⟣ Karma ⟢

19 she/her ☆ multi-fandom ☆

[prettyykarmaa]

Nights Like This

GN!Reader x Mr. Inference!Naib Subedar

Synopsis - Mr. Inference got stung by a jellyfish. Again. Luckily for him, you're not the worst doctor around.

Tags - Potential/mild spoilers for the Voyage of Oceanus event, Truth and Inference Universe, you're a doctor, one-shot, meet cute(?), possible inaccurate treatment of a jellyfish sting, wrote this with his Cabinet of Curiosities skin in mind

WC - 1474

A/N - I'm back, and with a new fic format too!! I hope this was worth the wait! This fic takes place after the Voyage of Oceanus event's epilogue. While I do recommend reading the wiki page for this event, I think this can still be enjoyed without knowing what happens in it. Here's some things to know though:

Mr. Inference [aka Naib] has gone undercover and goes by Mr. Collector. In this fic, he won't be referred to as Naib, so I hope y'all don't mind!!

Ms. Taxidermist is Emily, and Mr. Benefactor is Frederick.

Your cabin door shuts with a small click behind you. Turning around, you're greeted with moonlight streaking across the wooden floor, illuminating the space with a soft glow. Including the notes strewn across the small round table and the crate settled at its legs. It's a mess that will be dealt with. Just not tonight.

Walking over to your bed, you kick off your boots and unceremoniously flop onto it. The comforter wraps itself around you in a warm embrace. After what felt like an eternity of trying to find the cure to something you couldn't even name, nights like this were appreciated.

The Oceanus has never been quieter. Not that it was a bad thing. Just days ago, many passengers aboard had fallen ill. You and Ms. Taxidermist had done your best to help but even with the medicines available onboard, graciously funded by Mr. Benefactor himself, none had been effective in curing anyone.

Yet, by some miracle, everyone managed to recover before the ship reached the port earlier today. Maybe it was the abnormally stormy seas in this area, or something more nefarious in nature... Well, what's done is done. At least now you can finally take a break.

Your eyelids begin to feel heavy; your mind starts to slow down. The thought of moving is the last thing you want to do. You could take the extra step to slip under the covers, but the comforting pull of rest holds you and you don't want to let go. Then you hear a dull knock against wood. Maybe it's your neighbour's door? You stay put.

Two more knocks. Louder but not enough to be aggravating. They're definitely knocking on your door. Yet, you shut your eyes tighter as if that would get you to sleep in the next five seconds. That, or the mystery person at your door calls it a night. Both work. Silence hangs heavily within your cabin and outside it. Either they walked away, or there's about to be a break-in.

"Doctor?"

Your eyes shoot open. You know that voice but you find it hard to believe that its owner is the one standing outside your door. The impossibly pretty man you've seen around onboard yet never spoken to. The one Ms. Taxidermist caught you looking at a couple of times. Okay, maybe more than a couple of times. "I'm aware it's late, but if you're still awake, I'd... really appreciate your expertise."

The speed you bounced off the bed and opened the door was quick. Embarrassingly so. But it's not everyday the prettiest man on the Oceanus asks for your help. Even if you were about to sleep. If Mr. Collector noticed how swiftly the door had swung open, he doesn't show it. He gives you a polite nod in greeting. You give him a once over, noticing that one of his hands were ungloved. Redness bloomed across the skin. "A jellyfish sting?"

Your eyes linger for a second longer before moving up to meet his gaze. He looks relatively unbothered but the downturn of his mouth seems almost... sheepish. "Unfortunately, this is my second." The collector admits. "I stopped by the gallery to rinse the area off with vinegar, but I don't have the necessary tools to deal with it myself."

Stepping out of the way, you close the door behind him and pull the chair out from the round table. He wordlessly sits down. Looking under the piles of papers scattered around, you manage to find a pair of tweezers. Mr. Collector offers you his hand and you carefully take it by the wrist. His gloved hand finds purchase on the edge of the seat's armrest.

"This may hurt," You warn as you kneel down. You could've sworn you saw his eyes widen but he looks away before you can fully determine it. "I've been through worse. This'll be nothing I can't handle." And to his credit, he's right. As you carefully remove the tentacles nestled in his hand, he doesn't flinch. Not even once. The man is either a regular to getting stung by jellyfish or he's actually been through worse.

Curiosity squirms in the back of your mind but you keep it there. It’s not your place to ask. A part of you hopes he’ll elaborate another time anyway. You continue with your meticulous ministrations. Mr. Collector’s eyes flick to down to watch you work, then to the crate sitting at your left.

Eventually the last tentacle gets plucked out. “You really weren’t joking about being able to handle it,” You muse as you scoot backwards. The crate gets pulled up to your knees, and you begin to dig through its contents. “I’m as impressed as I am slightly concerned.” He lets out a soft, amused huff in response. A small smile forms on your lips.

However, it swiftly becomes a frustrated frown. You can’t find the box you need. Everything’s labeled neatly but all the words are blurring together. You blame it on the small print and the moon being further behind you now. You’re so focused on your search, you don’t notice that he had stood up. With an apology on the tip of your tongue, you look up to apologize to him.

Only to be met with the sight of him getting down onto one knee across from you.

The golden pendants of his necklace rhythmically clink together as he moves. It's oddly soothing; enough to water down your frustration. You doubt it’s his, as everyone had their outfits provided by the Benefactor, but you’d be lying if you said it didn’t fit him. Before you can snap out of your staring, his gloved hand gives you a light tap on your forehead.

You shake your head and meet the collector’s eyes. A glimmer of something is in his gaze but the same gloved hand reaches into the crate and immediately raises a box in between your faces. “Hydrocortisone. This is what you’re looking for, right?” You nod. The brunette moves the crate out of the way as he hands you the box. You open it, and the tube slides out.

Squeezing out its contents onto the back of his hand, you take it into yours and gingerly rub the cream in with your thumbs. “I’ll give this to you. Whenever your hand feels itchy or inflamed, you can use it.” He pockets the tube and stands up. You follow suit. “Thank you.” He says as you open the door for him.” “No problem. It’s my job after all, Mr. Collector.” The man stops and appears to contemplate something for a few moments.

“Mr. Inference.”

You know what he’s trying to say but it doesn’t register in your brain. He realizes your plight, so he clarifies. “You may call me Mr. Inference. The experience is finished so we can use our actual names now.” An understanding hum escapes you. “Let me guess — you’re a detective?”

“A good guess, and a correct one too. I am indeed.” His confirmation makes you want to tell him your name. So, you do. Hearing him repeat it almost makes you fall to your knees. He steps out into the dim hallway. “Have a good night. After the past couple of days, I believe you deserve it most of all." The way he drops that on you then proceeds to walk away is undoubtedly baffling.

Did he always say things like that so casually, or was there something more to it? Maybe that’s why you don’t stop yourself from acting on that curiosity. A newfound sense of courage fills you as you step out of your cabin. “Mr. Inference?” You call out as loud as you can without waking any of the other crew members up. He fully turns around to face you.

His baby blue eyes shine beautifully thanks to the moonlight shining through the circular hallway window to his left. The gleam of the gold accents surrounding them only made him even more breathtaking. You feel your confidence waver slightly but you push through. It's better to try than not, right? Sleep deprivation is still a valid excuse to use if things don’t work out anyway.

“Would you… like to get breakfast together tomorrow?” Mr. Inference stays quiet for a moment. Then, without another second of delay, he answers; a subtle smile on his face. “I’d love to.” You can’t tell what makes you happier: him accepting your impromptu (and completely unplanned) breakfast date, or the flush that you definitely caught on his cheeks.

You settle on both. “Goodnight!” You call out to him before retreating to your own cabin. Slipping underneath your comforter, you replay everything in your mind until the sweet lull of rest sweeps you into its arms.

And for the first time in a long while, you sleep soundly.

I firmly believe that Naib is very used to being the one to initiate things in general, so I headcanon he gets lowkey flustered when someone he's into takes the lead. This has gotta be the most self-indulgent fic I've wrote so far LMAO

Completely unrelated, but I’ve been playing Ultrakill for the past two weeks and it’s so fun!! I’m so deep in the hole that I’m planning to drop a fic with Gabriel on Ao3 bc I’m all over that mean angel.

… EVEN THOUGH I HAVEN’T MET HIM IN-GAME YET 😭

Also, I almost shed a tear when I saw that it costs like $93 USD to buy a signed print from Gianni Matragrano (his voice actor). I’M CANADIAN. IT’S GONNA COST OVER $100 CAD HHH 😭😭😭

[prettyykarmaa]

Hihi!! I’m popping by to say I’m still working on my third Naib fic! Partly because a few things happened since my last post (for one, I recently went to my first anime convention!!!), but mainly because I’m terrible at getting myself to sit down and write even though I want to 😓

Like yesterday, I finally hit the 1/3 point of the story. After weeks of it being basically blank. Progress is progress though so I’m trying not to be too hard on myself 😭 I’m hoping to get it done before July ends, but I won’t make any promises!!!

This is off topic, but I’ve also been playing Date Everything for the past three weeks 😣 I’m enjoying it sm!! Like, I even came up with and drew an oc for it bc I saw people on tiktok doing it and felt inspired. I haven’t drawn in literal months so that’s pretty major AHA 😣😣

For those curious, I’m literally in shambles for Dorian…

[prettyykarmaa]

www the naib fics are so GOOD

by any chance do you take requests...

aww thank you so much 🫶

as of right now, I don’t take requests 😓😓　maybe in the future I will though!!!

[prettyykarmaa]

So what if I said this is lowkey inspiring me for my next Naib fic 😣

If there’s any lore related to the skin, please feel free to tell me about it!! I love Cabinet of Curiosities sm, and I’m still sad I didn’t return to idv while the essence was around 🥲

[prettyykarmaa]

Hi!! It’s been a while, but don’t worry, I haven’t abandoned this account.

Long story short, these last two months have been a lot for me and my motivation took a pretty big hit because of it 😔

But I’ve gotten a bit better and I have quite a few ideas I’m really excited to write about!

However, the next fic (or even fics) aren’t going to be Naib nor idv related. I still play and enjoy the game (I’m waiting for the B-Duck collab to return) but I don’t have much motivation to write for it right now 😭

I think that’s partly because I’m in my Attack on Titan era again LMAO! The Levi brainrot is very much real right now, so the next fic will most definitely be about him.

That being said, thank you for enjoying my Naib fics! In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy my future fics just as much :]

[prettyykarmaa]

AGGRESSIVLY CHEWING ON UR NAIB FIX RAHHHHHH

U WRITE HIM PERFECTLY IM EXPLODING IN ABSOLUTE JOY

I NEED MORE!! (WHENEVER U CAN), ILL TAKE CRUMBS PLSPLS

OPH naib my BELOVED (I bought his skin and don't even play him much anymore, I am but a simp😔)

AWWW THANK YOU SO MUCH 🥹🥹

I LOWKEY WONDER IF PPL LIKE HOW I WRITE NAIB SO IM REALLY HAPPY TO HEAR THAT!! AND DW, MORE NAIB CONTENT IS ON THE WAY

I GOT A REALLY ROUGH DRAFT CHILLING BUT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH SCHOOL FIRST 😭😭

also his new skins are so 🫶 got both of them bc I’m 100% biased (I’m learning how to play him bc I’m a simp for him too LMAOA)

[prettyykarmaa]

Snacks and a Stream

GN!Reader x Naib Subedar

Summary - You go out to get some snacks at your local convenience store, and run into someone unexpected.

WC - 1,508 (this was only supposed to be ~500 words...)

Author’s Note(s) - I was watching “Falling Into Your Smile” on Netflix, so you can imagine what my inspiration for this fic is. Also there might be some inaccuracies involving streaming and Twitch, so sorry if I get something wrong!

Team OPH was about to go live in about half an hour, and you were more than ready to watch. The last few days have been rather busy, so you haven't had the chance to tune into any of their streams until now. You drag your cursor to Naib's profile and click on it. Out of the four members, you tended to gravitate towards his streams—a lot.

If someone were to ask why, you'd tell them that you find his dedication and skills as a rescuer impressive. His position wasn't one many people liked to fulfill, but he always took it seriously, even in more laid-back matches. He was like the embodiment of the saying, "No man left behind." It was hard not to admire that.

The second reason wasn't something you would admit as readily. You preferred streamers who were on the quieter side, and Naib embodied that trait. Despite not talking as much as the other OPH members, he still made his streams engaging in their own right. The black hair and dark-coloured eyes combo certainly didn't help either. Were you developing a tiny crush on him? You didn't want to think about that.

Shaking yourself out of your thoughts, you look back to the countdown on Naib's stream. There were twenty minutes to go. The wheels of your chair roll as you slide over to your snack drawer. You might as well have one, or a couple, before it starts. Opening it up, you're met with a disappointing sight.

Nothing was inside. There wasn't even a half-opened package. A small sigh escapes you as you remember what happened. The last time you opened this drawer, you were binging a show that had sat on your watchlist for far too long and completely blew through your entire stash during it. You forgot to buy more, which left you to deal with the outcome tonight. Dusk had already passed, evident by the moonlight shining through your window, but that wouldn't stop you from going out to buy a few.

Slipping on a hoodie, you're out the door in a heartbeat. Cold, night air immediately nips at your cheeks as you walk to the convenience store nearby. Even though it was quiet outside, there were the faint noises of crickets or cars passing by to break it up. You end up at the parking lot after taking a right turn. Its storefront sign glows brightly, bathing the concrete at your feet in vibrant colours. You pull on the door handle of the store and step inside.

The familiar entry chime plays overhead. Focused on returning home before Naib's stream starts, you speedwalk to the snack aisle, passing by someone wearing white in the aisle over. Your eyes land on the whole purpose of this trip. All kinds of snacks lined the rows. You start to grab the usual. Chips, chocolate, and candy. When you feel like you have enough to last the night, you carefully walk to the checkout.

The cashier watches you place the snacks on the counter and begins to quietly scan them. When he finishes scanning the last one, the cashier looks up at you. "$14.17 is your total." You have to stop yourself from wincing, so you give him a weak nod instead. Reaching into your pockets, you realize you have forgotten your wallet. As you're mentally debating what to do now, you feel a light tap on your shoulder. Turning around, you're met with the last guy you'd expect to see in person. Ever.

Naib Subedar.

It was hard to say what had you more speechless. Naib looked good on his streams, but that did not compare to seeing him in real life. A hat sat comfortably on his head, resting on his raven locks. The streamer's outfit was pretty casual, except for his white varsity jacket, with OPH's designs emblazoned onto it. The other thing that caught your attention was much more humorous. Naib had three family-sized bags of chips in his nestled in his arms. You recall hearing Luca talking about Naib's affinity for the food in one of his streams. Seeing it firsthand, however, was as surprising as it was amusing.

"Can I?" Naib says, his gaze flickering from the snacks on the counter to your eyes. "Oh. Uh, sure." You muse as you move off to the side. Naib was paying. He was paying for himself and you. Relief fills you when he steps up to take your place. You weren't sure if you could hold eye contact with him any longer. Once he's done, Naib hands you a small plastic bag with all your snacks inside. The both of you walk towards the exit, with you trailing behind him. Naib pushes the door open and holds it for you.

Once you're outside, he lets it go, a click signifying its closure behind you. Silence fills the space between you two, and a part of you wants to leave it at that. Naib is the quietest out of all the members in OPH. Who knows if he'd choose to entertain a conversation with you? However, the other part of you couldn't stay quiet, not when he paid for you. Someone who was, by all means, a stranger. Before you can stop yourself, you look at him and ask: "Why did you pay for me?" Naib's eyes are trained on the empty parking in front of you. It seems like he won't be replying, but after a few moments, he does.

"My mom would've wanted me to help someone if I could, so I paid for you."

His tone gave off very little, but his expression gave you the idea that there was more to his otherwise kind gesture. You quickly decide to leave it that. The last thing you'd want to do is bring up bad memories. "Anyways, thank you." You shift your weight before quietly adding, "I'm sure she'd be happy to know you took her words to heart." The streamer hums in acknowledgment before looking at you. "I hope you're right." Then, he walks off, prompting you to do the same. You play with the handles of your plastic bag on the way home, your mind swirling.

The snacks are immediately dumped beside your keyboard, and your chair creaks as you plop down onto it. After a few more minutes, the countdown hits zero, and Naib starts his stream. For the next few hours, you indulge yourself in his stream. It's your reward for getting through such a long week. Unfortunately, you couldn't stop thinking about your earlier, even as his stream was wrapping up. It's a shame you couldn't do anything for him in return. Wait a second. You practically shoot up in your seat as you get an idea.

naibs_elbowpads32 has donated $14.17! "How's the chips?"

The streamer pauses, then looks at his web camera. "They're great. Would recommend." You laugh at Naib's reply. When he ends the stream, you get ready to log off. The effects of staying up so late will hit you in the morning, so you might as well try and do some damage control now. However, something stops you from doing that. A notification appears, letting you know that someone has dm'd you.

It was from none other than OPH_Naib.

Your mind shuts down, but your mouse clicks on the whisper button. His message, or rather question, reads: "Do you play Identity V?" If you weren't occupied with questioning what you have done recently to end up here, you would've laughed. Hard. The world was keen on reminding you of your growing crush on Naib, but honestly? You wouldn't mind getting to know the captain of Team OPH simply as a friend or as something more.

"I do."

Bonus:

"So you're telling me that's the first thing you messaged them?" Lily asks, fighting the urge to shoot Naib an incredulous look. She hoped he was joking, but knowing his sense of humour, there was no way this was one of them. Nonetheless, she needed to hear him confirm it. With his own voice and words.

"Yes. Do you want a screenshot?" Naib's expression was the exact same poker face he always had on. He was lucky that they were only on call. If not, she would've grabbed his shoulders and started to shake him. "For someone with the best game sense I've ever seen, I gotta say your social skills are something else."

The black-haired streamer slightly raises his eyebrows. "I think that was a perfectly fine way of starting a conversation, Lily." Naib reaches for one of the family-sized chip bags on his desk and rips it open, popping a few chips into his mouth. She sighs in response as she leans back in her chair, pushing up her heart-shaped glasses. "I can't tell what to be more surprised about. That you seriously chose that as your conversation starter…"

"…Or the fact you willingly went out of your way to initiate a conversation with someone that isn't in OPH."

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Ngl, I was struggling with this fic LMAO, but I'm pretty happy with how it came out in the end. Thank you for patience and I hope this fic was worth the wait!! I got a couple ideas for new fics, so hopefully I'll find the time to flesh them out. Until then, take care :]

[prettyykarmaa]

ngl the new Naib costumes are giving me inspiration to write again

(in other words, new Naib post once I have the time 💪)

[prettyykarmaa]

Reckless

GN!Reader x Naib Subedar

Summary - Naib gets chaired during a match. You don't want to leave him behind.

WC - 1,053 (that's actually surprising to me)

Author's Note(s) - This was inspired by @turbulentscrawl's 'Steamy Rescues' post! Please give it a read :]

https://www.tumblr.com/turbulentscrawl/740237408536231936/steamy-rescues?source=share

There is really minor violence in this, but please keep that in mind if that’s something you’re sensitive to. Also, I hc that survivors can communicate via a two-way earpiece!

"The cipher machine is primed. It's up to you now!" Luca's voice exclaims through your earpiece as you make your way to where Naib was chaired. Countless times have you attempted and succeeded in going ahead with risky plans. Still, all that prior experience was not doing much to stop your palms from sweating nor slow down your quickened heartbeat. You had ideas on why that was the case.

For one, the survivors of Oletus Manor have been on an awful losing streak recently, and it's been affecting everyone's morale. Even the survivors with relatively positive outlooks aren't doing so great. If you failed to turn this guaranteed tie into a win, you could practically imagine disappointed sighs and glares of disapproval (directed your way).

There was another idea floating around your mind as you ran, though.

You were nervous about failing him. The ironic part was that you knew he wouldn't hold any true ill-will against you. You're sure he'll call you an idiot, but he's not the type to hold a grudge over something like that. Even the best rescuers fail sometimes. So why were you so worried this time around?

Unfortunately, there wasn't any more time to linger on that question. Not when the chair was in your sight, and Naib's gaze was locked onto yours. He realized what you were trying to do the second he saw you rushing towards him. "Forget about saving me," You heard him say through your earpiece. "Just go for the tie."

"It's too late to do that." You huffed back as you looked away. You hear him let out an amused sigh before he speaks again. "Don't fuck up, then." As you got closer, your eyes scanned around his chair. Nothing. Ominous red light from the hunter? Missing. That was weird, but you convinced yourself to shake it off. Wanting to reach him in time, you forced yourself to run faster, resulting in you almost crashing into him. Almost. Using your hands, you stop yourself by planting them on either side of his head, practically pinning him against the chair.

If you had the time, you would've taken it to admire the sight in front of you. Battle-scarred hands gripped the armrests, and your eyes only traveled upwards, noticing the flex of Naib's biceps through his black long sleeve. Naib's hood had fallen, presumably during the struggle to the chair, revealing his pretty brown hair tied in its usual ponytail. It was disheveled, yes, but you that only made you want to run your hands through it to fix it for him. Yet, that all paled compared to how he was looking at you.

His dull blue eyes were trained on your appearance before reuniting with your gaze. They were filled with something you couldn't put into words, but you'd be lying if you said your heart didn't flutter. Realizing you could've completely misread his expression and he was actually silently judging, you try to save face. "I know I look breathtaking right now; you can tell me about it later, yeah?" You mumbled as you placed both hands on the safety bar and pried it off his lap before carefully taking his hands and pulling him out of the chair.

You were about to finally relax when you felt a shiver down your spine, immediately followed by a butterfly coming from overhead and landing directly in front of Naib. Without a second thought, you go between them and braced yourself. The familiar sting of Michiko's fan blade slashing you made itself known. However, it disappeared as quickly as it came, thanks to Luca popping the last cipher.

With a newfound sense of determination and the pain from injuries you both sustained becoming tolerable, Naib grabbed you by the hand and started sprinting toward the exit gate. "We're almost out. Just hold on a bit longer." He panted as he continued to pull you along. You subconsciously squeeze his hand, and surprisingly, he does it back. Another butterfly whizzes past, this time behind you. He notices and uses the hand holding yours, swinging you in front of him. Michiko barely misses her attack, giving both of you enough time to follow Luca through the exit.

Once you were back at the manor, you beelined to your room. You would've loved to have celebrated the win with everyone, but you were more than ready to sleep. When you were getting ready to turn off your lamp, you heard a knock on the door. You wanted to ignore it, but when there was a second knock, you sighed and opened the it.

It was Naib.

He appeared much more relaxed than he looked during the game, his right hand gently resting on your doorway. It was a good look on him. "Your recklessness never fails to amaze me," he says, shaking his head, which earns him a lighthearted eye-roll from you. "But nonetheless, I'm glad you rescued me despite knowing the risks." Usually, you'd tease him relentlessly for not being upfront with a "thank you," but you decided to play nice. Oh, how you regret not taking that chance.

"You know my conscience wouldn't let me leave people behind. Especially you." You say with a small smile. That second part was an understatement, as you'd drop everything and come running if he asked you to. For the sake of your pride, you didn't tell him that. He lightly scoffs when he realizes you are choosing to be passive tonight.

"It looks like you're getting ready to sleep, so I'll leave you be." He retracts his hand from the doorway, ready to head back down the hallway. Then, remembrance flickers across his face, leading Naib to turn his head back to you. Before you can ask what he was thinking, he suddenly says, "I agree."

"What?"

"You said you looked breathtaking during the game. I think you are all the time, so I agree.”

With that, Naib turns around and walks down the hallway, disappearing behind the corner. Quietly closing the door to your room and shutting off the lamp, you crawl under the blankets on your bed. His words continually replayed in your head. Sleeping was going to be a struggle tonight. You would've brushed off what Naib said as him being oblivious (somehow) to how his words could be taken…

If it wasn't for the fact you caught Naib leaving with what looked to be a knowing smile.

He definitely knows.

And much to your dismay, that makes you all the more smitten over him.

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So fun fact, this is the first time I've ever written a fanfic but I hope it was enjoyable anyways!! Because I'm a minor, I strayed away from making this suggestive and leaned more towards romantic tension. I also had Haunted by Beyoncé on loop for quite a bit of this fic, so I wonder if y'all you can tell LMAO

Tags: @thekeeperofdreams