Summary: Sunato Banda had found his interest in you, a psychiatrist.
Pairing: Sunato Banda x Psychiatrist!Reader
Warning: AiB normalities, Urumi acting like she's manipulating you, a little bit botched jack of hearts cause I forgot how the game went, manipulation, deaths mention, not proofread!!
A/N: Apologies for taking a while to post!! Ive been busy lately with my university but Im slowly working my way through the requests!
Request from JolynLin : Can i request a psychiatrist reader x sunato banda please, I think it would be fun to see how they would interact :) take your time if u do decide to write btw <3
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"Please put on the collar and proceed to the room upstairs."
The same ai voice rang through the small room you walked upon in. It was clear to you that the game must've included something about trust or a guessing game due to the looks of the collar. There was a small, circular display of a screen on the back of it.
You gulp before placing the collar onto your neck.
There was no going back now.
Feeling the light cold from the contraption, you made your way up the stairs and into a room full of other people just standing there. They all had the same collar as you.
For the time being, you decided to do what you do best; observe.
Back in the real world, you were a psychiatrist. Which meant you would study harsh behavioral disorders based on your diagnosis. You were relieved on how much your job had helped your ass during games like diamonds and hearts. It also allowed you to understand others and be able to adapt to their personality.
Maybe you wouldn't call yourself manipulative, but you definitely had the great advantage and ability to.
Your mind suddenly went blank when your eyes stopped and stared at a man from the other side of the room.
Sunato Banda.
Yes, you've heard bout him in the papers before, in the real world.
And then, it seemed like you had been staring at him for a bit too long and he seemed to take notice of your gaze. Banda started to stare back at you, as if he was observing you like you did him.
When you realized this, you quickly gathered back your surroundings and looked away from him.
Out of the corner of your eye, you could see that he had interest in you. A dark interest.
As soon as everybody filled out the game's player registration, the big tv screen in front of them turned on - revealing a jack of hearts card.
Everyone listened intently to the game's instructions.
And confirming your earlier suspicions; this is a game of trust. You could already tell, straight off, that most of the players in this room would go off and lie when the option and possibility is given.
Then most of them had gone off in groups or pairs.
Currently for you, you needed to find somebody you could trust. So you needed to observe everybody else first. You're too unbelievably close to finishing off this game - you needed to survive.
That poor boy with his one eye hidden decided to pair up with Sunato.. And it seemed like Sunato had already established his superiority over him.
You looked off to the side and found a boy who seemed like he was having a breakdown every two seconds sitting next to white-hooded other. It was rather odd and unique that they were paired, considering the fact that one of them looked calm and collected and the other was wild and shaky.
You really did feel bad.
But you couldn't do anything about it.
You felt a tap on your shoulder. You turned around to reveal a girl in a blue lollita dress - It was the same lady who suggested going in groups.
"Hey, you seem like you need a team... Do you wanna join our group?" She smiled 'innocently'.
Hesitantly, you looked at the group behind her. They were all so desperate in leaving this place alive that they forgot how to work smarter. Some were shivering, some were talking over others..
"Yeah, sure." You accepted and gave her a quick smile.
You had to accept naturally, otherwise they may suspect you as the jack of hearts. And it was too early for you to die.
She smiled. "Wonderful! My name is Urumi, yours?"
"My name is-" You were cut off by somebody asking if they could join the group and it seemed like Urumi had quickly forgotten about you.
You exhaled through your nose in slight annoyance. Then you darted your eyes off to the side and found Banda watching you again. His newfound lacky had disappeared into the small cafeteria.
Eyes narrowing at him, you were about to go and interact with him, get some non-verbal information from him at least, until Urumi touched your shoulder again with her bright, fake childish smile.
"Why don't we go to the cafeteria?" She persuaded in exaggeration, like a kid convincing for their mom to buy a toy for them. "We can have a group meeting there."
It felt like you had caught the eye of many people, like they knew who you are and what you can do.
You certainly know that you've caught Banda's eye, and now this Urumi girl seemed to be the most friendliest to you.
However you knew better than to trust someone like her, but you needed to follow her instructions for now so you wouldn't raise any sort of suspicion. You had to give her the steering wheel for now.
"Sounds like a plan." You answered her, giving one last glance back at Sunato as she continued to drag you away from the main room to the cafeteria.
-
"You're a club!" Urumi chirped happily, and the group members behind her agreed on with her.
Truth. The cogs in your head told you.
You were sure they said the truth. You looked around and smiled thankfully, "Many thanks." Bow.
After a while, it was time to answer your suit. You made your way to the cell of your choice and waited until the bot's voice said any further instructions.
"Please answer your selected suit."
"Club."
3 - 2 - 1 - Ding! Congratulations, you didn't die.
You sighed in relief and dusted off some dirt of your clothes before leaving your small cell. You guessed nobody had died this round, it's too early for the Jack to start their attack.
You opened the cell and were greeted by everybody else around you, and you were right; no one died. Your group got together in the center hall, all bowing and thanking their fellow teammates.
All of you started to tell each other their symbols once again until that one big bully decided to cause a scene. It was no surprise to you though.
He started threatening and attacking the poor man he forced to team up with him, pushing the victim onto the ground as they cried.
Banda was quick to pick the pitiful man up. "Are you okay?"
That struck you as odd. Surely, it did surprise you.
But then he leaned down onto the crying man's ear and whispered something to him. Despite his back was facing you, it was awfully obvious that he had a plan.
Seeing that the game was a hearts, and it needed you to evaluate how much you can trust one another; you also guessed that Sunato told the guy to lie.
It was only inevitable.
When the attacker was about to strike again, he was stopped by his words.
"Club! You're.. a club.." he cried, begging him to not hurt him anymore.
What a sad display in front of you. But it was the duality seen in reality. Where the bigger people fight the weak just to show the dominance they have over them. But it is a world that you have accept. You looked down in shame - not for yourself but for the humanity you live with.
"Don't wait so long next time." The bully chuckled and left.
He walked by you and his collar was in fact, not a club. Nobody decided to tell, letting the foolish man fall into his inescapable death.
After that, slowly, people died. One by one. It started off with that half-witted man, then the man who lied and so forth, so on. And it was all because of Urumi with her suspicions.
It was clear as day that she liked manipulating people using her childish charms.
You were thinking on leaving the group as you sat on those cafeteria benches.. But how were you going to do it without seeming suspicious? Well, you had no choice but to start avoiding her or tell her right away. But maybe next round, there was 20 minutes left and you had just done that group meeting. Thankfully, they haven't lied yet, or else you would have some serious problems.
"Hey."
You know that voice. You could feel your breath hitching and your nervousness starting to rise, but you had to keep yourself composed. Don't show fear.
You turned around to face him, "Banda."
He smirked darkly at you - A smile you've seen a thousand times on people like him.
Banda made his way to sit in front of you. He had his interest piqued at the very moment he had his eyes on you at the start of the game. He knew you were way ahead of the rest. The way you narrowed your eyes at people you were reading.
It also felt like he knew about you way before this game. Dare I say; world.
"I've seen you eyeballing me every time you enter a room." Banda taunted as his small, creepy smile never went away.
"You act as if you don't do the same." You remarked. "I know who you really are, Sunato Banda."
He grinned at you. "Feisty, I like that about you. Putting up a wall so nobody would know what you really think of others."
You only blinked slowly at him. What was he trying to get on about? Why were you even talking to him anyway?
"You'd be surprised." You shrugged his way.
And why were you entertaining him?
"You know, you're group is starting to become extinct rats. What are you going to do when they all died off?" Banda started making a good point.
"What? Am I supposed to say I'll ask for your help?" You asked suspiciously, a little offended.
"What else are you going to do?" He chuckled, soon turning to a dark point. "Just so you know, you don't have to trust in me. I have a feeling that my partner isn't telling me the 100% truth - and when your group dies down, you'd have no one to turn to."
"What are you trying to say?" You knew exactly what he was going to say.
"Why not help each other out? I do you a favor, you do mine."
"And what if you're the jack?"
"What if you're the jack?" Banda played along with signature smile.
Your eyes narrowed at him, a little pissed off. Two can play at this game. "Fine then," You crossed your arms on the table, "Suppose my group does die, and I do listen to your advice - What do you suppose you would do with me after? It's not like I'll easily trust a serial killer."
Banda sneered while placing both of his palms on the table and leaned closer to you, all up in your face with a snarl, "Sometimes, you make me lose my mind."
You leaned closer, "Too bad you already lost it."
With that you chose to stand up from your place at the table, not daring to look back at him. You could already tell he was starting to break character and the real, angry psychopath was starting to show. The true darkness and power that a man like him can hold over their victim. It was already on display at the very first second of this match - everyone was just blind.
But, much to his surprise, you turned around a little, not a full turn where your whole face was visible. You gave him a somewhat sympathetic smile - hard to know if it was fake or not.
"But, I'll be keeping your offer in mind." You chimed before waltzing your way out of the cafeteria with a racing heart.
Did you seriously just back-talked a criminal? Yes, Yes you did.
While you were busy feeling a little bit confident of yourself, which is quite suspicious and yet wrong in a game like this, you didn't notice a pair of eyes watching your back with dubiety.
After another round of this jack of hearts game, it felt like none of them was getting a speck closer into finding out who the jack might be. You gathered with your groupmates once again, waiting for your turn.
"So, what's my symbol?" You asked, trusting them.
"You're a... spade!" Urumi smiled innocently as she swayed lightly, her blue dress flying around lightly. Hand fiddling with the pink pocky stick in her hand.
Lie. Your head told you.
Your eyes widen in shock and terror as you processed the doom that you were in. For the very first time, you were being told a lie in your group.
After what seemed like hesitating more than confirming, the only members left of the group nodded their head and agreed on the symbol. The way they confirmed it was so transparent, you could tell how much of a lie it was, just because their tone of voice and their faces were all so fake.
But you decided to play along.
"Thank you." You nodded.
It didn't take long for the group to disband again, going their separate ways.
You went your own, really separate way alright. You went to Banda, much to your very own disappointment with your so called team.
,
"So you decided to finally come to terms, hm?" Banda played as he followed the lines of the brick walls in the small room in a hallway nobody would really bother to check, especially with a people of this amount left. He was very cocky.
"I said what I said, and I keep my word." You recalled, leaning against the wall with folded hands as you watched Banda slowly come closer to you, his index finger still tracing the dusty old grout.
Eventually, he got closer to you that he was practically 2 inches apart from your figure.
"Sounds trustworthy." He replaced his index finger with his whole palm, up against the wall. "Now I trust you'll tell me the truth?"
"I'll tell the truth if you do the same. I think you know that I'm more than capable to tell the difference between a truth and a lie. No matter how good you are, everybody always have a tell." You didn't meet his eyes yet, you stared off blankly into space but you were very confident and were true to your word.
Banda grinned at you, it made you look at him with your own blank eyes. "No strings attached?"
"No strings attached." You echoed back. Both you and Banda had agreed that both of you wouldn't try to control the other, just simply telling each other's symbols until the end of the game. After all, both of you know how many colors manipulation comes in.
"Your symbol is a heart." He answered.
Truth..
You walked behind him and read his collar, "Spade."
Sunato smiled once more at you, he seemed to trust your words. His partner must've answered the same so it was somewhat of a 100 percent chance for him to be alive this round but you knew that it wasn't going to be the end just yet. Someone was bound to lie some time.
Both of you then made your way to that cell room of yours, watching Urumi walk into her own as she smiled so sweetly your way before walking in.
What a bitch, you thought.
"Please answer your selected suit."
"Heart."
It was correct... The doors unlocked as soon as you realized you had survived. One by one, you heard doors open from the outside. You had counted the amount of players that were left, walking in their cells, so determining how many doors would be opened, it would tell you how many players had survived.
Unfortunately, another player seemed to have passed away. But it wasn't to your surprise.
The real surprise that was about to ensue was to Urumi, who was very shocked and quite pissed off that you were still alive. She had guessed that you had somebody else to trust other than her.
The way she watched you as you walked pass her through the cafeteria was just so full of hatred.
But the real threat to her was her groupmates. Not only were they losing faith in her - she was starting to lose trust in them. It was bound to be a lose-lose situation that would never seem to find its solution.
And as another few rounds went by, your conclusion was true.
Everybody from your group had disappeared, all with their necks blown off in the cells they all last departed to before their certain deaths.
It was a pity for all of them to have died. They wouldn't have had to die if only they were good enough to each other and speak nothing but the truth. But alas, none of them could trust the other.
Each round, usually when Banda's partner was long gone and off to the food section by himself, you would meet up with Banda where nobody else could see and exchange answers of the symbol on your collar and some other information both of you had gathered in safety of the other in the game.
You had told Banda that you had to team up with the white hooded boy with bleached-blonde hair who was formerly in your group but started phase out with the other guy with the yellow shirt. Both of which, you learned their names were Chishiya and Ippei. In order for you to not look suspicious in front of everybody else who was alive.
You couldn't help but feel bad for that one Ippei guy. He really was too kind for this world. It made you wonder how he got this far. Too bad he stranded in the Jack of Hearts game.
Sunato understood your reasons. For a serial killer, he was quite smooth with his words and made very good points from time to time. He was surprisingly a good person to chat with and pass the time.
Both of you learned each others aspects of being a serial killer and a psychiatrist, often play small and few rounds of a guessing game to figure out what the other thinks about or do or anything along those lines.
That's until what seemed like the last round came.
You were with Chishiya but Ippei had sadly passed away. He really shouldn't have been here in the first place. He didn't deserve it. You had a sure feeling that Chishiya was trustworthy enough to go through with your plan of surviving and you hoped that he didn't see you as a threat as well.
There was no real point in lying to him anyways.
In these few rounds, you've noticed how intelligent and observant he really was. It seems like the only last few who were left were the ones who stayed quiet and listened instead of going around and assuming others.
Both of you were sure that the jack was going to make the move.
Anyways, despite the fact you were with Chishiya, he told you not to tell him his symbol yet in order to get some answers from the people he seemed to suspect.
And as the plan went on smoothly, when everybody was gone from the small food section, you told each other your symbols and parted ways. You promised Banda that you'd meet up one last time in the same small room down the hallway.
"About time you showed up, I've been waiting here for 5 minutes." Banda turned around to you.
"And that's all the time it took for you to start losing your head up your ass, huh?" You teased back with unamused eyes.
He didn't really like that so he narrowed his eyes at you. Something he took from you, due to your little habit. "What happened?"
"Nothing much. I just had to do a plan with that Chishiya guy. Really helpful. You?"
"I also teamed up with another guy. Similar to ours. We both believe that we have many things in common." He answered willfully, everything coming out of his mouth was the truth.
It honestly stunned you, the fact hoe he actually was telling the truth about every word he tells you. You were just expecting more unsuspecting and cocky lies, same to everybody who had currently died at this game. Instead, you were met with a man who wanted to survive as much as you do. Maybe even as manipulative as you if you were.
"Reasonable. How sure are you that the guy you're with is the jack of hearts?" You asked.
"I mean considering the fact that you can tell the difference between a truth and a lie, shouldn't you know?" Banda sassed back at you, tilting his head with delight.
"I can tell the difference between a trustworthy prick and ally as well." You smiled at him exaggeratingly. You knew why he suspected his partner already but it couldn't hurt to know if your secret teammate knew why as well.
"When I said he was transparent from the start, I really meant it. He's clearly trying to act as if I have him under my control. The way he doesn't know the way I truly see him when he doesn't have a clue." Your partner says, all in the truth.
"Fair." You answered him. "I hate to say this for once but, hope you end up till end, Sunato. Just so you know, I really am saying the truth."
He nodded towards you before leaving the room first, never to be seen until the results of the last round.
Something tells you that you weren't the only one who felt and read the tension you had between the both of you. A deeper and more twisted and maybe even forbidden kind of tension. But it was the thing both of you had. But you couldn't say anything about it.
As the last few game matchers stepped into the last room of potential death, it took them almost a minute to find out who had won.
You answered your suit and you were more than relieved that your symbol was right and that you were ready to feel actual ground again and breath after this game. You could hear some laughter from outside, near your cell.
But despite trying to sound all so serious, you chuckled at his laugh. The jack was just right next door to you. How stupid.
One by one, you and the last other 3 players revealed yourselves to be alive as you told the jack of your clever plans and how much all of you had outsmarted him.
And in the end, before Sunato and that Yaba guy left into the cell to start their work, the last thing you saw was Banda's wink.
"We shall meet again, princess."