KILLING GAMES

∣  ∣  ∣  ∣    @snowedmgic​        ╱         kaito         :         ꜱᴘᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ      ◞

❝ You don’t die for your friends, you live for them. ❞ //Kaito @ Maki

          ❛  Kaito!  ❜          Startled,    Maki  can’t  help  but  usher  his  name,    only  to  realise  her  actions  and  quickly  stand  down.    If  it  had  been  anyone  else,   had  been  anywhere  else,    she  would  have  had  no  reason  to  believe  in  that.    On  the  outside,    she  had  no  one  worth  living  for,    especially  not  herself.    So  Maki  had  been  confident  of  in  both  ability  and  commitment  that  she  could  be  the  one  to  do  it,    she  could  risk  it  all  for  them.    The  life  of  an  assassin  wasn’t  a  long  one  anyway,    and  with  the  weight  of  her  sins  it  was  bound  to  catch  up  to  her  eventually. 

          But  that  idiot  just  wouldn’t  stop,    would  he?    He  spoke  with  such  conviction  amidst  the  panic,    his  raw  emotions  enough  to  startle  even  someone  like  her,    to  stare  back  at  him  with  widen  eyes ----------- ❛  But  then...  ❜          Lips  close  into  a  thin  line,    shoulders  rising  with  tension  as  she  turns  her  head  away  from  him.    He’d  gotten  so  close  to  her  without  even  thinking...     so  close  to  someone  like  her...     what  a  reckless  idiot...    did  he  not  see  the  weapon  in  hand,     did  he  not  care  who  was  wielding  it?

          ❛  …  ❜          Why  did  it  have  to  be  this  way?    Why  did  she  have  to  feel  so  strongly  towards  him...     if  she  had  kept  her  walls  up,    these  feelings  of  hers  wouldn’t  stop  her  from  doing  what  she  knew  had  to  be  done.    It  had  never  stopped  her  before.          ❛  Ridiculous.  ❜          Caring  about  a  killer  like  her,    who  hid  behind  her  own  self-hatred  as  a  way  of  countering  the  guilt  of  those  horrific  actions.    No,    what  was  worse  then  any  of  that,   was  his  need  to  be  the  hero  all  the  time.... 

          The  knife  falls  from  her  grasp,    for  in  this  world  of  theirs  to  kill  was  to  die,    to  defy  Monokuma  was  to  die,    and...          ❛  Hearing  that  from  you  is  nonsense...  ❜          Tears  reluctantly  fell  alongside  her  momentary  defeat.          ❛  If  you  really  meant  that,    you  wouldn’t  play  the  martyr  all  the  time.    If  you  cared  about  us  you  wouldn’t...  ❜          If  she  didn’t  end  this,    Kaito  would  and  the  thought  of  that  was  enough  to  have  the  girl  act  irrationally.    To  stand  by  and  let  that  happen... 

∣  ∣  ∣  ∣    @snowedmgic​        ╱         kokichi         :         ꜱᴘᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ      ◞

❝ I know I’m being selfish, Penny. I’m sorry, but I want to shelter you from danger as much as I can… ❞ //from Kokichi

          And  he’d  never  failed  her  before,    so  she  didn’t  see  why  he’d  be  so  worried  about  it.    What  they  got  up  to,    while  harmless  defiance,    was  pretty  daring  at  times,    and  they’d  had  more  then  a  few  unpleasant  run  ins  in  the  past,    but  no  matter  what,    Kokichi,    their  selfless  leader,    would  always  be  there  to  help  them.   They  all  would!    That’s  why  Penny  loved  them  all  so  much.    It  felt  like  a  real  family!    No,    they  were  one!    Definitely! 

In  response,    she  throws  an  arm  around  his  shoulder  and  pulls  the  shorter  boy  in  close  (  like  there  was  much  of  a  height  difference  to  begin  with )  before  blowing  a  raspberry  on  his  cheek  with  the  biggest  of  smiles  on  her  face.    So  serious!    But,    she  was  truly  grateful  for  that  fact...    Penny  just  couldn’t  have  him  look  so  worried,    because  she  just,    well,    she  wanted  him  to  keep  smiling.    Smiling...    It  never  failed  her  either,    because  whenever  she  was  sad  or  struggling,    if  she  smiled  then  happiness  followed  her,    with  her  family  smiling  right  back.    It’s  why  she  could  easily  leave  her  past  behind,    and  forget  about  those  times  before  she  knew  of  Kokichi  or  D.I.C.E

         ❛  Pfttt!    C’mon,    what  are  you  talking  about?    You  attention  hog,  ❜          She  laughs  with  all  her  heart,    rocking  side  to  side  with  him  in  tow.

          ❛  Don’t  look  so  serious.    I  think  I  see  some  wrinkles  showing---  ❜          If  she  poked  at  his  face  too  much,    he’d  probably  move  her  hand  away  after  awhile,    so  she’s  quick  to  stop.    After  all,    it  wasn’t  like  she  wasn’t  taking  it  seriously...    not  inside,    where  it  counted  the  most.    Enthusiasm  settles  into  warmth,    shoulders  relaxing  as  the  hold  she  had  on  him  slacks.   

         ❛  I  want  to  protect  you  too.  ❜        Very  rare,    so  rare  did  that  smile  of  hers  falter  even  slightly,    but  that  was  okay,    because  her  heart  had  taken  over,    and  that  was  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of,          ❛  But  a  leader  is  supposed  to  rely  on  their  subordinates,    so  no  matter  what  I’m  gonna  be  there.     Well... I  can’t  be  mad  either...    because  that  worry  of  yours  means  you  care  about  me.  ❜ 

A  moment  of  silence,    lingering  in  the  moment  they’d  shared,    before  she  pats  his  shoulder  and  circles  around  him  in  a  neat  twirl.    Serious  time  over!    Penny  was  sure  she’d  heard  the  other’s  begin  their  approach,    and  so  that  meant  it  was  back  to  clowning  around,    with  a  final  sentiment  to  close  the  conversation, 

     she’s gotten quite used to feeling angry, to etching some form of horror across her features and pointing the finger in the other direction in some form of excusing, expressing that it’s not her fault that things have ended up like this       yet, she does not, only a sense of guilt residing in her and the stare she gives is shocked, perhaps a little unsettled, the more she looks back. she isn’t as helplessly dumb as some of their other classmates, she is aware that it must be mystifying to go through a process so foreign to her, turning talent away in leiu of something far more simpler but the ends have always been met with her kindness, her praise      the means are always justified and if mahiru finds herself reluctant, hiyoko has been more than open about listening… right?

           right?!

    ❛     but if you don’t do it for me…. they’ll start calling me a dummy… and be mean to me again…!     ❜   she doesn’t necessarily like the way they’re sounding right now      argumentative, on the edge, but it isn’t as though she knows a better way to address it, either;  a kind person named mahiru koizumi, the only one that hiyoko wants on her side and she makes no effort to start hiding it.  ❛     even if you’re by my side… t-they’ll find a way to keep you away!    ❜  

     not that she would request a do-over if given the opportunity, but if she were to were to start hanging out with someone else… offered some other form of kindness on a platter, she would be tempted to throw it away, this small, new dynamic not so one sided as she makes it out to be. a low sound escapes her, chin dropping to stare at the hands more talented than her own, a moment taken to think before:  ❛     because… you promise to stay with me, right?     ❜  a loop back to her seemingly contradicting statements, relying on someone is the only form of staying she has ever known.   ❛     i promise to start learning how to tie my kimono sash… if you still do it for me sometimes. and… i’ll go to all your photo exhibits, too…     ❜

          ❛  Ah!    Hiyoko …  ❜          For  a  moment,    hands  stop  their  work  completely,    fingers  lingering  on  the  material  as  her  gaze  wanders  upwards  at  the  other  who’s  own  wouldn’t  meet  that  very  stare.    So  it  was  true  after  all,    she  really  did  care  about  what  the  other’s  said ------- well  that  shouldn’t  be  a  surprise  to  anyone,    of  course  it  would  still  affect  her,    it  would  get  to  anyone.    Jeez!    How  insensitive  could  they  be,    seriously?          ❛  Don’t  worry  about  them,    they  have  no  right  to  be  calling  you  names.  ❜          Oh  she  would  be  having  a  very  stern  word  with  anyone  that  tried  to  make  fun  of  Hiyoko  as,    after  all,    It  wasn’t  like  Mahiru  didn’t  pull  her  friend  up  for  making  sharp  comments  either.    Regardless  of  that,    It  still  didn’t  give  them  the  right  to  act  like  jerks.   

Oh!    But  what  had  really  caught  her  by  surprise  was  Hiyoko’s  desperate  and  soft  spoken  plea.          ❛  I’m  not  going  anywhere.  ❜          No  one  could  dictate  what  she  did  and  what  she  didn’t  do,    especially  not  the  immature  boys  here.          ❛  But  If  you  only  rely  on  me,    you  won’t  be  able  to  rely  on  the  one  person  that  matters.  ❜          Because  Mahiru  wanted  her  to  be  able  to  do  this  herself,    as  one  of  the  most  important  parts  of  her  daily  life,    if  she  could  start  doing  it  on  her  own ---------  

          ❛  Don’t  make  that  face,    I’m  still  going  to  help  you.    I’m  not  pushing  you  away.  ❜          She’d  finished  tying  the  sash  again,    but  she  doubted  either  of  them  had  payed  any  attention  to  it.           ❛  I  just  know  how  happy  you’ll  be  when  you  finally  get  the  hang  of  it.    That’s  all.    So  that  you  don’t  need  me...    but  maybe...     even  after  that,    if  you  ever  get  stuck...  ❜ 

∣  ∣  ∣  ∣    @ultimaet​         ╱         kazuichi         :         ꜱᴘᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ      ◞

“ i faired well thanks to you. i wasn’t bored or lonely. “ / kazuichi to fuyuhiko? :3c

Well,     shit.    Wasn’t  this  just  ironic,    huh?    It  wasn’t  like  his  first  impression  had  warranted  anything  like  this  before,     so  he  supposed  it  still  felt  weird  to  him.    Then,    that  just  meant  his  efforts  were  paying  off,    yeah?    Arms  cross  against  his  torso,    a  quite  huff  escaping  his  lips  as  his  one  remaining  eye  glances  off  into  the  distance.          ❛  C’mon,    don’t  say  crap  like  that.    It  almost  sounds  morbid.    I  mean,    It  wasn’t  like  I  was  trying  to  do  that  anyway,    so  you  don’t  have  to  thank  me  for  bullshit  like  that.  ❜         

Because  saying  thanks  to  someone  like  him,    after  everything  that  happened...     damn,    it  was  just  fucking  hard  to  accept.    In  a  way,    Kazuichi’s  presence  hadn’t  been  so  bad  either...    he’d  definitely  of  lost  his  cool  once  or  twice  without  the  other’s  own  frantic  behaviour.    It  strangely  settled  his  own  nerves  knowing  someone  had  to  stay  level  headed.    Well...    that  certainly  hadn’t  been  the  case  in  the  beginning,    but  he  was  allowed  to  let  that  part  go,    right?    For  now,    he’d  made  up  for  it  best  he  could...     his  life  was  theirs,    and  he  was  willing  to  show  that  over  and  over  again,    just  like  she  had  done  for  him.    

❛  heh...    I  guess  you  weren’t  so  borin’  either,    so  let’s  just  call  it  even.  ❜ 

Eyes bore into hers steadily, never wavering even at the shameless way the order is given. He isn’t a stranger to being commanded, he’s been bossed around most of his life yet he’s taken pride in rebelling against every word. It’s part of what’s granted him his title after all. And he’s almost fooled himself in believing that’s what’s doing with Celeste right now but he can’t help his own curiosity of what the view would be like if he did kneel down. 

“Charity? Stop wasting my time - this is about power.” The tone in his voice switches from playful to firm in a heart beat yet when Celeste looks upon him, he’ll be down on a knee with a clash of ideals fighting in his head. “But maybe you are lucky….lucky to have such a Prince Charming down in front of ya…” The teasing is back and he has a hand outstretched, palm up. “Least let me Cinderella you then.” Fingers made a beckoning motion. He didn’t exactly have a plan in mind but hell, instinct’s never failed him before.

          ❛  There  is  little  differentiating  the  two.  ❜          Celeste  could  quite  easily  lie  to  herself,     as  that  is  what  she  believed,     but  quite  honestly  she  hadn’t  expected  him  to  follow  through  with  her  request  without  some  kind  of  backlash.    Maybe  his  firm  words  had  taken  her  by  surprise,     though  momentarily  thrown  off-balance  she  watches  him  with  a  curious  gaze.    Intrigued,    as  she  watches  his  movements  closely.    That  flutter  within  her  chest  had  come  from  that  and  that  alone,    she  dictates,    for  he  was  the  type  to  seem  so  easy  to  read,    and  then  proceed  to  throw  curve  balls  like  that. 

“No, no I get it. This is your way of saving face. But it’s not like you’re already rubbing elbows with the Devil so what’s a little fling with a….lowly criminal like myself, am I wrong? Can’t say I didn’t see this coming but hey – I’ll let Her Majesty initiate. C’mon. Bring it right up to the kisser. Do me the…benefit…of that.”

@falsiifiers​ @ulthavoc​

    𝄡𝒦ℴ𝓀𝒾𝒸𝒽𝒾;;– ‘ Twisty, Penny, I need opinions! Ronald and the others are busy. And God knows Crusty might try to talk me off of it after last time– So, you know how we got banned from every Olive Garden? How fast do you think it’d take us to get banned from every Red Lobster? ‘

@ulthavoc​ He’s gonna SQUINT REAL LOUD. But then….

“She likes me. I knew it–” Ryu, most definitely not.

' Penny... ' Kokichi's eyes were wide, unable to blink back the tears that stung them and threatened to spill as he pulled her into a hug. He began shaking, wordlessly sobbing into her shoulder as he hid his face. ' Penny! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! I'm an awful leader... I practically abandoned you when you needed me most! ' Not that he had a choice-- ' I don't deserve my title but I still love you guys and I was trying so hard to get out of that mess for you all... I'm still so fucking sorry...'

          ❛  Ko!!  ❜

For  all  her  usual  energy,    her  consistent  hype,    never  serious  and  never  sad,    seeing  him  again  had  thrown  the  girl  off-balance  completely.    Had  he  not  already  been  hugging  her,    she  wouldn’t  have  been  able  to  stop  from  flinging  herself  at  him  entirely.    This  family  of  theirs  had  no  reason  to  hide  anything  from  each  other,    not  feelings  or  emotions,    this  was  their  one  space  to  be  themselves,    but  she’d  wanted  to  stay  strong  and  welcome  him  back  with  open  arms.    But  with  his  shaking  came  her  tears,

         ❛ Don’t  say  things  like  that.    Not  one  of  us  feels  that  way,    we  just  wanted  you  to  come  home  safe.  ❜          words  are  spoken  through  a  shaky  breath,    trying  with  all  her  might  to  comfort  him,    but  there  is  no  denying  the  overbearing  relief  and  sadness  from  his  disappearance.       

         ❛  W-We’re  just  so  happy  you’re  back!  ❜           ever  vocal  and  loud,    her  crying  is  no  different,    but  even  so  she  holds  onto  him  with  all  her  strength,    a  hand  resting  against  the  back  of  his  head  as  her  lips  can’t  help  but  quiver.          ❛  I’m  the  one  who’s  sorry!    If  I  could  I  would  have  been  right  there,    you  know  that  right?   right?  ❜          But  she  didn’t  need  to  wonder  that,    for  she  already  knew  the  answer.          ❛  If  you  go  somewhere  I  can’t  follow  again,    I’ll  make  sure  I  get  there  no  matter  what!    They  won’t  stop  us  again!  ❜

∣  ∣  ∣  ∣    @snowedmgic​         ╱         kokichi         :         ꜱᴘᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ      ◞

' Makiiiii! ' Kokichi put his arms over her shoulder like he was a backpack... Or, rather, he tried but his wrists were the only things that managed to do it. ' You aren't still mad at me for the glitter bomb, are you? It can't have been that difficult to clean! ' He says this, only to drop his hands, put more onto his finger, and spread it across her cheek with a grin. ' I will say, you look livelier with a bit of sparkle on your face! You should do it more often! ' //I'm so sorry Gwyn!//

          Cute  had  been  the  word  to  describe  what  had  happened  to  her  from  multiple  sources  and  it  only  served  to  hit  her  while  she  was  down.    There  was  nothing  ‘cute’  about  being  covered  in  glitter.    Even  now,    she  can’t  help  but  check  her  hair  for  any  lingering  sparkles...    that  had  taken  way  too  long  to  get  out.     She  found  herself  going  in  and  out  the  shower  the  remainder  of  that  day,     and  had  tried  her  best  to  avoid  everyone  until  it  had  all  been  washed  out.    Unfortunately  that  just  brought  on  more  concern  from  that  idiot...     why  did  he  have  to  check  in  on  her  all  the  time  anyway?    It  was  annoying... 

But  more  annoying  then  that  was  the  arm  across  her  shoulders.    Maki  immediately  froze,    narrowed  eyes  snapping  to  it’s  target...    she  hadn’t  realised  he’d  approached.     Had  she  really  been  that  distracted?    Damn  him.

          ❛  Kokichi.  ❜          His  name  was   venom  on  her  lips.    Wasn’t  that  hard  to  clean  huh?    That  was  a  lie.    He  knew  just  how  difficult  it  would  be,    and  quite  clearly  he  felt  no  remorse.    Had  it’s  threat  level  been  the  reason  she’d  walked  into  his  trap  so  easily?     Because  it  was  really  that  of  a  harmless  prank.    What  was  the  reason  anyway?    In  a  place  like  this...

His  finger  glides  across  her  cheek  before  she  can  stop  him,    and  the  realisation  kicks  in  quick.    Maki’s  entire  body  stiffened,    surprise  dawning  her  expression  to  the  point  of  gawking,    cheeks  flushing  in  embarrassment  before  she  can  hide  her  own  surprise.    He...    had  he  really...  

“ YOU’RE  GOOD  AT  WHAT  YOU  NEED  TO  BE. ”

“ Anyway,  you said it was called SPACE DUEL ? ”      He repeats amiably,  watching her play.  Despite her sleepy nature,  her eyes and reflexes are sharp when it comes to the game itself,  yet the distant quality to her voice remains the same as ever.  Something about that makes a soft smile come to his face.  How like her,  how pleasantly familiar.    “ I don’t believe I have.  It sounds like it might be a competitive game,  though ;    is it two—player ?    Not that I think I could stand up against the ULTIMATE GAMER,  but I’m certain you’ll beat me gracefully. ”

        ❛  Yeah  that’s  right!    But  it’s  fine,    because  they  also  have  a  co-op  mode  too.  ❜          It  didn’t  matter  to  her  whether  he  was  bad  at  the  game  or  not,    because  as  long  as  they  were  playing  together  they’d  have  a  lot  of  fun,    right?    That  was  enough  to  get  an  energised  reaction  out  of  the  otherwise  aloof  girl.    The  words  reading  success  flashed  across  the  screen,    and  she  if  finally  able  to  turn  towards  him  with  eager  eyes.