Chapter Text
Registration is now closed
Number of participants: 6
Game: Truth or Dare
Difficulty: 9 of Hearts
Rules
- Each player must complete 5 Dares and answer 5 Truths to complete the game.
- Failure to answer a Truth honestly will lead to Game Over for the player.
- Failure to answer a Truth in the allotted time limit will lead to Game Over for the player.
- Failure to perform a Dare in the allotted time limit will lead to Game Over for the player.
- Each player is allowed one Pass.
- If a player Passes on a Truth then they must accept a Dare in replacement, unless they have already completed their 5 required Dares, in which case they will be given a new Truth question.
- If a player passes on a Dare then they must accept a Truth in replacement, unless they have already completed their 5 Truths, in which case they will be given a new Dare to complete.
- Players are not allowed to assist each other with Dares unless the Dare specifically allows for it.
- If a player’s Dare involves another player, the affected player must comply or it will be Game Over for them and another player will be chosen to take their place.
- Participation in another player’s Dare does not count as a completed Dare for the affected player, only for the player who received the Dare.
- Violence between players is prohibited and will lead to a Game Over for the player causing harm, unless the violence is required by a player’s Dare, in which case they are allowed to harm other players only within the bounds of the Dare’s required actions.
Arisu read the rules over twice, committing them to memory. The implications of them made him feel sick. He’d felt a sense of dread from the moment he’d realized that this was a heart game and the rules only worsened the feeling.
If he had a choice Arisu wouldn’t be here. Unfortunately the Hatter had ordered him to join the group that was playing tonight and Arisu didn’t exactly have the power to say no to him.
There was only one stranger participating. The woman looked to be in her early 40’s and had been standing in the entryway, clutching her registration phone with one of the required collars around her neck, when the group from the Beach arrived. She’d eyed them nervously but had yet to say a word.
The other five participants included Arisu himself, Chishiya, Kuina, Ann, and Niragi. Part of him wished that Usagi was with them. She’d already seen Arisu at his lowest, and there was something about her presence that soothed him. The other part was just glad that he wouldn’t have to be worried about her life being on the line at the cost of spilling her secrets and performing potentially painful and/or humiliating tasks.
“Please proceed through the door to your left,” a robotic female voice directed.
The building was a small art gallery and the door on their left led to a long hallway lined with paintings and plaques. In the middle of the hallway was a cluster of chairs in a circle around a square table. The items on the table had Arisu chewing nervously at the inside of his cheek.
There were items that looked like they were meant for violence on one side, including a hammer, a wickedly sharp butcher's knife, a taser, and was that a bone saw? He shivered in horror.
The other side of the table was covered in sex toys. Fluffy pink handcuffs, nipple clamps, lube, dildos, and a number of other sexual looking objects that Arisu didn’t recognize. Oh god. He did not want to be sexually humiliated in front of these people he’d come to respect. Or Niragi. Or the random stranger.
“So that’s how this game will be going huh,” Kuina said with trepidation.
Niragi was the only one who looked the slightest bit excited. He caught Arisu’s eye and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, flicking out his tongue to show off the silver piercing resting in the center of it. Arisu quickly looked away as he felt himself flushing in embarrassment.
“All players must be seated in the chair with the number matching the player number you’ve been assigned on your phone screen. The game will commence in thirty seconds.”
Each of the chairs had a number painted on the backrest in white. They were in numerical order in a clockwise position.
Arisu looked down at his phone. ‘Player 2’ was listed out in plain black text. He found the chair with the number 2 on it and sat down. Everyone else quickly took a seat as well. He made note of the order of the players.
Player 1: Niragi
Player 2: Arisu
Player 3: Chishiya
Player 4: The Stranger
Player 5: Kuina
Player 6: Ann
He felt distinctly uncomfortable being seated next to Niragi. Sure he was attractive but the militant was loud, violent, and lewd. He seemed to have no filter or shame. Arisu knew he killed people for Aguni and did so with an unhinged amount of glee. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that Niragi scared him.
The countdown moved quickly and thirty seconds passed in the blink of an eye. Arisu tensed as the floor beneath Niragi’s chair lit up. The man himself seemed completely unafraid, leaning forward eagerly.
“Player One, Truth or Dare?”
“Dare,” Niragi said without hesitation.
“Player One has selected ‘Dare’. Your Dare is: Slap a player of your choosing across the face. Time limit: 1 minute. Time starts now.”
Niragi let out a cackle of glee. “Who should I pick? Let’s see.”
He pretended to deliberate, pointing at each of them in turn. “Eeny, meeny, miny, Chishiya.”
Chishiya looked as unruffled as ever as he blinked over at Niragi, hands deep in his jacket pockets.
Niragi stood up and motioned for Chishiya to do the same. After a moment of deliberation Chishiya slowly got to his feet and raised an eyebrow at Niragi.
“I’ve been wanting to smack that stupid smirk off your face since the day we met,” Niragi said.
He stretched his arm back and swung it forward with all his might. The cracking sound of skin on skin was so loud that Arisu winced in sympathy. It jerked Chishiya’s face to the side and when Niragi pulled back there was a red, hand shaped imprint on the other man’s cheek.
“Dare complete,” echoed through the hallway.
Chishiya smirked. “Was that it?”
Niragi’s smile dropped into a snarl. “This was just the start. Take a look at that table. Just wait until I get my hands on that hammer. Or better yet, the…”
“Eight inch dildo?” Chishiya interrupted with amusement.
Niragi spluttered, face flushing with anger, or possibly embarrassment. “What! No! Like I would ever… with you!”
“Players must take their seats,” the cold calm voice directing the game cut off any further ranting from Niragi.
The two men sat back down, Niragi muttering under his breath and Chishiya looking surprisingly pleased for someone with a bruise starting to form across his face. Arisu tensed as the light under Niragi’s chair flickered off and the one under his turned on.
“Player Two, truth or dare?”
He hesitated. He knew he’d have to do the dares eventually but he wasn’t particularly excited to hurt his fellow players at the moment. The longer he could put it off the better.
“Truth.”
“Pussy,” Niragi scoffed.
“Player Two has selected ‘Truth’. Your Truth prompt is: What is your sexuality? Time limit: One minute. Time starts now.”
He stared at the timer on his phone. ‘Straight’ was on the tip of his tongue but the word tasted like a lie so he hesitated to let it pass his lips. He’d never told anyone this, not even Karube or Chota, but he was absolutely certain that if he lied, the game would know and he’d die.
“I like girls,” he said slowly, still staring at the timer to avoid eye contact with anyone else in the room. “But I guess I uh… I like boys sometimes too. So, um, bisexual?”
“Truth complete.”
He felt a bit of tension leave his shoulders as the timer stopped. When he dared to look up from his phone he locked eyes with Kuina who gave him an encouraging smile. A little more tension drained from him at the positive reaction and the lack of vitriol from Niragi that he’d been half expecting. When he hesitantly peeked at the other boy from the corner of his eye he just looked thoughtful, gaze narrowed on Arisu with an intensity that had him quickly looking away.
The light under his seat dimmed and the one under Chishiya’s chair blinked on.
“Player Three, truth or dare?”
“Hmm, dare,” Chishiya decided.
“Player Three has selected ‘Dare’. Your Dare is: Remove one article of clothing. Time limit: One minute. Time starts now.”
Chishiya chuckled. It was so deep that it was almost a purr and for some reason Arisu could feel his cheeks burning at the sound of it. Chishiya reached for the zipper of his jacket and pulled it all the way down. He slid it off his shoulders and pulled his arms from the sleeves before folding it neatly and placing it on the ground next to his chair.
For someone Arisu had never seen perform exercise more strenuous than a light jog, Chishiya was surprisingly fit. He found his eyes following the planes off the other man’s chest before lingering on the hint of a happy trail peeking out of his swim trunks. When he realized he was staring he quickly looked up, only to find Chishiya watching him.
Arisu immediately hunched in on himself in mortification. Chishiya looked amused, maybe a little smug but Arisu was horrified that he’d been caught ogling him only moments after admitting his attraction to boys. Luckily the game moved on quickly, saving him from any teasing he might have received.
“Dare complete.”
The light under the seats moved on to the stranger sitting next to Chishiya. She looked extremely uncomfortable. Arisu couldn’t imagine playing this game with a bunch of strangers that all seemed to know each other. He felt a pang of sympathy and let it distract him from his embarrassment.
“Player Four, truth or dare?”
“Truth,” the woman said quietly.
“Player Four has selected ‘Truth’. Your Truth prompt is: Have you ever cheated on a partner? If so, how many times? Time limit: One minute. Time starts now.”
The woman’s eyes went wide. She wrung her hands nervously for a moment before releasing a heavy sigh.
“Yes,” she said. “Thirty-nine times.”
Arisu’s jaw dropped without his permission. Chishiya looked bored by the answer but Niragi was eyeing the woman curiously and Kuina had her eyebrows raised in surprise. Ann’s mouth was downturned, something like disgust in her expression.
“Truth complete.”
The woman’s gaze flicked up to observe them. She winced a little when her eyes met Ann’s and quickly looked back down at her phone.
The light moved on to Kuina.
“Player Five, truth or dare?”
“Dare,” she said.
“Player Five has selected ‘Dare’. Your Dare is: Using the needle, lighter, and body jewelry provided, choose one player to pierce. You may pierce them in one of the following three locations: belly button, nose, or lip. The player must leave the piercing in until the game is completed. Time limit: Five minutes. Time starts now.”
“Well damn,” she said. “That was an escalation.”
She stood up and approached the table. The lighter was easy to find but it took her a moment to locate the needle and jewelry. She held up a simple silver hoop. Kuina looked around the room. Arisu winced when her gaze met his. He knew he’d look absolutely ridiculous with any kind of piercing. It would clash with his shut-in NEET look.
Luckily she moved on from him quickly and her gaze settled on Niragi. He immediately puffed up like an angry cat.
“Fuck no. You are not coming anywhere near me with a needle.”
“Come on! You’re the only one here that already has facial piercings,” Kuina said reasonably, stabbing the needle in the direction of his face.
“Ya and they were all done by professionals in a sterile fucking environment!” Niragi hissed.
Kuina sighed. “I’m sorry Niragi. I’ll try to be careful, I promise. You’re my choice.”
“Bitch!” he snarled, tensing up as Kuina approached him.
Arisu didn’t want to watch but he felt like he couldn’t look away. It was like seeing a car crash happen in front of him. Morbid curiosity kept his eyes glued to the scene as Kuina flicked open the lighter and held the tip of the needle to the flame.
“Any preference on location?” she asked.
“You’re such an asshole,” Niragi spat. “Lip I guess. I’d look stupid as shit with two nose piercings and belly button piercings are for chicks.”
Kuina snorted at that. “Where on your lip do you want it?”
Niragi thought for a moment before tapping his face to indicate. “My right side.”
Kuina looked a little nervous as she pinched his lip between two fingers. She glanced over at Chishiya.
“Any advice doc?”
Arisu’s brow furrowed in confusion. Doc? Was she being sarcastic? There was no way Chishiya was a doctor was there? He didn’t seem the type.
Chishiya just chuckled. “Nope. Tough guy like him can handle a little pinprick.”
Kuina groaned in annoyance. “Whatever. Niragi just… don’t move ok? It’ll be fine.”
Without any further hesitation she stabbed the needle into Niragi’s skin. He let out a strangled yelp, gripping the edge of his seat so hard his knuckles went white. He winced as Kuina withdrew the needle and hastily jabbed the pointy end of the silver ring into the hole. There was a moment of fumbling as she shut the clasp, fingertips slick with blood before she finally pulled back, looking relieved to be finished.
Niragi cursed up a storm but managed to resist touching the new piercing by keeping his deathgrip on the chair beneath him. He scowled at Kuina but didn’t look as angry as Arisu thought he would be. Lucky for her he supposed.
“Dare complete,” the game said as Kuina laid the needle and lighter back on the table and took her seat.
The light under Ann’s chair turned on.
“Player Six, truth or dare?”
“Truth,” Ann said.
“Player Six has selected ‘Truth’. Your Truth prompt is: On a scale of 1 to 5 rank the players in this room from who you would least want to have sex with to who you would most want to have sex. With 1 being least desired and 5 being most desired. Time limit: Five minutes. Time starts now.”
“Niragi is one,” she said.
Arisu had to bite back a laugh at how quickly she’d made that decision. Niragi was much less amused, immediately leaping out of his chair, the pain of his new piercing apparently forgotten under the face of his indignation.
“What! You’d rather fuck that random-ass old lady than me?!”
“I’m a lesbian,” Ann said blandly. “So yes. I’d prefer just about any woman to a man.”
Niragi froze in shock, his expression completely blank for a moment. For a full five seconds everyone watched him stare at Ann in silence before he threw himself back into his seat, looking a little stunned.
“Arisu would be number two,” Ann continued.
He shrugged at that. He wasn’t surprised he’d rank below Chishiya. The two were executives together so they likely knew each other better than he and Ann did. Not to mention Chishiya was very pretty. He pinched himself when he realized he’d been staring once more. Luckily he managed to look away before being caught again.
“Chishiya would be number three,” Ann said. “Player Four would be number four. Kuina would be number five.”
Kuina made an adorable squeaking sound and immediately buried her face in her hands. The corners of Ann’s mouth twitched up into a tiny smile at the sound and something clicked in Arisu’s brain. Oh. Oh.
“Truth Complete.”
One round down, nine to go. Arisu dreaded to see what was to come if this was the tamest the game got. It could only get worse from here.
