[open] do not wake me again

[doublesmall]

WHO: Chuuya Nakahara & others!
WHERE: Around the city
WHEN: October 20th for Corruption/death, then the 22nd and on for anything after his return.
WHAT: Chuuya loses control of his ability thanks to his warped fog memory, wrecks things, dies, and comes back. Fun times.
WARNINGS: Death ofc, definitely some blood/violence happening here, will add if anything else comes up!

((check out the plotting comment for this if you have any questions or want to plot something specific! please get in touch with me if you want an action thread with corruption-Chuuya since i can only handle a few full-blown fight threads. i'm chill with you posting your own top-levels if you want to do something related to this incident, all i ask is you clear it with me if you want to assume any specific damage was caused. o/!))


1. THE FOG- OPEN, OCTOBER 20 (the one where he loses it)

[so far the fog hasn't been as bad for chuuya as it has for others. he's seen shadowy figures when he's alone, the fog working as a backdrop to change streets slightly and form a new background-- but this time, it becomes more vivid. this time anyone who's too close to chuuya will see a street from a completely different city, facing what appears to be a hospital. the concrete is littered with broken glass and marked with cracks and holes, and the fog still lurks in alleys and empty spaces.

chuuya pauses as it all comes into focus, then continues onward; he's not exactly sure why he feels a sense of urgency here, a rush of adrenaline that pushes him forward, but he isn't thinking about it too closely.]

-Try not to make too much noise, alright.

[if there's anything dangerous in the fog, he'd rather hear it coming.]

2. CORRUPTION- LIMITED, OCTOBER 20 (contact me first!)

[after the warped memory's gotten the better of him and he's unleashed his ability, there's a different version of chuuya left behind. he's completely lost control of himself, unable to do anything but use the power flooding him to do what it does best: destroy.

his posture's shifted, slightly hunched as if weighed down by something invisible; debris floats and hovers around him, occasionally launched at whatever target he happens to find, though he favors throwing small, condensed black balls of gravitons that eat a hole in whatever they make contact with. chuuya's eyes are oddly blank, and there won't be any response to attempts to speak or reason with him, only eerie laughter when he finds a new target-- and the longer this goes on, the longer his power's allowed to run wild, the more injured he is. even if nobody has touched him, he'll be bleeding heavily from his eyes, nose, and mouth after a couple minutes.

by the time it's gone on for a few minutes, he has more difficulty controlling his own actions-- it makes him more erratic, but he'll also be less responsive when it comes to blocking attempts to attack him. it's likely the best time to try to take him down, but if you're down for hard mode, he's far more mobile in the early stages and can even be found hovering in the air.

he can be spotted in different districts if needed (flight's handy for that), but he will definitely be found around the remains of cabin eleven, which happens to be the first building to face his wrath. sorry, luke.]

3. RETURN- CLOSED to existing CR, OCTOBER 22 (or if you have a reason to hit this up just let me know!)

[when he wakes up again, chuuya will be in the hospital, where he'll stick around a bit for observation just in case. if someone is close enough to him, he's probably texted to let them know he's doing okay, there was just some kind of accident (he doesn't know what, exactly); he's fine with visitors though, even if he doesn't think he'll be here long.

he appears to be in good health, but-- something still feels off to him, somehow. like something is missing, but he can't put a finger on what it is.

he glances up at the sound of the door, forcing a small smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. it's tired, a little strained.]

Hey. Tell me you didn't bring flowers, I think I've had enough of those for a fucking lifetime.

[...at least he remembers the rose fiasco just fine.]

4. EVERYTHING ELSE- OCTOBER 22 AND LATER

[basically this is your wildcard option! he'll be back to life as usual within a couple of days, running the bar or doing errands or whatever else, and generally just... trying to act like Everything Is Fine. business as usual. he may or may not be willing to talk about it, depending on how well you know him and whether you get a few drinks in him first.

(replies to this will also come a bit later, after his death and return have been sorted out, just so i know where things sit with him!)]

Comments

3

[thesettingsun]

["But if you end up in the hospital I'm going to sneak in beer for you."

"Make it wine and you have a deal."

Shuji remembered, and so there's a carton of wine hidden in his satchel, but he never wanted to actually put it into practice, especially not... for this. He stops thinking about the wine entirely when he sees Chuuya's tired, but very much alert and responding face.

Alive, alive, Chuuya's alive-

He doesn't even register the words Chuuya's saying before he practically flings himself into hugging Chuuya and sobs.]

[doublesmall]

Shuji--

[-whatever else chuuya was going to say is cut off by that hug, and it takes him a moment to realize that shuji is crying on him.

he wasn't prepared to deal with this, honestly; sure, he's seen shuji cry before when chuuya threatened him, but this is different. this time it isn't something he can (or wants to) walk away from.

there's an awkward little shoulder pat before chuuya finally slides one arm around his shoulders.]

-hey, c'mon, I'm fine. Nothing to cry over.

[thesettingsun]

['Nothing to cry over,' Chuuya says, and Shuji sobs harder.

The Inkwell kept running while he was (dead) gone, and the regulars gave Shuji their condolences and asked him about Chuuya's inheritance. Shuji looked at the letter addressed to 'Nakahara Chuuya' in his room and wished Chuuya had taken it after all, if only so that the last thing Shuji had of Chuuya wasn't from a different Chuuya entirely, a Chuuya he hadn't shared drinks with and shared pain with. He'd cried out all his tears, and he cries more now that Chuuya is back.]

You're okay... you're okay...

[The words that he manages between the sobs are a litany of 'you're okay', trying to convince himself more than anything.]

2 WE CHATTED this doesn't even have to be super long so lmk if it works

[evidentiary]

[ debris, you say. kyouko really needs to start calling zoro to walk her home in the evenings this month or something, because this was not exactly the plan. her initial thought is that she's walked straight into someone else's fear - but she doesn't see anyone in the fog currently who could be connected to the wreckage, unless the fog-fear took out whoever was manifesting it...

it's a possibility she can't discount, as she takes in the scene. ]

- This isn't a dream. [ she doesn't remember falling asleep, so surely - it's murmured, as she edges back towards a business across the street. ]

IT'S ALL GOOD o/ we'll just say this is like, during the wrecking of luke's bar sry luke

[doublesmall]

[whether it's just the fog or not, it still seems dangerous enough-- a smaller ball of black energy smacks into the street nearby and leaves a neat little hole where it landed. there aren't any chunks of cement or anything, though-- that circle of it is just gone, like the ball swallowed it up. definitely best not to touch any of those that happen to fly around.

there's still no visible figure at first-- the sound of laughter is audible before chuuya actually comes into view, and while he doesn't exactly fix on kyouko at first, her backing away does seem to draw a little attention. a couple bits of debris are flung carelessly in her direction while he takes out another wall of the bar he's busy destroying.

running will definitely get his attention, though sticking around might just make her a target when his current one is gone.]

DON'T BE SORRY LUKE DESERVES IT

[evidentiary]

[ this is true. she has to either run or stay - but honestly, if she runs she may be able to at least get far enough away to, like...get the hell out of dodge.

SO RUNNING IT IS. in heels.

because this is not a thing she should be around, maybe?? look, she is fast, maybe she can escape with just some debris thrown at her, and this will be a funny "haha so did you know you laugh maniacally sometimes" moment in the far-off future. ]

2...! 1/2

[goen]

[ The sounds of destruction and disturbed laughter travel far on the still evening air, and before he can think better of it, Yato's heading over to check out the commotion. Aware of the fact that the fog is full of trickery, he hops onto the roof of a nearby building to watch the scene unfold.

First, he makes out the figure of Chuuya. A crazed Chuuya, if his laughter and expression is any indication, and Yato's first thought is that this must be a fog version of him. Yato watches as Chuuya floats through the air (what) and wreaks havoc, destroying buildings and battling those who arrive to confront him.

Quickly, Yato gets the sense that this is more than an apparition of Chuuya. Where most fog beings are fixated and personal, Chuuya here is indiscriminate. Mindless.

"There's more to my ability than I thought. I remembered being able to- unleash it, basically, make it way more powerful, but... I lost control when I did. I couldn't stop myself."

Most telling of all is when Chuuya begins to bleed. No family-friendly particle trails. Just free-flowing blood, red and bold even in the fog.

"I just know when I came out of it, I was bleeding next to a fucking crater and felt like death."

Chuuya's words from what must be a lifetime ago haunt Yato. They seemed extreme and outlandish then, but now with Chuuya slowly destroying Recolle before Yato's eyes, those words make too much sense. Yato promised he would do what it took to stop Chuuya if his powers got out of control. That promise is ten times heavier now on the eve of its necessary fulfillment, and Yato draws his sword with painful sluggishness as he comes to terms with the task before him.

Chuuya trusted him to do this because fighting is what Yato does best. There will be no time for second guessing once he enters the fray; war god or not, he hurts just as badly when he's hit. He tries to shove aside the misgivings, the sorrow, the memories of all the smiles and kindness Chuuya has ever shown him, how Yato may never get to see those things again, and--

He plunges in. ]

2/2

[goen]

[ Yato strikes from behind, while Chuuya is preoccupied. Yato never has been huge on honor...

But he still has a vain hope that Chuuya might be able to snap out of his trance, however certain Chuuya was that it couldn't be done. Powers can sometimes come on quirky or incomplete, and if there's even a one percent chance Chuuya can be saved, Yato will take it.

So instead of aiming for a vital point like Chuuya's neck, Yato aims for a power slash down Chuuya's shoulder and back. A deep but fluid cut, less about trying to chop off Chuuya's arm and more about damaging the muscle to limit movement. ]

Boss! Snap out of it!

can't believe you came for my life like this boba

[doublesmall]

[it's a good move, but yato definitely should have gone for something vital on the first strike. chuuya repels yato from him before turning to face his attacker, and there's no recognition in his eyes, nothing there at all. if that injury hurts him, he shows no signs of pain-- in fact he seems almost confused when he lifts that arm to form a graviton ball and doesn't find the range of motion coming so easily.

he forces it anyway as he fires the ball in yato's direction, waiting just a moment to see if it strikes its target; if not, he'll just launch himself at yato too.]

how many times will you see my ass here - 2!

[crudest]

[It's not like Baren's a stranger to nightmares. Far from it. They'd been living in them night after night this month.

And yet - none of them really manage to hold a candle to this.

In a time that feels so, so long ago, he'd told Chuuya: Whatever you need me to do - I'll fix it.

He'd been looking. Power after power, event after event, half a mind to bargain with Retrospec, he'd been searching for any way out for Chuuya to not use the power that he doesn't have an off switch for. In his desperation, he would've done anything -

Of course he'd been too slow. Of course he hadn't managed to find anything in time and now as he watches the destruction and his mind still fails to give any sort of answer, he's stuck in place with only the crushing realization that he'd failed. He'd been given one task to try to save the person who says they love him and he couldn't even manage that.

There's no plan, no rhyme or reason, only folly - the kind that Baren would normally have laughed at - as he rushes Chuuya toward the middle stages of corruption if only to get his attention.]

Hey Chuu? You hear me...?!

[ - is there even a flicker of you left?]

[ closed to fawkes ]

[And it might've been meant to continue, but it's almost nostalgic, getting beaten so thoroughly by Chuuya. Baren's been thrown into countless structures and his joints ache and he can barely stand between the dizziness and the exhaustion, but he can't just sit around when in the end this is something that's his fault too.

Chuuya's moved on to his next target for now but Baren still tries to chase after him, wiping blood away from his brow and barely managing past gritted teeth - ]

Wait—

[no, you wait, you dumb asshole]

[roseblooms]

[The eerie thing is, he actually sees the destruction unfolding before he realizes that it's Chuuya doing it. It's fairly simple, really — he's riding around the city on his motorcycle, trying to clear his head, when off in the distance there's smoke in the air, and soon the smoke is joined by debris, and then the ground is quaking, and it's a little bit like the end of July all over again, except that this time he's not about to be caught defenseless by it.

It's only once he arrives and abandons his motorcycle — for fear that trying to ride it in the wake of some marauding force will be more hazardous to his health than a benefit to his mobility — that he really realizes just how personal this particular rampage really hits. It's not just some monster wreaking havoc on the city, but Chuuya —

And that's not just some concerned citizen bleeding and screaming after him, but Baren.

He can feel the energy inside him simmering and swirling as he starts to run, angling to catch up with Baren and intercept him before he can launch himself after Chuuya, who lurches instead of walks and laughs like a hyena instead of perceiving the people who care about him. He's got to catch Baren first, and he knows that full well — not because he cares more about one than the other, but because he knows for a fact that Baren will shove his arms into a fire after something that means something to him, and if that doesn't get managed first, then more likely than not Baren's going to come away missing both his arms.]

Don't!

[That's not the right thing to say, and he knows it, but it's the first thing that comes out of his mouth. He'll have to try again.]

Getting yourself killed isn't going to help him, Baren!

[crudest]

[It's not the right thing to say but it's enough to snap through to Baren for a split second - and that split second away from his hellbent, single-minded personality is enough to get him to stumble.

He barely remembers to breathe.]

Don't - tell me what to do...!

[please tell him what to do]

and for later - 3!

[crudest]

[Baren always believed that there's nothing in this life that's guaranteed. There's no certainty that anyone in the world is ever obligated to love you, there's no way to confirm that bonds will last forever of it they'll be fleeting with one forgotten message, and anyone can die at any second whether you're at the bottom of the barrel or on top of the world.

Chuuya dying reminded him of every single one of those facts.

So he'd gone back to the bare minimum. Talking to very few people, occupying himself with only Rimbaud and Tanuki, acclimating to this new feeling of loneliness.

He'd once said that Chuuya couldn't be his last resort - he couldn't be made into someone that was just a projection for Baren's loneliness. He wasn't that. He instead became someone that Baren was drawn to, decided that he needed, because 'choose' was too light of a world for the attachment he had, too trivial for the way that he became certain that he'd be with Chuuya until he changed his mind or -

Or the world decided something like that was too good to be true.

It felt like a trick when his phone lit up with a text, a call, anything with Chuuya's name on it. As if afraid of being made a fool, Baren didn't answer. He called the hospital instead, the morgue, because he wanted to wait on the funeral proceedings until he felt even halfway to being a real person and - "Mr. Nakahara's awake. Are you feeling alright, Mr. Kaiy—"

And then he didn't even allow for the question to finish before he hung up. Going through reception and checking in as a visitor would take too long. So he comes in through the window, because of course he does, and even though Chuuya's there - he's there, he's not pale, he's not out of control, he's not completely lost to him - he feels like the breath's been knocked out of his lungs and he nearly stumbles right back out the window before he catches himself.

Retrospec likes to hang things in front of him, dangle those dreams that cannot be right in front of his eyes before taking it away again. He doesn't trust it.]

... Chuu?

[ - but god does he want to believe anyway.]

[doublesmall]

-Baren? The fuck are you doing, come here--

[he's been quietly worrying ever since baren failed to answer his messages, confirm that he was okay and that he'd be there. sure, he's expected baren to show up anyway--

a part of him still couldn't help but worry that he was gone again, though, or worse-- that something happened to him too. chuuya has no idea what happened yet, hadn't known whether they were together at the time or whether baren was okay. all he knew was that he wasn't in the hospital.

chuuya shoves himself out of bed, not bothering to wait for baren to come to him.]

Where've you been, I tried to text you-

[crudest]

[He doesn't have to wait long - Baren doesn't want Chuuya to get out of bed, even if he doesn't quite understand the extent of his injuries. He doesn't really know the extent of his own either, given that he immediately went back and had to remember later to patch himself up. Still, there's no hesitation in the way that he wraps his arms around Chuuya just to keep him close, to feel how warm he is.

Baren buries his face in the crook of Chuuya's neck, keeps them flush in hopes of finding Chuuya's heartbeat.]

Here. I'm here, they wouldn't let me stay -

[It wouldn't have made sense to stay with a dead body.

He leaves a kiss on Chuuya's pulse point before scooping him up entirely, aiming to bring them both back to the bed. He presses another kiss to Chuuya's forehead.]

You're okay. You're... okay.

[Somehow.]

4!

[sharplydressed]

[It's not long after Chuuya's released from the hospital that Kashuu stops by his bar. Even if they're not super close, he did have to step up and make sure Baren didn't do anything Truly Stupid during Chuuya's absence - and really, who wouldn't be worried about a person who supposedly died and then came back from it, even if you weren't the closest? It's not entirely surprising to him. He'd heard about Ryoji, after all; the first case he knows of death not being permanent in this city. That's a mess he's not ready to wrap his head around.

Chuuya might be a mess too, honestly. He's not sure how people react after coming back from the dead. If his past self is any indication, "just keep swimming" might be an option... It's why he checks the bar at all, rather than texting to see where he is. Diving into work is one of the best ways to distract yourself and return to normalcy, after all.

And it's with that air of normalcy that he slides into a bar stool and asks:]

What's on your recommended list tonight?

[Though there's definitely an unusual keenness in his stare, like he's looking for something extra, or a lack of something, or anything unusual at all.]

[doublesmall]

Is anything ever off the recommended list, here? C'mon, give us more credit.

[he's just teasing though... chuuya's already gestured for someone to hand him a glass so he can start mixing up a drink for kashuu. 'just keep swimming' definitely seems to be what chuuya's gone with, though where he sometimes uses his gravity manipulation to show off a trick or two while he works on a drink, there's none of that this time. it's back to the older, less impressive levels.

when he glances up and catches the keen way kashuu stares at him, chuuya tilts his head slightly, one side of his mouth quirked up.]

...don't tell me I've got something on my face, or I'm gonna have to ask everyone else why they didn't point it out.

1

[okitactless]

[Which is happening like a day after he deals with his own fog lol good job boys

ANYWAY.

Despite that, he's out here again, looking exhausted but more-or-less unharmed. He'd drawn his sword the moment he'd noticed something wasn't right, but even without the added benefit of his abilities, he's well-trained enough not to turn it on Chuuya out of surprise. He hadn't noticed Chuuya's presence, but he's familiar enough that Yasusada can relax a little, approaching with less hesitation though his footsteps are still careful.]

Chuuya-kun? [He speaks in Japanese, because of course he does, but he's careful to keep his voice low, as requested.] What is this?

[doublesmall]

I don't know.

[his own voice is hushed as well, but he still gestures for yasusada to come along as he moves forward.

there's the faint hum of static and some muffled audio, too distorted to hear but definitely louder around chuuya, like it should be coming from something on him-- and there are also a couple of bodies, though the faces aren't anyone from the city. chuuya frowns as he checks one, then huffs and nudges it with his foot. no reaction. definitely a stiff.]

...but whatever it is, I sure as hell don't like it.

3

[wordcarvings]

[ Koutarou did not bring flowers. He didn't bring anything, actually, he was in too much of a hurry to just get to the hospital. He'll buy him wine once he's released, or make him a good healthy and delicious meal, or both.

He did bring something else though.

Technically. Sort of. Well.

Chuuya can't say that the tight hug he's suddenly getting from his cousin was a surprise, right? Because it's obvious that he was going to be getting a hug or fifty. Congratulations, Chuuya, you have a crying Koutarou who's not going to let you go for a long while attached to you now. ]

Chu-uuya..!

[doublesmall]

[with shuji, it'd been a little awkward at first, but- chuuya expects this sort of reaction from family more than he does friends. instead of any initial awkwardness, chuuya drapes an arm around his cousin to return the hug.]

Koutarou-- I'm here, alright, you don't have to cry like that. M'fine.

[physically, anyway. he's not sure how he feels beyond that.

but he's quiet for a moment there before he adds, a little softer-]

Sorry. Didn't mean to make you worry over me.

3.

[erythristic]

[when Chuuya had been the one she was told was on the table, it had taken her a good twenty minutes to work up the courage to even go in the room. there's an amount of practice she has at burying her feelings, but it's Chuuya, and eventually she convinced herself she'd rather it all be done at her hands than anyone else's. it would be the best gift she could give to him, the final one.

the injuries were devastating, strange and terrible. all of it she records, careful and precise. the fatal blow from a blade, the various cuts. the internal destruction and marking. there's so much, but she does her duty, feeling her heart like a void in her chest. and when it comes time to put the sheet back on him, she turns away to pick it up, ready to cover him with the utmost respect-

and his body had gone. simply gone. not like Ryoji who had dissolved. he was gone, and it took a half hour of frantic searching before his name came up in the system, until she was rushing upstairs to see, to understand what happened. it's only when she sees him unconscious and bandaged in a bed that she realized she was still holding the sheet that the body was supposed to be covered with. she looked like a madwoman, and felt like one as nothing was making sense. there hadn't been a mixup. he had been dead, on her exam table.

the nurse for that area probably didn't deserve being shouted at when she tried to say that Grell had no authority to ask for a round of checks, but a certain look made people do what she said. and she had run back downstairs to copy out her report in actual handwriting. before that could be taken away too.

she's been checking on him regularly, stealing moments to come and see if he woke up. to get the reports and results that don't match up to any understanding at all. and finally, finally, she sees blue eyes open at the sound of the door, and Grell walks in slowly to sink down next to the bed on her knees.]

You're here. I told them to tell me when you woke, but they must have forgotten...

[if he'll allow, she wants to take his hand. is it warm? does his heart beat again?]

[doublesmall]

[he hasn't seen anyone yet besides the doctors, he's sent texts to baren that have gone unanswered-- there's clear relief in his eyes when grell comes in, and he grips her hand back when she takes his. it's definitely warmer than it had been the last time she saw him, complete with a pulse and everything.]

Guess they were too busy with me. I might've kept them longer than they wanted to be here, they... weren't really telling me much.

[so maybe he yelled at a doctor or two for not telling him what exactly the fuck happened and why they apparently needed to restart his heart.

fuck. that's a thought he's not used to-- he grips her hand a little tighter, there.]

...I don't guess you know how I got here?

ii; rolls in horrifically late and doesn't even have starbs

[vitis]

[ and here john thought he'd been being clever or something, with avoiding fog-congested roads and taking a different route from his usual. except, um, there are a few things wrong. he likes cabin eleven, damnit, and busy as he is gawking at the smoldering remains as he drives past it, he only just catches movement out of the corner of his eye when a figure steps into the street.

he slams the breaks, car screeching to an ungainly halt. yes, that's a person in his headlights, that he can just make-out-- rolling the window down, he sticks his head out the window, ]

Hey, get outta-

[ ... except, through the light of the car's headlamps, it's illuminated that 1) that's chuuya and 2) chuuya's up and used corruption. that complaint dies in his throat. ]

[ oh, no. oh, fuck. even if this is some fog shittery (there isn't any fog in the road), john's not taking any chances. from what he remembers, he doesn't really need to reflect on the hows and what and whys. just. there's no one behind him; he shifts his truck into reverse, his foot then to hit the gas. ]

it's fine I have the starbucks

[doublesmall]

[if it's fog shittery, it's awfully realistic, right down to the blood on chuuya's face and the torn sleeves of his shirt. he's lost the hat at some point, and it looks like he's been at this for at least a couple minutes now.

he very nearly ignores the truck, focused on something else-- but then john calls out at him, and chuuya turns, attention fixing on him.

there's no way he's going to ignore his new target trying to flee, and as the truck hauls backward chuuya immediately follows after it, striking right through the hood to disable it.]