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week five ♡ wednesday ♡ magilou
[he made himself scarce on tuesday.
sometimes, a person needs time to decompress, and save for having checked on fie once the news was going around that mera was missing...
he stayed in his hut.
even as the sun set, he didn't leave. and the night was restless, with little sleep to be had and a lot of stress on his shoulders—a protag will be a protag. a leader will be a leader. akira is absolutely both of those things, and with things coming down to the wire, it's overwhelming to say the least. he's got all too many reasons, and because of that?
he isolates himself a bit. selfishly, and yet also selflessly, because he doesn't like burdening other people with his problems—and maybe a bit because some of the thoughts in his head and things weighing on him are things he doesn't even really know how to talk about.
stupidly, because people don't ever fuss about his problems, akira doesn't really think his presence will be that missed for a day.
whoops.]
sometimes, a person needs time to decompress, and save for having checked on fie once the news was going around that mera was missing...
he stayed in his hut.
even as the sun set, he didn't leave. and the night was restless, with little sleep to be had and a lot of stress on his shoulders—a protag will be a protag. a leader will be a leader. akira is absolutely both of those things, and with things coming down to the wire, it's overwhelming to say the least. he's got all too many reasons, and because of that?
he isolates himself a bit. selfishly, and yet also selflessly, because he doesn't like burdening other people with his problems—and maybe a bit because some of the thoughts in his head and things weighing on him are things he doesn't even really know how to talk about.
stupidly, because people don't ever fuss about his problems, akira doesn't really think his presence will be that missed for a day.
whoops.]
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Get through this. Help anyone.
[ah. there it is. the first piece of the puzzle.
...there's a lot more to unpack though, have fun with this, magilou.]
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[under normal circumstances, and if it were literally anyone else, she'd probably just shrug it off, tell them that she didn't really care how they felt, and be on her way. but these aren't normal circumstances, and he isn't just anyone. and god damn it, she knows she made a bet that he'd break or die before things ended, but that was before all of this. . . this whatever it was, and. . .]
[auuuuugh why does she hurt when he hurts? is this what empathy is? is this what it's like to care about someone-- genuinely care about them, about their happiness and well-being?]
. . . hey. I know I made that bet, but I'm not really ready to collect, you know.
[a light joke, because even now, she can't help it]
What makes you say that, anyway?
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but akira is experiencing something new himself, too. someone... he can trust. trust enough to let his guard down and be vulnerable with.
something he could never do with the phantom thieves, because even though he trusts them with his life, he's their pillar. not the other way around.]
...I couldn't protect them. [he mumbles. sorry about your bet, magilou.
(he'll pick himself up after this, but he needs this moment. unlike velvet, who had her breakdown in a fit of rage, akira's is... despair.)]
None of the ones that mattered most.
[and then, quietly and quite honestly, brokenly?]
...I made it worse. [...
his composure is cracking, though quietly. face pressed against her, magilou might actually feelt that wetness that comes from the sting of tears behind his eyes.
...akira kurusu is definitely a bit of a mess this morning.]
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[it's the other thing that takes her off guard, along with the dampness of tears against her skin. she feels her stomach coil and flip, and her instincts tell her to get the hell out of dodge because she's so not equipped, so not ready for this]
[her grip on his shoulders tightens instead. no, Magilou. don't run from this.]
You're gonna have to elaborate on that, Akira. [it's fine. this is fine. she's fine. she can handle this] . . . how'd you make it worse?
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it's like he's in debate over whether or not he should say anything at all, but... the tightness in his chest won't go away. the guilt he's felt for all this while feels like it could explode.
there are things he knows that he hasn't told her. things he's holding back out of necessity.
but yet...
he doesn't feel like he can say it yet. he draws in a shaky breath, and tries to move away from it.]
I want to end this game right. ["win," obviously.] So I don't—so nobody else has to do this.
[he lets out a quiet sound, almost a laugh, but it's more of a hiss of defeat.
yeah. this is all bad news bear, honestly.]
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[. . .]
[she has something. . . that could maybe help. she made promises-- promises not to tell a single soul, promises to someone she believed in wholeheartedly. but she trusts Akira to keep her secrets (he's done a great job of it so far, and that's an honest thought), and the person to whom she pledged her loyalty could always use more allies]
You know, sometimes I have secrets to tell and I just can't keep them locked up behind by big fat mouth. It's tragic.
[lllightly, again. still trying to joke a little]
There's someone on this island who knows how to end the game right. They're working to do just that, as we speak.
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...
...]
I want to help them.
[he's asking a lot of magilou by saying that. knowing what they need to do—and who it is he needs to try and protect at all costs.
he knows she means the other wickie, but who? who is it?]
If I only do one thing right here, it needs to be that.
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[. . . UGH DID SHE REALLY JUST SAY THAT. how sentimental. how sappy. she's appalled at herself, as true as those words are, for using such a cheesy line at a time like this]
[she moves past it quickly]
I was wrong when I surmised the final Wickie wasn't on our side. They are.
[. . .]
They're going to kill the remaining Sirens. That's how we end this game "the way we want."
[if her word choice sounds weird, it's only because she's echoing what the Wickie told her exactly]
Helping them involves assisting a known killer. If you're willing to do that. . .
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though it's more because right now, he doesn't really feel that way than because he thinks he's gotten anything right. magilou's probably one of the few he feels hasn't actively hurt since he's been here.
some hero he is, huh?
but hey, they can get back to that in a minute or twenty. or never? who knows. for now:]
I'm willing to do that. We need to end this game. If killing the remaining Sirens is what it takes—fine.
[he's desperate to finish this. to stop this farce, to stop people from needlessly dying and killing.]
...And I want to protect them, too. [the wickie. he wants to make sure he doesn't end up doing anything that will put them at risk.]
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[. . .]
[even people with stronger hearts than hers break sometimes, right? Velvet had her moment where she shattered to pieces right before everyone's eyes. she gives him what he wants in hopes that a new goal, that someone new to protect, will re-focus him]
Then no matter how guilty Lucina looks this weekend at the trial, don't vote for her.
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[...
somehow, he didn't expect that it would be lucina. but... it makes sense. she does her best for others, she's strong-willed and fearless. she could handle that sort of burden. and akira knows that she's trustworthy.
it's only natural, he knows, that magilou would want to protect her. they're partners, after all. and akira also trusts magilou not to lie to him about this. so he draws in a breath, nodding, though his face is still buried against her.]
I won't vote for her. However I can help her, I will.
[not that he'd have voted for her anyway, because he doesn't want to sentence magilou to death either, but if lucina is the wickie and she intends to end the game properly—he wants to help do that.
so nobody else has to go through the shit he has.]
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Look at you, managing to pull secrets out of me like you're picking apples from a tree. How irritating.
[she doesn't actually sound bothered by this, though]
Lucina knows who the rest of the Sirens are, so. . . [another exhale] Ugh. I'm no good at motivational speeches. But it wouldn't be fitting for any of us to give in at the eleventh hour.
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...She shouldn't bear it alone.
[it's one hell of an implication, though. he knows he really has no right to step into this, but there are still two sirens left and lucina's hands have been bloodied plenty already.
she shouldn't have to take them out alone when she has allies that will help her and bear the burden.
probably a strange brand of help to offer from a do-gooder, huh?]
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[it is a strange brand of help to offer from a do-gooder, and she knows that just making that offer is probably tearing him up inside. she knows, based on the way he told her that he'd still vote for her if she were guilty, that this game has brought out sides of him that he probably didn't know existed]
[but, hey. murder tends to do that to a person]
[she draws back, reaches for his chin to tilt his head up so she can see his expression]
She has me, and now, you. But our part in this is to make sure she stays alive, okay?
Don't break yourself even more trying to do something that goes against the grain of your heart.
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...but at magilou's last statement, his gaze averts. he won't make eye contact with her. and the next words that come out of his mouth will be a good example of why.]
...It's already too late for that.
[it's barely above a whisper, and that admittance alone is telling. telling of how little he wants to acknowledge it, but also telling of how whatever happened...
it is tearing him up inside, because it does go against his moral fiber and everything he stands for.
and right now, for all he knows that he needs to keep to himself?
for all that he's good at keeping secrets?
for all that he's always been good for not placing his burdens on anyone else?
akira is definitely breaking. he's been breaking for a while now, but the last couple of days have definitely been the last straw and he has no idea how to keep it to himself completely without losing it.]
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[well. maybe it's finally her turn to help him put himself back together again]
[she sees the opening, and takes it]
Akira. What happened?
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he's lost his will to be so secretive. it's one thing to be that way when he's really helping people. as a phantom thief—it was key, but even then, the people close to him all figured him out, because he's cursed with caring too much to the point that it outs him.
...maybe now is really no different.]
Hangmen.
[?]
The final role nobody knew about. Two Hangmen.
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[ah]
[THAT. . .]
[she isn't dumb. she can put the pieces together slowly, one by one, to figure it out]
Charming name for what I imagine is an equally as charming role.
[. . .]
What does the Hangman do?
[she thinks she knows. she asks anyway]
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[he really has no idea how much weight their threats hold. what's true, what isn't. if anything they told him was bullshit, but most of the information he had did line up.
this is risky.
but.
it's too late. now magilou knows this, so he has to take this all the way.]
Hangmen... kill the players that the Chiefs feel aren't playing the game to their liking. They...
[a breath. he's wavering, because he knows. he knows that as soon as he states this clause, magilou is going to figure out exactly what he's done.
he can't really hold himself back completely; this is when he really cracks. tears actually spill properly now—akira's been completely broken by this, doing all he could to hold back just how much it hurt him to have any of this happens.]
They're able to kill people... without risking the lives of their partners.
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[from the moment he named the role, she knew]
Ruby. Mera. [. . . ah] Even Raven.
[quietly, without emotion. her thumb brushes against his cheek, wiping away what she can of those tear tracks]
A cruel role to give to someone so selfless.
[she could've done it, without batting an eye. but hey. . . that wouldn't have been entertaining. Akira, on the other hand?]
[she's certain they thought he was]
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he's the only one who knows what came of her body.]
Ruby—that wasn't me.
[he can admit that. he doesn't want her blood on his hands even if it probably isn't fair. akira leans into her touch—clearly, he needs this. he's a total mess, even if the way magilou handles it is a bit emotionless.
she's doing her best for him right now, even though he's not deserving of it.]
Mera. [he admits, quiet.] She was the other Hangman.
[so not only did he have to kill his teammate, his partner in the game, he also had to kill his role partner. two of the people most important to him. there's a reason why magilou is the most important person he has left.
there's a reason why he's felt so much guilt. there's a reason why he's crumbling, falling apart at the seams, why he tries to choke back a sob. actually admitting this out loud, his role, the risks, the people's killed with his own two hands—he was never meant for this.
killing goes against everything he believes in. so isn't it natural that with mera gone, all that's left is for him to find a way to end the game and save everyone he's hurt? the people he hurt by taking their lives, the people he hurt because they lost precious friends and family—
still, there's even more to unpack that fuels his guilt, but he can only go one step at a time. he's never been good at talking about himself, and admitting all of this is kind of sickening, really.]
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[distantly, she realizes her reaction is a bit emotionless. of course it is. that's how she works. but she wants to give something, to try to repay everything he has given her]
. . . I killed Laphicet.
[she says quietly and blandly. it's. . . well. they talked about Laphicet after the trial, and while she knows that following Sunday night was Akira trying to give her support, she never really talked about how taking Laphicet's life had actually hurt. how it felt like she was killing off a part of her newly restructured heart]
[so. . . it might not be much. it might be bland, and it might seem like a non-sequitur. but it's her attempt at empathizing. she knows how it feels]
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in magilou's own way, she's trying to support him. she's showing empathy, she's showing what akira already knew—that magilou was devastated by having to kill laphicet. he'd known that, and it was why he tried to push down his own feelings to be her pillar on saturday and sunday.
but he's been suffering through this. his grip tightens on her a bit—slowly, it's all going to spill.
because akira needs it.
this release, it's what he needs to carry him through and finish this game.]
At least you can live... knowing Laphicet was prepared. That he wanted you to.
[even though akira had almost stepped in to take that burden from her, hard as it would have been.]
Raven...
[he laughs, almost bitter. bitter and despairing.] She spit at my feet and told me I didn't deserve to see Haru again.
["told," really, she mouthed the words for him to decipher, but:]
She's not wrong. [he's a mess.] I don't want to face her again. Haru. But I want to save her.
[the words just start spilling out of his mouth now, because there's no way to hold them back.] She's in limbo. She's different from everyone else we can save.
[he wants to save haru more than anything, even at the cost of other people's lives, it seems. for the phantom thieves, he would anything. even kill.
but akira stops himself there, like he doesn't really know how to proceed. he holds a little tighter to magilou—who would have guessed things might have ended up like this? where his guilt led him to confess all his sins to a person who originally couldn't have cared less whether people lived or died? but he wants to save magilou. lucina. lief and yona, prussia—everyone alive by removing whatever keeps this game afloat. and he wants to save people like raven and mera, the innocents who were wrongly convicted, laphicet—and haru, of course.
there's no way for him to take back what he's done, or what he still might have to do. all akira can do is try to fight on the right side and fix this. rectify things, even if someone like raven (and probably bellamy) never forgive him for what he's done.]
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You know, I don't think that's something for Raven or anyone but Haru herself to decide. [whether she'd want to see Akira again, that is] But hey-- that's just me.
[. . . ah. she's becoming a bit too flippant again, losing hold of the comfort she had been trying to give. she tries to get herself back on track]
How is she different? [. . .] Are there different conditions for rescuing her?
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[he's a bit hard on himself, but he doesn't think raven is wrong, anyway. he doesn't feel deserving of seeing haru again, of seeing the phantom thieves, of leading them.
he'd been falsely accused of murder before.
now he is a murderer, one who acted out of selfish desire.
he needs a minute though, to try and collect himself enough to reply to magilou properly.]
...I don't know. They said... she's "stuck." She's not with the others because she wasn't... supposed to be here. And that if I want to save her...
[a breath.]
I have to... "work hard."
[murdering. participating. playing stupid about his role in the game.]
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