"i was assessing the situation," rin responds, his tone deadpan. "now you know where the attack is coming from." 

you blink at the screen, speechless for a second. "rin, we’re not testing the boss, we’re supposed to be fighting it." 

"well, it’s kind of hard to fight if you don’t know what’s coming next," rin says, not really apologizing but sounding a little more serious now. 

you respawn, trying to focus. barely five seconds go by before rin dies again. 

"seriously?!" 

"yeah, i walked into it. i’m not perfect," rin replies, his voice flat. "don’t get mad at me, just focus on winning." 

you can’t help but snort despite your frustration. "you’re the one dying constantly. how am i supposed to focus?" 

"by not yelling," rin says, as if it’s the simplest thing in the world. "it’s a game. we’ll get it next time." 

you look at him through the screen, trying to hold back your grin. "next time? i’m starting to think you’re trying to make this last longer just to annoy me." 

"i’d never do such a thing," rin says, his voice so dry you almost can’t tell if he’s messing with you. 

"uh huh, sure," you mutter, diving back into the fight. 

you manage to get a few good hits in when rin dies again. 

"rin!!!" 

"you’re too loud," he says, still unfazed. "focus. seriously. the boss resets every time we screw up." 

"and it’s always your screw-up!" you say, half laughing, half annoyed. "i’m starting to think i’m your personal babysitter in this fight." 

"yeah, sure," rin says, unfazed. "if it helps you focus, go for it." 

you take a deep breath. "i’m going to lose my mind." 

rin’s calm as ever. "don’t worry. this time, I’ll nail it." (he doesn’t 💔)

𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢 𝐬𝐚𝐞

you and sae are supposed to be teaming up against this boss, but things aren’t exactly going as planned. 

you haven’t even equipped your weapon before sae’s already dead. 

"seriously?!" you groan, ready to respawn. 

"eh," sae says casually, tapping the controller without a care. "it happens. not a big deal." 

"you didn’t even try to dodge!" you exclaim, half-laughing. 

"why would I?" he responds, his voice as chill as ever. "it’s just a game." 

you shake your head, barely able to hold back a smile. "you’re impossible." 

"what?" he says, completely unbothered. "you’re stressing too much. just chill." 

you respawn, barely taking a step before sae dies again. 

"sae, come on." 

"what? i wasn’t even close to the attack," he shrugs. "guess it’s just bad luck." 

"you have to be kidding me." you laugh, despite how done you are. "how is it bad luck when you’re not even trying to avoid the attacks?" 

"because it’s funnier this way," he says with that same grin you can practically hear through the mic. "keeps things interesting." 

"you’re the worst," you mutter, trying to fight the boss on your own. "you’re going to get us killed." 

"nah, it’s more like you’re getting us killed," sae teases, his tone light. "I’m giving you a chance to shine. you know, so you can feel good about saving me." 

you roll your eyes, feeling the familiar frustration creeping in. "if this is ‘giving me a chance,’ i’m seriously reconsidering this partnership." 

"don’t worry, we’ll get it next time," sae says, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. "you’re just too competitive." 

"i’m not competitive, i just want to win," you snap. 

"same thing," sae replies, totally unbothered. "but seriously, we’ve seen the loading screen more than the actual game. I’m starting to feel like we should be playing that instead." 

you laugh in spite of yourself. "you’ve got a point. we’ve died more times than i can count." 

"told you," he says with a grin. "it’s not about winning. it’s about enjoying the ride. and by ‘ride,’ i mean the loading screen." 

you shake your head, trying not to smile. "you’re so annoying." 

"hey, you know you love it," he says smoothly. "we’ll win eventually. and when we do, I’ll take credit." 

"you’ll take credit?" you laugh. "you’ve done nothing but die." 

"exactly," sae replies casually. "I’m the backbone of this team. obviously." 

you chuckle. "you’re the reason I’m losing my mind, is what you mean." 

"same thing," he says with a small grin. "but don’t worry. i’m the secret weapon. you’ll see." 

"if we die again, i’m soloing this boss," you joke. 

"deal," he says, totally unbothered. "but if you want backup, just say the word." 

"you’re a lot of help," you say, shaking your head as the boss resets yet again. 

"hey, just keeping things interesting," sae replies. "you’re welcome."