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accirax · 9 hours

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Danganronpa: Despair Time Chapter 2 Episode 14 Dissection

I can't think of how to introduce this dissection other than just saying "god damn??". This chapter-- especially its second part-- has been a wild ride, and one that it appears we're nearing the end of. However, we still have one important question left to answer, which I'm sure I'll talk about here. So, let's chat.

SPOILERS for Danganronpa: Despair Time Chapter 2 Episode 14.

Also, I will be discussing Ace and Eden as equally likely blackened candidates in this post. If it will upset you to hear about the prospects of either or both of them being the killer, you might want to sit this one out.

Given what happens later in the episode, it's very interesting that the episode began with (more or less) Ace "admitting" that he has no idea how the murder mechanism worked. A truthful method of disqualification, or a masterful play by Ace to ask Teruko to ask him about the murder method only to pretend that he has no idea what it was? Time will have to tell on that one, because I honestly have no leads.

Similarly, is this Eden being genuinely shaken up and not remembering what transpired in the Gym, or trying to play the helpless innocent card to get out of having to help Teruko explain the murder method that she stole? Spoilers for my thoughts later in this dissection, I guess: they're so evenly matched that it's crazy.

I've always thought that Hu is the prettiest DRDT character, and this episode did nothing but prove me right. Hot damn, ma'am.

The insistence that this questioning is "traumatizing [Nico]" makes me think that Hu could be projecting her own experiences on to them. Perhaps she was once an innocent in a situation for which she kept taking the blame? That would be interesting as another connection between Hu and Nico, of both of them having taken the blame for someone else's follies.

This was a hilarious comeback; never change, Ace. Or, maybe you do need to change slightly, to become a less cowardly and impulsive person. Or maybe I should at least be rooting for you to have the chance to change in the sense that you live long enough to have that work out for you.

Yet another instance of J being the one to say that murder is bad. I wonder if this has to do with her character/backstory in some particular way (although given what we know about her past I have no idea what that would be), or if DRDTdev just needed a judgmental and confrontational person who would snap back at anyone to take over these kinds of lines.

(That's not me dunking on J's character btw she's valid for this)

This was a really clever way for Charles to phrase this to make Hu listen and settle down. I appreciate the out-of-the-box yet logical thinking. (Also I missed hearing Charles' voice :,D)

Woah, I was not expecting to get a Closing Argument comic for the Gym murder, but I am obviously delighted that we have one! Also, OH MY GOD, THE CEILING GRATE. How did none of us even think to consider that as part of the murder mechanism?

However, there are still some aspects of the state of the Gym that haven't yet been accounted for with this version of the murder timeline. I don't really think it's anything that would stop Nico from being Ace's would-be killer at this point, but I'll list them out here in case they are or in case they turn out to be relevant to Arei's murder. I'll also be trying to debunk them, though.

Moved Benches: Some of the benches near the pullup bar were knocked over. These probably fell either in some sort of struggle while knocking out Ace, or when Ace's body fell from the fan.

Moved Weight Rack: The weight rack was moved closer to the bench press and flipped on its back. I guess this really was also knocked over in the same fashion, no matter how unrealistically difficult it should have been to move due to its weight? Or it really was "workout preferences"???

Nico's Missing Cowl: When Teruko and Eden found Nico at the scene of the crime, they weren't wearing their typical dark cape thing. I have no clue why. You could say that Nico was trying to look less instantly recognizable, but it's not as if anyone (other than maybe Teruko) who saw a dark-haired 5'5" individual in a blue shirt instead of a gray cowl would think it was anyone other than Nico. There's also ye olde theory that they might have used it to soak up blood somewhere, but 1) Ace seems to have lost less blood than it may have seemed, and 2) the cowl was still not seen anywhere in the crime scene. I think I remember speculating that after Nico hypothetically used it to soak up blood (or, on second thought, maybe used it to gag Ace with the turpentine), they then stuck it in the fridge to hide it for the time being, at which point MonoTV discarded it and Nico got a new cape from their room. Maybe if it was used to apply the turpentine, Nico also could've put it away to prevent themselves from being affected by the fumes? I guess that's what I'm going with.

Lack of Tape on Pullup Bar: So, this one is obviously relevant to the murder already because Rose not being able to do a pullup is part of what tips off Teruko to the fact that something is off with the tape. However, I have no idea why the tape actually got removed from the bar. I still maintain that I don't think anyone could have stolen the tape off of that bar and repurposed it elsewhere-- most online sources seem to agree that kinesiology tape isn't reusable, and the fact that it was already wrapped around the bar in such a tight spiral would make it difficult to conform to any new specific shapes. My best guess is that Nico might have tried to use the bar instead of the light grate at first, determined that the tape was preventing the wire from sliding properly, and then removed the tape before determining the bar still didn't work. Or, Nico could have tried using the bar before settling on the broom, and thinking that it wouldn't work with tape on it... for some reason? Kinda scratching my head here.

I wonder how long ago it was. It's been four days since the Chapter 2 motive was revealed, although Ace was attacked only two days after the motive. Furthermore, Ace had started bullying Nico to some level already by the end of Chapter 1. I'm sure that Nico must have known what their secret was and probably didn't want it to be shared. My guess would be that they probably started cooking on murder pretty shortly after the new motive was released. That would also work with Charles-via-Whit letting everyone know what the custom weapons were in the first Class Trial.

This was the perfect response for Nico's character. They don't understand why an untruthful "sorry" would actually serve as a courtesy for most people, so they try to say what they feel and get ostracized for it.

Gotta say though, Ace, that was a pretty aggressive reaction from someone who said he "didn't need other people to tell him lies just to keep him happy" ;) (/j)

Damn, way to throw Levi under the bus. I can see why, for someone like Nico, they would want to assert themselves as not the most abnormal person here, though. I just want them to be neurodivergent buddies :(

If that's the case, then I'd have to imagine that we won't be seeing Nico as a killer again down the line. However, they could also just mean "getting caught"/"going in without a solid gameplan," so it's still possible we will. There's also the possibility of them doing something more like a sacrifice kill, although it would take a lot of character work to make something like that feel within Nico's nature.

Sorry to keep screenshotting every little thing Nico says but they keep saying really interesting things. The fact that Nico specifically mentions their father as opposed to "parents" or "family" makes me think that we'll hear more about their father specifically sometime in the future. Or, who knows, maybe their other parent left or died.

Nico: I don't expect you to forgive me. Very few people ever do. So I don't see the point in acting sorry.

This was very interesting as an addendum to the above screenshot. What exactly did Nico "ask for" forgiveness for in the past? Was it just more social blunders, as they described in ch2-e2, or did they get into more trouble closer to this level than we realized? It could also be an indication that Nico has spent time with people who believe that being nonbinary is a crime that Nico needs to feel sorry for. Fascinating stuff, indeed.

Points for Ace being the killer. We know that he went into this trial looking to suspect Nico ("[...] I'm pretty sure I know who the murderer is. It's not David, it's Nico"), so if Ace is the killer, it would make sense if he'd want to make the crime scene resemble Nico's to make his bait more credible.

Hey, it's the aforementioned T A P E T I M E, motherfuckers :D (still /j) Personally, it's quite gratifying to hear that it wasn't just a visual malfunction or a minor detail blown way out of proportion.

You're, uh... getting to this point much faster than I expected, queen. I don't think she's now going to go down the exact same distrustful rabbit hole that she was in before, but there's definitely still potential for her hopes to be crushed by the end of this chapter. Or, maybe she will accept some people as genuine friends, and instead in the future have to confront how she feels when she loses a genuine friend, or not blaming herself for the effects of her luck, or something along those lines. I like that Teruko isn't a static edgy protagonist, though. Like, don't get me wrong, I've always known and appreciated that she has depth, but it's refreshing that she isn't someone who's so stubborn about her own way of thinking that she refuses to admit when she's in the wrong. Teruko really wants friends, guys.

TERUROSE REAL??????

(Also Rose's speech was excellent as well I just didn't have anything in particular to say about it other than "wow" at the moment)

Yahoo, lockdown logic strikes again! Also, a quick

Is Teruko Correct In This Assumption?

Personally, I fully think yes, only Ace or Eden could be the culprit at this point. MonoTV confirmed that it tried to restore the Gym to the best of its ability but couldn't return the tape, which means both that there was no tape in the Gym to be taken and that there was never any spare tape in the Storage Room that MonoTV could have used to replace the roll. I guess you could say that there was an extra roll of tape in the Storage Room that someone else took before the murder took place, but that level of coincidence seems implausible at this point in the Trial.

No, for anyone other than Eden or Ace to have acquired the tape, they must have either stolen it from one of those two or asked for it from one of those two. Asking them seems very unlikely-- for starters, if it was Ace who took the tape, I don't think he'd be giving free hand-outs to anyone. And, if Eden isn't the killer herself, that means all of her fright regarding stumbling upon Ace's body was genuine. I don't think she's naive enough to then hand over what was used in Ace's murder to anyone asking... or at least not without bringing it up now. Beyond that, anyone who would ask either of them for the tape would have to know that the tape was used in the murder attempt, knowledge of which was very limited. This episode went to lengths to establish that Nico was the sole culprit behind the attack on Ace, and while it's still possible it could all be an elaborate lie, the explanation Nico gave felt very in character and important for their characterization moving forwards. So, while Nico would obviously know it was used, if Nico asked either of them for the tape, surely neither Eden nor Ace would trust them. Otherwise, I think Rose is the only one who could have found out it was gone, but even so, given that neither Eden nor Ace have tried to argue that Rose asked them for the tape, I don't think that happened.

You could also say the same of neither Eden nor Ace claiming to have had the tape stolen from them-- but I could see either of them feeling like claiming to have taken the tape at all right now would be a death sentence, so I understand why they wouldn't say it. Still, I don't know if the narrative is there to support the tape having been stolen from them. On the day after the Gym murder (Day 7), Eden isn't seen in the daily life at all. If someone stole the tape from Eden on that day, I would think that DRDTdev would at least want to show us who Eden was spending time with on that day (given that he put in the effort to make the tape sprite disappear from the Gym at the time it did), so that we would have any idea who might have done so. Ace is seen once in the Day 7 daily life, arguing with Hu, Nico, Levi, Veronika, and Arei. However, having just been attacked, I imagine he'd be hyper-aware of anyone getting close to him, and therefore would be more likely to notice if someone was rifling around in his pockets (if he has pockets?).

Really, I think the only possible candidates for who could have stolen tape from Ace or Eden would be Levi (mostly just for Ace) and Arei (from either of them). Levi might have had an opportunity to take the tape from Ace on the night he was attacked, the night of Day 6. Eden said last episode that Levi "kept trying to help him" after Ace was attacked, which could imply that Levi was the one to put bandages around Ace's neck. Furthermore, he does have a criminal past, which could make him better at stealing. Similarly, Arei is confirmed to be a good pickpocket, stealing Min's pen without Min noticing at all. I think she's the only one with the proper buildup to have taken the tape from Ace at that breakfast, and would be the most likely to have spent time with Eden when Eden was off-screen. (Although, it would have to have been before lunch, because Eden says the last time she saw Arei was at lunch.)

However, I don't think many people think that Levi is the killer anymore, and if Arei stole the tape from Eden or Ace only for the killer to then steal the tape from Arei, I would start to wonder why DRDTdev even made the tape such a scarce resource in the first place. Remember that, if the killer was purposefully trying to recreate Nico's idea, they likely knew in advance that they would need the tape to pull off their plan. It was used in enough places that seizing the opportunity to take it off of Arei seems unlikely, as it was too fundamental to the plan's inception. Besides, for the killer to replicate Nico's plan in the first place, the killer likely needs to be Nico, Eden, Ace, or Teruko, who are the ones who could have most easily taken the tape on their own.

I've already seen people accuse this Trial of being bloated, and while I strongly disagree (I only think cases are bloated when they're stalling for time and have nothing of interest to discuss, and we've still had PLENTY of interesting stuff to discuss), if we spent a whole 'nother who-knows-how-many episodes reversing all of the progress we just made to say that either Nico wasn't actually the one to kill Ace or that someone who didn't see the crime scene killed Arei, that bloating problem would only seem worse to those people.

I understand if you don't want to believe that Eden or Ace has to be the culprit for whatever reasons-- whether that be that they're your favorites and you don't want them to die or you really like your theory and don't want it to be false-- but I really think that this episode cemented that either Ace or Eden will be voted for as the blackened for all of the reasons above. Therefore, I shall be proceeding accordingly.

She was WILD for this. Hilarious line of reasoning.

What's Up With the Body Discovery Announcement?

The "reveal" of this line of logic was no surprise to me. As someone who's believed that Eden is the culprit for quite a long time, we've had to figure out ways to get around this thing before, and besides perhaps "not witnessing the murder," someone else seeing the body before the BDA rang is the most obvious way to cheese it.

However, in order for this to be a thing, we have to ask ourselves-- who would have actually seen the body first?

David claims to, but he has an alibi starting at 7:30 AM with Veronika and J. Both because Arei theoretically wasn't dead before then and because we've been operating off of the assumption that a meal takes about 30 minutes to eat, I don't think any of the three of them could have stumbled across Arei in the morning. Nico and Hu both have an alibi, which I'm going to consider solid enough to remove them from possibility-- one of them spotting the body would be helpful to make Eden the killer, and I think the only people who believe that Hu and Nico are lying only believe so under the condition that one of them is the killer. Whit is out, because him seeing the body beforehand doesn't actually accomplish anything, and so is Charles, because we can assume that, if he saw the body, he would be out of commission. I'm also going to strike Rose from seeing the body before breakfast, both because she's very likely to have been asleep and because if she had already seen Arei's body in the Playground, she probably wouldn't have refused to draw a diagram. That would leave only Ace, Levi, and Arturo as non-blackeneds who could have helped facilitate culprit!Eden from not being caught by the BDA.

However, we also have to consider that "before 8 AM" isn't the only time someone could have stumbled across Arei's body. They also could have seen it before Teruko, Eden, and Whit did while everyone was looking for Arei. So, what do we know about what happened during the search for Arei? Not much. Hu says that they should split up, while J says she's going to check Arei's room. Teruko says that most people are probably searching the first floor, an assumption that's supported by Teruko, Eden, and Whit not seeing anyone else while they check the second floor. You might think that would eliminate the possibility of anyone else seeing Arei's body during the search, but Teruko did say most people, not all. There's also what MonoTV said when Teruko and Veronika were investigating the Gym.

MonoTV: It's too high! If you stood in the movie screening room on floor one and started punching through the walls, you'd fall into the playground.

This not-yet-addressed piece of evidence got me thinking about the possibility of someone seeing Arei's body from above, standing in the Motive Screening Room. It still probably couldn't be Teruko, Whit, Charles, Rose, or J, but anyone else would theoretically be back on the table if that were the case. That being said, I can't find any visual differences in how the Motive Screening Room looks between the beginning of Chapter 2, when the search for Arei begins, and when Teruko goes to check the motive secrets (other than a curtain being added over the screen in the third case). So, unless there was already a heretofore unmentioned hole to peek through in the room, I wouldn't count on that being the case. The connection between the Motive Screening Room and the Playground will probably just be relevant to a different chapter.

Therefore, that leaves us once again with Ace, Levi, and Arturo. The main problem with believing that any of them could have seen the body beforehand is why they wouldn't have brought that up at this point in the Trial. Here are my best guesses as to why:

Ace: I have genuinely no clue why Ace wouldn't have brought up that he saw the body in the morning (assuming that he actually did) to defend himself at this point. It's not like it would make anyone more suspicious of you.

Levi: Levi does seem to be a bit dense regarding what is and isn't helpful behavior in a Trial, so the most likely possibility to me is that he just didn't realize that confirming he saw her was helpful. Like, "oh, I didn't realize that me confirming that I saw Arei would help us pin down Eden as the killer. I was just trying to figure out how David and I both saw Arei's body this morning and I didn't see him." "Wh-- David was obviously lying!" "He was?" "I already told you he was lying before..." "Levi... we talked about this..." Bonus points for it not being out of character for Levi to be unfazed by seeing a body, though.

Arturo: In Arturo's case, I think it would have to be that he'd still be worried about people seeing him as suspicious for saying he found Arei's body in the case of accusing Eden specifically. They already have a past history of conflict, and I could see someone brashly accusing Arturo of throwing Eden under the bus just to get revenge on her for the secret thing (even if I don't think he would actually do that). He also made an enemy out of Arei, so I don't think he would be particularly fazed by seeing her corpse either-- similarities to Felicity's cause of death notwithstanding. However, I also find it likely that he trailed after J in going to check Arei's room.

So, what's our conclusion here? Does this mean that Eden is basically fully cleared by triggering the BDA? I wouldn't count her out just yet, but the evidence isn't looking great for her. It's quite possible David only brought up this argument to A) hold out suspension of disbelief that it's not just Ace for a little while longer, B) drop this logic as foreshadowing for a future killer's plan, C) characterize the kind of logic he uses in a Class Trial, or D) bring up this argument in canon so that the people who theorized that the BDA might not clear Eden or Whit wouldn't be like, "wait, but what about...?" However, it's also possible that one of the possibilities I listed above, something I might have missed, or the "see no evil" idea (as FF put it) could keep Eden in contention. That dynamism is part of what makes Ace and Eden feel so evenly matched.

See, this is what I assumed David was getting at after Nico reminded me of his early-morning alibi. But then he just kept talking...

I'm not going to delve into what David was thinking here too much, because I already have an anonymous ask about what I think David's rationale was that this will almost certainly come up in. However, as a short version, I imagine that David is trying to get everyone angry at each other in the hopes that it'll incite another murder that he can get the class to fail? Or to cause enough discord in the group that they just fail this one. That would be why he also rags on Rose for not remembering the tape, and insults Arturo's sister-- he wants no one to trust anyone so that the murder-solving process will be as un-streamlined as possible.

The fact that he targets Teruko so specifically is probably because he (accurately) assesses her as the only real threat there. Charles and Rose can help, sure, but their mental struggles make them easy enough to eliminate if you play your cards right. Teruko's main flaw is her lack of trust, so if David wants to weaken her, it makes sense to go right for that jugular. Furthermore, by stating his plans so plainly and publicly, it might incite other people to fight back against him and say that Teruko should trust them. However, that kind of olive branch might make Teruko even less inclined to get close to them, if what Teruko said to Eden at the end of ch2-e03 can tell us anything. Didn't stop Eden from trying at the end of this last episode, though!

After taking some more time to think about what David was up to this chapter, I might change my mind on those being his goals. But, this post does serve as my initial thoughts of sorts, and that's what I initially think about this scene.

I wholeheartedly agree.

Does Ace Have Nothing To Do With Arei?

What Ace has to say is more or less true-- barring the breakfast in which Arei didn't talk at all (AKA, no conversation), Ace has literally never been in a small group event with Arei. However, although they didn't talk to each other, Ace did overhear the conversation between David and Arei, which does give him a connection to Arei. Quite relevantly, Arei did say this to David during their conversation:

Arei: You said that sharing our secrets would help fight against the motive. But when I think about it, not a single good thing has come out of that. Eden was stupidly naive, as usual, and tried to talk to Arturo, so now I have to protect her.

From this, Ace could probably surmise that Eden had Arturo's secret, she talked to him about it, and that Arei stepped in to save her from Arturo. He was one of the few people who could have known that Eden and Arei grew closer before the murder occurred: another connection Ace had to information about Arei.

However, before you use that evidence to call Ace the killer, let me remind you that he still doesn't have enough information to write the note from just eavesdropping on this conversation alone. As I outlined in this theory (same as the one I just linked above), whoever wrote the note had to specifically know that Arturo's secret was about his sister, which Arei doesn't divulge (quite possibly because she didn't even know) to David. Therefore, although Arei mentioning Arturo and Eden in this conversation is interesting, it doesn't actually make Ace any more likely to be the killer, because he still would have needed to find some way to spy on Eden's secret and/or Arturo and Eden's conversation to write that note. (Unless mentioning the sister specifically was an oversight plot hole, but I never want to use that as my reasoning.)

So, do I get what Arturo is getting at? Yeah, Ace and Arei were never particularly involved, and Eden clearly has a greater connection to the victim. However, there is more to the Ace/Arei bond than it might first appear, and it's possible that could come up in the Trial moving forward.

This distinction-- between "Arei was my friend" and "Arei could have been my friend"-- could be very telling down the line. Eden pauses mid-tear-filled rant to distinguish that Arei is not her friend, not because she's dead, but because they hadn't reached that point yet. Arei is not Eden's friend in death. What can that possibly mean other than that Eden killed Arei?

... BUT THEN HOW THE FUCK CAN EDEN GO AND SAY ALL OF THIS, BE THE KILLER, AND THEREFORE PROVE DAVID RIGHT???

AND THE "BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS DO" REFERENCE??? AT THIS HOUR????? I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THAT MAKES HER SEEM MORE OR LESS SUSPICIOUS!!!!

OUGH AND THE MIN PARALLELS TOOOOOOO

MIN WAS TERUKO'S FRIEND BUT ALSO A KILLER. DOES THAT MEAN EDEN IS GOING TO BREAK THE CYCLE OR DOES IT MEAN THAT WE'RE STUCK IN A DOOMED STORY IN WHICH TERUKO IS THE PROTAGONIST? IT COULD GO EITHER WAY!!!

Jumping back in time for just a moment...

A Piece of Evidence That Lines Up to Them Only

I thought about making this its own separate post, but decided not to. If you guys want me to make this part it's own separate post so it's easier to find/comment on directly, let me know, and I'll set that up.

But before you can make your decision, I suppose I have to explain what I aim to do here. Basically, Teruko has told us that she's still torn between Eden and Ace (mood), and that, while she'll start off attacking Ace, she's looking for any pieces of evidence that could prove that only one of them could have committed the crime. Problem is, we have no indication of what that specific piece of evidence could be, and, trust me, it could be a lot of them. Thus, what I'm going to do in this "mini" theory is list out every piece of evidence that I can think of, and say whether it points to Eden being the culprit, Ace being the culprit, or it can't point to either of them. Perhaps once we're done, you'll see why I'm so conflicted on which of them it would be.

I'm going to tier these pieces of evidence in terms of least likely to be the missing piece to most likely to be the missing piece, starting with all of the aforementioned unexplained gym evidence. The knocked over benches and weight rack were not part of the replicated crime scene, and I have no idea how Ace or Eden would have wound up with any version of Nico's cowl. The missing tape on the pull-up bar has the greatest likelihood to be relevant, but as we're already suspecting both of them for having the tape, I don't think it'd be a decision maker. Any of those pieces of evidence would be likely to come up in proving that Nico wasn't the one behind Ace's murder, but this theory is operating under the assumption that Nico is the one who tried to kill Ace, and either Ace or Eden killed Arei. If you want the answers for your own theory, do your own homework. (/lh)

Ace or Eden will get a point for any evidence that I think would better be used to accuse them as being the culprit. Therefore, winning points is actually a bad thing if you want to be innocent. For convenience of "scoring," Eden will be purple because of her shirt and Ace will be pink because of his "maroon" hair... and because I needed red and orange for the likelihood ranking.

UNLIKELY FINAL PIECES OF EVIDENCE

Arei's Body Swinging: This evidence has already been used to establish that Arei was killed in the morning, not at night. Either Ace or Eden could have killed Arei at 7:30 AM, so point to neither of them.

Ace Trying to Assign Himself to Guard Duty: This one is obviously a point for Ace if it were the final piece, but it's such a minor happenstance that I doubt Teruko would think to bring it up as the main thing against him. Like, she could bring it up in general, but I don't think it'd be her crowning jewel. Still, it's a piece of evidence we haven't discussed yet, so credit where credit is due.

Arei's Bound Wrists: Bound by the grippy tape that either of them could have stolen. Point to no one.

Broken Playground Lights: The lights in the Playground are broken, likely from the mechanism being hung up through the ceiling rafters. You could argue that this is a point for Ace's strength, but I don't think throwing a ball that high requires so much strength that Eden couldn't do it, especially if you might be able to use the see-saw to launch it somehow. Point to no one.

Dried Up Puddles: This has nothing to do with either of them. Point to no one.

Carousel Wrapped in Tape: Again, either could have had the tape, so point to no one.

Two Pieces of Rope: Either of them could have taken the rope from Storage and cut it; point to no one.

Food/Utensils/Napkins in Trash: Probably David's dinner. Possibly evidence of Eden and Arei having breakfast together, but that's a stretch. Point to no one.

Cups/Tissues/Palette in Trash: Rose says these were hers. Point to no one.

Incense in Trash: I know thebadjoe had (has?) theories about this being used to conceal the scent of Arei's body being hidden in the Relaxation Room a day earlier than anyone thought, but I find that to be too much of a stretch to accost Eden for it here. I think it's just filler. Point to no one.

Grippy Tape in Trash: I should just stop writing out tape evidence. Point to no one.

Broken Jugs: The killer used jugs of water to make Arei heavier, which broke when she fell. They probably had the fish water in them, but we're not talking about the fish themselves at the moment. I'll say point for Ace because the jugs are probably from the Gym, and we've seen Ace in the Gym far more times than we've seen Eden.

Needle and Black Thread: This evidence... might have to do with the ball of clothes, which we'll get to later. However, if this is relevant to the murder, it's probably from the Dress-Up Room, in which we've seen Eden but never Ace. Point to Eden.

Construction of the Note: After a bit of internal debate, I'm going to call this a point for no one. Why? Well, it's because Eden would have reason to help construct the note whether she was the killer or not. If she is the killer, she might have wanted to guide the discussion that followed its reconstruction, to urge to Rose and Whit that she's innocent and that someone must have framed her. It would also give her reason to come into the Trial already having a handwriting sample on her. However, if Eden is innocent, she also easily could have just wanted to help out. Most importantly, Eden already brought up the note being constructed in her initial defense, so I doubt Teruko would reuse it as the nail in someone's coffin.

Splashing Arei With Water: Either of them could have thought of this and accomplished this. Point to no one.

SOMEWHAT LIKELY FINAL PIECES OF EVIDENCE

Body Discovery Announcement: While this may very well play an important part in solving the case, I don't think it'll be the final smash, so to speak. That's mostly because we already talked about it a lot in determining whether Eden could have done it. In the end, I think we'll either have to come up with a way to justify Eden having cheated the BDA-- by Levi or Arturo having seen it or via see no evil-- or we'll accuse Ace without the BDA being a problem. I guess I have to call this a point for Eden because if the BDA were to be the damning evidence, I think it'd have to be for her. However, in my heart, this is totally evidence supporting Ace being the killer.

Arei's Broken Neck: I'm using this as a stand-in for the strength of the killer, in the sense of lifting Arei up and being able to stop the carousel. This is a point for Ace, because he's a professional athlete and Eden is generally the weakest person in the cast.

Scratches on the Ground: This evidence certainly seems to indicate that there was a struggle at the Playground, but is there anything more to it than that? I'm more willing to believe that Ace could have beaten Arei in a fight, but does that point to Eden because there would've been more of a struggle, or Ace because Eden wouldn't have wanted to fight Arei at all? Ace also normally wears heels (while Eden and Arei don't), which is what Hu cites will naturally scratch up the floor. This evidence is vague enough that I don't think it'll be used to point to either of them, but if it did, I think it's more likely to be Ace.

Ball of Starched Clothes: For starters, I'll share (I think it's) thebadjoe's theory that the ball was adhered together using starch from the Relaxation Room that's sprayed on the plants at night, because I saw some people questioning how the clothes could have been stuck together. Anyways, the ball of clothes itself is definitely a point for Eden, because we saw her in the Dress-Up Room specifically looking for Teruko's clothes. Although, Ace certainly saw Teruko and Hu's new fits, so he could have figured it out for himself.

Actual Acquisition of the Tape: I don't think this will be used as the final piece just because I feel like the narrative is pointing towards the damning evidence relating to Arei's actual murder as opposed to Nico's. However, it's relevant to discuss, so I'll list it here. Although Teruko says that Ace and Eden had equal odds at the tape, on the surface, it really makes much more sense if Eden was the one to take it. Star explained it well here, but I'll add my own recap: in the moments when the tape must have been taken, in between when Nico leaves and when MonoTV kicks everyone out, Ace is recovering from unconsciousness, covered in blood, full of rage, and has all eyes on him. Meanwhile, Eden is scared, sure, but she had a clear moment to actually examine the scene of the crime and is also knocked to the ground-- potentially right next to the tape-- with all her wits about her. While it's not impossible to believe that Ace sleight-of-handed the tape, Eden had a much clearer path to taking it. Point to Eden.

MOST LIKELY FINAL PIECES OF EVIDENCE

Arei's Missing Glove: To my memory, Arei's glove hasn't been brought up in the Trial at all, which is definitely strange, because it must be missing for a reason. If DRDTdev is crafting so much detail into the BDA that the swinging of the body is plot-relevant, there's no way he would have just missed giving Arei her glove. The question is, what was this used for? Those who are familiar with my theories should know that I've never been a fan of dress-up theories, so I'm going to discount that possibility. The thing I thought was the most likely was that the killer donned the glove so that their hands wouldn't get super scratched up from grabbing the grippy tape-d carousel bars, before gleamingtempest reminded everyone that both Eden and Ace already wear gloves. Still, looking at them, Eden's gloves are probably made of something more like cotton while Ace's gloves likely have some sort of tougher grip on the inside. So, Eden would probably be more likely to need something else to protect her hands. Also, given that both of Arei's wrists have marks on them, the glove was likely taken off before her wrists were tied. I can't figure out why Ace would have taken off Arei's glove before restraining her or how he would have gotten Arei to take it off otherwise, while for Eden, at least, I can imagine her asking Arei to take off her glove. Therefore, I'm going to call this one a point for Eden, while also throwing out that it might just be missing if Arei didn't bother putting on her glove for the early morning meetup.

Fish on the Playground: You've heard it from me before, Eden has an alibi through the entire time the fish could have been taken. With seemingly no accomplices (other than possibly Arei) in sight, I don't know how Eden would have gotten her hands on those fish. Meanwhile, Ace had a great opportunity. Point for Ace.

Pieced-Together Note: This evidence is very confusing, because I don't see how/why either of them would have implemented it. For Ace, I wrote that entire theory (I'm not going to link it a third time) about how, based on the information in the note and the layout of the first floor, it really seemed like eavesdropping was impossible, and the person who wrote the note had to be Arturo or Eden. Then there's what thefandomenchantress pointed out about Ace's pedantry making it seem like he wouldn't misspell "responsible" in the note, and that he just doesn't give me the vibes of someone who writes in cursive. By all accounts, it really seems like Ace can't have written that note. But then again, why would Eden have written that note? Okay, bad phrasing; she wrote it to get Arei to come to the Playground. But still, why would she sign it? Or if she were to sign it, to make sure that Arei knew it was her, why include so much detail about what Arturo's secret was? More importantly, why wouldn't Eden have just stuffed the ripped up note into her belt, or her pockets, or her room if it would serve to incriminate her? Put it wherever she put that glove! Hell, why not eat the note, if it's a life or death situation? There's the "reverse psychology" argument, but similar to what Teruko said this episode, it would have been much simpler for Eden to have pretended that Arei came to the Playground for some other reason without the killer planting some sort of note meant to frame her. And it's not like I think Eden is really the type to misspell "responsible" either. So, I'm kind of at a loss. It's such a major piece of evidence that I feel it has to come into play again somehow, but I'm not sure how. I think I'm going to call this one a point for Ace because at the very least I understand why he would want to leave this evidence here, even if I don't know how he created it. For Eden, I don't get why she'd leave it lying around, even if in pieces. You can call it revenge for Eden getting the point on the BDA, if you wish.

So, what are the results? If you add up all the points together, you wind up with 6 points for Ace and 6 points for Eden. Funny. If you tier the points, however, with 1 point for unlikely pieces, 2 points for somewhat likely pieces, and 3 points for the most likely pieces, you get 12 points for Ace and 10 points for Eden. Of course, that's using my tierlist of which pieces of evidence are most likely and on top of that, assigning the BDA and the Note the way that they are (if you flip them it's 11-11), but still. If you're invested in my findings, these are the results.

Needless to say, I hope you can understand why I'm having such a hard time determining which one of them will turn out to be the killer. Although, I must add...

If we're suspecting Ace first before we've done our Debate Scrum, that's not a good look for Eden never being suspected again in this Trial.

Concluding Thoughts

What? A conclusion? I've never done one of these on a dissection before?!!

Yeah, well, this time, I have stuff to say that I couldn't really correlate to one image in particular! And also I ran out of images, so this is what you get!!!

I spent that whole "A Piece of Evidence" section talking about the physical evidence that could support Ace or Eden being Arei's killer, but in it, I really didn't get to talk about the narrative implications of either of them being the killer at all. I know that Narrative Defenses are typically Venus' thing, but I have my thoughts on this, too. Namely, that both of them are riddled with narrative problems for being the killer at this point.

(Note: I don't mean "problems" in the sense that DRDTdev has written anything poorly. What I mean is, my own perception of how the characters are conveyed has me currently raising red flags about how either of their stories will pan out as a killer or how the rest of the story will pan out without them. At the time the answer comes, I have full faith that I'll be satisfied with the results.)

Let's start by looking at Eden, the spotlight character of the end of this episode. After that whole heartfelt speech with the CGs and the tears and the brilliant voice acting and the everything, how could Eden possibly be the killer?! I'm the one who was trying to defend the possibility of her still being the culprit after her little rant last week, and while I could probably do that again with this speech, it just felt so... I dunno, sincere. You can really feel Teruko's reluctance to put her faith in Eden, but her choice to do it anyways. Teruko already showed signs of growth this episode by admitting that she can't always solve mysteries by herself, so could that be a sign that she might come around on the group faster than we initially anticipated? If Eden was the killer, it would crush Teruko so hard. Is there any recovering from that? Can we really prove David right?

On the other hand, Ace is, quite possibly, one of the most intertwined members of the cast. He's probably Levi and Nico's #1 correspondent, and he's up there for Hu as well-- assuming they both survive the chapter, I'm sure their animosity towards each other will only grow in Chapter 3. With Ace just having given up on Levi, having just been the target of Nico's battery and Hu's verbal lashes, can the story really work without him in it at this point? Eden hardly has connections with anyone other than Teruko-- Hu's probably next, but Eden probably ranks, like, fourth on her list after Nico, Ace, and David-- which should make her more expendable. Is it really Ace's time already?

However, despite my complaints, I also think that both of them could be really good options as the killer here-- the two options I prefer over anybody else.

Eden is the character who's most connected with Arei. She plays into the chapter themes of being a good person beautifully. She's a good person, a tragic figure, that killed not because she wanted anybody dead, but presumably because she had something back at home that she had to get back to at all costs. Killing her off would break Teruko-- would break everyone. With the reveal of everyone's secrets, next chapter is going to be a living hell, so why not make that hell worse by removing the biggest conflict de-escalator here? It would force other people to step up to bat. It would give everyone a chance to change, what Eden wanted for Arei most of all. Eden's development isn't an arc, per say, but a fall-- a reminder that even the "most good" people can do the unspeakable.

Meanwhile, Ace has perhaps the most obvious reason to kill someone: he literally almost fucking died himself. Ace's execution would be a reminder of the physical reality of the killing game. That actions have consequences. Even if the guy who started all those fights is dead and gone, you can still feel his presence lingering in the arguments between the others. The guy you underestimated most of all-- not for being kind, but for being dumb-- can send you into a multi-hour spiral in which you accuse even the sweetest of participants. Ace's development isn't an arc, per say, but a fall-- a reminder that reveling in your own distrust and anger might lead you to do the unspeakable.

For someone who's spent so long believing that Eden is the culprit of the chapter, it's really amazing how down-to-the-wire DRDTdev has made the end of the case, where either option feels so believable that it's like you can picture the rope in their hands. Whether my theories, old or new, were right or wrong, I am highly looking forward to watching next week's episode and discussing it with you all. See you on Friday-- just try not to freak out too much before then, alright? (/aff)

#danganronpa despair time #drdt #fanganronpa #drdt spoilers #drdt chapter 2 part 2 spoilers #ace markey #eden tobisa #hu jing #nico hakobyan #teruko tawaki #i'm glad i got to shout out so many people in this one! :D #i try to keep a pretty good pulse on what's happening (on tumblr at least) so i can give credit where credit is due #although i obviously can't read everything lol #i was freaking out so much while watching this episode #bc i felt like i was so right but then all of a sudden so wrong. unless?#also i really wanted to put the meme of “sickos -> ”yes... ha ha... yes...!“ after teruko talking about how the tape points to Eden or Ace #but i already ran out of images so. you'll just have to imagine that one sorry #my theories

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luimagines · 2 years

Note

The Chain with a almost god like giant titan like Creature s/o reader.

Sorry that's a mouthful!

Like, they look human but are huge and have different kind of things about them that Hylians don't have. (Also,imagine the heros are so tiny compared to their s/o. Like Sky is like telling the Chain. But their in awe of the enormous creature that sky has been gushing about 10 times a hour.)

Please 🙏

Chain with an eldritch s/o. I dig it. Like that Eldritch Zelda that went around a while back.

It's going to be in headcanon form fyi. I hope that's ok!

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

Four

If you thought that a typical s/o for the smithy would have made him smaller....

He is dwarfed by comparison

Scorpion legs, mandibles, a spiked tail and as big as a house

Four proudly presents them to the group with the biggest flourished gesture he can do

“And I love them very much.” He says proudly.

The group is all silent

They click their mandibles in nervousness. “Um... So how do you do? Link has told me much about you all in his letters.”

Sky breaks out of it first. “We’re all alright. Four speaks about you a lot as well. e just weren’t anticipating you to be so-”

“Freaky?” They say quietly, causing Four to snap his head in their direction- words of rebuttal already on his tongue.

“Big.” Sky amends. “I was going to say big... Especially when he’s so...”

Four turns back to Sky with a glare. “Say it.”

Sky huff. “Look, Wind is taller than you. I thought it would have been someone I would have been able to look in the eye when you said they were bigger than you.”

Four splutters and tries to think of a comeback

It lessens to tension and Wild and Hyrule both step forward to introduce themselves

Time and Warrior give a small bow in respect

Wind run to try and climb on top of them

Twilight stops him before he can actually get away with it

Legend has been facepalming the entire time

His hand slides down his face slowly and he cuff Four by the side of his head. “When you say they get hungry easy it’s because you have mint on your porch. It keeps the spiders away-”

“Oh!” They perk up. “Is that why they don’t come by any more? I was wondering why it seemed like there were more bugs than usual. They’re not as filling.”

Legend gives Four a ‘I-Told-You-So’ look

Four says nothing

Hyrule

He had no problem with it!

“Hey guys! We’re about to meet the sweetest person in this entire planet. I can’t wait for you guys to see them.”

“Slow down Traveler.” Legend laughs. “We don’t know this place as well as you do- we might not be able to keep up.”

“Honey?” A voice speaks. It’s quiet and surreal- like multiple voices speaking at once. “Is that you?”

Traveler beams. “It’s me! I’m home! Come meet my friends!”

They step out. Multiple eyes blink slowly and feathered hands come in front of them in a nervous manner. They are giant.

Legend pauses. Where would he have seen this creature before? If he has anyway...

Sky smiles pleasantly and walks up slowly. “Hello there. Link’s told us a lot about you.”

Hyrule coughs. He didn’t. He doesn’t know why Sky is lying.

Time steps forward as well. “Good to meet you. I was wondering who was taking good care of him back home.”

Hyrule flushes. This isn’t what he was expecting.

“You know what...” Wild sighs. “I can’t even say I’m surprised. Call me Wild. We’re all friends of your Link.”

They smile. “Yes... My Link... Has he been behaving himself?”

Four nods. “Yup! He’s been a great help to all of us.”

Wind and Warrior both come up next to the hero in question and clap him on the shoulders. “We adore him.”

His partner smiles gently. “We share the same sentiment then.”

Twilight hasn’t said much but he stares at Hyrule with the stare of a thousand suns.

Hyrule clears his throat and tries to ease his embarrassment. “My home is nearby. We can all go there before the storm hits.”

They nod and reach their hand out.

Hyrule takes it without hesitation.

“Let’s go then.”

Legend

Legend was a bit nervous to introduce his s/o

They were huge

With multiple arms and multiple pairs of eyes

But they were so cute

Ignoring they were twice the size of a hinox

His hinox’ anyway

Wild’s are the largest he’s ever seen

Twilight sighs exasperatedly

“Spiders again”

Legend bites his lip

Wild and Four stare, wide eyed, jaw agape and say nothing

Hyrule is instead staring at Legend and Legend doesn’t know what to make of it

Time bites the bullet and holds out his hand

Warrior and Wild follow suit without question

They all shakes hands at the same time

“Hello” They say

Sky waves with a smile

“Thank you for looking after Link.” They say softly

Legend blushes and playfully swipes at them, only annoyed at the surface

“Hey-!... I can take care of myself. ...You know that.”

“Hmm... I feel better... knowing you’re not alone anymore.”

Everyone jumps on to let them know everything is ok

Legend sighs in relief

That... went a bit better than he thought it would

Sky

A bit nervous

But mostly because he doesn’t want anyone to say anything mean

If they do, he’s throwing hands

He’s done it before he’ll do it again

“Ok, Beloved... You can come out now.” He says softly.

They step out in all their ethereal glory

There’s the size of the two story house with wings and glowing silver eyes

There’s red and blue markings on their face

Time is getting flashbacks

Warrior is also having flashbacks

Twilight is watching Time and Warrior with interest

Wild and Legend share and look

Sudden dread and uncertainty over take them

Hyrule marches right up and sticks his hand out. “Hi.”

They smiles and shake it. “How do you do?”

Wind tilts his head. “How do you do what?”

Four shrugs and also goes to introduce himself. “Sky won’t shut up about you. You’re just as impressive as he said.”

They actually flush a little and look away. “He’s always talked a bit more than he knows what to do with. I’m sure he exaggerated a lot of things.”

Legend coughs. “I’d argue he understated a lot of things.”

Sky deadpans. “Gee, I wonder why.”

They laugh like church bells. “I can see why Link likes you all so much. Would you like a tour?”

Time

No longer cares about other people’s opinion

It’s not the boys believed him in other thing that he’s told them

So he’s kept this one close to his chest

He opens the doors to his home where you’re waiting in the living room

Time has also long given up on asking how you fit through the door

Four’s and Wild’s jaws hang wide open

Twilight actually trips over himself and falls backwards

This explains some things...but now he just has more questions

Like.. why the third eye? or the wings? and scales? and clubbed tail?

“Uh... Old Man...?”

“Oh it’s you! My boy!” They cry. “I know my babies where ever they are! I didn’t think you were serious dear!”

Time takes offense

“I told you. Of all things, this is the one you don’t believe?”

Cue Sky and Warrior looking between Twilight and Time, putting the pieces together but only becoming more confused in the process.

Legend sighs and flops in on himself.

“This might as well happen.”

Hyrule slaps him over the head

Sky bite his lip and waves a bit

He chuckles a bit out of nervousness

“We’ve heard... about you..”

“Have you?” They lean in

“Technically?”

They laugh

“It’s ok. Link doesn’t want any undue harm to come my way. He’s very protective like that. Come in! Come in! I’ll make some tea.”

Twilight

Just like how he was nervous to show his form as Wolfie, he’s actively trying to lighten the blow when the group meets his s/o

“Ok, so just so you guys know, they’re... bigger than normal... and may not be what you’re expecting.”

“Should we be scared?” Legend raises an eyebrow.

Twilight winces. “Well I would rather you not be. It would be a bit rude even if you can’t help it.”

Time puts his hand hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “If they’re important to you, we’ll be on our best behavior. Isn’t that right boys?”

Wild grins and gives a salute.

Warrior smirks and nods.

“Who’s important to Link?” A new voice says.

All heads snap in that direction

Large antlers and fangs, scales and tethers and a few feathers coat their body

Wind and Sky stare wide eyed

Hyrule blinks and punches Legend

“Oh my..” They say

“Pleasure to meet you!” Four gathers his wits first, hand already out to shake. “Your Link has talked a lot about you. All good things.”

They flush in a way that looks abnormal. “Oh... Oh my goodness- Ok. He always does this. I’m sorry if I’m not exactly what you were expecting.”

“Nothing could have prepared us for this.” Legend blurts

Hyrule glares at him

Legend flinches away

Twilight coughs. “Guy this is __”

They wave. “...Nice to meet you.”

Time bites his lip for a moment, letting it process before he gestures to Wild. “We brought lunch if you’re willing to join us.”

“Well that sounds lovely!”

Warrior

Warrior was practically avoiding it

Like bits and pieces, he would reveal

But never about their physical appearance

So when They finally appear with antlers, wings, and fur

Warrior waits with baited breath

Time sends Warrior a knowing look that he knows he’ll pay for later

Wild is the first to say something as he eagerly introduces himself

Twilight follows suit with Wind right on his metaphorical tail

Hyrule approaches hesitantly but is polite none the less

Sky stays a bit behind as Time goes in to say hello again

Four and Legend feel like they’re seen weirder and Warrior speaks well of them enough

“Hello again Little one.” They say patting Time on the head

“Not so little anymore.”

“Still little to me.”

“So how did you and Warrior meet?” Legend cocks a hip, eyebrow raised and all.

They smile, showing their multiple canines. “He shot me.”

“I told you, I’m sorry!” Warrior groans. “That’s not exactly what happened anyway.”

They giggle. “They call you Warrior now? I wasn’t aware your war merits carried over through time.”

“It’s... not that necessarily.” He blushes.

“He’s also called the Captain.” Wind raises his hand, thinking that it would to catch their attention.

“...Strange... That’s not his position here.”

“HO-KAY! Introductions are over! Who wants lunch?” Warrior yells louder than he needs to.

His S/O is going to embarrass him badly before he leaves

That’s the plan

Wild

He sees nothing with it

He doesn’t even think that it would register as strange to the others

“Link?” They call out. “Oh Link you’re back! Thank goodness you’re alright!”

Wild perks up and snaps his head in the direction of the voice.

He runs to them

The others pause and watch

They come out and pick Wild up as if he was only a bag of grapes

“Oh , I was so worried about you! Have you been taking care of yourself like you promise? I thought you would have been away for longer.”

Wild laugh and kisses them on their nose. “I’ve been just fine. I want you to meet my new friends.”

Twilight coughs and catches their attention. He waves.

“Oh!” Their second pair of arms comes up to cover their mouth. “Oh how rude of me. How do you do?”

Legend blinks. “How do you do what?”

They giggle. It sounds like thunder and their tail flickers playfully behind them.

They set Wild down. “How are you?”

“Fantastic, all things considered.” Warrior has to crane his neck up just to look at their face. “How did you and Champion meet?”

“Oh that’s a long story-”

“Let’s go in side first.” Wild interjects, a wide smile on his face. “I can start lunch and we can all get comfortable in the living room, yeah?”

Time seems amused, if a bit perplex. “Of course, Cub. Lead the way.”

“Cub?” They turn to Wild. “That’s precious.”

“Let’s gooo...” Wild coughs. His cheeks are a but pink.

From the looks of Four, Hyrule and Wind.... they’re never going to let him live that down.

Wind

(Not really s/o... more like best friend... maybe when they’re older but as it stands-)

Wind was going to blow their mind

His surprise is probably going to get him serious street cred

He was going to introduce them to every one and he was going to get all their reactions saved in his pictobox!

Wind stands in front of everyone, pictobox ready and tells you to come say hi

Longer than normal arms, thirty fingers, sunken eyes and moss for hair- and tall

Wind snaps the picture of his buddies

They’re going to love this later on

They already giggle and wave

Wild, Hyrule and Legend numbly wave back

“Hello!” You grin.

Time sits down

Wind grins as well and jumps onto their arm

He climbs up

“This is my friend! The one I was telling you guys about!” He says proudly. “Aren’t they cool?”

“...Very cool Sailor...” Warrior cranes his head up.

“Um.... So... how have you been?” Four tries for normal conversation.

He tries the old friend approach.

“Oh you knooww~~ Burrowing in the sand, taking in the sun, dragging sailors underwater, having tea parties with the locals. Same old, same old.”

“What was that one you just said?”

“Taking in the sun?”

“After that.”

“The tea parties? Oh! We should have one! I was about to have lunch anyway. Why don’t you call come over? Since you’re friends with Link, we can be friends too.”

Twilight smiles tensely. “...Sure... We’d love to.”

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millie-the-windmill · 1 year

Text

4 times Ben got cockblocked by Einstein and 1 time he doesn't

Yeah, so you read the title and I don't know what you're thinking right now, but it is what it is. I know most of my writing has been more fluffy up until now, but I do want to say that this one treads on more PG-13 stuff. Nothing gets completely written out, but there are hints of it more towards the end. So I'm really sorry for this (I am literally so embarrassed writing this) and I hope you all enjoy it! (Btw there WILL come a day when I will write something that isn't a variant of 5+1, but I need to find a prompt to write a short story) Also thank you very much to @weenieuyenie for giving me ideas for this post!!! It helped me a lot so I really appreciate it bestie!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As usual, Ben was inside his boyfriend's lab. He was always careful not to bother him if he was doing something important, but right now, Dexter wasn't going anything too important. So it was a perfect opportunity for Ben to bother him.

Ben watched him work for another minute before stepping closer. He slowly inched his way behind Dexter before leaning down to press a kiss to the back of his neck.

Dexter let out a yelp of surprise and whipped around to face Ben, his eyes wide with surprise. He opened his mouth to speak, but it took a moment before he actually got any words out, "M-Mr. Tennyson, what was that?"

Ben smiled in amusement, tilting his head a little, "A kiss." He then gently grabbed Dexter's arm so that he was fully facing him. He leaned in again so that his lips were mere inches from Dexter's, "Although I'd prefer to kiss you here."

Without wasting any more time, Ben placed his hands on Dexter's waist and closed his eyes, pressing their lips together in a deep and loving kiss.

Dexter's eyes fluttered closed and he took off his glasses, placing them aside before wrapping his arms around Ben's neck and kissing him back.

Ben moved one hand to Dexter's thigh, slowly trailing his fingers upwards and underneath his boyfriend's lab coat. The tips of his fingers brushed over Dexter's belt.

"Meow!"

The two of them froze.

Dexter pulled away and raised an eyebrow in confusion. He grabbed his glasses, putting them back on before looking at the ground. His expression softened, "Oh, Einstein." He picked up the cat, holding him against his chest. He pressed a kiss to the cat's furry head, smiling.

Einstein's tail swished side-to-side happily and a faint purring sound could be heard from him.

Ben had to stop himself from groaning.

Needless to say, Ben needed cuddles.

After going on back-to-back missions, he was thankful for a break. So he decided to treat himself by spending some alone time with his boyfriend.

Ben had Dexter in his lap, his arms wrapped around his waist and his face buried in the redhead's neck. His eyes closed as he felt Dexter gently stroking his hair.

A small smile crossed Dexter's face, his head resting against Ben's. He had taken his gloves off so he could feel the softness of his boyfriend's hair. He whispered, "My dear commander..."

At the pet name, Ben's face felt a little warm and he squeezed Dexter, making the scientist let out a small, quiet laugh. Feeling a need for retaliation, he nipped at Dexter's neck.

Dexter's body jolted and he gasped. He stared at Ben with wide eyes and pink cheeks, clearly at a loss for words.

How cute. Ben thought as he continued to kiss and nip at Dexter's soft skin, happily listening to his boyfriend's soft moans.

A sudden weight came down on Ben's shoulder, making him let out a pained noise. He turned his head to see what it was but was met with a face full of fur. Ah, it was Einstein again.

Dexter clicked his tongue before scratching his cat under the chin, smiling fondly at him.

Ben could only lower his head as Einstein perched on his shoulder like he was some hot shot.

Dammit.

The couple was currently in the headquarters cafeteria. To their own surprise, they were early.

Being early also meant they were the only ones in there. Einstein too, of course, since the cat seemed to love being around the two of them whenever he could.

Speaking of the two, they were standing in comfortable silence. Dexter leaned against one of the tables, his arms crossed and his jaw clenched, indicating that he was thinking about something.

Ben had to stop himself from giggling at the sight of his boyfriend staring off into space with a serious look on his face. However, he was smirking. He wondered if Dexter knew of his own habit. He looked around the empty cafeteria, suddenly getting an idea. He glanced back at Dexter, "Hey, Dex."

"Hm?" Dexter's head perked up, but he still looked like he was thinking.

Ben tried to put on his most innocent face, "How about a secret kiss before people come in? Please?"

Dexter's gaze suddenly snapped to him, eyes wide. His posture then relaxed and he got off of the table, moving to stand in front of the taller man. He took his glasses and placed them on the top of his head, looking up at Ben, "Go for it, Mr. Tennyson."

The alien-shifting hero smiled, placing one hand on Dexter's cheek, leaning in to press a kiss to the scientist's lips while admiring the sight of Dexter without his glasses covering his face.

Just before their lips could meet, Einstein let out a loud meow, clearly demanding attention. He was sitting on one of the tables nearby, his tail thumping against the surface as he waited for love.

Dexter covered his mouth with a gloved hand and turned his head away to hide his laugh, trying to spare Ben's feelings. He was clearly amused.

As the sound of people starting to come into the cafeteria filled Ben's ears, he glared at Einstein, feeling very pissed. Damn that cat.

The silence was comforting.

Ben and Dexter had just returned from a mission, both mostly unharmed. However, it doesn't change the worry they both felt when seeing their lover in a battle.

They had taken to hiding out in Dexter's laboratory, sitting against a wall and leaning on each other. Einstein was curled up against Dexter's side, silent except for the slightest rumble of a purr.

Ben moved his arm to wrap around Dexter's shoulders, pulling him closer and having the scientist's head rest on his chest. He pressed a kiss to the top of Dexter's head.

Dexter stayed resting against Ben for a long while before slowly pulling away to look up at him with a soft expression. His hand rested against Ben's cheek, gradually pulling him in for a tender kiss.

The alien hero placed one hand on the back of Dexter's head, keeping him close, while the other hand removed the redhead's glasses.

Their kisses started out soft and emotional before delving into more desperate and deep kisses, ones to remind themselves and each other that they were both there and, for the most part, okay.

Ben's hands slid down to Dexter's hips, pulling him closer as their kisses only grew more needy. He froze when he felt something soft rub against his fingers. He reluctantly broke the kiss and looked down, seeing Einstein rubbing his furry cheeks against his hand.

If you asked either one of the boys, Einstein looked almost...sad.

Dexter rested his head back against Ben's chest, slowly petting Einstein as the cat settled into his lap.

Ben rested his head atop Dexter's, one hand on the scientist's back and the other petting Einstein as well.

Yeah, this was fine.

Einstein was sitting on Dexter's lab station, cleaning himself in all his feline glory.

His beloved owner, as usual, was spending his time with the other human wearing a green jacket. The two started off with a simple conversation, but the tension in the room started to grow and now the two were locking lips heatedly.

Einstein, out of respect and love for Dexter, had his back turned on the scene. He blissfully ignored the soft noises coming from his owner. He had the thought of interrupting them once more but decided against it this time.

A cat needs to be cute when they do something irritating after all.

Therefore, Einstein continued grooming himself. He glanced up from cleaning his paw as Dexter was led out of the lab by Ben. His heart yearned to follow them, but he knew where they were going and what their intentions were.

They would need some privacy.

#I was gonna do 5 this time #But I ran out of ideas 😭#i'm so sorry for this #I'm sorry this took me so long too #For some reason my motivation went out the window over the summer #fusionfall #fusionfall retro #fusionfall legacy #bendex #dexben #bexter #ben #ben tennyson #dexter #dexter mcpherson #dexter utonium #if there's grammatical errors #I'm sorry #I just wrote and posted 💀

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