#comfort ryohei arisu

[hyunjinners]

✧:･ﾟSincere Friendship → Ryohei Arisu ˚₊· ꒰📼꒱

꒰ 命 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 ꒱┊Arisu feels lucky to have someone by his side supporting him.

꒰ 命 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 ꒱┊arisu ryohei x fem¡reader.

꒰ 命 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄 ꒱┊friendzone, comfort, cute, emotional support.

꒰ 命 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 ꒱┊slight anguish, family issues, possible trigger for some readers, friendzone, both are unrelated to reciprocal passion, english is not my first language! let me know if you have anything else to add! :)

꒰ 命 𝐖.𝐂 ꒱┊1,05k

꒰ 命 𝐀/𝐍 ꒱┊just a chapter with a small moment between friends, despite being in love, but it's kind of implicit.

⊹₊˚ʚ❛masterlist❜ɞ

Once again. It was just one more time, like all the others… but it was becoming hard to ignore. Ryohei was considered the scum of the Arisu family. He was tired of being subjected to responsibilities proposed by his father. He just wanted to live. Free.

Nagging and insults directed at him were part of his daily life but, more than tired, he was beginning to wonder if he was capable of changing. The last thing he wanted was to become his father's perfect puppet like his older brother, but it was almost inevitable that the thought of being accepted by his family crossed his mind.

And once again he was here, sitting on his couch playing a mini game on his cell phone while pretending not to hear the evil laughs of his father and brother and while they blatantly and unnecessarily talk bad about him.

“Congratulations on the promotion, my son! I'm glad you're the pride of the family... unlike your brother.” With a roll of his eyes, Ryohei takes out his mini game when he sees a message notification. Unconsciously a goofy smile graces his lips, almost like a natural instinct when it comes to her.

Y/n 🤍🌼

"Busy?"

me:

"It depends, if it's for

bother me, yes.”

Y/n 🤍🌼

"stop, I know you love me

company ;)

Can you find me now?”

me:

“usual place?”

Y/n 🤍🌼

“You know I do.”

Me:

“see you in 5 minutes ;)”

Y/n was definitely like a guardian angel to him, always showing up at the right times and offering support and quality time without wanting anything in return. For Ryohei, she was the most perfect. As promised, punctually and quickly, Ryohei arrived at the agreed location, a small bridge of tiled stones over a calm stream. They discovered this place by accident while running around late at night to forget their problems.

Y/n was sitting on top of the small wall of the bridge, facing the water, watching her feet moving to the rhythm of the water. Whenever Ryohei saw her, she seemed calm, almost unconcerned with life and that was one of the things that Ryohei most admired about her, her peace, her calm way of being. Perhaps part of the little peace that was in his being would be attributed to the time he spent together with her, her contagious laugh after telling a bad joke, her random late-night musings or when she would randomly text him asking if at any point in human history anyone had ever thought about drinking dog's milk. It's these little things that contribute to one of the few healthy relationships Ryohei had in his life.

Y/n removes the cherry lollipop that was in her mouth, opening a smile and waving at Ryohei's static presence. Awakening from her small reverie, Arisu smiles awkwardly at her, slowly walking towards her, her arms crossed in the cold draft.

“Look, the princess is punctual.” a low laugh emits from her, Ryohei rolling his eyes at the sarcasm.

“To get out of that place, even if I could fly, I would go as quickly as possible.” the expression on Y/n's face softened, understanding suddenly washing over her. With a sigh, his right hand touches Ryohei's left shoulder, who until then had been watching the water distractedly. “I feel sorry for them. Don't worry, one day they will see the same Ryohei I know and they will apologize for everything they said. You are incredible, don't let yourself be shaken by the words of people who only see their own nose. You are much more than that.”

A lone tear wets Ryohei's face and without hesitation Y/n reaches out her hands holding his face in her hands, wiping his tears as if she could touch the inside of his heart. Arisu's emotions were almost transparent around her and he didn't even understand why, but he felt like he needed to vent everything to her. A little hesitantly, almost afraid, he wrapped his arms around Y/n's shoulders, who without question quickly returned the hug. "I'm sorry-”

He quickly moves away from Y/n, wanting to slap himself if he crossed the boundaries of her personal space. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-”

“no. It’s okay, you know it is.” She gives him a sweet smile, the one that moves Arisu's insides. His cheeks heat up and he looks away from your face before his desire for your lips becomes obvious. Again she guides his face so he could finally face her. His eyes were twitching and she couldn't help but think how cute she thought he was and didn't really understand what his family's problem was with treating him like this.

“Thank you for trusting me with your problems, Ryohei. I feel happy that you trust me.”

“... I should be thanking you. You are always by my side, listening to my problems and comforting me when I need it most. Thank you. I really don’t know where I would be if I didn’t have you by my side.”

“You don’t need to say thank you, we’re friends, that’s what friends are for.” she responds by stroking the locks at the back of Ryohei's neck. Friends. She already does so much for him, would it be selfish of him to feel disappointed by such a term?

“Just know that I’m here for you too, y/n.” he replied with a sincere smile. Maybe the time isn't now, but he knew that one day he would be brave enough to let her know his true feelings. Until then, he would be happy to have more nights like this.

⊹₊˚ʚ❛A/N: I'm finally in the mood to take out the forgotten chapters at the bottom of my drafts! I hope you enjoyed it, remembering that English is not my first language. like × reblog !¡ by:: @hyunjinners .❜ɞ

[kiwihrt]

Running and Hiding ── Alice in Borderland

FROM THE 'HELL ON EARTH' SERIES.

𓂃 ⋆ 𓈒 ‘hell on earth’ masterlist 𓍯 main masterlist

SUMMARY. [Takes place S1E7] While trying to hide as the militants attempt to find the witch, you end up getting injured. Luckily, Chishiya was there just in time you help you out.

PAIRING. Chishiya Shuntaro x gn!teen!reader, (briefly Usagi Yuzuha x gn!teen!reader, Arisu Ryohei x gn!teen!reader).

GENRE. angst, hurt/comfort, platonic.

WORD COUNT. 1.9k

WARNINGS. gn r, teen r, possibly ooc aib characters, violence, mentions of blood, guns, swearing.

based on this request!

The moment Niragi started shooting aimlessly, shouting with the thrill of it, the crowd dispersed. The residents of the beach scattered around, running in any direction that was away from the bullets and blood. They screamed in terror, frightened eyes searching for a place to hide.

In the midst of the chaos, you lost sight of Usagi. Arisu was still being prisoned somewhere on The Beach.

You ran, breaking off from as much of the crowd as you could. If you stayed grouped up with everyone else, you could be found more easily. You made a promise to not only yourself, but everyone you loved and cared about that you wouldn’t die in the borderlands. Especially not by the hands of the militants.

Your heart beat loudly in your chest, the sound of your blood pumping reaching your ears, and your feet hitting the ground creating more noise than you wanted. You couldn’t deny your fear, or the way your hands were sure to shake if you had stood still and held them out in front of you. You were here, running in the halls, completely by yourself, and out in the open.

The sound of screaming and gunshots was still there, echoing in the background. You knew, however, you couldn’t stay here, so vulnerable. You needed to hide—but where could you go? The militants were checking all the rooms, and there was nowhere to go outside. The Beach having turned into a game meant you couldn’t leave the premises. You knew that your best bet was in some random room, as much as you hated it.

When you entered the room, and closed the door, you wished nothing more than for a lock on the door, but there wasn’t any. Hatter had said that all locks on the doors at The Beach were removed, as some sort of symbol of trust. You really could use one right now, though.

Instead, you went for the second best thing. You began to push a dresser in front of the door, groaning as it dragged along the carpeted floor. You hoped this would be enough to keep you safe. It did bring another problem along, however. Now that you had trapped yourself in here, you were safer, but you couldn’t help find the witch. You had to hope someone else would be able to do it. You weren’t even sure you wanted to get in the middle of all that, anyway.

You sat there in the room for a long time, and at some point, the distant sound of a fire alarm reached your ears, along with smoke filling the air. Not enough to make you cough and heave, but you knew it’d get worse.

The building was on fire, and now you had to make a choice. Stay here and burn down with it, or run out there and get gunned down. Neither were ideal.

In the end, you didn’t have to make the choice. Someone tried to open your door, and then paused when they were met with resistance. You knew that since the door wouldn’t budge, they knew that someone was in here. You were screwed.

"Oh, you're done now."

Hearing their voice seep through the cracks between the door and the frame made chills run down your spine. You felt completely and utterly helpless at this moment, almost waiting for a bullet to break through your skull. Was this your fate?

With thoughts running wild, you pulled a nearby painting off the wall, holding it with shaking hands. You were ready to hit it over someone's head if you had to, even though you knew if wouldn't do enough damage. If you were going to die now, you were going to do it fighting.

The person at the other side of the door groaned as they pushed it open, moving the dresser with it. With a breath of exhaustion, they entered the room. You were hidden around a corner, both anticipating and fearing the moment they would come into view. It wasn't long before they did.

You hit the man over the head with the painting, a sharp breath exiting your lungs. As the glass shattered against his forehead, he cried out, falling onto his knees. He turned to look at you with a snarl on his lips, his grip on his gun tightened. Then, the world stilled as his eyes bore into yours. His grip on the weapon faltered for a moment, but he still stood, held the gun up, and aimed between your eyes.

He didn't shoot, though. He stood there, every few seconds looking like he was preparing himself to shoot—every few seconds you were preparing to take your last breath.

You didn't know why he was hesitating so much. Was it because you were younger than the other residents of The Beach? Was it because he didn't actually want to kill anyone in the first place?

He yelled out, pulling back the hand with the gun, and hit you over the head with it. You yelled out in pain, and now it was you on the ground. As your eyes were level with the floor, you felt the fear crash into you harder, and tears pooled into your eyes.

The man roughly flipped you over so that you were on your back, and he looked down at you with anger. "Are you the witch? Huh?!" He shouted, towering over you. He kicked the side of your ribs before you could reply, and you coughed and wheezed at the blunt force of it. "Well? Are you?!" He asked again. You worried that all the noise being made would get others’ attention.

He dropped down beside you, grabbing your face with his hands to make you look at him. You didn't understand why he wouldn't just kill you. You almost wanted him to at this point.

"If you're gonna admit to it, now would be a good time. A whole lot less people would die, and this conversation could end a lot sooner. You hear?" He let go of your face, slapped you, your head snapping to the side.

A tear dripped down your cheek as you turned back to him, choking back a sob. You felt pathetic, and hoped that he wasn't feeling an internal type of joy as you cried. "I'm not the witch. I didn't kill her."

He sighed, pulling the gun up, and aimed between your eyes once again. "We'll fucking see about that."

You closed your eyes, squeezing them shut as more tears slipped passed your eyelids. You knew you were about to meet your end.

But he never shot, you heard him make a noise of pain, so you opened your eyes. He looked dazed, and when you saw someone standing behind him with a skinny metal lamp in hand, you knew he was hit over the back of the head. Slowly, he lost consciousness, and felt over onto you. Somehow that made you feel sick. You needed him away. You began hitting and shoving him off of you, and then shoving yourself backwards into the wall.

"Hey, stop. Calm down." Someone said. You looked up with tears in your eyes, and realized Chishiya was the one who helped you. Him? Of all people? You hardly knew him, and he hardly ever flashed a smile. You were grateful, however.

He kneeled down in front of you, and somehow you felt embarrassed at the tears on your face. You had every right to cry, but it felt like he was looking into your soul.

"Are you okay?" This was the most amount of emotion you had ever seen displayed by him. His face was still flat of expression—unless you looked close enough. His eyes had some sort of softness to them, as well as his voice when he spoke. You felt comforted and safe—with someone you hardly knew, at that.

And to answer his question? You were definitely not okay. There were people running around, going crazy with guns. There was screaming, there was blood, there was tears. You had just been beaten by a guy who was too hesitant and cowardly to kill you immediately, and you were in a building that was going to burn down to the ground. But, you were alive. You supposed that that was okay enough. "I'm okay." You said, nodding lightly.

He looked at you like he knew that you were lying, but he still stood and held out a hand. "You can't stay in here. It's not safe."

You knew he was right, so you grabbed his hand and he helped pull you up. You didn't anticipate the sudden dizziness that would hit you—likely because of the fact that you had gotten hit over the head. Before you could start to tip and be met with the ground again, Chishiya's hands grabbed your shoulders and he steadied you.

You saw something that you could've sworn was concern in his eyes.

"Let's get going." He said. He then threw an arm around your shoulders, pulling you along with him. You felt a hint of guilt, like you were slowing him down. You knew for a fact that he wasn't searching for you until he found you. He probably just heard your cries while passing by, doing something far more important.

Once you were out and in the hallway, the gunshots were louder, but not close enough to need to run. Chishiya went in the opposite direction of the gunshots, pulling you with him. You didn't know where he was taking you, or if he was planning to stay with you, you were just glad to be getting farther from the gunshots. You hoped to not run into any more militants.

You didn't think you had a concussion, but you certainly had one hell of a headache. It made the hallways feel even longer than they already were.

Chishiya hissed lightly, a sound that indicated something was wrong. Before you knew it, he was shoving you into the closest hotel room. You knew not to question his actions or his judgment.

On the other side of the door, you heard people walking by. You were releaved that they didn't open the door to the room you were in.

Chishiya gave you a quick once over, observing the state you were in. Then, his arm was once again around your shoulders, and he was leading you through the hallway.

It wasn't long before you came across someone again, this time someone familiar. It was Arisu and Usagi, along with people you recognized as Tatta and Asahi.

You gasped, running towards them despite the way your head pounded and your ribs ached. "Arisu! Usagi!"

They looked at you, and you could see that they were as releaved and you were. You crashed into them, pulling them both into an embrace. "You're alive." Usagi said in relief. Arisu had you pulled close to him, an arm around you as if he was afraid to let go.

Usagi began ushering you into the hotel room next to you, not wanting to stay out in the open. Before the door closed, you looked back at Chishiya, who was already walking away. He turned back briefly, and nodded at you, before leaving to do what he needed to.

Once in the room, Usagi put her hand under your chin, and lifted your head so that you'd look into her eyes. She gasped, noticing the red hand mark on your face, and the bruise on your forehead.

"What happened?" Arisu asked, also seeing. He wasn't in his best state, you noticed.

"Is that what's most important right now?" You replied.

Usagi pursed her lips together, but pulled you and Arisu to the bed in the room anyway. "We're talking about this later."

@ sakufilms

[niki-phoria]

pairing: arisu x male!reader genre: nightmare comfort word count: 558

cw panic attack

a/n: wrote this like 20 mins after finishing s2 i'm sorry if he's ooc

arisu gasps as he jolts awake, waking you in the process. his breathing is heavy and his eyes water as he buries his face into his hands. you can barely make out his silhouette in the darkness, the room only illuminated by moonlight shining through an open window. 

"arisu?" gently, you shift to place a hand on his shoulder. he flinches a little but doesn't move away from you, instead frantically hiding his face into your chest. tentatively, you wrap your arms around him, rubbing a soothing hand down his back. "it's okay, you're safe. i'm here." your words sound shallow in the darkness. both of you are keenly aware that your time is limited. you will join new games and risk your lives again. and you will come back to each other's arms only to be shaken awake by the horrors haunting you. 

arisu sobs into your arms, hands clutching at your clothing. you move to run a hand through his hair, hoping to calm him down. his breathing picks up again in what you can feel is an oncoming panic attack. you shift, coaxing him up so his forehead rests against yours. "breathe, honey, slowly," you demonstrate, taking exaggerated breaths. arisu does his best to follow your actions, still gripping onto you with shaky hands. slowly his breath begins to even out and his hands loosen their grip. you let him hide away into your shoulder, rubbing his back again. 

you've always struggled with the concept of time passing, unable to differentiate between minutes and hours passing. days going by unnoticed. months of solitude ignored. since being brought to the borderland, your problem has only become worse. seconds feel like years. you aren't sure how long you've been sitting here, clinging to your closest friend as he cries against your skin. by now his breathing has evened out and the feeling of wetness has dried from your clothing. slowly, you pull back to look arisu in the eyes, resting your hand against his jaw. 

"i can't lose you," he whispers. his voice is raw from crying. dried tears stain his cheeks. 

"you won't," you murmur, thumb running against his jawline. 

"no, i can't… lose you." arisu takes a shaky breath, cupping your cheek with his hand. "i love you."

the silence that follows is almost unbearable. your breath catches in your throat as arisu carefully scans your face, waiting for any reply. when one doesn't come, he looks away, embarrassed. "i know you probably don't feel the same way, especially because we're both men, but-"

"i love you too." the prospect of losing the person you desire most is enough to snap you from your haze. arisu freezes, hesitantly meeting your eyes again. 

"really?" the question is so innocent when it falls from his lips. you nod, moving closer to him.

"can i kiss you?" arisu swallows nervously before nodding. slowly, you lean in, pulling him into a gentle kiss. when you pull away, arisu clings to you again. 

"will you stay? please?" you shift to lay on your back, letting arisu lay on top of you. his breath is warm against your bare skin as you card your fingers through his locks. "i love you," he repeats, relaxing against your body.

you lean down to press a kiss against his forehead. "i love you too."

[mxliv-oftheendless]

Home

"What do you dream about?" ... "Home."

After the meteor strike in Tokyo and the deaths of his friends, Arisu was tormented by nightmares of a place he can't remember but feels so familiar. And they would've driven him over the brink if Dream of the Endless hadn't passed through his dreams one night.

(Aka this is what happens when I watch too many sad AiB edits on Tiktok lol the one that inspired this story was this one by the user queenofvs)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lately, the Dream Lord had taken to wandering about his realm. Oh, he had done it before, to ensure the world of dreams and nightmares was as it should be; but this was different. This time, following his return from being imprisoned, he simply wandered, traveling unnoticed through the dreams of mortals.

It wasn’t for any reason worth mentioning to his subjects, really. He simply wanted to make sure everything was as it ought to. The one hundred years he was away from the Dreaming, locked away from his home, had felt like eons. And although he tried, he could never forget the feeling that swelled in his chest when he first looked over at the abandoned, decaying ruins of his realm. So every now and then, he would wander through the Dreaming, looking into the dreams of mortals, making sure nothing was wrong.

Tonight was no different. He passed through many dreams, some exciting, some horrifying, some bleak, some wonderful. He was never in the dreams for long, simply watching for a few moments then leaving, never noticed by mortals. And then he came upon one that made him pause.

The humid air and strong scent of earth hit him as he entered a vast botanical garden. It was dark and empty, the only sound from the steadily churning waterfall. In the heart of the gardens, a young man lay sprawled in the dirt. Blood that wasn’t his own covered his face and clothes.

Arisu Ryohei, twenty-five years old. His mother died when he was young and his father, a superintendent, never considered him capable of accomplishing anything. His younger brother, the favored son, felt pressured to earn their father’s love and pride and so often belittled his brother as their father did. Ryohei grew up often dreaming of running far away with his two friends where no one, especially not his family, would ever bother him again. He was also at Shibuya Crossing the previous year when a meteor fell over Tokyo, and of him and his two friends, he was the only survivor.

This was the first night in a while that Arisu was asleep—he was afraid to sleep, because when he dreamed, he dreamed of horror. He dreamed of rooms filling with gas and igniting in flames, the smell of burning flesh overwhelming; horse masks and machine guns and people dropping like flies around him; rooms filling with water and electrocuted bodies; a hotel bursting with debauchery and violence and deafening music and screams and fire; complete darkness where he couldn’t move or see or hear and no one could hear his screams for help; mazes of shipping containers and a voice screaming at him to do it and tidal waves of blood; steam and machinery and someone chasing him and threatening to keep him and chess pieces being shocked; screams and gunshots and explosions; white, emotionless asylum walls and bloodstained shards of glass and croquet balls on a lawn. He dreamed of despair and pain and so much blood.

But what Arisu dreamed about most was this place. It was always the same, exactly as it was tonight—the botanical gardens, empty of life except him. His throat always felt raw, as though he’d screamed and wailed until he couldn’t anymore. He felt blood splattered everywhere on his face and clothes, blood he knew wasn’t his. He was always alone, but the painful ache in his heart told him that he wasn’t always alone, that people dear to him had been there, but they were gone now. He couldn’t get up from where he lay in the dirt; he didn’t want to. He wanted to die here.

“Arisu, live for us, will you?”

“Arisu… thank you.”

The two voices echoed around the gardens, surrounding the young man on the ground. But instead of comforting him and lifting him up as they always did, now the voices tormented him. He couldn’t remember ever hearing them say these things to him, but he hated to hear them. Yet he continued to dream of the voices in a cycle of self-inflicted punishment.

Dream could also feel the slight tinge of confusion around the edges of the dream. Because Arisu was sure he’d never been here before, in the botanical gardens or in any of the places he dreamed about. It all felt so familiar, but he couldn’t remember any of it. But Dream knew better—for he had seen it before, the dreams of the mortals who had fought through his sister’s Borderlands. Freak accidents like the meteor strike and others sent the victims hurtling into the liminal realm to sort out who would die and who would survive. But as a mercy, he and his sister had agreed that the survivors of the Borderlands would have no memory of it when they returned to the waking world; a small reward for proving their unyielding will to live. Some of them, like Arisu, still dreamed about it, but their memories were foggy and vague and tinged with that edge of confusion.

For whatever reason, Dream paused before he left the nightmare. He watched tears fall unendingly down Arisu’s face as he broke himself over and over with despair and grief and guilt.

Then he saw it—the trees beginning to warp, the soft but present ringing, the cracks in the dream. It wasn’t often a dreamer was broken beyond recovery by their nightmares. But some who escaped the Borderlands had come close, driven there by the trauma, grief, and confusion.

“I’m sorry…” Dream looked down and saw Arisu’s face twisted in sorrow. “I’m sorry,” he whimpered again, as though he was afraid he would be screamed at and hurt. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

He could feel more cracks in the dream.

“Arisu, live for us, will you?”

“I’m sorry…”

“Arisu… thank you.”

“Enough.”

Dream stepped in front of Arisu and looked out into the gardens. “This dream is over.”

And with a wave of his hand, the dream was gone. In its place was Shibuya Crossing, abandoned and overgrown and far brighter and clearer than the suffocating, humid darkness of the botanical gardens. Arisu stood in the center, back in the sweatpants and oversized sweatshirt he’d fallen asleep in, tears still falling.

He blinked and jerked in surprise, then whirled around to look at his surroundings in confusion. When his eyes fell on Dream standing a few feet away, he jumped back. “W-W-Where am I?” he croaked out, his voice thick with unshed tears.

“In a dream, of a memory,” Dream answered.

“B-But… But I don’t know…” Arisu sobbed helplessly and pulled at his hair. “I don’t know where I am! I can’t remember!”

“And that is a mercy,”

“Mercy?!” Arisu’s head shot up and he looked at Dream with wide, bloodshot eyes. “How is this mercy?!” he asked, his voice rising with hysteria. “This is all I dream about! It’s like it’s all real, it all really happened, b-but it isn’t at the same time, a-and I just wish I could remember so I know why I dream about it!. How is it mercy if I still dream about it?! All I dream about is death and pain and blood…” He tugged on his hair with a cry of misery. “W-Why is there so much blood…”

Arisu sank to his knees and cried, rocking back and forth and pulling his hair. Wordlessly, Dream walked over and lowered himself to sit next to him. Matthew suddenly appeared, perching on a car overtaken with vines to watch.

When Arisu’s crying had quieted down to sniffles, Dream finally spoke. “You have seen your dreams. As unclear as they are, your mind would be unable to handle anything more. It would overwhelm your subconscious and bleed into your waking world. You would be driven mad. It is a mercy that you do not remember.”

Arisu said nothing for a while, breathing in and out. “Then why do I still dream about it?”

“You dream of this place because part of you refuses to accept what happened. You refuse to accept that there was no reason why you survived and your friends did not.”

“They should’ve lived,” Arisu mumbled weakly, staring sadly at the ground. He sniffled. “They deserved to live…”

“There are many that have died that deserve to live. Death does not pick and choose. It simply happens.”

Sniffling, Arisu scrubbed his sleeve over his eyes. “I don’t know how to live without them,” he said aloud, lowering his head in shame. “I know they’d want me to live, but… I can’t. I don’t want to. Not when they’re dead.”

“Yes, they are dead.” Arisu raised his head to stare wide-eyed at him as he went on. “They are dead, and you are alive. But if you continue to look for any meaning in their deaths and your survival, you will find none. You will destroy yourself wondering why. You were nearly destroyed tonight. Would they want that for you?”

Arisu blinked, and glanced down meekly. “No…”

A familiar voice floated through the empty intersection, but this time, it brought the comfort it always used to.

“We want you to live your life, man. Live it to the fucking fullest.”

Arisu’s breath hitched and a tear rolled down his cheek. “They wanted you to live,” Dream stated. “So live.”

He watched Arisu breathe in deeply, slowly blow it out, and repeat the cycle. He wiped his tears away on his sleeve, much gentler than before, then looked out at Shibuya Crossing. His body now sagged with exhaustion rather than grief and guilt. After a long silence, he turned to look at Dream with a tired yet curious look. “Who are you?”

The corner of Dream’s mouth twitched. “You know me.”

“I do? And… do you know me?”

“I do, Arisu Ryohei,”

Arisu’s eyes widened slightly. Then something sparked in them and he blinked. “I do… somehow…” He exhaustedly ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t want to think anymore,” he mumbled. He looked out at the overgrown Shibuya Crossing. “Or be here anymore.”

He had already overstayed his welcome… but perhaps Dream could do just a little more. “Where do you want to be?”

Arisu paused, in thought. Then longing slowly crossed over his face and a sad, wistful smile grew. “Home,” he answered.

He didn’t have to explain. Dream knew what he meant. With a wave of his hand, Shibuya melted away and Arisu disappeared from his side, reappearing in the middle of an empty street with two other young men on either side of him. He ran down the street with them, elbowing and shoving each other as they whooped and shouted with laughter.

He turned to the raven perched on a fence. “Come, Matthew. We’ve stayed here long enough.”

With a flap of his wings, Matthew flew over to settle on his shoulder. “Poor kid,” he couldn’t help saying. “Is he gonna be okay?”

Dream looked down the street to where Arisu was laughing joyfully as he tried to wrestle away from an attempted headlock. “With time,” he answered. “With time, he will be.”

And with that, Dream was gone, letting Arisu Ryohei spend the rest of the night dreaming of home.

[chxshiyaa]

Real Men Don't Flinch Or Bleed In Public

Rating: T... or perhaps M. Content Warnings: Mentions of past child abuse, self-harm scars, toxic masculinity/general toxic mindset, and referenced/implied abuse of alcohol and addictive substances. Summary: Karube is strong. He keeps everything under wraps and never lets anyone see past his tough exterior. His boyfriend of three years and best-friend of fourteen, Arisu, manages to do so anyways. Word count: 2,900. a/n: i've been sitting on this for almost a year now, i think i started this before i deactivated my last account, hm. anyhow, i was feeling bummed since i didn't back up my writing pieces from my last account, so as a tribute to those fallen soldiers and also to clear some of my AIB google documents, i present this to the world.

— Usually, he’d lock himself somewhere and handle it on his own. He didn’t cry (He hated crying, it made him feel pathetic and weak), just…consoled himself, as he’d done since he was a little boy, quickly learning that if he were to be shunned when he showed vulnerability instead of being shown comfort, then he’d simply handle himself. That way, the only shame and ridicule he'd be subjected to was his own.

To be caught crying as a man (A man; not a boy, just six, with skinny limbs and bony shoulders and bruised knees) was one of the largest displays of weakness there could be, and in his youth, he beat himself up over it enough on his own - he didn’t need the harsh words and jeers of others to break him down more.

That habit followed him closely into adulthood. Now, as he’s grown from the little boy he once was and sprouted his own problems, it’s no longer just tucking himself away and trying to swipe away his tears. It was deep breaths, trembling hands, a repeated mantra in his skull of Suck it up, you’re a man as he willed himself to calm down and hastily glued back the pieces of his facade that managed to chip off.

He’s been bottling up his emotions for as long as he can remember. You’re a man, men don’t cry, his mother told him, ever since he was old enough to listen. Men are strong. Only little bitches cry, and I didn’t raise no bitch, Daikichi. You’re the man of the house now, since your Daddy ran off to who knows where. 

In his life, there has never been any room or time for tears. He couldn’t let his sadness seep out of him, so he stuffed it all in, trapped it somewhere no one could reach and drowned it in the unhealthiest ways he could find; if he could not be sad, sentimental, and vulnerable, he'd be angry, hateful, and destructive. Cigarettes and alcohol helped, his vulnerable emotions reduced to nothing but a helpless gurgle of life within the raging sea of his being.

In the kitchen, his hands are shaking. They tremble like a leaf in the Autumn breeze and as a result he spills some of the powdered instant coffee meant to go into the cup of milk. It was just something to give him enough energy for work because sleep had abandoned him during the night, leaving him resolutely stranded in the planes of consciousness, desolate. He feels restless now, alive, but he knows it won’t last. This coffee will be like liquid gold in his veins, ichor, the blood of Gods, powering him through the work day.

The powder clumsily cleaned with a paper towel, he digs through the cabinet and adds some hard liquor to his cup, watching the milk curdle instantly, producing a foul concoction. He stirs it in, takes a sip, and feels satisfaction spread through him at the repulsive flavor that curses his tongue. It didn’t need to taste good. It only needed to supply him with energy his body was too burnt out to produce.

He takes his mug out onto the balcony, sits on the chair there and strikes up a cigarette.

Breathe.

His lungs burn. The taste of the coffee is almost overpowered by potent smoke, familiar after so many years.

In, out.

He shakily exhales, watching the smoke curl from his lips and up into the darkness of the early morning sky. He’s hit with a sudden rush of nostalgia, of awakening at five in the morning when it was still handsomely black outside to get ready for the school bus, back when he only numbed a cig or three every once in a while, instead of a pack a week. It used to be worse. It used to be pack after pack in dangerously short time frames, but he swore to cut down on the nicotine. For himself, partly, and for Arisu; he didn't deserve the cancer that came from second hand smoke, didn't deserve to live in an apartment with yellowed walls. Right now, though, he simply can’t settle with a stick of nicotine gum. He needs this burn, this heat.

A part of him, nestled right inside his ribs, longs to be a kid again - not for the poverty or the abuse or the mistreatment, the absent father and the crazed mother who gave him violence before love. No, he wants the youth. The sense of freedom that came with young age, the sense that nothing really mattered, even when his life was falling apart, from his home with walls yellow from smoke and too many things broken to count, to his future and ambitions.

Karube presses the cigarette to his lips yet again just as the balcony door slides open yet again. There’s the soft pad of shuffled footsteps and then a head of messy unruly hair that’s sticking up this way and that, balled fists rubbing at scrunched eyes. It’s Arisu, huddled in a quilt as he takes a seat in the other chair. From the corner of his eye Karube sees him staring from across the table.

“Are you okay?”

Karube doesn’t look at him. He looks down, down at his thighs clad in pajama pants, at his bare feet and the ash dropping onto the balcony. He feels ashamed, somewhat, for being caught smoking, even if he knows Arisu won’t judge him like that.

“Nah.” His answer is short, curt and barely audible. Arisu told him that he didn’t need to lie around him, and how could he bear to go against that invitation when he had to look into those big, shiny eyes? More smoke files from his lungs. His hands are still shaking and he almost, almost drops the cigarette.

“Okay.” A bird caws, echoing through the morning. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Arisu was gentle. He didn’t push but he didn’t ignore the problem, either - he tried to resolve it without words, because he wasn’t the best at those, either. Little gestures; running him a bath, massaging his shoulders, telling him he loved him in that soft, low voice with those big, big eyes. That last one always left Karube breathless and feeling vulnerable; exposed, like someone had sliced him from neck to stomach and revealed everything inside, his beating heart and his working organs and the bundle of something small, something soft and pure, something he hasn’t been in decades.

Karube only shakes his head in reply and Arisu nods. He looks out at the sky, at the moon still looming above them, bathing them both in powdery grey light. He stands, and then he asks - “Can I kiss you? Is that okay?”

His heart pulses. There’s a barely there movement of his head before Arisu tenderly, gently cups the side of his head, kisses his temple with fluttering lips. “Goodnight, Karube. I love you.” Is what he says, giving him another kiss as he does. Then, he retreats, closing the sliding door behind him.

I love you. His head reels. He feels like shit, like his life force has been trampled on and thrown into moving traffic, but at the very least, he has his baby’s love to hold close to his heart.

Out there on the balcony, he sits and watches the sunrise. When his cigarette becomes a stub he strikes up another, drains his repulsive coffee-alcohol mix and lets the combined effects fill him as dawn breaks into buttery yellow sun. The world around bustles to life, other balconies around the complex becoming occupied. A mother retrieving her toddler’s clothing from the makeshift line; A little old woman sipping her tea; A tired looking girl who's just barely a woman, probably a college student, with her hair in a messy bun and a fat furry cat on her lap, stroking its back and smacking her lips as she blinks at the outside world. 

He goes inside, puts his mug in the sink and trails to the bathroom to ready himself to work. He showers quickly, ice cold to shock him into motion, then he takes a piss and brushes his teeth. When he’s swishing mouthwash Arisu shuffles through the doorframe, only wearing a big baggy shirt that hangs to his upper thigh on his tall frame, exposing the long expanse of his skinny legs. The plaid of boxers peeks out below the shirt hem and they come down for Arisu to sit on the toilet, blinking and looking rather frazzled, clearly having just woken up for the second time.

Arisu kicks his boxers off and away from him while he pees, hands curling on his thighs and Karube stares at him. Even like this, doing something so mundane and human and ‘ick’, he still thinks, This is the man I love. This is the man I gave my heart to.

“Is there somethin’ wrong with my face?” Arisu murmurs, slurring his words as he turns his gaze on Karube, rubbing at his eye with his wrist. He blinks at Karube with a perplexed expression and…yeah, that’s fair. Karube has just been watching him in silence as he relieves himself.

Karube spits out his mouthwash and watches the foamy green fluid go down the drain when he turns on the faucet again. “No. Nothin’ wrong, baby.” He rinses his mouth out once more as Arisu is standing, closing the lid before he flushes and peeling off his shirt while the water runs through the pipes. His nude body is a canvas of fading love bites on his chest and belly, healed over scars on his inner thighs and a few on his arms, too. Karube knows of their origin, he was there when they were made, there to rinse the blood from the steak-knife, bandage his torn skin and mutilated flesh. They haven’t been reopened in three whole months.

Arisu starts up the shower and Karube looks back into the mirror, at the face that earns him purred words of We should take this somewhere else, big boy at the bar, manicured nails curling around a glass. If it were a few years ago, before he had Arisu as a boyfriend instead of merely a best friend, he would’ve grinned at them (The grin that made him look like a wolf) and taken them up on their offer. Now, he merely smiles wryly and delivers a not rude, but not polite reply of Banks closed.

He was used to curvaceous bodies, feminine with wide hips and soft chest and something to grab in the back, high pitched moans and lips that left sticky prints on his skin. Arisu is skinny with virtually no fat. His voice is low, courtesy of the needle he sticks himself with every morning, and he hasn’t touched make-up since that dare he was proposed at sixteen. But, Arisu gave him what the women at the bar couldn’t - not just sex, lustful intimacy, but love. Understanding. He’d cup Karube’s face with his big gentle hands, smile wide and kiss his nose (The one that has a scar and a rough patch after so much fighting in his teens), say I love you and work his way into Karube’s heart, making a home there and living on a lease that would never expire.

His fingers come to button the undone front of his shirt, leaving a few undone so he doesn't feel so suffocated. His neck rolls and he sighs out at the crack of his bones. Then, after gathering Arisu’s discarded clothes from the floor, he exits the bathroom.

The clothing is dumped into the hamper which is then loaded into the washing machine. They do laundry twice a week, and today is a Monday. Wash day. He dumps in a cup of laundry detergent as well as some softening beads (A luxury, to he who grew up poor with more clothes dirty than he had clean), presses the buttons to start the cycle then walks out of the small laundry room - shutting the door behind him - and stepping into the kitchen.

He intends to make something quick for breakfast, just fry up an egg and pre-cooked sausage patty on some toast, however, he gets stuck in his own head while waiting for the bread to cook.

His eyes are glued to the knife block. His thoughts wander off of their path and he thinks that he could - he could - end everything. The turmoil inside him could be silence, the misery and pain ebbing away at his being finally put to a halt. Suck it up, you’re a man, his mother told him, he tells himself, but she’s not here anymore. She’s gone. Dead or drinking herself there, but wherever she may be, she’s not here. It’s merely his thoughts torturing him with the repeated mantra.

Karube is only broken out of his daze by the pop! of the toaster. Arisu has arrived, fingers leaving the toaster’s lever to shift two slightly overcooked pieces of bread onto the plate Karube had set out, blowing his fingers after he does so. At the very least, they’re not burnt.

His boyfriend is dressed in his work pants and a sports bra. He smells strongly of soap, turning his eyes on Karube. “And you tell me not to burn the house down,” He says, voice laced with amusement. He messes with how the bra clings to his ribs and tugs it down a little more.

“My manager asked if I could work paid overtime, and I said yes, obviously, so I’ll be home late.” Arisu speaks as he fetches one of the baby applesauce pouches from the cabinet, one of many infant foods in their pantry because they appeased the man’s picky appetite. “And Kuina wants me to model more of the clothes she tailored this weekend.”

Arisu wordlessly cracks the egg Karube has been holding for the past minute, letting it drop and sizzle in the heated pan as he drinks his applesauce. Those eyes of his are shiny, knowing.

“If you’re not gonna lay off work today, try not to collapse, hm?” He pats Karube center in the chest, then leaves, presumably to put a shirt on. He didn’t ask for an answer from Karube, didn’t express any verbal concern as to why he wasn’t speaking. He merely let him be, and that’s one of the many things Karube loves about Arisu. He does not nag, nor does he put himself at a distance; when Karube says something hurtful, he tells him so with sad eyes, and doesn't try to fix him when it's not his place to do so. He is what Karube needs, and too good for him all the same.

His egg is brown around the edges and his sausage is cold in the center. Still, Karube eats, because the taste or quality doesn't matter. This food is fuel, something to ease the natural pain of hunger his body subjects him to. He probably won't eat again until the evening, will probably have a cigarette on his lunch break and a few distant, dangerous thoughts to munch on.

Fuck the bar. Fuck, everything, and everyone. By the door, Karube doesn't put on his shoes, instead sinking down into the couch and staring up at the ceiling. He can open in the evening, which would be more reasonable. He just… 

No. He should still go. His legs still work and he's not dying. He can work, so he should go. So why doesn't he want to? Why is he so hesitant to follow the words his mother has told him his whole life? 

Karube is spooked out of his thoughts by big calloused hands on the sides of his face from behind, tilting his head up as soft lips kiss his own. "I'm leaving now," Arisu informs him, this upside down view of him still so beautiful. "Remember not to push yourself too hard, like you always tell me. Take your own advice."

He receives a back hug and another kiss on his cheek before Arisu disappears out the door. The words of his boyfriend fight against what Karube has been taught for years. But, of course, Arisu wins, and Karube does not make his way into the outside world. 

Of course, he can feel the shame, guilt, and anger at himself settling in, seeping into him like poison. His hands ball into fists as he leans forward, arms on his thighs, teeth working the inside of his cheek. His mother's voice nags him - What are you doing, sitting around like a bum? Get out there and work like real men do! You're a man, aren't you 

His phone buzzed, drawing him out of his brain. It's a text from Arisu of him posing beside an advertisement with a rabbit, followed by the message; Found my long lost twin in the subway :0

And something as simple as this, a digital message on a tiny cellular device, isn't enough to fix all his problems. He is still frayed, ruined, a cocoon filled with red violence ready to birth itself into the world. He is still damaged, still missing pieces of himself that he left back in his mother's house. 

But, as he hearts the message with some semblance of a smile, he at least feels loved.

[misty-doodles]

A Painful Reality (4857 words) by Lol_bnhalover Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 今際の国のアリス | Imawa no Kuni no Alice | Alice in Borderland (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Arisu Ryouhei/Chishiya Shuntarou, Chishiya Shuntarou & Kuina Hikari, Chishiya Shuntarou & Usagi Yuzuha Characters: Arisu Ryouhei, Chishiya Shuntarou, Kuina Hikari, Usagi Yuzuha Additional Tags: Hurt No Comfort, Sad Ending, Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Eating Disorders, Depressed Arisu Ryouhei, Soft Chishiya Shuntarou, Hurt Chishiya Shuntarou, Hurt Arisu Ryouhei, Protective Kuina Hikari, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, Character Death, Heavy Angst, y'all im so sorry, PLEASE HEED THE TAGS Summary: Chishiya prided himself on being observant, on picking up on the small details about a person or situation, and using it to his advantage. Very little escaped him, even if he never spoke about it. Yet despite that, he failed to notice his boyfriend suffering in silence. --- Please read the tags and decide if this fic is right for you to read.

[mikanotes]

(no need for) liquid courage

arisu x gn!reader — 2.3k words

genre: fluff

warnings: alcohol usage, swearing, arisu and the never ending struggles of social interactions, love at first sight (not really but what the hell!) honestly badly written, barely proofread

synopsis: Arisu will never, ever like parties. He knows that. He has known that since forever. But then he sees you, and he has to consider changing his entire view on that.

author’s note: welcome back arisu i missed writing for u… also everyone thank my best friend for telling me not to write the ending i originally planned or i’m being very serious when i say the tags would’ve included major character death LMFAO

It only takes a total of thirty seconds at a party hosted by friends of Karube’s for Arisu to decide: this is definitely not his thing. Not at all. The colored, flashing lights. The uncomfortably loud music blasting through speakers and hitting each wall of the place until it reaches Arisu’s ears with the promise of an impending headache. The deadly amount of people— There’s just no way I could stay here and hope to actually survive the night, he thinks.

Someone jogs up to him and slaps him on the back and Arisu sighs. “No.” he says, before Karube can get a single word out. The latter groans and shakes the glass of alcohol in his hand. Alcohol. For a moment, that seems like a good idea. Karube chugs it down before shaking his head.

“Yes.” he counters, and shushes Arisu’s complaints immediately, holding up a finger, “Only time I’m acting like an asshole friend, alright? Only time. And even then, I’m trying to help you out.”

Arisu furrows his eyebrows and looks at him weirdly. Karube is not wrong, because he never pushes him out of his comfort zone much and Arisu appreciates it. However, he really can’t see this whole thing as an act of help in any way.

“Help?” he repeats, almost sounding baffled, “How? By just fucking, s-suffocating me in a crowd? What?”

“You know what? Yes.”

“Karube!”

Karube shrugs and lets go of him to gesture towards the ever-so-threatening crowd of drunken, dancing college students. “Arisu!” he mimics his tone lightheartedly, before walking away from him and disappearing between all the people.

Great. He thinks then that he’s glad he isn’t in college because he could not live a life surrounded by people who enjoy partying so damn much— And clearly, college students do.

He won’t try. He’s not gonna leave, not immediately, because he feels like he’s getting judged enough as is by the few people glancing his way, and he doesn’t want to worsen it by leaving a minute after walking in. Not that he cares, because he doesn’t know a single person here besides Karube, (and Chota, except he has no idea where he even went) so he doesn’t have to worry about seeing any of them ever again. 

But he does care enough to lean against a wall and grab his phone from his pocket instead of leaving, because that’s just Arisu Ryohei. Besides, the prospect of hearing anything irritating come out of the mouths of either his father or brother if he was to come back home right now was much too unpleasant, and he couldn’t just hang outside without his two friends (who are here, in this stupid party.) So playing on a game until the two idiots decide they’ve gotten drunk enough to leave, it is.

Except his phone is knocked out of his hand not even a few seconds after he opens a game. 

Fuck.

“Fuck.” an unfamiliar voice sighs, the sound of footsteps moving to a stop syncing with the one of his phone clattering against the floor. “Sorry.”

He glances up at the cause of his deepening despair and back down to grab his phone, only to find the one who knocked it out of his hand reaching for the fallen device as well.

It ends up with quiet apologies on both ends and awkward fumbling with the phone before everyone is back up straight and Arisu can check if his screen isn’t shattered enough to make him consider jumping out the nearest window.

Except the flashing party lights brighten your face before they do his phone, and he forgets how to function for a good three seconds.

So it takes one minute and thirty-three seconds into a party for Arisu to feel like he might be experiencing love at first sight. “Oh.” he says, stupidly, then clears his throat. Thinks about what to say. Cannot think of what to say. 

Your face doesn’t let any emotions pass through, which is a bit comforting in a way because if he’s embarrassing himself, which he knows he is, you’re not looking at him like it’s the case.

Then you laugh a little. “I’m sorry. Can’t see shit in here.” you say lightly, glancing around for a bit, then back at him, “Are you okay, though?”

“I’m okay.” he says, pressing on a tight smile. Then he takes a deep breath and looks down out of habit, only to be met with a crack on his screen. “Nevermind that, actually.”

You lean a bit closer and sigh again. “Shit. I’m so sorry.” you say, leaning away. You cross your arms and Arisu looks up at your face. You look annoyed for a bit, but it seems like you’re thinking. “I’ll pay…” you trail off. You stay silent for a beat more before suddenly listing things off with your fingers, muttering about things Arisu cannot catch at all with the sound of the music. Curse the music. He wants to listen to you.

Snap out of it, idiot.

You clap your hands together lightly and nod to yourself before looking up at him with a small smile, “I’ll pay for the repairs. My fault.” you say, before laughing sheepishly. You clear your throat and nod your chin towards his phone, “It’s like, uh, working, right? Only the screen’s broken?”

Arisu blinks and shakes his head to focus and presses the button at the side of his phone. It lights up, and he checks the touchscreen before nodding. “Yeah, barely broken.” he says, looking back up at you. The light of his phone before it dims makes your features clearer for a moment again and Arisu swears something is wrong with him. Why is his heart beating so fast? Anxiety?

Anxiety. That has to be it.

“But you really don’t have to—”

“Please,” you shake your head, “I’d feel like I owe you, otherwise. Let me.”

An idea pops into his mind. “Uh, alright.” he says, then prepares himself mentally so the words come out right, “Then can I get your number? In case you, like, run away before paying and I need to find you.”

You chuckle and he breathes out in relief.

“Yeah. I’ll give you my number.” you say, “But you might want to type it in yourself. Clearly it won’t end up any better in my hands.” you gesture towards the phone. Arisu laughs at that and shakes his head, but goes to his contacts app himself nevertheless.

So he gets your phone number, and you’re getting whisked away by two of your friends before he can ask for your name. Part of him feels disappointed you’re gone but he’s also relieved he gets time to breathe and process the whole interaction.

So he… Stays. He tells himself it’s for the same reasons as earlier, but the way his gaze moves towards your direction every other minute tells a different story. Suddenly, a party seems great. He wants to get to that bar and order a good drink that’s definitely alcoholic so he gets enough courage to go back up to you. Anything. Any-fucking-thing.

“Hey, Karube!” he hears someone exclaim, though it’s muffled by just about every other sound at the party. He sees Karube turn towards someone and follows his gaze to you, who’s hand is gesturing for him to come over. You know Karube?! That could be good. Or the absolute opposite. Karube has had ‘flings’ with a few people. The sudden image of his best friend with his apparent new crush makes him uneasy enough to genuinely consider trying to brainwash himself into thinking he never met you.

Either you’re acquaintances, either you two had something at some point. Arisu doesn’t even pretend his game is of any interest to him anymore, focusing only on what you could be saying once his friend walks up to you. You’re gesturing towards the two friends you’d been hanging out with and saying a few words, before Karube takes out a pack of cigarettes and hands you two. His mannerisms seem to be saying ‘that’s all they get’ and you laugh as you hand the two cigarettes to your friends. Karube walks away, seemingly towards Arisu’s direction. Yes! Arisu thinks, perfect.

“Man.” Karube seemingly deflates the instant he walks in his vicinity, a disappointed look that seems to be much more exaggerated than it should be due to the alcohol, “You’re still here?”

“Would I be anywhere else?” Arisu scoffs.

The other man waves his hand back dismissively and sighs, “Alright. Get off your phone for a second.”

“I’m literally not on my phone.”

Karube ignores that and pulls him to his side by his sleeve, “So now, look around. Is there anyone that catches your eye?” he asks, slurring his words just a bit. “There has to be. I know the type of people you’re into. And, well, I’m saying this as your friend so don’t take it badly, but I know you have the typical shut-in look. But trust me, lots of people are into that! Surprisingly enough. Anyways, so don’t…”

Arisu would be lying if he said he was listening to his friend at all. The only thing he can focus on is you, talking and laughing with your friends near the dancefloor. The flashing colored lights only seem to compliment you. Long gone is the idea of them being the worst thing ever and a direct attack to his eyes. No, now everything feels pretty. Everything feels slow, perfectly-paced. The music is background noise and the partygoers are all in the shadows.

Fuck, what the hell?

“— So that’s why I’m trying to help you out.” Karube seems to finish what was a very-long monologue, then pauses for a beat. He shoves Arisu’s shoulder and the latter looks at him with wide eyes. “You weren’t listening at all.”

“No.” Arisu says blankly, only to break out into a laugh and back away when his friend pretends to try and strangle him. His eyes turn back towards your direction without even noticing.

“Huh. Oh! That’s why.” Karube barks out a laugh, grinning, “You got a crush on them?”

Arisu’s gaze moves wildly between the dancefloor and his friend as his lips part and open to speak, only to stretch into a nervous smile when he tries to laugh. “No? What? Who?” he nearly stammers.

Karube turns and yells a name which Arisu figures is yours and he fears he might hear it at least a thousand more times in his thoughts alone. Then he notes that the honorifics he used when calling you felt much too formal, so maybe you’re not as close as Arisu’s nightmarish thoughts imagined. You seemingly notice him and he beckons you over with his hand. He loses sight of you for half a second when you disappear into the crowd, and the rest of the time because he turns his gaze literally anywhere else.

“Yeah?” you ask, a bit breathless, “Oh, phone guy!”

Karube elbows Arisu (less than discreetly) and nods with a tight smile. “Meet Arisu Ryohei.”

“Oh, that’s Arisu?” you say, and the latter looks at you, chuckling nervously. He bites his tongue out of habit and decides he doesn’t need to participate in this conversation yet (Bless the heavens.) “Damn, I just saw Chota earlier, too. Who would’ve thought I’d meet all your friends tonight?”

“It’s more surprising you never ran into each other before. All of you seem to think the bar’s your free lounging space.” Karube scoffs, crossing his arms. “Anyways, you two met?” he looks at Arisu, who forces himself not to gulp.

“Yeah. Briefly.” he says, running a hand up and down the back of his neck, “My phone dropped ‘cuz of them.”

“Sorry.”

Arisu chuckles and shakes his head lightly. “It’s fine.”

“It’s fine, huh?” Karube echoes, squinting at him. He looks at him and tilts his head, prompting the other to laugh and look away, “I see how it is. Anyways, you said you saw Chota, right? I’ll look for him before he drinks too much.” he turns to you again.

“Sure. He’s talking with that girl from my history class. You know the one?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

He slaps Arisu on the shoulder before he leaves.

And then there were two, huh? Arisu sighs and looks around the same way you do. He really wants to curse out Karube for fucking him over for the second time tonight (bringing him to the party, then leaving him alone with you) but he’ll save that for later. For now, his mind is too busy trying to find a way to make sure this silence doesn’t last long enough to become awkward, so it’s really difficult to think about anything else. You beat him to it.

“Didn’t— Huh. Wasn’t Karube calling me over to ask me something? Or was he just looking for Chota?” you ask, brows knitted in confusion. Arisu hums for a while.

“Uh… Honestly?” he laughs lightly, “No idea.”

You scoff and look at him. Properly. “Arisu Ryohei, huh?”

He finds himself biting back a smile, finally properly hearing you say his name. He nods slowly, then says your name for the first time, tasting the sound of it on his tongue. It’s nice. It’s better than the discomfort he would’ve faced had he decided to actually drink alcohol. Your name would’ve felt uncertain, mixed with the taste of beer. Slurred. And he might not have remembered it as well. Now it just feels… Clear.

“Well, nice to properly meet you.”

“Tell me that when we’re out of this club and the sun is up.” you say, “I mean let’s go out on… Like, let’s, I don’t know, hang out. Karube’s bar. If you're fine with it. When we’re all recovered from the party and stuff. Yeah?”

Something in the way your words come out sounds much more nervous than all the times he heard you talk before, and part of him feels relieved he wasn’t alone in this. Then he actually processes what you said and it’s his turn to struggle to get a coherent response out. Sound cool. Sound cool.

“Yeah!” What the hell, Ryohei?

You laugh, head tilting down for a bit. When you look back up at him, you’re smiling. “It’s a date.”

[kaizensluvr]

heyy hope ur well! can i request aib characters x gender neutral reader who experiences nightmares from the games

aib men comforting gn reader who experiences nightmares

author note! hi thanks for requesting ❤️ this will be in two parts. but anyways, enjoy.

ryohei arisu ㅤ

- he is scared when he sees you frantically kicking and screaming beside him

- immediately he leans over and grabs both of your arms to start shaking you

- you’re startled and so confused, so you keep kicking and end up sobbing

-wraps you in his arms and reassures you telling you that you’re safe with him

- he’s actually flustered when you stop crying as soon as he says that.. does he make you feel protected?

- holds you tightly on his chest and will ask you about your dream tomorrow, for now he needs you getting rest

shuntaro chishiya

- boys confused at first but once he realizes what’s up he is full on bf mode

- he makes you hold his hand and does breathing exercises until you calm down

- once he is sure you’re ready to be alone for a second he goes to the bathroom and gets a cold towel for your head ㅤ

- will keep asking you how you feel and he wants to hear you talk about your dream

- since he knows you so well, he knows you’ll get tired from talking and just want to sleep again

- will hold your hand until you’re asleep, and whisper words he can only dream to be able to say.. one day he will finally open up ㅤ

suguru niragi ㅤ

- he wakes up to your screaming and crying in fight or flight mode and we’ll of course chooses fight.. “y/n what the hell who’s here!?!”ㅤ

- scans the room, picks up his gun, then sees ur body wailing over nothing

- he quickly wraps himself around you and starts shaking you but then he remembers what happened last time where you punched him

- the man is freaking out so he just gently grabs your hands and starts hitting them (again, gently)

- as soon as you wake up and realize it’s niragi, you pull him in for a hug ㅤ ㅤㅤ

- pulls you onto his lap and tells you “there’s nothing to be afraid of, my baby” as he kisses your neck up to your face until you just end up falling asleep in his lap

aguni morizono ㅤ

- he’s gonna think you’re being attacked, i mean you kinda are ig ㅤ

- you’ll hear him say “honey! why are you scared?!” and he will instinctively hold you to his chest ㅤ ㅤㅤ

- then he’s like oh a nightmare and he will rub your back while whispering to you affirmations

- as you are frantically telling him snippets of your dream he can’t even pay attention cuz he hates seeing his baby cry

- will just end up shushing you and cuddling you, will try to stay up even as you fall asleep just in case it happens again, which it doesn’t since he’s holding you so safely <3

tatakora samura / the last boss

- he is prepared bc of the last time and as soon as he hears you scream he just looks at you and calmly says your name while holding onto you firmly

- hates seeing you like this and ends up telling you stories about his life as he plays with your hair ㅤ ㅤㅤ

- will get you anything you need, a glass of water, a snack, even just a kiss

- hearing his voice puts you in a trance and you fall asleep to the sensation on your head as he whispers good night and kisses your cheek

- he’ll end up being the big spoon as you’re protected in his arms

chota segawa

- first he’s super worried and terrified and confused

- will turn his head scanning the room and once he sees nothings there he just goes and grabs you and starts shaking you

- “y/n!! wake up! it’s just a dream!” and once you wake up he’s gonna stroke your hair

- he’s taking it very seriously rn, but i’m sure later on he will tease you about it (wants to see u laugh)

- he’s not sure how to calm u don’t exactly cuz it still feels so real so he will cuddle you and just have u sleep like on his arm kinda

daikichi karube

- he knows what you’re experiencing so he doesn’t freak out when he wakes up to you kicking him and panicking

- he will grab your hand while sternly saying your name and once your conscious he’s gonna just be like “it’s not real y/n. you’re okay i got you now darling” and you find his voice soothing

- pulls you onto his chest so you can calm down by hearing his heartbeat as he whispers sweet words into your ears

- he’s gonna rub your back till you’re sleeping and hold your head

- just wants you to smile and get good sleep

ⓒ caution. don’t repost my work without my permission. plagiarism is prohibited. don’t translate my work without my permission. i will take measures of reporting you.

[zombiecreates]

Dance Floor // AIB Boys

Summary - He finds himself staring all over you, and cant seem to keep his eyes off of you all night long.

Characters - Chishiya Shuntaro, Arisu Ryohei, and Niragi Suguru

Not a smut ^^

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chishiya -

Chishiya was enjoying himself staring a little too hard at you while you were on the dance floor, slowly he begins smirking to himself the more he watches you. He noticed how smoothed you danced, and how you flowed with the rhythm of the song playing in the back. Your dress was mesmerizing to hime, and the way you looked like you were enjoying yourself. He doesn't know why he feels so drawn to you. Chishiya starts to walk over to you, "Let me buy you a drink" He yelled over the blaring party music. You agreed. After a few drinks Chishiya finds himself having a good conversation with you, it starts off with small talk but leads onto full conversations, he was enjoying freeing it felt talking to this unknown person in such a comfort. After awhile you get up to go dance, but Chishiya insisted on staying around the bar only to watch you have fun, but as he slipped his gaze away from you trying to find you again it seemed you disappeared away from the whole club.

Arisu -

Karube and Chota dragged Arisu to the local club, it was so loud he doesn't know how they managed to convince him but here we are. Arisu slowly makes his way and sits by the bar talking until his two friends leave him behind sadly. After awhile notices you laughing from he corner of his eye, one look had him hooked. Like a deer in headlights, he couldn't bring himself to take his eyes off the this light that was you. Everything about you made him curious and wanted to know you more, he sits in the seat by you. Y'all introduce yourselves to each other and instantly hit it off, you find Arisu's presence quite charming. After a few minutes of having blissful non stop conversations about any and everything you were able to talk about, your friends and Arisu's come to take y'all away from each other, only to forget to swap numbers.

Niragi -

He was dancing on the opposite side of the floor you were dancing on as well, While Niragi was having a good time he opened his eyes and immediately saw you and your dress. Niragi watched how you moved and enjoyed yourself without a care in the world. Slowly making his way towards you, he smiles and nods to himself as he's enjoying the view you're giving him. "Let me dance with you hun!" He shouted as he steps closer to you, it took you no time to agree seeing how handsome you thought this man standing in front of you was. He grabs you waist and goes with the rhythm of the blasting song in the back, and you go along with the flow of Niragi. He's enjoying every moment of this he has, smirking to himself seeing how easily you can let yourself vibe with any song they play. Niragi takes a step back to go order drinks for y'all, while he's ordering two margaritas, turning back around he notices you leaving with a group of girls before he could tell you what a good night he had dancing with you.

[untilwedont]

Live For Me

In honor of Alice in borderland S2 coming out, I present u with an angst :D

Pairings: Ryohei Arisu x Male!reader

Genre; Heavy Angst

Summary; Arisu wins the hunt game, even if he didn't want to.

Warnings; Reader death, heavy angst, no happy ending

Your back slid behind the wall you hid behind, your boyfriend continuing desperately to call out to you though the mic attached on the helmet. "M/N, where are you?! Please, come out!" He yelled. You could hear his screams from where you hid. Of course the game you do with your boyfriend, including your friends, had to be a one winner game.

It pained you to hear Arisu like this, it really did. "M/N?! M/N, where are you?! Shota?! Where are you guys?!" The four of you remained silent as Arisu continued to yell your guy's names. "Come out guys, please! We can figure something out!" His cries hurt your heart. As much as you wanted to come out and comfort your boyfriend, you couldn't. For his sake.

"I'm sorry, Arisu.." You finally spoke. "M/N?! M/N, where are you?! Please, don't do this to me!" You could feel the tears roll down Arisu's cheeks, even if you weren't with him.

2:00 minutes remain

The bot said over the intercom.

"Arisu.. you know I love you.. so much, right?" you spoke softly. "M/N.. I love you too, but please, come out!" He yelled desperately. "I want you to survive for us.. survive for me, okay?" Tears were rapidly falling out of your eyes, rolling down to your cheek and onto the floor.

You heard Arisu's footsteps coming closer and closer to where you were hidden. "M/N, come out! Please, come out!" He yelled out. He was now infront of where you hid.

30 seconds remain

"I'm behind you.." you spoke out to Arisu, but your eyes remained off of his. Arisu quickly turned, only to find you looking away from him. He ran towards you and tried to turn you into the wolf, but you quickly closed your eyes to prevent that from happening. "M/N, open your eyes! Please!" He was sobbing at this point.

"Arisu.. I love you, I love you so, so much." You spoke with your eyes closed. "But you need to survive for me, okay? I want you to live your life and continue to survive. Please Arisu, for me." You both had tears coming out your eyes. Arisu placed his hands on both of your shoulders, "M/N, please don't do this to me! Don't leave me, I can't live without you!"

"You have to, Arisu." You slightly opened your eyes, but not to look into his. You grabbed his chin and pulled him in for one last kiss. The kiss was passionate and long.

Game over. Player 1101232 has survived.

"I love you, Arisu."

Those were your last words before..

Boom

The collar around your neck exploded, blood splattering everywhere, including Arisu's face. Arisu couldn't believe it. He'd just watch his lover die in front of him. He stood in shock for a second, before letting out painful screams. He lost the person he loved the most. But now he had to survive for his lover. For M/N.

He wouldn't let him die in vain.

[brazilsho]

𓍯𓂃𓏧♡ LIBARY -> a list of characters i allow suggestions / reqs & write for !

don't be sad if ur comfort character isn't included , u are still welcome to request them!

please read blog rules beforehand !

★ ! HAIKYUU · 01

KARASUNO HIGH -> not in order !

10. Hinata Shoyo . 11. Tsukishima Kei . 02. Sugawara Koshi . 04. Yuu Nishinoya . 09. Kageyama Tobio . 12. Yamaguchi Tadashi . 05. Ryūnosuke Tanaka . -> the rest is available too !

NEKOMA HIGH -> not in order !

05. Kozume Kenma . 01. Tetsurō Kuroo . 03. Morisuke Yaku . 11. Lev Haiba . 02. Nobuyuki Kai . 06. Shōhei Fukunaga . -> the others are available either !

OTHERS

01. Tōru Oikawa . 02. Hajime Iwaizumi . -> if requested , other Aoba Johsai members too !

03. Bokuto Kōtarō . 04. Keiji Akaashi . 05. Ushijima Wakatoshi . 06. Kiyoomi Sakusa . 07. Motoya Komori .

08. Shinsuke Kita . -> if requested other Inarizaki members too !

★ ! BOKU NO HERO ACADEMIA · 02

CLASS 1A

01. Izuku Midoriya . 02. Katsuki Bakugo . 03. Eijiro Kirishima . 04. Shoto Todoroki . 05. Denki Kaminari . -> others are available if requested !

OTHERS

01. Neito Monoma . 02. Shota Aizawa . 03. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu . 04. Hitoshi Shinso . 05. Mirko . 06. The Big Three . 07. Giulio Gandini .

★ ! DEMON SLAYER · 03

DEMON SLAYERS

01. Tanjiro Kamado . 02. Zenitsu Agatsuma . 03. Inosuke Hashibira . 04. Genya Shinazugawa . 05. Yoriichi .

HASHIRAS

01. Giyu Tomioka . 02. Obanai Iguro (ur indirectly 24/7 mitsuri) . 03. Mitsuri Kanroji . 04. Sanemi Shinazugawa . 05. Gyomie Himejima . 06. Kyojuro Rengoku . 07. Uzui Tengen . 08. Muichiro Tokito (platonic, that's a minor, only romantic when reader is same age !) .

DEMONS

01. Muzan Kibutsuji . 02. Kokushibo . 03. Douma . 04. Akaza .

★ ! AVATAR; THE WAY OF WATER · 04

OMATIKAYA

01. Neteyam . 02. Lo'ak . 03. Jake . 04. Neytiri . 05. Kiri. 06. Tuk (platonic !) .

METKAYINA

01. Ao'nung . 02. Tonowari . 03. Ronal .

★ ! ALICE IN BORDERLAND · 05

01. Shuntaro Chishiya . 02. Hikari Kuina . 03. Ryohei Arisu . 04. Suguru Niragi (only good ver.) . 05. Rizuna Ann . -> if requested & approved , other characters available too !

★ ! GENDERBEND · 06

with genderbend i mean ex. male ! elsa x reader !

DISNEY

01. Frozen . 02. Violet (the incredibles) . 03. Alice (live action) . 04. Jasmine . 05. Tinkerbell -> other characters from Tinkerbell available ! 06. Tiana . -> if requested, a different character can be approved too !

OTHERS

01. Mean Girls . 02. Wednesday (addams family & netflix) . 03. Mavis . 04. Monster High .-> other characters are available but only if i know the movie !

★ ! HAZBIN HOTEL · 07

01. Lucifer . 02. Alastor (no smut !) . 03. Valentino . 04. Angel Dust (only gn ! reader) . 05. Adam .

★ ! LOVE & DEEPSPACE · 08 <- only permanently

01. Zayne . 02. Xavier . 03. Rafayel . 04. Sylus . 05. Caleb . 06. Luke . 07. Kieran .

WARNING !!

please be aware that if i don't mention someone in a special fandom, that means i will not write for them and if i don't want to write about a certain character i will also not take requests for them !

i recommend you ask me for a request like this; "character" with gn! / fem! reader & then the scenario you have in mind (but u can be as specific as u want!) !

© brazilsho ─ 2024. works i post are not allowed to be translated, stolen, copied, or reposted on other platforms.

[hyunjinners]

✧:･ﾟCharacters Reacting to You With Serious Injurieis → aib headcanons ˚₊· ꒰🩹꒱

꒰ 命 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 ꒱┊at some point during a game you get seriously injured, leaving them worried.

꒰ 命 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 ꒱┊arisu ¡ niragi ! aguni x fem ¡ reader.

꒰ 命 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄 ꒱┊angst, sad, hurt, a little cute (?)

꒰ 命 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 ꒱┊mention of injury, possible trigger, blood, implied deaths (or not so much), crying - let me know if you have anything else to add! :)

꒰ 命 𝐖.𝐂 ꒱┊0,8k

꒰ 命 𝐀/𝐍 ꒱┊just another chapter forgotten at the bottom of the drafts. ^°^

⊹₊˚ʚ❛masterlist❜ɞ

「 𝗔𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘂 𝗥𝘆𝗼𝗵𝗲𝗶 」

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ During a game of spades, one of the participants desperate to survive, He pushed her off the stair railing, causing a serious wound to open in her belly caused by a large piece of iron.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ Arisu's first reaction would be anger and fear. He couldn't help but want to run after the guy just to push him too, but he knew that would be a little wrong.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ he would take her to a place out of sight of the game master, just to try to defuse the situation a little and avoid being killed outright.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ he would be lost without knowing what to do since it would not be possible to remove the piece of iron, otherwise it would worsen the wound and cause a bloody mess.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ I would probably come up with a plan with Usagi to try to resolve the game as quickly as possible and get out of there soon.❜ɞ

ֺ⊹₊˚ʚ❛ He would stay by her side all the time, holding her hand and telling her funny memories to keep her awake.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ he would try to hold back the tears if he saw you weren’t responding. He would hug you tightly, holding you against his chest as he placed a kiss on your head.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ Arisu's biggest fear is losing everyone he loves, thus ending up alone and blaming himself for the rest of his life. He didn't know what your fate would be, but he hoped you would be okay.❜ɞ

「 𝗡𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶 𝗦𝘂𝗴𝘂𝗿𝘂 」

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ During the confusion on the beach and the discovery that it was an arena for a game of ten of hearts, everything became chaos as if the militia had completely lost what little sanity they had left. There were a lot of deaths and sounds of gunshots, so you didn't know exactly where it came from, but you couldn't help but instantly notice the sharp pain in your chest area.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ Niragi was too busy reveling in the deaths of innocent people to notice you. Reluctantly, you crawled in search of him.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ You didn't understand exactly why you were after him since the last thing you could expect from Niragi was some kind of support or help, I was well aware that he was devoid of any emotion of human solidarity.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ Niragi and you never really got along at first. You were the daughter of the militia chief, Aguni, and he was a freeloader who only cared about himself. But not long ago you broke your pride and stuck together, so to speak.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ his first reaction upon seeing you was to roll his eyes with some grumble like, "are you kidding me", or something like that.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ You would wonder how you were so stupid as to get shot instead of hiding in a safe place.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ I would never admit to having any affection for you but I would take you to an empty room just so you could die in a more "honorable" way, without being in the middle of several burned bodies.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ He would give one final shot to prevent you from suffering to death and would lock the room so they couldn't find and burn your body.❜ɞ

「 𝗔𝗴𝘂𝗻𝗶 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗼 」

ֺ⊹₊˚ʚ❛ During the chase to kill the King of Swords in the center of Shibuiya, you ended up sticking your foot in a hole in the rubble when you ran after Aguni after the pharmacy explosion, where coincidentally there was a huge iron that cut his tendon, making it impossible for him to move around.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ Upon hearing her scream, Aguni's instincts awakened and he could swear he felt his stomach move in a bad way.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ he was almost unconscious when he heard your scream, so he couldn't do much to help you, so he just looked to the side and swore it seemed like torture to see you agonizing for a long time.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ He's not a man of many words, so he probably wouldn't talk to you that much, but would try to calm you down in his own way.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ would crawl closer to you just to hold your hand and look into your eyes, almost as if he had an entire conversation in just one look. And you knew him well.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ I feel that at some point the two of them lie uncomfortably next to each other, your head on his chest as he smoothes your hair and kisses your forehead whispering sweet words that not even he thought he would say to someone one day.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ a solitary tear runs down his face when he hears you say softly, "I love you", and there he had confirmation that you would not have a future together.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛ As soon as he saw you injured he imagined that you wouldn't resist, not only because of the ugly wound but also because of other injuries caused during the fight. He felt like he could no longer live in a world where you wouldn't be by his side, but even with his desire to leave, he felt like that world wasn't worthy of leading another life in vain.❜ɞ

⊹₊˚ʚ❛A/N: I hope you enjoyed! It's been a while since I wrote this chapter, so I was lost in drafts lol. Like × reblog¡! by:: @hyunjinners .❜ɞ

[kiwihrt]

You Make Me Feel Safe ── Alice in Borderland

FROM THE 'HELL ON EARTH' SERIES.

𓂃 ⋆ 𓈒 ‘hell on earth’ masterlist 𓍯 main masterlist

SUMMARY. [Takes place S2E1] After meeting the King of Spades, you and Arisu have a heartfelt conversation.

PAIRING. Arisu Ryohei x gn!teen!reader, Usagi Yuzuha x gn!teen!reader.

GENRE. fluff, hurt/comfort, platonic.

WORD COUNT. 1k

WARNINGS. gn r, teen r, possibly ooc aib characters, blood and death mentions, mentions shooting (king of spades), r wears a skort (basically a skirt with shorts underneath) and a bikini (with a t-shirt over top), bullet wound, it’s implied reader is shorter than arisu.

✐ posting something in this universe to hopefully get the ball rolling :)

The King of Spades was ruthless. He shot like the blood he was spilling wasn’t valuable, and like the damage being done was nothing at all. Nothing could’ve prepared you for it.

Nothing but adrenaline had gotten you out of there. Adrenaline had rushed through you so fast that you didn’t notice the bullet hitting your left shoulder until the blood had rushed down to your wrist. You saw the look of horror on Usagi’s face, but the pain was still barely there. It didn’t help that in the car chase, while driving Ann had taken a sharp turn, resulting in your arm slamming into the door. From that moment, the pain began to hit you.

Now, you stood in a run down convenience store, listening to Arisu and Usagi’s adorable flirting. You did however, feel like you were ruining the moment by being there, even if you were still searching through the aisles—not that there was much to find. You had already used a piece of fabric from the bottom of some random shirt to wrap around your bullet wound, and you’d kept the rest of the shirt in case you needed it as well. The wrap didn’t do a whole lot, though. It was already bleeding through the thin material fast.

You saw Arisu begin to excitedly talk about going back home. To the real world. He began to reminisce, and then his eyes grew sad. Realizing what he had lost, you assumed. The sorrow seemed to spread, as Usagi began to talk about how going back home may not be something she wanted as badly as everyone else. You felt bad for listening in, so you walked further away in the store. You were sure to avoid stepping on anything to cause too much noise.

Going back to your world was something you wanted badly, but Usagi’s words almost made you spiral. This world, the one you were in right now, it was cruel. It was painful. But who’s to say that the other wasn’t bad either? You didn’t come from a rich family. You weren’t dirt poor, but you wouldn’t say you were well off either. The kids at your school liked picking on you because you were so timid. Your father was kind, and you loved him, but he was so busy. Your mother, the parent home most often, was neglecting. You didn’t know what it was that made her like this, but you knew she hadn’t always been this way.

The borderlands were surely worse than the real world, but the more you thought about it, the more you realized you just hated both. You were now conflicted.

You heard footsteps approaching you, as well as a pair getting further—Usagi was preparing to leave. You could feel the tension.

Arisu stopped beside you, on your left. With a sigh, he looked down at you, then down at your wounded shoulder, and his face pinched together. By the time Arisu and Usagi had finished their conversation, the blood had seeped through the fabric, and began to drip down your arm. Believe it or not, the bleeding was slowing down.

“You okay?” Arisu asked. You gave him a blank stare and he winced. “Yeah, stupid question, I know. Sorry.”

You laughed a little.

“I’m… managing.” You replied. In your hands, you held a pack of snacks you hoped were good. You didn’t realize how small you looked at the moment. You were mirroring the image of a kid in the candy store, a pack of candy held tightly in your fingers, innocent eyes beaming up. The only difference was you were covered in dirt and grime, stained with blood, fresh and old, that splattered across your face and body. Your beach outfit was torn—a small rip up your bathing suit bottoms (which was designed as a skort) and a tear in the back of the grey T-Shirt you wore over your bikini top. You weren’t that young, though. You were almost an adult. You were young enough to worry about, though.

"You feel dizzy? At all?"

"A little, but I'm totally fine otherwise."

Arisu sighed again, and silently nodded to the exit of the store as he began you lead you out. Usagi fell into step with you both, walking a few feet ahead. You saw her look back at your shoulder briefly, before she looked back ahead.

It was now nighttime, and as the light breeze hit you, sending a chill down your spine, you began to feel grateful. For the people beside you and the people you never quite got the chance to know. You looked up at Arisu, your own eyes shining under the moonlight, and he looked back at you. You smiled and he smiled back. Somehow, there was a dictionary of words in that glance, but you still felt the need to voice your words aloud.

"Thank you, Arisu." You looked back down to your feet. "Just, y'know, for everything you've done for us, and for me. I think I'd be dead without all of you."

Arisu was silent for a moment or two. Going over the words in his head, perhaps. "You're giving me too much credit, I think." He eventually replied, sheepishly.

"No," you looked up at him briefly, "I mean it. I'm... glad we met at that tag game. I hardly knew what I was doing at the time, and I'm sure you didn't know much either. I'm glad we met though." You said, softly and kind of under your breath. You meant every word you said, but heartfelt talks sort of made you feel awkward or nervous. You need to tell him this though.

Arisu looked at you again, and he laughed lightly as if he was embarrassed.

"You..." you continued, "you make me feel safe, Arisu."

Those words weren't meant to be taken lightly, and you could tell Arisu thought so too with the way he paused his walking for a fraction of a moment. "You mean it?"

"Of course I do."

Arisu nodded his head, eyes going all soft in a way that made you feel cared for. "I'm glad you feel safe with me."

You were okay with the conversation ending there—and it did, as Tatta and Kuina pulled up in the car they had chosen. Maybe not the best vehicle choice, though. An open roof wasn't exactly the best option right now.

@ sakufilms

[snzhrchy]

Happy new years Vix! May I request Chishiya and arisu on new years post borderlands? It can be head canons or scenarios, whichever you want:)

—☆ NEW YEAR'S WITH THEM !

characters included; chishiya shuntaro & arisu ryohei notes; i dont rlly celebrate new year's but <33 taglist; lmk if u wanna b on it !

CHISHIYA SHUNTARO

Of course, Chishiya wasn't the one to celebrate New Year's. It was just a celebration to honour the passage of time, an unrelenting reminder.

He wasn't ever joyful on this occasion at all, he simply didn't see the reason as to why any sane person would even want to celebrate getting older.

However, if you were really excited about the holiday then Chishiya wouldn't mind celebrating it.

He didn't know much about the holiday except for the fireworks that are set to go off at 12AM. He remembered that when he was a kid, his parents would take him out to celebrate it with the fireworks. As time went by, he simply stopped going out.

Chishiya isn't the one for extravagance, his idea to celebrate the beginning of the new year were very mundane and simple.

After his shift ended at the hospital, he arrived at your door, requesting you to come with him.

You agreed, it was still quite early in the night — 10PM. You grabbed your jacket and rushed to his car.

'What's the occasion?' you had asked him. Obviously, you knew the answer to his question but you wanted to hear about it from him.

Unfortunately for you, Chishiya just replied with 'nothing much.'

The first thing Chishiya did was take you to your favourite restaurant and order you your favourite food. He didn't care how expensive it was, he just wanted to give you a good time.

Then, once the twelfth hour was nearing, he took you to one of the most popular sites in Japan to watch the fireworks.

He wasn't the one for loud crowds but exceptions were made for you.

As you and the many other citizens of Japan counted down the final seconds, Chishiya couldn't help but enamour.

Once the clock hit 12, you wrapped your arms around Chishiya. He reciprocated the action but he also connected his lips with yours, pulling you into a kiss.

ARISU RYOHEI

Arisu's plan for the upcoming new year celebration was to spend it at the bar with Karube and Chota. He invited you along too.

You agreed, you really enjoyed the company of his friends as they did too.

At around 11, Arisu came to your house and you both walked to the bar, hands interlocked with each other's.

Every now and then, Arisu would try and crack up jokes just to see your smile.

Once you both arrived at the bar, you were greeted by his friends who both pulled you into a comforting hug.

The entirety of the night was spent with Karube offering you all free drinks and the both of them telling rather embarrassing stories about Arisu.

Sometimes, really drunk people would hit on you and that would cause Arisu to be filled with rage.

Of course, you rejected them and told them you're already taken. However, Arisu would get into a really sour mood afterwards and would be really clingy.

He would have an arm draped across your shoulder and would try to pepper you with kisses all over your cheeks.

As the countdown began, you were eagerly counting down the seconds. Arisu di the same but his eyes would nervously glance from the clock to your lips for a few moments.

Once it reached 12, you would turn to Arisu and pull him into a kiss. He was startled by your sudden action but reciprocated it, nonetheless.

When you both pulled apart, he'd mumble a small greeting to you and kiss you once again.

[mxliv-oftheendless]

After the Countdown

Death comes for everyone when it’s their time, appearing with a warm smile and a comforting hand to guide them to the Sunless Lands. And so Death came to the Borderlands to collect three souls after their deaths in the botanical gardens. But two of them weren’t quite ready to move on.

CW: character death (vague language used but just to give a heads-up)

Also posted to AO3.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

She watched in the garden, unseen, as the young man ran toward his friend. She could hear the crying of the other two, both of them hugging each other to gain whatever comfort they could in their final moments. They didn’t have much time left, these three. The young man—Ryohei, she remembered, from when she came for his mother—Ryohei would live far longer, the last survivor of the four in these strange Borderlands.

For mortals, such a fate seemed cruel and unfair. But it was simply how it was.

The blonde man’s eyes turned suddenly, and met hers. He didn’t speak, didn’t want to alert his friend to his location, but his eyes spoke for him. It’s time?

Death nodded with a solemn yet kind smile. “Yes, I’m afraid so,”

A soft sigh escaped him, before he nodded and took out his pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He lit up a cigarette with practiced ease and leaned against the railing to look off into the distance. “Would you go for Chota first?” he mumbled, too soft for his friends to hear but heard clearly by her. “He sounds pretty scared.”

Death smiled and nodded. “He’ll be all right. You all will.”

The man’s shoulders relaxed with a relieved sigh and he took an inhale of his cigarette.

“Karube!” they heard Ryohei scream.

“I’m behind you,” the man said aloud. There were footsteps, then Ryohei stumbled into view. His eyes were wide and desperate. The man didn’t turn his head to look at him, but looked into the distance with a soft smile. Death wondered if it was difficult for him to not turn his head, to not look at his best friend of so many years one last time.

“Arisu… thank you.”

“Five… four… three… two…”

“KARUBE!”

An explosion. And then Karube Daikichi was gone, his physical body falling to the ground with an unceremonious thump. 

Death sighed softly as she felt the simultaneous deaths of Segawa Chota and Shibuki Saori. At least they were quick deaths; that was ideal in a place like this. She watched Ryohei stare at the body of his friend in blank shock and for a moment lamented not being able to comfort him more. He’d lost so many people now. But she had a request to fulfill, so she turned and went off into the botanical gardens.

Chota and Saori were still clutching each other, even while their physical bodies were sprawled in the dirt. Saori was the first to sense her approach. She pulled away from Chota, wiped her eyes on her blazer sleeve with a sniffle, and looked up. Chota turned to see what she was looking at, and froze.

Death smiled and sank down into a squat. “Hey, you two,”

“W-Who… Who are you?” Chota questioned. “How did you…”

He trailed off. Death simply looked back at him as realization slowly came over his face. She gave him a soft smile. “Good to see you again, Chota.”

“Y-You know my name?”

“Of course I do. I was there when you were born. Oh, your mum was so happy that day.” She couldn’t help remembering the happy, relieved tears of Chota’s mother as she cradled her screaming newborn. “I was there when you were born too, Saori,” she added, turning to the woman who was looking at her in shock and slight awe. “Everyone said you looked like your mother.”

Tears welled up in Saori’s eyes and she hastily wiped them away. “I-It‘s time, isn’t it?” she asked shakily.

Death nodded. “Afraid so. But don’t worry—I’ll be there with you the whole way.”

She offered her hands to the two, and after a moment’s pause, they both took her hands. She helped them stand with a warm smile, then let them look down at their bodies. This part was always difficult.

“I wish I could’ve said goodbye to my mom,” Chota said quietly. “And Arisu… Arisu!” He turned to Death. “Where is he?”

A scream suddenly tore through the air. It was a guttural wail, a howl of grief that Death had heard many times before. Chota’s head snapped in the direction of the sound, then he turned back to Death pleadingly. “I, I know I just died, but… can I go to him?”

Death gave him a soft smile. “Of course you can. Daikichi’s already over there.”

Chota sighed in gratitude and bowed. “Thank you.” He was about to leave, then stopped and turned back to Saori. He pulled her into another hug. “I’m sorry, Shibuki.”

Saori hugged him tightly in return. “I… I should be the one to apologize, Chota. I’m so sorry…”

“Don’t be. I hope we can spend more time together now… as friends?”

A watery smile crossed Saori’s face. “I’d like that.” She kissed his cheek. “Take care, Chota.”

“You too, Shibuki,”

As Chota dashed off in the direction of the wails of grief, Saori turned back to Death, who stood patiently. She wiped her eyes and tried to square her shoulders. “I’m…” Something in her face cracked. “Am I… Will I be punished for what I’ve done?”

“Oh, Saori…” Death shook her head. “Of course not. You were taken advantage of, then forced to be in this place and survive however you could. None of that is a crime. Your existence from now on will be peaceful. I promise.”

Saori’s shoulders sagged in relief, like a weight she’d been carrying for far too many years was finally gone. “Oh… Alright…” She squared her shoulders again, this time more confidently. “So, what happens next?”

Death smiled and offered her her hand. “Here’s when you find out,”

Saori reached out and took her hand, and with a flap of her wings, Death carried her away to the Sunless Lands.

When she returned to the botanical gardens, she found Daikichi and Chota with Ryohei, who had collapsed to his knees as he howled and sobbed in grief. They both knelt on either side of him, Daikichi looking mildly annoyed while Chota tried to pat Ryohei’s shoulder. “Ready to go?” she asked aloud as she approached.

Chota looked up sadly. “He can’t feel my hand, can he?”

Death shook her head. “No, he can’t. You’re technically a spirit now.”

“He can’t hear us, either,” Daikichi grumbled. “I already hate being dead.”

Death chuckled. “If it’s any consolation, he can probably feel your presence. Sometimes a close connection makes it possible, and you three were as close as can be.”

Chota looked somewhat comforted by that. Daikichi frowned. “It’s probably just making him feel worse,” he groused softly, no venom whatsoever in his words. “He’s going to blame himself for this, I just know it. Stupid idiot…”

Chota looked up at Death again. “I know we have to go, but… can’t we stay with him? Just to make sure he’ll be okay?”

Death sighed. “I’m sorry, Chota, but you can’t stay with him here.”

“Where even is here, anyway?” Daikichi demanded, rising to his feet to give her a look that demanded no bullshit. “Is this some sort of fucked up hell?”

With a soft chuckle, Death answered honestly, “No, it’s not Hell. Believe me, Hell is far worse. The Borderlands are… well, they’re a border, a threshold, between life and death.”

“Like… limbo?” Chota asked hesitantly.

Death nodded. “Like limbo, yes. It’ll come back to you in a while, how you got here, but you’ve been sent here to see whether you’ll live or die. But this is a threshold, a temporary space. No one’s meant to stay here any longer than they’re meant to. And since you died, you’ll have to leave.”

“But what about Arisu?” Chota rose to his feet alongside Daikichi. “He’ll be all alone now. What if he dies too?”

“He won’t be alone for very long,” Death assured. “And I can’t give you many details, but Ryohei isn’t meant to die for many, many years. Your deaths won’t be in vain.”

“Yeah, but we don’t know that,” Daikichi insisted stubbornly. “I mean, look at him. He’s not going to survive for very long if he’s like this. He’s gonna want to give up, and we can’t let him do that.”

Chota nodded in agreement. “We can’t leave him. He’s our brother.”

Death couldn’t help smiling at the two. Most in the Borderlands were relieved to leave, finally free of the cruel landscape of survival. It was rare that someone wanted to stay, to make sure their companions were all right. It was rare in general, really, and it was always so touching when it did happen. “It’s wonderful that you want to make sure he’s all right. But like I said, this is a temporary place. Dead souls can’t stay where they’re not meant to be.” Daikichi and Chota’s faces fell, then perked up as she continued. “But… there are some loopholes in that rule.”

“Really?” Chota asked hopefully.

Death couldn’t help grinning at them. “The rules of the mortal plane and the Borderlands can’t be changed… but the rules of dreams are quite different.”

“How can we do that?” Daikichi asked urgently.

“I’ll have to ask my brother, but I’m sure when he hears your story, he’ll let you see Ryohei in his dreams. It’d only be when you’re needed most, and you wouldn’t be able to stay in his dreams forever, but you’d be there when he needs you while he’s in the Borderland.”

Daikichi and Chota looked at each other, then nodded. “We’ll do it,” Daikichi said resolutely.

“And if… whoever your brother is… if he doesn’t let us, we’ll make him let us,” Chota swore.

“I’ll punch him in the fucking face if I have to.” Daikichi shook his fist for emphasis.

Death couldn’t help laughing at the image of her brother’s face after receiving a punch from an angry Daikichi. “I don’t think it’ll come to that. Between you and me, I’m his favorite sister; I can probably persuade him to do it.” She couldn’t help glancing down at Ryohei, who had managed to tear off his headpiece and rocked back and forth on the ground as he cried. “In the meantime, though…”

Daikichi and Chota looked down at Ryohei. Chota sighed and glanced at his friend. “I guess it’s time for us to leave now.”

“Yeah,” Daikichi mumbled sadly. He reached out and gingerly placed a hand on Ryohei’s shoulder. “Goodbye, Arisu,” he said softly.

Chota squeezed his other shoulder, despite knowing Ryohei couldn’t feel him. “We’ll be back, promise.”

Ryohei’s cries marginally began to soften, as though he really could feel the presence of his friends on either side of him.

With a deep breath, Daikichi stepped away from Ryohei and looked to Death, Chota alongside him. “We’re ready now,”

Death nodded her head and held out her hands for them to take. The two friends glanced at each other, and Chota smiled slightly at Daikichi. The other mirrored his smile, then they took her hands. “I hope the afterlife is nice,” Chota stated in a semi-joking tone.

Death smiled warmly at him. “Let’s go see,”

And with a rush of her wings, she carried them away.

[luvsae]

my masterlist ♡

- here's my masterlist for everything i write !

sweet home . . . ☆

cha hyunsu :

hyunsu headcanons

never scared (request) - fluff + angst

infected love (request) angst + fluff

comfort - fluff

kisses all the time - fluff

small moments - fluff

[where to request hyunsu fics]

hyunsu and loving you - fluff and angst

hyunsu and pda (request)

short hyunsu post [fluff]

5 things (request) [angst + fluff]

memory [drabble]

pyeon sangwook :

- nothing yet.

yoon jisu :

- nothing yet.

lee eunhyuk :

- nothing yet.

jung jaeheon :

- nothing yet.

alice in borderland . . . ☆

ryohei arisu :

love - fluff

always welcomed

summertime love [pt 1]

my beautiful lover

arisu loves the way . . .

friday night [short]

early mornings [short]

everything I wanted [drabble]

texts with arisu [drabble]

daikichi karube :

it was a bad day - angst + eventual fluff

i'll wait for you [pt 1 - au based on 20th century girl]

jealous [request]

bodyguard!karube [short]

kodai tatta :

mornings with tatta [short]

summer lovin [fluff + drabble]

hikari kuina :

kuina who . . .

morizono aguni :

aguni loves you [short]

shuntarō chishiya :

- nothing yet.

ann :

- nothing yet.

takeru danma :

- nothing yet.

ginji kyuma :

- nothing yet.

squid game . . . ☆

kang saebyeok :

passionate [fluff]

melodies of love [request]

sunlight [fluff]

in love [fluff]

everything to me [fluff]

betrayel [angst]

song gihun :

- nothing yet.

detective hwang :

- nothing yet.

the last of us . . . ☆

ellie williams :

mornings with you [fem reader]

cheesy lines [fem reader]

joel miller :

- nothing yet.

jesse :

- nothing yet.

dina :

- nothing yet.

all of us are dead . . . ☆

oh joonyeong :

ps, i love you [fluff]

lee suhyeok :

- nothing yet.

lee cheongsan :

- nothing yet.

nam onjo :

- nothing yet.

choi namra :

- nothing yet.

han gyeongsu :

- nothing yet.

the walking dead . . . ☆

enid rhee :

dating enid rhee headcanons [fem!reader]

short enid hc

carl grimes :

- nothing yet.

rosita espinosa :

- nothing yet.

[more characters tbd] . . ♡

to be posted . . . ☆

kuina angst [req]

suhyeok fluff [req]

quality time | hyunsu [req]

friends | hyunsu

youth | ryohei arisu

hyunsu dating someone with social anxiety [req]

if you want to request something, please message me or you can ask anonymously! i apologize if i take a bit to write it. i promise to upload it soon :)

- b