You and Kurt escape from an asylum and then join a death game together
This is just 13 pages and 6.1k words of pure self-indulgence. Kurt is absolutely the love of my life and I've been daydreaming about this for weeks. I could go on forever about my Kurt Frank lore and how I interpret his character. (I know Kurt was discharged from the asylum and didn't escape but it's just for the story.) But that is a 2:30 am post for another day.
The amount of research I put into this is greater than any school project I've ever done.
I hope you all enjoy all my thoughts in story form.
Also, this is not canon-compliant as I have decided that the new IDV lore is garbage. I do what I want and now this is here.
⚔️Mod Peko⚔️
You and Kurt escape from an asylum and then join a death game together
A blaring siren rips you from your pitch-black slumber. Rising from the pathetic excuse that is your bed you try to recollect your thoughts. But it’s hard to think of anything with this shrill noise piercing your ears. What was happening? You look out your room's window to see guards running along the walls. Their weapons are held firmly in their hands ready to attack at any moment. Someone must have broken out. This place didn’t take kindly to people trying to leave.
The alarms then go silent. It was so quiet you could hear the murmuring of the person in the room next to yours. With shaky breaths, you sit back on your bed. With a hand over your chest, you try to still your beating heart.
Suddenly a scratching sound could be heard at your door. Was someone trying to break in? No, that sound was coming from the lock on the door. A sound you have heard many times. It must be a worker coming to use you as some sick example on why you shouldn’t leave before you’re discharged. Wait, it couldn’t be them. It was taking way too long for them to open that door. You could easily remember how easy it is for them to barge in. To make you take your medicine or bring you to your treatment.
The metallic clicking stops and your door is swung open. On the other side is a very worried-looking Kurt. In his hand is a medical knife. The very ones that have been used on the asylum’s patients countless times. He must’ve used it to pick the lock on your door. He sighs in relief seeing you safely on your bed. Rushing over to you he quickly stands you up before helping you to get your shoes on. Kurt then grabs your hand and starts to peer out your doorway.
“Kurt? What’s going on? Where are we going?”
“We must be quick dear. We have so little time before they trigger the alarm again.”
“Trigger the alarm? What are you talking about?”
Letting go of your hand, Kurt cups your cheek. He gazes into your eyes. “Remember all those times we said we would get out of here together? Well, that will be happening tonight. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner my dear. The planning just happened so suddenly. Some of our other colleagues are in on this too. We have to go now for this to work.” Grabbing your hand once more, Kurt checks the hallway. Seeing no guards patrolling he begins to run out and into the maze-like hallways with you in tow.
Ducking into room after room, hiding away from guards, you and Kurt make it into the study room. Taking the medical knife Kurt rips into the worn upholstery of an armchair. Reaching inside the torn chair he pulls out two white bags. Handing one to you he pulls on his own.
“I packed these bags for us. There’s a change of clothes and some loaves of bread I was able to steal from dinner. I even managed to grab the book you love reading during free time. We must wait for the alarms to sound off again. It will give us a clear shot to get to the security room once the guards go to inspect.” Kurt brings you into a shaky one-armed hug. The adrenaline of all of this is starting to wear off. He’s getting so sleepy. But he must push for the both of you….Or he could shut his eyes for a quick moment.
Before Kurt could fully close his eyes the loud siren begins to ring through the asylum. Any trace of sleep has left his body. Giving your hand a squeeze he leans out the doorway ever so slightly. Noticing two guards run out of the security room and down the hallway, the two of you rush into the room, shutting and locking the door.
Reading over the labeled switches for the cameras was a challenge for Kurt. His mind was foggy. He was sleep-deprived from many nights spent awake planning this down to the last detail. He was going to get out of here with you. He had to take you on many wondrous adventures. He just had to!
“Kitchen….Kitchen….Kitchen….Where is that kitchen switch!? Oh, this was just like the time when Cathrine had to solve that puzzle in ‘The Tomb’.” Kurt was beginning to stress. Everything he’s worked for was about to go up in flames. Before he could tense anymore you set your hand against his own.
“Kurt, honey it’s okay. Look, the switch to the kitchen camera is right here.” Guiding his hand to it you give him a gentle smile.
Kurt gleams at you and gives you a quick kiss on the cheek. He then switches the camera on and off exactly six times before stopping. Turning to you Kurt brings you into a tight hug. After a couple long seconds, he pulls away and holds you by the shoulders.
“Dearest, things are about to get hectic and loud. Any second now a fire will start in the kitchen which will lead to a few other fires to start around this place. Please, if it comes down to it, leave me here. If something happens to me you have to go on. Please get out of here for me.” With small tears in his eyes, he brings you into a kiss.
You pull away with tears of your own. Your shoulders shake as you look him in the eyes. “I couldn’t leave you here Kurt. We have to go together. Who would take me on all those journeys if you’re not here? I’ll do everything I can to make sure we get out together.”
There isn’t a chance for any more heartfelt words to be shared as a deafening explosion is heard. That must be the kitchen going up in flames. Shortly after, the fire alarm begins to sound. Taking this as his signal, Kurt moves towards the door and unlocks it. Even though the fire just started he can already see the orange glow coming from the cafeteria. Grabbing his stolen medical knife he then takes your hand and runs out into the hot hallway. Many other fires have broken out around the asylum.
Taking many turns through the smoke-filled corridors it's hard to tell where you were. The alarms were making your head spin. Kurt wasn’t any better. The lack of sleep was starting to pile up on him. Taking heavy breaths he guides you both through the burning hospital. The panicked screams from staff and patients alike began to mend together.
Making another turn you can see a missing chunk of wall surrounded by flames. That was it. You two were home-free. Picking up the pace you both dash to the hole. You were so close to freedom!
Kurt’s hand was suddenly ripped from yours. A guard tackled him to the floor causing him to drop his knife and bag. The guard drives his knee into Kurt’s side pulling a cry of pain out from his mouth. Kurt struggles to get the man off of him, he’s yelling out for you to leave.
You’re shaking. Trying to think of a way to help him. In the corner of your eye, you see something shine. It’s Kurt’s knife! You dive down to grab it and stab the guard in the hand. He falters from the pain giving Kurt an opening to kick the guard off of him. Using the knife once more you manage to stab Kurt’s attacker again. It’s hard to tell where with the heavy amounts of smoke billowing everywhere. With the guard down, you grab the fallen bag and Kurt’s hand you speed your way through the wall.
Running into the surrounding forest you don’t stop moving until the alarms quiet down into a faint whistle. The adrenaline is long gone out of your bodies. Finding a thick tree log to rest upon you both collapse into heaps. The cool night air helps to chill your heated faces. Beneath you was a layer of grass and soil. How long has it been since you were able to feel the calming essence of nature? It's been so long since you were able to breathe air not polluted by the stench of medical equipment and mold.
Your vision goes blurry with tears. With shaking arms you dig your hands into the ground, relishing in your newfound freedom. No matter how hard you try you just can’t stop the flow of tears. Noticing, Kurt comes around to your front and encloses you in an embrace. Cupping your cheek he brings your face up to look at him. Using his thumb he attempts to wipe the tears from your face.
“It’s okay. We’re okay. We got out of there! We….We got out-!” Kurt’s sentence is cut off by a sob. He can’t help it. Finally being free from that medical prison after so long. He could finally take you on all those adventures he promised. You and him could form a new story together.
Pulling away from the hug Kurt brings you into a kiss. So many emotions course through this one kiss. The weight of his body causes you to fall back onto the ground. Peppering your face in kisses, Kurt’s tears drip onto your face. You can’t help but laugh. You two were finally free.
It’s been a while ever since your escape. You and Kurt have been living together in a small one-story house. Neither of you had a stable source of income and the bills were starting to pile up. if it wasn’t for you Kurt wouldn’t remember that you guys had bills.
Coming home from a tiring day you make sure to check the mailbox. Instead of the usual bills and late notices, there are two letters with a wax seal. One addressed to Kurt and the other addressed to you. It seems that they’re from the same place.
Unlocking the door, you call out to Kurt announcing your arrival. Similar to a dog whose owner just came back home, Kurt bounds up to you with his arms open. Wrapping you in his hold he gives you a nice kiss on the cheek.
“My dear! You’re back home. How was your outing? You must tell me all the wonderful stories of your day over dinner. It's soup!... Again.” In his excitement of seeing you again, Kurt completely missed the letters in your hand. You suppose you could show him once dinner was over.
Kurt has always been a good cook. Perhaps it could be from all those times he’s moved about. Even with such limited ingredients, he’s always able to make something delicious.
“I’m so happy to hear you had such an interesting day! It reminds me of when I had to escape that cave in the rainforest…! At least I think it was there.”
He always had trouble separating his stories from reality. Having to rely on escaping to fantasy worlds during his formative years, along with his condition, it was hard for him. People had always thought of Kurt having his head in the clouds. But he felt very lucky to have you around to ground him. Reaching over he takes your hand in his own, stroking his thumb over your knuckles.
“Oh, how I wish I could take you on an adventure sooner. Our savings jar never seems to fill up.” He sighs. Between the bills you manage to send out, groceries, and the sudden damages to your worn-out house, money never stays around long.
“Ah! That reminds me sweetheart, we got letters. This one’s yours.” Sliding the letter to him you smile at Kurt. “I think they're from the same person. We should open them together.”
“How exciting! I wonder what they say. I can hardly contain myself. Let’s open them now.” Making quick work Kurt opens the letter, easily tearing off the wax seal.
Wanting to keep up with him, you take a more gentle approach to opening the letter. Easing the envelope open you begin to read the writing.
‘Dear [Name],
How would you like the chance of a lifetime?
You have always been ridiculed for being on the less wealthy side. I think that’s quite unfair. You didn’t wish to be in this position. Others think they are better than you because they are more well off.
Though I have a solution for that.
Never would you have to worry about money again. You could live out the rest of your life in comfort. All of your bills, debts, and payments could be covered. You and your darling Kurt could live in peace.
And most of all we could get those asylum workers off your back once and for all.
All you have to do is come and play our game. Once you win the game you will be showered in riches beyond your wildest dreams. Your appearance in this game is greatly welcomed. The address should be at the bottom of this letter.
We look forward to your arrival,
The Host’
“Wow! Isn’t this amazing my love? It says we could go on an exploration! And they’ll pay for it all! How hard could this one game be?” Huh, yours didn’t say anything about an exploration. Maybe they were written for a specific person’s desire. However, something about this felt off.
“Yeah…It sure is interesting Kurt. Though, uh, are you sure you wanna go? What if it’s some faulty advertisement.”
“But dearest, that's a part of the fun! Even if it is some scam it’ll be the two of us venturing out together.”
Letting out a sigh you grip Kurt’s hand. “....Alright sweetheart, we should get packed and ready to go soon.” At your words, his eyes lit up in delight. Pressing a kiss to your cheek, Kurt bounds away to pack his bag.
The car ride to this mysterious manor was long. The two of you had to scrounge around what little money you had left to be able to afford the fare. Seconds after you grabbed your case out of the trunk, Kurt had opted on keeping his backpack with him, the taxi speeds off leaving you and Kurt in the dust. Coughing and waving the dust out of your face your vision clears to reveal the manor. The atmosphere surrounding this thing was enough to send a chill down your spine.
Noticing your discomfort, Kurt brings his hands to your shoulders and looks you in the eyes. He gives you a concerned look. “Dearest, if you don’t want to do this we can go back. We’ll explore another time.”
Not wanting to dampen his mood you smile. “No…We can’t go back. We used the last of our money to get here. And besides, we would have no way to call a new cab…We should go in I suppose.”
Taking his hand off of your shoulders and up to your face, Kurt leaves a kiss on your forehead, His beard scratching against your skin. Pulling away he takes your hand in his own. Using his free hand he pulls the rusted gate open. Stepping onto the manor grounds the gate slams closed behind you. Giving you a firm squeeze, Kurt gently leads you onto the path towards the manor.
Opening the doors leads to the main foyer. No one seems to be around. Walking through hallways and many different rooms you arrive in front of two grand doors. On one door there’s a plaque with ‘Waiting Room’ engraved on it. You can hear conversation coming from the other side. Pushing open the door reveals…People! Many different people sitting at and standing around a long table. The talking silences and all eyes were on you and Kurt.
One girl, a gardener it seems, walks up to you both. A cheery smile on her face and her eyes shining like gems. She begins to scan her eyes curiously over you and Kurt. “Hello there! I’m Emma Woods, Though you can just call me Emma. I’m the Gardener! Are you here to participate in the game too?” Kurt goes to respond.
“Why yes! I’m Kurt Frank and this is-”
“Huh, how do we know that you two aren’t suspicious? How do we *really* know the two of you were invited here?” A man in a green hood scoffs. You didn’t think you would be questioned straight off the bat.
Kurt’s smile had faltered at being interrupted. Though he quickly pulls a grin once again. “Well, you see we have our invitations right here. Allow me to-”
“Oh come on Naib! Don’t be so stuck up they seem like perfectly nice people. Not everyone is out to get us.” Said a burly man in a rugby uniform.
Kurt’s face had dropped completely. His grip on your hand tightening and his index finger thumps against your hand. He hated being silenced. He had to live his entire life being quiet. And these people think they can just silence him like this. Before Kurt’s mind could fall down a familiar dark rabbit hole you speak up over the two men.
“These are our invitation letters.” You hold up the letters that you pulled from Kurt’s pocket. “Please feel free to take a look at them. Though I can assure you Kurt and I mean no harm.”
Looking at the letters in your hand Naib sucks his teeth and exits the waiting room. With the tension lifted from the air, everyone either continues their previous conversations or focuses on you and Kurt. Another lady, this time wearing a nurse’s outfit, comes up to both of you with a small smile.
“I am truly sorry about Mr. Subedar. He means well I promise. If only we had known we would be getting two new survivors. We could’ve worked on getting more than one room prepared.” Survivors? “Oh silly me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Emily Dyer. I’m the Doctor.”
Looking over Emily Kurt gains a quizzical face. “A healer? But you are wearing nursing robes.”
Taken aback by Kurt’s unique choice of words Emily lets out a small, yet slightly stiff laugh. “Ah yes I know I get that a lot. But I can promise you that I am a certified doctor. Now back to the room situation. Perhaps we could work on getting one of you another room. I wouldn’t want one of you sleeping on a couch after what I assume was a long journey here.”
“Oh no, Ms. Dyer. That’s okay really. We share a room back home so it would make no difference if we shared one here.” You told her, minorly gesturing to your connected hands.
“I see. And you can call me just Emily if you please. Would you like some help getting to your room?”
“No, thank you, Ms. Emily! This is the perfect time for us to explore this manor. Wouldn’t you agree dearest?” Kurt smiles over at you.
“Yes, I think it would be good for us to get familiar with our new surroundings. Have a good night Emily. We’ll see you in the morning.” Turning to leave the waiting room you and Kurt venture out into the rest of the manor. Both of you miss the sorrowful look on the doctor’s face.
Crossing through many halls, doors, and staircases you find yourselves at a hall of doors. There is one door that has no name on its plaque and there’s a key dangling from its doorknob. This seems to be the room you will be residing in for the duration of your stay. Unlocking and opening the door, you enter the room with Kurt in tow.
There’s isn’t much to look at. It was a simple, small room quite similar to the one back in your hometown. There was a bed, a desk, and a dresser. Sitting on the desk were two notebooks with your names on either one. That’s strange, Emily said no one knew there would be two of you. Yet there are two notebooks here. Setting your belongings down on the ground, you both take a seat on the bed. Too tired from the long day, you lay back onto the comforter.
Opening your eyes you notice that you’re under the covers. Kurt must’ve tucked you in. Looking next to you, you see the aforementioned man. The bed is quite small, obviously made for one person, so you’re both squished together. Kurt’s cheek is pressed into your shoulder while one of his arms and legs are draped over you. You look to the window covered by thin curtains. Slivers of moonlight peak through. Bringing your eyes back to Kurt you can’t help but smile. With the comfort of your lover, you fall back into a dreamless sleep.
“Dearest. It’s time to wake up! Come on, let's go eat some breakfast.” A voice calls out to you followed by fingers stroking your hair. There’s a pressure on your abdomen that fully stirs you awake. Opening your eyes you see Kurt sitting on top of you. His knees on either side of you. “Wow! That trip must’ve really tuckered you out. You slept like a rock. Now, let's get you up. Ms. Woods said there’s food in the dining hall!” Kurt exclaims cheerfully as he rolls off of you.
He’s pulling you through the manor halls and stopping to examine any architecture he finds interesting. The dining hall is filled with the people you’ve met last night. Most sit around the table and eat. Except for Naib who was standing against the wall. It was like he was surveying the area, monitoring it to make sure nothing happened. Upon noticing your arrival many of your fellow competitors gave you greetings. Sitting at the table you notice a letter with your name on it. Picking it up, you then feel a hand on your shoulder.
“Wow [Name]! Your first day here and the two of you were already invited to your first match.” A bright boy with glasses cheers. You don’t recognize this boy. Yet he knew your name and that you were here?
“Uhm, I’m sorry but do I know you?” Your words cause him to sigh.
“I was there when you showed up in the waiting room…I even greeted you and Kurt at the door with Emma.” There was a glimmer of hope in his eye hoping that you would recognize him. However, it was quickly diminished with the confused look on your face. But he quickly perks back up, giving your arm a playful shove. “That’s okay! This happens all the time. I’ll just reintroduce myself. I’m the Deduction Substitute but that would be a really long name. So, everyone just calls me Lucky Guy, or Lucky, or Guy, or that one boy.”
“Oh well, it’s nice to meet you Lucky Guy…again.”
“It’s nice to meet you too!... Again! You should open your invitation letter. You know to see who you’re playing with.” The forgettable boy then goes back to eating his breakfast.
Breaking the seal on the envelope you pull out a sheet of paper. Unfolding it reads out the specifics of your upcoming game. It starts with very vague instructions on what to do and then reads;
‘You are cordially invited to participate in a match at the Arms Factory against the hunter; The Gamekeeper. Your fellow survivors will be:
The Magician (Servais Le Roy)
The Forward (William Ellis)
The Explorer (Kurt Frank)
And finally,...’
A firm pat on the back breaks you from the letter. Successfully knocking the wind out of you. Looking back you see who you presume to be the Forward. He’s giving you a smile that could rival the sun itself.
“Looks like we’re playing together, newbie. You two don’t have to worry, me and ol’ Servais will carry you guys so you can get a feel for the game. Right, Servais?”
“What?”
“See he gets it! Now make sure to fill up on calories and stretch before we have to head out.” And just as fast as he showed up he was gone.
With giddy excitement, Kurt grabs your hand with both of his. “Oh, this is just perfect, dear. We can win this game together! And once we get the prize money, imagine all the stuff we could do.” Unseen by both of you, Lucky Guy gives a nervous look towards you. He really does want to tell you guys. But what if you didn’t believe him? Just like some of the others did when they first arrived. And he didn’t want you guys to not trust him so he decided to keep quiet.
A few hours have passed. You and Kurt have returned to the waiting room. Unlike last night the long table was replaced with a much smaller one. Instead of 9 chairs, there were now 5. Taking your seats at the space with your name card you begin to prepare. Kurt has his hand enclosed in yours barely able to contain his excitement. You take a moment to look around. Behind you is a huge window…And for a second you could’ve sworn you saw something crawling on it. In front of you was a curtain. Though almost fully obscured you can almost make out a chair leg. A faint clinking of metal could be heard.
Not long after, Servais enters the room and wordlessly takes his seat. Not even sparing a glance towards you guys. About ten minutes pass and William joins you all. But his outfit is different from before. It looks like he came here in his pajamas. Noticing his choice in clothing Servais rolls his eyes.
“Must you always insist on wearing that silly costume? You should focus more on winning and less on your clothing choices.”
“Oh, Servais my friend. I can do both! And come on, it's my lucky skin. We can’t lose this match if I’m wearing it.” Slipping on his bunny-eared helmet he gives one last message to you all before time runs out. ”Good luck guys! Try your best to have fun!”
The sound of glass breaking signals for you all to go. Reluctantly letting go of your hand, Kurt follows Servais out a different door. After a long walk, you and William show up at a gate. Giving you a comforting shoulder shake he offers you one last good luck before darting off once the gate slides open. Breaking into a slow jog you manage to find a machine. The match invitation called it a cipher. Cautiously you begin to input calibrations, not going incredibly fast but not ridiculously slow either. You’re almost halfway finished when William pings.
‘The hunter is near me!’
Ten seconds after he pinged.
‘Focus on Decoding.”
Well, you suppose you would finish this cipher. Once it reaches around 50% you hear someone call your name. And it sounded a lot like Kurt. Looking around, there seemed to be no one. Maybe you just missed him. Going back to decoding you hear someone call out again.
“Hey! Down Here!” Looking down you see…a miniature Kurt?! “Isn’t this amazing dear! I opened my Gulliver’s Travels and shrunk down. I was even given the ability to find these pages.” Growing to his normal size he pulls out a sheet of paper. “Look what it can do!” In mere seconds your cipher was completed. How was this even possible? You knew there was something weird about this game. Before you could question Kurt, Servais shows up to scold you two.
“Why are you two just standing around? There are still three ciphers left. Go decode.”
“Oh alright! But before I do that I must find more of these amazing pages.” Kurt then shrinks down and runs off.
Running to find a new cipher you run into a worn-down shack. Somewhere on the other side of the map, another cipher is completed. A prompt shows up. ‘The Forward is containing the hunter for 120 seconds.’ Servais then pings; ‘Come on keep it up!’. So he can be nice sometimes.
The mentioned magician meets up with you in the shack. Starting to decode with you the progress speeds up quite a bit. Though he doesn’t speak a word to you.
Almost completing the cipher, the machine reaching about 80%, your heartbeats begin to pick up. The unnatural, purple glow is almost intimidating. Servais sucks his teeth and lets out a quiet groan.
“He couldn’t even be bothered to say that the hunter has changed targets. You go run and hide somewhere. I don’t need you kiting and possibly costing us a win.” Before you could respond to his harsh words he takes out his wand and continues decoding. A cloud of smoke appears and you could faintly see the outline of a man running out of the shack. Looking back to the cipher, there’s a fake Servais still decoding. What kind of supernatural place is this?
Not wanting to be caught up with the hunter you rush to a different cipher. You get far enough to where your heartbeat returns to normal. In your time of running away, another cipher was finished leaving just one. William pings his decoding progress and you decide you want to meet up with him.
You arrive at the factory. There you see Kurt and William working on the last cipher. Visibly perking up, Kurt reaches for your hand while decoding with his other. At 99% completion William tells you to stop working on it. Telling you both to wait for Servais to get hit.
‘Cipher Machine Primed!’
‘Focus on Decoding!’
“He must be a good distance away.” And with that William finished the final cipher. A siren rang out across the map.
That siren. It brought you to a place you didn’t want to be at. All that time ago. You can feel your chest tightening. You begin to dissociate. Once you come to you’re at the gate you started this game at. William is inserting the passcode into it while Kurt keeps watch. The gate slides open and William pings that it’s open. Servais is nowhere to be seen. With a sigh, William walks further into the gates.
“Come on you two we can’t stay here forever. Let’s go eat and celebrate your first win!”
“But we should go help him right? Yeah, he was a little bitter but we shouldn’t leave a man behind.” Kurt says while walking out of the gate back into the map. With his grip still in yours, you follow him out.
“No! Get back in the gate! If the hunter shows up he might get one of you. We should just take the three-man win!”
A message of ‘The hunter has changed target!’ was pinged out and Servais left through the other gate. Turning to leave Kurt’s hand is violently ripped out of yours. Looking back he’s right in front of the hunter. The eyes of its deer head glowing an ominous red. He tries to run away. He tries to make it back to the gate but he’s too far. The hook makes contact with his back striking him down with the sound of a bell.
“KURT!” You yell out for him as you try to reach him. Only to be stopped by William grabbing your arm. You try to struggle from his grasp as Kurt is lifted onto the hunter’s shoulder. You can hear him yelling for you to go. This was exactly like back then. All the way back at the asylum.
“Please calm down! It’ll be okay, we just need to leave. I can’t save him now. My football ran out and the hunter still has detention.”
Strapping Kurt down to a chair the hunter turns to face you and William. It began to swing its hook in your direction. Quickly, out of fear, you run out the gate leaving Kurt behind. It was like you passed an invisible wall. You then hear a sharp hissing sound and then the yelling starts. You stop running to look behind you, the chair Kurt was in launches into the sky. After being airborne for a couple of seconds it explodes into a colorful display of fireworks.
You were stunned. It felt like you couldn’t breathe. You’re broken out of your trance by an arm slinging around your shoulders. “Heh, you did pretty well out there. But a word of advice: you shouldn’t wait at the gate for too long, especially with a hunter like Bane.” You couldn’t respond.
All you could do is walk. Your mind felt numb. And by some mystery, you were…back in the waiting room? There you see Servais waiting at the table observing some kind of paper. Releasing you from his hold, William walks over to give the magician a hearty smack on the back.
“We were great guys, good game! You were like a kiting expert out there Servais.”
“Yes yes, I had to take over after you failed to mention that the hunter changed targets.” He then looks over to you ready to deliver a snarky remark. He however notices your shaky demeanor. “What’s wrong with them?”
“They’re probably just a little shaken up after their first match.” Going over to you he shakes you around a little. “Come on buddy we won! What are you so down about?” Thinking back to what you saw just moments before tears begin to well up in your eyes. Seeing you cry the smile drops from William’s face.
“Did…Did no one explain the game to you? Man, I'm so sorry. Of course, something like that would be traumatizing to see. You didn’t know…” Taking a step towards you William begins to explain. “I’m sure you noticed but this manor isn’t normal. When you’re sent off in a rocket chair you’ll show up back here. The host used something we really wanted to bring us to this game. But instead of riches we just get a never-ending death cycle…”
“I…I don’t…” Before you could continue the door to the Waiting Room slams open. With his chest heaving reveals an unscathed Kurt. Spotting you he rushes over and brings you into an embrace cradling your head against them.
He’s muttering under his breath. You can pick up things like ‘Can’t trust’ and ‘Not safe’. He must be having an episode. He hasn’t had one this bad in so long. William attempts to come over and console him but is quick to back away once Kurt jerks away, shaking like a leaf.
“P-please…Just go away! I…we can’t trust you!” Holding their arms up in an act of surrender the two men slowly back away. This seems to somewhat soothe Kurt. Pulling away from his hold you try and calm him down.
“Kurt? Sweetheart. I know this is very scary for you right now.” You speak in a calm and clear tone. “Would you like to go to the room and talk about it?” All he could do was nod. “Can I touch you? I’m just gonna hold your hand.” This was responded to with another nod. Gripping his hand you begin the walk to your room.
Entering the room and gently shutting the door you let Kurt walk around on his own. You don’t want to force him to do anything he doesn’t want to do. He guides himself to the bed and slumps over, completely exhausted. He buries his head in his hands and his shoulders gently shake. You walk up to him and begin to speak calmly.
“Can I take your backpack off? You might be more comfortable”
A nod.
“Okay there. Your backpack is on the ground next to you. Would you mind if I sat next to you?”
A shake of his head.
You sit down next to him on the bed. He immediately goes to lean on your shoulder. “I don’t want to talk anymore dearest. I just want to go to sleep…And forget any of this ever happened. It just has to be a problem for morning Kurt to take care of.” Removing his head from your shoulder he flops onto his back. He shuts his eyes the minute the pillow hits his head. There's a long moment of silence before he speaks up again. “Could you turn the lamp off? Then we could go to sleep.” He scooches all the way back on the bed until his back hits the wall. Making enough space for you he pats the area beside him.
Shutting the lamp off you walk back to the bed. Once you have lied down Kurt rests himself against your chest. You both silently soak up each other’s presence. There would be a lot to talk about in the morning. But for now, you’ll allow yourself this quiet moment.
