BETRAYAL AT THE HOUSE ON THE GAME TOWER - END

[idolpro]

Who: Traitors and Survivors, Exael
Where: The Game Tower, and leaving it
When: Day 25, morning-- it appears that game lasted the bulk of day 24 into the night.

[ Abruptly, the nightmare ends.

You, in the rooms you kept restarting in, awoke. Before you can even panic, before even despair, the elevator doors were open in front of you to take you downstairs again. It could be a trap, sure, but your head is quiet— those fucking ghosts are gone. You also appear to be wet like someone dumped, perhaps, a bucket of holy water on you while you were asleep. All your wounds are gone, and you have been left bereft of any physical damage from your ordeal.

Unless you choose to take some with you. Nothing prevents you from taking any of your spoils downstairs with you, if you wish it, though all revolvers will have no ammo.

On the screens as you descend back to the lobby, Exael is clapping on screen, broadcast showing her in the mansion's entrance hall. "And so close the gates to this forbidden garden, and so closes this chapter of our story! Just as—" her hologram flickers as she doesn't seem to notice, chattering still to the cameras, "so too will—" fzzt, fzzt. Static, flickering, and then back into focus, "So give them all a hand! Everyone, you've done well! You stand before us still, ready to present us all with more marvels after having survived such grisly wonders with—" "—in the balance!"

As she speaks, she doesn't notice a figure approaching behind her. He's in a slick suit with both hands in his pockets, and you've seen him before— his portrait is in the foyer. His shoes are utterly silent as he walks across the marble floor, till he's right at her back.

"Audience and actors alike, we've been blessed with—" Her hologram doesn't flicker this time, but she stops speaking. Her eyebrows furrow as she tries to figure out what's amiss, and only belatedly begins to slowly look over her shoulder.

"Exael," he says with a friendly hand on her solidifying hologram shoulder, the effect spreading beneath his touch, "We need to have a chat about your requisitions paperwork."

She tilts her head, eyes wide with a finger tapping against her cheek as she thinks, "I didn't do any!"

"Yes," he agrees, smiling with all his teeth. "I know."

The broadcast cuts. The doors open to let you leave. ]

Comments

[fiberoptic]

Yeah.

[He kneels next to Wade and looks him over, there's... a lot of blood. A Lot Of Blood around his head!! It's hard to hide how angry, how deeply furious he felt in the pit of his soul, but he locks it behind his eyes, just. Not right now.

Comparatively, Nate just has bloodstains down the front of his chest, but not the kind from being wounded. It feels stupid to ask, since everyone's pretty fucked, but he had to know,] ...How're you doing.

[maxxximumeffort]

. . .


I'm gonna remember that, Nate. I fucking know I am. That ssssssssnnnnap.

[fiberoptic]

[His jaw tightens.]

It got you, huh...

[maxxximumeffort]

[laugh!!]

Y'know the funny thing is, not fucking really! Juuuust me. Me. Me. I'm the sick ghost. I could just feel it slipping in and that felt familiar. Vaguely familiar. Almost unreal, yet, it's too soon to feel yet... 🎼 ♪close to my soul, and yet so far away. I'm going to go back there someday♫

[fiberoptic]

[Nate clasps a hand over his shoulder, squeezing.]

Wade. It's lying to you. They're dead things tryin' to drag you down with them.

[maxxximumeffort]

It's not it's not it's not it's not a lie. I'm fucking telling you, Nate. I am freaking the fuck out. I'm about to go full goddamn for who could love a Beast on you, your also probably traumatized ass and I can't even[his voice cracks] focus on you.

[fiberoptic]

[hnNGH times like this it would've been really handy to try and use Buddy Bond to give Wade something else to focus on, but Nate was definitely sure he didn't need to pour MORE TRAUMA straight into his head. God. Okay.

Forget kneeling beside him, he's just going to straddle Wade and hold his face firmly and close to his. Focus on me, just me and my voice.]

Wade, you've done this song and dance before. And yeah, I know pretty damn well. You're not right in the head. And you've probably killed a fuckton of people, whether they deserved it or not. But I'm not letting you wallow in your piss party wonderin' if you're gonna end up as fucked as those ghosts.

You promised we could be better than we were. And I don't think you were just bullshitting to get in my pants, but even if you were, I believed you. I still do.

[maxxximumeffort]

[fffffff]

[whines, his voice cracking again.]

Ffffuucckkk. Fuck you. Fuhuhuck you.

[throws his arms around Nate's shoulders, crushing their lips together and then mostly squeezing him too tight to keep that up.]

Fuck. Suck my dick Nate, I can only play my trauma straight every once and a while!! And you ALWAYS get to say something cool! Don't act like you don't!!

[fiberoptic]

[He can only smile weakly, but hey they can intimately wrap themselves around each other on the ground in front of everyone.]

We both know I'm the cool tough guy. And you're the sensitive romantic that turned my life around.

[Presses his lips against Wade's temple or wherever he can actually reach in this crushing embrace] As long as I'm here, I'm not gonna let you slip.

[maxxximumeffort]

[shuddering breath. and drags himself up to FRANTICALLY KISS HIM SOME MORE.]

[fiberoptic]

[YEAH FUCK IT WE'RE MAKING OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS MINEFIELD OF TRAUMA

SUCK IT!!!

kisses hard against Wade until he's pressed down against the ground, do not let the brain ghost win goddammit]

[maxxximumeffort]

[pins him HARD because he knows Nate is fucked up too and if they can just bash their mouths together enough and if he can literally ground Nate with force they can chase off the misery

He hisses against his mouth]

Turn the Buddy Bond on you hypocritical motherfucker, I wanna feel it.

[fiberoptic]

[Ugh what do you mean you don't want Nate to hole up alone with his feelings and brood, especially right after he told you not to brood. How dare you. Unfair. He grimaced.]

How're you gonna make me?

[maxxximumeffort]

[do you mean pin Nate even harder on the floor. He sounds like gravel.]

What are you, a mutant icy-hot? Don't make me beg. Do it and I promise, I will mercilessly fuck you open until you lose every shred of control you ever thought you had to have and piss yourself. Just all over yourself.

[fiberoptic]

[Growls,] You're disgusting.

[Guess they're both going to fucksville together! He steals one more kiss before the glowing begins, just--

horror and grief like his heart's being ripped out his chest, watching his daughter die, (again? AGAIN!!!) watching the life fade from her eyes and the weight in his arms turns from a person into just a cold, bleeding body. Rage in every direction, but especially at himself - how could he have let this happen?

It was wrong, even the voice that had screamed from between the cracks of his shattered mind knew it wasn't supposed to happen this way. He wasn't fit to be a father, he was choking on every harsh word that might've alienated her. Regret. Self-loathing for his own poisonous anger, his inability to change.

And then the darkness swallowed him up. At that point it was almost a relief.]

[maxxximumeffort]

[ahaha!! haha!! ha. starts sobbing. he clutches Wire's face and grinds their foreheads together.]

Don't you fucking dare turn it off.

[fiberoptic]

[Fine he'll just leave that OPEN WOUND gaping wide for you and all your feelings to crawl into-- Nate squeezes his eyes shut, it's clear from the hitched breathing he's using all his willpower not to sob too. Fuck.]

You're such an asshole... [fuck, they're so fucked up. fuck, he loves you! FUCK.]

[maxxximumeffort]

[croaks, Wade's fury and fear and outright thirst for death getting flooded out and balanced with Wire's emotions. let it all just bleed out and together]

You're a good dad, you dumb fucknut. Best she could ask for in this shithole.

[fiberoptic]

[In a low, loving grumble,]

And you deserve to be alive. And happy.

[maxxximumeffort]

[sobs] You're so fucking gay.

[fiberoptic]

[Nate's voice cracks into a hoarse, weak laugh.]

Says the idiot who's constantly at half-chub.

[maxxximumeffort]

Can you not bring that up right now? There's no X-rated content allowed on the main drag and the line gets real blurry if we start talking about how hard my dick is. This is a safe space for us to get literally skullfucked, not make sweet supportive love to each other. Also, could you maybe threaten to skullfuck me in bed?

[fiberoptic]

[A throaty rumble against Wade's ear,]

Only if I get to tie you up next time.

[maxxximumeffort]

You double-dealing fucksickle. Fine. I guess if you're gonna entertain whatever the fuck just awakened in me, I'll coddle your fatherlord schtick. Out of the generosity of my heart.

[fiberoptic]

I knew I loved you for a reason.

[The self-loathing on Nathan's end was ebbing away, thanks to nothing but the warm feeling he got being around Wade. He made him smile. And laugh. And feel better about his fuckery so some of that was being shared back at him.]