing that the next stage shows you what game you will be entering through the blimps. The game you enter varies on one’s strengths and risks. You know that you wouldn’t willingly enter a Hearts game with the people you care about and you would try to enter a game you specialize in. 

“No heart games,” Chishiya tells you. 

You’ve found yourself inside a small home to spend the night in. It was safer than the furniture store with glass windows. You thought it’d be nice to decide on what game to choose.

You felt the mattress dip beside you, indicating Chishiya sat down. 

The house was small and cozy. It was a one-bedroom and looked like it belonged to a couple simply because it had everything by pair. What made you stay though, is that Chishiya has found their secret stash of food that was hidden inside the bedroom and under the floors of the closet.

The supply could last you maybe about a week.

You turn your head to Chishiya. It was already night time and you only had a candlelight lamp lighting up the room. He has taken off his jacket, leaving him in his shirt and pants. 

It was not the first time you’d shared a bed. When your families would go on trips together, they’d make you share a room. If you didn’t know about your father’s plans, you would find it odd how they were too willing for you two to get along that they were putting their young adult child inside a bedroom with a guy her age. 

During those trips, you would fall asleep on his bed while telling him stories. At first, Chishiya would leave you be and sleep on your bed. Until one night, when it became too frequent, he just slept beside you. And then the rest was history. 

As he lies down beside you, you hear his gentle breathing, see the rise and fall of his chest, and the way he inhales and exhales. It seemed that he was in deep thought. Could it be that he was worried about the games too?

“How about a Diamonds game?” you suggest. You think that you were pretty smart and you could handle it more with him by your side.

Chishiya doesn’t answer, looking like he’s in deep thought. 

“Kuina and the others probably joined a Clubs game.” you continue. “Maybe we should join one too.”

The thought brings you back to your comrades. It’s possible that they joined a game together—a Clubs game is the safest bet if they all want to live. Maybe it’s what you and Chishiya can do too. 

“We’ll join the Queen of Clubs. It’s the nearest clubs game.” The man beside you finally speaks, his voice a little tired. 

You agree, nodding lightly. You spun to your side with your back facing him as he lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. 

“Goodnight, Chishiya,” you mumble, still not being able to call him by his first name. He doesn’t answer but you hear him subtly hum in response. 

The sun was setting when you and Chishiya reach the arena. 

After a bit of walking, your mouth drops as you realize that the Queen of Clubs blimp is hovering over a high school building. Specifically, the prestigious high school you and Chishiya attended. 

“How fitting,” Chishiya reacts with a bored tone.

Sometimes, you feel like the games are catered to the players. Like they know all your life stories. This high school being the game arena, is it to your advantage or disadvantage? Whatever it is, you have no choice but to find out. This is your first game in the second stage, and it’s a Clubs game. If the two of you work with other players well, the chance of survival is high. 

That should be the mindset for the numbered games but right now, you weren’t sure because these are face card games. If the numbered games were difficult as it is, you should be terrified and ready for the face cards. 

“I can go in alone,” you suddenly say, afraid to go in there together with him. 

“You’re kidding,” he scoffs and walks closer to the entrance. “After all that talk about dying alone?” 

The anxiety that was creeping into your skin would put you at a disadvantage. You know that Chishiya could handle himself but you couldn’t help but be worried for him. Sighing, you shake off the worry and decide to push through with joining the game with him.

You enter the arena first and look back. Chishiya stares at you for a few seconds, as if contemplating or memorizing your face. And then he follows you inside. What was that?

The other players were gathered in front of the building, right on the grass field. There were about six people there already. Chishiya followed you inside but didn’t walk beside you or near you. It was probably to not make people assume you know each other. On top of a table were metal cuffs that had a screen, looking like a smartwatch. From the looks of it, it seems that it was the same material as the collars they make you wear in the other games only this time, they were bracelets.

1 PER PERSON

There were two left when Chishiya and you took yours. You clasp it around your non-dominant hand’s wrist and watch as the game confirms your registration. Looking around, you found the other players looking at you. It made you feel a bit insecure but you’ve been in enough games to know that you shouldn’t let them get to you. It should be the other way around. 

Another hand reaches for a phone on the table and you look up at her. She looks a bit like a high schooler, wearing a skirt from a uniform and a white tank top. She had a bow and arrow on her back. 

Her stare turns into a glare and you frown. It was she who broke eye contact first and stepped away from the table. As she turns around, it was hard not to notice that she was missing a foot, replaced with some kind of metal. She looks interesting to you. 

REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED. THE GAME WILL NOW COMMENCE. 

The familiar AI voice of a woman is heard through the campus speakers.

Chishiya crosses his arms, waiting for something to happen next. You look up at the screen that was stationed there. As if on cue, the screen lights up, flashing some kind of silhouette of a woman’s head with a crown. 

DIFFICULTY

Queen of Clubs

GAME

Prom Queen

Rules:

Each classroom has votes for players to collect or challenges for players to complete. 

The players must collect enough points to enter the gym, where the Queen of Clubs will give them one last challenge. 

The votes are transferable to another player but physical assault and force transfer of votes to another player is not allowed. 

If the player does not complete the challenge in the room, the room takes their votes. 

No weapons allowed inside the building.

CLEAR CONDITION

The players must have more votes than the Queen of Clubs and complete her last challenge.

GAME OVER

Players do not gather enough votes to dethrone the Queen of Clubs.

Players do not complete the last challenge. 

TIME LIMIT

02:00:00 HRS

You scoff and remove the Katana from your shoulder, putting it on the table. The other players began to gather around it, putting their weapons with yours. 

GAME START

You look around at the other players. You give them a nod. 

“Alright. Let’s meet by the gym doors after we collect all points,” a man who has glasses said. He wore stripe shirts and was fairly tall. He seemed smart and gave the impression of a leader. It doesn’t look like he’s physically fit, though. 

The other players do not waste time, scurrying into the building with determination and a little bit of fear. You stayed behind for a few seconds, looking at Chishiya. He stares back at you with no expression on his face and heads into the building.

There was the girl who had a bow and arrow, still looking at you. You give her a nod. It didn’t look like she could be trusted but this is a Clubs game, after all. You have to work together to survive. She doesn’t give you the same attitude as earlier. Instead, she approaches you, giving you a nod back. 

“Akane Heiya,” she introduces herself to you.

“Y/N L/N,” you reply with your name. 

The two of you enter the building together, cautious of the darkness that plagues it. You pick up the small flashlight from your belt bag. You can hear the scrambling of the foot of the other players, no doubt racing to get to the classrooms faster.  “The rules didn’t say how much we need, so maybe we can go and check the gym and see if there’s a clue?” you ask her. 

“I’ll go check,” she tells you.

“You sure?” you ask her, wanting to know if she doesn’t need a companion. 

She nods. “One of us should help collect votes.” 

As soon as you nod, she was already on her way to look for the gym. You decide to head to the nearest classroom without a player in it already. 

You stand before a classroom door that has a red light on it. You assume that if the votes in this classroom haven’t been collected, its red light is still on. 

It wasn’t dark inside the classroom, the sun has almost set all the way but there was still a bit of light seeping through the windows of the room. As you step in, the door shuts behind you. You panic for a bit, checking the door knob if it still works. You groan when you realize that you’re shut in. 

The lights of the classroom turned on and a tv screen that was in the middle of the chalkboard flashes a question. 

In printing, it’s the color black. In chemistry, it’s potassium. In baseball, it’s a strikeout. Which letter is it?

It was an easy question but there were about maybe forty classrooms in this school. There are nine players. If your hunch was right, there should be a difficulty level or random variation of the difficulty of the challenges on each floor, there are eight classrooms. You were on the first floor. 

“K,” you answer confidently. 

The room speakers gave out a ‘ding’ sound and some kind of button on the teacher’s desk lights up a green color and you walk towards it. You hesitantly press it and your wrists light up with a green color. 

+ 50 votes

You hear the lock of the door click open and you step out. You look up at the light on the door and see that the previous red light has been shut off. 

Walking down the hallway, some girl who looked like she was in her thirties, wearing office attire approaches you. “How many votes did you get?” she asks, pointing at her wrist. 

“50,” you reply. 

Another man completes his room and hears what you were talking about, approaching you two.  “It was hidden in one of the lockers at the back. I got 50 too.” 

You nod at them. “It seems that this floor is just full of 50 votes per room.”

Not wasting any more time, you and the others who have completed your rooms head to the second floor. Chishiya was already on the second floor, stepping outside one of the rooms. You approach him. “How many votes in this one?” you ask. 

He shows his wrist, flashing the number on his band. 75. Just as you thought.

“So the floors are kind of the levels, huh?” The man in the striped shirt asks you. You nod. 

“There isn’t a goal of votes by the gym.” 

All of you turn your heads to the source of the voice. Heiya stood there, her chest heaving from the running. You don’t doubt that she was tired—the gym was a bit of a walk from the classrooms. You probably should’ve told her that.

“That must mean we should clear all the rooms.” A woman with a crossbody bag spoke up, joining all of you. 

“Then let’s do that,” the man in the striped shirt speaks again. 

You and the other players moved as quick as you can. You learned that when you don’t succeed with their mini games inside the classrooms, you’re lasered down and another player has to go to that classroom to finish the task.

In the end, it was six of you who lasted. 

The first floor has eight rooms opened with 50 votes each. The second has eight rooms and 75 votes each. The third floor has three rooms with 100 votes each. The fourth floor has two rooms with 150 votes each. Lastly, the fifth floor had one room with 400 votes. 

Together, you accumulated 2000 votes. However, it was separated from your wrists. When you reached the gym, whenever you tried, it would show ‘error’ on the electronic lock. 

It had to be 2000 on one wrist.

“That means… only one of us gets to go inside?” A girl with a headband says, her eyes looking scared. 

You furrow your brows, thinking. “The game said we only need to dethrone her with more votes. Only one needs to do her challenge and then the game should clear.”

“Right,” a man in a plain white shirt replies. “This is a Clubs game. That should be the case.” 

“Okay, so who will go?” The woman in office attire asks, her voice trembling a bit.

Each one of you stares at each other, feeling each other out like teenagers afraid of a graded recitation in class. You don’t blame them, you don’t know what exactly the challenge would ask of you. 

“I’ll go,” Heiya rolls her eyes impatiently, holding out her wrist as she waits for the other players to move. 

“No. Most of the rooms’ challenges are about intellect. It should be me,” stripe shirt complained. Now you know what irks you about this man, he was controlling and stupidly wants to be seen as somewhat of a main character. 

Heiya glares at him. “So what? You think you’re the smartest in the room?” She bites, raising her brows. You try your best not to laugh at her accusation and lightly strike your elbows to her side, telling her to tone it down.

“That’s not what I meant,” the man replies, offended and furrowing his brows.

“The challenge wouldn’t be about intelligence,” For the first time in the game, Chishiya finally speaks, making all the other players’ heads turn to him. 

He shows everyone a piece of paper in his hands. 

The Ivy Award 2020 — Yamada Asaki

No way, could it be?

“After the rooms were cleared per floor, the lights turned on but kept flickering. It made up a morse code. The first floor is I, the second floor is V, and the third floor is Y.” He makes his way near the circle, showing everyone the paper that turned out to be a certificate. “And then I found this on the fourth floor, confirming the morse code.”

“What is this supposed to be?” The man in stripe asks, a bit irritated. 

Chishiya stares at him, giving him all his focus with dark eyes. “In the classrooms of the fifth floor, there were shelves containing the awards of this awardee. The Ivy Award was a special award this high school gave to those who excelled in all athletics in the school while maintaining top grades.” 

Chishiya pauses, now shifting his eyes to yours. You look away and avoid his gaze. “There are only two people who received that award in this school.” 

“Yamada Asaki,” he looks down at the paper in his hand. “And Y/N L/N.” His gaze goes back to you, communicating a million words in one simple stare.

You froze at the mention of your name. Heiya, in her tall stature, looks down at you. “You?” she asks in disbelief and a smirk. 

You glare at Chishiya, not understanding why he dropped your name and history out of nowhere. Then you look at Heiya who was waiting for your response.

“That’s true,” you admit, looking down at your feet. 

“In fact, she was the first awardee—the reason why the award was made in the first place.” Chishiya gives you a smirk. 

You still remember when you were awarded that day. The school made the award for you for the sole reason that universities around the world were contacting them to take you in as their athlete on full scholarship. They were scrambling for your hand in college.

Your father rejected all of them. He used all his power to stop you from going.

Up till now, the award was a topic you don’t like talking about. It was hard for you to remember how much you were controlled and manipulated into staying in Japan. 

“The person you’ll be facing,” He puts his eyes back on the man in the striped shirt. “Is a master of all sports and martial arts. Do you think you could handle that?” 

The man in the striped shirt couldn’t answer. 

Just like that, the other players began giving you their votes. You stand there quietly as they hover their cuffs on yours. This would mean… everyone’s life here is depending on you. 

Chishiya took the last turn in giving you his votes. He grabs your limp wrist with his right hand and hovers his cuff on yours. Your eyes are shaking in anxiety as you’re still staring at the floor. You've fought wildly when only your life is in your hands. That’s because you know that you have nothing to lose. You’ll gladly die if it’s your time to die. But right now, you have to live for these people.

“What?” he whispers. 

You finally look up into his eyes, meeting his deep stare. 

The other players watch as Chishiya leans in, whispering something in your ear. This causes you to freeze, looking up at him with awe. 

He spins you around, making you face the door. His hands are still on your shoulder when he leans in. 

He whispers in your ear again, sending shivers down your spine. For some reason, it sounded genuine. He wasn’t trying to manipulate you into going. He was motivating you, maybe even pleading. 

You turn your head to look at him, his face inches away from yours. From here, his eyes burned with something you don’t understand. There was a slight crease on his forehead that relaxed when you gave him a smile.

“Wait for me, will you, Shuntarou?” 

It was the first time you saw Chishiya smile in Borderland—and actually smile and not smirk in a condescending manner.

“You can do it,” Akane nods at you, her arms crossed. You look at her, smirking. You’ve only known the girl for an hour but you already like her. 

The other players began motivating you and you gave them all a glance before hovering your cuff on the lock of the door.

The lock dings and the door unlocks by itself. You twist the knob open, revealing the darkness of the room. 

You give one last glance to Chishiya whose eyes never left yours. You walk inside, your eyes never leaving his. He has long abandoned the smile on his face, replacing it with his famous poker face. His eyes, however, stayed expressive as if telling you’ll be fine in his own way.

The night should’ve been everything you dreamed about. 

Chishiya fetched you, wearing his suit and tie that matched your dress. The hotel venue that the school rented turned out to be designed beautifully. Everything was perfect.

If it weren’t for what you learned last night.

You acted like everything is fine, dancing with your friends as Chishiya sat on the side. To get him to come, he made a deal that he wouldn’t dance until the last. You agreed, only wanting to dance the last slow dance with him. 

Chishiya must’ve already realized something is wrong because you haven’t looked at him for more than five seconds all night. It was weird. You really wanted to be here with him yet you can’t even ask him what he thought about the food. You know that it wasn’t his fault. You were the one who approached him first and began pursuing him. He wasn’t exactly actively trying to manipulate you as your father wanted. 

But he knew. He knew what your parents wanted. 

And you, you were left in the dark again. 

The doors of the gym shut with a loud thud, leaving you in blinding darkness. 

“I hoped you would come,” it was a girl’s voice from the end of the room. 

The lights turn on and you squint your eyes as the sudden change blinds you for a second. When your eyes adjust to the brightness, you see a girl not older than a high school kid. She was wearing a black bodysuit and a crown, sitting on what looks to be like a throne on the stage. 

“You’re Yamada Asaki?” you ask, raising a brow. 

“and you’re Y/N L/N,” she replies, a smirk plastered on her face.

She stands from her throne, crossing her arms as she walks down the stage. “You know, when I heard that you’re here, I had this game designed just for you.” 

“Designed?” your eyes never leave her as you frown. These games are designed by people? 

You were curious but she ignores your question. “I wanted to see what’s so great about you.” The bitter tone of her voice doesn’t pass by you. It was clear that this girl doesn’t like you.

“Do you…” Her voice was deadly like it could cut like a sharp knife. Her eyes were focused on you like a target. “Do you know how miserable you made me feel?”

“Obviously not,” you replied with sarcasm, not giving into her sentiments. It would be better not to waste time, you only had 10 minutes left to clear the game. 

The girl audibly scoffs so you continue. “I don’t know the reason nor do I care. Tell me the challenge and we can get this over with.” 

Asaki’s gaze burn through yours as she removes the crown on her head and throws it on the ground. “The crown is worth 50 votes,” she says, eyes not leaving yours and showing you the cuff on her wrist, 2020 votes, the year she won her award. “You get it if you beat me in a fight.” She puts herself into a stance, getting ready to fight. 

“Fine,” you answer, throwing your belt bag across the floor and cracking a few bones of your knuckles. “Are there any rules?” 

It’s all bullshit. You know there are no rules in a fight for your life. This is a fight. But still, you ask. It wouldn’t hurt to know if there are. 

You read her stance. She’s good, guarded and ready. From her built, it’s clear that she’s experienced. She must be an athlete from her younger years like you. It’s a no brainer, if she’s a receiver of the Ivy Award, then she has been trained like you. 

“Rules? There are no rules. No stopping until one of us dies.” Her arrogance was something you take note of. It seems that her confidence is one of her biggest traits. For now, you need to see what she can do. 

She attacks first, swinging a fist at your face. You block it and attack with a fist, to which she follows up with a guarding technique of her arms. You move away but she follows that technique with a kick. You dodge her foot by crouching, all while staring at her with burning eyes.

Kickboxing. 

It’s the closest to modern-day MMA. From what you saw, this girl is a striker. 

You launch forward, heading for her middle. It was fast but she was able to raise her knee which you avoid. Good. She’s good. But what about her footwork? 

Pivoting your front foot, you shot your rear leg out and aim at her middle again. She quickly steps away, leaving your foot hitting nothing but the air. Great. Her footwork is good too. You jump back to your feet, raising your fists and moving away from her in a quick motion. 

“Taekwondo?” She smirks, her eyes giving you a condescending look as if she’s about to laugh. “It was your favorite, wasn’t it?”

How did she know that? This girl… just who was she and what have you done for her to know you like this?

“So you’ve studied me?” you ask with a smirk, feigning your curiosity.

“Day and night,” she replies. “I watched all your tournaments,” she jabs, you avoid. “Your championships,” she kicks, you block. “Your training,” she swings, you move away. “All because they wanted me to be like you!” She lunges forward and you let her, she grasps the back of your head and gives you a knee strike, hitting you right in the stomach.

You free yourself from her hold, stumbling and landing a few steps from her when she lets go. She laughs like a maniac. 

“You’ve become rusty,” she spats. 

“Come on,” you raise your fists into a stance once again. “I haven’t even started,” you say and give her a grin. 

Her forehead creases as she furrowed her brows, eyes blazing. So her favorite’s kickboxing. You know what to do. Her footwork’s great, her kicks and punches are strong too, it would be dangerous if she attacks you like she did last time. Front kicks are one of their best attacks. 

You attack diagonally, catching her off guard. You throw a punch and it lands straight to her face. A kickboxers’ weakness is defending an attack coming diagonally. You have to get close to her. 

You attempt to throw punches hastily, making her dodge away again and again until you corner her to a wall. She takes this as a chance to hold the back of your neck again with both hands, catching you in a Thai Clinch. Just like before, you know she’d throw you a knee strike. 

Before she could raise her knee, you put both her arms in your hold tightly, preventing her to move. Using your elbow, you give her a strike to her jaw with the single intent to create the worst damage possible. Your jab connected with a crack and you know you broke her jaw. Once the move made her lose focus, you repeatedly take a jab at her, one punch after another. 

Blood sputters out of her mouth and she spits as you move away again. You were pretty sure you saw a tooth fall out. 

“Forfeit,” you order and her bloodshot eyes gave nothing to you but hatred. You match her threatening gaze. “Before I kill you.” 

“Are you kidding?” There’s blood in the corners of her mouth from your punches yet she stands strong. 

“Seven years,” she looks up to the ceiling, tears lining up her eyes. “For seven fucking years, I was told that I should be like you.” You’ve known since she greeted you that there’s something that lies here deeper. But who cares? So she’s been forced to work hard for the award, how is that your fault?

“And you failed,” you bluntly state, eyes devoid of emotion. 

Her eyes widened in disbelief of your words. She scoffs, tears threatening to spill as she glares at you with resentment. “Failed? I won your award. I did it all!”  

An ill feeling fills your stomach as she bares herself. She had become too emotional. One thing you learned about fighting is that your opponent doesn’t care. A real opponent goes straight for the kill. This… is nothing but a sparring session. 

“So? After that, what did you do?” you ask, titling your head. 

You rush forward, spinning around and straightening your legs to kick her head mid-air. Asaki was pulled of her feet violently and thrown across the floor. She slides along the gym floor, halting just a few inches away from the wall. 

“Stand up and tell me,” you instruct her as you land. You wait for her to recover, her forehead bleeding from the impact of your kick. 

Rage colored Asaki’s vision red as she uses her arms to push herself back up. “I…” It was a weak attempt, she couldn’t even sputter out the words. Her chest heaves up and down as she stands to her feet, for a moment, you thought she was gonna puke but she recovers. “I died.”

She snarled and rushes towards you and you await her attack, ready to counter it. Mid-air she raises her fist and you raise your hand, catching her burning fists in yours. However, she uses this misdirect to knee the wound of your thigh. You grunt, taking in the pain and trying not to let it falter you. 

“You haven’t…” you grit through your teeth and use your free hand in attempt to smash it to her face. Asaki manages to block this, locking your arm and jabbing your stomach repeatedly. Using her strong hold from locking you, you jump and use both of your free legs to kick a blow to her stomach, sending you both flying away from each other and hitting the floor. 

You don’t waste any time, jumping to your feet and launching yourself to her body on the ground. You put her in a chokehold, jabbing at her face repeatedly as you sit on her stomach.  “Dying? That’s your reason?” You say to her ear. She spins, making you land on her back. You lock her with your legs, grabbing her hair to raise her head. “Give me something better.” 

You free her from your hold, jumping away from her range. 

When she fully stands up, you throw a kick as the same time as her. Her left leg hits your outer right thigh and you hit her inner right thigh. She staggers because of this and you use the opportunity to jab three heavy hits to her head. Right. Left. Right. Her head has been hit enough for it to be fatal and she falls to her back. 

Cleverly, she uses her legs and feet to block your attacks. You push through, using your body weight to receive the attacks from her legs. She locks you in with her legs on either side of your torso. You let her. If you try to escape, she’ll just lock your head. 

In the underground, you’ve fought men and women of different weights. It was often that you were underestimated because of your height and weight. So, you let them think you were weak. But what they don’t know is you got them right where you wanted them—close enough for you to kill.

You use both your hands to block hers, smashing her wrists on the floor. Then, you smash your head against hers. That doesn’t stop you. You use your elbows once again, landing one blow after another. You don’t stop even after you see her face covered in blood. 

When her hands lay limp with no force, you take a hand off and use this to grip her neck. 

She struggles to breathe from your hold but you don’t let her. If you were inside a stage, a referee would’ve stopped you by now. But that’s not the case for you. Not for a long time. 

“Where did you go last night?” 

Chishiya asks as soon as you sit down beside him in the room. You ignore him, pretending you don’t hear him because of your earphones. He’s talking about the last dance. When he wasn’t looking, you slipped away from the venue and escaped. You left your bag with him and he only noticed when he couldn’t find you in the crowd anymore. You couldn’t help it, you were overwhelmed by your father and Chishiya. Not only is he controlling your career but he’s controlling your relationships too? 

You took a cab ride away from the hotel, still wearing your gown. You told the driver to just drive around and he did. In the ride, you spot a neon signage. It was a club you always see. It had an interesting name; Sarutahiko.

You’ve seen cars come and go there. What you’ve noticed is they all seemed to be very wealthy. You asked for the car to stop by near and without thinking, you made your way into the club, clutching a wealthy man’s arm and pretending to be his date. 

That night, instead of being in Chishiya’s arms for the last dance, you won your first fight in the underground. The beloved dress you had made for thousands of dollars, they were ripped and worn when you came home, dirt and scratches running along your skin. 

It was the first time you felt it—the euphoria.

When you fought with no rules and no holding back, nothing mattered. You weren’t the beloved athlete that has a bright future ahead of her as an heir of the L/N family. You were just Y/N, or as the underground calls you, 極真 王女 (Kyokushin Ojo; trans: Ultimate Truth Princess; “Kyokushin” is a type of Karate)

Like a princess, you entered the arena in your sparkling gown and destroyed your opponent in five minutes. It was then and there that you decided, you will no longer fight your father’s opposition to your sports. This will be your life and your death. 

A life with Chishiya, it’ll be a privilege. You like him… and with his and your father’s deal, you’ll be able to live your other life in peace. Fine, you’ll play the part of the pretty spoiled princess. 

Chishiya doesn’t press further but from your lack of luster in your eyes, he understood that something died inside you that day. From then on, you dropped all your sports and didn’t fight your father’s refusal to all the universities that wanted to scout you even if they offered medical studies in exchange for your athletic participation.

If there was one thing you regret, it was you and Chishiya never had your last dance. 

You feel it again. The euphoria running through your veins. Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Even if you hear the taps, don’t stop. 

Asaki gasps for air, her face reddening as her wide eyes scream for help. You don’t notice this, darkened eyes not even showing mercy or any emotion. You’ve been completely shut off and in auto pilot as you throw one punch and another.

Why should you? Your father never stopped. 

“N-no!” 

Asaki pushes you off with all her strength, sending off her body. You’re quickly on your feet again, ready to attack as your opponent catches her breath. Asaki sprang of her hands, throwing herself in to a spin that showed off a gymnast’ skill. Like a whirling tornado, she was too fast for you to block or counter-attack. 

She doesn’t kick your head and instead kicks your side. You were thrown across the floor, skiddling and tumbling. A groan escapes your lips at the pain that shot through your ribs, adding to the pain of your thigh.. Yeah, your ribs are definitely cracked. 

“You said you’ll protect me,” Chishiya whispers in a low voice, you were sure only you could hear it. You did say it back there in the furniture shop.

He spins you around, making you face the door. His hands are still on your shoulder when he leans in. 

“Protect me,” he whispers in your ear, sending shivers down your spine. For some reason, it sounded genuine. He wasn’t trying to manipulate you into going. He was motivating you, maybe even pleading. 

I’m sorry, Asaki. 

You sprang to your feet, ignoring the screaming pain of your ribs. You face your opponent once again, the same distance from when you started. But this time, something was different. In your opponent’s hands, was a butterfly knife. 

She was smirking at you like she finally got you. She’s an idiot. 

“Fine,” you huff, giving her an equally sinister grin. “You studied all my moves in high school.” You put yourself in a fighting stance again. “I’ll give it to you. You’re a great fighter. You know all the moves, techniques, and all that shit.” 

“You did all that research about me… yet you didn’t ask why I stopped?” You don’t even glance once at her weapon again. “Pathetic.” 

She lunges with a scream, swinging the knife at you. 

You stepped in, closing the gap between you and Asaki, dodging her weapon and striking her upper and lower arm. As your strike clashes with hers, the force makes her arm holding the weapon go limp. You grab her arm, twisting it until her hand is pointed towards the ceiling. 

With Asaki’s chest unprotected, you pivot and strike her with your elbow and then your foot to her leg. She loses balance and you use this to take the weapon from her hand. 

In a swift motion, you swing the weapon, slashing her across the face. Crimson red drips from her already blooded cheek, adding to the wound on her forehead. She puts a hand to her face, finally executing fright for the first time in the fight.

And then you understand.

The career she wanted instead of the Ivy Award—it was beauty. 

Instead of the Ivy Award, she wanted to be prom queen. Life wasn’t for her but she was thrusted into it too. It was so simple and yet you were blinded by the game to notice. You understood. A slash to the face was hard to cover especially if it scars. You were very careful about your face when you fought in the underground. 

You feel bad but who were you to be a saint? 

You strike a blow to her stomach with your foot, sending her staggering a few steps back. Her focus is still on the wound on her face. She has completely dropped her guard and looked like a simple high school girl who was attacked out of nowhere. 

“You were right,” you say as you throw the knife away. “Taekwondo was my favorite. I still use ITF from time to time.” 

She was not even guarded yet you continue. One straight powerful jab to the center of her chest. She accepts the attack but doesn’t fall down, eyes widened and coughing at the force of the attack. 

“The reason why I stopped competing… was because I found something better.”

Asaki backs away, feeling an unexplained fright. She knows something has shifted as you stride towards her with blazing eyes. Even your walk seemed powerful, exerting an aura of strength and power. 

Kyokushin Karate… is the strongest martial art in the world.

Its sole goal is defeating its opponent. Different from Taekwondo at its very core, it’s focused on real fights. There’s no protective gear, just pure hand-to-hand combat. 

Those who practice Kyokushin as a martial art, they’re unfamiliar with attacks aimed at the head. But not you. The only reason attacks aimed at the head are banned in Kyokushin Karate is because…

There were too many casualties. 

You send a straight punch to Asaki’s face, her head receiving the full force impact of your fist. 

You swing your right arm, hitting her across the jaw. Asaki tries to kick your side as a counter attack but you dodge. 

If your right arm’s not enough, use your left.

You swing your left arm this time, hitting her cheek and you actually feel her teeth through your fist. Even as you hit her, Asaki uses her hand to slap you across the cheek. You’re thrown off, so you spin and kicked off your legs.

If your left arm isn't enough, use your legs. 

The heel of your feet strikes the junction of her neck and shoulder, sending her kneeling on the floor with a loud thud. 

You tackle her down like you did before, with your legs on either side of her torso, she could only watch as you repeat your move from before.

And if your legs don’t cut it, use your head. 

You smash your head with hers with a loud thud and she goes into shock, eyes wide open as she could no longer move. Her body stills underneath you as she stares up at nothingness. 

The spirit of Kyokushin Karate… is a person’s strong will that is never broken.

2 MINUTES LEFT

“That’s…” Her eyes remained unmoving. “Karate.”

Tired, you stand up as she still lays still on the ground, broken bones and wounded face. 

“You’ve done well,” you mumble but you’re sure she can hear. You wipe the blood on her face but it does nothing but spread it. You see her face clearly even with the blood. She was pretty with an innocent face now that she’s put down her guard and hatred.  “You can rest now, beautiful.” 

And finally, the tears spill out of her eyes and she cries. She cries and cries until they turn into sobs. She cried like the kid that she is, hungry for love—hungry for someone to listen to her. It was all too familiar. You know the feeling all too well. 

Walking away from her cries, you pick up the plastic piece of crown. It was silver and had pink stones all around it. 

Limping to the stage, you make your way to the prop throne. You sit down on it and groan at the feeling of resting your beat up body.

1 MINUTE

You place the crown on your head and place your bloodied fists on either sides of the arm rests. The cuff on your wrists flash with a sound and a green light.

+ 50 votes

It was followed by a ding and the girl’s automated voice.

CONGRATULATIONS

GAME CLEAR

And then you see it, the laser coming down from the sky and onto Asaki’s skull. 

Stepping out of the gym, you find the other players waiting for you silently. They seemed to be looking up at something so you follow their gaze. 

There was a camera. All that happened back there, they saw it.

You stood there in silence, waiting for something to happen next. Their gaze falls on you with your burnt knuckles and the plastic crown on your head. These people, they looked at you with fright in their eyes. It was a familiar look—the audience’s disbelief when you don’t hold yourself back. 

“Great job,” Heiya was the first one to approach you with a smirk, putting a hand on your shoulder. It was her and Chishiya who didn’t look scared of you.

You smile, giving her a nod. 

Just like that, the other players began giving you their thanks. Out of nine people, six of you survived. They all thanked you, the girl in the headband even hugging you. 

All six of you walk out of the game, looking up as the Queen of Clubs’ blimp self-destructs with explosion. Beside you, Chishiya is also looking up, smirking. He was properly beautiful. 

Arisu asked you what made you like this man so much and you told him it was because Chishiya grounds you. You never really knew how to explain it until now. 

When you were fighting in the underground, it was brutal. It was your way of feeling pain–to feel alive. If you didn’t have Chishiya in your life, you would’ve stayed in the underground forever. But Shuntaro, he gives you a reason to come back to your life. 

So you can annoy him. 

You were back in the apartment with Chishiya after you searched for some medical supplies for your injury. As always, he was silent. 

“You can shower if you want,” Chishiya breaks the silence, pulling you off your thoughts while you sat on the couch. You nod and leave him alone in the living room. 

After you shower, you wore a plain white shirt  and some lounge shorts you found in one of the drawers. When you step out of the room, Chishiya still wore the clothes he had outside but he stood over portable stove, stirring what smelled to be like instant noodles. 

He sees you and carries the pot over to the table. The table is already set. 

You never thought you’d see the day, Domestic Chishiya. A malewife. You place a hand over your mouth, preventing the smile on your face from forming. Instead, your face contorts into a funny face, earning a glare from Chishiya. 

“Are you just going to stand there or eat?” He deadpans. 

You bite your lips, shutting yourself up and made your way to the table. “Thank you for the food,” you said, sincerely. He scoffs, sitting across from you.

The two of you ate quietly, you slurp the ramen noodles like its your last meal. It wouldn’t be so bad. Instant Ramen by Chishiya. You giggle in your head, a smile spreading on your face. 

When you finish your food, you opted to wash the dishes while Chishiya showers. Looking around, the apartment, you found something really cool—a record player. You inspect it and it looks like it’s the kind that doesn’t need electricity. Your heart swells with excitement, searching for vinyls around the place. You found a box inside the room filled with it and you clap to yourself happily.

“No way,” you react when you turn a knob and found it actually works. 

“What’s that?” Chishiya walks in the living room, his jacket long abandoned and wearing a shirt and lounge shorts. Did he match what you were wearing? 

��It’s the only thing he has,” he defends himself even when you haven’t said anything.

You pause, thinking if you should say anything but you ignore it, remembering your brilliant discovery. “Look! It’s a record player!” 

He sighs. “You’ll only attract others with the sound.” 

Your face fell. “Then I’ll beat them up.” You ignore his protests, going over to him and grabbing his hand to pull him over to the record player. He follows you limply, bored and annoyed as always. 

You’re not very familiar with the vinyls so you just grab one with a familiar name, Nat King Cole. You placed it on the record player, figuring out how it plays. It began playing but it was too fast. You look up at Chishiya with wide eyes, wondering what you did wrong. He sighs, reaching over to some tiny lever on the turntable and pushing it to number 33. 

“It’s the wrong speed,” he tells you.

The song began playing at a normal speed and you grin widely. 

It was a slow love song and an idea pops into your mind. 

“You know, something popped into my mind back there,” you face your friend, placing a hand on his shoulder. He stills but doesn’t remove your hand. 

When I fall in love, it will be forever Or I’ll never fall in love

“We never got to finish our last dance back in high school,” you say with a smirk. “And you promised.” 

Surprisingly, Chishiya doesn’t argue. So, you place your other hand around his neck, connecting it with your other hand. You pull him closer, his face inches away from yours. From here, you can see his face clearly. His eyelashes that flutter as he blinks, the creases of his forehead when he scrunches his brows slightly, his lips that were ever so slightly parted. He stays quiet, eyes on your face as if memorizing it like what you were doing to his. 

You brought down your hands to place his on your waist and again, he surprisingly doesn’t remove them. You place your hands back to where they belong, pulling him in again. You started to sway with the music, willing Chishiya to do the same. 

“I’m sorry.” The words come out of his mouth like air. If you weren’t close enough, you wouldn’t have heard it. Heat rushes to your face as your eyes widen. Did you really just hear Chishiya apologize to you?

Your shock melts into a tightlipped smile. “You’re just going to have to make it up to me by loving me forever.” It was a reference to the song that was playing. 

He scoffs at your cheesy words. “Don’t be ridiculous.” 

Love. It’s a privilege. You know that you two aren’t children made by love. It’s the reason why you two find it so hard to believe that love exists. Chishiya no doubt finds it harder to believe. He doesn’t understand the sentiment–the romance. 

“Fine. Tell me,” he mumbled. You stare back at him, unsure of what he means. His eyes were steady, focused on you and begging in his own way. It takes years of experience to notice the subtle changes of emotion his face makes and your heart swells at the slight tremble of his lips. “Tell me what to do instead.” 

Your brows slightly furrow, cheeks reddening and eyes glossy. When he’s not showcasing his intelligence and mischief, Chishiya is a man of few words. As your eyes are locked on each other, you bare yourself open into nothingness. Nothing mattered, not the games, not even the meaning of life. It was neither warm nor cold. Looking into Chishiya’s eyes was like looking into a mirror you cannot escape and yet you’d like to drown in them. 

“Worship me,” you proposed in a commanding manner, finding confidence in yourself and what you feel for him.

“Worship?” he asks with a confused and amused tone in his voice. 

“Love is overrated. Worship me instead.” 

And he smirks, pulling your waist closer. His lips touch yours and your world exploded. There weren’t fireworks, no sparks… it’s just felt like summer day. A bright sky, lighting up the road as the breeze hits your skin. His hand is heavy on your waist, your body fully aware of all of him. Your mouth melted into his, everything else is forgotten. The tip of your tongue brushes his and he parts his lips, welcoming you in. You cling unto him, longing more of him. 

And the moment I can feel that You feel that way too Is when I fall in love with you

© wolfvmin. please do not copy, translate, claim any of my works. my works are cross-posted only in ao3 under the name vantantae. thank you.

[dreamwavesexploringreality]

A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Chishiya x reader

Based on a request: Reader’s caught in rumours with Niragi while secretly with Chishiya.

--

"Where are you rushing off to, miss?" lamented a distressed Kuina as she rubbed the arm Y/N had bumped into moments earlier due to her hurried pace through the hallways of The Beach.

"Sorry, Kuina, I didn’t see you! Niragi told me to head down to the pool for a while. Apparently, it’s not too crowded right now, and I can enjoy some peace outdoors," Y/N replied, somewhat hurriedly.

"Oh, Niragi again…" Kuina’s feigned arm pain quickly vanished upon hearing Niragi’s name come from her friend’s lips. "You know I’m not too fond of him… But as long as my friend is happy, I’ll accept it!" she concluded with a smile on her face.

Y/N sighed dramatically. She was tired of constantly being paired with Niragi, but she had learned, through harsh experience, that it was impossible to change her friend’s mindset. Besides, it wasn’t entirely bad that people believed she was involved with the high-ranking militant. Y/N couldn’t deny the advantages it had brought her, like avoiding sleazy men with dirty intentions or gaining a certain prestige at The Beach.

Yes, it was true that she had felt somewhat uncomfortable at first, especially when she realized Niragi seemed to enjoy the confusion of others and took advantage of it to act more affectionate than usual: an arm over her shoulder, sharing his drink, or even referring to her as "his girl" in front of others. But Niragi was just Niragi, and Y/N knew it. She knew him since she could remember. She didn’t recall how that man, who was a boy at the time, had come into her life to stay, but suddenly he was in all her photo albums, and before she knew it, they were two young adults about to start college. Niragi had been her confidant, her friend, a shoulder to lean on… her everything. And she thought she had been that for him too.

It was a huge shock to find him in that place, almost by chance. After a particularly bloody game that had left her reeling from blood loss, Niragi appeared like a shadow in the darkness, and it wasn’t until a few days later, waking up in a comfortable hotel bed, that she recognized the man who had been part of her life for so many years. It didn’t take long for them to catch up, and surprisingly, Y/N understood, as no one else had, the character her friend had become fixated on playing. After all, she had been a close witness to Niragi’s darkest moments.

Everything seemed to be going well until a certain blonde crossed her path. Y/N had seen him wandering the hotel halls from time to time, even catching him a few times observing the world from the rooftop. He reminded her of a cat, that was the first thing she thought. Always so stealthy, so mysterious, as if he was constantly on a mission that he didn’t care about… but it wasn’t until that game that she glimpsed the nature of that man in all its glory. A strategic player, no doubt, confident, and even somewhat arrogant. His arrogance, however, had saved them that night during the sword game, and as amazed as she was by the man’s quick thinking, and somewhat shaken after her near-death experience, she couldn’t help but approach him.

Y/N remembered that night as the night when everything started. She introduced herself to him with a timid, blood-and-dirt-stained face and made sure to thank him for saving them all that night. She remembered how he looked at her, with a mischievous glint in his eyes and a shadow of unease in his gaze. Y/N would later learn that people at The Beach didn’t associate with him and that he was considered one of the best sword players around, known for successfully solving extreme mental challenges and never hesitating to sacrifice whatever and whomever for one more night of survival. He introduced himself as Chishiya.

She remembered how upset Niragi was when she told him, blushing and stammering, about her new friendship with the blonde. He had assured her that Chishiya wasn’t a good man, that he would take advantage and then discard her like a used piece when he couldn’t get any more out of her. Y/N ignored her friend’s warnings, and her relationship with Chishiya unexpectedly flourished.

The blonde man had never thought he would experience love in his life, let alone in a place like this. But when, later on, he saw Y/N’s life hanging by a thread in a game, he knew he couldn’t live without her and, indeed, against all odds, he was in love. Yet, going against what his heart longed to do, he never declared his feelings, driven by an irrational fear of rejection or a logical dread of losing her in that dangerous world. Even though they weren’t officially a couple, they had shared certain moments that they kept secret in the deepest corners of their hearts: conversations in their rooms late into the night, hands intertwined furtively, or even a few kisses on the cheek in the privacy of the dark. It was a tacit understanding between them: they knew they felt something for each other, but neither was willing to take the first step to clarify the situation. Y/N, in any case, didn’t think it was necessary; after all, they seemed to be fine as they were, and Chishiya thought the same. Until she was seen with Niragi.

Niragi knew about Y/N’s feelings for the other man long before Chishiya understood the closeness between the two. The rifle-wielding man did not hesitate to act when he noticed the frown on the blonde’s face due to his inexplicable proximity to Y/N. They were at the bar; Kuina and Y/N liked to enjoy The Beach’s party atmosphere from time to time, and although Chishiya didn’t share that sentiment, he had no choice but to join the party when he found himself alone in his room, unable to sleep and yearning for the presence of the woman who made him feel what he had never dared to feel. But when he went down to the pool, the scene he encountered couldn’t have been more different from what he had expected. There was Y/N at the bar, ordering a drink and unexpectedly close to the man he considered one of his rivals at The Beach. Chishiya watched with concealed surprise as Niragi smiled maliciously at him while crossing gazes, all the while putting his arm around the girl’s shoulders and whispering something in her ear, never dropping his seductive demeanor. Chishiya was about to approach under the pretext of ruining Niragi’s flirtation, pulling Y/N out of a potentially uncomfortable situation with the groping, intrusive man, but his intentions were thwarted when, to his horror, Y/N returned the smile to the pierced man, nodding at whatever he had said. Such proximity, Y/N’s comfort in that man’s arms… it couldn’t be faked, and as he was about to turn and leave, a somewhat drunk Kuina, clutching a drink tightly, approached him to deliver the final blow.

"Aren’t they adorable?"

Had Chishiya allowed himself to be more human that night, he would have gone to the bar to get drunk, which was what his senses were urging him to numb the unknown pain that had settled in his chest. But he wasn’t like that. Instead, he went to his room and decided that night to end the volatile situation between him and the girl.

That same night, Y/N couldn’t get Chishiya out of her mind, and no matter how much she danced with Niragi or Kuina, or drank a cocktail or two, the image of the blonde kept coming back to her thoughts. She decided, that same night, to end the indefinite situation between her and the man. And that was exactly what she did.

The morning after the party, still suffering from the consequences of alcohol and dancing, she showed up at Chishiya’s door. She knocked twice and waited, with her heart racing in her throat. For a moment, she thought about how bad of an idea it was, but before she could even turn around and run back to her room, the door opened. A half-asleep Chishiya stood in the doorway, cursing himself internally for not asking earlier who was knocking. When his brain told him that this was the moment to end everything and spare himself more pain, his arms stretched out, pulling the girl into an intimate and affectionate embrace, trying to communicate everything he didn’t dare to say aloud. And so, another day, their relationship stayed afloat, unspoken.

Y/N spoke to him that same morning, while they were having breakfast together in his room, about her closeness with Niragi. She didn’t explain the origin of their close bond, as Niragi had almost begged her not to disclose anything about their past. Chishiya swallowed all his questions and showed disinterest in the information Y/N was sharing, which was a relief for the girl, wrongly interpreting that the blonde didn’t mind or even care about her affairs with Niragi. That morning, however, she left Chishiya’s room wearing her characteristic white sweatshirt. He had insisted that she take it with the excuse that her bikini was wet and that if she got sick, she wouldn’t be able to perform well enough to survive the game that night.

Niragi couldn’t help but laugh when he heard his friend explain why she was wearing that garment, and a whole elaborate plan began to make sense in his mind as he realized it was the perfect opportunity to irritate the man he despised so much.

"Earth to Y/N…" Kuina

She was still standing in the middle of the hallway. "Weren’t you in such a hurry to see your 'friend'?" she said, making exaggerated quotation marks with her hands.

"Oh yes, I got distracted," Y/N said, snapping out of her thoughts.

"Go on! Don’t keep him waiting!" urged Kuina, almost pushing her out of the hotel.

Indeed, just as Niragi had assured her, there weren’t many people at the pool; it was the perfect time to lie on a lounge chair, relax, clear her mind, and let herself be carried away by the muted sounds of the hotel. But Niragi had a different idea. When he saw Y/N arriving, he was already in the water, aggressively pushing some of The Beach’s inhabitants aside to make his way to the shore.

"Where have you been? People are going to start arriving; it was much emptier before!" scolded the pierced man.

"I got distracted," Y/N apologized as she entered the pool, hissing from the temperature.

Niragi didn’t take long to approach her and wrap her in an embrace that, for everyone present, could easily be mistaken for an act of love and tenderness.

"Did you get distracted with that idiot?" the man reprimanded her.

"No, smartass. I was chatting with Kuina," Y/N replied.

"The blonde’s little friend… I don’t like her either," Niragi sighed.

"You don’t like anyone," the girl laughed.

"Only you," the man almost whispered with a mocking smile, bringing his face closer to hers in a flirtatious act.

Y/N laughed, pulling away from him and creating space between their bodies. No matter how much she cared for Niragi, she still felt uncomfortable with actions like that, so direct and invasive.

Suddenly, a flood of people arrived at the pool, accompanied by screams and shouts. Everyone seemed so happy; Y/N was still surprised by how deluded everyone was in that place. The pool quickly filled with moving bodies, splashing and spilling alcoholic drinks. With Niragi’s help, Y/N was able to leave the pool and get away from the crowd. Niragi closely followed her to one of the few lounge chairs that remained free after the sudden arrival of the Beach’s residents. He violently pushed away the man resting peacefully on the adjacent lounge chair. However, people kept arriving in droves until even lying on the lounge chair with her eyes closed was not enough for Y/N to relax. The place had become overcrowded in a matter of minutes, as if everyone at the Beach had sobered up at the same time and was flocking to get their new dose of happiness.

"Niragi, let’s go. I’m overwhelmed by so many people," Y/N declared, getting up from her spot.

"Alright, but know that if you had come earlier, this wouldn’t have happened," he reproached her.

They both got up and headed towards the pool exit, but it was more complicated than expected. Although Niragi barked at anyone blocking their way and pushed roughly against those who were too close, the crowd kept coming, and everyone seemed to be going in the opposite direction of where Niragi and Y/N were trying to move.

Given this, they should have anticipated the possibility of an incident. In a matter of seconds, a strong arm collided directly with Y/N’s side, causing her to lose her balance. The slippery and sticky floor didn’t help stabilize her, and the entanglement of feet and legs around her offered no secure grip. Within moments, Y/N found herself dangerously close to the pool’s edge. She braced herself to close her eyes and hold her breath, expecting the imminent contact with the water. However, it never came.

When Y/N reopened her eyes, she noticed a strong grip on her forearm holding her steady. With a pull, she was yanked away from the edge of the pool and brought closer to a firm, defined body. Y/N looked up from her position, pressed against his chest. Niragi.

"Are you an idiot? You almost threw her into the water! You’re going to regret this!" she heard the man roar at a young guy who had paled upon realizing who he had almost pushed into the water: Niragi’s girl.

Y/N turned her gaze to see the commotion in the crowd as people witnessed Niragi’s fury. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw a rather unsubtle and mischievous smile from her friend, just a few steps from the door. Kuina was holding a straw between her lips, which she seemed to nervously chew while suppressing her usual happy squeals. But what really surprised Y/N was the presence beside the woman. Chishiya stood with his arms crossed, wearing his usual sweatshirt, his brow furrowed.

Y/N didn’t have time to react when Niragi decided that those poor souls had had enough of his scolding and proceeded to drag Y/N, gripping her arm tightly, toward the exit and directly to the couple watching them, each with very different emotions displayed on their faces. Niragi advanced ruthlessly, passing in front of Kuina and Chishiya without noticing their presence. This was quite common for the man, as his rage clouded his mind when he was angry, making him oblivious to his surroundings. He would have continued dragging the girl behind him if not for a firm hand gripping his wrist. Niragi prepared to confront whoever dared to stop him when he realized who the culprit was. Chishiya had a tight grip on the man’s wrist, his knuckles starting to turn white. Kuina, beside him, looked on with evident surprise, while Y/N, still not fully recovered from the earlier scare, tried unsuccessfully to free herself from Niragi’s grip.

"Let her go," Chishiya growled in a low voice that Y/N had never heard before.

A sarcastic laugh escaped Niragi’s mouth, tightening his grip even more if possible.

"And why would I do that, huh?" he challenged.

"I know you know Y/N is mine—"

Kuina’s eyes widened, and she turned her head to look at Y/N with a thousand questions. Y/N, for her part, looked at Chishiya with surprise etched on her face. She felt her heart stop for a moment before it started beating even more forcefully and vigorously. She briefly wondered if she might have fallen and hit her head hard enough to be hallucinating. She snapped out of her daze when she felt Chishiya’s arm take her hand and pull her toward him. Niragi’s eyes filled with fury at seeing the other man’s gesture, and releasing his grip on the girl’s arm, he violently shoved the blonde man. Chishiya staggered slightly, surprised by the sudden attack but quickly regained his composure, lifting his head in a challenging manner.

Y/N acted quickly, stepping between the two men and separating them with a hand on each of their chests.

"Both of you, stop. Niragi, go. We’ll talk later," she said firmly.

Niragi looked at her incredulously, but when he met the girl’s determined eyes, he decided to comply, not without giving Chishiya a look of deep hatred and making a defiant gesture.

When Niragi had disappeared through the door, Y/N looked at Chishiya, who was already looking back at her.

"So, yours, huh?" she asked with a hint of amusement, trying to hide a slight tremor in her voice.

A small excited squeal was heard. Kuina. Y/N had completely forgotten that the girl was there watching. The girl and… all the people at the pool. Embarrassment coursed through Y/N’s body, and she pulled Chishiya towards the interior of the hotel, both of them entering the Main Lounge.

"Did it bother you?" Chishiya dared to ask. "The part about claiming you as mine…" he clarified.

"No," Y/N declared. "It’s just that I… wasn’t sure what terms we were on," she said, looking away from him.

The light touch of fingers on her chin made her look up, meeting Chishiya’s gentle gaze.

"Well, I guess now the whole Beach knows what terms we’re on," he whispered with a smile on his face.

Y/N felt the man bring his face closer to hers and involuntarily directed her gaze to his lips, moistening them in a spontaneous act. The next thing she felt was his lips meeting hers, moving in sync with special attention as he kept holding her chin carefully. She closed her eyes and let herself be carried away by the moment, which couldn’t compare even to her most vivid dreams. She savoured that instant as if her life depended on it, understanding that things were going to be different from then on, and a smile reflected on her face as she thought, for the first time since arriving in Borderlands, about the future. Of course, with her eyes closed, Y/N never saw the man watching with fury from the upper balcony of the lounge, nor did she see how Chishiya’s eyes briefly shifted to that place while a cynical smile appeared on his face. The message? Clear and concise: She was his girl, and he wasn’t willing to let anyone think otherwise.

© 2024 [@dreamwavesexploringreality]

-------

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it! 😊

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[nineteenninety-six]

Hi! can you do chishiya and his s/o in the jack of hearts of game please? Have a good day!

A/N: I don't really think this is all that good but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

The unmistakable sounds of people fucking greeted YN and Chishiya as they walked into the Jack of Hearts game venue.

YN couldn't help the grin that grew on their face, "Seems like they have the right idea."

Chishiya hummed in agreement as he slipped the collar on, "Indulging in pleasure in a world of death... makes sense I suppose"

"Interested?" YN asked as they slipped on their own collar. "I'm sure we'll manage to find a free space on our calendar to fit it in, you know between running for our lives from the King of Spades and trying to find our group again."

Chishiya didn't respond, simply waving YN upstairs to the guardroom where a few other people were waiting. All of them looked uncomfortable from the noises coming from one of the cells. one of the older ladies gave them a judging look as they walked by as if expecting them to go off to a cell as well.

Chishiya finds a shadowed corner for them though YN can barely wait a couple of minutes of silence before they speak up again, "Do you think they came to this world together and were a thing before or do you think that they're just making the most out of a bad situation?"

Chishiya gives them an incredulous look." What difference does it make?"

YN shrugs, "None I suppose. I just wanted to gossip... I miss Kuina, she was always willing to gossip with me"

"You two spent more time gossiping than doing anything else." Chishiya engages in conversation. "A miracle you managed to clear games."

YN rolled her eyes at his derision, "It's not like there was much else to do. Most people aren't making DIY flamethrowers and backstabbing people, believe it or not."

Chishiya releases an amused huff and the conversation dies off again, at least until the noisy couple comes out to join the growing group of players filling the room, when chishiya whispers to YN, "They came together. Boss and secretary, perhaps?"

YN nods, "Uh-huh, the power dynamic must be crazy..."

┆彡

YN looked around at the players as the rules were explained, they weren’t exactly worried as they knew that Chishiya had their back but figuring out who the Jack was, is going to take an insane amount of time.

Heart games were psychological and YN had heard of heart games that had been designed so that only one person survives but this game seemed to be one that focused on backstabbing and creating suspicion amongst its players. 

There was no time limit, unlimited food and visas weren't going to expire. Putting scared and nervous people in this environment only caused these people to get caught up in their thoughts and paranoid.

Whoever the Jack was, they designed this game to be a massacre. Picking off people whilst disguised as a player. A smart way to design the game but every player had a secret and putting someone in a situation like this may bring out a new side of them.

“So, what do you think?” Chishiya whispered as they watched groups being formed around them.

“To early to even make a guess, give me a couple more rounds”

Chishiya nodded before the young man next to them asked if they could team up, as YN watched two men interact on the floor below through the floor grate. The smaller man seemed to be establishing dominance to create an uneven partnership.

YN looked away from them as a young girl in a blue dress walked over to them with her group following behind her,

“Say, would you like to join our team?” She asks, “It’s okay if you don’t want to”

The guy that Chishiya was talking to quickly responds before looking over at Chishiya who looks at YN.

YN gives a nod and shrug, so Chishiya turns back to the girl and nods, 

“Okay. Let’s work together.”

┆彡

YN watched Chishiya as he watched other people. He always had some sort of plan in motion at any given time and during games, he had backups to his backups.

YN had given up trying to guess whatever was going on in his head and usually went along with him though, they never relied on him a hundred per cent, making sure they had at least one plan because if something ever happened to Chishiya, they’ll be fucked.

Rounds kept on passing with at least one person dying each round and YN was over it, the smell of death permeated the air and no amount of free food and stay could convince them to stay any longer than necessary.

There were six of them left now, YN, Chishiya, Bada, Matsushita, Bada and Kotoko and just after the previous round ended with two more dead bodies, YN followed Chishiya to beg for him to set whatever plan he had in motion to end this game.

“You know who it is, right?” YN asks as they follow Chishiya around the food room.

Chishiya hummed as he picked up a packet of cookies and began snacking on them.

“You do?” YN huffed at their boyfriend, “End the game now. We can be done with this and look for Kuina.”

 Chishiya offered YN cookies which they refused with a roll of their eyes, “The plan is already in motion.”

“How long have you known who the Jack of Hearts was?”

“I wasn’t certain until this round” Chishiya took a bite of his cookie, “Satisfied now?”

YN bit their tongue, it was no good to start an argument now, especially since Chishiya was never a fair person to argue against, he had a tendency to use personal things against whoever he was fighting against to win the argument.

┆彡

YN speed walked out of the prison after the Jack of Hearts was defeated and they had cleared the game. Though ‘defeated’ was a strong word when you remember that Banda and Yaba had tortured Matsushita to the point where he could no longer talk so when the round concluded and he couldn’t say his suit, his collar activated and killed him.

“Are you still upset?” Chishiya asked as he followed them out, jogging at times to catch up to YN’s fast pace.

“No” YN grumbled, their pace not decreasing, “Let’s just focus on finding Kuina and the others.”

Chishiya saddles up to YN’s side and doesn’t say a word but he does reach out and take YN’s hand in his. His version of an apology.  

[archieimagines]

when they make you laugh | aib

How they react when they make you laugh for the first time since arriving in Borderland.

Chishiya, Ann, Kuina and Niragi.

i really really love writing for aib, and i really really want to marry ann. warnings: this is mostly fluff but jealousy and threats are included (would it even be niragi if this wasn’t the case?) requested by: anon (thank you!) written by: archie support me on ko-fi!

Chishiya

Chishiya would be puzzled. Hearing your laugh ring through the Beach’s hallway from beside him when hardly much had happened-- What suddenly brought that out of you? You, who hadn’t so much as smirked once since arriving in the Borderlands?

He wouldn’t stop walking until you’d finally keeled over, resting against the wall in your laughter, and he’d simply stand there and watch you, tempted to give into the smirk that pulls at the corner of his lips. Ah yes, that laugh is contagious, but it’d only properly catch on when he realises it’s his own words that brought it out of you.

Gasping words out through your bursts of laughter, not paying half a mind to the bikini-clad girls that spared you judgemental glances as you try to communicate what exactly of Chishiya’s words tickled you so-- But it’d barely come out clear enough to make sense.

But it wouldn’t matter. He’d finally give into the tickle inside his own chest, the softest laugh of humour bubbling out as he stands there, hands in his pockets and tender eyes on your giggling form. It’s the first time since arriving that he’s seen you like this, and what a sight to behold.

Ann

Ann isn’t phased by much, but your sudden laughter gracing her ears would startle her. She’d jump, hair swishing out of that perfect positioning when she turns to look at you. She’d think there’s something wrong at first, scan the area to see what might’ve possibly brought you to this, wonder if perhaps Borderland has finally taken its toll on you. She’s heard plenty of stories of psychosis manifesting in laughter from her work life, but this… Doesn’t seem to be the case.

She’d ask what was up, ask if you’re feeling okay, hold your face still to feel your forehead for a temperature. This, however, would only bring out more bubbling laughter as you tuck her hair behind her ear again, back where it belongs.

“You’re so funny, Ann,” you’d say, “And you don’t even realise.”

She’d blink. No, she’s never been considered the funny type.

It’s not until you describe to her that it’s purely because she’s so serious, so endearing, that you couldn’t help yourself. Perhaps things really were catching up to you, and you finally let up on all the pressures from the games. Hell, you were gonna die anyway. Why not share laughter when your love is this morbidly endearing in her antics?

Kuina

Kuina would have missed your laughter. She’d struggle with your newly introverted self, noticing how all the games have worn you down in the weeks of being here, and it’s not until one time that you get a little bit too drunk a little bit too quickly in the Beach’s nightclub that you’d finally be able to spill your sense of humour all over her again.

It would be the silliest of things; Kuina’s reaction to a guy hitting on her or an animated fall on the dancefloor that you’d just so happened to witness, but it would shock your body with waves and waves of giggles.

Kuina’s reaction would be instant. Her face would light up, teeth showing and eyes shining as she drank in the sight of you losing control of your body, weak at the knees and relying on Kuina’s arm around your middle to keep you up. Soon, the pair of you would be creasing with tears in your eyes, and she’s definitely the type that lightly hits whoever happens to be in her reach as she cackles. Afterwards, the air around you would be drastically lighter. She’d be thrilled to have you back.

Niragi

Niragi would be suspicious of your laughter. He’d stare at you with a brow and corner of his lips raised, practically with a question mark over his head as he eyes you. He’d demand to know what’s so funny, what’s suddenly happened to you-- but on hearing that he’d just said something in such a way that struck you funny, he’d guffaw in dismissal. Though, hidden inside, his chest would swell with pride and a curl would remain on his lips for a long while after, throwing out certain remarks to try and catch you in a giggle fit once more. Every time it works, a strange glow of acceptance would find a home in his chest.

If, god forbid, anyone else had been the first to make you laugh, he’d want their head on a plate. And you know he’d have it, too, unless it were Chishiya. Perhaps Chishiya’s eyeroll to something Niragi had said would set you off, or even worse, something he’d said-- Niragi would lose his shit. He’d yell at you once the moment had passed, having let it brew for moments before. How dare you humiliate him? Unite with Chishiya against him? Of course, that wouldn’t be even a sliver of truth, and you’d have to talk him down from hunting Chishiya in the Beach’s halls.

You’d manage a soft laugh for him, holding his face to keep his attention and stop his spiralling. “Niragi,” you’d shine a smile, knowing exactly how to calm him. “He’s pitiful, and I’m yours.”

[subtract-me-from-your-heart]

I like the show version of Chishiya, and here’s why.

I love manga!Chishiya, but he always felt pretty one-dimensional to me. His backstory is one of parental neglect, similar to Arisu. Chishiya basically fails to develop a sense of empathy (unlike Arisu, who just has ye olde Main Character Syndrome). He decides to enter med school because he thinks that a profession where he saves lives might actually help him grow a Give-a-Shitter. Spoiler: it doesn’t.

Manga!Chishiya is an emotional flat line. He doesn’t care about other characters because he can’t. I remember thinking that he had a lot of the same traits as a serial killer. He viewed the world through nothing but intellect, and other people were either nonexistent or pawns to be used to further his own ends. Even the idea that maybe being responsible for the lives of others will help him grow some empathy is a chilling one.

That’s cool. I actually really like those kinds of characters. I also think there are enough characters like that in the story. Characters who you look at and think, “Okay, yes, you are terrible.” The big problem is that it makes his weird self-sacrifice with Usagi absolutely senseless. Like, it came out of nowhere. There wasn't any sort of satisfying build-up where I felt like, "Okay, yeah, this makes sense."

His updated backstory adds a dimension that wasn’t present in the manga version. Rather than simply lacking empathy for other people, you can actually see the moment in which he makes the conscious decision to turn it off. He has this light bulb moment where he realizes that the world is a cruel and unfair place. He realizes that allowing himself to feel for other people is only going to hurt him in the end because he’s powerless to change the systems that are actively harming them. It's better to protect himself and survive.

Chishiya is a selfish character, but the idea that his selfishness stems out of a desire to protect himself from pain gives his character some actual depth that was always missing for me. It also makes the King of Diamonds game a lot more meaningful. Kuzuryu went through the same exact thing, but instead of turning off his feelings, he paralyzed himself with a moral dilemma. Where Chishiya chose to treat all human life as equally worthless, Kuzuryu couldn’t stop looking for some value to assign, whether that was to ease his conscience or to inform a sense of justice he was desperately trying to find.

I really, really like how that dichotomy played out.

I also think it's interesting that Chishiya feels a lot more psychological in the show. He's clearly highly intelligent in both the manga and the show, and maybe it's just Murakami's performance, but there's something more sinister to him. He's clearly developed some sort of friendly relationship with Kuina. He displays an ability to be playful and seems to genuinely be extending an offer of friendship to Arisu (up until he sells him out for one corn chip). Seeing how he can make these connections that feel genuine to the people involved (unlike his manga self who is pretty universally despised) and still be willing to fuck those people over for his own survival makes him feel a lot more menacing to me.

This ability to flawlessly manipulate and betray also means he has a deep understanding of human emotion, which is illogical by nature. In the manga, Chishiya says outright that he isn't suited for Hearts games, but show!Chishiya feels tailor-made for them.

It's also interesting that in the manga, he seems to get harsher and more isolated. By contrast, in the show, he feels to me like he softens episode by episode. It really struck me in the Jack of Hearts game when he said something about his partner dying because he was too kind. On the surface, you could take it as a typical judgy Chishiya comment, but there actually appeared to be a glimmer of sadness, or envy, or regret. Or all of the above. Or maybe it's just Murakami Nijiro's face that made me think that. Either way, I think it was smart of the showrunners to throw him in that game.

In the end, the King of Diamonds game pushes him to the realization that he really is envious of people who have the ability to be kind. He's envious of people who can make the selfless choice. And it's not because he can't be. It's because he's closed himself off to the vulnerability that allows a person to make that kind of decision. You can't truly save others if you're always protecting yourself.

So, he saves Usagi to try to become that person. And I don't feel it was out of character at all.

[keysmashingfantasies]

Hi, could you please do a story about Chishiya and his feelings for reader. Kuina teases Chishiya for liking reader and she keeps trying to play Cupid but reader is oblivious. He ends up actually getting embarrassed over Kuina bugging him and starts acting awkward towards reader and she wonders why so she confronts him and he awkwardly explains how he has feeling for her. Lots of fluff. I just imagine him getting all shy over not having interacted with girls much.

yay!!!! i love fluffy pieces. in my delusional heart alice in borderland is just a big sit/romcom. and that's it.

no warnings for this one. very vanilla and sweet. also for the sake of SHIT going DOWN on s2, this will be set on the Beach.

"What are you doing?", Kuina came closer with a smirk leaning over the railing with a smirk, next to Chishiya, that was well hidden beneath his hood, watching over you.

"Nothing. What about you?", he tried to appear nonchalant but, unfortunately, Kuina knew him too well.

"It doesn't look like nothing", she replied in a sing song voice, her eyes crinkling with a big smile that held a cigarette tight. "It looks like you're spying and drooling over the girl from the diamonds game!", she kept going, laughing up a storm. Thankfully, her cheery demeanor blended well with the other residents that were drinking and having fun despite all things.

Chishiya had a crush. What was first admiration stemmed from an outstanding performance from her on a diamonds game that took place in a music shop of all places, worthy enough of being invited to be an executive member, now grew into a full fledged crush. And much to Chishiya's dismay, Kuina clocked him immediately and now wouldn't leave him alone.

"Seriously, you've been at it for what? Almost a month now! Go talk to her! We can die at any moment here!", Kuina was growing frustrated. She missed her friend. When he wasn't thinking about his plans and improvised weapons, he was moping around like a highschooler in love and it was pissing her off.

"And you want me to do what? To throw myself at her like Niragi does with these poor women? I don't even have time for this anyway. Didn't have before this, don't have it here, probably not when we get out", he said. Kuina sighed. He really did sound like a mopey lovesick edgy teenager. Thankfully, he had a big sister figure and she was ready to intervene.

It didn't took long at all for Chishiya to keep bumping into you, the pair of you seemingly moved by the strangest coincidences.

First, it was Chishiya being interrupted by knocks at the door while he was tinkering with the tools he managed to sneak into the Beach under his hoodie, coming face to face with you.

"Uhhh. Good night?", he asked, suddenly flustered. Why were you in his room?

"Oh! I'm so so sorry. Kuina told me...", you paused, to check at the plaquette with the room number. "Kuina told me that this was her room. Oh, am I interrupting? Are you... her boyfriend?", this may be a weird way to check but this was the perfect chance for you to see. You've been seeing him in your peripheral ever since the game. You could barely concentrate, he was so cute.

"No! No I'm not her boyfriend. We are just friends", he said.

"Oh! Sorry, one of us must've gotten confused", you said, suddenly awkward. Now what? What would you say to keep the conversation going? It didn't matter because Chishiya shot your hopes down immediately.

"Well, actually her room is in this hallway. 516. Not 502", he said.

"Oh, okay. My bad", you said, turning to walk away, much to the dismay of Kuina who was peeking around the corner to see if her efforts at Cupid were working.

Then it was Kuina asking for help to find Chishiya constantly.

"Have you seen Chishiya lately? Can you help me find him, please?"

"Uhm... So many people. I wonder where Chishiya is"

"Can you check on Chishiya for me? I think he went to the roof".

Meanwhile, he was avoiding you like the plague. In his mind you certainly caught what was happening and was bothered by it. He, on the other hand, was embarrassed as could be. After having a stern talk with Kuina to get her to stop, he decided to save himself even more embarrassment and just avoid you.

You wondered what you did. Usually, Chishiya was stoic and serious. So when you greeted him good morning and he looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole, you knew you fucked up. But when Chishiya made his best to avoid you during a game, almost causing both of you to fall in a trap, it was time to do the grown up talk and talk to him.

Thankfully, you knew exactly where to find him now. After checking his room, 502, and getting no answer, you went to the next best spot.

You were right. Chishiya was there, on his spot, watching the sky. You remembered the time you had found him here by request of Kuina, and that you had compared him to a cat on a window. He gave you one of his "smiles", which was really just a quirk of his lips up, but now you wondered if he was just being polite.

"Chishiya?", you asked, slowly approaching as to not to frighten him.

"Y/N!", trying to not frighten him did not work. He composed himself quickly though. "What are you doing here?", he said in his normal nonchalant fashion.

"I... Do you mind if I join you?", you asked, sitting next to him in the concrete.

"No, no... Not at all", he mumbled. "What brings you here?", he said before his eyes grew a bit. "Is Kuina looking for me again?".

"What? No. I was just wondering... Lately, you've seem off. Like you're mad at me or something. I just wanted to know if I did something to upset you. I'm not trying to make enemies, especially not here", you seemed so sad, something clenched inside Chishiya's chest.

"You didn't do anything. I was embarrassed", he said after a few beats of silence.

"Embarrassed of what? You did nothing?", you said.

"Well, you see... Kuina is a good friend of mine. And she's been trying to help me. By making us bump into each other. Because since that first diamonds game I... You've... You were... I admire a lot what you did in that game, the way you played", he said.

"Admired?", a dopey smile made its way into your face. You had to add "cute guy you're into says he's admired you" to your list of evidence that you're all actually in heaven.

"Yeah. And as time went on it became a sort of... infatuation. Kuina was trying to help by inconveniencing you. And then it made me embarrassed to think it was because of me", he was looking forward, more through you than at you.

"You didn't need help. You could've just talked to me, like we're doing right now", you said, moving closer to look into his eyes. You felt your heart in your throat but he was so nervous you didn't want him to get even more flustered in case you looked at him funny.

"Yes but I wouldn't know how if you didn't come to me. This hasn't exactly happened before, didn't have the time", he said.

"Oh", you said. "Well, that's fine with me. And we're here now. Talking. And since we're on the topic, I have some sort of infatuation with you too", you said.

"And what now?", he gave you a smile. One of his Chishiya smiles.

"Now we stick together. And one day, when we're back, maybe go on a date", you extended your hand to him.

"Hmmm. Short term?", he took your hand in his.

"We find Kuina. And we thank her. And then we go to 502", you gave him a smile that made his heart do somersaults. He really owed Kuina big time.

[1vy-ofthevall3y]

https://www.tumblr.com/1vy-ofthevall3y/744658924283805696/fuck-you-wont-understand-how-his-intelligence?source=share

This gives a idea! Can you do reader is telling their type like what kind of guy they like and reader is describing chishiya's personality (intelligent , hot lol) later chishiya realise it and started teasing the reader?? Thank you!

warning: fluff!. lower case. took place in the jack of heart game.

a/n: tbh, i feel i'm bad at writing a full one like this. but thanks for the idea and request

you and chishiya are casually wandering around the cafeteria of the prison, taking the biscuit he found that is better than every other one here. your sigh beside him caught his attention, glanced over at you for a moment then back at the pack of snacks in his hand.

"something's bothering you?"

thought you were feeling anxious over the game, it's been filled with manipulation since the second round. you have no idea who the jack is, yet, and chishiya's already had some suspicions in his mind. and your eyes were secretly on him all the time on this round.

"nothing... just some personal problems."

personal problems, huh?

"hm."

he hummed acknowledged, having an urge to know what's on your mind right now. it's not that he doesn't care about what people think, he's actually even curious about it sometimes, then at the end, he chose to ignore it, because it's not his problem, or something he's interested in. but this time, it's you, so why not take this moment as an advantage to know you more?

"...mind telling me?"

"what?" you look up at him.

"personal problems." he holds the snack by his side, stuck one of his hand into his pocket and turned to face you, stare back at your confused eyes.

"oh." you feel surprised when he asks you if you want to share it with him, which is kinda out of his character.

he rarely gets into small talks, you noticed. both you and kuina back when you're still at the beach, always gossip about everything that you guys found interesting and funny. chishiya's just listen, or mostly, ignore all the talks and think about the plan to get out of here with you and kuina.

oh, how you missed kuina and her humourous. you still remember when she asked you if you have any type of man you like, and it's still bothering you until now. you used to go on dates with guys before getting into the borderland, some of them may have your interest, but still, not able to reach your heart. clearly, they just not what you expect them to be your... actual type. until you meet him.

"i was thinking that i may have figured out what my type is." you shrugged, looking away.

"your type?" he tilted his head slightly, growing interest at this side of yours.

"type of man, yeah." you sighed, "it's just... i used to don't know what exactly my type is, it's been bothersome to me. it was just so confusing, i even tried to go on date with some guys, and no second date happens after then, all of that just to figure out what kind of man i'm into."

chishiya remains silent after you've done telling him your thoughts, makes you feel like you may be too talkative for him, or makes him feel uncomfortable. can't blame you cause you're used to having kuina by your side every time you talk.

as you were about to apologise, and asked him if it's a little too much for him to hear, he cut you right before you can.

"what's your type then?"

"...huh?" you're confused again, it's strange when he wants to know it.

"you said you may have figured it out, so there must be someone who caught your interest, or even have your heart, i suppose?" he almost chucked at your confused face, finding it quite adorable. you must be surprised when he suddenly even cares about your 'personal problem'.

'it's you.'

it's like he can read through your inner self. you can't tell him that it's him who you found you're attractive to. so you have to choose words carefully, to describe him without him realising.

"well. i guess it's about being confident, independent, calm, have perfect plans..., and hot...? uh... being intelligent and outsmarts everyone around him would be perfect for me..."

yeah fuck. too detailed. should've think thoroughly before saying it.

at this point, you already feel your cheeks starting to burn at your own words. did he know that you were just describing him?

"...i think i know this guy." he narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow, commenting on your 'type'.

oh! so he thought it was someone el-

"actually, i know that i know him pretty well." his voice sounds playful as his lips curled up, smirking at you.

oh.

you immediately understand what he means by that look as you widen your eyes, dumbfounded. he... realised.

"don't even think about it." you were just opened your mouth as he warned you before you could deny your feelings for him, which would be a huge lie if you do.

he looks at you up and down, then right at your face, that eyes of yours before it darted away from his, that little blush. it's all too familiar for him.

so it was right. his theory all along, about your feelings for him, was right. he takes your silence as an agreement to his conclusion, and starts to tease you.

"don't think that i didn't notice your stare on me, or how you avoid my eyes, and hide that little blush whenever i look at you a bit too long." he calmly stated, enjoying how shy you're looking right now, knowing he's the only one who could easily makes you like this.

widened your eyes as you turn to face him, not noticing when your lips parted slightly at his statement. all this time, you thought he was just caring about his plans and strategies for these games and being an emotionless, cold man, turned out you were just making yourself a fool.

"so you do know about my feelings all along!" you furrow at the realisation, can't believe you just exposed yourself like that.

"oh sweetheart, you're the one who's willing to tell me your feelings." he chucked.

this is when you immediately regret opening up yourself to him, you may feel relieved whenever you blur out what's bothering your mind at the moment with your close friends, like kuina, but now you hate yourself for that.

you groan and cross your arms, not looking at his 'winning' face anymore. but not for so long when you have to look back at him after his next unexpected words.

"you know, i don't feel annoyed when your type is me, in fact," he leaned closer to your ear until you could feel his warm breath on your skin.

"...i wanted it to be true."

he leans back and meets with your big, round eyes, looking straight into you with a smirk on his face, still being close to you. he makes sure to take in everything into his mind and never forget this moment.

you stare at him for a few more seconds before getting out of your flustered mind and rolling your eyes, slightly pressing your lips together.

"shut up." you muttered, pressed the palm of your hand on his lips and pushed his face far from your already like a tomato face, turned back and walked away from him with his laugh leaving behind before you could turn yourself into an actual idiot with his teases.

"hey, i think i know my type too! wanna hear it?" he shouted from behind and slowly followed your steps, not going to end this little joy, knowing that soon he will have to soothe you for his teases.

well, at least it's not a waste of time to listen to this, and the most important thing is that he knows that you have a crush on him, too.

[drama--universe]

Looking Glasses

Requested by anonymous: I’ve had this idea for a little while so I was thinking maybe chishiya x gn!reader where the reader has glasses and they Break in a game so chishiya make them a new one?

Pairing: Shuntaro Chishiya x gn!reader

Word Count: 680 words

Warnings: none

A/N As someone who has almost a minus 6 on both eyes, this felt refreshing to write 😂

You sighed as you fiddled with your glasses, annoyed at the fact that they had broken halfway the game due to an angry woman who decided to punch you. The lenses were fine, stuffed deep into your pocket, but the frames were a goner. They were bent, the right temple was missing the screw and you were now officially blind. The people around you were now just blurs, colors blending together to create said blurs. Of course, the headache was also already starting to form and you had no doubt that it would turn into a heavy migraine after a few hours.

Of course, the loud chatter from your teammates just made everything worse. You'd make a comment, but you didn't feel like it and you also didn't know their names.

You felt the car come to a stop and stepped out, your legs wobbly as you tried to gain balance. You already had no sense of balance with glasses, so imagine what it was like without them and a vision that almost felt like blindness. The people with you scattered to their own places of enjoyment, while you just tried to not trip. You made it inside, luckily, and a figure approached you. You squinted, trying to figure out who it was until you recognized the blue color of Kuina's swimsuit and Chishiya dressed in his white sweater and swim shorts. Once they stood close enough, your vision focused a bit more as you squinted.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kuina asked and you just held up your frames with a defeated look, causing Kuina to burst out laughing. You glared at her form pocketing the frames again before moving your eyes to Chishiya.

"How was your game?" "Boring, 8 of hearts." He mumbled as he walked past you and you frowned, turning around to watch his form with shock.

"A 8 of hearts?! How is that boring? It's terrifying!" You exclaimed, looking at Kuina for confirmation before turning back to follow Chishiya. Kuina was kind enough to make sure you didn't fall and to guide you through the crowd. It didn't take long for you to reach your room, laying on the bed with a sigh. Your head laid right next Chishiya's lap while Kuina sat near your legs, laying on top of you while chewing on her fake cigarette.

"So, how did those break?" Kuina asked as she watched you pull out the frames and lenses. You just sighed loudly, dropping the parts on the bedside table before explaining.

"Some lady got angry during the game and punched me... I was too bossy for her." You said and Kuina scoffed before turning so she quite literally laid on top of you, staring at you to continue your story.

"I didn't help after that and she died..." You continued, earning a snort from Chishiya and both you and Kuina looked up in surprise. He gave you a side glance, but no one said anything.

"So, what about you Kuina?" "Oh my god, okay! So, I was in the same game as Ann-" She started ranting happily and you did your best to follow along to her speed talk. One thing about Kuina was that she got too fast to follow when she got excited to talk about it. While you paid close attention, neither you nor Kuina noticed that Chishiya had picked up the remains of your glasses and started to toy with them.

Kuina had been talking for an hour when she finally decided to get some sleep, getting up and leaving the room with Chishiya not far behind to return to his own. You laid down in the bed again, eyes moving to look at your broken glasses only to see them mildly fixed.

The lenses were back in the frames, the right temple was back attached and the bridge was back to being unbend.

You couldn't help but smile, knowing that it was Chishiya had fixed it. You didn't know how, but you honestly didn't really care as you laid on your side while staring at the glasses with a bright smile.

[niki-phoria]

A jealous Chishiya because reader got a new male bestfriend and spends more time with them then with him?

bringing this gif back bc i love him sm

pairing: chishiya x gn!reader (they/them pronouns) genre: fluff word count: 1.8k

warnings: ooc chishiya, reader gets drunk, kind of an arisu heavy fic lol, lowkey strugged with this one i hope it isn't too obvious

additional notes: in my flop era <//3 also i have my act tomorrow send help

a/n: thank you for requesting !! i really like this idea, i hope you like it :))

requests open !! read my rules first

“come on y/n,” kuina urges, dramatically sighing. “it’s been so long since we went out together!” 

“okay.” she cheers when you agree. 

“great! i’ll meet you by the pool.” you hum, watching as she rushes out of the room. chishiya glances at you for a second as he continues tinkering away at another kerosene bomb. 

“you’re really gonna go out and party?” 

“you know kuina. she’ll never stop asking,” you lean down to peck his cheek, smiling when chishiya turns to press his lips against yours in a sweet kiss. “besides, it could be fun.” 

he hums in agreement as you leave the room, making your way to the pool in search of kuina. 

you find her sitting on a beach chair already making conversation with two new people you’ve never seen before. the man has long, shaggy hair. he’s wearing a blue t-shirt and a random pair of swim trunks. a woman sits beside him wearing a peach jacket and black biker shorts. they’re listening to kuina intently. new beach members, you assume. 

kuina perks up as you approach, greeting you with a smile. “this is y/n,” she says, tugging you down to sit beside her. 

“arisu ryohei,” the man bows. 

“usagi yuzuha,” the woman smiles. 

“l/n y/n.” 

“i was just telling arisu and usagi about how the beach works,” she says. “they got here earlier today. did you really win a seven of hearts game?” 

you just barely miss the brief sadness that crosses his face before arisu nods. “is that good?” 

“that’s great! we didn’t have one of those.” 

“they’re thinking about promoting you to be an executive.” 

“an executive?” usagi repeats. “what is that?” 

“they help advise hatter,” kuina explains. “you probably met some of them earlier when you first met him. what other games have you played?” 

slowly, your conversation shifts from the beach and the games to you personally. you find yourself joking around with arisu and usagi late into the night. it’s only when you yawn, rolling the stiffness out of you neck as you look up at the sky. it’s late - later than you usually stay out. the stars are visible as they shine brightly in the sky. 

“i should head to bed,” you say, forcing yourself to stand up. 

“me too,” usagi agrees. 

“i’ll see you tomorrow?” arisu asks. 

“see you tomorrow,” you smile. 

you find chishiya still sitting at the desk in his makeshift workshop after a few minutes of searching. you sit down beside him, leaning against his shoulder. he reaches over to take your hand into his, letting you intertwine your fingers together. “where were you?”

“with arisu, usagi, and kuina,” you yawn. 

“tired?”  

you hum. “i have a game tomorrow.” 

“come on,” chishiya coaxes you to stand up as he leads you back to your shared room. “let’s go to bed.” 

you let him lead you back through the hotel. you quickly kick your shoes off by the door before pulling chishiya to lay down with you. he presses a kiss against your forehead as you relax, falling asleep safely in his arms.

arisu nervously glances over at usagi, leaning over her shoulder to see her assigned group. “we won’t be together,” he says. “be careful.” 

“you too,” she says before she’s called away to the car that will drive her to her game. 

you reach over to pat arisu’s shoulder. “usagi is smart. she’ll be fine.” he gives you a wary nod as he follows you to your own car before ann begins driving you to your game. 

the phones are set out on the same white table they always are. they have thick plastic casings around them as you reach over to grab one. “they’re waterproof,” arisu mumbles. 

ann simply hums as she leads you down a staircase and into a small room. the water just barely reaches up to your knees when you step into it. a variety of cords hang down from the ceiling. on the wall furthest away from you, there are three switches labeled ‘A,’ ‘B,’ and ‘C.’ kuina stands in front of a sliding door. a light bulb hangs from the ceiling behind her. 

along with kuina, there are three other people already waiting in the room: two men and two women. they awkwardly stand away from each other as you wade through the water over to the switches. arisu follows you as ann stands in front of the door. 

“what do you think this is?” arisu whispers. 

your reply is cut off when your phone chimes with an announcement.  “registration closed. difficulty: four of diamonds. rules: there is a light bulb in the adjacent room. one switch connects to the light bulb. when the door is closed, players may flip any switch, but when the door is open, players may only flip a switch once. the door will not closed if there is a player inside of the room or if a switch is flipped. game clear: players unanimously answer which switch turns on the light. game over: the water level rises and touches the high current lines.”

as soon as the announcement stops, water begins flowing into the room. next to you, a woman raises her hand to touch one of the wires. her body convulses when she does before falling to the ground - dead. 

“those are the current lines,” ann sighs, pushing her sunglasses up over her head. 

“what should we do?” a man asks. he’s wearing a blue button down shirt and khakis. he stares at you with wide eyes as he glances between you and the others. 

“why don’t we just flip one?” another player suggests. his jacket has been tied around his waist and a baseball cap hides his hair. “that leaves a 50/50 chance.”

“66%,” ann corrects. “arisu, what should we do?” 

arisu nervously looks around at the other players before looking at you. he turns around to face the switches, anxiously debating which one he should flip - if he flips one at all. 

“why are we letting him decide?” a man yells. 

“because we’re testing him.” ann silences any arguments before returning her attention to arisu once again. “arisu?” 

the water level continues rising. it’s higher than your knees now, nearly reaching the middle of your thighs. he hesitantly reaches over to grab the first switch - switch A. you give him a small, reassuring nod before he makes a decision. “close the door,” he instructs before pushing the lever up. 

it almost feels a little anticlimactic when nothing immediately happens. the water continues rising up to your hips. you ignore the concerned looks from the other players as you wait. 

once the water reaches your chest, arisu pulls the lever back down. “open the door!” he yells. despite her confusion, kuina wades through the water as quickly as she can. another player helps her force the door open, revealing the light bulb. arisu flips the B switch, waiting a few seconds. “kuina, go check the light!” 

she makes her way into the room, reaching up to touch the bulb. she flinches back, wincing. “it’s hot!” 

“it’s switch A!” arisu yells. the water stops immediately after his answer.

"game clear. congratulations." a familiar announcement plays.

a few seconds later, it begins to drain out of the room. he lets out a relieved sigh, leaning back against the wall. 

“you did good,” you reach over to pat his shoulder. “thank you.” arisu gives you a small smile before following after you as you leave the room. 

chishiya is leaning back against the wall with his hands shoved into his pockets when you find him. he silently greets you with a small half-smile as you join him in observing the beach members. the partying started picking up even more as the sun sets. music blares from the speakers as people mingle around the pool. 

“y/n,” arisu smiles as he approaches you. usagi follows just behind him. “do you want to get a drink?” 

“sure.” 

you don’t notice chishiya’s surprised glance as you follow arisu and usagi to a pair of random beach chairs. he silently watches as arisu hands you a beer. you smile brightly, throwing your head back in a fit of laughter. 

chishiya can nearly feel his jealousy building inside of his stomach. he’s hyper aware of his surroundings - careful not to show his feelings too much - though even he has a few tells. his eyebrows furrow slightly, eyes squinting as arisu tells yet another joke that makes both you and usagi smile. his half smile has completely disappeared and his jaw is clenched slightly. 

he isn’t sure how long he’s been standing there, watching you. the sun has set completely by now; plunging the beach into complete darkness. you’ve slowly dranken at least four bottles of beer as the night continues dragging on. 

chishiya startles slightly when kuina speaks. he was so focused on you he hadn’t noticed her approaching or standing beside him. “someone’s a little jealous,” she teases. her smile drops a little when he doesn’t react. instead of replying with a snarky remark of his own or making an attempt to swat her away, he remains quiet, still watching you joke around with arisu. “chishiya?” she sighs, crossing her arms over her chest as she rolls the cigarette between her fingers as she debates what to say next. “look, y/n loves you. they would never do anything to hurt you. arisu is a funny guy. i’m sure he doesn’t mean anything by it.” 

chishiya simply hums, pushing himself off of the wall. his gaze remains fixated on you as he walks over to where you’ve been sitting for the past few hours. you reach up to grab his arm,as he leans down to whisper to you. “it’s late, we should get to bed.”

“okay,” your words slur together as you stand up. chishiya is silently grateful as you cling to him. he snakes an arm around your waist to support you. “goodnight,” you wave to arisu and usagi as he helps you back towards your shared room inside the beach’s hotel. 

you lazily blink up at chishiya with a small smile as he lays you down on the bed before sitting down beside you. “you were watching me all night,” you say, moving to lean against him. “are you jealous?” 

“you’re drunk,” he says, coaxing you to lay back down. 

“and you’re not denying it!” you use your body weight to push chishiya down onto the bed, maneuvering your own body over his own. you smile up at him from your position against his chest. “i love you. even when you watch me and my friends like a creep.” 

chishiya can’t help the slight chuckle that escapes him as you nuzzle closer against him. he wraps his arms around your waist, leaning down to press a kiss against your forehead. “i love you too.” 

[catandrabbitt]

King of Diamonds

a one shot au where the main four stayed in the borderlands as citizens instead of returning

yandere! king of diamonds chishiya x gn! reader

warnings: not much LOL, kinda s2 spoilers (more like references) but not really, manipulation, mentions of character death, references to starvation, kidnapping if you squint, let me know if i missed any

You were definitely in a pinch.

It was just you and the King now, as the two men and the woman had lost long ago and were melted by the sulfuric acid.

The King, who's name you had discovered to be Chishiya from the game announcer, was acting differently now that it was just the two of you.

"Let's take a break before we continue on, shall we?" The King smiled with malice. "I'd like to talk."

"What is there to talk about?" You raised an eyebrow. You were incredibly intelligent, which is why you had allowed yourself to enter the King of Diamonds game, knowing exactly what situation you’d be getting yourself into. You wouldn't allow him to manipulate you.

The King leaned forward a little, allowing his elbows to rest on the table. He was silent for awhile, his feline eyes never leaving your figure.

"I've been observing you for awhile." His statement was blunt, and it definitely caught you by surprise.

"I would hope so. This game is about observing your opponents and predicting their next move, is it not?" You were off put by his statement.

A small smile reached his lips, but it was anything but comforting. "That is correct. But that's not what I mean." Chishiya leaned forward a little more. "I was an executive at The Beach before it was burnt down. I've kept a watchful eye on you for a few months now."

You kept calm, only narrowing your eyes at him. "For what reason?"

He sighed and leaned back a little, eyes wandering around the room as if he were deep in thought.

"You're interesting." He finally said, meeting your eyes once more. "Very intelligent, and not to mention you're not too bad to look at. I've been waiting for you to inevitably show up here after The Beach burned down, since your best suit is diamonds."

"Get to the point." You shut him down, not willing to listen to his nonsense anymore.

He quirked his eyebrow, a sly smirk forming on his face. "Feisty too." His fingers drummed against the table, before continuing. "You remember Kuina, don't you?"

"Of course I do." You replied, a twinge of worry forming at the back of your throat. Hopefully he hadn’t done anything bad to her. "I've been searching for her ever since The Beach burnt down. She seemed to completely disappear once the Ten of Hearts game ended.”

A dark look flashed across his face. If you didn't know any better, you would have assumed that it was a flicker of jealously. It was gone as fast as it arrived, replaced by a cruel and wicked smile.

"You want to know where Kuina is?" The grin on his face made you nervous.

"Do you actually know, or are you just wasting more of my time?" You fired back, growing irritated at his small talk.

Chishiya laughed dryly, before all emotion on his face dropped. "She's the new Queen of Clubs. Are you surprised?"

You were dead silent, not wanting to believe what he was saying. Yet, his statement made sense as to why you couldn’t find her anywhere. You didn’t like Club games, which is why you tried to avoid them at all costs. "Yeah, I am." You replied after a few moments, raising your eyebrows once more.

"I had Kuina keep a close eye on you as well at The Beach. Any information you told her was immediately relayed to me." Chishiya was smirking again. "I know more about you than you think."

"Why would it matter to you?" You were confused on why Chishiya had such an interest in you.

"You want to know?" He replied, quirking an eyebrow. "I'm very interested in you. Dare I say, in love with you?"

"You're lying." You were fighting back laughter, and Chishiya could see it. His face went stone cold, no trace of amusement on his features. "I don't know anything about you, but you're spouting all this nonsense? Do you really think—"

You were cut off by the Kings' fist slamming into the table. He was furious that you were dismissing his emotions like that.

"My love for you is very, very real Y/N. Don't ever assume otherwise." He sneered at you. "You have no idea how many strings I've pulled to keep you alive."

You scoffed before he could continue. "I'm alive because of my own volition and efforts." You were getting irritated as well, only wishing to continue on with the game at this point.

"I wouldn't be so sure. Why do you think the King of Spades has only came after you at Shibuya crossing, and never once more?" Chishiya narrowed his eyes at you. “Or that the Jack of Hearts gave himself up so easily? The fact that you were the only one to survive the Queen of Diamonds game?"

"I didn't ask you to do any of that. I didn't even know who you were before now." You glared at him. "Are you finished? Can we continue the game now?"

The King's eyes were cold and filled with malice as they stared you down. A smirk formed on his face after a long silence.

"Of course, my dear. Let's hear the third and final rule." He spoke coldly, relaxing his body and leaning back a little in his chair.

"Rule 3: If the remaining player defeats the King, they are allowed to leave the building. If the King defeats the player, the player must stay with the King until he is successfully defeated."

Your eyes met the King's once more, annoyed at the smug look on his face. "You planned for us to be the final two, didn't you?"

"Of course I did. You're one of the smartest people I know." Chishiya cooed out. "Unfortunately, you're not smarter than me. You were stupid to think otherwise.”

You were definitely in a bind. You had -8 points and Chishiya had -7.

Round 12: The winner is Y/N.

Round 13: The winner is Y/N.

Round 14: The winner is Chishiya.

"Round 15. This round will be the last." Chishiya taunted. "Are you going to kill me, or be mine forever?"

You didn't respond. You had a sinking feeling that you’d lose this no matter what.

Chishiya's eyes never left your figure until you input your answer. You clicked 1.

Chishiya smirked. He pressed two.

"The time for this round has finished."

The results flashed on the board. You felt your heart drop as you saw the results.

Y/N: 1

Chishiya: 2

1 + 2 = 3 x 0.8 = 2.4

"The winner is Chishiya. There is now a player with -10 points. The game is over for this participant."

You met eyes with Chishiya, who had a annoyingly smug look on his face.

"You're sure you can't just dump the acid on me?" You sighed, raising an eyebrow. This definitely caught the King off guard, not expecting that response.

"Shouldn't you be grateful? I've saved you from having to participate in other games." Chishiya scowled. "I already owe many of the other citizens favors just because I wanted to save your ass."

Chishiya's lock around his waist came loose, but yours stayed locked. Panic rose in your throat as he slowly made his way towards you on the other side of the table.

"As my 'prize'," he began, snaking towards you. "You're technically 'dead' to the other game masters. You won't have a visa anymore, and thus won't have to play other games."

You averted your gaze from his figure as he was inches away, only to feel a hand harshly grip your chin back towards him.

He brought his face closer to yours, your noses almost touching.

"Don't forget your place, Y/N. I may love you, but I am, in fact, the game master here." He smirked, his eyes scanning over your features. "I'll keep you in that spot until you're begging for forgiveness."

"I think I'd rather starve to death before that happens." You scoffed, rolling your eyes at him.

"We'll see about that." He was unwavered, his smirk never faltering. And with that statement, he pressed a kiss to your forehead before releasing his grip on your chin.

You had no choice but to sit and watch as he turned around and left you alone at the table, dread rising in your throat as you began thinking of ways to get out of here.

[ioaezz]

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ BITTER SWEET ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

━━ chishiya isn’t used to giving affection so you become friends with tatta and accidentally start drifting away from chishiya which upsets him ( fluff , angst )

word count: 1898

pairing: shuntaro chishiya x fem!reader

warning: ooc chishiya, mention of killing

You and Chishiya met in odd circumstances, but you were glad that you found each other.

However you couldn't figure out how you piqued Chishiya's curiosity.

He was the opposite of you clever, subtle, and cunning while you were noisy, clumsy, and awkward.

If you had met on any other occasions you were convinced that Chishiya would have despised you, but perhaps your kind and extroverted personality provided him solace.

Your relationship started slightly rocky, but you quickly found the ideal balance.

Chishiya figured out that you were someone that thrived off physical contact and made an effort to provide it to you as much as he could.

While you learned that your boyfriend preferred stillness in the morning, so you attempted to tone yourself out to please him.

Both of you appreciated each other's efforts, and you gradually established a strong relationship.

Something you quickly noticed was that Chishiya liked his personal space. While you respected that and never crossed boundaries, you were desperate for more affection.

It didn't even matter who it came from, your boyfriend, a friend, or a stranger.

You didn't care if it wasn't physical or romantic, you just longed for someone constantly around you.

So, you were delighted when Tatta arrived at The Beach.

He was very chill and easygoing and didn't mind you rambling his ear off 24/7.

As time passed, you began growing closer to Tatta to the point that you spend more time with him than with your boyfriend.

At first, Chishiya didn't notice anything until Kuina pointed it out.

She had questioned him who the guy was that you were spending all your time, which baffled Chishiya slightly.

Sure he had seen you around with a guy pretty often, but he knew that you required your daily dose of affection to function properly, and he couldn't give that to you.

So at first, he didn't think much of it until it escalated even further.

Chishiya had promised you to protect you as good as he could during games and preferred for you to be within five feet from him in case something happened, that meant that you practically always joined his games.

But now you were rarely in the same game unless Tatta was standing not even three feet away from you.

Chishiya also noticed that by the time he woke up you would have already left, and when he went to sleep you weren't there either.

The only indication that you actually entered the room was when he would feel you wrap your arms around him in the middle of the night, assuming that he was fast asleep while he wasn't.

The lack of your usual overbearing affection had affected Chishiya which he didn't want to admit it.

He couldn't sleep anymore unless he felt your warmth surrounding him, and he was becoming more reckless during games.

You didn't even know the torment that your boyfriend was going through because you hadn't even noticed it yourself.

While you were aware that your typical affection for your boyfriend had subdued slightly, you assumed he liked it more this way.

Perhaps if he tried to inform you how he felt, then he wouldn't be so desperate for you now.

Briefly, after you established your relationship with Chishiya, you started your own little tradition of where you would sit on the roof on Friday night before the games.

Chishiya had been sitting there for over an hour hoping that you would barge in with a lopsided smile while kissing and hugging him affectionately while he complained jokingly about it.

But you never came because you had fallen asleep on Tatta's floor.

The hours of sleep you missed during the night were catching up to you and while you were waiting for Tatta in his room you had fallen asleep on the floor.

You attempted to fight the sleep because you remembered that you had to meet your boyfriend tonight, which made a lovesick smile appear on your face.

But unfortunately, you couldn't fight it off.

Chishiya let out an aggravated huff when he realized that you weren't coming.

Even though your friendship with Tatta had started long ago, you never skipped your weekly roof date.

It wasn't even a date, and he never told you to come every week, it was just something natural that the two of you did.

There were still two hours left before the games would begin, so Chishiya decided to look for you. Curious as to what you deemed crucial enough to bail on him.

He firstly checked your room but just as he presumed it was empty with no sign of you.

Now that he was examining your shared room, he noticed that the signs that you lived there were nearly none existent.

The soothing scent of your perfume had withered slightly, and your clothing wasn't scattered across the room like it usually is.

His heart clenched as he realized that you had been drifting away from him just because he couldn't listen to you a little longer or hug you slightly more.

You were never a demanding partner, the only thing you asked for was his love and affection.

He quickly shut the door before closing his eyes for a few brief seconds to compose himself, so he could continue his search for you.

Chishiya checked the bar, the pool, and practically every spot that he knew you liked.

Time passed quickly, and it was almost time to start the games.

Your boyfriend's concerns grew because he didn't even know whether you had any visa left or not, so he quickened his pace and began looking for anyone that might know where you are.

First, he approached Kuina who only shook her head before offering to help him search for you.

Then he caught a glimpse of Arisu and Usagi sitting together next to the pool, and he recalled seeing you around them quite often, but they too didn't have a clue as to where you were.

Just as Chishiya was about to walk away, he heard Usagi speak softly.

“Maybe Tatta knows where she is, I saw them earlier today at the bar,”

Chishiya could feel his heart clench once again before nodding at Usagi and bolting off to find Tatta.

He quickly found out what room he lived in and speed walked to it before harshly knocking on the door.

He could feel the anger and frustration rise in him when the man who was stealing you away from him opened the door with a smile.

“Ch-” Tatta was quickly cut off by the blonde-haired man who had been harshly glaring at him.

“Where's my girlfriend?” Tatta looked slightly taken aback by his sudden malice because of the stories you told him about your precious Shuntaro.

That wasn't the adorable man who allows you to tie his hair back for him while cleaning his face, nor was this the man who always had a bottle of water standing on his bedside table to offer to you because you abruptly woke up thirsty.

This was the vicious man that uses and manipulates people, so he could survive, this was the man who was ready to sacrifice everyone around him just so he could make it out alive not caring about their lives.

“She's here-” that was all it took for Chishiya to barge in while looking around to find you.

His hammering heart subsided slightly when he saw you peacefully asleep on Tatta's couch with a blanket thrown over you.

“She said she wanted to wait here until she was going to meet with you, but she fell asleep on the ground, so I put her on the couch,” Tatta nervously clarified while Chishiya sat down beside you.

His slender fingers caressed through your hair while he absorbed the sight in front of him.

“How many days of her visa does she have left?” Chishiya hissed out the words, displeased that he didn't know the answer himself.

“Four. B-”

“I'll take her to our room,” Chishiya didn't say anything else before taking you into his arms in bridal style with a slight huff.

It was a miracle Chishiya made it to your room with no misfortunes because he wasn't exactly really muscular.

Fortunately, he too had some days left, so he gently put you on your bed before pulling the covers over your exhausted form.

His slippers had been carelessly discarded somewhere in your room, and he lay down beside you.

You instinctively curled up into his side, which made a remote smile appear on your boyfriend's face before he wrapped his arms around you.

Chishiya concluded that it felt nice.

Having you so near he brought him solace, and he couldn't comprehend why he ever refused your affection.

He kissed the top of your head lazily while your legs got entangled. His eyes felt like they weighed a ton, so he quickly fell asleep with you pressed against him as close as possible.

Hours later, the sun had risen again, and your eyelids softly fluttered open.

A smile tugged on your lips as Chishiya's softened features were the first thing you saw.

His arms were still tightly wrapped around you and your legs were intertwined together.

You decided to try to enjoy the view for as long as you could before your boyfriend would wake up again.

After a few minutes, you couldn't resist the urge to touch his face. He looked so fragile and he radiated warmth.

Your fingers delicately grazed his jaw before moving to his lips. They felt smooth and warm, but your fingers quickly moved to his cheek and nose.

Your finger skimmed over his mole softly before you straightened out his eyebrows.

He looked majestic in the morning light with his guard down. You couldn't apprehend as to how the man in front of you was real.

When Chishiya regained consciousness, your fingers were softly massaging his scalp which elicited a purr out of him.

Your movements halted at the odd sound coming from your boyfriend, whose lip corners were slightly upturned.

“Don't stop.”

His groggy morning voice sent you over the moon, and you instantly continued.

Chishiya enveloped his arms tighter around your waist, so your back was slightly arched while he nuzzled his face into your neck.

“Give me all of your affection,” his voice was slightly muffled, but you understood him perfectly fine.

“What?” You questioned him with a grin on your face.

“I want you to give me all of your affection,” he stated once again.

“I thought you didn't like it because I was too overbearing,” you sheepishly said.

“I don't care if it's overbearing if it comes from you, I want it.”

His words made you smile softly, and you kissed the crown of his head lovingly, which made him smile.

The two of you enjoyed the quiet morning within one another's arm with occasional kisses before you broke the silence.

“Chishiya?” His soft feathery kisses on your neck didn't stop as he hummed for you to continue.

“I love you.”

Your boyfriend pulled his face out of your neck for the first time that morning to face you with a lazy smile painted across his heavenly features.

“I love you too,” he told you before placing his hand on the back of your neck to kiss you passionately

©cupidsheqrt , 2022.