[𝕐 + 𝕐]

[attr="class","body"]There’s this look in her eye that Yaoyao gets sometimes. A sparkle, one might say. A glimmer, even. A gleam. And no - if you ask her about it, chances are she probably won’t say shit. Chances are even better that she’ll tell you to mind your own business. Chances are best that she’ll ignore you having the audacity to question her entirely.

Unless, of course, you’re one of the incredibly rare few people she likes. And to one specific person, she might as well just be an open book.

The fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on who you ask) person in question — Kei Hada, currently being excitedly tugged at while they progress through the line for Yaoyao’s very own, very first Haunted House experience in the heart of Tokyo.

“This is gonna be so. Good.” Unsettling to most, cute to maybe 2 people in the whole world, Yaoyao’s teeth are set in a grin so sharp and wide it’d make even a daredevil think twice. She squeezes Kei’s arm in her own, anticipation vibrating through her whole body — she’s never been to one of these before, not herself, but oh, she knows the stories. She’s seen clips, videos, vlogs. She’s learned so much.

Learned that watching people scare themselves shitless over props and masks made of rubber and paint is the most hilarious thing in the world, that is.

Gotta get in her mandated dose of teasing before they actually head in, though — which is why she leans in and whispers: “Don’t you worry, birdie. I’ll protect you from the big bad make believe actors.” Right, of course, as they’re about to head inside.

Kei Hada

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[Kei Hada]

So here's the thing- Kei loved Halloween. He loved decorating places with creepy moving contraptions and cotton cobwebs; always had fun with the rare occasion to go all out on costumes. And the candy of course was no less important.

The thing however was the scares always accompanied the holiday. Jumpscares, whether it be from plush critters dropping from the ceiling or masked actors with plastic knives popping out of the bushes. Why people decided to take that part of the holiday and put it in an attraction in an otherwise exciting amusement park was beyond him.

But Yaoyao was excited for the haunted house, so really, who was he to take away such an experience from her?

Kei did his best to keep pace with her, lest he fell flat on his face before they even made it in the building. "Yaaay-" came his response to her excitement, noticeably more hesitant and shaky with the prospect of being scared out of his wits in his mind. There was no hiding it- his heart had always been weak to that sort of thing.

But he was soothed somewhat by his partner's words in his ear, said to rile him up but honestly he just knew she was telling the truth. It was silly, but he genuinely believed she was going to protect him from whatever will happen inside. So a laughed bubbled up as he fell into the teasing, hoping he could relax with it. "My hero. I trust you to fight them off okay?"

And then came the darkness from being inside. Kei gulped, his pulse already rising again.

Oh boy.

𝕐 + 𝕐

[𝕐 + 𝕐]

[attr="class","body"]There it is. The doors shut behind them with an ominous clang (metal doors, duh). Darkness falls over the both of them (what kind of haunted house would it be if all the lights were on?). Somewhere in the distance, an ominous wail echoes through the air (definitely a recording). The walls around them drip slowly with some sort of ominous dark liquid (which is so obviously corn syrup, come on). Rubble and debris litters the ground, furniture askew, a worn and broken table off to the side (props, props…. ooh, a body). Around the corner, their only way forward, fog creeps across the ground. But is it a warning, or is it beckoning them forward?

It’s probably a smoke machine, but eh. She’s seen better. At least she didn’t come here for quality. Any moment now, they’ll be able to make out what she’s really looking forward to.

With a gentle tug of his hand, Yaoyao pulls Kei along, lazily examining their surroundings as she goes. “C’mon, baobao, I hear something this way.”

Around the corner and down the hall, footsteps creak behind them — and then something in the dark whooshes past (a prop in soaked bandages on a trigger release string - that better have been clean water, if Kei gets sick she’ll sue). 

But come on, really, Dream World? More like Snooze World. Do better.

Kei Hada

[newclass=.body b]color:#5a43d2[/newclass]

[Kei Hada]

And so it began. Kei's - well, he couldn't call it the worst all things considered but he's still not fond of it - nightmare.

He found himself jumping at every little noise as they walked through the halls, from the clang of doors closing to the swish of cloth billowing in a mysterious breeze. It wasn't pitch black but it was hard to see certain things- and was it always cold in the room or was it just him? Something wet touched his arm and he let out a yelp, squeezing himself against Yaoyao in an attempt to get away from whatever that was. "Are we at the end yet?" Kei please, you're literally at the entrance.

Wiping away at the wetness with his forearm - he couldn't trust that it was safe to touch with his hands - he moved his hold on her hand to her arm, practically clinging to her as creaks echoed too close for his liking. "No seriously, how big is this place you think?" He wasn't sure how much more he could take when he was already yelling at mere touches.

𝕐 + 𝕐

[𝕐 + 𝕐]

[attr="class","body"]“Aww, baby.” He’s so cute. She pulls him even closer to her side, nice and snug and safe, and lays an adoring smooch to his forehead. Can’t help but laugh a little, though — ’are they at the end yet’? “The building didn’t look all that big. Won’t take too long to get through, just stay close and we’ll be outta here in no time.” Her poor, poor baobao. Maybe they should just find the exit, and she’ll come back in by herself to enjoy the chaos without Kei having to develop grey hairs early outta stress.

Just as she’s set her mind to do just that, though, things finally get interesting — they round another corner, and then start the screams. Running footsteps, shrieks of fear and delight, laughter and yelps and screaming and curse-words, howling and groaning as zombies and clowns (actors) chase people through the halls and in and out of rooms.

To Yaoyao, this is the most hilarious thing she’s ever seen. Give her a bag of popcorn and she could camp out here all day.

For Kei, though…………………

Kei Hada

[newclass=.body b]color:#5a43d2[/newclass]

[Kei Hada]

Kei was having a terrible time.

It's many things he was afraid of, stashed in a fun house that derived joy out of scaring people. Things appearing out of thin air. Noises he couldn't discern the source of. Walking into stuff he couldn't see.

He's trying to brave through it, he really was. All the screeches and groans were supposed to add to the ambience. Creepy factor. Whatever. And with Yaoyao's kiss and reassurance he may just survive this ride without embarrassing himself. Well, more than he already had been.

But then came a grip on his wrist that was too tight for his liking. It wasn't Yaoyao's hand- her arm was around his shoulders, there to keep him close. No, it was someone else's hand.

Kei turned slowly. And above him stood a ski-masked figure, butcher's knife held high above his head.

The common sense he was supposed to have to remember the weapon was fake? Non-existent. He didn't have time to think- he was already gone, running from the actor and his girlfriend both. His scream trailed him on his way out.

𝕐 + 𝕐

[𝕐 + 𝕐]

[attr="class","body"]See, here's the thing. All this spookery? Fake as hell. Yaoyao knows that. The fog's spitting out of a smoke machine, the blood is corn syrup, the bruises and decay are makeup, the zombies are actors and the bandages are paper maché and toilet paper at best. All this crap was fake. A bare-bones budgeted-down poor man’s exorcist act. That’s not the issue. 

The issue is this:

Something grabs Kei. She feels it because she feels him go still as a rock and because she was holding him first, thanks. And that something scares him. Her baobao, her birdie, her sweetheart. Makes him panic. Makes him run. Makes him scream.

So yeah. Of course she does what she does. What else is a Yaoyao to do? Something made her baobao afraid. She doesn’t need to think, she doesn’t need to look, she doesn’t need to calculate or weigh her choices. That's kiddie shit. That's for people with gelatin for their spines and less conviction than a thimble.

Without thinking, without taking a second to rationalize what’s actually happening, without even turning to see what the hell just accosted her poor boyfriend and scared the living daylights out of him on purpose -- quick as a whip, a fist snaps out through the darkness and CRACK!

The actor guy? Oh, he's on the ground, curled up and clutching his definitely busted nose, cursing and crying up a storm. Who could blame him? His nose is busted, and the nutcase responsible had a look on her face that would’ve put the fear of god and Satan into even the most hardened and grizzled veteran alive, what the hell, who let her in here—

Said nutcase, though, yeah, she’s halfway through the building. Gotta go chase down her poor frazzled boyfriend before he runs into something and actually gets hurt... the dork.

Kei Hada

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[Kei Hada]

He hadn't gone far really.

Unfortunately it was because he did hurt himself- tripped on some cotton webbing in a section meant to be walked through, not ran through. A groan escaped him as he laid on the ground. "Ow..."

It wasn't until his girlfriend caught up with him that he was brought up to stand, him rubbing his chest to soothe the ache from the impact. They made their way through the rest of the haunted house without further incident thank god.

He felt bad about ruining the experience for her, apology already on the tip of his tongue but Yaoyao was quicker on the draw with a press of her finger on his lips. Because, as always, she'd have none of his misplaced guilt. They could just get some ice cream which Kei was more than thankful for the offer. It wasn't until later that he'd hear about what happened after he ran, and the ban that resulted from it.

Whoops.

𝕐 + 𝕐

[Matsu]

[googlefont=Quicksand]

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[attr="class","likedotitle2"]Approved

[attr="class","likedoinfo"]

I think Kei had a great time. 10/10 do it again

+75 Tokens for Kei Hada
+75 Tokens for 𝕐 + 𝕐

PHARAOH LEAP.

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