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𓈒⠀𓂃⠀⠀˖⠀♟️CHAPTER 1 🪻⠀˖⠀⠀𓂃⠀𓈒
A couple spins went, a couple giggles and catcalls as pairs went into the closet, until it was (unluckily) Tankina's turn to spin the bottle. "Let's just get this over with" she sighed. As long as it didn't land on Engel...
It landed on Engel.
── ⟡ ˙♟️🪻 ̟
Just a few hours ago, Marqi had suddenly invited everyone over - saying that they "hadn't been together in ages!!" and that they were "introvertmaxxing!!". Everyone tried to make excuses, but Marqi debunked all of them. ALL of them. So with no excuses left, they reluctantly came over, including Engel and Tankina, which was surprising even to Marqi.
Somehow, everything was going smoothly - music, drinking, the occasional drop of a glass.
Unluckily for Engel, after lots of cheering and a bit of physical encouragement, he drank a glass of alcohol, for the first time. Then another, and another, and he ended up drinking...Five? No, it was seven. Maybe eight..? Who knows? All they knew is that Engel was incredibly, absurdly, scarily drunk. But that's a problem for later.
Atleast Tankina, having drinking since...A while ago, was completely sober after a couple cocktails, unlike Engel.
With the laughter slowly dying down, and the drinks catching up to everyone (except for Tankina...), Marqi decided to liven the party again.
"Guess what time it is CHAATT!!!" Marqi practically screamed throughout the house, "WE'RE PLAYING THE SPIN THE BOTTLE!!!". Everyone turned in surprise at the sound of Marqi's annoying ass voice Marqi's shout, mumbling spreading across the party.
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And that's how they got here. Being ushered into the closet, gossiping all around them. Engel, although slightly reluctant, was far too dazed to resist, so Tankina eventually had to sigh and play along with it. It's only seven minutes anyways, even though those might be the longest seven minutes she had ever experienced.
The first thing that hit her was darkness. Pure darkness. It didn't take long for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but then came another problem. Engel. A drunk, spaced-out Engel...Staring right at her.
"...You're drunk as fuck." she says, wanting to break the uneasy silence. He takes a full danm minute just to process the question. Eventually, he shakes his head vigorously. Obviously, she does not buy it, but can't be asked to press further. This has to be one of the most awkward moments she's ever experienced...
── ⟡ ˙♟️ ̟
Everything felt weird and distant, as if he was in a dream. It was an understatement to say he was drunk - but, having never been drunk before, he only denied it.
A figure sat infront of him, seemingly feeling awkward. He couldn't make out who it was, but they were definitely someone he knew.
During a long pause with awkwardness in the air, the alcohol slowly caught up to him, creeping through until he could barely think straight. Along with the alcohol, the fatigue was also catching up, and he fell head-first onto the figure infront of him.
They had a familiar warmth. Engel leaned more onto them as they sat in silence, his head still banging. What was this variable, anyways?
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Tankina is stunned. Did this guy really black out? All she can do is sigh and drag him further into her lap. It was oddly…nice? For some reason? She gained an overwhelming sense of something she couldn’t place. She decides to use the good old reliable move of stuffing that feeling down and leave that as later’s problem.
She buries her face in his hair. She found it pretty goddamn adorable that he got wasted after only a couple of drinks. At least she technically gets a pardon from playing.
She huffs and shakes Engel. “Wake up hoe.”
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Engel felt like his head had been slammed against a chessboard fifteen times over and all
the pieces were still rattling inside.
"Wake up hoe.”
He groaned, slowly waking up from his daze. There was something warm beneath him..not a pillow...it was something softer. Breathing.
He slowly lifted his head up, squinting, now being able to make out the figure slightly better. It was...Inoue?
Memories of his drunken state came flooding back to him - Spin the bottle. Closet. Seven minutes. With Inoue.
He tried to sit up but ended up wobbling, having to grab onto her shoulder for balance, feeling her shift uncomfortably.
"Stay." After a short pause, he adds, "Please."
He tightens his grip just slightly on her shoulder, because hes an alpha CEO wolf prince hybrid not so much for balance anymore.
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This honestly just confuses Tankina. In what universe would he possibly want her to stay. Apparently this one. “Fine.” She shifts into a more intimate comfortable position. “But let go of my fucking shoulder”
After Engel doesn’t let go, she glares and leans closer to his face. “Hey, fuckass. Let. Go.”
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She’s close. Way too close. He can see her properly now - Inoue. Not a dream. Not a blurry figure.
“Hey, fuckass. Let. Go.”
Instead of arguing, he just moves. It’s messy and uncoordinated, but he pushes forward - and she loses balance, falling back against the floor with a quiet thud. Engel follows, catching himself with one hand beside her head.
He’s hovering over her now. Too close. Definitely too close.His head is still pounding, but his thoughts are suddenly very clear.
“Inoue..." he mutters, as if learning a new word. He leans in closer...Impossibly closer.
Suddenly, the closet door swings open.
Light floods in.
“TIME’S UPP!!"
And there they are. Engel ontop of Inoue, face just an inch too close. What a predicament.
── ⟡ ˙🪻 ̟
Tankina is utterly disoriented. For completely fair reason. She not only was internally panicking due Engel falling on top of her but the sudden blinding light causes her to blank out. When she is able to put together a coherent thought the first thing she sees is…
Marqi’s smug ass face. He clearly anticipated this.
What a predicament indeed.
She shoves Engel off her and stands up like nothing happened. She wasn’t gonna let one accident get to her…right?
Obviously this wasn’t the case. After the game had ended, she couldn’t help herself from stealing glances at Engel, questioning whether it was really an accident, or what would’ve happened if the door didn’t open.
── ⟡ ˙♟️ ̟
Engel was still drunk. Not falling-over, glass-dropping drunk, but the foggy and slow kind of drunk.
After the game was over, his gaze always ended up on THE ALCOHOL🩵🩵 Tankina without exactly knowing why, his brain replaying flashes of those short seven minutes.
Closet. Floor. Her face far too close to his.
There was a tight, strange feeling in his chest. Bothersome and unfamiliar - he ignored it.
She glanced at him and caught him staring but didn’t look away.
He just frowned slightly, trying to figure out something that didn’t feel like chess whatsoever - and wondering in the back of his mind what would've been the next move had that door not opened.