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Shin had never thought he would reunite with his best friend in such a situation. At least not in a game where his life is on a thin line.
He closed his eyes for a few moments, hoping that when he opened them again, the person standing in front of him would change. Despite his expectations, there was no miracle - he was once again met with that familiar bright grin that had always sent shivers down his spine.
Sou, now called Midori, crinkled his eyes playfully when he noticed Shin’s expression. His gaze is directed at Shin as he spoke in that calm yet gleeful tone, explaining the rules of the sub game. He never took his eyes off Shin.
”It’s simple, really. Your objective is to kill me. I don’t care how you do it.” Midori announced cheerfully. “As long as I’m dead, victory is yours.” He finished quickly and ran off. His laughter echoed off the walls, making Shin’s skin crawl.
He left the survivors and the dummies with some kind of Obstructor, whom they defeat with ease. The group decided to explore the fourth floor before encountering the lava trap in the gym. After that, the pairs just split up and started exploring on their own.
Shin stared at the photo of him smiling in the library. It stood out among the paintings of other deceased participants. He didn’t remember having ever posed for such a photo, and it unsettled him greatly. Then below the photo, pinned in the center, was a painting of Midori. It had turned out to be some kind of video call when Sara interacted with it earlier, but now it was not moving at all.
He had probably been staring at it for a painfully long time because Kurumada had started pacing around impatiently. He must have been hoping for it to start talking again - even he himself wasn’t sure of his intentions. Kurumada settled on the sofa, watching the other pairs enter and leave the gallery. While Kurumada was distracted, Shin decided to wander off on his own without breaking the allowed distance. Hayasaka had mentioned earlier that the distance between a pair could be up to a room’s length - Kurumada should be safe even if Shin ducked behind the gallery’s entrance a bit. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts, just for a short time.
A hand grabbed his scarf from behind and yanked back just as he left the room. Shin was startled. He opened his mouth, intending to scream for help, but another hand quickly clamped over his mouth, muffling his noises.
”Shh, quiet now, Shin. Or they’ll catch us~.” Shin felt someone breathing down his neck, and a playful voice carried through the narrow space. Midori grinned brightly, his eyes shining as he stared down at Shin. “Long time no see, shouldn’t we catch up a little?” He singsonged casually.
“Fuck off.” Shin muttered, trying to get Midori off him. As expected, his efforts barely worked. The hand grabbing his scarf loosened and slid to his abdomen instead. So did the hand over his mouth.
“So cold, Shin. I’m truly hurt.” Midori sighed as he put his head on Shin’s shoulder. His arms wrapped tightly around the guy’s waist, preventing any attempts to escape. He pressed his face into Shin’s neck, inhaling shamelessly, which made Shin shiver with disgust. “You haven’t changed much, have you? I see you’ve missed me a lot.” He twirled the end of Shin’s scarf around the tip of his finger, voice slightly muffled against the other guy’s neck.
”Fuck-“ Shin cursed, trying to pry the arms around his waist off. It didn’t work. He started squirming instead. “Release me, you fucking asshole…!”
”Hmm…I guess we really shouldn’t be talking here. Those annoying pricks might catch us.” Midori hummed to himself, ignoring Shin’s attempts at resisting. He scooped the smaller guy up and put him over his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I turned off the collar system temporarily.” He smiled as he started walking. “Just for you, Shin.”
As soon as he was carried out of that narrow path, Shin spotted Sara’s group. He attempted to call for help again, just for the collar on his neck to tighten. His voice came out small and breathless as he clawed at his own throat, trying to get the collar to loosen by force. “Be good, Shin.” Midori whispered as he pressed whatever buttons for a discreet path. “They won’t be able to figure out how to come up here…at least for a little while.” He chuckled.
Shin’s collar finally loosened enough for him to hastily suck in oxygen again. Midori sat back on the office chair of what seemed to be a control room. He placed Shin on his lap, making the guy straddle him. None said anything for a short while, the room filled with the sounds of Shin trying to even his breathing.
“Hiyori…you fucking sadist…” Shin finally talked. “I thought we were friends for real…” His voice cracked on the word “friends”. “Was everything just for…whatever this fucked up game is!?” He glared down at Midori, his eyes glassy with unshed tears.
”Ah, you’re just so damn adorable, Shin.” Midori chuckled. He leaned forward on his chair, placing his arms around Shin’s waist again. “I’ve always liked that about you.”
Shin tried to resist - maybe kicking Midori and breaking free of his hold, but his collar tightened again. Midori smiled, watching Shin struggle to breathe. “Stay still, Shin. You fit perfectly on my lap, it’s cute.”
“What you said is only partly true…” he murmured, not loosening the collar for Shin. “My affection for you was genuine. You were always so damn adorable, like a kitten.”
He finally loosened the collar, an amused smirk spreading across his face. “A kitten so cute that you just want to pet it then press it then crush it until it’s an unrecognizable bloody mess.” His smirk turned sadistic. Shin’s face turned pale.
“Hmm…I’ve missed you a lot, you know?” Midori traced random circles on Shin’s thigh, leaning forward to press a kiss onto Shin’s neck, which he ducked his head to avoid. Midori just chuckled at that reaction.
”I don’t want your affection. Or anything…! Let me go…! Hiyori…!” Shin thrashed again, which obviously did nothing to help him escape.
”Hm? Are you sure? But you must be heartbroken.” Midori breathed into Shin’s ear, biting the lobe lightly, which made the other guy shiver. “I heard what happened to Kanna Kizuichi. Hmm…very tragic, indeed.”
The mention of Kanna’s death cracked Shin’s expression a little. He glared back at Midori, but before he managed to say anything, Midori continued. “I can’t believe you failed to protect her…” He tightened his hold on Shin’s waist. “…didn’t you say you’d work hard to become worthy of your little sister? I’m disappointed, Shin. You can’t even be strong even when it comes to the safety of your loved ones, can you?”
“It was…because of…Sara Chidouin…” Shin murmured weakly, but his gaze sharpened again when he saw the other guy’s smug expression. “It was you…! You promised to grant my wish of meeting my lost sibling…! You must have done something and pulled her into this whole fucked up shit!! I’m gonna-“
“-kill me? Go ahead.” Midori leaned back. His eyes shone with a faint hint of yellow. “I wonder if you can strangle me with your bare hands. Hmm…I’m really looking forward to it…” He caressed Shin’s hip with his thumb. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled again. “Ah, even if you do it with my scarf, I bet you can’t either.” His hand moved to Shin’s arm, caressing again as if to make a point.
“Fuck you. Go rot in hell!!” Shin hissed, trying to wriggle away only for Midori’s arms to come up and wrap tightly around his waist again, locking him in place.
”This version of you is so refreshing. But I’ll admit, I prefer the old Shin Tsukimi.” Midori giggled. “You were so…painfully obedient.”
Shin’s cheeks flushed. He managed to land a punch in Midori’s face, which did no damage. Midori’s expression turned cold for a second before turning back to playful. “Ah, look how cute you are trying to fight me.” He murmured. “I wish I could just lock you up and do all sort of things with you~” he grinned. “However, I’m afraid our time is up now.”
Shin felt his collar tighten once more. He already knew fighting was futile, so he went limp and let Midori put him over his shoulder again, breathing shallow as he tried not to suffocate. His face turned purple.
It probably took forever. Shin didn’t remember the exact process. He just knew Sara’s group freaked out and started scolding him as soon as he reappeared. He responded to them emptily.
And when Midori showed up to taunt their efforts once more, Shin tightened his fist. He glared at Midori with all the hatred he could muster - he would definitely make that bastard pay.
Midori looked at him with a bright and amused grin, as if daring him to make good of that promise.