#confliss

"You gonna watch my back?" "What do you think I've been doing?"

Conrad x Fliss [The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan]

Warnings: SPOILERS for the game Man of Medan, Haunting, Knives, Stabbing, Supernatural Attack, A near death (?) scene, Swearing

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: For the first, and what he’s afraid is also the last time, Conrad feels the sheer terror of having just murdered a person - none other than Fliss DuBois.

Requested by @mynameis-james Hii! Thank you so much for the request and I’m really sorry for the wait but I hope the fic itself makes up for it! Enjoy the angst! Love, Vy ❤

Conrad has been known for his pursuit of attractive women - respectfully, of course. Man sucks at flirting, but that’s more often than not what scores him a girl’s attention, possibly better than if he knew how to properly woo a woman.

But I digress.

As I said, Conrad’s known to chase after girls - not vice versa. That only adds to the peculiar and downright terrifying situation he has found himself in at this moment.

He recognizes the woman that’s after him, he remembers seeing her on a poster, a pin-up model, classic for the time period. What is far from classic is the fact that she has not only escaped the poster and is now roaming the ship in Conrad’s pursuit, but she also no longer looks anything like herself - more along the lines of a demon or zombie or whatever you can think of that’s humanoid and represents danger.

The chase leads Conrad to a dead end he sees no way out of. His best option is to hide which he doesn’t prefer to running but he’s got a very slim picking of his next action considering he can hear the creature approaching behind him.

And so, instinct takes over, kicking his legs back into motion, running him into one of the rooms in the hall. He tries to shut the door but it’s useless due to how heavy it is and has basically become one with the floor at this point.  Finding himself at another, albeit metaphorical, dead end, he shuffles his way in the tight space behind the door where a locker stands. He loots it, finding old, and I mean old and gross bandages, some bullets but no gun for them, pictures, letters etc. The only useful item he finds is a rusty dagger and settles for it, gripping it tightly by the handle, prepared for that weapon to turn from a defense to an offense weapon.

And it better do so quickly cause here comes Miss kill-happy Zombie, the sounds of her approaching causing Conrad to break out in a nervous sweat. Regardless of the terror running through his body like an adrenaline rush he’s never experienced before, he does his best to stand as still as a statue, even pausing his breathing for a good thirty seconds.

However, even that proves to be ineffective when the monstrous woman wanders into the room and immediately turns to check for her soon-to-be-victim in the crack between the door and the locker. That’s when the two come eye-to-eye and that’s the first time the terror doesn’t freeze up his body, but kicks it in motion instead. He hopes it’s not the last time either cause if they’ll have to deal with monsters like this for the rest of the night he’ll need that reflex.

The reflex being to deliver two stabs to the creature, one in the eye and another in the chest.

So I know this isn't a super popular ship, but I personally love them a lot and I think they're cute❤ And a little while ago, @thepanicsquid and I were talking about what we thought Conrad & Fliss would do after the events of the game and it resulted in some really cute headcanons, so I thought I would share some of them!

Ok so @thepanicsquid mentioned how she thought that Conrad would stay with Fliss after they all got back home and I really liked that idea, so this is how I imagined it plays out:

After the events of the game, when everyone gets back to shore safely, they all crash at Fliss's place because it's the closest to where they docked. They recuperate and are finally able to receive the medical attention they need- especially Conrad, who is finally taken to the hospital to have his leg treated (if he was shot).

When they are all finally able to leave and go back to their respective homes, Conrad decides to stay with Fliss, saying that he wants to help with the repairs to her boat because he knows that he's partially responsible for the damages. Fliss first tries to object, stating that she can take care of her own boat, but Conrad claims that he still needs to heal anyway (because he was the most beaten-up), so she allows him to stay and help.

While working on her boat, the 2 of them bond a lot and become much closer. Conrad constantly urges Fliss to take breaks because he doesn't want her to over-work herself, so he'll occasionally pull her away and take her on a nice walk along the beach or on a scenic hiking trail. At first, Fliss tried to object to these breaks because she's always been a perfectionist who wants to finish the job she's working on, but she ultimately comes to appreciate the walks and the opportunities they give her to clear her mind. She also finds herself somewhat flustered by the attention that Conrad pays to her well-being because nobody's ever really taken care of her like that before.

After they finish the repairs to her boat, Conrad returns home to see his family, especially his parents who still haven't seen him since the trip. While he and Fliss are apart, they both find themselves missing each other more than they thought they would, so they end up FaceTiming each other and talking on the phone frequently. Julia will occasionally pop into frame to say hi and the 2 girls will catch up while Conrad impatiently waits to speak to Fliss again.

One day, the whole gang decides to surprise Fliss by visiting her (it was Conrad's idea of course, but the others were also excited to see her again). They share a big reunion hug & Conrad reveals that he's rented a vacation home near her so he can travel back and forth. This flusters Fliss because she's not used to spoiled rich kids using their money for her, but Conrad jokes that he's still spoiled because it also allows him to see her.

@thepanicsquid and I both like to think they start out as a kind of "friends with benefits" situationship because neither of them want to rush into anything. They claim that they're just messing around and having fun; but even though they're not official, they spend a lot of time together and they both feel weird whenever someone else flirts with them.

Julia always inquires Conrad about it, asking if he's ever going to make a real move, to which he claims that he's just not in a place for a real relationship. Secretly, he's hesitant to make it official because he's worried he'll mess it up somehow & he doesn't want to ruin what they currently have.

Eventually, the 2 of them come to their senses and decide to make it official!

They are such an adventurous & outdoorsy couple. They continue to go on their nature hikes, and they even take to other outdoor activities like rock climbing & water skiing. At one point, Fliss even convinces Conrad to try skydiving with her (I also have a headcanon that he's been afraid of heights ever since his encounter with the glamor girl where he could've plummeted to his death)

Fliss's friends like to tease her for ending up with a rich boy since she always talked about how she hated rich people.

Conrad literally showers Fliss in little presents. Flowers, chocolates, her favorite kind of tea, you name it.

At Alex & Julia's wedding, Conrad asks Fliss to dance with him; and when she says she's not much of a dancer, he reassures her that he isn't either. They both surprise each other with how well they do & they quickly find their rhythm.

Conrad loves helping Fliss with her boat responsibilities; from maintaining the ship to entertaining her clients, he essentially becomes her business partner.

They adopt a little black Labrador and name him Duke, after Fliss's ship! He becomes the boat's mascot❤ Conrad jokes that now they have to get another dog and name it Milan so they can have two mascots. Fliss says one is enough... until they adopt a female white Labrador and name her Milan❤

Even though the fandom is almost nonexistent, that won't stop me from talking about it! So here are some headcanons for all of the Man of Medan kids bc I love them~

First, some neurodivergence headcanons!

Fliss & Brad are both autistic and Conrad has adhd! My neurodivergent faves, I love them sm❤

Brad has a bunch of sensory toys & fidgets that he shares with Fliss & Conrad after they get back home. Brad was surprised that Conrad didn't already have them, since he can afford almost anything, and Conrad reveals that he had bought several fidget spinners when they were popular, but he never knew about other fidgets like the infinity cube (which becomes his favorite). Fliss quickly favors the kinetic sand because it reminds her of the beach & she likes the way it feels in her hands.

Conrad buys 3 sets of noise-cancelling headphones for each of them. He doesn't really get as bothered by lots of noise as Brad & Fliss do, but he could afford it and he wanted to be included in the neurodivergent trio lol, so he figured why not.

Fliss has a super soft fuzzy blanket that she sleeps with every night. If she's ever feeling down, sometimes she'll just grab her blanket & huddle up with a hot cup of tea or something (I also headcanon her as more of a tea person than coffee).

Okay here are some other headcanons!

Despite Brad clearly being the more academic brother, Alex always fell under the role of the "golden child." Their parents didn't have a favorite at all, they loved both boys equally, but Alex was always the one they put a bit more pressure on as their oldest. This was unfair to both of them, as Brad felt like he was always living in Alex's shadow & Alex always felt like he had to be perfect.

Alex played football in high school & briefly contemplated a sports career, but his parents were always a little weary of the field; and after one of his friends & teammates suffered a concussion, Alex felt the urge to go into the medical field instead so he could help people like his friend whenever they got hurt. I like to think it comes from being the older brother & always feeling the need to be a protector.

When they were kids, Conrad & Julia had ongoing prank wars. Julia was usually the victor as her pranks were more clever, but Conrad was always quicker with a comeback afterwards. Their parents eventually put a stop to these battles when one of Conrad's pranks resulted in Julia getting a swollen lip. Conrad felt so bad afterwards, though, so he tried to make it up to her by getting her favorite ice cream (chocolate peanut butter cup) & watching her favorite movie with her (Legally Blonde, because obviously).

Julia is a secret nerd. She won't admit it because she has her street cred & popularity to maintain, but she's totally into all of the history & World War II stuff that Brad is also into. She might not know as much as he does, because his hyperfixation has caused him to relentlessly research it, but she's actually very interested in it. After they all get back home, she starts asking him questions about his grandfather & what else he knows and he just starts gushing to her all about it. It makes Alex happy to see them bonding so well, and he & Conrad tease their respective siblings for being nerds.

Fliss was homeschooled, which is why she tells Brad that she "never really went to school." Her parents just thought that they would be able to give her a better education than she would get at any public or private school. This made it hard for her to make friends growing up, but she would make up for it by finding out-of-school activities and extracurriculars, like swim teams & gymnastics.

Fliss & Conrad are both bisexual! And they both have a preference for women, too. Fliss has experience with both men and women, so she knows who does it better😉 (hence her telling Brad about how women are good in bed); but she has a weakness for goofy & slightly dumb guys (*cough* like Conrad.. Same, girl, same😅). Conrad has felt some feelings for some guys here and there and he'll occasionally flirt with them, but he mainly only has experience with women. He and Fliss make a beautiful bisexual couple💗💜💙

Brad is both gay and asexual! He's been in the closet since high school when he realized that a boy in his biology class had caught his attention. It's not that he's scared to tell anyone, as he knows that his family would love & accept him regardless, but it's more that he's confused by his feelings & not sure what to make of them. It doesn't help that he doesn't experience attraction to the same level or frequency that most of his peers do, so it's harder for him to figure it out.

Conrad is an alcoholic. This one is pretty much canon, as he's seen drinking more than any of the other characters & even opens a beer immediately after they all get back on the Duke safely; but Julia's line about how she's been "studying it for years" in regards to his tendency to get so drunk that he forgets things makes it sound like it's been a reoccurring issue in the past. Perhaps he went through a period where he struggled with depression or anxiety and the booze helped calm & quiet his mind, so he became reliant on it and he feels he needs to have it in order to feel good. This headcanon makes me sad and I like to think that he eventually heals from this addiction & becomes sober with everyone else's help (especially Fliss & Julia)❤

anywayz can i get some confliss headcanons? kind of desperate for things of them after playing the game one time

Confliss headcanons coming right up! (Take care of yourself! Finals are nowhere as important as you and your health are! Stay strong you've got this!)

- "Are we....."

- Those were the first words Conrad spoke to Fliss after the group was done getting questioned by the coast guard

- "I ain't a mind reader, you know"

- She knew exactly what he meant but torturing him was a ton more fun

- "Well...are we gonna...try anything. I mean, I really like you but..."

- She cut him off, pointing towards a small diner by the shore

- "Be there tomorrow at seven"

- With that, she walked away

- Conrad didn't even hear half the crap Julia spoke to get him to erase that plan out of his head, considering their flight back was early the next morning

- Alex and Brad didn't help her much in discouraging him, quite the opposite actually

- And so, on the flight in the morning there was one person missing

- One person who tore up his flight ticket

- And started getting ready for his date since early morning

- Fliss was not expecting him to show up

- She was convincing herself that she wasn’t waiting for him

- She ordered herself a beer to loosen up yet she could barely take a sip with her eyes constantly focused on the

- “Expecting someone?“ the old bartender asked her

- She shook her head, “No”