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#you will never know how much i agonized over this chapter nonny
Note
Can you please write more of your mountain lion AU? Thank you
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The Road Less Traveled Masterlist
~ ~ ~
He doesn’t remember his dreams.
Only the sensation of them. Thepounding of blood and the clatter of teeth, the wrench of muscle and the acheof bone. He remembers the way his hands are slick then sticky so the skinbetween his fingers tack together even after he wakes; how his lungs fill withliquid, leaving him stuttering, clawing for breath; the one, two, three snap ofhis brain as his body pulls long; the restlessness; the sweat pooling in thehollow of his throat; the sting of broken flesh mingling with salt.
He hates them.
His eyes snap open, darkness bleedinginto sight and breath filling his lungs with a horrible sucking sound that isthe opposite of a scream. It pours into his chest, into his stomach, until itcan no more, bound in by the pull of fabric across his everything.
It’s impossible to know if he’s stilldreaming or if he’s awake. If he should stop inhaling before his lungs explode.If this is the last chance he’ll get before being submerged once again.
“Easy, son.”
Vision flicking through the dark, atiny flare of light becoming brighter, blinding him and he pinches his faceshut against the strike.
“I hope you didn’t pull any stitches,” thevoice continues, slow and conversational. Soothing, the way he has seen traders speak to half broken livestock. It’s a strangely idle thought, but Obi wondershow often he works with wild dogs. “Shirayuki is the one who swaddled a grownboy like an infant, but it’ll be me that she’s sour with for letting you getworked up.”
Peeling his eyelids back, Obi squintsagainst the low light of the lantern. Watches as first a table, then a plant, then a human come slowly into resolve. The light glows across a face, familiar but muchdrier than that the man he met in his memories, the groves of age and strain starkunder the glow of the fire. A stubble-covered jaw stretches wide in a yawn and,with the flick of a wrist, his matchstick goes out.
“Mukaze,” Obi mutters out loud,unintentionally, his brain and his mouth working in tandem. Eyes widening, hesnaps his mouth shut, and only then feels the sting of his lips, the sleep thatcakes his mouth.
“That’s right,” Mukaze grins. The skinby his eyes crinkle. “And you’re Obi, right? My daughtersaid that was your name.”
Maybe he nods in confirmation. Maybe hedoesn’t. But regardless, Mukaze clambers stiffly to his feet, and Obi’s breathgoes shallow at the sheer size of him. For a moment, he is no longer dry andwarm, but wet and impossibly cold, staring down a swordsman in the dim of astorm that wants his life. It was one thing to face him in the wild, where atleast Obi had adrenaline and knives and his feet under him. But here, under theselayers of sheets and quilts, he has never felt so small.
“I’m just getting you a glass ofwater,” Mukaze soothes, palms extended up and out. “No need to go for thewindow or introduce your face to the ground again.”
Obi blinks. Registers the words. Then the pain in his knuckles where he clutches the sheets beneath him. And lets go.“She told you about that?”
His lips twitch tellingly. “Nah. I justfigured after our introduction that you would be the type that needed proof.”
~ ~ ~
The next time he wakes up, it is silent.And he is alone.
His vision swims, then clears. Sweat beads against an earthen cup at his bedside, condenses, and slides slowly down to stain the wood beneath it.
His mouth is still dry, but-
The cup is so far away. And he can’t move his arms.
Beyond it, a burner glows steadily in the cornerof the room, filling the room with a pleasant heat. Smoke curls a fine coil froma censer resting over the coals and his eyelashes flutter. It smells pretty. Likeflowers. Like a store of drying spring green lining the walls of a home in hismemories that he’s not sure ever really existed.
It’s- nice. Maybe as nice as the wrapof clean linen. Or the sweet straw mattress beneath his back.
No, he takes a deep breath in. Nicer.
~ ~ ~
When next he’s pulled free of hisdreamless sleep, there are more pressing matters to attend to than the whisper of smokeand memory. Teeth baring in a grimace, he shifts and, ye gods-
Bedding pulls tight across his body, pressing his belly into his bladder, andah, he was going to have words withthe Miss about what she found best for his sleep.
He could, of course, use the bucket athis bedside. Just the presence of it makes his cheeks heat. Makes him wonder how long he’s been here. If he- hassuffered more indignities than he remembers. Yanking one shoulder free of theirtightly woven prison, he has immediate regrets.
Pain radiates through his whole body,vibrates through his teeth. Gods, gods, how could he forget about being cleaved into two? Staring at the ceiling, he pants, tries to count the seconds but cannot recall the numbers past two, a cold sweat prickling his brow. So he just. Breathes. Untilthe worst of it has passed.
And when it does, he eyes the bucket.The door on the other side of the room. And the bucket again.
Delicately this time, he untangles therest of him. Places his feet on bare wood. And forgets the bucket.
From there, it’s… simply a matter offinding a proper handhold. Grasp a table here, a coat hanger there, a shelf, andfinally a doorknob.
Now,he pants when the door opens before him, cataloging the shelves with theirglass jars glinting in moonlight, the shape of counters and a smattering of shadowsshaped like chairs. Just where is thechamberpot?
~ ~ ~
“What a pain…”
That voice, he’s heard it somewhere.Somewhere beneath the heat pouring on his skin and the bright light bleedingthrough his closed eyelids, there are more people. More voices. And they- don’tsound happy.
“Who was supposed to be sitting bedsidelast night?”
“He hasn’t hurt himself since westarted burning the valerian and poppy. It’s not like he’s dying anymore! I didn’tthink he would need it!”
Obi swallows. Allows himself only abrief flutter of nerves. And keeps his eyes shut.
“Everyone has their rotation for a reason, Mihaya”
Ah, the Miss. And she sounds no more pleasedthan anyone else in the room.
“I don’t see what the big deal is. It’sjust a few broken jars.”
Oops.
“You can clean this mess up, then!” Thefirst voice. Obi can’t tell if it is a man or a woman. Only that they’re gettinglouder with every word. “And find us some replacements!”
“Oh dear, I think I hear the kitchenscalling. But I’m sure you can handle it, pretty boy…”
“Mihaya!” The voice cracks. So a boy, then. “Mihaya!”
Wood thuds against wood, and a chorusof sighs fills the silence left behind.
“What a mess. Maybe we could call Itoya toget that guy back to bed-”
“He got himself out,” the boy snaps. “He can get himselfback in.”
“Kazuki,” Miss’s voice is sharp. Awarning.
“I’m just saying-“
“Don’t.”
Her footsteps are light, but theystrike the floorboards definitively. With each one, he comes up with anotherexcuse. It wasn’t me. Must’ve been an earthquake. A cat. The cabinet shelveswere too weighted down.
He doesn’t even remember how he knocked them down. Last heremembers is stepping away from the chamberpot, looking at the distance hecrossed. The distance that he would have to cross again, and- and-
A window seat. There was a nice windowseat on the way…
Miss sighs, soft and exasperated, herhand gently touching his shoulder, and-
Perhaps he could feign dead.
“Obi,” she says, her voice gentle. “Obi,wake up.”
Or at least deaf. That way she couldyell all she wanted-
“Obi this isn’t your bed. Let’s get yousomeplace more comfortable.”
His eyelashes flutter, sight stinging at the light filtering in through the windows, thosetoo green eyes staring down at him-
“Miss,” he purrs, drawing out his bestsmile. “Checking in on me already?”
“It’s mid-morning,” she smiles,squeezing his shoulder. “And you’re not where I left you last night.”
“Hmm.” He tilts his head towards thesun, eyes closing once again. “I didn’t notice.”
She huffs. “Why are you out here?”
He peers at her underneath his lashes.Manages to lift one hand into the shape of a claw. “Meow.”
Her lips twitch, but that kind bedsidemanner does not fade. “Do you need help?”
“I would be fine here.”
“We’re going to be noisy.”
“Noisy’s fine.”
Her lips spread wide in a smile. “Everyone in the village is very curious about you. They might start asking you questions.”
“If he’s good enough to be out here.”Obi’s eyes flash to a blonde half way across the room, arms crossed and facetwisted in displeasure. “He’s good enough to clean up the mess he made.”
Grimacing, Obi finally opens his mouth to take theblame, but Miss glances over her shoulder. Says nothing. And Obi finds himselfimmensely grateful he cannot see the expression on her face for how Kazuki shrivels.
“I mean, he seems okay!” he squawks.
“I’m sorry.” His voice surpriseshimself. “I just- I went for a walk. I don’t remember the rest. I don’t haveany money to pay you for it right now-”
“Obi.” Miss stares at him, face gentled again. “It’s fine. My father breaks more than you ever could.”
Guilt is not a foreign feeling to him.He’s learned to live with it. But he doesn’t know how to live with this. Thisforgiveness. “Oh.”
“Fine,” their vocal audience memberhuffs. “But he doesn’t stay out here. If he doesn’t take himself back to his bed,I’ll force him to go.”
“Kazuki-“
“Scoundrel,” Obi purrs, batting hiseyelashes. “Are you going to have your way with me when you get me there, too?”
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femganronpa · 4 years
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Hey! Could I request something for the SDR2 girls? Basically, their s/o gets murdered sometime during the killing game, but they make it to chapter 6 (if they don’t live that long just pretend they do) and find out their s/o is alive? Then when they wake up (pretend it’s human Chiaki for this or something idk), they patiently wait for their partner to wake up, and there’s a really heartfelt reunion? Sorry if it’s too long, I’m a sucker for angst with a happy ending
Hey there nonnie! Reminder that I only do four characters per ask, but I’ll just split this one into two posts ^^’ I weirdly agonized over which order to do them but finally decided to go alphabetical <3 I hope you enjoy! –Mod Mikan PART 1
AKANE
· Akane has been internalizing your death since it happened. She doesn’t want to seem weak, but she’s breaking inside. You were her rock in this whole mess and now she can’t imagine going home without you.
· So, naturally, when she finds out you’re alive, she’s ecstatic. She’s already thinking of all the things she wants to tell you about when you wake up, and yes, you will wake up; she doesn’t listen when she learns you probably won’t. You’re special, she says. You’ll wake up.
· She sits beside you and cheerfully talks to you as she waits, keeping you up to date with what’s going on even though she knows you probably can’t hear her. She knows it’s just a matter of time before you’re back, but the longer it takes, the more a little pit of anxiety grows in her gut.
· When you come to, she’s in the middle of cracking a joke, and while you’re a little too out of it to understand, you know her well enough to recognize that it’s a joke and you let out a weak laugh. She immediately stops talking and stares at you for a moment, then pulls you into a bear hug and finally lets herself cry.
· “You came back to me, S/O,” she says. “Thank God, you came back.”
· She holds on to you for a long time—until you force her off, really—but it’s nice. You feel safe with her, and though she hasn’t said it, it’s clear how much she loves you and missed you.
 CHIAKI
· This killing game has already worn on Chiaki so much, and your death was the last straw. She’s still trying to get out for the rest of the survivors and because she knows it’s what you would have wanted, but she’s absolutely crushed. She’s never felt so hopeless before.
· Then, when it comes out that her dead friends, including you, are still alive, she feels a rush of relief so intense that she tears up right then and there. You’re out there, and saving you may be a long shot, but there’s still hope. You’re her hope.
· When she visits you after waking up, she always brings snacks, because she’s sure you must be hungry after so long. But for the most part she just sits next to you and plays games until someone comes in and makes her leave so she can get some sleep. She’s always reluctant to leave because she wants so badly to be there for you when you wake up, so sometimes her friends let it go and let her fall asleep in her chair beside you.
· She’s actually napping when you wake up, and it takes her a moment after you gently nudge her awake to process what’s going on.
· “S/O!” She perks up. She’s never been a very expressive person, but you can tell how happy and relieved she is. She awkwardly hugs you for a moment, then pulls away, tears in her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re all right,” she says.
· She sticks with you until you’re up and about, doing everything she can to keep you comfortable and entertained.
 HIYOKO
· Hiyoko hasn’t been herself since your death. She’s shorter than usual with the other survivors and when she’s alone, she cries. A lot.
· At first, she doesn’t believe you’re still alive. She wants to, but she saw your body and she is now intimately acquainted with death in a way she never wanted to be. There’s no way a dumb program could fake that deeply unnatural stillness.
· But then…what if? What if you really were out there? She could be stubborn and disbelieving all she wanted, but she couldn’t ignore the possibility that this was the truth, and she couldn’t forgive herself if she didn’t try to get you back.
· When she wakes up, it’s hard for her to see you unconscious like that, but you’re breathing and that’s all that matters. That’s all that will ever matter to her again.
· She may not be as small as she used to be, but she squeezes into your bed with you anyway. She likes to lay her head on your chest and listen to your heartbeat when no one else is around.
· In fact, she’s doing it when you wake up, and the moment she realizes you’re awake she sits up and tries to hide her blush. “Well, you took your damn time,” she says, but she immediately softens and pulls you into a hug. “I missed you so much.”
· Things go back to normal pretty fast for you two, but Hiyoko is much more verbal about how much she appreciates you than she was before.
 IBUKI
· Being around Ibuki after your death is…unsettling. She tries to pretend she’s fine, but she’s so quiet you’d think she was a completely different person. It’s hard for her to find reasons to smile when you’re not there to share the experience with her.
· But when she finds out you’re alive and that there’s a possibility however slight that you could wake up, she fires up and it becomes her mission to get you back. Some of the other survivors are unsure of how to proceed, but she easily rallies the troops into taking the route that would give you and the other victims the best chance at survival.
· After she wakes up, she spends a lot of time around you, chatting about whatever pops into her mind and sometimes holding mini concerts for you, much to the displeasure of anyone else close by.
· Eventually she starts getting anxious that maybe you won’t wake up, and she’d gotten her hopes up for nothing. But just as the thoughts start overwhelming her, she sees you start to move and she’s immediately attentive to you.
· “S/O, can you hear me?” she says. “Ibuki’s here! Everything’s gonna be okay!”
· She sweeps your hair out of your face and kisses your forehead, then the tip of your nose, and she just peppers little kisses all over your face. It’s something she’s always done, but this time it’s slower, tenderer. You think you see a tear on her cheek but you can’t be sure because when she pulls back, she’s grinning, happier than you’ve ever seen her before—and that’s saying something.
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