Im Doing That Thing Again.

I’m doing that thing again.

You know, the one where you think of another cool au idea when you currently have 5 others already in the works at the same time.

So many au ideas. So little time.

SCP! SCP! You want it? You got it!

This was one I was eager to get to as soon as I thought of it. Made me grin like mad whenever I recalled that it was coming up on my list. And now it’s here!

It was so fun to write. And I’m sure it will be fun to read as well.

If you make a character a cosmic being, might as well give him some crazy abilities! Oh and don’t worry, I shall explore more abilities in the next SCP au too.

“Hey, can you clean up the dishes? I’m really tired tonight and don’t have the energy or motivation to do them,” Hajime requested his companion, who was sitting across the table from him.

The SCP tilted his head, but still nodded. “I can most certainly clean up. But if I may inquire, are you doing alright? Anything worrying you or stressing you out?”

“Nothing that you need to concern yourself over. Just… tired.” The brunette slowly pushed himself out of the chair and stepped over to the bedroom. He shut the door behind him, sighing as his hands left the doorknob. He wasn’t sure why, but he just felt drained today. He had tried his hardest to overcome it all day, but he had no more energy left. Hence his request to avoid doing the clean up.

But… he supposed there was something that could have influenced this energy deficiency. Lately, he had been thinking more about the friends and family he had left behind when he came to this place. Were they thinking of him? Were they doing okay? Did they worry about him? Would he ever see them again?

“Ah, so that’s what is on your mind.”

Hajime didn’t even flinch when the entity’s voice suddenly appeared behind him. Nor when the arms wrapped around his waist. He only sighed, not speaking.

Nagizuru was quiet for a few moments, but spoke again soon. “You know, perhaps we could, I don’t know, sneak out of the facility during the next containment breach. They wouldn’t know if we, let’s say, paid your family and friends a visit. How does that sound, my dear?”

Instantly, Hajime’s heart felt lighter. “You… you mean it? We could… go see them?”

Nagizuru laughed softly, the vibrations of the action felt through their physical contact. “Of course. They may not hold much meaning to me, but they do to you. And your happiness is my top priority.”

Hajime sighed, nearly shedding tears at the thought. “Thank you so much. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m eager for the next containment breach.”

“Indeed. Best not share this with the staff. They would surely not be of similar thinking.” The entity squeezed him a little tighter. “But in the meantime, let us preoccupy ourselves with other activities.”

The human raised an eyebrow. “You sound like you have something in mind.”

“Perhaps.”

Hajime blinked rapidly. The voice… had come from Nagizuru who was now standing in front of him. But if he was there, then who was holding him? He looked back and to his shock, the one holding him was the same person. “Wait! What? How?”

“Oh, Hajime. You underestimate my abilities.” That voice came from his left, where a third entity grabbed hold of his arm.

“I am quite capable of doing this. Is it that surprising?” a fourth asked, grabbing his right arm.

The one behind him tugged him backwards, so that they were now on the bed. The one in front extended a pale arm, pushing on his chest so that he fell back onto the other’s lap. The two on his arms wiggled close, still holding tight. And the one in front moved so that he was laying on the human’s legs.

He was now unable to move, trapped by four copies of the same creature. His heart and mind felt like they were about to explode from both confusion and being more flustered than he had ever been in his life.

Front looked at him with an amused grin. “I’ve not seen this expression on you before.”

Right rubbed a thumb on his shoulder. “It’s a sight I wouldn’t mind seeing again.”

Back ran his fingers through the brown hair. “Penny for your thoughts, Hajime?”

Left maneuvered so that he could whisper in his ear. “I would love to know.”

The human had to really fight to speak without squeaking in embarrassment. He could barely keep himself composed. Who could blame him? But he did manage to ask his question with only a bit of shakiness. “Are you… all different people? Isn’t… cloning yourself a bad idea? Won’t you fight each other to be the one true body?”

All four laughed. “Where did you get that idea? So silly,” Right asked him.

“Perhaps too many sci-fi films? They get so much about the universe wrong,” Left tacked on.

“As if they know anything of the horrors lurking at the edge of the universe,” Front commented, eliciting a bit of a shiver down the human’s spine.

Back pet his hair. “But to answer your question, Hajime, we are not separate.”

“We are one and the same.”

Hajime gulped as the four spoke at the exact same time. It was a little freaky, if he was being honest. Not to mention the implications of his earlier comment. “Uh… what did you mean by the horrors?”

“Oh, don't worry about it, Hajime.”

“You have nothing to fear from them.”

“They won’t come this far.”

“I’ve made sure of it.”

Again, that did little to calm him. “How powerful… are you?”

“Don’t concern yourself with that.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“All that matters right now is us.”

“And making you feel better.”

“Huh? You are… trying to make me feel better?” Hajime asked, not having expected that to be the reason for the clones.

“Of course!”

“You were feeling down and tired.”

“So I wanted to help in some way.”

“And I decided on comforting touches.”

Hajime let out a huff. “Don’t lie. You also wanted to do this to see my reaction.”

“Maybe.”

Groaning a bit, he laid his head back with force on the lap he was resting on, the only movement he could accomplish at the moment. Four sets of identical giggles filled the air, and the soothing touches began again. “I… guess I’ll admit that this is nice. But I’m surprised it’s taken you this long to do. Knowing you, I’m shocked you didn’t do this from the start.”

“Oh, it was considered.”

“Multiple times, in fact.”

“But I refrained.”

“I didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

Hajime raised an eyebrow. “Your definition of overwhelming is clearly not the same as mine. You waited for this but didn’t on inverting another person in front of me?”

“Priorities.”

“My.”

“Dear.”

“Hajime.”

The brunette decided to give up, knowing that winning was an impossibility. “At least you are comfortable,” he conceded.

The four smiled wide, the two on his arms slotting one of their hands into each of his. He curled his fingers around the hands, feeling them squeeze back.

“That’s right.”

“Relax.”

“Let your worries fade away.”

“And your mind ease.”

The combination of the various hands massaging him made all the tension in his body fade away. He felt himself go limp, not wanting to move at all. He was practically a rag doll now. He had half a mind to drift off, but would that be rude?

“You may if you desire to. This can certainly be repeated. And allow me to assist in another way.”

Hajime supposed he was thankful for the mind reading capabilities for now, as he didn’t have to speak to express his wants. He closed his eyes as the four around him began to hum in harmony. The gentle tune along with the gentle touches were enough to make him drowsy. And with one final squeeze, he fell asleep while held by the entity.

Masterpost

Despair is your duty!

So this is something that I’ve had pictured in my brain for years. No joke, it’s been years.

When I listened to The Happiness and Peace of Mind Committee, I instantly felt like it had Junko vibes. I thought it fit her pretty well. And thanks to the amazing and talented @karugoround, she is now a reality! But yeah, I hope y’all love it as much as I do! And thank you Karu for drawing this!

PS: Here’s the song link if any wanna take a listen.

Psst…

Hey, hey?

Want Octopath Traveler 2 content?

Specifically with g/t concepts attached to it?

Well, if you are fellow enjoyers of this niche idea, you are in luck! I have created a few one-shots of this very concept! You can find it here!

ErrandBoyTV was the one to suggest this one! And boy oh boy it was cute.

Will Hajime ever stop spoiling his little naga? Oh heck no. It’s his life mission now.

Also, sorry Kaz. You make it too easy for the snek.

Hajime could easily trace the exact path of events that lead to him beginning a weeks long scavenger hunt in his own apartment. Oh yeah, it was not hard to recall what had led him to this.

It all began with a quick trip to a craft store as requested by Kazuichi. His friend had requested assistance on gathering materials for a new project and Hajime had figured he could tag along for moral support and to be an extra set of arms.

It was at the store that he had spotted them, sitting innocently on a shelf in an aisle they were in. A box of mini pencils, thin and delicate. Practically the perfect size for a certain someone he knew. So Hajime had grabbed it, knowing it would be adored by the recipient.

Sure enough, the gift was received very well. Nagito had been astounded and overjoyed by the present, pulling each individual pencil out and looking them over with wonder in his eyes. To the human’s surprise, he didn’t use them right away, instead dedicating the rest of the evening to hugging and expressing his gratitude. Which Hajime had no issues with; he liked those sessions, too.

The next day, Hajime had cut up sheets of paper and had laid them out for Nagito to try his new pencils out on. The naga got to work instantly, eyes focused on his task as he practiced writing and drawing. It worked as a great distraction as Kazuichi had swung by to show off pictures of his project to his friend.

“It’s coming along super well! The parts we got yesterday were exactly what I needed. Thanks for the help, by the way. You are the greatest soul-friend a man could have!”

Hajime had rolled his eyes at the dramatic declaration, but still nodded with a supportive smile. “No problem. Glad to help.”

Kazuichi grinned before putting his phone away. “So what are your plans for the rest of the day? Studying? Or something fun?”

“He is to provide me with love and attention, if you must know,” Nagito spoke up, drawing the humans’ gazes to him. The tone changed in a second once the naga shifted his full attention to the brunette. “Look, Hajime! I was able to draw a clover! Do you like it?”

He was sure that his cheeks were a bit red from the words, but he again nodded. “Looks fantastic. You got the hang of that pretty fast.” Hajime had then smirked. “Are you going to now turn into the doting partner who leaves little notes everywhere?”

But his joke had ignited some fire in Nagito, green eyes filled with inspiration. “What an absolutely wonderful idea! Yes! I shall!” He then turned his sharp gaze to the other human. “And you shall assist me in this task.”

Kazuichi looked down, terrified. “What?! Me? Why?”

Nagito scoffed. “Because if Hajime helps me with this, it’ll ruin the surprise. Now come on! We have work to do!”

And so, under the strict guidance of Nagito, Kazuichi had become the naga’s temporary assistant in scattering the notes around. The naga had gone with the pink haired human, instructing him on where to place the various bits of paper. Meanwhile, Hajime just sat back on his chair, sipping water and listening to the nervous chatter from his friend.

Which led to now, as a very frazzled and stiff Kazuichi returned to the living room, nearly collapsing onto the couch. “Can I be free now? Are we finally finished?”

The naga, who had been clinging to his wrist with tight coils, sighed. “I suppose we can be. I’ll release you now.” Nagito loosened his hold and slithered onto the plush cushions, making use of their angle to ascend to the couch’s armrest. “It is done, Hajime! We hid them all around the apartment. But don’t go looking for them yet! Wait until later, okay?”

“Fine, fine. I won’t, I promise,” Hajime assured, reaching over to offer a hand to the naga. He felt the smooth scaly tail quickly make contact, crossing his arm and reaching his shoulder in no time. “You are spoiled rotten. You know that right?” he asked as he felt Nagito get comfortable on his shoulder.

“You like spoiling me. Don’t deny it,” was the reply.

Hajime huffed, not admitting out loud that it was true.

Kazuichi groaned from the couch. “If y’all are gonna be mushy, I might as well see myself out. Hajime, you should definitely come by my place next time. I can show you my progress in person that way!” The pink haired human stood up and made for the door, pulling his shoes back on.

Hajime smiled at his friend. “Sounds like a plan. I can’t wait to see it. Good luck!” he called out, getting an enthusiastic thumbs-up before his friend exited the apartment.

“It’s just us now. What bliss,” Nagito muttered dreamily, nuzzling and sighing contently.

“You say that as if we don’t spend a good majority of time together,” Hajime pointed out, though he did nothing to stop the naga’s actions. “By the way, can you try and be nicer to Kaz? Or at least tone down the sternness? He’s already apologized a hundred times for grabbing you that one time. And we both know he’s not brave enough to ever try that again.”

Nagito hummed in thought, making the note last several seconds. “I suppose I can try. Though I make no promises.”

“Just keep it in mind the next time you see him, okay? For me?” He knew that last part would get him somewhere. If Nagito was allowed to play him like a fiddle with sweet words, he would do the same.

“For you? Anything.” Sure enough, it worked. “But enough about him, let’s get back to the main focus! My notes to you. I’m going to set rules that you can only find and read one per day. Draw it out as long as you can. Then I can hide them all over again once all have been discovered!”

Hajime laughed a bit. “Alright, I suppose I can do that. But how many did you hide?” he asked as he took a sip from his glass.

“45.”

Hajime nearly choked on his water. “45? That many? How did you make that many?”

He felt Nagito hug his neck. “Determination for my one and only, obviously. As I said, anything for you.”

It now was very apparent that Hajime had quite a task ahead of him. One he was eager to do.

Masterpost

To the Octopath Traveler 2 fandom, I need help in answering a question I have.

What is Temenos’ relation to Roi?

I have seen a lot of recent fics and fanart that are tagging/indicating that they are siblings. But is that canon or fanon?

The only mention I have seen to this question’s answer was Temenos referring to Roi as a friend in a travel banter.

Which is it?

Edit: I have been informed that they are adopted siblings. Now we know!