#kabru: he's making eye contact at me

[gothiethefairy]

i kinda love before marcille calls the demon!laios out, kabru can definitely tell there was something super off about laios.

kabru is like, "hold up, this is not my man. wtf."

[daistea]

I love love love the scenarios of Kabru with a person who is oblivious, but what about someone who is hyper aware of how other people feel towards them as a defense mechanism? Someone who is constantly aware of everything that's going on and it's something they can't turn off but as a result hates guessing games and won't act unless the other person is genuinely forward. They aren't bad and are polite but will blatantly ignore hints. I think there's another layer of hilarity in that one.

Ya! I don't know if I captured what you're looking for, to be honest. But I tried my best, and I hope you like it!

1600 words !

no tw or spoilers I don't think

Cracks - Kabru x reader

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Your heart was a fortress. There were moats and ballistas and canons aimed straight at anyone who dared approach. You weren’t sure when the fortress walls raised, but you knew when another stone was added, when they grew higher. 

And Kabru’s charming smile only piled more stones atop the wall. 

That smile was intended for another purpose, you knew. He’d realize that soon enough, but until then, you would maintain eye contact and nod along with his conversations. He didn’t talk about himself often, but he had stories to tell, anecdotes, theories. And he wanted your opinion on every single one. 

“What do you think?” Kabru asked. It was a line cast into the water with bait on the hook. It was the sliding of a chess piece across the board. And he didn’t mean to play these games, you also knew that. It was just how he was. 

“I don’t know,” was all you gave him. 

Kabru nodded to himself. He was good at covering up his disappointment, but you could practically see the gears turning in his pretty head. The only thing you weren’t sure of was why, exactly, he had wanted to see you today. 

Finally, he returned his attention to you, “Do I make you uncomfortable?”

You felt yourself tense. Your shoulders slumped a little and you uncrossed your arms— he was probably reading your closed-off body language, but that was all simply habit, not a result of discomfort. 

“No, you don’t,” and you meant it. You weren’t about to inform him of why you never took the bait, but you’d throw him a bone. “You really don’t. I just… Wait, that was a very straightforward question, Kabru. How uncharacteristic of you.”

“I can be straightforward when I want to be,” He sent you another brilliant smile, though the look in his eyes told you that it was genuine. 

“Why do you want to be at this moment?”

Kabru looked away. He stared at his barely-touched mug of ale, doing his best not to shift uncomfortably on the bar stool. Yet, you saw it; the slight bounce of his knee, how his nose wrinkled. 

Finally: “I’m figuring something out,” he said. 

“Aren’t you always?” You teased. 

And he sent you another genuine smile with a hint of something, you weren’t sure. How annoying. Was it affection? You decided to push the thought aside for the sake of your sanity. 

“Yeah, you’ve got me,” he put his hands up and laughed, then took a sip of his ale as if needing something to do with himself to ease the tension that was slowly seeping between you. Tension: a noxious, invisible gas. It was about to give you a headache. 

You turned on the stool to face him, “What’s on your mind?”

Kabru’s smile turned wry, “Now you’re the one prying.” Your heart clenched. That was another stone on the wall. He knew you and it made you want to run away as fast as you could. 

“I guess,” you said, “Yeah, I do that sometimes.”

“I don’t mind,” Kabru murmured. 

What a lie. 

˚ · • . ° .

“Why are you two like this?” Rin asked. Her eyes were narrowed and her hands pressed down on her hips. Both you and Kabru took in the sight and began silently reaching conclusions. 

Kabru was the first to answer. “What do you mean? What’re we like?” He wasn’t confused in the least but made a good show of it. 

“Like this!” She gestured at you both, how close you were sitting with thighs and shoulders brushing. “You’re constantly dancing around each other and, frankly, it’s obnoxious.”

She was right. One step towards each other always resulted in two steps back. Kabru would create a verbal maze that you would instantly get lost in. You knew the general layout and that you should go a certain direction, but you never did find the exit. 

“Sorry,” you offered, hoping it would quell Rin’s annoyance. (It did not.)

“Are you two aware that…” Rin paused. She seemed to choke on her words as her cheeks slowly went pink. You and Kabru both stared. And stared. And Stared. Finally, Rin groaned, “Nevermind! This is your problem to figure out. Not mine.”

True enough. 

“She’s right,” Kabru murmured after she left. He lowered his head and looked at you, trapping you beneath his spotlight. Unfortunately, you had stage fright. 

“Right about what?” You asked, standing up to create distance; that spotlight was uncomfortably warm. But the lack of that warmth from Kabru’s body next to yours only created a gaping hole in your chest. (You'd have to fill that hole with sweets and distractions later.)

Kabru pursued your attention, “About our feelings, of course.”

Your feelings? At that moment, you were feeling quite shaken as cracks began to run up your fortress walls. 

“What feelings?” You asked flatly. 

His hopeful little smile instantly fell and he started to shift uncomfortably, “Our feelings.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Don’t make me say it.”

“I’m not making you say anything,” you corrected, taking a step backward, preparing your retreat. 

“Yes you are,” Kabru began to argue desperately, “I’ve spent months trying to give you hints! I told you ‘the moon is beautiful, isn’t it?’ and you started talking about how the craters kind of looked like Laois’s face. I compared our hand sizes together as an excuse to touch you, and all you said was that I have girlish hands!”

“You do.”

“You know me,” he grit his teeth, standing up from the bench, “you know how hard this is for me. I’ve given you so many hints, so many opportunities, but you’ve ignored them all!”

Hints. Even the word made you frown. Kabru wanted to play guessing games all day, while all you wanted was a simple game of truth and dare where everybody only picked truth. 

Sometimes, you couldn’t help but wonder why you loved this man. He always banged at the walls of your fortress and, recently, some stones had begun to crumble. You added more, but they would only fall when he decided to say something outright on rare occasion.

“I don’t like games,” was all you said. 

“I know,” Kabru exhaled and ran his fingers through his hair, closing his eyes, “I know. I’m trying, really. Usually, I’m pretty adaptable, but this is just… Different.”

“And… You don’t like it?”

“I–” his mouth opened and closed before he looked at you straight on, “I don’t hate it, honestly. It’s different in a good way, as if it’s forcing me to be better with my words.”

“You’re already good with your words. You’re too good with them, that’s the problem.”

Kabru watched you for a moment. You allowed him to analyze you despite how it made your skin tingle. After a bit, he nodded to himself. “Do you want to get a drink?” He asked. 

“...I brought my water canteen with me, so I really don’t—

“You’re just blatantly ignoring my hints, aren’t you?” Kabru announced. His eyes widened and he threw his hands into the air. Whirling away, he gripped his hair and groaned. You couldn’t help but smile at the sight. 

“Maybe you should try a new method,” you offered, patting his back, “one that doesn’t involve implications and guesses.”

Slowly, he lifted his head. He looked a bit dead inside, and his jaw tensed. You felt as if you were watching him force himself to eat a monster out of a sheer need to please. It endeared him to you, but at the same time, you couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the guy. The things Kabru put himself through simply to maintain good graces were endless and difficult. 

“I…” he paused, blinking a few times before he finally looked at you, “Would that work?”

Probably. “Think of it like therapy,” you said as you led him back to the bench and sat down beside him. “Try to be blunt with me. Practice.”

“Practice,” he echoed under his breath.

“Come on.”

His eyes narrowed, “Fine. Where do I start? Give me a prompt.”

Good question. You gave it a moment of thought, “Alright, try asking me on a date.”

“I just did a few minutes ago.”

“No, be blunt about it.”

A heavy pause. Kabru slumped forward a little, an intense look in his eyes. “Alright. Fine. Will you go on a date with me?”

“...Why?”

“Why?” Fear and horror and exasperation filled his eyes, "Shouldn't you already know?"

“I don't. So, why?”

“Because—” just like Rin did earlier, Kabru choked on his words. His hands went up and he made meaningless gestures with them as if that would assist in the process of being blunt. “Because I would like that?”

“Good job!” You patted him on the shoulder. “Now, bluntly tell me how you feel about me.”

The horror on his face, you wanted a picture of it so you would always have something to laugh at. “Really?”

“Really,” you sang. 

“Fine. I—” another meaningless gesture as he cleared his throat, brows furrowing, “You really want me to be blunt?”

“Yeah. Tell me the truth, the whole truth, don’t dance around it.”

“Okay,” Kabru snorted, “Okay… I want to kiss you, I want to hold you, I want your attention, I want to pin you down on the couch and—”

“That’s enough,” you put up a hand— your cheeks were burning— and smiled, “we’re in a public place. But I get the point, thank you.”

Kabru sighed in relief. He closed his eyes and fell forward, burying his face in your shoulder. You couldn’t help but laugh and pat his back. 

There was a lot of work to do. He still had another layer of walls to break through, but he’d learn how to defeat and conquer. He’d learn how to stop building mazes for you. And it would be good for him, if it didn’t drive him insane first. 

You buried your nose into his hair. He groaned, slack in your arms. Part of you wanted to run, retreat. The other part of you rejoiced in the moment. You weren’t sure which one to listen to, but you and Kabru would figure it out with time. 

You and Kabru would figure a lot of things out together from now on. 

[majeoeje]

Casual

Kabru x reader (gender neutral)

It’s hard being casual when you always find ways to litter little parts of you in my life

Warning: explicit

Unison gasp exhaled from both your lungs, it felt like your chest could be crushed by the tension alone. You could get off with the way he held your you by the back of your neck, it felt as if your body could burn away by his touch and he of course was well aware of this. You only wished Kabru’s piercing eyes wasn’t so fixated on you the whole damn time you’re trying to undress him.

You hate to admit that it made you a little nervous. You knew that he was taking your every little reaction into account. It made you feel somehow vulnerable.

“I told you not to psychoanalize me while im trying to fuck you, Kabru”

You were expecting a heavy teasing coming your way, he knew you were into his dirty talk, so he tends to be vocal during your intercourse, it was more weird to not hear him say anything.

“My bad” he quickly said, caressing your cheek ever so softly, before slowly dragging your hand to the button of his pants “continue”

He hides away using your crave for physical affection to his advantage. You would’ve probably skimmed through it if it wasn’t from how distant he seemed. He was trying to hide something. It wasn’t evident whatsoever.. but you could tell like he does with you that he wasn’t really into it this time.

Despite Kabru’s efforts, you retracted your hand before placing a sweet kiss on his cheek.

“Maybe not tonight Kabru, i don’t want to soil your clean sheets just yet”

the disappointment was evident in his eyes, but it wasn’t out of a want for intimacy on his part. It was for the fact that he failed to deceive you, he failed to control the situation, he miscalculated on the outcomes of your behavior. But most of all, he failed to please you.

You saw right through him. And it scares him.

“I’ll make us dinner, i was thinking steak tonight.” You finally broke the silence, distracting Kabru from his thoughts

“Feeling fancy are we?” He rested his head in the palm of his hand as he watched you get dressed. You hummed in respons giving him a wink.

As soon as you buttoned up your blouse, you waltz your way to his kitchen, which wasn’t far away considering he was staying in a cramp inn.

“You’re getting skinny, i need to feed you well” you had said as the sound of you preparing food filled his ears.

He layed there, still shirtless, the scent of his freshly washed sheets filled his nose while the contact of the fabric ignited multiple indecent memories of you and him. He gets addicted to the feeling of your skin pressing on his but he wouldn’t say it was all physical…. At least on his part.

He reminisced upon your words just a few weeks ago in the tavern as he watched you cooked. He wondered if the weight of this relationship was equally heavy to you as it was to him, knowing well the scales were imbalanced.

“It’s casual” you had said to your friend, a pen pal that he had never met, who previously asked you about ‘that guy you were seeing’.

Your words felt like a pang to his head. Casual? Well of course it was.. It’s not like you two outright agreed to a commitment filled relationship.. but it’s natural to think you’ve begone to care for him by the amount of time you spent together. Was he really getting the wrong idea?..

“It’s not like this is going anywhere anyways” you said before continuing to drink your beer as your friend laughs

At that moment he could vividly imagine the scales were tipping down on him and lifting you up.

It bothered him that you think so little of him. But it bothered him more that HE was bothered. Just why the hell was he so mad? He internally screamed thinking of the implications, burying his face to his pillow. You didn’t pay any mind to his frustration, too busy simmering down the two steaks on his stove.

“Dinner’s ready!” you voiced plating two steaks across each other on his dinner table, even lighting up a candle for him.

As he sat himself watching the steam off the freshly cooked steak, and practically homemade fancy date was that he wondered…. Was this casual?

The thought to strangle you cross his mind. Why would you even go to this lengths just to fuck him on the weekends? Was he really just some guy you seek just for a quick sex? His curiosity burned him like an unending itch that he couldn’t scratch.

“Easy there”

You wiped off a smudge of sauce from the corner of his lips. If he wasn’t chewing so menacingly maybe he wouldn’t be so messy

“Thanks” he said shortly. He wasn’t even hiding his irritation, purposely clanking his cutlery.

“You wanna tell me what’s wrong? I can tell you’ve been mad at me”

Kabru’s blue eyes looked at you piercing through your soul. That was probably the first time you ever said something direct to him, it felt breathtaking and frustrating at the same time because he could tell that your words were completely empty.

He wanted to say that you tidying his room for him every chance you get was far from casual. Bathing him that one night because he puked all over himself after being intoxicated wasn’t casual. The way you would cook for him every time you come over wasn’t something casual. Your stuff littering his closet wasn’t casual.

But he couldn’t. Because if he were to yell all those things to you and finally hammering some sense into you would mean he had to say that he wanted to be more than casual. He would have to admit that he genuinely enjoy your company. He had to be honest. And he might actually have to kill you if he ever does that

“Haha! You’re overthinking.. Maybe you’re tired. What about staying the night?”

“I was planning to anyways” you said, talking to Kabru always felt like you were planning a war strategy in your every move. Walking on eggshells would be an understatement knowing his analyzing skills. So it’s better not to press him.

The rest of dinner wasn’t quiet, though maybe you would’ve preferred that hearing his subtle questions to get you to spill your whole backstory once again. Your head hurts from dodging all his questions from shifting the conversations and giving lame excuses. You were more than relieved to go to bed.

“How’s your party? Those guys doing okay?” you asked, a lousy attempt on small talk on your part, recalling a hazy memory of you socializing with Kabru’s party at the tavern

It’s hard being casual when he had introduced you to all his friends

You snuggled close to him, his arms carefully embracing you. It felt natural. Like you and him were meant to be. He could imagine holding you in his arms every night in the future and he hates himself for it. He never knew meeting someone exactly like him would be both a bliss and hell at the same time. It was truly tiring to be at war in every conversation with you, but usually he doesn’t have to think much of it from how busy he was fucking your brains out

“Everyone’s doing alright.. we might go back to explore the dungeon in 2 days” Answered Kabru, you could feel his fingers playing with your hair absentmindedly

“Don’t forget to eat yeah? You always get so skinny after your adventures” he hates how you worry over him. And he hates how he liked it.

He asked to himself looking down to your now sleeping form. Your legs tangled beneath the his sheets, the one that you washed for him, he held you closer as he could feel your breathing fanning down his neck. Does this truly mean nothing to you?

Despite his inner turmoils, he held his tongue. He couldn’t let go.. just not yet.

Because only in these moments was where Kabru could pretend that you two were lovers holding each other throughout the night. At least he could have you in another way other than sexual in these moments.

The night went by faster than he initially thought and by morning, you were gone… as always.

Kabru looked around at the washed dishes, the clean floors of his inn, his neatly folded clothes, his organized closet… his place had never looked cleaner. Yet he was never more a mess. It was as if you had came to his life just to fuck with him both physically and mentally. May the gods gave him strength cause he might not have the self respect to not indulge you in your next visit.

But Kabru sucked it up and dragged himself to the market for supplies of the next dungeon raid. Rin and holm had been waiting not so patiently for him, scolding Kabru for sleeping in again.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been with that merchant again, you look a mess.” Rin says, her gaze scanned Kabru’s disheveled appearance up and down.

Despite his residence always being a mess, Kabru usually upheld a kept appearance. It helps him with gaining trust and connection from other people thus making it easy for him to gain information. Though this wouldn’t be the case after a night with a certain travelling merchant, you.

“You don’t need to worry about that, Rin” said Kabru as he smiled charmingly “i just accidentally slept in a little”

Before Rin could scold Kabru more, Holm stood between the two of them.

“It’s best if we start the shopping” he quickly intervenes . As Rin walks away Holm gave Kabru a comforting look

“It’s okay, just don’t be late next time” said the gnome, as he pats Kabru’s back gently.

And with that Holm catched up to Rin discussing what perservatives would be best to bring tomorrow. Kabru tailed right behind them as they talked. Least to say he was out of it.. occasionally giving feed backs here and there about the length of the trip or expenses, but other than that he was a little quiet. Not as quiet for them to notice at least.

It’s not like Kabru wasn’t a genuine person. He has good intentions and he truly is kind. But he was always great at masking. To hide his true emotions wasn’t something that he hadn’t mastered. But it all seems to get thrown out the window once he’s with you. It’s like you could see right through him as much as he could you and he could tell it terrifies you as much as it did him.

Two sides of the same coin was what you are. He never thought he wanted to be understood until he met you.

“Hey, isn’t that the person Kabru was seeing?” Holm voiced, despite Rin’s protest in trying to hide your whereabouts.

Kabru’s eyes suddenly drift to a small alleyway. You were talking to someone, that pen pal again that you were talking to a few weeks ago.

“You’re actually crazy” your friend laughed as if you had just told him something funny. And Kabru couldn’t help but eavesdrop your conversation.

“You know i can’t miss this opportunity.. this is a once in a lifetime!!”

Kabru pretended as if he were browsing the fruits nearby as he hears you talk, your excitement and fear basically pouring out of your words.

“How long before you leave?”

Kabru froze hearing your friend’s words, almost tipping over the basket in his hand. You’re…leaving?? For how long?

“Maybe in 2 days, i bet you’re going to miss me to bits.” You teased.

“Whatever, you’re the one who’s leaving everything behind anyways”

You weren’t coming back anytime soon. It was evident in your friend’s sudden serious tone. This whole conversation was a whole farewell. Kabru only wished that he could be half as accepting as your friend.

He stood there, ignoring Rin’s harsh stare knowing he was wasting their precious time idling by the fruit stall.

Because before your friend had continue to go on a rant on how you owe them a trip to the tavern you had said something so downright lonely he couldn’t shake his mind on the words you had let out.

“There’s barely anything for me here anyways”

What about him? He wanted to ask.

He was mad at himself for thinking such things.. it’s not like he alone was enough to make you stay. But mostly he was mad at you.

“Kabru!?” Your eyes widen upon seeing him, it doesn’t seem like he wasn’t standing there the whole time. You noticed him at the corner of your eyes as soon as your friend left. Holm and Rin thankfully reading the situation and continued their shopping, not wanting to get in on their party leader’s personal affairs.

Kabru walked calmly approaching you, honestly scaring you.

“So.. you heard everything..” you sheepishly asked.

“I’ve heard enough”

And of course you were off to a great start.

“I see..” you trailed off. Again, it was as if you were walking on eggshells around him. “maybe it’s for the best. I wouldn’t know how to tell you anyways”

“Just… tell me why are you doing all this..” Kabru’s voice sounded more desperate than he initially intended, it made you wonder what’s inside his mind.

It’s not like he ever escapes your mind anyways.

“A commissioner from the east asked me formally to be part of their trading association, it doesn’t get better than that now does it?”

“What about your job, you’re just going to throw that away?” Kabru’s words was starting to annoy you, and even he could tell that he has passed the thin line between being worried and nagging.

“Well my friend from earlier was happy to take over”

Kabru notices how you crossed your arms and rolled your eyes. Maybe he was getting ahead of himself, he needed to calm down.

“Then what about your friends… your family??”

His more careful words just tick you off even more. You hate how he always hides his intention as talks to you. He dances between wanting to please you and dissect you. It’s especially frustrating now that you’re leaving and you can’t figure out what he was trying to say.

“Can you get off my ass? I know what i’m doing. And my friends and family couldn’t be more happy for me so why can’t you??” You spat, turning away from him, frustrated beyond all else.

“Because i want you to stay goddamnit!”

You turned back faster than you turned around. His eyes were widen, mirroring yours as his hand find its way to cover his mouth, in disbelief of what he just said. It was basically a confession and he couldn’t deny it now.

His mouth open to correct himself, but the growing smile out of the corner of your lips made him swallow his words. Every trials that he thought to try and save himself was lost to the sound fastening beat of his heart.

“Kabru… do you really think that way of m- OW-“

He didn’t know what to do, so he just blanked and punched you in the face

“What the fuck was that for?!?”

You whined as you held him by the wrist, ignoring the growing bruise on your cheek, afraid he might just land you another blow to the face. Though what he said before was probably more shocking than any punch he could land you.

You let go after a few minutes of Kabru begrudgingly saying how he won’t punch you in the face again, you didn’t trust him but it’s better than the other threats he gave you if you don’t let go.

Despite that he had bought you an enchanted ice that was supposed to last longer, said the merchant. He did so that he could apply it on your bruise feeling A LITTLE apologetic for what he did. You find his scowl and how he tries to avoid your gaze quiet adorable despite the situation.

You try calm him down dragging his hand to the beach as a last effort ditch to try and lighten the situation. Perhaps a scenic location would cheer him up?

He sat next to you as he silently held the ice to your bruise for you. You still can’t quite piece together why he punched you in the face but you’ve had more violent sexual intercourse with him that makes it seem tame.

“About earlier..” you hesitantly started, finally breaking the silence. “did you… really mean it?”

You asked, he can’t believe how incredibly fragile your tone of voice was. It was as if you could break any second.

Though Kabru would gladly pick up your pieces and put you back together.

“Yes” he coughed, trying to brush his embarrassment off.

You could only laugh seeing his reaction. You didn’t know what else to do but laugh really…

Everything just seems unreal. The sun setting to a beautiful orange hue, the calm waves of the sea, the soft blow of the wind… but mostly.. it was him. everything felt too perfect that you were afraid you might ruin it. But despite that you couldn’t help but want to connect with him than ever. After denying everything for so long.. is it so bad for you to speak your heart?

“It’s funny how out of everyone in my life, i only waited to hear that from you” you confessed.

Is it casual now? Kabru asked to himself. When you only wanted to stay if he asks you to. He doesn’t want to wonder what it means anymore. He’s done playing guessing games, even if it cost him, to spill his guts out.

“Just please tell me what you’re trying to say..” he asked more desperately he ever had before. you could basically see hope all over his face.

You choked feeling the warmth collecting on your cheeks on the possibility of Kabru actually returning your feelings, it baffles you really that someone as breathtaking as him him could ever want you, let alone harbor feelings for you, making you deny any accusations or any of your friends’ remarks. It was never going to happen.. there was just no way.

Yet the way he held your hand now could prove you a thousand times wrong. Maybe you were always wrong..

“I’m saying that i love you, Kabru”

(A/N: maybe it would’ve made more sense if i split this into a two part but like i spent too much time on this already so might as well 😂😂😂 anyways i listened to casual more times than i needed when i wrote this. Love Chappell roan fr)

[macncherries]

ppl who characterize Kabru with 'romantic ignorance' are so interesting 2 me...... im not saying ur mischaracterizing him, necessarily, but i DO, however, RAISE you.....

Kabru who is very VERY aware of romantic gesture and insinuation.

hes very very good at analyzing social behaviors, to finite detail, he followed Laios' party for like. a good chunk of time. if not physically following then keeping up with word of mouth stuff at the very least. alls im saying. is he has the capability, desire, and motive to not only notice romantic behaviour but also take advantage of it.

i find it more likely that he notices it and goes as far as to "mark" that instance within his mind. almost like a 3-strikes-yer-out system. he docks the amount of behavior that could insinuate ulterior motives/social probabilities in other circumstances... why not romance? i think it likely to find him doing things like this:

That was the third instance of this person (Laios) making socially unnecessary physically affectionate contact... their second instance of holding elongated periods of eye contact... and their second instance of making quirky, complimentary dialogue for sake of flattery.... "Youre flirting with me, aren't you?"

rather than this:

That was the third instance of this person (Laios) making socially unnecessary physically affectionate contact... their second instance of holding elongated periods of eye contact... and their second instance of making quirky, complimentary dialogue for sake of flattery.... Ah... nah, theres no way theyre interested in me like that! I've already ruled that out.

is this just me???? idk i feel like hes hyper-aware of social behavior to begin with, and from the way he acts with Rin hes equally aware of romantic behavior. If you ask me, his special interest is social constructs/social behaviors...

[meocities]

Keen

mithrun/reader - 1,561 words, implied/referenced self-harm, hurt/comfort

note: hi anon, i love you, i am so so so sorry for taking four months to get this done. i was going to also do kabru but it was just taking so much time so i . did not write him. i hope this brings you comfort and thank u for requesting :)

It's not that you mean to stare. Your only defense of yourself is that you're not judging him, but even that is flimsy. It feels wrong to even think, as your eyes travel over the scrabbled scars on his forearms, but it almost feels like coming home.

Which is a thought that is definitely out of line — not to mention assumptive — but it doesn't matter how quickly you backtrack, because Mithrun has definitely noticed you looking now. His arm is still outstretched, hand holding the shirt he was wearing, because, right, you were supposed to fold it for him. You're already making a fool of yourself on the first night you see him to bed, the first night you perhaps might even spend in his presence. Mithrun's still largely uncaring, but he's made progress in expressing his preferences lately. Your reaction here, your stare — would this be something that drove him to avoid you in the future?

You’re stuck paralyzed. His expression doesn't change even as you fumble with the shirt and drop it on the bed between you. 

Yet, he's waiting. His eyes are watching your face, expression open in a way it usually isn't. He's making space for your own reaction, you realize, and the nerves bunch up in your stomach.

You broach the topic in the only way you can think of. “How did you… get those?” You ask, and the knowledge that this is too blatant, too personal, makes your heart beat into a frenzy. Your skin feels cold and clammy — he's staring at you with his gray-dark eyes, flitting down only to pick up his shirt. Which, you take and start folding, and ignore how his hand finally drops back to his side. His very exposed side. The skin of his abdomen is where your eyes follow (because of the movement of his hand, because it dropped there, of course) and your breath catches in your throat at just how much there is to see, how his soft waist has scars there too. 

Mithrun stays silent for a moment. His eyes glance at your arms, down your torso to your legs. “How do you think?” He asks, sparing a look at his own forearms and their marks — as if, from the past, he had grabbed on, dug in, and dragged. 

You're quiet. It doesn't feel right to say.

Mithrun knows anyway. “After losing my title of dungeon lord,” he says, and you think, what? The confusion must not show on your face, because he continues. “I didn't want to recover. I didn't want anything. Any reminder of what I was sent me into a frenzy. I'm sure you can understand what I mean.”

Now you understand. You understand better than you want to admit. You weren't a stranger to emotions so big for your body — panic choking through your throat, anger burning a hole in your chest, grief so heavy you couldn't move off the floor. Frenzy or not, you had been there. You, too, had wanted that hurt.

“I'm sorry,” you say, and set his folded shirt on the nightstand. “That must have been hard for you.” You move a hand to his wrist, trailing down his skin until your hands are entwined. It's a gentle gesture, less of a grip and more feeling his flesh against yours. Mithrun doesn't move to grasp your hand more than a brief twitch of his fingers, but even this is more than enough for you. 

It's as if the contact has unlocked his thoughts. “The demon was all I could think about.” Mithrun's face has an uncertain expression etched onto it, and you know he's trying to make sense of his emotions. “Before I wanted to kill it, I couldn't stand the mention of it. I only realized recently that I wanted it to finish the job.” He doesn't react to his words at all, not with his posture nor his hands, but you can tell from the distance in his eye — half-lidded, unfocused — that he's reminiscing. An x-shaped scar on his throat trembles as he speaks, his voice soft and raspy. You wonder how much he had to force those words out into the open.

The scar bobs as Mithrun swallows. You wish you could reach out and soothe the motion.

There's a moment of quiet before Mithrun lets go of your fingers, pulling his hand to rest at his abdomen. Rejection pangs through your chest and you try not to let it show on your face, schooling your expression into careful neutrality. Yet, Mithrun's not done moving, because he shuffles down under the plush gray covers of his bed, turning his head to you. He doesn't say anything nor nod his head in any way, but you can recognize what an invitation looks like from him. 

Your lounge pants are the first thing to go, namely because you can slip them under the covers faster than Mithrun can get a good look at your skin. Next is the shirt, and you turn away from him as soon as it's off. You fold these delicately, then place them on top of Mithrun's clothes on the nightstand. A few seconds after this is all it takes for you to turn the lamp off and shimmy underneath the covers, burying yourself up to your shoulders. Moonlight fills the room in the lamp's absence. Your expression is carefully calm, and your quick breathing can be explained by the way you're both undressed next to each other. Your right shoulder is pressed against his left — Mithrun's warm, so warm, and you want to curl into his body and stay there forever.

Yet you’re still — too still — and Mithrun draws a breath. You were too fast with getting undressed and not letting him see. “You asked because you're the same as me,” he realizes, and you know it's not a question. 

“Yeah,” you say, and you wonder if he can feel how you've tensed where your bodies are touching. “Didn't you know?”

Mithrun looks, looks down — you feel as if you've been drenched in ice. “Wounds are versatile,” he says. “I don't read into others’ bodies.” It's hard to believe him — you know what you look like, after all, but you suppose that many others wouldn't take Mithrun's scars as self-inflicted if all they knew was that he was often in combat. Maybe you had been primed to recognize what these wounds had looked like. Maybe your eye for hurt was more keen than most.

“You're not like most people, then,” is what you come up with. Something deep inside your chest is throbbing, some ache that formed when the scars did and never quite went away. “They usually know just by looking at me.”

Mithrun’s silent. He's silent often, like when he's cooking noodles in preparation for opening his shop. But he's never silent while staring at your arms as if he's had a revelation, and this new quiet makes your abdomen flip with a decided nervousness. 

“I suppose you understood more than I realized,” Mithrun says, and you nod your head.

“I think so.” 

It's still horrifically still. There's too much tension in your throat to swallow down, and each breath aggravates that hurt in the chest even more. You move your left arm — the one not pressed to Mithrun's side — to press over your wild heart.

Mithrun must sense your restlessness. “Relax. It doesn't change anything.”

Right. It made no sense for it to change anything, not with Mithrun's own scars. You nod. You still can't look at him.

“Yeah,” you say. “There’s no reason for me to be nervous.”

You hear Mithrun’s head shift towards you again, skin brushing against the pillowcase. Out of the corner of your eye, you see his expression turn contemplative. He's silent for another moment before he speaks, voice soft in a way you've never heard before.

“You're still attractive to me,” you hear him say, and this is what gets you to finally look up at him. His eye is focused on you, moonlight hitting his face through the window, and there's something so picturesque about how his wavy hair spills over the pillow, how his eye is twinged just slightly silver. Breath catches in your throat as you're entranced by his visage, and Mithrun turns closer, pressing his chest to your shoulder. His fingers come up to hold the side of your face, the curve of your jaw, and his voice is reverant when he confesses, “still beautiful.”

The ache beats once more in your chest, then falls away, dislodged. For now, it's been calmed, and goosebumps rise up on your skin. “Thank you,” you whisper, and even that tiny breath is shaky. “I think you're beautiful too.”

Mithrun hums some vague sound and you see the hint of a smile rise on his lips.

He still can't fall asleep without being coaxed, and your heart's beating far too quickly to rest. But for now, it seems that you're both content to lay next to each other, trading kisses, skin to scarred skin. He's gentle, sweet when he wants to be. You can't help but delight in how lucky you've been to keep him.

Mithrun is soft against you — so delightfully warm — and you discover that feeling his body against yours is more comforting than you ever believed it would be.

[pennie-umbra]

*Comes into the room covered in blood*I have thoughts about autistic Kabru

- His special interest is either psychology, sociology or anthropology

- He's high masking ofc

-He barely feels hunger or tiredness or the need to go to the bathroom until its almost too late. He constantly feels what he can only describe as "bad vibes" just to realize he hasn't eaten/slept in days. If you see him suddenly get up with panic in his eyes and run away that's because he just realized he has to go to the bathroom NOW

- He either only sleeps for like two hours per night or ten straight hours no in between

- When unmasked he's a non stop intense eye contact girlie.

- I think most of his stims are vocal and I'm convinced that he has so much echolalia

- He loves gossip simply because he's always happy to learn things about people. Even people he has never met and will never meet

- He cleans his room like once a month and it stays clean for a day at best.

- He cannot stand bland food. For example, hard boiled eggs. Just no. This is projection.

- He doesn't hate physical contact, but he always prefers to be the one initiating it.

- I feel like he sleeps in a very specific position.

- I think he same foods without even realizing and only notices it when someone points out he has been eating the same thing for month now.

- Another stim he has is twirling his hair it just makes sense to me. I can see him doing it when he's trying to think

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

Random dialogue scene that popped in my head.

"We really shouldn't do this."

"Perhaps."

"No really. Last time didn't work out so well for me."

Brain keeps flipping from it being flirty to being funny like two people are lactose intolerant but sharing a milkshake or competing to see who can eat the most ice cream.

How does your brain read it? Do you have any ships you think it would work for?

*Asks are sent for fun, no pressure to answer.

Okay, so I went an entirely different direction with this. 🤣 And thought maybe some semi-angsty Chilshi with a happy ending?

Senshi paused as he looked over at his smaller companion. Chilchuck was shifting on his feet, refusing to make eye contact. Senshi huffed pulling Chilchuck closer so he could plant a kiss on the half-foot's forehead.

"You were the one who asked. I would never push you to do something you didn't want to do."

It did little to appease the other man as he pushed himself away.

"I know I did! Fine! Alright, we'll get married."

Senshi watched Chilchuck stomp off to the castle, shaking his head. He didn't quite know what Chilchuck was trying to prove here, but he would go along with him if it was what he wanted.

They were immediately shown to the throne room where Laios sat, looking quite regal, if it weren't for the way he hung his head as Kabru and Marcille stood nearby, stacks of papers in their hands. However, upon seeing his friends, Laios jumped out of his seat racing towards them.

"Chilchuck! Senshi! I'm so glad to see you."

"We want to get married, and you need to officiate it!" Chilchuck demanded.

Laios blinked in surprise as Marcille's mouth dropped.

"I can do that?" He asked.

"What? Really?" Marcille gasped at the same time.

Chilchuck seemed even more aggravated by their questions as he formed fists at his side.

"You're the king!" Chilchuck accused. "Of course, you can officiate a marriage. So go on! Do it!"

"You guys are wanting to get married right now?" Marcille squealed.

"Possibly." Senshi answered softly.

Chilchuck spun around on him. "I said I would, didn't I?"

"But do you want to?" Senshi asked him.

Chilchuck stood there trembling before spinning around to Laios again.

"Are you going to marry us or not?"

Kabru decided to step in at this point, an apologetic smile on his face.

"Guys, King Laios is very busy at the moment. Maybe we can set a time that might work better for all of us..."

"I'll do it." Laios declared interrupting Kabru.

Everyone turned to the king, but he merely repeated himself. His face set with determination. Senshi couldn't help but sigh. He guessed they were doing this. Laios stood before his throne, Senshi and Chilchuck before him, facing each other, while Marcille and Kabru hovered uncertainly in the background. Laios began, repeating the words Kabru fed him. Something about being in the presence of true love before asking Chilchuck and Senshi to make their vows to each other.

Chilchuck went first, shifting from foot to foot, before delivering his lines in a monotone voice.

"Senshi, I vow to love you to the end of my days. I vow to be a good husband, in sickness and in health. I vow to always put your needs before my ambitions."

Senshi felt himself wilt, hearing the one he loved in such pain.

"Chilchuck..." He started before taking his hand with a gentle smile. "I don't need to marry you for you to be mine."

Chilchuck suddenly looked up, a sharp look in his eyes.

"I know you worry about what you can offer me. How short our time together will be, but whether we're married or not, physically together or not, everyone will know how much I loved you. I will never take another after you, and I will make the years we are together the happiest you have ever known. With plenty of good food and a warm home for you to come back to every night. But above all, I will remind you every minute of our lives that yours is a worthy one."

Senshi heard a sniff behind him from Marcille, and Kabru urging Laios into the next part.

"By the power invested in me as King of..."

"Wait!" Chilchuck interrupted. "I would like to go again. Please."

Laios looked over at Kabru who merely shrugged.

"Yeah, okay, go ahead Chilchuck."

"I am happy with you." Chilchuck admitted. "So happy it scares me. I know I come with a lot of baggage, but you've never made me feel lesser for it. I may not be the best at showing it, I'll try to do better, but I really do want to marry you. I want to be able to look back on a life with no regrets, and I think I would regret not taking this chance more than anything. I want to be able to look back on the memories of my life fondly, but mostly with you. And when such a time comes that I have to leave this world, I want to leave you with enough memories to comfort you on the loneliest of nights."

Marcille was full on sobbing at this point, but Senshi hardly paid her any mind. There was the man who asked him, cuddled in his arms before the fire, to marry him. There was the man Senshi wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Senshi gave Chilchuck's hand a squeezed which made him give him a shy little grin. His eyes shining in his sincerity.

"I pronounce you married. You may now kiss to seal the vows of your love."

Senshi began to lean in only to laugh when he found himself with an armful of Chilchuck. Chilchuck grabbed his cheeks between his hands and proceeded to kiss the life out of him. Regardless of the journey it took to get here, Senshi felt he could look back at it with no regrets as well.

[rabbitindisguise]

I kinda read Chilchuck, Toshiro, and Kabru differently (though I liked the Toshiro reading also so I'm not going to say a lot on it)

I think the interesting thing about Chilchuck is that as a character he has a lot of distance between him and other characters physically. Which makes a lot of sense because he's small and a little less sturdy. He's also fully at crotch height so he could easily headbutt Laios in the junk if he's not careful, and I think he's probably aware of that kgjfhg so I think the awkwardness of the hug is surprise on Laios' part because he didn't expect to get touched at all. The rest of the awkwardness is probably from Chilchuck not wanting to actually injure Laios this time (or experience awkwardness himself!) which is kind of sweet. If you look at Laios' expression as well, the way his eyes are drawn are similar to when he was getting punched in the first comic. (Which: oof, gives me some feelings, that affection would be just as surprising.)

Kabru has a very interesting hug because it's an unusual style of hug. It's a neutral position that allows for a non-conforntational type of contact, with both intimacy from proximity and eye contact. In the first image the only one he's making eye contact with is Marcille and it symbolizes his kind of, professional? transactional? relationship? where they are communicating and that's most of the intimacy of their relationship- she does seem to see him as an equal in many ways so I'm guessing this has a similar meaning here. (We also don't see Kabru's other arm, which could be wrapped around Laios' lower back or loosely at his side- not that it matters much either way.) Combining both shows both an intellectual and emotional connection. Since Kabru (like Chilchuck) isn't overly touchy-feely in nature, it's pretty surprisingly intimate to me that he's that close without freaking out or making polite excuses to keep a bigger distance. Laios' eyes also get drawn as surprised here- like he wasn't really expecting a hug at all, much less a half hug- matching the expression of shock in the other panel. That along with the angle they're both at (and how Laios' center of gravity is slightly off-center) says to me that Kabru initiated it, or at least moved closer than Laios anticipated. Very cute <3

(I initially read Toshiro as imagining how awkward it would have been to allow the hug, and deciding to voice his preference more, if non-verbally. But I also don't know very much about manga visual syntax, so ???)

in conclusion: *starts sobbing into a pillow*

Analysis of Laios and how he hugs/interacts with people, pre and post-manga.

Reading body language in real life is basically pseudo-science most of the time, however, these aren't candid photographs of real people I'm analyzing, they are drawings purposefully made by Ryoko Kui to tell us something about Laios and his relationships with other characters.

These illustrations are designed on purpose to communicate information. So what do I think they say?

Here's the illustration of how things are at the start of the manga:

NAMARI AND CHILCHUCK

They're both rough towards Laios, expressing displeasure with him, using violent physical touch to get his attention or punish him for something.

TOSHIRO

His reaction to Laios is totally passive. He isn't turned towards Laios, but he isn't turning away either. He's staring up into space with a look of discomfort, suggesting he wishes Laios would leave him alone... But that he is too polite to openly reject him.

We know this is partially a cultural issue: because Toshiro is Japanese, he considers it catastrophically rude to tell someone "no" in a blunt way. He is trying to communicate his discomfort and disinterest to Laios, but Laios isn't understanding Toshiro's signals.

Meanwhile, Laios is turning his whole body towards Toshiro, his eyes are wide open, he's smiling. He's very eager to interact, in a way that he isn't with any other character on this page except Falin.

MARCILLE

They are having a neutral interaction. Neither of them seems excited or interested in each other, but they are talking seriously. Marcille is gesturing at Laios in a way that seems scolding, they are standing at a polite distance, and Laios is standing at his full height, perhaps even leaning/straining away from Marcille slightly. There is a physical object (Marcille's staff) acting as a barrier, and it's physically pushing Laios away from her.

But it is worth noting that he has his hand on the staff, suggesting that he's not letting himself be pushed away any further, that he's having a reciprocal interaction with Marcille, not a passive one where he just stands there and gets lectured. Laios is participating and engaged.

FALIN AND SENSHI

The only people having unambiguously positive interactions with Laios on this page, which makes sense since they are the two people who are the most friendly towards him at the start of the manga.

Laios and Falin are touching hands, smiling and their bodies are turned towards each other, showing enthusiasm and a mutual interest. This is less intense than the hug in the post-manga illustrations, which maybe suggests that there's something distant and unresolved between them here, like resentment and guilt.

Laios and Senshi are closer to each other than Laios and Marcille. Laios is sitting or crouched down to get closer to Senshi's height, and they are both smiling and turned towards each other. Senshi may even be laughing!

Here's the "post-manga" image...

What a huge difference!

All of these interactions are basically positive, so I'll just go left to right, top to bottom. Also for some of these, we can't see Laios' friends full reactions, so I'll focus on what we can see, and how Laios is behaving.

SENSHI

They share a gentle hug. They both have their arms wrapped around each other, so the desire to touch is mutual. Laios bends to reach Senshi, and has a calm, content smile on his face while they hug. Laios rests his head on top of Senshi's head, showing trust and intimacy and a desire to be physically even closer to Senshi than just hugging. Senshi isn't pulling away, so I think that's a good indicator that he doesn't mind it, and possibly even likes it!

Which is a big change from how he felt violated by Laios touching his chest earlier in the manga, even though Laios was trying to heal him... I think Senshi isn't someone that easily lets others touch him, so this is a big improvement.

CHILCHUCK

The size difference makes this hug awkward, but that's not the only reason! Laios has both hands on Chilchuck and he is bending down in order to reach him, suggesting that he wants to embrace his friend, however Chilchuck is not straining to reach Laios, and he is only using one hand to touch him, suggesting that Chilchuck doesn't want to embrace too closely. Chilchuck is willing to allow a hug, and he is willing to touch Laios back, but he doesn't want it as much as Laios does.

I think Laios is aware of this, because he isn't trying to push the hug to a higher level of intensity. He's holding back to the level he thinks Chilchuck is comfortable with.

MARCILLE

They share a happy, but not overly intimate hug. Their chests and bodies are pressed together, but they are turning their heads away from each other.

Laios' hands are resting side by side on Marcille's back, and it seems like she is hugging him back in a similarly loose way. His arms are not overlapping, and they aren't squeezing or grabbing each other, just holding on lightly while pressing their chests together.

TOSHIRO

What a fascinating set of drawings!

I'm going to assume that the color drawing is what happens first, and the black and white line drawing is what happens afterwards, solely because if the black and white drawing is meant to just be Laios' fantasy of hugging Toshiro, then surely he would imagine Toshiro hugging him back enthusiastically, and not a more passive reaction like Kui drew.

Kui wrote a note here to remind readers that hugging is not considered normal in "the East", where Toshiro is from, to give context to why the character seems so uncomfortable.

Laios is approaching Toshiro at high speed, arms open and reaching for Toshiro, eyes wide, with a happy expression. He clearly wants to wrap Toshiro up in a big, enthusiastic hug.

Toshiro is sweating with discomfort, and he has a hand pressed against Laios' chest, attempting to stop him… However, the arm is not extended and his elbow is bent at an acute angle, and it looks as if no force is being applied. Toshiro perhaps feels a need to offer a token protest, but he isn't really trying to stop Laios.

In the black and white hug drawing, Laios has both arms wrapped tight around Toshiro, much tighter than Senshi, Chilchuck or Marcille, and he's pressing their bodies together and resting his head on Toshiro's shoulder. He's turning his face towards Toshiro's neck, and smiling serenely.

Toshiro's body is stiff, he's sweating, and his arm is held at a rigid 90 degree angle… But he isn't using it to push Laios away, just holding it uselessly at his side. Perhaps he is half-way towards returning the hug, thinking about lifting his arm a little higher and resting his hand on Laios' back, but he isn't sure if he wants to do that yet.

Toshiro is bending his body towards Laios, and allowing himself to be pressed against the other man. He's staring out into space with a neutral expression that suggests either discomfort or surprise. I think we're meant to understand that he has given up fighting against the foreign, offensive hug, realizing that it isn't offensive for Laios, and therefore it might be okay to allow it...and it might actually be more offensive if he rejected the hug.

FALIN

Falin has thrown herself at Laios with considerable force, and Laios has his arms overlapping across Falin's back. They are both squeezing each other tightly with their arms, and even Laios' hands are gripping Falin tightly. There is an overjoyed look on Laios' face, and I think this embrace shows how Laios has healed through the course of the story.

KABRU

Since Kabru is one of Laios' newest friends, it makes sense that the hug would be the least intimate.

The two of them have a complicated relationship in the manga, but the complete world bible shows that Laios has finally accepted that Kabru is genuinely his friend and not just trying to use or manipulate him. He's made an effort in the post-canon to reach out and try to be Kabru's friend in return, and Kabru has forgiven Laios for not listening to him in the past.

Kabru is turning his body away from Laios, which puts his shoulder towards Laios' shoulder at a perpendicular angle, forcing distance between them. Laios is fully facing Kabru, and has one arm behind his back, a hand resting on Kabru's shoulder, and another hand resting on his chest. The hand on the chest is attached to an arm that is bent at an obtuse angle, holding Kabru at a distance, with no indication that he is trying to pull Kabru in. Both hands are relaxed, like in the Marcille hug, indicating that Laios' grasp is loose.

This arm position is pretty unusual for an embrace. It allows Laios to keep Kabru at a distance where he can see him, and control where he moves, and how close he's able to get to Laios… and Kabru isn't returning the hug in any way, instead allowing himself to be touched and held in place.

Their bodies aren't pressed together, and Kabru's arm is down at his side, neither encouraging Laios nor pushing him away.

Laios has a big smile on his face, and he looks enthusiastic. Kabru on the other hand has a calm smile. In my opinion his expression is less enthusiastic than Marcille's.

I think Laios can't tell how Kabru feels about the hug, and so he's holding himself back. He's not blinded by emotion like he is with Toshiro, so he's not flinging himself at Kabru… And because Kabru is such a new friend, Laios is also probably hesitant to get too close to him.

There may also be some lingering trust issues, if Laios still isn't completely certain if Kabru genuinely likes him or not. Laios has often had trouble telling if people really like him, or if they are just being polite (Toshiro), or using him (former party members), so it makes sense that it would take awhile for him and Kabru to become truly comfortable with each other..

[kabrumithrun]

Fic: what a way to wake me

https://ift.tt/zAHXmYF by only_one_bread_roll Well, too late to back out now. Kabru stands in the long winding line outside Afterglow and tries not to feel the chill. His fake ID is in his pocket, all of his money crammed beside it, and he’s trying not to make eye contact with the pretty elves right beside him in line. He’s failing. - Or, Kabru sneaks into a BDSM club, and Mithrun is in Gothic Lolita. Words: 10595, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: ダンジョン飯 | Dungeon Meshi | Delicious in Dungeon Rating: Explicit Warnings: Underage Sex Categories: M/M Characters: Kabru (Dungeon Meshi), Mithrun (Dungeon Meshi) Relationships: Kabru/Mithrun (Dungeon Meshi) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Top Kabru (Dungeon Meshi), Bottom Mithrun (Dungeon Meshi), Dom Mithrun (Dungeon Meshi), Sub Kabru (Dungeon Meshi), Virgin Kabru (Dungeon Meshi), Dom/sub, BDSM, Impact Play, Riding, Riding Crops, First Time, Alternate Universe - No STIs, Multiple Orgasms, Overstimulation, Gothic Lolita, Age Difference https://ift.tt/zAHXmYF

[kathuman-reblogs]

Ngl seeing people make jokes about Kabru's eyes being creepy or how someone needs to give him brown contacts makes me feel real weird given his history (and the real life concept she was drawing on for said history)

Like I get that it's a common joke 'blue eyes are scary' or whatever but it's still just weird to me as a choice 🤷🏼‍♀️

(Obviously anime only folks don't know anything about him beyond that he keeps dying right now lmao. But I saw this stuff way before the anime came out. Though maybe I'm just misremembering and that info is in the Dungeon Guide and not the core manga itself? Regardless I think it's sad in a way)

[wasabi-gumdrop]

//edit//

manga spoilers!

giving in to my delusions and drawing parallels between this interaction and the party’s first encounter with succubi.

we know a few things about succubus from chapter 59-60. the first and most obvious is that they can take on a form that is the most sexually appealing to a person (as we see with Marcille and Chilchuck’s succubi).

but sometimes, it reflects something deeper in the subconscious.

the text in this description says that a succubus “mimics an idealized subject imagined by their victim.” so it’s not always a subject of sexual desire. we see that in the case of izutsumi when the succubus takes on the form of her mother (sick and twisted btw!!)

so in chp 60, when we see the Marcille succubus, we might be able to infer two things:

one, it’s possible that Laios, on an observational level, sees that Marcille is an attractive young woman (enough that the succubus can draw on that information for the mimicry). but he’s clearly startled by the monster’s intimate approach and more importantly the thought of his party misunderstanding the situation is a pretty big concern to him.

so i think what’s more likely is that the succubus has drawn on Laios’s idealized image of Marcille. which we’ve already seen! in the shapeshifter chapter:

his memory of her resurrecting Falin is what persists most strongly in his memory and subconscious. Marcille shapeshifter’s eyes and hair are the same as Marcille succubus. and you could say that Laios doesn’t really remember her hair very well — but he does remember it better at this point. in the panel where he’s worried about his party misunderstanding, the Marcille in his mind’s eye has the specific braided half up style that the real one is currently wearing. so the similarities of the succubus and shapeshifter seem to be an intentional choice for visual storytelling.

so yeah we could say there’s some recognition of Marcille’s attractiveness in Laios’s mind. but since it’s Laios, i would favour the reasoning going much deeper. to him, she has strong ideal qualities, tied to who she is as a talented spell caster, a loyal friend, someone that he and his family can count on.

and how could this parallel to his reunion with Kabru in the dungeon? well from our point of view, we know that this is the real Kabru. but Laios has every reason to have his guard up. to him, anything is possible at this point, but this being a real person seems the least likely.

Kabru shows up alone in one of the deepest dungeon levels — not a feat you can accomplish by yourself. so Laois is suspicious.

but. if there was even a slight risk of this Kabru being a monster, why does Laios immediately reach out for a handshake? his first reaction is to welcome the physical contact — and then assess the threat level?? this strikes me as more than a little bit careless. Laios loves monsters but he also deeply respects them and is always aware of their potential to be dangerous.

so then … what is actually happening here lol.

Kabru grasps his hand in both of his. he notices this is odd. perhaps too familiar? too forward or affectionate? doesn’t seem like monster mimicry but he’s still not entirely sure at that point. and his first guess is: could be a succubus. his very first guess. BUT he doesn’t react the way he does with the Marcille succubus.

now this interaction is taking place in the span of seconds — so i’ll be the first to admit there’s not a lot to go off here. especially when Laios makes some very quick deductions right after: not a succubus, not a slime, not a shapeshifter — ah so you’re real. therefore you got here with the help of other people, even if I can’t see them right now. and he ends up being right.

but those very few seconds of hesitation can mean the difference between life and death in the dungeon, especially at their current level.

so why would Laios take that risk?

we know his instincts are very good, so perhaps deep down he’s aware that this is the real Kabru. but anything short of absolute certainty means unnecessary risk taking.

based on Laios’s previous experience with the succubus, we can observe two crucial things. 1) he doesn’t react with embarrassment the way he did with the Marcille succubus, so to him it doesn’t seem far fetched or unreasonable for a succubus to take Kabru’s form. 2) and this is probably the strongest evidence of something deeper here: he has his suspicions when meeting Kabru but he drops his guard anyway, during a moment of very high stakes. his party is counting on him to assess the danger and had Kabru been an actual monster, this could have led to a very troublesome error.

so, real or not, Laios foregoes self preservation and takes Kabru’s hand.

now i don’t really know what that could truly mean. but it’s too big of a tactical misstep for Laios especially. your guess is as good as mine, but it could be several things stirring in his subconscious because that’s the only way he’d go against his own instincts.

the first and safest guess is that Kabru has some ideal qualities that Laios admires and is very drawn to. it’s definitely not his skills in monster combat (lol sorry Kabru). it could be his people skills but Laios hasn’t really seen much of that (at least in terms of Kabru’s wider influence on the narrative). his core experience with Kabru so far has been very personal: Kabru’s willingness to connect to him based on his passion for monsters. so for Laios to even think that a succubus could take his form, well, Kabru’s show of enthusiasm must have left a pretty strong impression. but is that enough for Laios to drop his guard?

the other possibility is that Kabru’s charm actually does work on Laios. real or not, it’s enough to disarm him even for a few seconds.

with someone like Laios, charm registers very differently. it’s not a conscious thought. he’s probably not thinking ‘oh handsome guy i need to make a good impression and not be rude, i should greet him like a normal person.’ nope. Laios fully drops his guard, no thoughts, just takes his hand. you fool, what if he had actually been a monster??

Laios just wouldn’t prioritize the need for polite appearances over his own safety. so reaching for Kabru’s hand definitely wasn’t out of politeness or obligation.

anyway this response has clearly run away from me atp. so we’ll conclude with this:

Shipping Goggles Off - Reason Succubus Might Look Like Kabru: Laios admires some ideal quality of his, probably related to the personable impression he left during their first meeting

Shipping Goggles Fully On, Resident of Delulu Nation - Reason Succubus Might Look Like Kabru: Kabru Hot. worth risking it all. sure i’ll take the sexy guy’s hand, if i die then i guess i die

Aw what a sweet reunion! Both are so happy to see each other and--wait. Hold on a second lemme just look a little closer...

Does that say...

LAIOS WHY DID SUCCUBUS COME TO MIND AT ALL WHATSOEVER???? Like yeah, you were crossing off monsters on a list that might be him, but succubus was on that list? Even if it was very fleeting, you considered it???

Laios.

I know what you are.

[holmsister]

I looove writing stupid shit but this only makes sense in my head in this pain in the ass format that's interspersed description of what's going on screen + the chat sorta like this and it would be incomprehensible on top of being stupid:

[Kabru wanders into the frame again, this time stopping behind Laios and leaning over his shoulder - not touching him].

K: "I heard my name - have I been spotted?"

L: "Yes but it's not - guys stop for real!"

Hello sir 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵

Daddy? I mean daddy? I mean-

GET HIM BROWN CONTACTS IM SHAKING

Laios can you describe what he smells like

That's no daddy... that's a twink...

his eyes kinda give me the creeps

Hey he didn't pick those eyes for himself

L: [Suddenly angry] "OK new rule, one day ban for anybody who makes jokes about Kabru's eyes!"

K: [lightly chuckling] "It's fine, they cannot possibly know..."

L: "Well, now they do. No jokes on that."

fallin4falin [MOD]: YOU HEARD THE KING! NEW RULE: NO JOKES ON KABRU'S EYES!

Laios please just a quick sniff

But why??? Is there a story there or..

Making fun of people's physical appearance is sh*tty. no need for a reason

K: [looking at Laios tenderly] "You really do look out for me, don't you?"

AURGH AUGH WHAT IS THAT GROSS

BOOO GET A ROOM

Kinda ffffruity...

L: [blushing but otherwise not registering the look] "I just... don't think it's fair..."

LAIOS YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY BE THIS DENSE

Sorry Kabru but Laios is a furry maybe try cat ears????

Who else thinks Laios should tell us how what Kabru smells like

I also think so. That Kabru should wear cat ears I mean not the smell

Well I mean the smell wanna know the smell

L: [red to his ears] "STOP ASKING ME TO SNIFF KABRU!"

No need to say anything wink left for woody undertones right for fruity

Oh there are fruity undertones alright

K: [leaning into the mike from over Laios' shoulder with a broad grin, clearly enjoying this, pitting his voice a little lower]: "Coconut, probably. I use lots of coconut oil." [Wink].

L: [about to pass out]: "K-kk..."

FATALITY

HOOOOLY F*CK

SL*T ALERT

LAIOS IF YOU DONT GRAB THAT TWINK I SWEAR TO THE GODS OF THIS LAND

Can cat ears be next...

Laios works part-time at a grocery store and is a mildly successful twitch streamer and one time this really fucking hot shirtless dude wanders into frame and everyone on Laios' chat starts freaking out like WHO THE FUCK IS THAT- HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A MAN SO BEAUTIFUL YOU STARTED CRYING- LAIOS THERES A HOT DUDE THERE- and Laios is like ahahah that's my friend Kabru! He sometimes comes over after the gym to take a shower while I make him dinner! He loves my food! And everyone in chat is like LAIOS ARE YOU STUPID- LAIOS FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK- LAIOS HES AFTER ANOTHER KIND OF MEAT- and Laios is a little bit offended like. No! He's just nice! Don't be mean you'll make him uncomfortable!

And then someone recognizes Kabru like "OH SHIT I SAW HIS FOUR PARTER ON ART AND MENTAL ILLNESS IT MADE ME CRY" and they dig up his SMs and he's like. A political commentator and activist/youtuber who speaks like 9 languages and has an history degree despite being like 22 and is working towards an anthropology degree now and pays the bills by being a fucking. Fashion model and there's INSANE photoshoots of him in all sort of artsy high fashion pictures in b&w like covered in bloodied bandages in BDSM gear dressed like a priest etc etc interspersed with like very good thinkpieces on consumerism and art and politics and the very rare YouTube 4-parters on random subjects with INCREDIBLE visuals and everyone is like what the fuck. What the FUCK Laios how do you even KNOW this dude and Laios is like he kept showing up at the grocery store during my turn and asking for ideas on what to make for dinner and one guy in chat asks but aren't you usual on at nighttime and he's like yeah it was like 3am for the most part and everyone is like LAIOS PLEASE