Chapter Text
“Hello and thank you for joining us, I'm Jungle's fourth King, Munakata Reisi....”
“And I'm Jungle's Fifth King, Fushimi Saruhiko....”
“Today we will be doing a King vs. King play through,” Reisi smiled as he adjusted his headset, “we'd like to thank Jungle and their sponsors for promoting this video and we'd also like to thank Jungle's third King, Suoh Mikoto and Yata Misaki for helping us film and edit this video.”
“So professional,” Yata mumbled as he and Suoh sat in Reisi's office and began filtering through the video streaming to them from the other room.
“He's always like that,” Mikoto grunted as he puffed on his cigarette, “Fushimi looks thrilled.”
“That's just his face,” Yata laughed as he stared at his boyfriend on screen, heavily annoyed expression and all. “Believe it or not, he seemed a bit excited to come here.”
“Is that so?” Mikoto snorted as he clicked a few buttons on the laptop, deleting a certain area of the footage that got repeated. “Munakata wouldn't stop talking about how wonderful this would be.”
“It makes me wonder who's going to win,” Yata hummed as he watched their point tallies come up on the screen. “Saruhiko gathered an extra fifty thousand points just in case he lost, but he seems pretty confident.”
“The only reason I’m in front of Munakata is because I have more down time than he does,” Mikoto muttered as turned the volume on the video down. “Confident or not, Munakata isn't an easy opponent.”
“We'll this should be all the more interesting then,” Yata smiled he averted his attention back to the display. “Are they playing the top ten list games?”
“Ah.”
“Well, here they go then,” Yata said with a hint of excitement in his voice, “J-Cube is first, this should be Saruhiko's win.”
Mikoto only smirked in response.
The moment the J-Cube screens stopped flashing the two cubes on either side of the display moved at an incredibly fast pace, each making a few short turns and clicking certain sides into places before they were both complete, the screen cracked with lightning as it calculated who the winner was.
Fushimi Saruhiko's Time: 7.14 seconds
Munakata Reisi's Time: 7.16 seconds
Fushimi Saruhiko wins!
“That was so close,” Yata gasped as he turned to glance over at Suoh- who looked a bit smug as he stared at the screen.
“Told you not to underestimate him,” Mikoto smirked as he leaned back in his chair. “Munakata's a bit of a stick in the mud but he's good at what he does.”
“Is that what you like about him?” Yata teased with a sly grin as Mikoto chuckled and nodded his head.
“Something like that, yeah. The Gambler is up next, this could be anyone's game, it just relies on luck.”
“Hm,” Yata hummed in agreement he watched two dice pop up on the screen. From what he recalled, a set number would appear on the screen and the players would have to throw two dice and try to time it where it would land on two numbers that would form the sum, definitely a game of luck and timing. Saruhiko claimed to hate that game more than any of the others.
Your number to match is 6! The screen read as two dice appeared on either side of the screen, the two King players rolled at the same time. Saruhiko's coming up as a total of eight while Reisi's total was seven, making him the winner for coming the closest to the number.
“One all, the next game is one of my favorites,” Mikoto snickered as Me vs. Everyone popped up on the screen. The goal was simple, shoot the people trying to kill you and navigate to the other side of the virtual street, if Yata remember correctly, Suoh held the record for that game as well.
The moment the game started on the split screen, Yata was amazed at how many people jumped out from behind the virtual buildings and out from trashcans to attempt to gun down the player, somehow, they both managed to cross the finish line, Saruhiko falling just a bit short as Reisi took the win for that one as well.
“Did you help him with that one?” Yata seethed as he glanced over at Mikoto- who was chuckling at the look of accomplishment on Munakata's face.
“Maybe,” Suoh answered with a brilliant grin, “he's so proud of himself.”
“Saruhiko looks furious,” Yata said nervously as he noticed the determined stare in the gamer's eyes, “maybe because Reisi's game is coming up next?”
“Puzzle Master? Fushimi doesn't stand a chance.”
And sure enough, the small puzzle on Munakata's display was completed before Saruhiko could finish his. Total score as of now, Saruhiko: 1 and Reisi: 3.
“Spirit Smasher is next, Saruhiko should be good at this, he's good at crushing people's spirit, he does that every time he plays someone on Jungle.” Yata joked as he let out a sigh, “I'm sure he'll win this one.”
The screen in front of his went dark as ghosts danced around an urn on the center of the display as the game title wrote itself out above it. The synopsis was simple, break as many urns as you can until you break five that have ghosts in them. Before the game started you'd get a preview of which ones held the spirits but it was fleeting, Yata didn't even see any of them before the game began and twenty urns filled up the screen.
Despite the earlier results, Saruhiko came out victorious on that game, netting all five with no mistakes while Munakata got all five and made one mistake. Both of them finished the game within fifteen seconds, but during that time, Yata had been staring blankly at the screen trying to guess where any of them could be before the King players revealed them. He turned to Suoh with a look of disbelief on his face, “being a King...you have to be pretty skilled to do that.”
“Why do you think there's so few of us?” Mikoto smirked as he looked in Yata's direction, “just practice...you'll get there.”
“I don't know about that,” Yata laughed as he scratched the back of his head. “I guess I never really gave you all enough credit, this stuff isn't easy and you have to have some serious brain power to remember all of that, especially under pressure.”
“Watch,” Mikoto instructed as he pointed at Yata's screen, “there's a trick to all of these games or at least some sort of way you can use to beat them. The Creator is basically like Tetris except the pieces fall much quicker, the piece that goes on the left side always falls first and the piece that goes on the bottom falls after that, after that it's just a matter of filling in the blank spaces.”
“Really?” Yata gawked as he watched a long bar fall on Saruhiko's screen- which he placed on the left- and a jagged piece fell next which promptly went to the bottom. As the pieces fell in quick succession, he verbally called out to where each piece would belong, smiling when the puzzle was complete and he got all the answers correct- despite the fact Saruhiko was just a bit slower than Reisi on that game.
“See? It's not hard if you know the tricks,” Mikoto smirked as he leaned back in his chair, “still, most people can't do that, you're not half bad, kid.”
“T-thank you,” Yata blushed as he turned his attention back to the center screen in front of them, watching as Saruhiko's annoyed face grew even more sour. “Wow, Saru needs to win something or he's gonna lose...”
“Destroy & Rebuild is a game Munakata sucks at, Fushimi will win it.”
Yata shook his head slightly as he stared at the start up screen for the game, watching as a shape popped up on the screen then shattered, making the players piece it together again. Sure enough, Saruhiko won with time to spare as Munakata finished his piece up with an unamused expression on his face.
“0 to 60 is a game Saru likes,” Yata mumbled aloud as he watched two cars pull up at the starting line on the screen. When they both took off the line towards the end of the track, Saruhiko picked up a booster item and sailed past Reisi's car, leaving him two car lengths behind him the moment he crossed the finish line- eleven seconds after starting, Reisi clocking fourteen.
“There we go,” Mikoto snorted as he glanced over at his companion, “it's gonna be interesting in the final stretch here.”
“4 all, two games to play...it could go either way.” Yata agreed as he spun in his chair slightly. “When do you want to edit the audio and add the graphics in?”
“We can do that later today if you want,” Mikoto suggested with a noncommittal shrug. “I think he wants to get it posted tomorrow before the party, will you all be coming over for that?”
“Yeah, we planned on it,” Yata smiled over at him. “Saruhiko was eager to get this video done too so if we can get it done today that would be great.”
“Sounds good, a friend of mine is dropping my kid off soon and I think her and Munakata were gonna start decorating, Fushimi can just make himself at home.”
“Thanks for the hospitality,” Yata said happily as he turned back to face his screen.
“Don't mention it,” Mikoto sighed as he leaned in towards the computers, too. “Sink or Swim, easy game, this oughta be good.”
The game was simple in itself, your avatar started at the bottom of the ocean and you had to gather items on your way to the surface, touch too many anchors and you sank, grab onto rafts and you'd surface faster. Even Yata was good at that game, he didn’t see Saruhiko having a problem with it. The moment the game started, Reisi got lucky and had two floats back to back, sending him much closer to the surface whereas Saruhiko had no way to make up for his bad draw. In the end, Reisi was the victor- leaving one last game left.
“If Munakata-san wins this then he's the winner but if Saruhiko wins then they're tied...what happens then?” Yata questioned as he glanced over at his companion.
“They'll hit the randomize button on the list and play whatever game the computer decides, whoever wins that wins the 50,000 points.”
“I see,” Yata nodded as he pursed his lips. C'mon Saru, you can do this....
J-Round was a memory game, a set of ten cards would show then mix themselves up on the screen. The players had twenty seconds to make five pairs with as little mistakes as possible, whoever had the least amount of mistakes was the winner, the time- as long as it was under twenty seconds- didn't matter. Through the entire duration of the game, Yata chewed his lip, silently rooting for Saruhiko until both players were finished and their tallies were added up.
He felt a smile pull on his lips when a banner dropped on Saruhiko's side of the screen, labeling him the winner of that particular round. Though Mikoto had the volume turned down, he could tell that Reisi and Saruhiko were joking about the outcome as they clicked the randomize button, waiting for the screen to stop changing until the computer decided on a game. When it did, Yata's smile grew even wider.
J-Cube.
“Munakata's gonna have to step it up here,” Mikoto laughed as he kicked his feet up on the table, “he's gonna be so furious with himself if he loses.”
“Saruhiko will sulk if he's the one who loses,” Yata chuckled though he knew Saruhiko would need some serious coddling if he lost, something told Yata that his boyfriend wouldn't take losing with grace. “This is his game, though. I don't think he'll lose.”
And judging from the look on Saruhiko's face, he didn't look prepared to lose either. Reisi looked confident too the moment the game loaded on the screen, if either of them were worried about losing it didn't show. When the game started, Yata's eyes dodged back and forth between each cube, noticing the intricate patterns on either one and remembering the way Saruhiko made solving them that much easier. In his mind he formulated the turns, watched as Saruhiko executed them with confidence, and saw the counter stop at 6.13 seconds. Reisi's screen froze as the victor was declared.
Fushimi Saruhiko is the winner! Would you like to cash out?
“That's the luck of the draw,” Mikoto snickered as he closed his eyes, “Munakata is gonna be passive aggressive today, I can feel it.”
“He hates losing, doesn't he?”
“Doesn't handle it well at all, that's why he's a cop, he likes order and ultimate control over everything. Granted, Fushimi got lucky with the game being J-Cube but still, they're an even match for each other as things stand.”
“I agree, they both did really well,” Yata smiled as he watched the two King players on screen say a few more things before the camera went black. A moment later, they both walked through the door, joining Yata and Mikoto in Reisi's office.
“I can't believe I won,” Saruhiko snorted as he shot Yata a small grin, “I got really lucky at the end.”
“Lucky, maybe, but you are extremely skilled, Fushimi-kun.” Munakata chuckled as he sat down on the corner of his desk, looking at Suoh quizzically before he returned his attention to Saruhiko. “I'd like to challenge you again in the future, but for today, congratulations.”
“Thanks, and anytime you want to give me your points that's fine by me,” Saruhiko smirked though there wasn't any true malice in it. “Misaki, what are we doing for the rest of the day?”
“Mikoto-san and I are going to edit the video and put the graphics in it so I guess we'll just be doing that,” Yata shrugged.
“Anna will be back soon,” Mikoto sighed as he glanced up at Reisi, “watch her and make sure she gets her homework done if she has any.”
“What grade is she in?” Yata asked as he turned his chair around, glancing at the older men that sat beside him.
“She's home schooled by that friend of mine I was telling you about, he still gives her homework, though. She's technically in grade six,” Mikoto answered as he scratched the side of his head. “Stop pouting and get the house ready for tomorrow,” he spat back at Reisi- who looked down at him out of shock.
“Suoh, that's terribly rude of you,” Reisi scolded though there was a slight smile on his face.
“Shut up, go.” Mikoto waved him off, a smirk on his lips when Reisi hopped off the chair and kissed the top of his head.
“Fushimi-kun, would you like to assist me? Or perhaps I could make you something for lunch while these two get to work?”
“Sound's fine, I guess.” Saruhiko shrugged as looked back at Yata expectantly.
“Go, just relax for a bit...and congrats, I’m proud of you.” Yata smiled as he grabbed Saruhiko's hand, squeezing it for a second before he let his boyfriend follow Reisi out of the room. “How long have you and Munakata-san been together, if you don't mind me asking?”
“About three years,” Mikoto replied as he turned back to the computer and began his work, pulling up a list of graphics to lay over the video while Yata worked on compressing certain scenes. “We've known each other for about eight years, though. How long have you and Fushimi known each other?”
“Not long, actually,” Yata admitted with a slight blush, “just a few months, we started dating a few weeks ago, too.”
“How's that going?”
“Good, except I ruin things by talking too much,” Yata laughed as he continued his work. “Sometimes I have a hard time understanding that he cares about me, I think I gave him a heart attack the other day because I caused a scene only to tell him I was falling in love with him. It was stupid of me.”
“Well has he said that back to you?”
Yata's fingers froze over the keys.
“No, he hasn't...but I mean, he did ask me out so I guess that counts for something, right?”
“I'm sure he'll tell you that when he's ready.”
“Yeah,” Yata mumbled under his breath, “maybe that's why I said it, so I could get him to say it back to me. He just said that it was obvious and he wouldn't be with me if that wasn't the case...and...why am I pouring my heart out to you? I'm being so rude, sorry, Mikoto-san.”
“You're fine, kid,” Mikoto laughed as he sent what he was working on to the spare computer between them. “I'm gonna edit the audio real fast, would you mind making a thumbnail for the video?”
“Sure thing,” Yata answered as he finished what he was working on before getting the tab from the center computer and bringing it on to his own. The audio recording started playing in the background as Mikoto worked on clarifying it and editing out certain parts were mistakes were made, they both chuckled the longer they got into the audio- namely thanks to how often Saruhiko cursed or clicked his tongue out of annoyance.
By the time he and Mikoto were finished, they had spent two and a half hours on their project. The thumbnail Yata created was a green background with Jungle's logo on it in the center, a photo of Reisi was on one side while Saruhiko took up the other. Neon green letters that read King vs King! filled in the rest of the space. Once it was all together, Mikoto logged onto Jungle's gaming channel and posted it, sighing out of relief once it was up.
“I'm never doing that again,” he groaned as he looked over at Yata.
“It's not that bad,” Yata laughed through a cheeky grin. “It looks great and just think of the payout.”
“I know,” Mikoto grunted as he pushed his chair back, “I think Reisi and I are going to film one of these next month, we don't need the money but it's nice to have it.”
“Have you thought about leaving your job?” Yata inquired as he stood up from his seat, stretching out his bones in the process.
“Nah,” Mikoto answered as he too got to his feet, “I complain about it but I like what I do too much to leave.”
“Fair enough,” Yata mused as he watched Mikoto walk towards the door before he followed after him. In the living room, Saruhiko was sitting on the couch talking to some young girl- who Yata presumed was Anna- while Reisi hung a few decorations around the rather large apartment. “What are you doing, Saru?”
“He's helping me with my homework,” the young girl answered in his place, turning to look at Yata with wide red eyes- which caught him off guard at first, he couldn't help but think that she looked like a doll.
“Really?” Yata chuckled as he walked around the couch, kneeling in front of his boyfriend. “I'm Yata, you must be Anna, right?”
“Mhm,” the young girl hummed as Saruhiko finally looked up from whatever he was looking over for her- distress clearly written on his face which made Yata laugh. “Mikoto, Tatara said he'd be here tomorrow night, too.”
“Good,” Mikoto mused as he flung himself down on the couch next to Anna, ignoring Reisi's demands for him to help decorate the space. “You have a good day?”
“Yes,” Anna smiled as Saruhiko handed her the homework back.
“You did good, you didn't miss any of them,” Saruhiko clarified as he got to his feet. “Are you ready to go, Misaki?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“We're not running you out, are we?” Reisi laughed as he stepped out of the kitchen and back into view, “you're more than welcome to stay if you'd like.”
“It's okay, we'll be back tomorrow anyway, right, Saru?” Yata elbowed his boyfriend with a calm smile though Saruhiko just clicked his tongue.
“Yeah, we'll be back tomorrow.”
“I see, well have a pleasant evening and a safe trip home,” Reisi said with a grin as he disappeared behind the wall again.
“Yeah, see ya',” Mikoto said blandly, offering them a small smirk as he looked over his shoulder. Anna waved politely when they gathered their shoes and headed out the door, politely shutting it behind them.
“I'm so proud of you,” Yata purred as he grabbed Saruhiko's arm, laying his head on the side of it. “You kept your cool and the video turned out great.”
“Thanks,” Saruhiko smiled though there seemed to be a hint of sadness behind it, “so, how did things go on your end?”
“Fine, Mikoto-san is actually kinda funny and had some good pointers with a few of the games. How was spending your day with Munakata-san?”
“He's eccentric,” Saruhiko snorted as he grabbed Yata's hand and led him towards the sidewalk across the street, “really, eccentric. He wasn't too bitter about losing, he was actually impressed I think. He still wants me to work with him at the police station, though.”
“Do whatever you think is best,” Yata answered as he squeezed Saruhiko's hand a bit tighter, his eyes traveling behind them as he heard another set of footsteps approach them. The person in question stopped, waved politely then ducked into an alley way the moment Saruhiko stopped in his tracks.
“What is it?”
“I think...I think someone was following us,” Yata said out of disbelief as he glanced back up at Saruhiko. “It's dark so I didn't get a good look at him but he waved at us then went between those two buildings.”
“I’m gonna call you a cab,” Saruhiko sighed as he slipped his PDA out. “I had a feeling something like this would happen.”
“What's going on, Saru?” Yata mumbled as he stared at his boyfriend out of sheer confusion, watching him pull up an app for a local cab service as he requested a ride.
“It's nothing importantly, just go home and I'll be there soon.”
“Saruhiko?”
“Please, Misaki.”
“It wouldn't be unimportant if you're going through all of this trouble just to find out who it was, it could have just been some weirdo. They're gone now, let's just go.” Yata frowned as a cab pulled down the street they were on.
“I'll explain everything as soon as I get back, okay?” Saruhiko sighed as he tucked a piece of hair behind Yata's ear, “don't worry about me, just go home.”
“Saru...you promise...you'll be back?” Yata mumbled, his lips pressed into a thin line.
“I promise,” Saruhiko said with a small nod of his head, leaning down and planting a chaste kiss on Yata's lips before the cab came to a halt beside them. “It's just something personal I need to deal with, you don't need to worry.”
“My boyfriends throwing me into a cab to go talk to a creepy stalker who's hiding in an alleyway, and there's nothing to worry about?” Yata scoffed as he opened the cab's door, “give me a break. You owe me.”
Saruhiko smiled, waving him into the cab and watching it disappear down the street.
After instructing the driver where to go, Yata sunk back into the seat of the car, glancing out the back windshield until Saruhiko was out of view. He couldn't help but feel a sour feeling rise in his stomach.
What's up with him?
- -
“You've stooped down to following me around, I see.” Saruhiko spat as he turned down the alley, easily making out the figure that loitered in the shadows.
“Is it so wrong for a father to want to see his son?” Niki laughed as he took a few steps forward, the city light's finally reaching him. “So, my little Monkey, you're famous now, got yourself a cute little boyfriend too, I see.”
“That's none of your business,” Saruhiko growled, feeling his knife sheathe against his skin was the only thinking keeping him rooted to the spot. The urge to flee would have been to great to ignore otherwise. “What do you want?”
“It's your mother, Kisa,” Niki grinned as he took another step forward. “She's been worried sick about you.”
“Very funny,” Saruhiko grunted as he balled his hands into fists. “What do you really want? I'm not coming back.”
“Nothing nothing,” Niki smiled with a wave of his hand, “go, get back to your boyfriend, Monkey. Heaven knows you'll never find another person dumb enough to care about you.”
Saruhiko grit his teeth.
“Seriously, go, my precious little Monkey.” Niki continued to taunt as he took a few long steps backwards, “tell Yata Misaki I said hi.”
“Wait,” Saruhiko called out as he watched Niki dart out of the alleyway, leaving him standing there with a look of shock on his face. He knew Niki didn't want anything, only wanted to taunt him and tease him and remind him of who he was at heart. Despite everything that had happened, he'd never entirely be able to escape his past, of that much he was aware- but it was harder when your past was quite literally chasing after you.
Clicking his tongue, Saruhiko stalked out of the alleyway, biting back the fear he felt rise in his chest as he plucked a knife out of his harness, holding it in his hands just in case. Without even thinking about where he was going, he found himself standing in front of the house he used to call home- which only seemed to be insult to injury. He stared at the building for a moment, noticing that none of the lights were on before he walked away from it. Walking back towards his apartment where he knew the door would be locked and that the room would be bathed in light and warmth- unlike that cold and sterile house.
Niki could have easily known Yata's name because of his videos and put two and two together, that much didn't worry him, but what unnerved him was the lengths his father was willing to go to be a part of his life. For a moment, Saruhiko wanted to go back and find him, ask him to go to Munakata Reisi's party just so he could have the police captain arrest him or have someone punch Niki in the face because the one and only time Saruhiko had hit him had not been enough.
By the time Saruhiko made it back to his apartment he had come to three conclusions, one, being famous had it's pitfalls. Two, no matter what happened, that house was no longer the place he belonged- that was by Yata's side. And three, that he would take the job offer from Reisi, if that only meant some sort of peace of mind. The forth was an afterthought, but a bit more brazen than the others- wishing something horrible would happen to Niki.
The moment he unlocked his apartment door- and locked it again- he felt a smile grow on his face, realizing Yata was in the kitchen making them dinner while the new television they had played on in the background. Without hesitation, he walked over to Yata, wrapping his arms around him as he buried head in the crook of his neck.
“You're back....”
“Yeah,” Saruhiko mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Did...anything happen back there?”
“No,” Saruhiko grunted, dropping the knife he had been holding to the floor. “Nothing happened.”