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KIM’S APARTMENT — The front door is a deep mahogany brown, with a worn down golden handle. It’s fire-rated—not that it matters much, because you know for a fact it jams constantly. You wonder if Kim ever got around to changing out the hinges on it. You’ve been standing in front of it for a full ten minutes, dithering.
REACTION SPEED — What are you waiting for, a kiss on the cheek?
YOU — I don’t want to bother Kim.
LOGIC [Medium: Success] — Obviously. But loitering outside of his front door is not that much of an upgrade. You should either knock, or go home.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Legendary: Failure] — Yeah, go home! You know what’s waiting for you there—shiny, sparkling, sweet oblivion. It'll make you feel better.
VOLITION [Challenging: Success] — For a fleeting moment. And then—all so much harder.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY — Hey, buddy, sometimes you have to live moment to moment. You’re not gonna like the alternative.
- [Volition — Legendary 14] Knock.
- [Half Light — Formidable 13] Turn away and go home.
- Stand there, indecisive.
VOLITION [Legendary: Failure] — You can’t. Your traitorous hand won’t move. You’re rooted to the ground, paralyzed as dread keeps climbing up your belly.
SAVOIR FAIRE [Trivial: Success] — And then, impossibly, without you flexing a single tendon—the door creaks open.
KIM KITSURAGI — He takes one step past the threshold, staring down at something in his hands, and then he looks up and startles. “Harry?”
RHETORIC [Medium: Failure] — Your name tastes sweet in his mouth—even when it’s shocked out of him. You open your mouth to make an excuse—any excuse—and then actually get a good look at Kim.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Heroic: Failure] — He’s wearing leather. So much leather? Everywhere? You have no idea where to look.
ENCYCLOPEDIA [Challenging: Success] — It’s not quite a full biker suit, but it looks styled after one. The jacket is a little too big in length but snug on his shoulders and wrists, with padded elbows and a flared collar.
DRAMA [Formidable: Success] — He’s wearing tight leather pants. You manage to *not* stare at his crotch too much.
PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Easy: Success] — The thing he was holding is a motorcycle helmet. He’s wearing biking gloves, too—big and cushioned. Kim owns a *bike*.
KIM KITSURAGI — “Detective, is there a reason you’re standing outside of my house at eleven P.M. on a Saturday?”
EMPATHY [Formidable: Success] — He’s on edge. All his hackles are raised—he’s actively stopping himself from acting like a kid who got caught with his hand on the cookie jar. He squares his shoulders and lifts his chin.
- “Kim, you drive a bike???”
- Just stand there and keep ogling him.
- “Uh, I was just leaving.”
KIM KITSURAGI — He squints. “You came all the way to my apartment to stand there until I opened the door and then… leave?”
RHETORIC [Formidable: Failure] — I’m sorry, I have nothing for you. The outfit is just too much. You really should leave before you put your whole foot in your mouth.
- “Kim, you drive a bike???”
- Just stand there and keep ogling him.
KIM KITSURAGI — He sighs. “Can I help you with something?”
HALF LIGHT [Formidable: Failure] — He sounds actually irritated. A hot flash of shame crawls up your spine, and you want to—
YOU — “Um. Nope. All good. Just a… misunderstanding. I’m just gonna go.” Click-click. Wink.
AUTHORITY [Impossible: Failure] — His stare freezes you in place after one step. Kim is squinting at you, tapping absentmindedly on his helmet. You are all of a sudden keenly aware of how disheveled you look—the askew clothes, the tangled hair. The spot of blood in your sleeve. His furrow deepens.
KIM KITSURAGI — “Wait here,” he says, and thrusts his helmet and gloves into your hands before disappearing back into his flat. You blink in his direction.
LOGIC [Medium: Success] — Kim was clearly about to go on a midnight ride. Good for clearing his head.
ESPRIT DE CORPS [Challenging: Success] — Lieutenant Kitsuragi prides himself in his self-control and power over his own body and wants, but even he can’t stop the insomnia from creeping in. That slow-growing, gnawing pit at the bottom of the stomach.
SAVOIR FAIRE [Easy: Success] — Movement is a good way to get rid of it. Or at least replace it with something else, for a little while.
LOGIC — Right. So, what is he doing now that you’ve interrupted him?
KIM KITSURAGI — He’s back in less than a minute, sliding his door shut and turning to face you. He takes his helmet and gloves from you and exchanges them for something else—a different helmet and pair of gloves.
INTERFACING [Trivial: Success] — The gloves feel nice and worn-down as you grasp them. The helmet is a different color, too, a much more strident red than Kim’s elegant black.
YOU — “Huh?”
KIM KITSURAGI — He taps his foot impatiently. “Would you like to come with me?”
REACTION SPEED [Formidable: Success] — Kim doesn’t like repeating himself.
- “Sorry, what???”
- “Actually, I can’t, because I think if I keep looking at you in those clothes I’ll have a stroke.”
- [Composure — Challenging 12] Nod and fall into pace with him.
COMPOSURE [Challenging: Success] — You grip the helmet to your chest like it’s a lifeline and follow Kim down the stairs. It feels like you’re in a surreal dream, or walking through the steps of a play you don’t know.
INLAND EMPIRE [Heroic: Failure] — Is this real? Are you awake? It’s cold.
KIM KITSURAGI — He leads you down to the bottom floor and then further, to the garage. You watch in awe as he beelines for the corner—and there it is, shiny and black.
- Look at it closer.
- Touch it.
- Get on it.
PHYSICAL INSTRUMENT [Medium: Success] — It’s fairly big. You look at Kim, short and wiry, standing next to the chunky bike, and something hot swirls in your gut.
INLAND EMPIRE [Easy: Success] — It’s an old vehicle. You can see the wear in it, the parts that have been replaced several times, the new coats of paint. Kim’s love for this thing shines in how well taken care of it is.
- Touch it.
- Get on it.
INTERFACING [Trivial: Success] — You put your hand to the sleek bump of the gas tank, carefully. You can feel Kim’s eyes on you as he slips the helmet and gloves on.
YOU — “I can’t believe I didn’t know you had a motorcycle.”
KIM KITSURAGI — He huffs. You step back as he kicks up the brake and hops up on the bike, leaning his right foot on the ground. He makes it look completely effortless, bending his knees and lifting his leg like he’s twenty and not forty-two. “It’s not exactly something I advertise, detective.”
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Formidable: Failure] — He looks *unbelievably* cool like this. His body is all straight lines and angles. You bite your tongue as he turns the ignition and the motor starts rumbling between his legs.
REACTION SPEED [Medium: Success] — He raises an eyebrow and nods behind him. You have never scrambled faster to put something on.
PAIN THRESHOLD [Easy: Success] — The helmet is slightly too small for your head, and squeezes your skull in a mildly jarring way. The gloves don’t close past your wrists. Still, Kim gives you a satisfied nod, and you take a deep breath before swinging your leg over the seat.
SAVOIR FAIRE [Challenging: Success] — You sway for a moment before catching yourself. It would have been really bad if you immediately toppled over and took Kim with you.
KIM KITSURAGI — “You’re going to want to hold on,” he says. He sounds amused.
YOU — Okay. Hold on *where*?
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Medium: Failure] — Wrap your arms around his waist! Press yourself up against his back—let him feel all of you.
VOLITION — You’re making it weird. Just hold onto his shoulders, at a respectable length.
HAND/EYE COORDINATION [Medium: Success] — You grasp his shoulders with shaking hands, trying not to grab too hard. Kim twists minutely and you can feel him snort beneath your hands. You watch as he squeezes the clutch gracefully with his left hand and rolls on the throttle with the right, and then you’re off.
CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] — The streets are still alive at this time of the night. The rumble of the motorcycle is just another noise in the cacophony of sound that pours out of Central Jamrock as you drive past bars and nightclubs, seedy and crowded. Then, as soon as you hit the beginning of the 8/81 motorway there’s a burst of speed, and now you’re *really* going.
REACTION SPEED [Challenging: Success] — The wind pushes against you like a solid concrete wall. You scramble to grab further onto Kim—sliding both your arms around his waist and holding on for dear life.
HALF LIGHT [Formidable: Failure] — YOU’RE GOING TO CRASH AND DIE.
EMPATHY [Easy: Success] — Kim’s body shakes under your fingers. He’s laughing, you realize in wonder, as you press your body further into him, molding yourself to his leaned-over form and hooking your chin over his shoulder. Your legs are squeezed tight to the sides of his waist, and Kim is compact and alive in between your arms.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Formidable: Failure] — *Very* alive. His stomach is solid and flat under your palms, warmth radiating from him even over the jacket, and his shoulderblades press firm against your chest.
LOGIC [Medium: Success] — If you get an erection right now, he *will* be able to tell.
SHIVERS [Formidable: Success] — The air whips cold and fast against your body and sneaks under your thin shirt. You shiver. Kim keeps driving, pushing right on the speed limit across the highway until you pass Martinaise and all the fields and industrial warehouses become small in the horizon and are replaced by overgrown pasture and thick patches of trees.
HALF LIGHT [Medium: Success] — Kim takes curves like he’s running a race. He leans his body further and out so much that you’re terrified, for a moment, that you’ll destabilize and smash against the asphalt.
INLAND EMPIRE [Legendary: Success] — You can’t see his face, but Kim is grinning, adrenaline buzzing through his body. This is nothing to him—he could do these turns with his eyes closed. He wouldn’t risk anything less, with you on the backseat.
ENDURANCE [Challenging: Failure] — Your ass hurts, your knees are sore where they’re bent, and your back twinges slightly. You haven’t felt this alive in ages—maybe *ever*.
COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] — Kim starts making his way up a hill, the road winding and spiral and barely paved. You look to the side as Kim speeds up and the free fall makes your head swim and your stomach drop. You whoop, exhilarated, and feel Kim laugh against your chest.
KIM KITSURAGI — You make it to the top of the hill and catch your breath as Kim kills the engine and props the kickstand down with his heel before taking off his helmet. “Everything okay, detective?” His voice is amused.
REACTION SPEED [Easy: Failure] — Your arms are still wrapped around his waist, pressing him close to you. Kim turns his head and you can see the curve of his smile and the raise of his eyebrow.
- Keep holding onto him.
- “I think I just want to stay like this forever.”
- [Volition — Legendary 14] Let go.
VOLITION [Legendary: Success] — Your corroded neurons manage to send the message to your arms and you let them drop to your side. Kim hops off the bike as easily as he got on, with a gracefulness that makes you feel self conscious of your own body.
SAVOIR FAIRE [Challenging: Failure] — Your dismount is much less elegant. You stumble over your own foot and almost fall to the ground, only to catch yourself at the last moment and right yourself with a flourish. Kim watches you with a gloved hand pressed to his mouth, eyes sparkling.
YOU — Catch your breath. “Kim Kitsuragi, adrenaline freak. Shit, I should’ve known.”
EMPATHY [Medium: Success] — He scoffs and crosses his arms, but Kim looks pleased. The tips of his ears are pink, and so is his nose.
KIM KITSURAGI — “I figured you would be able to keep up.” He sets the helmet on top of the bike and starts peeling off his gloves. You have trouble keeping your eyes off the pale skin of his wrists.
YOU — “Barely! Fuck, I thought I was gonna go flying off in one of those turns. Where did you learn to ride like that? Wait, are you actually a racer? Is this your big secret? Kim Kitsuragi, supercop by day, sexy motorcycle racer by night?”
RHETORIC [Medium: Success] — Kim is giving you a look that says you’re being stupid, but that he still kind of likes it.
KIM KITSURAGI — “I’m afraid it’s nothing that exciting. I just enjoy driving.”
YOU — “Driving *fast*. That was awesome.” You stroke a hand over the leather seat. “How long have you had her?”
KIM KITSURAGI — “Come on,” he says, and starts walking to the edge of the hill, sitting on the rocky incline.
VISUAL CALCULUS [Easy: Success] — From up here, you can see all of Revachol. It spreads in front of you like a sea of lights and shapes, beautiful and out of reach for the moment. If you squint you can make out the darkened corner that is Martinaise—you entertain yourself by thinking you can spot precisely the light of the Whirling-in-Rags, the dim glow of the fishing village.
SUGGESTION [Challenging: Failure] — Next to you, a light sparks. Smoke trails into the stars as Kim takes a drag. You pat yourself down, but you barely remembered to grab your keys before you left. Your pockets are empty.
KIM KITSURAGI — “I only brought the one,” he says, and then he offers it to you.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Formidable: Failure] — He watches you with half-lidded eyes as you put it to your mouth and pull. There’s something swirling there, behind his glasses—you can’t tell exactly what.
KIM KITSURAGI — “It was an unwise purchase,” he says, nodding to the motorcycle, “that I made when I was much younger.”
YOU — “I don’t see what’s so unwise about a sick bike.”
KIM KITSURAGI — He smiles and shakes his head.
INLAND EMPIRE [Medium: Success] — He genuinely loves it. He loves the vehicle, and the fact that it’s completely *his*, taken perfect care of and modified to tip-top shape. He loves the speed, the freedom of fast wind beating against his face. He just doesn’t think that’s enough to justify spending that much money or effort in it when it doesn’t have a specific purpose, like the Kineema. This is all his.
CONCEPTUALIZATION [Easy: Success] — Looking at Kim right now, posture relaxed and hair disheveled, face red from the cold—you think it’s worth every single reál in the world.
YOU — “Do you come here a lot, then?”
SUGGESTION [Medium: Failure] — He shrugs. The wind rustles his jacket, and he looks so devastatingly handsome that for a moment you feel dizzy with want. Your fingers brush as you pass him back the cigarette.
KIM KITSURAGI — “Sometimes. When I really can’t sleep.”
YOU — “I can’t believe you didn’t take me up on that night ride on Martinaise,” you say, and nudge him amicably.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Medium: Success] — Kim’s shoulder pressing back against you sends sparks down your spine.
KIM KITSURAGI — “We were in the middle of a murder investigation, detective,” Kim says, but he’s smiling.
YOU — “Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it before.” You wave your hand around. “Have you ever used it to pick up guys?”
EMPATHY [Challenging: Success] — Kim is used to your topic-swiveling by now, but this still takes him by surprise. He sighs, half-irritated and half-flustered.
KIM KITSURAGI — “You seem to be under the impression that I’m twenty and not forty-two.”
ESPRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] — He did use it, once, to impress one specific guy. He showed up at his doorstep after hours, with a jacket tighter than the one he’s wearing now, half-open to show his midriff. Took off his helmet slowly and gave him a lopsided smile—handsome, cool and in control.
HAND/EYE COORDINATION [Formidable: Success] — The cigarette burns to embers in your fingers. You blow the last of the smoke in Kim’s direction and he nudges you with his elbow, a hot point of contact.
YOU — “Have you ever had an accident with it?”
KIM KITSURAGI — He looks at you out of the corner of his eye. Then he sighs and starts taking off his jacket.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Easy: Failure] — *Now* we’re talking, baby!
PERCEPTION [Easy: Success] — He’s wearing a simple black T-shirt underneath his jacket that lets you see the entirety of his arms. Kim shows you the inner corner of his elbow—there’s a long scar there, jagged and white with age.
KIM KITSURAGI — “I got lucky. It wasn’t too bad. It scared me off driving for a month, though.”
YOU — “Wow.”
INTERFACING [Easy: Success] — His skin is tender under your fingertips as you trace your way up the scar. Kim stays very still while you touch him.
YOU — “Kim, you just get cooler and cooler the more I get to know you.”
KIM KITSURAGI — He shakes his head at you, but you can see the smile he’s trying to hide. “Why were you dawdling on my doorstep, Harry?”
LOGIC [Medium: Success] — He’s been waiting to ask since he saw you there, shifting your weight restlessly between your feet, biting your nails and scratching at the cut on your forearm. He has keen eyes—at least when it comes to looking through you.
- “I needed… to not be alone for a bit. And to get out of the house. But I felt bad bothering you so late.”
- “I sleepwalked there.”
- [Drama — Godly 16] “I told you—it was just a misunderstanding.” (Lie)
- “Hey, it’s none of your fucking business, how about that?”
EMPATHY [Medium: Success] — Kim’s eyes soften. His knee presses against yours in a silent show of comradery.
KIM KITSURAGI — “You can bother me at any time of the day, Harry,” he says, looking out into the city. “You know that. And it hasn't stopped you before, hm?”
PAIN THRESHOLD [Medium: Failure] — The words lodge like rose thorns in between your ribcage, so sweet and caring it pangs. You try to breathe through it—Kim’s concern put into words makes you ache from the marrow of your bone.
YOU — “I know.” You have to clear your throat to keep speaking. “But I—you know. I don't want to be... I'm trying to be better.” You gesture around your own head, all-encompassing. “It’s like—well, what if he’s already asleep, and we already had such a long day at work, and then I went down to grab cigarettes and now there’s like five unopened bottles of vodka sitting in my apartment, and I didn’t want to throw them out because, like, that’s perfectly good alcohol, and there’s glass *everywhere*, and—”
KIM KITSURAGI — “Detective, *breathe*.”
COMPOSURE [Legendary: Success] — Kim’s thumb is warm and calloused where it rests over the thin skin of your wrist. You make yourself breathe in—the cold air fills your lungs, so sharp it hurts, and Kim nods at you encouragingly.
YOU — “Sorry. Shit.”
KIM KITSURAGI — He doesn’t even make note of your apology. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
AUTHORITY [Formidable: Failure] — Shame fills your chest. You want to lash out suddenly—tear your hand away and put your vulnerable parts out of the light.
VOLITION [Easy: Success] — It’s okay. It’s just Kim. He won’t judge—he’s just assessing the situation.
- [Volition — Challenging 12] “It’s barely a scrape.”
- [Authority — Heroic 15] Take your hand back.
- [Drama — Godly 16] “Healthy as a horse.” (Lie)
VOLITION [Challenging: Success] — You track his eyes as he carefully rolls up your sleeve. It really is barely a cut—there’s dried up blood on your forearm, but it’s a tiny nick. You shiver as he thumbs at the skin below the wound.
KIM KITSURAGI — “You should still clean it when we get back.” You nod dumbly as he takes away his hand, leaving goosebumps in your flesh.
YOU — “Are *you* okay, Kim? You were up, too.”
KIM KITSURAGI — He shrugs. His shoulders really are mesmerizing in that leather. “I’m fine. It’s nothing in particular. I have never slept very well.”
YOU — “You can come to me too, you know. If it ever gets too much. Hell, even if you’re just bored.” You nudge his ankle.
EMPATHY [Easy: Success] — He’s smiling again, softly, even if there’s still a frown in his face.
KIM KITSURAGI — “I’ll make sure to keep that in mind,” he says.
SUGGESTION [Formidable: Success] — He probably won’t—but that’s okay. You’ve got his back, the same way he’s got yours.
CONCEPTUALIZATION [Formidable: Success] — You can’t stop looking at him. The moon is shining behind him, a halo of silvery moonlight pooling in his glasses. For once his hair isn't slicked back and instead falls soft and loose over his forehead. Even his knees look alluring—his elbows, the curve of his throat. You want so badly—you want to crack him open and crawl inside him.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Medium: Success] — You’d also settle for, like, holding his hand.
DRAMA [Medium: Failure] — He’s been watching you watch him. His face is unreadable.
- “God, you’re beautiful.”
- “You should start wearing leather all the time.”
- “Could you help me throw out the booze?”
- Keep looking at him, wordlessly.
KIM KITSURAGI — He nods without hesitation. “Of course.”
INLAND EMPIRE [Medium: Success] — He looks out at Revachol—a lot of the lights have gone out from the time you sat down and now there’s just the odd smattering of glows, like swarms of fireflies.
KIM KITSURAGI — “You can sleep on my couch tonight, if you want, and we’ll do that first thing in the morning.”
ENDURANCE [Easy: Success] — He rubs at the underside of his eyes, biting back a yawn. The rings under his eyes are more pronounced than usual.
YOU — “Slumber party!” You pump your hand into the air.
KIM KITSURAGI — He snorts. He’s leaning his chin on his hand, watching you with an indulgent smile. “Do I need to worry about you dismantling my living room to make some sort of blanket contraption, detective?”
VISUAL CALCULUS [Medium: Failure] — Have you ever made a blanket fort before? You can’t remember.
YOU — “If I thought I could get away with it.” You smile at him, smitten.
KIM KITSURAGI — He actually yawns this time. “I’ve seen you get away with more egregious things.”
YOU — “You’re not wrong!” You lean in to look him in the eye. “Hey, you look ready to fall over. You’re gonna be good to drive back?”
PHYSICAL INSTRUMENT [Easy: Success] — His knees pop as he gets up. As he stretches his shirt rides up, and you can see a sliver of the soft fat of his stomach, the thin trail of hair running down his navel. He looks solid. Strong.
KIM KITSURAGI — “I’m fine. I’ve driven in worse conditions.”
YOU — “Hey, I can always take over for you.” You wink.
KIM KITSURAGI — The lieutenant looks skeptical as he raises his eyebrows, but there’s a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “I wasn’t aware you knew how to drive a motorcycle, detective.”
ENCYCLOPEDIA [Trivial: Success] — You don’t, but you would learn—for the way he’s smiling at you, teasing. To feel his arms tightening around your middle as you accelerate.
YOU — “Well,” you draw out. “It could be one of those things, like shooting a gun—where I don’t know that I can do it until I’m doing it. I mean, I feel like the type of guy who’s definitely owned a bike before.”
KIM KITSURAGI — He crosses his arms across his chest. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case,” he admits, and you brighten. “I’m still not letting you test that theory with mine.”
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Formidable: Success] — You clasp his shoulder and throw an arm around him, laughing. Kim lets you, looking to the side, which means you can see perfectly the way the side of his face and his neck flush.
YOU — “You acted so put-off by those jackets, back in Martinaise. And look at you now—covered head-to-toe in leather!”
KIM KITSURAGI — He shakes his head, raising his eyebrow. “If you’ll recall, the leather was the last part of it, detective. And this outfit is just protective.”
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Medium: Failure] — Yeah, and *tight*. All over. Have I mentioned yet how good his ass looks?
YOU — “Right, right. Safety is important.”
RHETORIC [Medium: Failure] — Kim looks up at you through his eyelashes, sardonic.
KIM KITSURAGI — “Mmhm.”
VOLITION [Formidable: Failure] — He’s still pressed close to you—he hasn’t moved away even as you stand frozen staring at him, mouth hanging half-open.
- “God, you’re beautiful.”
- “You should start wearing leather all the time.”
- Keep looking at him, wordlessly.
KIM KITSURAGI — He raises his eyebrow further. “I think I’m fine with my usual clothes.”
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Easy: Success] — You are, too—he'd look dreamy in anything. And without anything.
- “God, you’re beautiful.”
- Keep looking at him, wordlessly.
SUGGESTION [Formidable: Failure] — The words pour out without your permission, like most of the things you say. They’re loud in the quiet of this place—crickets sing in the background.
KIM KITSURAGI — He blinks up at you, eyes wide behind his glasses.
EMPATHY [Legendary: Success] — He looks thrown off-balance. That teasing edge has melted off in the face of your disarming sincerity.
KIM KITSURAGI — He takes off his glasses and wipes the lenses on the edge of his shirt. “Detective, I…”
YOU — “Sorry, I just—fuck. You’re so—” You gesture at him, stepping back. Your side feels cold. “I mean, you’re all—*so* much leather, Kim! I’m just a man! And you’re so—good.”
RHETORIC [Challenging: Failure] — You’re barely making sense. It’s basically just disconnected words coming out of your mouth now.
KIM KITSURAGI — He exhales. He looks distinctly uncomfortable, and you take another step back. That makes him frown harder. “Come here, detective.”
AUTHORITY [Legendary: Failure] — Your feet move without your direction. You stare down at Kim, still frowning up at you. He tangles his hands on your jacket.
YOU — “Um. Kim.”
KIM KITSURAGI — “Yes, Harry?”
SUGGESTION [Medium: Failure] — Exhale. Your knees go weak momentarily—the tilt of his voice wrapping around your name crawls its way up your spine, electric synapses firing through your nervous system. You press your hand to Kim’s jaw, light. He tilts his head up.
- “I’m sorry, shit, I’m a mess. I almost showed up at your door drunk tonight. I’m going to ruin you eventually. Fuck, sorry.”
- [Electrochemistry — Challenging 12] “Your ass looks really good in those pants.”
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Challenging: Success] — You startle a bark of laughter out of him. Kim snorts, bowing his head a little.
YOU — “Sorry, I didn’t actually mean to say that. Well, no, I did. But it was meant to come off as suave. Not, um. You know.”
RHETORIC [Medium: Failure] — Not halfway to a catcall? Yeah, that would have been good.
EMPATHY [Easy: Success] — Kim is still laughing, soft snorting puffs of air that seem like they’re being punched out of him. His neck is flushed. You will make a fool of yourself any day of the week for this.
KIM KITSURAGI — He clears his throat and smiles. “Thank you—I think.” His hands are still holding the lapels of your bedazzled jacket. “Are you just going to keep staring?”
LOGIC [Medium: Failure] — And what is that supposed to mean?
PERCEPTION [Easy: Success] — He’s seen you looking the whole time—ogling his ass like an old pervert.
HALF LIGHT [Challenging: Failure] — RUN RUN RUN GET AWAY BEFORE HE SAYS ANYTHING ELSE.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Legendary: Success] — Pump the brakes. He’s saying you don’t have to *just* stare. He wants you to reach out and touch him.
REACTION SPEED [Medium: Success] — And you’ve been staring out into the ether for a full minute. He’s getting nervous.
KIM KITSURAGI — “Khm. That might have been presumptuous of me.”
REACTION SPEED [Heroic: Success] — DO SOMETHING.
- [Rhetoric — Legendary 14] Declare your love for him.
- [Volition — Legendary 14] Kiss him.
- [Inland Empire — Impossible 20] Drop to your knees and ask him to marry you.
RHETORIC [Legendary: Failure] — Too much, too soon. The words get caught in your throat, like a hook stuck in your uvula.
YOU — “I… Kim… you…” You groan and press your hands to your face.
KIM KITSURAGI — “Don’t hurt yourself, detective.” He sounds amused.
EMPATHY [Formidable: Success] — And still a bit terrified.
ESPRIT DE CORPS [Legendary: Success] — Go on, he thinks. You’re never afraid to make the hard calls.
- [Volition — Legendary 14] Kiss him.
- [Inland Empire — Impossible 20] Drop to your knees and ask him to marry you.
VOLITION [Legendary: Success] — His face is stubbly under your fingers. You run your thumb along his jaw and watch, entranced, as Kim’s eyelids flutter. The smallest of sighs leaves his mouth.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Easy: Success] — His mustache tickles as you kiss him, and you giggle into his mouth. Kim’s glasses dig into your face, and he’s holding into your jacket a bit too tightly—it’s perfect.
INTERFACING [Medium: Success] — You run your hands over his shoulders. The leather is soft under your hands, well-worn and smooth. Kim’s hand tangles in your facial hair.
YOU — “Mm, so this was all a ploy to seduce me, then?”
AUTHORITY [Challenging: Success] — He gives you a hard stare as he pulls back, but the effect is ruined by the fact that his mouth is red and he’s slightly panting. Also, his hands are still pressed to your chest.
KIM KITSURAGI — “You’re in well over your head.”
YOU — “Hmm, no, I don’t think so.” You press a hand to your chin, like you’re thinking. “I think you’re wearing those pants just to drive me crazy.”
KIM KITSURAGI — He raises an eyebrow. “Do you have a leather fetish, detective?”
LOGIC [Legendary: Failure] — Um.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Formidable: Success] — You have a Kim fetish. But leather play does sound intriguing, actually.
YOU — “I think I’m mostly just obsessed with you.” You feel yourself flush.
EMPATHY [Easy: Success] — Kim looks positively overwhelmed, and there are crow’s feet in the corners of his eyes—he’s biting back a pleased grin.
KIM KITSURAGI — “Let’s get home,” he says. His hands are still on you.
YOU — “Right.”
SUGGESTION [Formidable: Success] — Kim doesn’t complain as you pull him in for another kiss—slow, tender. He makes the smallest of sounds against your mouth as you grab his waist, pressing your fingertips to the bare strip of flesh under the seam of his shirt.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Medium: Success] — The way his hand tightens on your hair is interesting, and makes you shiver all the way down to your knees. Much to think about.
YOU — “Hey, I guess I was right when I asked if you used your bike to pick up guys, huh?”
KIM KITSURAGI — He pulls back, halfheartedly glaring at you, and lets go of you despite your vocal whining. He starts walking back towards his motorcycle, knowing that you’ll follow. “Well, if I had known that’s all it would take,” he jokes.
COMPOSURE [Formidable: Failure] — It’s meant as only that—a joke—but the implication that he’s *thought* about this, dedicated time to the idea of seducing you... well. In some ways, it’s good that this worked out the way it did, because your heart might have burst if Kim had tried to ‘pick you up’ in some other way.
YOU — “I was all yours from the beginning, Kim.”
EMPATHY [Easy: Success] — You take him by surprise again. He looks at you unguarded as he holds his helmet in his hands—his grip tightens for a moment and he shifts in place. He doesn’t know what to say.
YOU — That’s fine. As long as he knows.
PHYSICAL INSTRUMENT [Easy: Success] — This time you press yourself up against his back and wrap your arms below his ribcage without hesitation. Kim reaches back to pat you on the thigh, his grip firm and almost possessive. You swallow.
SHIVERS [Challenging: Success] — An ocean of pale away, a woman smokes on her balcony. She’s happy—at home, comfortable. Her daughter and husband asleep a handful of steps away, safe. She looks up at the moon and blows smoke into the stars.
SHIVERS — In Revachol, the city breathes. Wind whips past your ears and blues everything else.
SHIVERS — Nothing here is safe, or comfortable, but there still might be some happiness for you to find.