[PCs] team trust no bitch aka team hat aka chuuya & caren

[doublesmall]

[but is it really team hat if only caren has one, though? that's the real question here.

threads in comments!

(there is age difference ship content here but nothing nsfw)]

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week 0, tuesday

[doublesmall]

[well, now that they have more information on this game-- chuuya figures they have some things to talk about, since they're partners, and some of them are things he's not up to spilling in public.

he's also not up to, like, getting stabbed in his sleep on a bench or something, so chuuya's been seeking out whatever high ground he can find to catch some z's on. this involves a lot of attempts at climbing any shorter buildings and a lot of bitching about how it'd be easier if he could still just walk right up them, but eventually he finds a spot he likes-- he'll help caren get up there if he needs to.

and then he'll just hand her a scalpel.]

Here. Just in case, you know-- you ever used a weapon before?

[sexorcism]

[It takes a while to get settled on the high ground, and she'll grudgingly accept a hand once most of the footholds are gone. She seems to be using the long, red cloth that came with her to help her get around.

What a magnanimous gift this scalpel is. For once, she looks like she wasn't expecting something from him.]

I have a few ways of defending myself. [She accepts the scalpel and tucks it...somewhere...in her outfit for safekeeping.] But I don't have the training or the capacity heavy combat. You may have deduced that I was in poor health, before.

[doublesmall]

Yeah, something like that-- you don't really seem like you've got the build for it.

[he settles in, sitting down and making himself as comfortable as he really can. at least his coat can kind of function as a blanket, but god, he'll be happy if he gets to sleep in an actual bed again, or at least pick up a pillow.

when he glances back to caren, he's observing her curiously, head slightly tilted.]

Did the health problems have something to do with the-- ah, shit, what was it called. Your cause of death.

[because that sounded kind of like a disease, in the sense that he can't fucking remember a name that complicated.]

week 0, sunday, post-execution, hey i'm sorry about this whole thread

[doublesmall]

[caren had seemed uncomfortable in the cathedral, and- well. chuuya figured the reason why had more to do with what she's lost than the erasures themselves. being outside of it should have meant things were fine, but after how the last couple of days had gone... he thought maybe they could stand to try to relax for a while. not deal with it.

and that's how they ended up smoking in the hotel room on what will prove to be their last night there, rip hotel mistakes-were-made. this started a while ago. we're getting right to it here.

chuuya's sprawled out on his bed, lying on his back, eyes fixed on the ceiling for now; mostly, he's just thinking to himself. wondering whether this was a mistake, sometimes, let's be perfectly honest. he usually drinks he has like no experience here.]

...kind of fucked up, isn't it.

[what is? everything! basically everything.]

i literally hate this.

[sexorcism]

You are going to have to elaborate.

[Caren hasn't had an appetite since the trial, so maybe the only silver lining in this is that she can now safely sit on the floor by the door of their room, gently shoveling chicken nuggies into her face.]

I'm experienced in being vague, Chuuya Nakahara, and will not be outdone.

week 1, tuesday

[doublesmall]

[after getting the go-ahead to share with his partner, chuuya's going to come find caren to pull her aside, finding somewhere unoccupied for them to talk. sure, he'd have told her without permission too, but-- it's all easier this way, he supposes.]

Caren, hey. I need to tell you about something.

they have no idea what's going to happen

[sexorcism]

[She's probably coming back from her day in the park, feeling satisfied with the time she wasted but disappointed in the lack of any more important information. It was a reprieve that didn't feel at all like one, in the end.]

Yes? What is it?

week 2, tuesday

[sexorcism]

[After they've bonded with the puppy who would be Cu and (hopefully) purchased new clothing, Caren isolates Chuuya in the back of a less-traveled theater at the moviecinemaplex. She takes a moment to drop popcorn in several of the seats around them, making sure it doesn't hit any invisible eavesdroppers, paces the rows, then takes a seat next to him.]

It feels as thought we're about to partake in some young lovers' rendezvous.

Chuuya Nakahara, I've been speaking with my contact about suspicious behavior while we were...otherwise indisposed in IKEA.

[doublesmall]

[he gives her a slightly exasperated look when she uses his full name, again, but... he seems to have given in to the fact that she's just not going to stop. chuuya leans back in his seat, arms folded behind his head.]

Put some of that on the floor too.

[so they'll hear it if anyone steps close enough.]

What kind of things did you hear, huh?

week 2, friday, post-investigation

[doublesmall]

[this is separate from whenever they have the sad one with ass because Reasons.

chuuya pulls caren aside before that happens, bringing her back to the movie theater where they can once again employ the Popcorn Circle of Fuck Off. once he's cleared the area:]

We need to talk. Now. I'll try to keep it short but-- we might've been right after all, Caren.

[sexorcism]

[She's silent for a moment - for one of many reasons. There are a lot of things that could have shocked her today.

Caren's teeth graze her bottom lip when she bites it for a second, then she draws herself up and gets serious for a second.]

I know. About one thing, as far as I can tell.

week 2, post-trial, probably before other pcs happen

[doublesmall]

[fuck. they did it. it got close for a bit there, but--

when chuuya drags caren off somewhere quiet, he's tense, full of a restless energy she probably hasn't quite seen from him before-- almost like he's nervous? but his expression doesn't quite read that way, and as soon as it's safe...

he pulls caren into a hug, shoulders shaking.

after a moment, it's clear that it's because of muffled laughter.]

Oh, holy fuck, I thought we were goners a couple times there--

[it's the kind of breathless laughter that's nothing but a release of pent-up energy and emotion. nothing is funny. there's no trigger. he just might burst if he has to hold everything in any longer.]

It's-- shit, I should be used to this result, but it's... different here.

[sexorcism]

[As has been said in a OOCly joking way but is actually entirely serious, Caren didn't get a lot of hugs growing up. She is the most startled she's ever been when he lets go of her. She doesn't laugh, still looking a little shell-shocked, the color in her cheeks showing that she's full of the same energy.]

Please never use my personal effects for murder again.

[Then...very slowly, she smiles, relieved, letting out a shaky breath through her mouth.]

If it had come down to it... I would have -

break week, tuesday

[doublesmall]

[this time, chuuya seems... not nervous, but a little preoccupied. there's very clearly something on his mind when he comes to find caren, and he definitely has one hand tucked into a pocket in a suspicious kind of way.]

Hey. You've got a minute, right?

[sexorcism]

[She's gonna get stabbed.

No, Caren doesn't actually have any fears like that. Being that it's a week where no murders are supposed to occur, she has plenty of time. This area of the city is interesting, but she doesn't always want to be shopping. Capitalism is more fun to observe from afar than participate in, sometimes.]

You're surprisingly sober today. What is it?

week 4, tuesday night

[sexorcism]

[The karaoke booths in Tone Down for What were essentially made for speaking in private, so long as they could still communicate while the music was playing. Since singing is necessary to enjoy the amenities here, their night has been half performance and half conversation. A little time spent enjoying one another's company in private to round out the percentages.

Caren finishes swishing her mouth out with the Listerine she bought last week and spits it into an empty cup.]

Do you really like that offensively aggressive music so much?

[doublesmall]

I do, yeah. It doesn't get your blood pumping?

[chuuya tugs her back in to sit next to him, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. there's no singing for the moment; he supposes they deserve a break for a while longer.]

Used to like listening to it during a fight, when I was younger.

[GRAVEYARD] week 4 end

[sexorcism]

[There's something a little obnoxiously funny about spending time together in a place like this. It's ironic, isn't it, not to use the place for its intended purpose?

They could go outside, she's realized, understanding they aren't confined to the building. But private rooms are still a luxury, even if she does her typical cursory check for anyone hiding nearby. Izaya is here, too, after all. She turns her back to the door when she's satisfied and speaks.]

Akira Kurusu...that man. I couldn't take him down with me, so I tried to point eyes back to him.

[In the end, it feels like a futile gesture. Even though they have all these things to talk about, Caren freezes briefly in the middle of the room and just looks at Chuuya for a time.]

You look just the same. [She says it as if it surprises her.]

[doublesmall]

How did you expect me to look, huh? Like a zombie or something...? Not gonna lie, I'm glad I don't.

[there is some vanity to him, after all. he'd deal with it if he had to go around with a hole in his chest and cold, pale skin, but it's a relief regardless.

(or maybe she'd be into that. not that it could be an ic bracket thought because he doesn't know she kissed his body, but.)

chuuya makes himself comfortable on the bed, gestures for her to join him.]

Did you expose him, or--? What happened?

week 5 after the damn car i hate this and refuse to link it

[doublesmall]

Caren--

You weren't serious about what you said, right?

[she knows what.]

[sexorcism]

[Yeah, she knows, so she won't act as though this is something she could evade entirely. But she does look up at him, a little surprised, index finger against her lips as if she's keeping something secret.]

Why do you want to ask?

week 5(?) sunday, night

[sexorcism]

[The weekend's taken its toll on Caren, though she's been careful not to show it too much, even when it was just the few of them gathered together. Part of it was knowing that Eleanor might need the comfort, part of it was a genuine inability to express it at all.

But it's in her eyes when she knocks to announce herself, then lets herself into the room they've been sharing, a small bag in her hand. She stays standing, one hand pushing up under her sleeve to rub at her upper arm a little.]

Is there anything else you believe we need to get out today?

[doublesmall]

Nah, I think we're fine.

[he's lounging on the bed, half-dressed; he's more comfortable with that, now that they no longer need to be on alert, now that they're more familiar with each other. chuuya unfolds one arm from where it's pillowed behind his head, gesturing for her to join him.]

Hey. C'mere.

[chuuya doesn't miss that look in her eyes. he's just not going to press, yet.]

week...6? thursday

[doublesmall]

Hey, Caren.

[that comes after a long stretch of silence, during which chuuya's largely kept to himself. he likes to maintain some sort of contact when they're alone together, even if it's as simple as limbs touching; he's had his back turned to her, but still maintaining that small physical connection by lying right up against her.]

Have you ever thought-- what if living again doesn't have to mean the same life as before?

[sexorcism]

Hm? [Her weight shifts slightly in response to what he says. Even if he isn't looking at her, isn't holding her, Chuuya should be able to feel her body adjust itself as she thinks about the idea.]

Presumably, it would be confusing if previously dead people just happened to be working the earth again. [Some of the people playing this game likely had others to mourn them somewhere, and the reality of gamerunners who could so completely alter reality that a death could be rewound completely is daunting, godlike, when considered too thoroughly.]

Yeah. I'd say that outcome is more than possible.