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TDM 008: A WALK IN THE THEME PARK
| TDM 008: A WALK IN THE THEME PARK |
00. Arrival This time, you come out of the water, the Nameless Island's own inherent energy drawing people in. It's like being suspended between realities and abruptly pushed from behind through a rift in dimensions. It may make you sick, or that might be the motion of the ocean, lifting you to the surface and carrying you to shore. Waterlogged and covered in sand, new arrivals will be greeted by robots who welcome them with towels and bracelet devices. The A5 card is already loaded up. Feel free to explore the Island, though there isn’t much to see. Most of the buildings are abandoned and in dire need of repair, and beyond the city lingers a thick fog that obscures much of the wilderness from view. Wander too far into this fog, and you will find yourself mysteriously looping back to where you began, your memories of what you were doing and how you got there erased. With that in mind, it may be wise to stake your claim on a rundown apartment, a tent on the beach, or a bed in the “comfortable” new barracks. Your inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home. I. SIX FLAGELLANTS Welcome, one and all, to a thrilling new location! Robots have worked tirelessly to build, from the ground up, what can only be recognizable as an amusement park. You are just in time for the grand opening of Six Flagellants: Great Advagtures! The Ferris Wheel routinely stops when lovebirds reach the top, waiting for a kiss - or something more daring! - before it starts up again. Robots warn of the scary Haunted House: a dark building with wall-to-wall creeps, and hot and cold running chills. Flickering ghosts roam the halls, and you may find an eerily realistic Headless Horseman -- who bids you, "Come closer. Give me head," while pointing to yours. Hey, get your mind out of the... Nevermind. The Carousel is a two-story affair. Nude figures with familiar faces lounge about, waiting to be ridden, and closer inspection proves that they have the faces of your fellow islanders. Hop on your favorite person and take them for a spin! There are even Bumper Cars, which have the interesting effect of making one feel more aroused with every bump and impact. (It's randomized each time, so don't try to guess based on car color!) What should be a similar ride, the Teacups, has the robots' madness written all over it instead. They have misunderstood the gentle spin-cycles for dangerous, dizzying loop-the-loops across a wide track. Some would swear that the ride has a supernatural invocation for fear. Others are simply man enough to admit they're afraid. Lastly, the Tunnel of Love is not what you expect. Although flavored lube and guides to cunnilingus are on each fleshy-log-shaped boat, the motion of the ocean is quite soothing, and there's a pleasant floral scent in the air that causes a light intoxication. Don't forget to try the food! Similar to the Street Kiosks, there's a ton of faire food: cotton candy, corn dogs, and the like. Mascot outfits are available and those who wear them will be rewarded generously with credits. II. LIKE A FIREWORK The next morning, you receive a message on your device: You are cordially invited to a celebration of skinship at the House of Worship. Please do not dress for the occasion. If asked about it, the robots will confirm that is not a specific holiday, but a simple joyous event. If you pry, they may even say that the Old Ones often made merry and partook in the pleasures of the flesh - and so too should you. For an hour, there will be food and drink - alcoholic and aphrodisiac. Then, at the designated time, once the sun has gone down, clothes will be shed and a revelry begun. As fireworks explode overhead, the different colors send the naked senses reeling:
A group shower will be provided after the festivities wind down. III. MISTLETOE Many cherub dragons can be found gathering together in the Greenhouse, working together to finish the cultivation of a new plant. They spend an exhaustive night decorating the island with the new greenery, which can soon be identified as mistletoe. You may think it's sweet of them, but don't get caught underneath one of these sprigs! Standing under the dragon's mistletoe will cause sensory deprivation - and of course, the only way to regain what was lost is to indulge in an Auspicious Act. (You may choose whichever sense you like, or even choose to be figurative, such as "the sense of reason" or "a sense of purpose.") N A V I G A T I O N |
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"You're safe."
Of course he'd say something like that. That's how he is. It'd also be like him to be rightfully angry at Nao for what he's done here. Nao is half-tempted to text somebody, pull up a video, and ask them if they're seeing what he's seeing, but he's not looking to be labeled as the "crazy guy" on this island so he refrains from doing so.
The greater surprise is just how at loss for words Nao is. He ought to answer the questions, about the robot and be prepared to answer the same questions he had when he first arrived here. Instead he answers it with his own question, half torn between wanting to be happy to see the one person he's been dying to see again...but also ready to scream at whoever else for messing with his head like this. ]
Are you for real? [ He reaches out, hand appearing under the sleeves of his oversized sweater. It's been a very weird month for him, okay? ]
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what's happening here?
he comes up closer, reaching to close the distance between them as he takes his hand, his own fingers cold from the seawater but distinctly warming up. he squeezes nao's fingers in his, concerned. ]
Yeah, I'm real. [ why is he even asking that? ] What's wrong? What happened?
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His eyes are still shut to keep the tears in when he dares to pull away, hugging Taichi fully and hiding his face in other's shoulder. Because if he looks up, or even answers the questions, then there'd be somebody else there or something, right? Or nobody at all?
Just let him have this. ]
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taichi doesn't resist when nao practically leaps into his arms and kisses him, that soft, sweet mouth pressed against his own. he's kissing him back after a few moments, alarm bells still ringing in the back of his mind.
but then the kiss ends (too quickly), and nao clings to his wet, waterlogged body, and taichi gives him a gentle squeeze before he's gently trying to extricate his boyfriend. ]
Hey, I'm really wet, you're going to catch a cold. [ he says softly, warmly, unable to shake off the very real feeling that something's wrong, that in the few minutes he'd lost him, something big's happened. ]
Hey --
[ he's gently coaxing nao to look up at him, hands coming to cup his face, intent on tilting it up. ]
Nao, hey... I'm here, and I'm real. What's happened to you?
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Also Taichi, Nao should be the one to warn him about catching a cold. (Because after enduring a haunting blizzard what else is there?
Don't...don't answer that, game.) But it's just as well that he stays quiet to collect himself more, because even if he actually manages to say "nothing, I'm glad you're here" - it wouldn't be convincing if he said it between stupid sobs.He puts his glasses back on, noting that Taichi is still here and intends to keep it this way, as if gripping his hand like the way he is now is supposed to do that. ]
I've...missed you and - [ come on, and he sinks back into Taichi's arms again, not caring about the wetness just yet ] It's been almost a month since I was gone.
[ Bits of his cheerfulness is returning though, because if there's anything he's good at, it's bouncing back ] A month without you is...seriously the worst thing ever. I think they knew that or something, and brought you here too.
[ So much for logic, but it'll make sense in due time. He'll explain, gladly, after he thoroughly meets his hugging-boyfriend quota that he's definitely ben missing. ]
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-- wait, what?
taichi takes a few long moments to process what he's hearing because of the sheer illogical, impossible nature of it. one: that nao misses him. two: it's been a month since he's been gone. three: who the hell is they?
after a few moments, however, something in his brain short-circuits, because there's no way to explain any of this. so he just looks down at him, baffled. ]
What? I just saw you minutes ago. I just won Mr S University and confessed to you in front of everyone, remember? And we were walking down the street...
[ he gestures to his still-bruised cheek. ah, the band-aids must have fallen away in the water. okay, whatever.
but no, wait. that doesn't explain the change of clothes and the crying. also he's pretty sure nao's getting really wet. ]
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Right, some folks here are from space, others are from the 80's, and Nao's met at least one from the Taisho period so who's the say they wouldn't take someone a few weeks in the past? At least Nao's continued exasperation at the weird isekai-esque situation is keeping him mostly grounded, and helps clears his head here. ]
Let's... [ He starts to walk off, and definitely not letting go of Taichi's hand. ] Let's go back to my place. [ Nao has a place, let that sink in. ] I'll try to explain everything but you have to promise to not think I'm crazy or... [ they need to get out of the cold winds and into a less-cold indoor space, so he doesn't stop making his way towards the apartments, but the glance he gives to Taichi is anything but passing ]
...don't disappear on me okay? [ He's not being accusatory, but still pleading if not to Taichi then to whoever is listening and has control of who goes and stays. In virtually every manner of speaking, Taichi never left. Even if he does, Nao knows it wouldn't be out of his accord. ]
We're almost there. It's not the nicest place, but I had help with the clean up.
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this place is like nothing he's ever seen, there are no landmarks familiar to him, not even the model types of the strange robots or the bracelet that's now around his wrist.
but he follows him, unsure of what to think except that he's entirely lost. ]
All right.
[ that seems like the best move to make right now, because when it comes right down to it, he trusts nao to tell him the truth -- didn't they promise that just now, that they would be more open and transparent with each other? he's trying not to think too hard on just how he'd managed to get himself a place and clean it up, or get help, or whatever in the scant minutes that they had been apart. ]
...Nao. None of this makes sense.
[ he only speaks up when they reach nao's place, taking in his unfamiliar surroundings and finding nothing he can connect to. where are they? ]
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He grabs for a clean towel and hands it for Taichi to dry himself, and gestures at where he keeps his own clothes for the other to wear for now. Probably good that Nao has clothing picks where he had opted to size up - hilarious as it would be to see him in his skinny jeans. come to think of it, if Taichi is still here then he should be getting his own things soon too. That, there's that. He'll hold off dumping his entire waterworks until that happens because that's the closest to a guarantee he can get.
Of course, not like Nao can always hold himself back. He waits for Taichi to change (and of course, stares at what he's been missing all this time) before he starts off with his experience here, beginning with his own arrival, meeting people from all over the place - not just from different countries but also timelines and places that don't even exist where they're from, and such whacky things that they'd only find in some manga or light novel. Still with him, Taichi? ]
...so, like how there are guys here from the 80's, you're from...I guess a few weeks before me, from what you said earlier. [ Assuming Taichi doesn't have other questions just yet (hell, maybe he does because it does sound like a movie they've watched together at some point), Nao's going to scooch over to rest his head on Taichi's shoulder to ask a question of his own. They'll get to the bracelet thing in a sec. ]
Uh, so...where did we end up, before you woke up here?
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he takes in the apartment, the personal items, the very obvious sign that nao lives here, and he listens to nao laying it all out as he gets dressed, staring down at the bracelet on his wrist and the a5 that shines out in it.
it's... quite something, all right. but now that he's warm and dry (although no less rattled), he sinks into the couch with him and keeps him tucked under his arm. how in the world did nao and he manage to come at different times? is there even an answer to that aside from some convoluted sci-fi movie theory?
but nao is serious, and taichi only relaxes when the other man's tucked against him, safe as he should be. ]
I'm not sure. I think we were headed towards a... love hotel? You said it's been awhile, so...
[ man, it really has been awhile. ]
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That finally gets Nao to laugh, peering up at Taichi from his shoulder with that grin that only a gremlin like Nao can pull off.
And yeah, it really has been a while for the both of them, technically. ]
Pfft... Hmm~ Are you saying you came here, just before - [ don't say "you came" that's way too easy and Nao hasn't earned that right to spew jokes at that level ]
Haha, how do I know you're not making that up and just wanting to do it again? [ That's an unfair question. Why wouldn't Taichi want to do it again? But he misses teasing him like this, even if...it means that Taichi doesn't know then, that their families and friends know about them now, and that the ones that really matter to them have accepted them. Is that something he should disclose? He hasn't read enough sci-fi crap to feel confident one way or the other. Maybe it's too soon to break that out when the guilt that has been punching him in the guts hasn't stopped. ]
...there's another thing I need to tell you about.
[ Suddenly, he raises his head from Taichi's shoulder but doesn't leave his side. The look he has is serious, which would make what he says next sound like they're in some laughable hentai scenario. But. It's the truth. For Nao, of all people, to be able to say this with a straight face says a lot. ]
There's no not-weird way to put this.
Taichi, this island? It runs on sex.
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he sees the gremlin that is his boyfriend now, and he can't help but smile despite the dire situation, colour high on his cheeks when nao teases him -- now this is something he finds familiar, welcome. in the midst of all the impossible things that shouldn't happen, nao is a refreshing bastion of playful sanity, and he finds himself winding an arm around him to keep him close. ]
That's not fair. I haven't even done it yet.
[ he murmurs, but then he sobers up when he sees the look on his face. yeah, this really sounds like a hentai in the making. are there cameras? ]
How?
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I don't even know how to explain it...there's a supercomputer called the Augur that runs the place and thinks ~eros energy~ will help rebuild this world... [ Nao's tone just deflates at just how asinine it all sounds and this is Naoto - who has survived saying plenty of stupid things before! This takes the cake! All of it! ]
I guess I shouldn't say it "thinks" because it...it's right? Some of the people who have been here longer [ and have done uhh a lot more ] live in much nicer places. [ He hasn't even brought up the sex bingo crap yet as this is already a lot to take in, but he hopes Taichi can see that Nao hasn't done much for himself here given his own passable living conditions. The blond frowns now, feeling dirty for hoping such a thing given the very few acts he had to commit...
Hell, it doesn't matter the number. What matters is that there was even one occurrence.
No more secrets, that's what they promised each other. ]
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and so he takes in everything that nao tells him, frowning thoughtfully. it really does take the cake, doesn't it? all of it sounds absolutely insane, but taichi has an abundance of proof before him that tells him that all of it is unfortunately real.
nao's new oversized clothes are tighter on him, and his surroundings... well. ]
...so, if you have sex, you live in better places. [ he says at last. this place... this place isn't bad, and something cold tightens around his stomach, threatening to squeeze. he's putting two and two together. ]
Is this place something every new arrival gets?
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Nao's feeling the vibe that Taichi's feeling now that he's starting to see a clearer picture of how it works here. Naturally, Nao tries to make light of the situation despite what he wants to tell him makes him feel anything but. ]
Haha, getting ideas on a new house already, Taichi? [ Gosh, now that Taichi is here, it makes the A5 fulfillment more bearable. Maybe. Some of the things here are very dubious even for Nao, or too embarrassing to try. Then again, Taichi's too good at persuading him.
That is, if he even wants anything to do with Nao after he shows him his A5, which Nao does. ]
You'll get one of these too. Everyone's a little different so it's probably random... [ Nao looks away now as he presents the screen to him. As if he would pick these out himself. ]
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so... they're supposed to do all this, and get gifts. like seaworld but with sex and people instead of dolphins.
okay.
he looks closer, however, and frowns at the little mark on one of the options. ]
Hey, Nao. What's this over here? On the phone sex option?
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The one thing Nao wants the least is for Taichi to hate him. ]
Whenever you finish doing any of these acts, the squares get marked off.
[ He's not looking away, instead stares at that stupid circle that makes his stomach churn. ]
Taichi...
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-- he's pulling away from him, the sharp hurt of betrayal cutting deep and sudden. ]
You marked this off with someone else.
[ someone who isn't him. in that moment, all taichi can think of is him and that mystery person -- whoever he or she is, who gets to hear his breathless voice, the sweetest whines, who gets to be teased and wanted. who isn't him. ]
Nao, what the hell --
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In both scenarios, Taichi was always on his mind. He still is. Taichi has every right to be upset but Nao doesn't want them to break up again after being separated for this long. ]
I didn't want to. [ He's trying to keep his composure even as he turns to look at Taichi's in the eyes this time. Of course he doesn't last, tears already at the corners of his eyes. ] Something happened to my body where...there was an aphrodisiac in something I ate.
I tried to wait it out, even touched myself. [ I thought of you. ] But...it wasn't going away after a few hours and it really started to hurt. A friend called me to check on me and talked me through it...it worked, but it didn't mean anything. [ He cannot emphasize that enough, despite how it sounds. ]
He was just trying to help.
[ God, he can barely wrap his head around it himself. Imagining Taichi touching alone wasn't enough, but listening to Ignis telling him how Taichi would ahve touched him if he was there did the trick? ]
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how does he react to this, what is he supposed to say? he's smart enough to realise that the rules are different here, even if he hates it, but his chest is tight and taichi is stricken, sickened by the revelation. ]
Talked you through it? He helped you come?
[ that nao clearly hadn't been willing is something that taichi recognises, too, but oh, he needs some time to think about this, all of this. ]
sorry for word vomit :x
Taichi.
[ Nao scoots to close the distance between them again, but if other moves away...well, he supposes he deserves it. If he hadn't eaten that cookie then they wouldn't even be having this conversation. Taichi's back and his own oversight hurt him. ] I'm not going to ask you to stop being mad at me. [ After what Taichi went through with his family? The circumstances that led up to his parents' divorce? No, Nao doesn't expect forgiveness this time, painful as it is. That's two people in Taichi's life that let him down and Nao just had to be the other one. ]
I told him I didn't want him or anyone over, but...it hurt a lot, so he helped me by...getting me to talk about you. That worked, somehow. [ As he says this, cheeks hot from embarrassment even more from guilt, he sounds just as confused as the other might be at the sound of that, but he is being truthful.
Nao doesn't hesitate to grasp for Taichi's hand with both of his this time. He's been looking at his ring more often than he ever as and still has it kept on. ]
...I know everything sounds stupid, especially me. I'm still trying to make sense of it all. [ The next words are spoken with a lot more certainty. ] But you were always always on my mind since I got here. I don't think there's anyone I've talked to that doesn't know I have someone I already love. He knows too. [ He told Ignis a good amount about his life, probably more than he should have? But he trusts that man and still does. He needed to talk it out anyway. For Taichi it may have been seconds ago but for Nao, it still has been almost a month of being apart. The thought of that barely processes his mind just now, as his vision starts to get wet and blurry. ]
I'm sorry. [ The only thing really keeping Nao from sobbing is his own anger towards himself. They've said and done really hurtful things to each other but this is the worst Nao has ever felt. Even he starts to feel like he's talking to much. ]
I really messed up and I know you're hurt because of me. Y-you don't have to forgive me but please believe me when I say that I've never stopped thinking about you.
asdkjhf i love this T_T
he takes a deep breath, parsing the information he's received and fighting the urge to simply rage, to take it all out on something, anything, because nao is in pain and it's clear that he's wretchedly, painfully lonely. that nao has been talking about him to everyone he knows on this fucked up island is a small comfort, and the fact that somehow he had phone sex by talking about him is the only reason why taichi isn't out that door right now.
he has to listen. they're in a weird, weird world, and nao is only trying to survive. he looks down at the a5, his own and nao's, and takes another deep breath.
calm. he has to stay calm. he shifts then, and after a few more moments, reaches out towards him. he's always hated seeing nao like this, and after the many times he had left him heartbroken and wrecked, taichi knows he doesn't want to do it again. ]
Okay.
[ he says finally. ] I believe you.
[ and he does, because how can he not? it's just... all of this is weird. ] This world... it's really messed up. All of these things -- [ he gestures to the apartment around them, something clicking into place, the realisation that this could be bigger than the both of them. ] If you hadn't done it, would you still be out there in the cold? I saw some of those shitty houses.
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Y-yeah, you said it. [ The way how the island operates and how it seems to be able to do so much and yet be incredibly unhelpful at the same time is mind boggling. Just thinking about the list of things he's learned is exhausting him already. He'd very much rather focus on what matters and it's the man in front of him. ]
This place was up for grabs from the start. It didn't look any different from those houses but I had some help with the clean up, and they did supply us with the bare necessities. [ That reminds him...his stomach nearly sinks again but this definitely isn't as devastating as what they just talked about. ] One of the residents was nice enough to get some amenities for everyone and I needed soap so, I had to kiss him on the cheek. But that's all! It's because I didn't have anything to give him in return. [ He hasn't even asked for a reward for the square he has completed because he's been avoiding to look at the A5 until now. ]
The folks who've done a lot more live in nicer places. Some of them even offered to let me stay with them but I told them no. [ Not because he thinks they'd try anything on him, far from that. He's just not one to freeload at that level. It's not like stealing a French fry from your boyfriend's plate, for one. ]
...what's the point in having a nice place if you're not with me, anyways?
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nao had been lonely without him, even though taichi had been with him up until he ended up here. nao, by some bizarre, unnerving timeloop, had clearly been here for as long as he said he had, and the knowledge of that haunts him, as is the fact that he knows so much about this place.
taichi wraps his arms around him after a moment, pressing his face into the crook of his neck with a quiet sigh as he quells his own wild, wild jealousy. he never wants anyone else to touch him, to hold him the way he does. but what he wants and what is clearly happening here are two different things.
it occurs to him, too, that there is a chance that either one of them might be stuck on this island one day, with the other gone. ]
...I want you to be happy. [ he says quietly, finally. that's all it is -- he loves nao so much, so very much. he looks over at the a5, frowning. ] We can do all this for better stuff, right? You need to be in a better house than this.
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I'm happy now that you're here. [ As if he can't cling to Taichi any harder to prove it. The smell of salty ocean air aside, he's already feeling lighter than he's ever been in his arms like this. He pulls away with a smile he's managed to put on. Taichi's always thinking about him and his happiness... ]
Mmm! I don't think my place is that bad! I mean, it's better than most bachelor pads right? Well, not yours...
- anyway...! [ He leans his body weight to push Taichi down. Hard to pull off the sexy look when he just about near bawl his eyes out but he's trying. ] I don't care about the A5 stuff right now. I just want you.
[ He starts to push the shirt off him. knows he just gave Taichi the clothes but now he wants them off...! ]
At first I thought it sucked that you didn't know what we did at the love hotel...or the hot springs. [ It still kind of does, but it does inspire some creativity. He leans over to kiss him way more hungrily than he's ever been, wanting that shirt off right now. ]
Want me to show you?
[ See, Taichi's smart. Taichi's already thinking of the possibility of one of them leaving and the other staying, while that hasn't crossed Nao's tunnel vision mind at all. ]