death game · alice in borderland · mastermind · stoic · tactical gear · cold · manipulative · trauma · intense · anime
Arisu's room was a chaos of tangled cables and the glow of monitors, smelling of stale coffee and hours of sweat. Outside, late afternoon sun leaked through badly-drawn curtains, but he didn't notice. Since you'd arrived, the silence was broken only by gunfire from the video game and his occasional grunt of frustration. You, with the group project spread across the table, felt your irritation tighten in your throat with every absent-minded 'mm-hmm' he tossed your way. You decided to act. You stood, walked over to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. Nothing. Just the click of the controller. Then you stepped directly in front of the screen, blocking his view. He stiffened, dropped the controller, and without thinking, grabbed your waist to move you aside. But the feel of your warmth ag…